Ed Hardy

Out of the God-knows-how-many thousands of sites out there selling Ed Hardy products, this is the only genuine manufacturer's home site. The brand, along with its parent, Christian Audigier, is one of the most faked fashion brands there is, so be careful out there, most of what you'll see elsewhere is potentially unofficial Chinese fakery.

Don Ed Hardy is a retired Californian tattooist, artist and printmaker, who made a name for himself through many books, and by incorporating Japanese style into American tattoos. He happened to cross paths with Christian Audigier, and the rest is history.

The Chinese have taken to manufacturing replica Ed Hardy clothing in a big way, which no doubt must amuse the Japanese whose design styles their Chinese neighbors are so busy copying. Meanwhile, over at the authentic site, the instantly recognizable Ed Hardy artwork has migrated from T-shirts to hats, pants, bikinis, shoes and yes, underwear too. Although I'd imagine a tattoo of "love kills" on your underpants would be a bit of a turn-off, you have to admit that a "love is a gamble" bra has a certain appeal.

This is perhaps the most youth-oriented design style on the market today. It's hard to imagine anyone much over 25 wearing it without looking even older than they are, which is a shame in a way because some of us old folks think it's pretty cool. Oh well. Youth is wasted on the young.