Short Shirt Story

My family has been involved in the garments industry since the early 80's. And we have been catering generally to the local market. You know, those types of casual t-shirts that you buy from the department stores and your favorite tiangge outlet.

And with this particular background, I have been pretty updated on the latest trends on Manila’s casual fashion wear particularly with the basic staple of everyday wear – the t-shirt. I may not be a fashionista like my wife. But I do understand the way trend and fashion come and go.

I remember way back in the late 80's, when I entered college, girls and guys alike basically wore the same cut of shirt. The girls just had more girly and cutesy designs or prints on their shirts. And they just wore sizes relatively smaller than the boys’. Guys liked wearing them loose and comfortable. But as for the cut of the shirts, they were all the same -- straight on the body, and standard proportions for the sleeves – both for guys and girls.

But as time went on, the shirt industry saw some major leaps in the market. Thanks to the cut-throat competition between the then-emerging local brands in the casual wear market. The products eventually became more specialized. And the market consequentially became more segmented.

The cut of the t-shirt, particularly for the ladies, thankfully began showing some shapes and revealed more skin. The body of the girls’ shirts became shorter, narrower and more defining to the female’s natural body curves. The sleeves took a variety of shapes and lengths. And even the neckline became more adventurous in the way it was worn. New products like the baby-tee, the tank top, and the body-hugging shirts literally and figuratively stretched the spectrum of casual fashion for the ladies.

I remember way back in college, a girl classmate of ours once wore a tight-fitting sleeveless shirt to class. And she was, um, shall we say, nicely figured especially in the chest area. And as expected, all the males in our class enjoyably noticed it. Who wouldn’t? That was still a time when casual clothing was still very conservative. You know those pieces of clothing most girls nowadays wear at parties and gimiks? We used to consider them underwear. And no girl in her right mind, no matter how adventurous, would dare wear it when going to a mall (yes, the very first modern mall of Metro Manila, the Robinson’s Galleria, was constructed during our early college days, just in case you're wondering).

But hey, who’s complaining? I bet all shirts I have in my closet that the men aren’t complaining. And I too, am certainly not. On many levels at that. First, it’s good for our business – less fabric, less cost of goods, better profit. Second, it gives more room for creativity and personality statements for the ladies. And lastly, it provides more eye candy for people like me who know how to appreciate sexiness in clothes and the way clothes fit the female body.

Only time can tell what's in store for us in terms of casual wear in the future. But something tells me that we are going to enjoy it even more.