The Complete Guide toGirls Trip T-Shirts

Start With Your Group’s Personality

Think about the women going on the trip before you think about what traditionally goes on a girls trip T-shirt.

Are you dry and sarcastic?

A little inappropriate?

More understated?

Sentimental in private but absolutely unwilling to wear anything sentimental across your chest?

Is there a phrase someone says constantly?

A running joke that has somehow survived fifteen years?

A story from another trip that still makes everyone laugh?

That’s useful territory.

And maybe none of that belongs on a shirt. You may find a ready-made saying while you’re shopping that simply sounds like your group.

Also useful.

Clever is optional. Recognition is better. You want the group to see the saying and immediately understand why it belongs to them.

Inside Jokes Are Great, With One Small Catch

An inside joke can make an excellent girls trip shirt because it belongs specifically to your group.

But there are levels of “inside.”

If all eight women see the saying and immediately start laughing, you’ve probably got something.

If one person understands it and has to spend seven minutes explaining the backstory to everyone else, maybe keep shopping.

You can also decide how much you care whether people outside the group understand it.

Sometimes the fact that nobody else has any idea what your shirt means is part of the fun.

Destination and Year: Yes or No?

Putting the destination and year on the shirt instantly turns it into a trip souvenir.

Palm Springs 2027.

Charleston Girls Weekend.

Paris, finally.

There’s something nice about being able to pull that shirt out years later and know exactly which trip it came from.

But you don’t have to label the shirt like a commemorative plate.

If you find a saying everyone loves and would rather keep the destination off it, do that.

One option isn’t more sophisticated than the other. It just changes the feel of the shirt.

Funny Can Mean a Lot of Things

“Funny girls trip shirt” covers a very large amount of territory: witty, deadpan, mildly inappropriate, wildly inappropriate, painfully accurate, or funny because nobody outside the group understands it at all. Pick your lane.

What we wouldn’t do is assume that a girls trip shirt needs to revolve around the same handful of stereotypes about women.

Wine. Husbands. Shopping. Being crazy. Dieting. Hating your kids. Being unable to function without alcohol.

Any one of those might genuinely be hilarious for your particular group. Fine.

But women are interesting. Your friends are interesting. You probably have more material than that.

A joke can be sharp without making women the punchline.

How Edgy Do You Want to Go?

This is another place where knowing your people matters.

Some groups would happily wear profanity through airport security.

Others want something clever enough to make them laugh but subtle enough to wear to Whole Foods three months later.

Neither is better.

If you’re choosing for the group, think about the woman with the lowest tolerance for whatever you’re considering.

Not because she automatically gets veto power over everything.

Because there’s a difference between:

“This isn’t really my style, but I’ll wear it.”

and

“I am absolutely not putting that sentence on my body.”

That distinction is worth respecting.

Do the Shirts Need to Literally Say “Girls Trip”?

No.

They can.

But the phrase on the shirt doesn’t have to explain the occasion to strangers.

Maybe the design says exactly what the trip is.

Maybe it says something about friendship.

Maybe it has a destination.

Maybe it’s irreverent and has nothing obviously to do with travel at all.

Maybe everybody gets a different saying that works together.

We’ll get into that last option much more in Matching, Coordinating, or Doing Your Own Thing?

For now, don’t limit your search to phrases containing the words “girls trip.”

You may find something much better once you stop trying to make the shirt describe itself.

Should Everyone Have the Same Saying?

Not necessarily.

Identical sayings are easy and give you the classic matching-shirt look.

But different sayings can be really fun when they relate to one another.

Maybe each person gets something that fits her personality.

Maybe the sayings form a theme.

Maybe the shirts share the same design style but say different things.

This can work particularly well when your friend group has distinct personalities and everyone enjoys leaning into them.

One warning: if you’re assigning individual sayings to people, tread thoughtfully.

“The Planner” may be cute if your hyper-organized friend proudly claims the title.

“The Hot Mess” is less cute if the recipient did not volunteer.

Let people be in on the joke.

What About Names, Nicknames, and Personalization?

Personalization can make a shirt feel much more specific to the trip.

