Archive for the 'Enclothe' Category

One Last Top 10 List: The Best T-Shirts of 2007

Published
by
Greg
on December 31, 2007
in Beautiful/Decay, Design by Humans, Enclothe, Heavy Rotation, Imaginary Foundation and t-shirts
. 7 Comments

As is mandated by the Official Handbook of the International Union of Bloggers, I’m here on this eve of the new year to share with you my top ten t-shirt selections of 2007. Joe and John have both already shared their lists with you, and while some of my selections overlap with theirs, I am surprised to find how differently all our lists turned out. This just goes to show how many great tees came out this year, and how difficult it was for each of us to whittle the enormous number of incredible releases down to a scant ten.

Anyway, here are the goods:

10. Tokyo Wolfing Project from Tokyo Art Beat

Tokyo Wolfing Project
The list you’re currently looking at is the result of me paring down a much, much larger list of tees. I put this design on that original list fully expecting it to get whittled away sooner or later. But with each round of cuts, I realized more and more how much I really like this shirt. As I mentioned back in August, this shirt comes in two color-ways—but I prefer the white-on-blue version, as it does justice to the wistful elegance of the design.

9. Castle from Panic

Castle
I considered several video game-related tees for the list, but for the interest of variety, I decided to include only one. This Katamari Damacy-inspired shirt made the cut for its standout gold-foil print and haunting beauty.

8. Balloon from Timber!

Balloon
I recently wrote about this t-shirt, which features a delightful blend of lumberjacking, ballooning, and the surreal.

7. The Overlook at Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

The Overlook
Here’s another design that I kinda glossed over for whatever reason when we first blogged about it. But I took another look and realized that the amazing vanishing point that’s smack-dab in the center of this shirt is too damn striking for me to pass up. The reference to The Shining is an incidental bonus.

6. Roboto Mori by Joe Infurnari from Bountee

Roboto Mori
After compiling this list, I took a look at John’s top ten and was impressed at how many of his picks I had seriously considered for my own. Interestingly enough, however, Roboto Mori is the only shirt that ended up on both our lists; I guess it just goes to show how awesome this design really is. You can read more about my thoughts on this shirt here.

5. Caliph from Beautiful/Decay

Caliph
Beautiful/Decay had a ton of impressive releases this year, but this one stands out as my favorite. I’m not exactly sure why—for some reason, I just find the abstract imagery here incredibly arresting. This still floors me every time I see it.

4. Cowboy from Heavy Rotation

Cowboy
I’ve enjoyed so many of Heavy Rotation’s releases this year that it was a real challenge figuring out which one I like the best. But this design won me over with its cool and mysterious look. And let’s be honest—it’s awfully hard to go wrong with robot cowboys.

Continue reading ‘One Last Top 10 List: The Best T-Shirts of 2007′

John’s Top Ten Tees of Aught Seven

Published
by
John
on December 30, 2007
in Beautiful/Decay, Enclothe, Fantastic Bonanza, Oddica, Threadless, Uneetee and t-shirts
. 4 Comments

As Joe mentioned yesterday, now is the time for more Top Ten Lists. Specifically, it is time for a Top Ten List from me, John! There’s a disappointing consistency among most of my picks, I’m afraid. I’ll have to expand my shirtish horizons in 2008.

10. Music Connects Us Through Space from Uneetee

Every once in a while, Uneetee will catch me off guard, much to my pleasant surprise. I guess the childhood dream of starting a rock band in space hasn’t yet lost its appeal, though it’d certainly be difficult to get NASA to pay for a recording session.

9. Roboto Mori by Joe Infurnari from Bountee

Greg yakked this one up a while ago.

8. Deus Ex Machina from Threadless

Though we never reviewed it, Greg did mention this shirt briefly when chronicling his trek to Threadless IRL.

7. Silent Weapon for Quiet Wars from Beautiful/Decay

I took a quick look at this design along with three other t-shirts that were, at the time, fresh additions to Beautiful/Decay’s Artist Series.

6. Nessie from Bloo Empire

You can read a li’l about this t-shirt back here. I wanted to list Keeley Carrigan’s Monster Tree, profiled here, instead, but that would be breaking the rules. Since, you know, it was pre-2007 and everything.

5. Robot Anatomy v2.0 from White Frog T-Shirts

I really wish I could remember how I happened upon this shop, but I can’t. Its 789 might have something to do with it, though. Possibly. Like, someone else linked to it as part of a “seven ate nine” post—maybe?

4. Conezor Attacks from Fantastic Bonanza

Did you guys know that you can get this in Men’s Large now? You guys probably already knew that. Anyway, click here if you want to revisit Conezor’s debut.

