It's been one hell of a year and we owe it all to you. Worn Free just keeps growing, thanks to our smart and stylish community; it seemed appropriate, therefore, to express our gratitude one last time in 2008 and to wish you a sparkling, safe New Year's celebration.
While we're at it, here are a few recent sightings to round out a smashing year. First a bit of Australian press coverage, namely the Rockland Courier and MX Brisbane:
Crikey, they've been good to us Down Under. Perhaps the rugged independence of our credo resonates with those folks in Oz.
But we're gettin' the love everywhere on the planet, as evidenced by this lovely post on the Glorious Noise blog (thanks, Derek!), a mention on the enigmatic L.A. blog Torr, a shout-out on Coolspotters highlighting the John Van Hamersveld Indian tee and a piece on the Welsh site Altsounds.
Of course, nothing pleases us more to see up-and-coming artists sporting our wares, like L.A. band Lojic, seen here showing off our Gram Parsons Flying Burrito Bros. and (on their interlocutor) Lester Bangs Freedom or Death.
Perhaps they'll be wearing WF attire when they rock Crane's Tavern in Hollywood on Jan. 10 or 14 Below in Santa Monica on Jan. 16.
In the meantime, why not close out the year by expanding your T-shirt wardrobe? You know you want to. Happy New Year, kids.
We know it's tough out there, and not everyone has tons of scratch to invest in holiday gifts. But there are undoubtedly a handful of folks in your life who command the lion's share of your seasonal generosity, economy be damned. And these worthy people would clearly appreciate a stylishly cozy WF tee or two.
Allow us to make fulfilling their wishes much easier.
From now until Boxing Day (that's Dec. 26, don't you know), Worn Free is offering 20% off selected shirts and free shipping.
Yes, we know! You're welcome.
Your female friends, spouses, significant others and siblings will feel their oats in our sparkling-white Gram Parsons and The Fallen Angels tee, as modeled by both the daddy of country-rock himself and rock icon Robert Plant. And they'll belt out their blues in our highly art nouveau-ish Janis Joplin Family Dog shirt (in idol-worthy royal blue only).
And for the men? There's nothing like a British coat of arms to make a rock fan drool, and Jim Fitzgerald's Out of My Tree tee is particularly heraldic. For the more philosophically inclined Beatlemaniac in your life, ponder the profundity of our John Lennon You Are Here (in very thoughtful red only). After all, how can he enjoy the holidays if he's not reminded to be in the moment?
So there's your gift guide, with extra savings. And here's how it works:
1. Select the applicable design and color (i.e. You Are Here in red, Joplin in blue).
2. Enter the holiday-appropriate coupon code EGGNOG when you submit your order.
3. Ho, ho, ho! We'll take 20% off the price and ship it to you for free.
And then we will all drink the aforementioned eggnog.
The occasionally obstreperous Brit vocalist Liam Gallagher - of the very, very wonderful band Oasis - is regarded, in some circles, as a bit of a contrarian. Bear that in mind as you peep this photo of him attired in Worn Free's John Lennon Working Class Hero tee.
That's right, blokes 'n' birds: Liam's wearing the shirt inside out. So he's either making some kind of rock-revisionist statement about the legacy of the Beatles or he got dressed in the dark. In any case, he looks wicked cool, right?
As for his band, well, you've probably worn out their most recent full-length, Dig Out Your Soul (released in Oct.); it just so happens that you can procure their new EP, I'm Outta Time, on Dec. 1, you lucky people. U.K. fans get pre-order it here, but if you don't have the sterling you should head over to iTunes, where you can whet your appetite by downloading the video.
Is it true that wearing a Worn Free shirt inside out reveals a secret message, such as "I buried Paul," "Turn me on, dead man" or "Charles Manson is a wanker"? There's only one way to find out.
Y'know, we've become accustomed to thinking of WF shirts as woven works of art. But then we saw the "abstract contemporary textile art" of artiste (and friend of the blog) Sarah Symes and were mightily humbled. Sarah's work takes a painterly approach to woven tableaux, representing scenes like a Venice sunset entirely in colored thread. Her renderings combine the visceral intensity of the Impressionists with the geometric shorthand of the modernists ... or something. Whatever. It's pretty.
So naturally we're pleased as punch to see the creator herself in one of our little textile items, namely the ultra-smart Debbie Harry Bluejackets tee.
In any case, allow us to needle you into visiting her site and checking out her woven wonders.