Names, nicknames, dates, destinations, team-style numbers, or individual sayings can all work.

But personalization is an option, not a requirement.

If you already found a shirt everyone loves, you do not need to keep adding things until it becomes a custom project.

Sometimes the design is done.

Let it be done.

And if you do personalize, remember our rule from the last chapter: have each person give you exactly what she wants printed. There are approximately 4,000 ways to spell Caitlin.

Think About Where the Words Go Too

The saying itself gets most of the attention, but placement changes the personality of a shirt.

A big centered statement is going to read very differently from a smaller chest print.

A saying on the back can feel completely different again.

A tiny phrase can almost act like an inside joke.

A giant one is announcing itself from across the pool.

Look at the entire design, not just the words in isolation.

Sometimes the exact same phrase goes from cute to cool to absolutely not depending on the font, scale, placement, and shirt.

Will You Want to Wear It Again?

Worth considering.

Not required.

If everyone wants a shirt she can keep wearing for years, you may lean toward something less specific, more subtle, or simply very true to your group’s personality.

If the entire point is to take one spectacular photo in matching shirts that say something ridiculous?

Also valid.

We talked about this in Chapter 1 because it matters here too: sayings have a lot to do with whether a shirt gets worn again.

Don’t let “Will I wear this forever?” suck all the fun out of a shirt that only needs to be perfect for this trip.

But if you can find something that works for the trip and earns a place in your drawer afterward, that’s a nice win.

Read It One More Time Before You Order

Especially if the saying is custom, personalized, or remotely edgy.

Read every word.

Check the spelling.

Look at the punctuation.

Make sure the joke still lands when it is printed in four-inch letters across someone’s chest.

If there is a double meaning, make sure it is the double meaning you intended.

And maybe send the final version to one friend who did not write it.

Fresh eyes are useful.

There are few things more permanent than discovering the typo after eight identical shirts arrive.

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The Classic: Everybody Gets the Same Shirt

Same saying. Same shirt. Same color.

There is something undeniably fun about it.

Nobody has to figure out which version she’s supposed to get. The group photo immediately looks like a group photo. And if the whole reason everyone wanted shirts in the first place was to have that matching moment, this is the easiest way to get it.

You can still have plenty of individuality in how everyone wears the shirt. One friend may tuck hers into jeans. Someone else wears it oversized with bike shorts. Another knots it over a skirt.

Same shirt. Six different women.

We’ll get much more into that in How to Style Your Girls Trip T-Shirt.

Same Design, Different Color

This is an easy way to keep the group connected while giving everyone a choice.

Maybe the design is identical, but each woman picks her shirt color.

Or maybe you choose a limited palette so the shirts still look intentional together.

Black, white, and gray. A group of pastels. Different shades of blue.

Whatever makes sense with the design and the options available.

This is also useful if there is one color half your group loves and the other half would rather not have anywhere near her face.

This is a pretty easy option to find, especially with sellers that offer the same design across a range of shirt colors.

One practical note: check how the print looks on every color before everyone orders. A design that pops beautifully on black may disappear on pale yellow, and some sellers adjust the print color depending on the shirt.

Same Design, Different Cut

This may be even more useful than changing the color.

You can have a group that looks completely coordinated while one woman wears a crew neck, another chooses a V-neck, someone wants a tank, and somebody else wants the tee two sizes bigger.

The visual connection is the design.

The garment does not have to be identical.

This is a particularly nice solution when people have strong preferences about fit. You get the group effect without requiring eight women to suddenly develop the same opinion about sleeves and necklines.

If your seller offers the choices you need, take advantage of them.

Same Look, Different Sayings

This is one of our favorite ways to do it.

Yep, we know we’re talking about ourselves here.

Bored Rebel has lots of different sayings in the same signature vertical design, which means a group can choose shirts individually and still look like they belong together.

One friend might pick something sweet.

One goes sarcastic.

One finds the saying that sounds so much like her that everyone immediately sends it to the group chat.

The words are different, but the shirts still have a common visual language.

This works especially well when your friends have distinct personalities and you want everyone to end up with something she genuinely likes.

