Wal-Mart Fab Finds...Who Woulda Thunk It?

I was at Wal-Mart the other day, picking up some iron-on hem tape for my projects and romaine hearts for my boyfriend's new salad addiction, when something very exciting caught my eye. Now, I'm no snob, but I am also not someone who buys clothing or accessories from Wal-Mart, and quite honestly because they are made so cheaply and disposably. I'd rather buy a $20 tank top from a store that sells quality merchandise over a $4 one-time-use version. But, as I ran over from the craft aisle to the produce section for the salad, one of those really sad and bare clearance racks stuck in the corner caught my attention. Not because I wanted it to, but because I did a double take when I thought I saw Gwen Stefani on a tshirt. Convinced that my terrible eyesight was once again deceiving me, I got closer for a better look.

I. WAS. RIGHT.

On clearance for only $5.00 was a white t-shirt donning Gwen and her bandmates before she went solo: No Doubt on a mid-'90s Rolling Stone magazine cover. Five dollars. Feminine fit, not your typical "concert tee" that you end up spending $40 on, just to wear to bed because it's so unflattering. I am not a Gwenabe, but I certainly love her, her music, and most importantly, her style. With or without the men alongside, I think she is one talented, awesome chick. I got so excited that I almost forgot to get the salad when I went to check out...luckily, I remembered it at the last second and skipped over in delight.

Here is what it looks like:

And for those of you who aren't Gwen Stefani or No Doubt fans, they had a couple of other Rolling Stone cover t-shirts, too, including Jimi Hendrix. I was curious about what other bands they might have carried, say at a different Wal-Mart (for $5 I mean, really, what music-lover could pass it up?), so I tried looking it up on Google. What I came across instead shocked me.

Rolling Stone was being SUED for distributing these tees, basically over merchandising and copyright infringements on the artists featured on the covers. I get that, but at the same time, I'm sure the artists were compensated very fairly for being featured on the covers in the first place and that at this point those covers are the property of Rolling Stone. I think the t-shirts were simply a way for Rolling Stone to show off some of their best work from an aesthetic standpoint, not to promote the artists themselves IN the pictures. But ultimately, Gwen is what drew me in, not the "awesome shot."

Apparently, they initially had a lot of other artists when the shipment was fresh, including Kid Rock, Nirvana, and the Eagles. None of these have I seen, but if one of them strikes your fancy, I highly recommend high-tailing it to your local Wal-Mart and trying to score one...you may get lucky the same way I did. The t-shirts are actually decent quality, in a soft, thin, fitted cotton crewneck style. But, they do run VERY small. No joke, the large looked like it would fit a girl who wears an XS or S in "regular" stores, so be prepared to go big. It also comes with a postcard for 12 free issues of Rolling Stone, but there's probably some catch to that.

Okay, so on to part two. Since the whole No Doubt t-shirt thing luredme into the clothing section (which, like I said, I normally don't even realize is there), I have to admit, a couple of things caught my eye. Nothing amazing, but things I would have expected to find at Forever 21 or H&M, not Wal-Mart! And, as it turns out, the garments were made collaboratively by none other than Miley Cyrus and esteemed designer Max Azria, most popular for his BCBG lines. Although I can't stand the little brat's lack of public etiquette, and find it hard to believe she can be credited with much of the work that went into creating and producing this line, I have to admit some of the stuff was pretty cute!

Below are some examples. It all retails for under $20 per garment and there were cuter styles in the store than what I could find online:

Moral of the story: Wal-Mart, your clothes do generally suck. Max Azria helped them suck less. Lastly, I love finding sweet, unexpected treats. Sometimes the best moments in life happen to you when you're not even looking...