Write On !

Designers are in love with letters and words

BY: Andy Shoulders

When I was growing up in small town Indiana, I had a T-shirt with my name airbrushed on it in a super-chic 80s-inspired neon palette, courtesy of my local shopping mall. Nowadays, designers have been taking their script-on-clothing game to a whole new level.

One of the most notable examples currently is Gucci, where creative director Alessandro Michele has taken his love of different languages to dizzying new heights. His 2017 partnership with Spanish artist Coco Capitan gave us that now-ubiquitous logo tee emblazoned with the clever phrase “COMMON SENSE IS NOT THAT COMMON.” Other script appears throughout his runway collections as well, with messages that are somewhat more abstract or playful. A black dress from the current Spring/Summer 2019 collection contains the French words “ROBE NOIRE POUR L’ÉTÉ À LA NEIGE” (“black dress for a summer in the snow”) and a navy & white striped sailor sweatshirt with “GUCCI POUR LA CÔTE D’AZUR” (“Gucci for the French Riviera”).

Other designers have obviously been getting their script on as well. Check out Victor & Rolf’s wedding dress-esque creation with the message “I’M NOT SHY I JUST DON’T LIKE YOU” slapped on the front. Jeremy Scott undoubtedly took advantage of the current socio-political climate with an orange sweater containing words of the moment such as “RESIST” and “REVOLT” scattered across it (he made sure to include “SCOTT” in the lineup as well).

When considering a piece with bold script/messaging, always make sure to, at the very least, know what the message means or is trying to convey (especially if it’s in another language). Also make sure the message is something you care about or identify with. Otherwise you’ll pretty much look like a walking sandwich board. Even though the message itself came from the designer, you still want it to express your uniqueness and individuality. I can’t tell you how many fashion victims I’ve come across wearing over-the-top pieces with huge obscure messages on them that simply hid the the fact that the person him/herself was boring. Always keep in mind that fully functioning human beings express themselves through their words and actions, with fashion script merely acting as a fun add-on. Attention mongering via an aggressively worded message on a shirt, dress, etc. is a surefire way to incite a sea of eye rolls.

So, again, make sure you’re the one wearing the message, not the other way around. I think Fran Lebowitz put it best when she said, “If people don’t want to listen to you, what makes you think they want to hear it from your sweater?”

GUCCI_Womens Runway Model Wearing Royal Blue Top and Skirt with French Words Printed on the Skirt
GUCCI
Dsquared2-Spring-Summer-2019-Lookbook photo of male model wearing black hat and jean shirt with printed words .jpg
Dsquared
Dsquared model wearing fur beret and mini dress with printed words
Dsquared
Jeremy Scott Runway Model Wearing a leather printed beret, coat and combat boots
Jeremy Scott
Kenzo Model Wearing printed leather jacket with yellow sleeves and a border with Chinese letters
Kenzo
Dolce and Gabbana
balenciaga-spring-summer-2019-runway model wearing caftan with Balenciaga printed all over-paris_dezeen_sq1
Balenciaga
SS-2018-Vivienne-Westwood-Runway Model Wearing a White T-Shirt printed with hand drawn card suits, pants and sleeves with comical sleeves
Vivienne Westwood
neil_barrett runway model wearing long colorful printed coat-matching pants and combat boots
Neil Barrett
vetements male runway model wearing white shirt with handwritten names and notes
Vetements
Kenzo Model Wearing printed leather jacket with yellow sleeves and a border with Chinese letters
Victor & Rolf
givenchy-menswear-paris-fall-19-back of jacket with list of cities written on a sleeve and other words printed on the back
Givenchy
Jeremy-Scott-SS19 Male Runway Model Wearing Orange top with printed words-Resist-Scottfy1
Jeremy Scott
runway-show-victor & rolf hilarious-yellow and orange dress
Victor & Rolf
 chanel_ss19_Kai Gerber wearing a white short sleeve shirt with Chanel printed on the pockets and belt of skir
Chanel
Louis-Vuitton-Male-Model-wearing-a-jacket-with-printed-words-on-the-front-and-photos-of-the-planets-on-the-inside-and-top
Louis Vuitton