Yes, this is exactly what our collection is designed to do. It’s also a useful idea anywhere you shop: look for designs that share a visual language.

• Same typography.
• Same placement.
• Same illustration style.
• Same color palette.

The eye sees the connection even though the words aren’t identical.

Different Sayings Based on Everyone’s Personality

This can be hilarious when you know your group really well.

Maybe there’s a planner.

A chronically late friend.

The person who always knows where everyone’s phone is.

The one who somehow makes friends with strangers everywhere you go.

If your group already jokes about these things, personality shirts can practically choose themselves.

Just remember something we talked about in the sayings chapter:

Let people be in on their own joke.

There’s a difference between your friend proudly choosing the shirt that says she’s always late and the group assigning it to her because everyone is annoyed that she’s always late.

Same words.

Very different gift.

If you’re assigning sayings, send them around before you order or let each woman choose her own.

And you don’t necessarily have to build the concept from scratch. Ready-made collections of coordinated sayings can make this easy.

Coordinating Can Be Really Loose

Your shirts do not have to share the same design to feel like they belong together.

Maybe everyone wears black.

Maybe everyone picks a white tee with black lettering.

Maybe all the sayings are about travel.

Maybe everybody chooses something mildly inappropriate.

Maybe the common element is simply the Bored Rebel vertical print.

You really only need one recognizable thread if the goal is to make the group feel connected.

Once you start requiring the same shirt color, same print color, same saying, same neckline, same jeans, same shoes, and matching earrings, you are no longer coordinating a T-shirt.

You have accidentally opened a costume department.

Unless everyone is delighted by that.

In which case, carry on.

You Can Also Let Everyone Completely Do Her Own Thing

There is another perfectly good option:

Give everyone the shirt, or send everyone the collection, and don’t coordinate anything.

Maybe each woman picks the one she likes.

Maybe you hand them out as gifts.

Maybe there is no designated “shirt day.”

People wear them on the trip if and when they feel like it, then take them home as souvenirs.

That still counts.

The shirt itself can be the connection even if nobody stands in formation wearing it at 10:15 Saturday morning.

This is especially worth remembering if the group loves the idea of a trip shirt but has very different personal styles.

If You Want the Photo, Think About the Photo

You do not need to stage-manage everyone’s outfit.

But if having one great group photo is important to you, decide what the connecting element is going to be.

Maybe it’s the exact same tee.

Maybe it’s different sayings in the same design.

Maybe it’s the same shirt in several colors.

That alone may be enough.

Everyone can wear her own jeans, shorts, skirt, shoes, jewelry, and whatever else she was already going to wear.

This can actually make the photo feel much more like your real group. You look connected without looking like you were all issued uniforms at check-in.

And if your group wants the full matching moment, ignore that advice and go all in.

Matching can be the fun.

Don't Create 47 Options Unless You Enjoy Managing 47 Options

Choice is great.

Unlimited choice gets complicated fast.

If you’re organizing the shirts, decide how much variation you realistically want to manage.

For example:

Easy: same shirt, everyone picks her size.

Still easy: same design, choose crew or V-neck.

A little more going on: pick one of four sayings and your preferred shirt color.

You have apparently started a small retail operation: eight sayings, six colors, four cuts, names on the back, and everyone wants to know whether dusty rose will be restocked in medium.

You can absolutely offer lots of choices.

Just do it because your group will enjoy them, not because coordination somehow requires everyone to have a uniquely engineered garment.

Sometimes giving people two or three good choices creates plenty of individuality.

And Don't Forget Why You're Matching in the First Place

Maybe everyone wants the classic photo.

Maybe the shirts are a surprise.

Maybe this group has been taking an annual trip for 20 years and matching shirts have become part of the tradition.

Maybe you all saw something ridiculous and decided you had to own it.

Maybe you just like the feeling of walking into brunch together and having the shirts quietly say:

Yep. We came together.

That’s enough.

Matching and coordinating are supposed to add to the fun.

There is no objectively cooler version.

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Start With How You Like to Wear a T-Shirt

Before TikTok convinces you that there is a newly invented correct way to tuck a T-shirt, think about what you already like on yourself.

