compete-tee-tion

Bunyan's Blues by Ken Marshall (Style Swap) is my favorite shirt of the week because of how thoroughly the humor is conveyed. Instead of just capitalizing on the blue steak, showing Paul grilling in the middle of a field of tree stumps makes it clear how hard up he is. The result is a shirt that is funny, attractive, and even oddly poignant.



In Us All by Luke Ramsey is this weeks Select. While it's a type of shirt that I don't typically enjoy (it displays the organs), but it is done with a lot of style which goes a long way towards making it feel fresh. The heavy patterning of the innards almost gives them a furry texture, and the cutaways of the creatures are amusing. It's solid work, but not exceptional.

Imposter In The Bird Hotel by Michelle Li (littleclyde) is at first glance an attractive, though maybe predictable, shirt. The birdhouse is fun from far away, as it is full of colors and textures. Close up, though, is where it really succeeds- all the unique birds are fun to look at, and there's a neat easter egg in finding the cat hidden among them. Another strength is in the way the environment is shown in lighter shades, a great way of establishing a tone without distracting from the main event.



Foam Monster In Emotional Reunion With Severed Limb by Aled Lewis (fatheed) is one of the funniest and most original ideas I've seen on a shirt. It's like the answer to the question in the back of everyone's mind- what is the deal with those huge foam fingers? The answer is presented as an unfortunate foam monster, roaming the crowd in search of his hand. The style of drawing is attractively sparse, really letting the joke take centerstage. An especially great shirt for sporting events, but likely to be a hit with any crowd.



AV by Olly Moss (Woss) is a gimmick shirt. It succeeds where most shirts of this type fail, however, by mimicking an attractive object. There is something pretty cool about the way AV interfaces look because of the geometry, repetition and bright colors. I'd never wear it because I don't understand the desire to have a shirt look like anything other than a shirt, but I think objectively it's the best looking example of the genre that I've ever seen. I can picture hardcore music and video enthusiasts cheerfully lining up to buy it.

Stalagmite vs Stalactite by Steven Bonner (steven218) thrives on simplicity- the wavy rock layers spice it up a bit, but otherwise it's all basic and crisp. It works because the concept is so informational, it looks like a graphic for teaching children. As such, I think it works best as a kids shirt. While the front and back, up and down format is fun and fitting, most adults don't flip around enough to give it the kind of workout I think the theme requires.

Threadless prints new shirts every week, chosen from the designs submitted by and voted on by site members. Winners get $2000 cash and $500 in Threadless credit, with the possibility to earn more through Bestee awards, poster prints, and reprints.

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