Read more

There are over several hundred tops in the shop and each has a particular meaning or reference behind the phrase or image. There's the I Don't Know Her top referencing Mariah Carey's sly reply to Jennifer Lopez. We have the Mulder It's Me top referencing Dana Scully and her countless phone calls and messages to one Fox Mulder. (Side note: That last top reference is a very near-in-the future blog post about the origins of that top.) Then, we have the ICON(ic) tops which have dozens of meanings on one top alone. There are four icon tops in the shop. Let's discuss!

The ICON(ic) tops are some of my personal faves in the shop. I love the references behind the garment and more importantly, I love when shoppers try their hardest to guess what each icon means. The truth is that it's pretty subjective. The icons reference not only songs and albums, but artist moments too. Let's take a closer look.

The first ICON(ic) top: Prince. The purple one made his debut shortly after his untimely death. Honoring his slayage through original apparel.

Okay, look over the top. Find what you recognize. Take a mental note. Okay, here's how they were intended.

Name - P
Song - Bat Dance
Song - Diamonds and Pearls
Song - Kiss
Symbol - Electric Guitar
Name - R
Prince - Heels (Prince lurved his heels..)
Song - Purple Rain
Song - 1999
Song - How Come You Don't Call
Name - I
Song - Raspberry Beret
Song - I Wanna be Your Lover/Love Song (Madonna & Prince)
Name - N
Song - Little Red Corvette
Song - 7
Song/sketch - Breakfast Can Wait/Pancake sketch with Dave Chapelle
Song - Cream/Starfish and Coffee
Name - C
Song - Pussy Control
Song/Symbol - Purple Rain/Tear
Song - When Doves Cry
Song - Diamonds and Pearls
Name - E

Prince was (!) a phenomenal artist with a huge, animated catalog. The list for the Prince ICON(ic) top could go on, but this is where it lingered longest before making it's way to the the shop. From one diva to the next, the second ICON(ic) top took form very soon after this one for Prince.

Get ICON(ic) Prince here.

The second ICON(ic) top in the shop was ICON(ic) Mariah Carey. Either unite or put up a fight for symbols that make or break the ultimate diva.

Again, look over the MC icons. Take a mental note of what you recognize. Now let' see if we agree:

Name - M
Song/Album - Infinity
Song/Album/Symbolic - Butterfly
Symbolic/fan base - Lamb(ily)
Song - Honey
Name - A
Song/Album - Through the Rain
Song/Symbolic - Love Takes Time/I Want To Know What Love Is/Etc...
Song/Symbolic - AIWFCIY/Queen of Christmas
Song/Symbol - Fantasy
Name - R
Song - Hero
Song - Vision of Love
Name - I
Album - Rainbow
Album/Symbolic - #1
Song - We Belong Together
Song - Heart-breaker
Name - A
Song/Fragrance - Lollipop Bling
Symbol - Queen, duh
Song/Album - Music Box
Symbol - Heels (dahhhhling, you know)
Name - H

Mariah is another great example of an artist with an immense catalog. There are lots of great icons that could be used for Mariah, but they're some for deep cuts that just wouldn't work. How do you convey "vanishing" on a small graphic. There's two more tops that make up our ICON(ic) series.

Get ICON(ic) Mariah here.

ICON(ic) Britney Spears was the third top added to the ICON(ic) series. Let's take a look.

This particular top in the series is the only one to have an icon switched out. Take a look and see what you recognize, then continue reading to see how the icons were intended to be interpreted.

Britney has a lot more symbolism in her videos and daily life than the names of her songs or albums. This top was the only one that had an icon switched out. In place of the "Slumber Party" icon was a miniature Magic Kingdom representing Britney's time at Disney. The reason it was switched was because it didn't mesh with every other reference on that shirt and desperation struck to include something form the criminally underrated Glory. If the third top was for the Princess of Pop, the final shirt in the series belongs to the Queen.

Get ICON(ic) Britney here.

ICON(ic) Madonna is the fourth top in the series.

Like Britney, this top contains a lot more references to symbolic moments versus actual song/album titles. Take a look and keep reading when you're ready.

Name - M
Symbol - Rosary
Symbol - Queen of Pop
Symbol - Dance Icon/Most #1 Dance Billboard Dance Hits/Confessions on a Dance Floor
Name - A
Name - D
Movie - A League of Their Own
Song/Symbol - Take a Bow
Album - Hard Candy
Name - O
Name - N
Symbol/Album - Music
Symbol - 1982-era Madonna
Song - Burning Up
Name - N
Song - Ray of Light
Song
Symbol/Song - Like A Virgin
Symbol/Book - Sex
Name - A

Madonna is a total blast and of course there's many ways you could go with an icon top for the Queen. This group seemed to fit and feel best once pout together in its final stages.

Get ICON(ic) Madonna here.

There's three other contemporary artists that would be great to add to the series due to their extensive catalog. Of course I'm talking about Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Rihanna. A slew of recognizable hits and a good sized catalog benefits the style of these tops best. With that said, who else needs an ICON(ic) top?

She's at it again. Shout out to friend of the shop, Keith Tyndall, who was wearing his I Don't Know Her top from the shop when he bumped into Bravo TV's Andy Cohen at Mariah Carey's Beacon Theater Christmas concert in New York City!

Andy then displayed Keith rocking his marvelous IDKH tee on his InstaStory on Instagram. A couple days later, Ms. Carey was on Watch What Happens Live and Andy brought up the shirt. A minute later, I was crying tears of joy in fetal position on the floor of Totally Good Time HQ.

Big thanks to Keith for sending me this fun mention. I literally live for stuff like this. Check out the transcription on Entertainment Weekly (and below) and watch the clip below.

"People love the debate over whether or not Mariah Carey ‘knows’ Jennifer Lopez so much that there’s even an ‘I don’t know her’ t-shirt,” said Cohen.

“They make their own merchandise,” Carey said of her fans, a.k.a. lambs.

“I know, they bring their own merch,” said Cohen, laughing before taking the focus back to Lopez.

*Update: ABC News has done a small profile this piece and has featured the shop (0:40 mark)!
ABC Breaking News | Latest News Videos

Happy Thanksgiving!

This newsletter is mainly about Black Friday, but how many newsletters do you receive that recognize the best day to give thanks, you got me! Happy Thanksgiving to you - the coolest shoppers in the world. Thank you for shopping at Totally Good Time, sharing your wears and spreading the word on TGT. You rock! Okay, okay, Black Friday sale.

Happy Black Friday Sale!

Here's what's happening for Black Friday and through the weekend. You, the newsletter subscriber elite, are the first to know. Everyone else has a vague idea. This Friday, from 6am PST to 12pm PST the sweatshirt collection will be half off - that's right 50% off. How am I doing this? I have no idea. From 12pm PST to 12am PST shipping will be free. All shipping. Saturday through Monday will have lighter, but similar sales.

Living in Southern California and then visiting New York last week had me realize how completely out of touch I am with the rest of the globe. Y'all are chilly! It is chilly everywhere. This is your moment to snag that sweatshirt if you've been waiting. I'm wearing one right now. In Southern California. Because guess what? It got chilly here.

Be sure to follow us on all social media. There are two RT contests running right now on Twitter and one on Instagram for Gilmore Girls merch. If you're a fan, this is your moment for a possible easy win. Lastly, soliciting likes for our lonely Facebook! If you have any great ideas on how to improve upon the TGT Facebook to which a general audience would be intrigued, I'll send you a free item of your choice from the shop. That Facebook is a hard nut to crack!