xGettyImages618495596Karlie and Kendall both stepped out in merch tees for an LA Lakers game last night
Credit: Getty Images

We all know vintage merchandise tees have been one of the hugest off-duty style trends of 2016 (even Karl Lagerfeld embraced it with his own twist for Chanel this season).

But unless your dad, cool uncle or even cooler granddad stashed them away three decades ago in mint condition, they can be like the holy grail to get your hands on. That is, unless you’re tapped into a website that does all the hard work for you – like these troves we’ve tracked down in our quest to add some attitude to our own summer aesthetic.

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The original It-girl turned designer, Chiara Ferragni
Credit: Getty Images

So make like Kendall, Karlie, Kim, Gigi, Bella, Chiara (get the gist) and wear your heart on your sleeve this season via a bad-ass vintage logo on your chest. The more legitimately vintage the better, because as with all things in fashion, cheap copies never really cut it. 

Retrostar vintage clothing Head here first if you’re after classic retro rock band merch, like Nirvana, Bob Marley or Metallica, a la Karlie and Chiara. RetroStar is Australia’s largest vintage store, having opened almost 25 years ago and eventually relocated to the heritage Nicholas Building in Swanston Street, Melbourne. For a business that deals in retro treasures, it’s impressively modern. Its online boutique has a steady roll-through of retro band tees, plus a few modern gems from time to time. 

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Just two vintage merch tees we spotted on RetroStar’s site

Collectors weekly This San Francsico-based site isn’t a store, but a brilliant aggregator of all the best vintage buys (mostly on eBay) across 1600 categories, including of course vintage clothing and merch tees. What you can’t find here doesn’t exist anymore. At the time of writing this story, we found official tour tees for the Rolling Stones (1981), Janet Jackson (2001), The Police (1983), Bob Dylan (1987) and even an unworn long-sleeve shirt from Aerosmith’s 1988 Large tour in mint condition at a snip for just $241. If ironic modern merch statements are more your thing, you might prefer a tee from the 2016 Yeezy Saint Pablo or Justin Beiber’s Sorry tours, which we also spotted there. 

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A modern masterpiece found via Collector’s Weekly

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Chiara Ferragni, already one step ahead of the game
Credit: Instagram @chiaraferragni

Rockabilia While not technically a completely vintage site, this one does offer some legit memorabilia from time to time. The biggest drawcard is that they have a children’s section, which is perfect if you’re not into customising (i.e. cutting the chunky neckline or bottom off) the man-sized shirts you’ll find on other sites. 

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Kourtney Kardashian clearly has no issue with a man-sized merch shirt
Credit: Instagram @kimklookbook