A shopping guide to … T-shirts

If all fashion is about communication, a printed T-shirt is – quite literally – your wardrobe’s sartorial signpost, a device to tell the world your likes and dislikes, taste and mood, without opening your mouth. This makes them, pun intended, a winner on two fronts: a way to make a bold statement but also an easy style solution when you haven’t got the headspace to think about your outfit in the morning.

Buy a T-shirt that says something – Finisterre’s “Protect Your Blue” is about an ocean campaign, for example – or one set to start conversations, like Mowalola’s with its frankly amazing, and very bendy, model.

If a lot of designer T-shirts have great graphics, they are also often priced around three figures. Renting allows you to play with these different designs – from Gucci’s trademark snakes to Ralph Lauren’s cult polobear – without shelling out.

Retro printed T-shirts are a fashion prize. Rummage around vintage sites, boutiques and charity shops to find prints from other eras. The 70s and 80s excel here – while anything from the Y2K era, like this Moschino peace-sign design, will score highly when it comes to style in summer 2022. Add wraparound shades and low rise jeans if you dare. Lauren Cochrane

Buy it

Organic khaki tee, £35, finisterre.com

Woman printed tee, £185 by Mowalola from brownsfashion.com

Organic sunshine tee, £70, samsoe.com

Rent it

Bambi sequin detail tee, £24 for four days’ rental, by Coach from mywardrobehq.com

Bear print, £39 for one month (as part of a subscription) by Ralph Lauren from the devout.com

“Guccify” tee, £42 for three days’ rental, by Gucci from byrotation.com

Thrift it

Blue “spa” tie-dye tee, £29.95, goldsmithvintage.com

Peace sign tee, £40, by Moschino from thrifted.com

Purple tee, £22, beyondretro.com