Generation T

January 2, 2006
The scope of Nicolay's how-to book is broader than its title suggests. It's a breezy, trendy call of encouragement to a young crop of do-it-yourselfers, with enough ideas to inspire experienced crafty types, too. The T-shirt is the starting point; the 108 end results—many of which have an edgy, even punk-like feel (much like the projects in Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'n Bitch
)—range from slightly modified tops requiring no sewing to much more intricate fashion products like the sexy "sidewinder" skirt and the two-piece "teeny bikini," with variations suggested for many projects. Offering celebrity tidbits ("In the 1950s and early '60s, James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Elvis Presley delivered a triple dose of T-shirt sex appeal onscreen and onstage, turning the garment into an icon of rebellion") and "tee trivia," a condensed history uncovers one of the world's favorite pieces of clothing. The book starts with an introduction to design terms, tools, measurement, materials and stitches, making it accessible to beginners. And because the author—who got into transforming Ts by gathering friends and hosting "Brooklyn Tee Parties" to resuscitate old T-shirts—is budget-conscious (and so are all the projects in the book), anyone can afford to experiment with this kind of fashion design.