Oh, those were the daze, weren’t they? When Morrissey/Marr was doubtless the greatest songwriting duo of the 80s? Fans know this, but Morrissey and Marr WERE the Smiths, much to the chagrin of Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke (RIP), neither of whom were ever elevated to full member (even though both, particularly Rourke, contributed to the inimitable Smiths style and sound). Thus, this IS the Smiths in the legal and technical sense, songwriter and wordsmith, the ones who produced so many great songs, countless singles, and four (proper) kick-ass studio albums. Now about this shirt. Who the hell knows where it came from; it’s definitely a one-off, and I’d like to take this moment to debunk one of the more pervasive myths when it comes to vintage clothing. A “bootleg” is by no means a bad thing. For one, it’s not mass-produced; it’s crafted by hand, more often than not by an adoring fan–and this is certainly the case here. An image of the pair in purple is superimposed over the same image in black, creating a ghostly, optical-illusion effect that ever-so-gently teases the eye. And what could fit better than a vintage FOL? Think of Marlon Brando in Streetcar Named Desire or James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (google images if you must). It fits like THAT (look at the pic of me wearing it: it couldn’t be any better). Virtually no flaws, save for a few pinholes and (possibly intentional) ink spots (see pics). A perfect concoction of form and content. 18″ pit to pit, 26″ back collar down, single stitch–the OG slim punk standard.