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How To Wear Band Tees Like A Total Boss

How To Wear Band Tees Like A Total Boss
Carly Jacobs

It was in my first year of teaching and I was heading off to tackle my 8.30 drama class.

I grabbed my basket where I kept all my teaching supplies. Whiteboard markers, erasers, work sheets for my lessons and an ancient pencil tin that had Leonardo DiCaprio on it. I’d had it since I was 16 and it never occurred to me to replace it. It had a photo of Leo as Romeo in R+J.  I loved that movie. I used to watch the fish tank scene on repeat to the point where my VHS tape would go all fuzzy at that part because I’d watched it so often. At some point my best mate had written Mrs Carly DiCaprio on the inside of the tin in white out. You know, so I could get used to the name before I married Leo and we had a billion babies.

I let the students into my classroom and we all sat down in a circle to start the lesson and one of my students said she needed a pen. I tossed her my pencil tin and continued on with the lesson. She grabbed the tin wide eyed and clapped her hand over her mouth, stifling a giggle. She covertly showed the tin to her friend, giddy with glee at discovering this supposedly shameful artefact.

‘Something funny?’ I asked her.

She laughed and said ‘Sorry miss, but you’re such a loser! Look at this!’ and she showed the class my mini Leonardo DiCaprio shrine. The class all started laughing.

I can’t remember what I said at the time, I would have laughed it off or told the student she was being rude or something like that. I really didn’t give a shit what a 17 year old thought of my pencil tin, or anyone else for that matter.

What fascinated me was that fandom seemed to be a shameful thing. It wasn’t the first time someone had shamed me over something I enjoyed and I’d witnessed countless other incidences where people were teased for liking the wrong thing. A daggy band, a childish TV show or even the wrong football team.

I’ve spent my life liking the ‘wrong’ stuff. Babysitters Club books, musical theatre, Matchbox 20, Archie Comics, Degrassi High, board games. I was alone in most of the things I liked in high school but I don’t know if that’s because I was truly the only person who liked those things or if I was the only person who was brave enough to admit it.

This happened to me again recently when I wore my Stay Out Of The Forest MFM singlet to the gym. Someone asked me about it and I said ‘Oh it’s a line from a murder podcast I listen to.’ The guy who asked me said ‘A murder podcast? About murder? Why would you listen to that???’

I went straight home that day and bought the Murderino dress I had my eye on because you know what? Being a fan is rad. When you love something so much, you literally want to wear it on your sleeve. There is not a shred of anything awful or shameful in fandom. Sports teams, bands, designers, celebrities, video games. It’s such a positive thing and it’s a dick move to shame people about the stuff they love.

I’ve never really been the kind of person who gave a shit what other people think of me but I know lots of other people do and they can’t really do much about it. I get really sad when I think about other people having their feelings hurt over someone teasing them for liking something. Isn’t that just a heart breaking thought? I figure the best thing to do is to proudly be a fan of the things I like and make fandom universally cool, no matter what it is that you’re a fan of.

band tee

Wearing 

Murderino Dress from Red Bubble

Birkenstock Amsterdams

Leather jacket from Vinnies

 

Here’s how to wear a band tee like a boss

1. Get an oversized one and wear it as a dress 

I once had a giant adult sized XXXL Madonna band tee with her face emblazoned across the front and it made for the best summer casual dress. If tees aren’t your thing, go oversized on that situation and make it a dress instead.

2. Have it tailored 

I got lucky with dress as it fits perfectly but if it didn’t I fully intended on getting it tailored. I know getting a t-shirt tailored sounds bat shit crazy but if I can pay a tailor $20 to take it in at the sides and maybe widen the neckline a little it goes from being totally unwearable to totally awesome. If this didn’t fit the way it did, it would have been taken to the tailors immediately.

3. Layer it 

I used to work with a woman who wore band tees tucked into work pants with high heels and she always looked amazing. It was her signature look. Sometimes she knew and loved the bands, sometimes she just liked the artwork but it was such a fab style. If you’re a regular pants wearer, give this a go, it looked ace.

band tee

This outfit was worn for a day of client work and a trip to Ikea to get moving boxes… we’ve been looking at moving for a while and got a house this week that we love. Stay tuned. There will be a house tour soon!

Thought for the day? Love the stuff you love and never apologise for it. Also don’t shame people for liking things because quite frankly, that’s just weird. And yes, I spent a good 20 minutes Googling Leonardo DiCaprio for this post. Good times.

So tell me…

What things do you love? Anything you’re a bit shy about? Have you ever been shamed for liking something?

P.S Also you should totally sign up for my newsletter. It’s full of cool stuff.
P.P.S Don’t forget Crochet Coach has a free trial offer period at the moment so make sure you sign up!

