On and off the runways, vintage-inspired graphic tees are having a moment, too. New York designer and 2026 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund runner-up Emily Dawn Long’s styles are released in drops that instantly sell out; Long has knack for coming up with clever phrases like “Take Off Your Clothes” or “Spoiled Boys” that have cultivated an ‘IYKYK’ fashion status.
The unbothered cool of a hard-to-come-by graphic tee has transcended off-duty style, as well: Actress Daisy Edgar-Jones recently sported two vintage Chloé tees on her Sense & Sensibility press tour. And Zoë Kravitz, another style icon whose graphic tee looks I’ve been emulating since she starred in the tragically short-lived Hulu series High Fidelity (where the costume department actually incorporated items from her own closet), is regularly photographed in something enviably cool.
Nowadays, I do most of my graphic tee shopping online, with eBay as my go-to source for all things quirky and personal. (When the Montreal Canadiens were in the NHL playoffs last year, I became fixated on finding unique team merch, homing on specific keywords to narrow down the search.) Depop is another favorite, where my feed is currently filled with my latest obsession—Denim Dungarees, a Japanese children’s brand founded in the ’90s that creates Americana and military-inspired tees.
While I maintain that the best graphic tees are vintage, there are still some really cool vintage-inspired ones to be found online. Re/Done, for example, is a great resource for cheeky texts, as is LA-based Mother. A few of my favorites—some vintage, some not—below.
Reformation
x Alexa Chung slogan tee
Emily Dawn Long
Torino Cobra ringer tee
Daydreamer
Queen graphic burnout T-shirt
Junk Food Clothing
