Crypto-teeology

A couple days ago, I noticed that Flying Mouse, creator of a number of Threadless classics (previous write-up "I Love Sushi," for example), has started his own store. This is always exciting to me, because it means there's another outlet for great shirts, and with a solid designer at the helm, we know that there will be no shortage of quality shirts.

Of the launch shirts, my favorite is Mother of the Sea, primarily for the concept. The idea of the mermaid defender bringing fishermen to their demise for assaulting her children is the stuff of sailor legend and sometimes cheesy horror movies, and the way this is executed really pulls it all together. The mermaid is beautiful yet vengeful, even a titch magical. The dead pile up around her, making the piece darker. I love the look of the bones and rods, some still bobbing, others crumpled in a heap, with the warm-to-black fade from top to bottom. I also am quite impressed with how well this concept works despite being on anything but a water-representative blank. Lastly, the placement is great. You can tell the mermaid is about to pull her next victim down below with her, but with the fishing line extending up to the collar, it gives the idea that the wearer might be that victim. And really, there could be worse ways to die. Needless to say, this will be a store to watch, especially as the site's "collaborative" pieces start emerging.