It Girls Agree: This Iconic T-shirt is the Cool Alt to the Timeless Blouse
Steeped in history and pop culture, "I Heart NY" tees are a suddenly an It-girl item once again. Here, one fashion editor discovers just why the appeal of the tourist tee is so enduring.
Is it just me, or is New York having a moment? As the epicentre of cool-girl style, the culturally rich, fast-paced metropolis has gifted us many a fashion reference. There are cultural movements like Black Dandyism, societal happenings of note (see Truman Capote's opulent "swans"; the original NYC It girls) and of course, film and TV trendsetters like Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Sex and the City. New York's energy has always been unmatched, but right now, it's the NYC state of mind that is really shaping fashion. All of a sudden, we're looking to the NYC style set as the "new" French tastemakers, and it all started with one unforgettable t-shirt.
Worn and loved by many, this simple graphic tee carries a lot of fashion weight. From East London’s resident dance-pop diva Rose Grey to Gen Z It Girl Alex Consani, this simple tee continues to make the rounds, even on those outside the Big Apple.
In fact, the instantly recognisable tee could be considered a relic of sorts. Collaboratively created by Mary Wells Lawrence and Milton Glaser in 1976, its kitsch pop-art design was inspired by Robert Indiana's "L.O.V.E" sculpture (a piece which made its grand debut at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1964). But no one could have envisioned that a t-shirt designed as a tourist trap would snowball into a cultural movement.
Splattered all over the films and TV shows we grew up with (see Leighton Meester's Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl, Lindsay Lohan's memorable audition scene in the masterpiece that is Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, and the drastically underrated Olsen twins classic, New York Minute), if there was a coming-of-age moment in pop culture, you can bet the "I Heart NY" tee was likely to feature. Whilst it may be a stretch to say that the latter helped propel The Row's founders to become the high-fashion tastemakers they are today, it is undoubtedly an image that helped to bolster the tee's identity. Well, if it's good enough for an Olsen…
Naturally, luxury labels have got in on the fun, too. For Matthieu Blazy's Chanel Métiers d'Art collection, New York's utilitarian modernist metro was the backdrop, but it was the loose, sequinned "I Heart NY" t-shirt (yes, the same one rocked by Alex Consani, pictured above) that made a lasting impact.
AMI Paris, Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta have each sampled the original over the years, but the most concrete proof of the slogan's tee influence may be attributed to Rebecca Minkoff. After the designer dressed actress Jenna Elfman in a distressed and bedazzled iteration for her appearance on The Tonight Show in 2001, Minkoff credited this singular moment with rocketing the brand from anonymity to tween-must-have.
So, whether you grew up seeing it on the big (or small) screen, bought one of your own, or are suddenly spotting the NY homage on the streets of the UK too, it is clear that the resounding appeal of the tourist tee makes it a noteworthy moment in American fashion history. Want one of your own? You could stick with the tried-and-true OG style, or lean into reworked designs that show your love for an entirely different city altogether, but one thing is for sure: the "I Heart NY" tee is truly iconic, and long may it reign.
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