It's time to fess up to my guilty secret. My name is Rio and I'm a concert shirt addict.
I have more of these things than their usefulness merits. At the last count, there are around 40 of these babies, choking up drawers and overflowing from the laundry bin. But I'll always find room for just one more. I can't seem to get enough of them.
Some of them are over ten years old. The last one arrived only last week. I like to pretend that I'm supporting the artists but in truth the pursuit of another scalp has long since become an end in itself. No matter how much I'm enjoying the band there will always a part of me that's impatient for the music to stop so I can go check out the merchandise.
But they're a useful basic, right? They're superior quality and nicer prints than you find in the shops. They're more likely to carry organic cotton and/or fair trade certification. And every one of them has a story to tell.
Here's Patti Smith. She's touring her classic album "Horses" this year. If you love her, try and see her. I guarantee she'll make you cry. I'd swear up and down she was wearing Ann Demeulemeester, but who can tell at that distance?
And here's Underworld, a band I'd been waiting to see for 20 years, and managed it twice this summer. Karl Hyde may wear nothing but Breton stripes but he did good by the fans. This is a beauty, a shirt for a connoisseur of tees.
The silhouettes change but the formula remains the same. A bold print, a cute jacket, favourite pants and statement shoes. Instant cool.
