This Wild ‘T-Shirt Shirt’ By Balenciaga Is Inspiring Strong Fashion Feedback

There were the Ikea bags. The “plastic bin” shirts. And now the “T-shirt shirt” or “double shirt.” All by famous fashion house Balenciaga, these items have regularly stirred up internet fervor thanks to their high price tags and eyebrow-raising design.

The latest perpetrator to raise the ire of the fashion police is the so-called “T-shirt shirt,” which retails on the Balenciaga website for $1,290. (It’s available for pre-order only — you can’t get your hands on one of these hot items until late July.) It’s a t-shirt with a button-down shirt attached to the front, turning the t-shirt wearer into a kind of human hanger for the draping dress shirt. Or, as the website helpfully points out in the product description, you could flip the script and wear it the other way: as a dress shirt with a t-shirt casually hanging off of your back. (They call this a “drape effect.”)

Made in Italy out of poplin, the shirt(s) were ostensibly designed by head designer Demna Gvasalia, who is also the mastermind of hip French brand Vetements. That brand is also known for selling pieces that poke fun at pop culture and retail for a hefty cost.

The internet has plenty to say on the subject of the two-in-one shirt look, of course. Whether it’s a fashion crime or a pointed critique of the ridiculousness of retail and style trends remains undetermined, but it certainly has gotten the debate going.

And it’s inspired a few crafty copycats.