Because there will never be enough clever tee shirts in the world and certainly never enough of anything that identifies us as swing dancers, there’s The Lindy Shop, a line of clothing founded by graphic designers who couldn’t stop thinking about swing dancing and wanted to create a brand for dance lovers.
Maybe you’ve always wanted to go to Herrang Dance Camp, but no one’s ever even brought you a tee shirt back from Sweden? Done.
Maybe you’re busking with a local band and you keep getting confused for a spectator and need a “WILL SWING FOR FOOD” shirt? Done.
Take a look around, there maybe be just the tee shirt you need!
Classic men’s jeans – high waist, straight leg, cuff or hem. Looks good to me!
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
I’ve been hearing a lot about Freddie’s of Pinewood lately, usually coming up in conversations about vintage or reproduction jeans. This UK-based company has taken a practical approach to dressing vintage, providing reproduction clothing you’d mostly wear just out and about, rather than getting gussied up – lots of great separates, shirts, jackets, and denim. While I generally dislike denim, I understand that most of you live in jeans – perhaps Freddie’s could be a gateway to a more vintage, casual look? There are a lot of versatile pieces on this site, to either dress up or dress down (or both), so take a gander!
Here’s what I’m loving on the website:
High waisted denim with buttons down the side, just the way I like ’em!Lovelovelove a men’s knit pullover“Saddle” sweater – can I please have one of these in every color?Because dudes need this classic stripe tee shirt X 3 to make it through a danceThese red denim capri pants are super sassy!
While I’m helping organize/run Frankie 100 NC this weekend, I’ll definitely have one eye on New York to see what amazing videos and news come out of the main Frankie 100 celebration. Already, I see friends posting photos and experiences, including shopping – I think the most eagerly anticipated Frankie 100 merch is the reproduction Whitey’s Lindy Hopper jacket, which FROMChloehong took preorders for several weeks ago.
It was no surprise to me that the master of vintage collegiate style, Bobby White, posted a photo of his acquisition of the jacket (I would do the same thing – it’s exciting, it’s here, it’s real!), but there was more! Chloe also had custom bags made just for the jacket with the Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers logo, as well as tee shirts. I was ecstatic to see the tees, not only because they would be available at a much lower price point than the detailed wool jacket, but also because the tees themselves are reproductions of sorts from the Keep Punching Big Apple routine! I say of sorts because it looks like the tees in the video are a lighter color with a darker graphic – Bobby says there is also a yellow tee available with a darker graphic, so you can get that Keep Punching look. 🙂
Thanks to Bobby for sharing his loot and to Chloe for keeping the surprises coming!
At last August’s Jazz Age Lawn Party I happened upon a booth for the upstart men’s clothing company The Original Prohibition Clothing Company and reported on some of the most beautifully tailored men’s clothing I have seen in person. The company’s owner and designer, Corey Miller, sent me an email last week to let me know that the website was now open for business and that their offerings are expanding and continue to expand (including expanding into women’s dandy-wear – paging Sam Carroll…)
While I don’t talk a lot about tee shirts on this blog, it’s a fact that most dancers wear tee shirts dancing most of the time, especially men. Corey has noted this and when he “looked around at most of the dance tee shirts, they identified your love for dance, but the shirts themselves weren’t lovely.” I like the way this man thinks – to add to the small pool of Lindy Hop merchandise available to us, TOPCC is now offering two tees – one for “Fearless Follows” and another for the “Solid Sender.” The design on the tees is certainly lovely, with vintage styling and iconic silhouettes. Now that I am the proud owner of a Fearless Follow tee, I can attest to the fact that this is one of the softest tee shirts I own – it will be a delight to wear!
Solid!
While you’re at TOPCC website, you should absolutely look around – there are fabulous things here, too fabulous, really. I pretty much want to buy everything here for my husband to wear! Impeccable jackets, Hollywood trousers, wonderful vests, variations on the collared shirt, newsboy caps, and even men’s ties in a Tommy gun pattern (to continue the theme – cheeky).
And thanks to Corey for designing with the swing dance community in mind – a rare thing, indeed!
A preview of the impeccable tailoring that awaits you inside The Original Prohibition Clothing Company website…
Here’s some more jazz icon screenprinting madness on Etsy, this time from seller nelesc, who offers not only Billie and Nina on raglans, but also any icon of your choice on an asymmetrical hoodie/track jacket. Any icon, you say? How about three, like all three Boswell sisters?
Who would be on your track jacket?
Insert your jazz icon hereNina Simone long sleeve tee