I love t-shirts with a point of difference, and this women’s Star Wars strappy graphic tee from Forever 21 has just that. Women’s Star Wars tees don’t often stray too far from the standard shape and design, so I was excited to see the lacing insert detail on this tee.
The tee is still available in sizes S and M, and is priced at US$22.90 each – Forever 21 can ship internationally.
The t-shirt features an all-over Star Wars print on the front, with a lacing insert at the neckline. The insert is cut into the front of the tee (that is, not sewn on top), so it will show your skin/garments underneath. The v-shaped insert has 15 silver-tone metal eyelets on each side (30 in total), with black braid laced between them.
The t-shirt still has the standard neckline, so the laced section can’t open too far. Of course, if you want a more open look, you can cut out the neckline strip from across the top of the insert. The lacing braid is not sewn into the top, so if you wish, you can replace the braid with something of your own choosing, like a different colour braid, or ribbon.
The front print features the Star Wars logo, Han Solo, Chewbacca, the Death Star, and a row Stormtroopers, all against a galaxy style background. The designers chose a really good print to use with the lacing insert – just enough of Han and Chewbacca’s faces are left, so it looks as if they are jumping out from behind the insert. The Star Wars logo is mostly removed/hidden by the insert, in a way that reminds me of magazine titles partially covered by the main cover image – the font/logo is so recognisable you only need to see part of it to know what it says.
My tee is a size small – it measures approximately 48cm across the chest (underarm to underarm), 60cm from front neckline to front hem, and 52cm across the front hem (side seam to side seam, straight across). The lacing insert measures approximately 30cm from top of the neckline to tip (through the center), and 14cm across at the top. These measurements were taken without adjusting the lacing – if you adjust the lacing looser or tighter, this will change the fit of the top through the chest a little, depending on your preference.
The lacing insert goes well past a normal v-neckline, so it will show skin/undergarments. It is entirely up to you if you wish to rock this without a bra to show a little skin (like the Forever 21 model), or wear a bandeau/tank top underneath – a pop of contrasting colour underneath looks neat!
The back of the t-shirt is plain black, with no detail. The t-shirt is made from 100% cotton, ‘exclusive of decoration’. The front is a little stiffer than the back due to the all-over print, as I expected, but not as stiff as some all-over prints I have come across. The front print shows through the back of the fabric a little, primarily where the white/lighter print sections are, due to the fact more ink is needed to print on black (but this is not seen when worn of course). The slightly thicker print is centered around the lacing insert, which helps add stability to the front of the tee, so the insert maintains good shape. The print is very soft on the outer edges of the design (like the galaxy print across the bottom) which keeps the whole shirt from getting too stiff.
For me, I was really interested to see how the lacing section looked inside. The lacing starts at the top, and ends at the tip of the insert – there is actually spare braid length inside the shirt, allowing you to adjust the lacing width etc. If you find these hanging cords distracting when wearing the tee, you can easily cut them shorter (just remember to knot the new ends, to prevent fraying/unravelling).
Overall, I am quite impressed. The design is positioned well for the lacing insert, while the all-over front print gives stability in the right place without making the t-shirt too stiff and ‘boxy’. I really like the blue and purple tones of the background galaxy print – perfect colours for a coordinating tank top to wear underneath. I love the attitude of the lacing insert – it can be as edgy as you want it to be.
