All summer long, a two-year old article has been among the daily top ten most popular ElvisBlog articles, often in the top five. It is “Elvis T-Shirt Review,” and I have wondered why it is so popular. I guess Elvis fans were thinking about T-shirts during the summer season.
I also wondered if most of the fifteen shirts I recommended in that July 2008 blog had cycled off the offerings from ShopElvis.com. Had they been replaced by new ones worthy of comment? After doing a little research, I noticed the abundance of new tee designs for women. Some of the designs are available on men’s T-shirts as well, but some are exclusives just for you ladies.
So, before summer becomes a distant memory, let’s look at the best fifteen ladies Elvis T-shirts according to ElvisBlog. They are in no particular sequence.
Vegas Remembered: This tri-color image of Elvis in jumpsuits is an attention catcher. Check out the outstretched hands of the fans at the bottom of the picture, giving it the feel of a concert setting. That’s a nice touch I like a lot.
Elvis Singing Blues: I prefer a variety of colors in my Elvis T-shirt collection, so I was favorably inclined toward this blue one for women. There are many more T-shirt designs with jumpsuit images than with 50s Elvis images, so this one gets points for depicting young Elvis.
Elvis ’68 Lights: Simple but stunning. Everyone will recognize this image from Elvis’ ’68 Comeback Special. Would it be cool if the back said, “…will never leave the building.”
Elvis Stick ‘Em Up: This is truly clever. The picture of Elvis is from the movie Loving You, when Elvis wore a cowboy outfit while singing “Teddy Bear.” I love the stick ‘em up shadow silhouette behind him.
Elvis Smile Lines: Strange, but interesting. With lines criss-crossing over Elvis’ smiling face, this shirt name is probably as good as you could come up with. It gets extra consideration because it is green.
Don’t Be Cruel Heart: In my opinion, all of the designs so far would work as well on men’s T-shirts. However, I see this one as a chick shirt only. It must be the pink heart. They could have skipped the crossed guitar necks and made the heart bigger and the Elvis Presley signature a lot bigger. Quibble, quibble. I still like it.
Elvis Sings: Great image, nice blast of red color on a black background. A good option could have been variations with green, blue, and yellow backgrounds.
Pink Rhinestone Sweatshirt: Okay, it’s not a T-shirt, but I like it. It’s hard to see the rhinestones, even if you blow up the picture, but if they sparkle in the sun, this could be pretty cool.
Elvis King Scroll: Several different images have been used on T-shirts with the theme King of Rock & Roll. This one is a painting by Betty Harper, who has the most wonderful portfolio of Elvis art. There are Swarovski crystals in the design, bringing the price up to $130.
Alfred Wertheimer Photos Make Great Tees
Elvis Chopper: This one looks like it would be more fitting for men, but I’m sure it would look great on younger ladies. Maybe not so good on the old gals my age. The Harley picture is one of several iconic Alfred Wertheimer photos from 1956 that have been used on Elvis T-shirts.
Elvis Spotlight: Here’s another Alfred Wertheimer photo, one of many I like so much. This image came from Elvis’ appearance on the Steve Allen Show on TV, where Allen had Elvis wear a tux and sing to a basset hound. Elvis hated the whole concept, but the picture makes a great T-shirt. Elvis in a tux, from the back.
Elvis White Light: This is the third of my favorite Alfred Wertheimer ladies tees. The famous photo on this shirt was one Al took during Elvis’ concert at the Mosque Theater in Richmond, VA in July 1956. The picture has been colorized, but the white circle is on the original photo. Just as his shutter snapped, someone in the audience flashed a bulb, and the effect is almost cosmic. I can’t imagine why EPE didn’t use Al’s title for his shot: Starburst. I like that better, and I love this shot.
Joe Petruccio Art and Swarovski Crystals
Elvis King of Rock: This image is not a photograph, it is a painting by Joe Petruccio, whose work appears on all sorts of Elvis items. At the moment, EPE is marketing exactly 100 different items featuring Joe Petruccio paintings. Here’s the description of this shirt on ShopElvis.com:
“This women's black babydoll features a Joe Petruccio design of Elvis in his '68 Comeback Special leather suit accented with “King of Rock N Roll” text and Swarovski crystals.”
I don’t know what a babydoll T-shirt is, and I don’t know what Swarovski crystals are. However, I do know that you will have to shell out $65 to buy this one.
Elvis Heartbreak: The Joe Petruccio artwork here is from Elvis’ first 1969 concert appearance in Las Vegas as he returned to live performing. This time, they call the sparkly items Crystallized Swarovski. They must be pretty special, because the price for “Elvis Heartbreak” is $130.
Rock n’ Roll Racerback Tank: We will end with a pretty girl wearing an expensive tank top. The website item description has delightful prose that warms you up for the sticker shock:
“Light and airy with a chic, edgy feel, these tanks sparkle with hand-applied crystals. Two side pockets are perfect for carrying tiny treasures. Created by Susan Fixel and featuring artwork by Joe Petruccio.”
Well, even on a tank top, Joe Petruccio’s images of Elvis don’t come cheap. Especially if they are covered with hand-applied crystals. This fine item goes for $120.
It really wouldn’t surprise me to see them come out someday with men’s Elvis T-shirts with Swarovski Crystals, but I don’t think they will sell. Guys won’t pay over $100 for a T-shirt – unless they are buying one for their chic, edgy babydoll.
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