A t-shirt can be such a glamsual fashion statement. It's a street style basic that you can dress up or down. You can shred a tee or hack it up and remain totally fashion forward. Of course fashion's favorite rule breaker demonstrated this trend, as Rihanna wore a destroyed graphic tee on the new NME cover.
The ripped, torn, and vintage-look white tee was stamped with the word "FREE" in block, capital letters, which is fitting since it was the English publication's first no-cost issue. If you told me that RiRi picked up the slightly oversized top at a thrift store, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.
Even with all the holes in the neckline and the arms, the loose-fitting top still looked fashionable, as the singer paired it with a thick, silver rope chain around her neck. The torn tee look lives and dies by how you style it and what you wear it with.
So think twice about tossing a tee that you find at the back of your closet that's been decorated with bunch of moth holes. Throw it in the washer and give it a second chance. Lady Gaga has also been rocking destroyed rock tees all summer, which has been her take on the torn tee trend. This look is definitely in.
The new, free weekly NME launches September 18, with Rihanna ushering in the mag's new era in her fab and totally RiRi urban chic way.
This Rihanna cover is more low key than I am used to, since she is decked in a graphic tee and surrounded by a plume of smoke, sans any dramatic eye makeup or lips. It might be streamlined but it's hardly snoozy.
If you are feeling Rihanna's torn-to-bits top and want to replicate this look, you can rifle through the racks at your local vintage or secondhand boutiques. You can also nab a brand new distressed tee at the mall. Ironic, isn't it? Or you can grab any message tee and hack it up by making a few tiny scissor holes and pulling at them.
This tee is the same size, shape, and style. You can cut a few holes in it, pull them, and make your own version of Rih's "Free" tee. I also recommend washing it, throwing it into the dryer all crumpled for 10 minutes, and then letting it air dry while knotted in a ball. You will get that really lived in vibe. ($15, forever21.com)
If you prefer your holes to be pre-existing, this distressed tank gets the job done. ($10, forever21.com)
This sliced up white tee might make you look like you survived a nocturnal battle with Freddy Krueger. But it still slays. ($58, nastygal.com)
This chopped and cropped top is totally in the spirit of Rih's "Free" tee. Try saying that five times fast. ($18, choies.com)
Distressed tees, whether new, vintage, repurposed, thrifted, or self-styled, are always a fun fashion statement. If you feel too "torn," messy, and unpolished by wearing one, you can easily glam 'em up by adding heels, a scarf or gobs of necklaces.
Images: NME (1); Courtesy of Forever 21 (2); Nasty Gal (1); Choies (1)
