KC Clothing Comparison

Photo by Maddie Smiley 

Ever since the Royals won the World Series, I’ve started to realize how cool Kansas City actually is. I’ve gained a lot of respect for this amazing city. With that I’ve started wearing a lot more KC native clothing, from the classic Charlie Hustle KC heart T-shirt to East shirts even when I’m out of town. I’ve started showing my pride. We’ve all seen the “LA, KC, NY” shirts and worn our columbia blue East shirt countless times, so here’s a breakdown of where hometown pride can be diversified.

CHARLIE HUSTLE
I’m not going to lie, I like my KC Heart Charlie Hustle T-shirt as much as the next girl walking through the halls at East. What I didn’t realize is that Charlie Hustle has so many other cool vintage style shirts than a basic KC heart.

Judging by their popularity and Instagram, I was expecting the store to be hip and exciting, however it was underwhelming and did not quite live up to my high expectations. It was dimly lit and eerily quiet for a Friday afternoon.

Not letting my initial disappointment get the best of me, I walked around to scan the shirts they had displayed out. My favorite by far was the KU “Danny and Miracles” 1988 shirt. They had shirts ranging from other college sports programs to MLB and NFL to other generic KC shirts.

Charlie Hustle also has other KC accessories like their hats, socks and coozies. All of the hats have the classic Charlie Hustle style and design, utilizing typography to the max, but keeping things clean and simple.

For the avid sports fans out there, skip the cliché designs Charlie Hustle offers and dig a little deeper. There’s tons of other stylish Royals shirts to wear to games – like the Champagne City shirt, which offers another side to the boring World Series 2015 theme.

Overall, Charlie Hustle doesn’t have much to offer if you’re looking to go beyond the T-shirt department. Although I certainly would never overlook it for a cute shirt or if I’m trying to find a KC sports shirt my dad doesn’t already own.

SME STUDENT STORE
High school is a time to make memories. Along with that we get the privilege of spirit wear. My brother, who graduated in 2010, has a pair of sport shorts that he got at East and still wears to this day. I could always get a shirt from my future college after I’ve graduated, but now is the time to pick up all the East wear you can get.

The student store, which is open during fifth hour only, brings a special opportunity for those of us who will proudly wear our East shirts years after graduation.

With all new designs this year, the possibilities are endless. My favorite is probably the $15 dark blue T-shirt with the Lancers written across the KC bridge. This is a shirt that could continue to be worn at college with some of the comfy Lancer sweatpants that are also sold in the store. The black sweatpants are $35 and they’re the perfect thing to pull out with your friends while watching Halloween movies like Halloween Town, one of my favorites.

Another must-buy is the Lancers jersey. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m tired of wearing my KU basketball jersey to anything jersey-themed, and this would certainly switch things up for only $10.

With only a couple more years of high school and shameless spirit wear left, now is the time to take advantage of the great apparel that other schools don’t necessarily have.

MADE IN KC
When I heard a Made in KC store was coming to Corinth Square, I knew I had to go. I’ve scrolled through their website countless times, gazing at the T-shirt and print designs they sell, wanting to see them in person.

As soon as I walked into the bright store, the pleasant aroma of several candles on display near the back of the store struck me. Made in KC is small, about the size of a living room, complete with a couch in the middle. However the store still manages to fit two full walls of T-shirts, tables of KC books and trinkets like key chains and coasters. And the much awaited wall of prints, which mostly consisted of watercolor paintings of KC landmarks.

I immediately made my way to the print section, since I already knew it would be my favorite part of the store. The top half of the wall holds the larger prints that are in frames, and the bottom has shelves which hold smaller 5-by-7 and 8-by-10-inch prints. They range from KC landmarks like the Nichols Fountain on the Plaza to watercolor paintings of the 2015 World Series Parade last fall. I was impressed with their variety as every print was unique and different – I even ended up buying a watercolor painting of Kauffman stadium for my dad’s birthday.

I wandered around some more and admired the wide display on T-shirts. Made in KC doesn’t make most of their T-shirts and some of them are actually from Charlie Hustle, but they still have a good variety of shirts from Bellboy Apparel, Bozz Prints and Made Urban Apparel. I love the wide array that Made in KC has to offer, and I will, without a doubt, be back very soon.