Ed Hardy Must Die

I was originally hoping to avoid addressing this pervasive trend of tattoo-design screen-printed Ed Hardy clothing, bags and every other product one person might possibly desire (also known as brand licensing gone berserk), but, alas, here I am. It was last week, when I spotted a generic-looking tourist in his early 40s (not exactly the target demographic) riding the T in Boston and wearing a loud lime green Ed Hardy t-shirt, that I realized this ridiculous trend was everywhere. Now, I can think of a thousand reasons why I wish the Ed Hardy brand would disappear - ranging from the death of good taste to the economic and social impact of faddish, disposable clothing - however, I will stick to five good reasons to steer clear in the hopes that if we ignore it long enough, it will go away.

1. Let's start with the most obvious. I could get philosophical here and argue that the styles are contrived, or overdesigned, or victim-y or whatever, but I will speak in layman's terms: the styles are tacky and they hurt my eyes.

2. See that pink butterfly monstrosity pictured above? It's over a hundred bucks. For cotton and spandex dipped in ugly.

3. It may well become the official uniform of philandering husbands in the midst of mid-life crises. See also: Jon Gosselin.

4. In a time when people are losing their jobs left and right and businesses are going under, a $100 logo-covered cotton t-shirt (that's most likely manufactured overseas for mere pennies) screaming for everyone's attention is kind of obnoxious. Honestly, it's pretty obnoxious even in a good economy.

5. This stuff is going to be hard to get rid of when it goes out of style. Consignment shops likely won't touch it. Don't believe me? Well then, are you interested in an old Von Dutch trucker hat? No?

Image: JustJared.com