Threadless Holiday Sale: Part 1

The fine folks at Threadless appear to be having quite the lengthy holiday sale this year, extending for at least the next four weeks, leading very close to (if not right up to) the new year. The savvy shopper should keep an eye out throughout that time... stock moves fast during Threadless sales, so play it safe... pick up the most important bits now (gifts, etc) before they sell out, and grab some more favorites later, as Threadless is teasing about still more special promotions. You'll thank me when you come out of it with everything you want.

Don't know what you want? Just cleared out your basket recently? My pick of the week is Wild Wild Wind by yeohgh, a shirt with phenomenal use of placement. The front of the shirt is nothing but a blowing tree, but the image wraps around to show just how strong that wind is... the giraffe 'round back, as you can see, is having his spots blown off. The design wraps naturally, adding a shred of surprise but making the whole design feel cohesive. The linework is strong, as it needs to be in a one-color print, but even stronger are the lines that aren't there... you can almost see the invisible wind playing havoc with the branches and giraffe's hide. It's impressively rendered in that way, making the illustration believeably blustery. As with so many pieces I seem to like, there is obvious humor done subtly, tastefully, and powerfully enough that the joke is not the only thing going. Art can trigger a range of emotions, and the humor here really just serves to underscore the simpler message of the wind and the chilly feel I can't help but get just looking at the shirt.

Maybe you're not really up to spending $15 on a shirt now, tho. It's just about holiday time, and you need to get bang for your buck... sure, Threadless is worth it, but first you want to make sure everyone else is taken care of before wasting your dough. I understand. Thankfully Threadless has a whole slew of shirts starting at a five spot. Toss one in the cart with your gift-giving. Pick up a couple and get more shirt for the same coin. My recommendation is the classic and very in stock "They're, Their, There" by Mr. Florencio Zavala. It's a rough style with goofy faces teaching a vital grammar lesson. It's the sort of thing I can picture people liking or hating, but it's just a fun style mixed with education that the entire internet era has apparently bypassed learning. Get one for your text-obsessed niece or your sister's meathead boyfriend. Sport it yourself to mock passers-by or pick up the cutie at the library. For a fiver, you've nothing to lose.

Threadless has other specials and future fun going on at their main site, as well as their new TypeTee, Select and Kids imprints. I'll be touching on more of these as the sale progresses. For now check out the goodies yourself... I'm sure you'll find something made of awesome.