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INTRODUCTION by Giorgio Armani

I’ve always thought of the T-shirt as the Alpha and Omega of the fashion alphabet. The Creative universe begins with its essentially, and, whatever path the imagination takes, ends with its purity.

What intrigues me about this piece of clothing – which has crossed our entire century unscathed and is poised for a glorious future – are the sensations that it transmits to me. The first is a sense of cleanness that goes beyond the superficial meaning of the word; it implies presenting oneself to others without artifice or disguise. The second, which may seem contradictory, is the unabashed sex appeal that this garment has like few others in the modern wardrobe: under a T-shirt, the beautiful bust of a women or the handsome chest of a man are sculpted and desirable without becoming vulgar.

And then, I love the T-shirt as an anti-status symbol, putting rich and poor on the same level in a sheath of white cotton that cancels the distinctions of caste. It also excels as a means of communication: writings, drawings, poems, slogans, photos, worn as a way to tell the world who you are, what you think, where your ideas are directed.

Finally, I must confess it: despite the fact that some people think I am a man without vices, I am a T-shirt addict. It’s the first thing that I put on in the morning and the last thing I take off at night!

©1996 by Alice Harris and Umbrage Editions, Inc.
Introduction ©1996 by Giorgio Armani. Text ©1996 by Nan Richardson.

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The White T by Alice Harris
Introduction by Giorgio Armani
Text by Nan Richardson
Published by Umbrage Editions, formerly Umbra Editions for HarperStyle, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers

Hardcover | 10.25" x 13.25" | 146 pages
Duotone and full-color images
24" x 36" book-jacket foldout poster
$40 USD
All royalties from The White T will be donated to GMHC.

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From the Publisher

A fabulous tribute to one piece of clothing worn by people of every age, gender, and shape, the white T captures the zeitgeist of our times. With striking photographs and sophisticated text, the white T traces the colorful history of the classic garment worn by billions all over the world. From the first Hanes version sold in the 1930’s for twenty-four cents to its transformation into the ultimate in cool (not to mention sexy) when worn by James Dean, Elvis Presley, and Marlon Brando, the white T has become part of our culture.

The significance of the white T goes beyond fashion, to encompass the political, sexual, and social trends of the past decades. Whether tie dyed, stamped with a slogan or icon, torn, slashed, or designed, these shirts make a statement, and everyone, from presidents to rock stars, bikers to bankers, babies to baby boomers, has at least one white T. Celebrating this universally worn piece of clothing, the white T is a chronicle of cultural history and like its quirky and expressive subject, in itself a work of art.


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