I ♥ T-Shirts: Toro Sombra

Comfortable, practical, and these days the only accessory you need to make a statement, it's hard to imagine a world without the ubiquitous T-shirt. I ♥ T-Shirts takes a subjective approach to this modern fashion phenomenon with each post dealing with a favorite shirt.

Shirt: Toro Sombra
Designer: Aldo Cruz
Price: Around 15€
Purchased: Tourist shop in Sevilla, Spain during Semana Santa 2002
Status: Retired

If you spent any real amount of time with me from April 2002 until the end of 2005, there's a good chance you got to know this shirt all too well. It was just so damn cool and light that I wore it all the time. Of course when I purchased it, I wasn't thinking about how comfy - and durable - this stone-washed cotton shirt would be. In fact, I wasn't even looking for a T-shirt at all (I certainly didn't need one).

Designed by Aldo Cruz, "Toro Sombra" features a stylized bull, with black body and white horns and eyes, casting a long shadow. At once, it sums up the traditionally perceived image of Andalusia (big ass bull in the full-on sun) while retaining the fun, youthful edge of contemporary Spanish design. Such a strong, iconic and simple graphic on the shirt's fire-red background stood out amid a sea of shirts and souvenirs on one of the more touristy streets of Sevilla during Semana Santa, catching my attention and cinching the sell. And, for the next four years, the shirt served as a glad reminder of a fascinating time in a gorgeous city. It also saw more than its far share of wear and tear as I always threw it in my bag when heading out of town. I retired "Toro sombra" at the end of December 2006, after a week's worth of hiking and exploring with Emiana in Chile's Altiplano (see below).

Interested in contributing a review of a favourite T-shirt or perhaps sending along a sample T to be reviewed? Click here to access my email address. Then, send an email with a brief description of your idea/product along with any relevant online links.

I ♥ T-Shirts is sponsored by Chongolio's Lost-Isle.