18 Comments

  1. Michaela 6 years ago

    I still unironically love the Spice Girls. No one’s gonna take that away from me.

    • Christina 6 years ago

      I had a spice girls party when I was 12. I listened to the spice world tape over and over again and recently bought it on iTunes as an adult. Spice up your life I say!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      Once they become a part of your soul, they’re there forever. If I’m at a wedding and Stop comes on, I will knock over elderly relatives to get to the dance floor.

  2. Emily 6 years ago

    I’m proudly wearing my 90210 Dylan t-shirt in my grade six graduation photo. Cringed when I saw it a few years later. Love it now! I find that when I wear my Beatles tee I get quizzed by random old dudes on the street. “What’s track two on Abbey Road then love?” Eyeroll.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      I love it when people question your fandom. But then, you don’t have to be a rabid fan to wear fan merchandise. A better recollection of arbitrary facts about a thing doesn’t make someone a bigger fan.

  3. Reannon 6 years ago

    I’m a bit like & never really cared what other people thought of me, my clothes & my likes. I know I toned it riiiiiiigt down when I became a mum because lace dresses over 60’s bell bottoms & 70’s leather safari jackets just didn’t feel appropriate for mums group at the park you know? But I still wear stuff I love that maybe other mums aren’t wearing, like the top I made from a vintage table cloth or the skirt I made from a pillowcase that has giant jars of vegemite on it. My teenagers & husband are not fans but I don’t mind. Clothes I make from random stuff are my fave & make me happy.
    Also, you look amazing!!! And have you done posts on your hair style/cut/colour? Your hair is serious goals for me!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      You have to get your bell bottoms and safari jackets back out! Sounds amazing! I do need to do a hair post soon! I have so many different weird things I’m doing it. 🙂

  4. Carlie 6 years ago

    This. I’ve gotten so much judgement over the years for being a fan of Delta Goodrem. I got massively bullied in high school for being “weirdly obsessed” with Harry Potter.
    But once I reached my 20s, I’m trying to own it.
    I love Delta and Taylor Swift. I am still obsessed with Harry Potter, and I’ve seen Wicked the musical 30 times- people don’t get that one either.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      I’m totally obsessed with Harry Potter but so are all my mates so I’m not alone. My cousin has a deathly hallows tattoo! I’m like that with Les Mis – seen it about 30 times! 🙂

  5. Maria Patenaude 6 years ago

    I love, love, love Hanson; still know all the words to “MMMBop”. And I’m way into Harry Potter (I’m 37); Proud Ravenclaw. Labyrinth has been my favorite movie since it first came out. And I love lots of other things most people think are uncool or have never heard of. My favorite actor is Kett Turton. When everyone was reading Twilight, I was reading The Vampire Diaries instead. I love almost every movie by Tim Burton and watch Nightmare Before Christmas at least twice a year, but Edward Scissorhands is my favorite Christmas movie. I met my husband eleven and a half years ago online, and the only reason he got my attention was a remark he made along the lines of “I see you are a Browncoat.” If not for Joss Whedon’s “Firefly”, I might still be wondering if there was anyone in the world who would ever get me. I’m so glad I never felt embarrassed enough to hide my obsessions!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      I LOVE Firefly! Mr Smaggle forced to me to watch it and I really didn’t want to (space western – how boring does that sound?) and ate my words in the first 30 seconds. I always thought I was Ravenclaw but I got sorted and I’m Gryffindor. Weird. And my patronus is a crow!

  6. Vanessa Bowen 6 years ago

    Oh dude, I am a massive geek and I often wear little references to my fandoms. My current obsession is enamel pins and I’ve got a small collection of nerdy ones. The other day a work colleague asked me why I was wearing an old lady’s face on my collar and I was like “That’s no old lady…..that’s Mrs Doubtfire”.

    The best way to wear your fandom on your sleeve is with confidence. While it’s never fun to get that “oh, you like that?” eyeroll, it says more about the eyeroller than it does about you.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      Ha cute! I love Mrs Doubtfire. I always find other peoples interested really fascinating. I once met a GEO tagger and it was so cool. Not something I’d get into but I loved watching the whole shebang. I also like watching people enjoy football. I can’t get into myself but I like when people get excited about things.

  7. Kat 6 years ago

    LOVE this dress- huge MFM fan, and you’ve enabled me to purchase the Stay Out Of The Forest mug!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 6 years ago

      AWESOME! Stay out of the forrest is my favourite. I have that singlet and wear it to the gym! 🙂

  8. Veggie Mama 6 years ago

    I was teased all the time! People are terrible.

    • Veggie Mama 6 years ago

      also when can we make dresses with our faces on them

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