This blog has, over the past couple of years, offered you a lot of clothing options: Frank Zappa t-shirts, Debbie Harry t-shirts, Kurt Cobain t-shirts, Gram Parsons t-shirts and whatnot. But we're the first to admit that when it comes to accessorizing, we've fallen down on the job.
Enter Marlon Wayans.
The TV and film star/writer/director/producer - who has demonstrated his capacity for everything from farce (Norbit, the Scary Movie series) to hardcore drama (Requiem for a Dream) - is seen here in Worn Free's John Lennon Working Class Hero shirt. But note how he's upped the ante with a pair of Las Vegas sunglasses by Rubber Duck.
We know what you're asking yourself: Will I look as cool as Marlon does in those enormous specs? We're duty-bound to say ... probably not.
But it's all about the thrill of discovery. Speaking of which, look for Marlon in G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, among other flicks, next year.
The cast of HBO's smash insider comedy Entourage has long modeled the torso-pleasing tees of Worn Free. You've seen star Adrian Grenier (as aspiring movie star Vincent Chase) wearing our John Lennon You Are Here and Record Plant Studios, John Van Hamersveld Crazy World Ain't It and Frank Zappa Radio Clyde tees. You've peeped Kevin Dillon (as Vince's bro, Johnny Drama) in our Lester Bangs Freedom or Death shirt. You've spotted Rex Lee (as superagent Ari's loyal assistant, Lloyd) in our Willie Hall Hollywood shirt. You've seen some uncredited dude in the JVH "skull tongue."
And now we present special guest star Seth Green (portraying Hollywood star Seth Green) in our Ian Dury Taxi tee.
We've been fans of Seth's since way back in the day; the guy's acid delivery and impeccable timing invariably yield stellar comedic results, whether he's playing a foul-mouthed Amish guy in a teen comedy like Sex Drive or providing voices for the animated action figures on his brilliantly twisted Cartoon Network series, Robot Chicken (TiVo alert: RC's second Star Wars-themed ep will air on 11/16).
Add him to the Entourage mix -- where he gamely spoofs his own spiky persona -- and you'll see why there's a Green movement sweeping Tinseltown.
Let's face it: Most awards shows are a drag. They're syrupy, awkwardly unfunny, stuporously long and studded with mediocre, overly choreographed musical numbers (not to mention endless commercial breaks). But some awards shows are a little ... what's the word? Spicier. Like SpikeTV's Scream Awards, honoring "the best in comics, fantasy, sci-fi and horror."
Sounds like a little more to chew on, no?
And at the recent awards ceremony, who should join the ranks of genre mainstays like Iron Man star (and fellow Worn Free wearer) Robert Downey, Jr., legendary comic-book impresario Stan Lee and rocker-turned-auteur Rob Zombie? Why, none other than chameleonic British thespian Gary Oldman, sporting Worn Free's Debbie Harry "No Pictures" tee.
We've loved old man Oldman since we first saw him in the '80s. Like Daniel Day-Lewis, who also surfaced around that time, Oldman always blows our minds by transforming himself -- whether he's playing historical figures, like Sid Vicious, Ludwig Von Beethoven, Lee Harvey Oswald, playwright Joe Orton or Dracula (yeah, Dracula was real; believe it), or limning fantastical characters like the noble Commissioner Gordon in the Dark Knight series, the odious white pimp Drexl in True Romance or the heroically mysterious Sirius Black in the Harry Potter films. The guy's a genius, and one of the best actors alive.
Are we enthused to see Gary photographed in our oh-so-ironic No Pictures tee? Enough to scream.
Perez Hilton! We who blog salute you. We can never hope to attain your massive agglomeration of eyeballs, nor to galvanize thousands of e-mail forwards and revenue-slinging click-throughs. We are merely a humble T-shirt blog, hoping to bask in the reflection of your queenly glow.
On the left in this photo you will see Jess, of Aussie band The Veronicas, clad in WF's Debbie Harry No Pictures tee. Jess is rocking the shirt in exactly the way it should be rocked - during a photo shoot at the very epicenter of the celeb-spotting multiverse.
But lest you think this glamorous demimonde too superficial, we direct your attention to Perez's socially relevant shirt message. That's right, we're taking a stand and agreeing with this luminary of the snarkosphere in urging you to vote. Call us controversial.
It's pretty selfless of us to deliver this message; after all, we don't make the shirt he's wearing.