Continue reading ‘John’s Top Ten Tees of Aught Seven’

Joe’s Top Ten Indie T-Shirts of 2007

Published
by
Joe
on December 29, 2007
in 2K by Gingham, Design by Humans, Enclothe, Fantastic Bonanza, Imaginary Foundation, Monsieur T., SEIBEI and t-shirts
. 2 Comments

As the year comes to a close, it seems fitting to look back and reflect on some of the best t-shirts from 2007. This is the list of my top 10 tees in the past 12 months, and you can expect lists from John and Greg in the next couple days. Some of these designs didn’t receive the attention they deserved until now. Enjoy!

10. Ampersand from Ser-vice

Ampersand - Ser-vice

Read my original review of this logographic t-shirt.

9. Sandwich Dinosaur from SEIBEI

Sandwich Dinosaur - David Murray - SEIBEI

Although the design isn’t new this year, Sandwich Dinosaur is available in more colorways than ever, and now even comes in kids’ sizes! (As always, don’t forget to use coupon code fanblog for 10% off.)

8. Hot Dog from 2K by Gingham

Hotdog - Marc Atlan - 2K

Although this t-shirt is sadly no longer available, you can still read about my obsession with hot dogs.

7. Abe from Enclothe


Read John’s smartly clever review of this smartly clever t-shirt.

6. Antler Girl from I’m Smitten


Read my in-hand review of this adorably creepy t-shirt, and check out the multiple colorways now available on I’m Smitten. (My mom tells me that Lili Taylor wore this shirt a lot in Starting Out in the Evening.)

5. Poseidon’s Rage from Monsieur T.

Poseidon’s Rage - Ryan Berkley - Monsieur T.

Because Poseidon’s Rage is from Monsieur T.’s old line, it’s only available as a t-shirt in small and medium from the Monsieur T. Treasure Bin, though it sees new life as a hoodie.

4. Birdman from Imaginary Foundation

Birdman - Nick Philip - Imaginary Foundation

I under-appreciated Birdman until I was thinking about my favorite t-shirts of the year. This t-shirt is one of my most-worn from Imaginary Foundation!

And now, get ready for my top 3 best indie t-shirts of 2007…
Continue reading ‘Joe’s Top Ten Indie T-Shirts of 2007′

Abraham Lincoln: T-Shirt Superstar

Published
by
John
on December 13, 2007
in Enclothe, new releases, on sale, t-shirts and webcomics
. 0 Comments

Sixteenth president of the United States. The Great Liberator. Preserver of the Union. Possibly the greatest president in U.S. history. And a man with impeccable taste in facial hair.1 Behold Abraham Lincoln: t-shirt superstar.

It’s often much easier to pay homage to a person’s mythology rather than to probe both his strengths and faults through comprehensive study. While Lincoln’s mythology has been firmly established in homes and schools for many decades now, the Internet Age hasn’t really done anything to dispel the Fictionalized Biography Phenomenon, either.2

That said, I must admit that I do enjoy ridiculous perversions of history as much as the next guy. It’s no mystery, then, why I’m so enthralled with Enclothe’s latest and greatest t-shirt offering:


Abe at Enclothe: $19.00

Here, we are introduced to an alternate universe where the U.S. falls prey to the ravenous zombie virus in early 1864. With the zombie population rising at an exponential rate, who takes charge and quells the undead menace? Yes: Abraham Lincoln. I know that zombies are on the official list of Internet Things That We Should No Longer Find Interesting, but the vigilanteism inherent in both the post-apocalyptic wasteland and the wild west gives the pairing of Honest Abe and zombie hunting an appropriate appeal.

Also! If you buy two or more items at Enclothe before these holy days come to a close, they’ll reduce the cost of your order by 25%! Nice.

lincoln-shot-first-abraham-abe-t-shirt-halfpixel-kristofer-straub.gif
Lincoln Shot First at Nightlight Press: $17.99

Witness yet another marriage of history and geekery with this shirt from Kristofer Straub, better known as the brains behind Starslip Crisis. Who knew that George Lucas’ revisionist practices affected our nation so drastically? It’s kind of unfortunate that Lincoln wasn’t a better shot, to be honest.


ABE/JFK Hoody at Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction: $60.00

Rounding up today’s peek into the past is this more cryptic offering from Art In The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction. Rather than nerdifying iconic historical figures, AAMR instead chooses to surreptitiously whisper conspiracy theories to people via eye-catching apparel. They list some telling coincidences between the deaths of these two presidents at the hoodie’s product page, and to be honest, I think they’re onto something. You know, for a few months now, I’ve been setting up this undergr—say, do you hear helicopters?

Well, whether you know Mr. Lincoln’s personal affairs down to a T or whether you’re content in making up stuff about someone you’ve never met, you’ve got to admit—the Lincolnator ain’t going anywhere anytime soon!

