Tourist Chic?

Tee time: (from left) Go cynical with G-Martís Liberty Bell and "Philthy" shirts, or simple and clean, like this design by Evan Sharps.

There is such a thing as a non-tacky souvenir shirt.

by Debra Auspitz

Itís an August afternoon at Philadelphiaís Independence Visitors Center, where tourists are sporting a United Nations of souvenir T-shirts. On their sweaty chests, past travel destinations -- Madrid, Paris, New York, London or the Hard Rock Cafés therein -- are drying in the air conditioning. Cartoonish skylines and embroidered logos shout out locations all over the globe, but really they all say the same thing: tourist.

These shirts are, in a word, hideous.

The tacky display leads one to wonder what gems visitors to our city are taking with them. A stroll through the Visitors Center gift shop reveals that Philadelphia fares no better (design-wise) or worse (economically speaking) than the rest of the world. Folks are lined up to pay up to $34.95 for a long-sleeved denim shirt embroidered with a likeness of the Liberty Bell. It's too much denim for too much money. It's too much.

What's a fashion-conscious tourist to do? After some investigation, we found a few options that won't make folks back home snicker, and some that were so nifty, they might even encourage locals to wear their Philly pride on their sleeves.

Your first and best choice for souvenir shirts is The Active Edge Clothing Company, a tiny storefront on Church Street in Old City. Proprietor Evan Sharps has been in the T-shirt-printing business for 26 years, and -- besides custom-printing shirts, shorts, sweats and just about anything else for businesses, bar mitzvahs and other souvenir shops -- he makes his own line of Philadelphia shirts. His designs are clean and uncomplicated, like a navy blue shirt with a small white Philadelphia logo. Like his competition, Sharps has shirts bearing Philly's skyline or images of historic buildings, but his have a less obvious look, with silkscreens of historic drawings or outlines of the city. His newest design has a Liberty Bell with "Philadelphia" encircling it in bold letters. It's far from touristy; this could be the shirt that gets the hipster masses showing the city some love. The best part? Sharps' T-shirts are all only $5 each (a great hoodie sweatshirt is only $10), and if you're extremely picky, you can always customize. Sharps' philosophy is to keep his work simple, even "typical," as he puts it, but to "play with different fonts" and colors to set his shirts apart from the usual overdone tourist tee.

Of course, after Tastykakes, Philly's No. 1 export is cynicism. Visitors and locals who just can't be caught alive in a straightforward souvenir shirt might find a better fit at G-Mart. Their Philly T-shirts range from snarky (advertising Intercourse, Pa.) to just plain mean (can't help but laugh at the "Penn Bitch" shirt). G-Mart's bestseller is their "Philthy" baseball shirt ($23.99), mimicking a Phillies jersey in color and font. For history buffs, G-Mart offers a take on the plethora of Liberty Bell shirts. The slogan reads, "Philadelphia You'll Love Our Crack" ($19.99).

There are other destinations in Philly to find unique T-shirts, like the take on the souvenir tee at Chinatown's China Art Co., with an intricate yellow and red dragon accompanying a Philadelphia logo. Before you go corporate (you can get Old Navy Philadelphia shirts and, of course, that ubiquitous Hard Rock Café tee), some of the smaller souvenir shops are starting to offer less shabby, more chic fare. The Bourse has several shops that offer everything from "Philly Athletic Dept." tees (Destination Philadelphia, $16.99) to Rocky shirts ($19.99), the bestseller at Best of Philadelphia.

Xenos, a small gift shop in Old City owned by Tina Hu, offers simple Philadelphia logo tees in grays and navys for $12.95 that Hu says are her most popular. There are also numerous T-shirt joints on South Street, and the Art Museum offers shirts for the culture-loving tourist.

So, Philly residents and visitors, there is hope for the souvenir tee. Will there be a movement of Tourist Chic on the fashion scene? No, of course not. But, at least you can avoid looking like a total dork.

The Active Edge, 233 Church St., 215-925-7860; G-Mart, 38 N. Third St., 215-923-6980; China Art Co., 10th and Cherry sts., 215-440-9331; The Bourse Building, 111 S. Independence Mall East, 215-629-0533; Xenos, 231 Chestnut St., 215-922-1445.

-- Respond to this article in our Forums -- click to jump there