We have our biases.

A classic full tuck? Love.

A French tuck? Love.

Left completely out because that looks better with the pants you’re wearing? Also love.

The right answer changes with the shirt, the bottom, and what makes you feel good.

A tuck gives the outfit more definition at the waist and shows more of whatever you’re wearing on the bottom.

A French tuck does some of that while keeping the overall feel a little more relaxed.

Leaving the shirt out creates a longer, straighter line and can look particularly good with slimmer pants, leggings, or a tee that already has a great shape.

A knot changes the proportions completely and can be cute with high-waisted jeans, shorts, or a skirt.

You can also roll the sleeves once or twice if you like the look.

None of these is a body rule.

They’re styling tools.

Stand in front of the mirror and mess with the shirt for 30 seconds. Tuck it. Untuck it. Roll the sleeves. Change the shoes.

You’ll know.

Jeans Are Obvious for a Reason

A good T-shirt and jeans work.

Straight leg, wide leg, cropped, white denim, dark denim, whatever you already like wearing.

The biggest difference is often what you do around them.

A tucked tee with dark jeans, a belt, jewelry, and loafers feels polished.

The exact same shirt loose over relaxed jeans with sneakers feels casual.

So if jeans are what you feel great in, nobody needs to reinvent the wheel.

Just style the wheel.

Please Put an Open Jacket Over That Vertical Saying

We are going to talk about ourselves for a second.

Bored Rebel sayings run vertically down the center of the shirt.

An open jacket frames that beautifully.

Yep. We said it.

A blazer, leather jacket, denim jacket, cropped jacket, trench, or even an open cardigan creates two vertical lines on either side of the saying and leaves the words visible down the middle.

It looks intentional without requiring much effort.

And you probably already own the jacket.

A few combinations we particularly like:

• Tee + jeans + open blazer + sneakers or loafers
• Tee + trousers + open blazer + a great flat
• Tee + jeans + leather jacket + boots
• Tee + shorts + lightweight jacket when the temperature drops
• Tee + denim jacket + basically whatever you were already wearing

The blazer-and-tee combination is hardly a niche Bored Rebel theory. The structure of the jacket makes a T-shirt feel more intentional, and the vertical print gives us an especially good reason to love it.

Change the Bottom and the Whole Shirt Changes

This is probably the easiest way to get more mileage out of the tee.

With jeans

Classic. Easy. Hard to screw up.

With tailored trousers

One of our favorites if you want the shirt to feel more polished.

A tucked graphic tee with trousers can look surprisingly sharp, particularly with a blazer or good jacket.

With shorts

Denim is easy, but tailored shorts can make the whole outfit feel more pulled together.

Longer, more structured shorts are another good option when you want the outfit to feel a little sharper.

With a skirt

This is where the T-shirt can look completely different.

Try it with:

• a denim skirt
• a simple midi
• a slip skirt
• a fuller skirt
• a mini if that’s your thing

The contrast between a casual tee and a dressier or more polished skirt can be really good.

You don't have to make the shirt look “feminine.”

The mix of casual and dressed-up pieces is what makes it interesting.

Yes, You Can Dress Up a T-Shirt

The trick is usually not trying to make the T-shirt itself fancy.

Let everything around it do the work.

Try:

• T-shirt + tailored trousers + blazer + loafers
• T-shirt + slip skirt + heels or a good flat
• T-shirt + dark jeans + jacket + statement earrings
• T-shirt + midi skirt + sandals
• T-shirt + white jeans + jewelry + a great bag

That can easily take you from wandering around all afternoon into drinks or dinner somewhere that doesn't require an actual dress code.

Would we wear a girls trip tee to every dinner?

No.

But it has a lot more range than “shirt we wear for the photo at breakfast.”

Jewelry Changes More Than You Think

Do not abandon your jewelry because there are words on your shirt.

Quite the opposite.

A T-shirt is a great backdrop for jewelry.

