From lingerie to headline shows: how the white tank top with alcohol became a fashion phenomenon in 2022

As much as we deny it, the 2000s fashion is back and has finally come into its own – and the overall saga is just getting started, with cargo pants, silk scarves, and lace-up tops. By the way, there is also a return that is quite pleasant to the heart: a white T-shirt is among the long-forgotten, but still more universal techniques than those listed above.

While it’s important to note that the white tee is starting to enter the era of supermodels, from Kate Moss to Claudia Schiffer. And of course we all remember the same 1992 Pepsi campaign as Cindy Crawford. Already in the 2000s, Beyonce became ambassadors of the white T-shirt with a video for the song Crazy In Love, and Jennifer Lopez, who tried a shortened version of an alcoholic at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.

Influencers are also active: Recently, Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, and Hailey Bieber regularly design a white tank top with jeans, cargo pants, and more. The final chord – the podiums, which gives the final guarantee of the return of the element. Designers Bottega Veneta, Prada, Loewe and Chloe have made their big reveal for the upcoming fall season – the white swimsuit is finally with us.

More historical background

Interestingly, the wardrobe item was first conceived as men’s underwear in the 1910s – we recall images from old movies. Actively white T-shirts began to be worn during the First and Second World Wars, but until 1934 they never saw the light and hid behind all kinds of shirts and T-shirts. The item’s fate was determined after the release of the movie It Happened One Night. In one of the episodes, Clark Gable took off his shirt and exposed the public to a white tee – quite a bold move at the time. Bottom line: bystanders are indiscriminately ravaging stores in search of “lingerie.”

News about the big return won’t just appeal to fans of basic wardrobes – at least take a look at the Chloe show look. A white T-shirt will be an excellent company for both jeans and leather pants – just add a jacket and you can safely go to a business meeting. The main trump card of the wardrobe item is its versatility and practicality.

We also have clear evidence that 2000s trends go hand-in-hand with the dominance of gender-neutral fashion, and all sorts of ties to social networks and dresses only reinforce the theory. By the way, why is the T-shirt an alcoholic? Again, we return to the foreign films of the last century. The white T-shirt often appeared in scenes of domestic violence and women being beaten, and became even more associated with alcohol lovers in the USSR. However, in the second case, nothing has changed.