Ii all fashion is about communication, a printed t-shirt is – quite literally – the sartorial benchmark of your wardrobe, a way to tell the world your likes and dislikes, likes and moods, without opening your mouth . That makes them, pun intended, a winner on two fronts: a way to make a bold statement but also an easy style fix when you don’t have the space to think about your outfit in the morning.
Buy a T-shirt that says something – Finisterre’s ‘Protect Your Blue’ is about an ocean campaign, for example – or a conversation-starting outfit, like Mowalola’s with its frankly surprising and very flexible model.
While many designer t-shirts have great graphics, they are also often priced in the triple digits. Renting lets you play with these different designs – from Gucci’s iconic snakeskin to Ralph Lauren’s cult polobear – for free.
Retro printed t shirts are a fashion prize. Dig into vintage sites, boutiques and charity shops to find prints from other eras. The 70s and 80s excel here, while anything from the year 2000, like this Moschino peace sign design, will score style points in summer 2022. Add wrap-around shades and high-waisted jeans. bass if you dare. Lauren Cochrane
Buy it
Organic khaki T-shirt£35, finisterre.com
Women’s printed T-shirt£185 per Mowalola from brownsfashion.com
Organic sun t-shirt, £70, samsoe.com
To rent
Bambi sequined T-shirt£24 for four days rental, by coach from mywardrobehq.com
Bear print£39 for a month (as part of a subscription) by Ralph Lauren from the devout.com
“Guccify” t-shirt£42 for three days rental, by Gucci from byrotation.com
save it
Blue ‘spa’ tie-dye T-shirt£29.95, goldsmithvintage.com
peace sign t-shirt£40, by Moschino from thrifted.com
purple t-shirt£22, www.au-dela-de-retro.com