If a t-shirt is big enough and weird enough, I have to have it. Its meaning is irrelevant, save for this: some t-shirt designer climbed out beyond the world we know. And brought us a tee from the Other Side.
You’ve seen M.C. Escher t-shirts: hands drawing each other, staircases passing through the fourth dimension, interlocking lizards… You know the drill. This Escher shirt is different: it centers on a self-portrait of M.C. Escher himself, bundled with some other early Escher works, and all of it hovering above a Dutch cityscape: by Escher or not, I’m unsure.
And it’s a wrap-around. Cool, or what?
I’m from Santa Cruz; this tee was printed down here 30 years ago by a t-shirt imprinter called Andazia. Andazia licensed interesting artwork from various sources, printed the art on tees, and distributed the tees through bookstores, museums, and galleries.
For a time in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, Santa Cruz was the national font of M.C. Escher t-shirts. I even met the Andazia people once nearly 30 years ago at a t-shirt surplus sale in their parking lot. I picked up a couple of things, but nothing this cool.
Andazia’s been gone since 2003. But the tee was waiting for me at Goodwill.
Now as far as big and weird t-shirts come, they don’t come much bigger and weirder than this. The design spills across the shoulders, down the arms, and all the way to your crotch. And it stares at you. Oh my, it certainly does.
You’re looking at another licensed t-shirt, this one for the reboot of the classic sci-fi television show “The Outer Limits” in the mid-90s. But the design is from an episode of the original series, “The Zanti Misfits.” Said misfits were ant-like criminals with grotesque human faces, exiled to earth by their home planet. And you’re looking at them.
Some of the design is silk-screen, and some is hand-applied. It’s some kind of masterpiece of over-the-top men’s wear. If I were to walk downtown in this t-shirt, every eye would be on me — perhaps in shock, but nevertheless on me. I’m not going to.
This tee was designed and manufactured by an outfit called Littlefield, Adams, and Company, which placed tees with licensed designs in discount department stores. Can you see this tee hanging with pride in the “Boy’s and Men’s Clothing” section of a Bay Area K-Mart, circa 1996? And it’s Blue Light Special Time…
I’ve got many cool tees, but few where the design so absolutely dominates the entire shirt. Here are some lesser but still excessive tees:
I’m no big fan of Swedish black metal bands, but I had to take this shirt home. Sure it’s all bones and skulls like so many metal shirts. But it has that special Gothic zing of the fur-clad headbangers from northern Europe and Scandinavia. A black griffin skeleton that nearly covers the whole tee? Gimme.
Now, I am a big fan of Hokusai waves, and this Carmel surf contest tee well rips off the Japanese woodblock print master with an elegant and over-the-top full-width design. And pelicans. The pelicans make it.
I’ve got nothing to say about this one. Nothing.
We’ll end with an airbrush Marilyn. Nothing says excess like a crazed portrait of a relentless ‘50s sex goddess, executed by a local artist over Salinas way.
I love this job; even though I don’t get paid for it.
It’s not a t-shirt, but a few years back an unusual children’s book publisher put out a version of “Alice in Wonderland” with illustrations that combined the graphics of John Tenniel (the original illustrator) with M. C. Escher. The result you can imagine. I really wish I’d kept that one. If they did a promotional t-shirt for the book, I sincerely hope you come across it one of these days.
LK:
Did the illustrations look anything like this? Andazia also did a lot of licensed Cheshire Cat tees back then. But I haven’t seen any in person.
https://www.pictame.com/media/1815132212251522454_13635280
No, not the same kind of illustration style. The book I’m talking about had illustrations that were literally a joining of Tenniel’s and Escher’s styles. The Mad Hatter is pictured walking up stairs that are going every which way (upside-down and sideways) like Escher. It was well done, so I kinda wish I’d hung onto that one.
Yo! Amazing tees. I know some people trying to collect all the MC Escher Andazia printed tees. I collect crazy t-shirts myself! I’d love to check out your collection if ever possible. Maybe we could do some tradinf as well. E-mail me to set something up! & thanns for the awesome posts
Tyler, thanks for your interest but I’m keeping a low-profile right now. Stay turned for my online t-shirt museum, however.
Do you happen to know who the artist was the Andazia used for their t-shirt line of Alice in Wonderland artwork?
Allan.
Allan:
Sorry for the delay. I have no clue at all. But you’re not the first person who’s asked me about this, and I’ve looked into this a bit with no luck at all. All I can say is that it’s probably licensed.