A few people know I collect Hard Rock Cafe shirts and so I get them as gifts sometimes.
I think this one was picked up from a yard sale or flea market or something. Originally it could have only been purchased from the gift shop in Makati.
Since this has been in my collection for so long, it's got some stains and crud on it. You probably can't see it from the pic but it's got some yellowing going on. While it is nice to wear a white shirt sometimes -since it makes me feel a bit uhh... lighter and brighter?- this kills that mood with its dirtiness. It is a nice fit though in a well worn-in medium.
This Hard Rock Cafe design is just a smidge different than some of the other ones I have. This is the case for one or two reasons: 1) it is an older shirt, meaning they had a more basic design back then; or 2) this is a counterfeit t-shirt that was trying to save a buck on printing costs. The layout and shape of the logo is the same as before but the yellow part in the center is much more mustard yellow -as compared to a pumpkin yellow of other shirts- and has no gradient or shading like the newer ones do. By leaving out these details it costs a lot less to print or screen. The location that this originates from is "Makati, Philippine.s" I've never been there and I don't believe my Dad has -if he had, it would have been back in the Navy days-. That only leaves my Mom, and while that is a possibility, I would hope I would have remembered her going to the Philippines and getting me a shirt. And then again my Dad liked to shop at Goodwill.
I don't randomly hang out with many Filipinos, so I don't really go out looking for someone to recognize the location. A shirt like this is used to show that I'm international. It references my other Hard Rock shirts and adds a South Pacific theme... I guess... Obviously I've never been there and I somehow doubt their rock scene is all that crazy. At least it's enough of a tourist destination that they were able to build a Hard Rock Cafe, lol.
These Hard Rock Cafe shirts have been with me a long time. Some started out by going to the actual restaurant and picking the shirt up as a souvenir. I actually like eating there -even if it is an extra American thing to do on vacation-. Each one is a little different and they all have unique music memorabilia. Plus, sometimes it's nice to get a taste of home when you are abroad for a while. After picking up a few of these it became a thing. So, I have a few that have been gifts from places I've never been! These souvenirs add to my collection and, while being a bit fake, make me feel really cool wearing unique shirts from exotic locations.
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