A few things that work particularly well:

• Great earrings. Hoops, sculptural earrings, something sparkly, whatever feels like you.
• A watch or bracelets. Particularly good when the shirt itself is visually simple.
• Rings. Zero conflict with the graphic. Wear all the rings.
• Necklaces. Absolutely, but pay attention to where the necklace lands in relation to the print. With a centered graphic or vertical saying, a very long necklace can sometimes compete with the design. A shorter chain, pendant, or layered necklaces sitting closer to the neckline may work better.

Put them on and look. This is fashion, not geometry.

Shoes Have a Ridiculous Amount of Power

You can change the entire personality of jeans and a T-shirt just by changing your shoes.

Sneakers say casual.

Loafers immediately make the same outfit feel sharper.

Ballet flats can make it softer and more polished.

Boots add some edge.

A kitten heel or pump can take a tee-and-trousers combination surprisingly far.

Sandals can make the shirt feel completely vacation-y.

This is also an easy place to play with whatever feels current to you. Slim sneakers, loafers, ballet flats, mules, kitten heels: change the shoes and the same T-shirt can go somewhere completely different.

Wear the pair you actually like walking in.

You are on a trip.

Oh Là Là: A Few French-Style Tricks Worth Stealing

We are not suggesting that every woman in France wakes up looking like Jane Birkin.

French women do not, in fact, share one closet.

But there’s a reason “French style” has become shorthand for a certain kind of dressing: great basics, restrained styling, good jackets, simple shoes, and an outfit that doesn’t appear to have required a committee meeting.

A few ideas worth borrowing:

• Don’t over-style the tee. If the shirt already says something, you may not need five other statement pieces fighting for airtime.
• Add one really good layer. Blazer. Trench. Leather jacket. Done.
• Keep something simple. If the shirt is bold, maybe the jeans and shoes aren’t.
• Use accessories selectively. A good bag, earrings, sunglasses, belt, or flat can do a surprising amount of work.
• Mix casual with polished. T-shirt with trousers. Tee with a skirt. Graphic shirt under a great blazer.

You’re not cosplaying as a Parisian. Borrow the confidence to put on fewer things and trust the ones you chose.

Style the Group Photo Too

You have the shirts.

Everyone looks good.

Get the picture.

Please do not make the only photo of the entire group eight women standing shoulder-to-shoulder against an Airbnb wall like they’re waiting to be picked for dodgeball.

Have some fun.

A few ideas:

• Give the phone to the waiter. Ask for a full-group shot before the table becomes a crime scene of empty glasses and half-eaten appetizers.
• Use the people around you. A fellow traveler, tour guide, or friendly stranger can get a shot you would never get with the front-facing camera. Ask politely and choose someone who isn’t in the middle of doing their job.
• Walk toward the camera instead of posing. Someone takes a burst while everybody walks, talks, laughs, fixes her hair, whatever. Usually at least one frame is great.
• Do the intentionally ridiculous tourist photo. Pretend to hold the Eiffel Tower between two fingers. Hold up the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Pretend to drink from a giant Las Vegas cocktail. You have come this far.
• Get everybody doing something. Coffee cups in hand. Getting onto the boat. Sitting around the firepit. Walking down the street. The shirts connect the photo without everyone having to pose identically.
• Turn around. Especially if there’s something interesting on the back of the shirts.
• Take the polished shot and the stupid one. You will probably like the stupid one more in ten years.
• Don’t forget a close-up. Hands holding cocktails, coffee cups, boarding passes, whatever makes sense, with parts of the shirts visible.
• Use the environment. Stairs, a hotel balcony, a great doorway, the beach, a city street. Give the photo some depth instead of lining everyone up against the nearest blank wall.
• Hand your phone to a stranger who looks competent. This is an underrated skill.

And take more than one.

Someone will blink.

You Don't All Have to Style the Shirt the Same Way

This may be our favorite part.

One woman wears hers tucked into jeans with a blazer.

Someone else leaves hers out with leggings.

Another wears hers with a skirt.

Another has somehow made hers look legitimately sexy.

Great.

The shirts are the connection.

The women don't need to become identical just because the shirts are.

In fact, letting everyone style hers normally may make the group photo better. You still look connected, but you also look like yourselves.

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