—
1In so many words, anyway. History buffs need not remind us that such brief statements lack truthful nuance—or any truth at all, in fact—it’s just an intro, after all!
2“Chuck Norris’ tears can cure cancer! Too bad he never cries.” That sort of thing.

Indie Week is still going strong, here at Fantastic Bonanza at least!

Pelicans? Pelicans.

Published
by
John
on December 6, 2007
in Enclothe, Fantastic Bonanza, Squidfire and t-shirts
. 0 Comments

Smells a bit fowl to me.

Hah. See what I did there?

Actually, I should probably avoid making stupid animal jokes simply for the sake of punnery. I may one day encounter a repugnant chicken, after all—and just where would I be then? Punless, that’s where: north of Tongue-Tied, east of Mumblin’ and Fumblin’, west of Johndoesnotusewordscleverlyville. Man, I hate that town. It’s like they have a grudge or something. All I did was accidently introduce a strain of West Nile Virus into their marina.

Hey, speaking of birds, have you noticed that the pelican is starting to carve a place for itself in the shirtosphere?1 It’s true! I first noticed the phenomenon while browsing SquidFire’s new winter lineup of hoodies and jackets.


Pelican Hoodie at SquidFire: $45.00

The design is straightforward enough—sure to please any ornithologist who harbors a soft spot for—well, for harbors. SquidFire seems content enough to admire the pelican from dry shores, but a certain other clothing line does not appear to find this adequate.

Continue reading ‘Pelicans? Pelicans.’

Good Tees Come In Threes At Enclothe

Published
by
John
on November 12, 2007
in Enclothe, new releases and t-shirts
. 0 Comments

If you haven’t already, you should really check out Enclothe’s new winter line: two hoodies and three t-shirts ripe for the pickin’! Er, well—that phrase isn’t really appropriate to the season, is it? Two hoodies and three t-shirts ready, uh—ready for the figurative picking of gifts for the upcoming designated non-denominational gift-giving-and-receiving time period! Oh, you know what I mean. Check ‘em out:


Battles at Enclothe: $19.00

Looks like a belligerent mechanical military menace decided to start some trouble with the Sleeping Giant’s cousin, the Outraged and Battle-Ready Giant. His friends call him Eddie. I’ve always liked Enclothe’s balance of ornateness and clarity in their designs, as many other stores fall into the trap of favoring one over the other. Good to see Battles carrying the proper-balance-torch.


Falconeer at Enclothe: $19.00

I’ll leave you guys with the appropriately blustery Falconeer, a permanent reminder of the precarious relationship between Old Man Winter and falcons. You know how you can’t see a polar bear in a snowstorm? The Falconeer’s falcon can see that bear. If you’re looking for something to educate the children of tomorrow in the days where falcons and winter have gone extinct, this shirt is for you. It is a very cool shirt (pun intended).

You can see all three designs—as well as the hoodies—for yourself at Enclothe’s main page. When you pre-order one of the hoodies, you’ll be saving five bucks and receiving an exclusive Enclothe Sticker Pack. And when you pre-order one of the shirts—you’ll be pre-ordering a sweet shirt! These designs are being sold as pre-orders until November 20th, so keep that in mind! Don’t allow Time to inspire complacency: order immediately!

Link: [Enclothe]
Expensiveness: $19.00 for shirts, $40.00 for hoodies

Sweet New Site and Four New T-Shirts from Enclothe

Published
by
Joe
on August 1, 2007
in Enclothe, new releases and t-shirts
. 0 Comments

The launch of Enclothe’s new, much-anticipated (by myself, at least!) website was today, and it’s quite slick. My two favorite features are the shopping cart (add an item to your cart to see what happens) and T Points, which are a lot like Threadless’ Streetteam points. But enough about the site, because I know why you’re here: t-shirts. And Enclothe certainly delivers, with 4 awesome new designs. Here are my two favorites:

1984 - Derek M - Enclothe
1984 NEW! at Enclothe
This stunning design continues in Enclothe’s fine tradition of releasing t-shirts that pay homage to classic works of science fiction (see 451); in this case that work is, of course, 1984 by George Orwell. The extent to which Derek creates excellently designed, original artwork infused with his own take on the work is seldom seen in other tribute t-shirts.

Axis Mundi - Derek M - Enclothe
Axis Mundi NEW! at Enclothe
Axis Mundi (or ‘axis of the world’ in Latin) is another of my favorite’s from Enclothe’s new releases. Derek always writes such great copy, so I’ll let this one speak for itself:

The location where all paths converge and all stories end.
Axis Mundi is the living center where the World Tree grows and the universe twists itself inside out and back again.
When wearing this shirt we encourage you to travel to the highest point in your location and peer out, look closely and see where your path goes.

Be sure to check out the rest of Enclothe’s new releases as well; they’re superb as well.

Link: [Enclothe]
Expensiveness: $19