I love baby tees — at the time of writing this (a Saturday in mid-April 2024, in-between conversational spurts of my sister explaining the fly infestation of her uni house — relatable right xo) I’ve got a drawer bursting at the seams with them. From ASOS to a couple vintage ones (one being a Guinness St Patricks Day one from like, 2006 that my grandma gave to me) to my absolute favourite, Réalisation Par’s selection, most of my day-to-day outfits include a baby tee in some capacity, whether it’s underneath a jumper or paired with a maxi skirt. Sometimes a baggy t-shirt has its place, but most of the time, a baby tee to me feels a little more elevated and cool.
When I was researching my Substack about the evolution from paper dolls to outfit inspo TikToks, one of the sources talked about how t-shirts often epitomise social statements the wear is trying to make, especially when it comes to young people. They didn’t necessarily talk about baby tees, but they did mention that the t-shirt was designed as French Connection, famed for their tongue-in-cheek FCUK baby tees. I feel like for something so popular, baby tees aren’t that talked about — or, at least, in the sense that my dad would understand what a cropped tee or graphic tee is, but some of my friends have no idea what a ‘baby tee’ is.
Baby tees are similar to the mini skirt; no one can 100% put a finger on who invented them, because a handful of designers started making them around the same time, but there’s one designer’s name that rises to the top of the list as the creator of them. For mini skirts it’s mod queen Mary Quant, and for baby tees, it’s Linda Meltzer.
In the 70s, Meltzer loved her older sister’s ‘French cut tees’, which were essentially shrunken versions of normal t-shirts, creating a tight-fitting and more flattering silhouette compared to a normal women’s t-shirt. Then, when she became a stylist in the 90s, Meltzer would search for these types of t-shirts (alongside children’s t-shirts since they had similar dimensions) but to no avail, so she designed her own.
They’re called ‘baby tees’ because the original ones were made out of a specific soft fabric that was typically used for baby clothes — that, and the tees were so small they could fit a child.
Meltzer started ‘Tease Tees’ and sold to the store Fred Segal, which in the 90s was where stylists would pick clothes from. Because of this, her original baby tee found its way into numerous shows and films, including Friends on Rachel, and Clueless on Cher (and Tai, although the heart one was a knockoff – her sales rep stole her designs – but you can now buy the Tai one on their website). (She also designed the merch tees for Fashion Cafe, which is something I learnt about today and omg is it interesting.)
‘Tease Tees’ eventually closed in 2001, and then came back as Pretties, selling their original baby tees in various colourways.
But, at the same time as all of this, there were a plethora of other 90s brands making similar designs, like Sofia Coppola’s Milk Fed, sk8er girl staple X-Girl, and so many more. That’s what I mean when I say that Linda Meltzer probably invented the baby tee, but it was the 90s and like Mary Quant, other people were doing similar things, so there’s difficulty in pinpointing who did what (which I feel like is often the case with everyday clothes like mini skirts and baby tees, compared to a designer debuting something new on the runway).
Linda Meltzer said that baby tees were a “fashion disruptor” since they were the direct opposite of the oversized t-shirts from the 80s. Quickly they erupted into 90s and 00s trends, like Juicy Couture’s iconic ‘DUMP HIM’ tee, and during the late 2010s, the second wave of baby tees began.
I love them, because I find them so much easier to style compared to a normal t-shirt. They’re fitted, so they feel more put together (and therefore office-friendly) plus it makes them easier to layer. One of my favourite ways to wear one is underneath a sweater vest, so the design peeks out slightly in the jumper’s V, or with a maxi skirt with a waist coat (I love this for work). Or, the timeless baby tee and jeans, especially when the jeans are a little more low-rise, so there’s a 00s-esque flash of midriff.
And, like mentioned earlier, my favourite have to be the Réalisation Par ones, because I find them really flattering. I’ve also discovered that you can find most of their styles on Vinted for less than £40, when they retail on their website for around £80 — which has been a stylish but slippery slope for me. I also like the ones on ASOS, and during October bought a black baby tee with a still from The Shining (which is totally from their Halloween collection but horror enthusiasm is year-round for me).
Because of their enigmatic past, and the fact that really, they’ve only recently been called ‘baby tees’ as opposed to ‘tight-fitting t-shirts’, Meltzer’s misfortune still reigns true and they’re a nightmare to find vintage or secondhand. But, you can still have a look in the children’s section of charity shops, and some vintage shops do sell baby tee silhouettes nowadays. Personally, my current baby tee wishlist includes the A24 Priscilla baby tee, and, of course, the modernised Tai tee.
More styling inspo 💗🎀
I loveeee me a good baby tee. with jeans or boxer shorts is ideal!