In Promising Young Woman, Cassie’s T-Shirt Has A Clever Hidden Meaning – And You Can Shop It Now

A T-shirt can tell us a lot about the person wearing it. In film it can paint an immediate, colourful backstory, ground a character in our reality (or a different one), help us to like or dislike them. We can find an allegiance with a character because they listen to the same bands as us, or support the same sports team. It’s a handy visual shorthand. In A Star is Bornpre-fame Ally (Lady Gaga) looks like she shopped for her graphic tees at Urban Outfitters - so relatable. Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) was an instant indie heartthrob with his rotation of Joy Division classics in 500 Days Of Summer - I get that. Regina George’s ‘A little bit dramatic’ emblazoned tee in Mean Girls - we know immediately who she is.

Done well, a movie T-shirt can become iconic. We only see a flash of Ariel’s ‘Dance Your Ass Off’ tee in Footloose, but those few seconds have spawned thousands of replicas. Remember when the ‘Vote for Pedro’ T-shirts from Napoleon Dynamite were a big thing? They’ve got their own entry on Dictionary.com, and they made a resurgence in protest against Trump.

I’ve fallen head over heels for a deer and rainbow print baseball tee worn by Cassie (Carey Mulligan) in the brilliant Promising Young Woman - so much so, I spent two months tracking it down (which, in fandom terms, is nothing really; I once flew across the world to attend a Buffy the Vampire Slayer convention). On her mission to avenge the fate of her friend Nina, like Buffy, Cassie’s daytime wardrobe of bubblegum pinks, florals and pop prints hide her after-dark bite.

The T-shirt is a collaboration between designer Coco Fennell(sister of the film’s director, Emerald) and artist Ceal Warnants. As Coco says, “At first glance the illustration looks like it’s from a 1950’s children’s book - then you look closer and the child has a gun on their back and the deer is bleeding. I think it echoes Cassie’s character - sweet and harmless but when you look closer she has a darker side.” There in a T-shirt, the mastery of Cassie is summed up. Be aware, look closer, never underestimate a woman - certainly not because she has a sweet wardrobe. We are complicated, nuanced and we never are, nor have to be, just one thing.

Considering the ease of a T-shirt, it’s no surprise that they transition easily from on-screen to off in a way that other parts of a costume can’t (nobody wants to look like they’re in fancy dress). For a film fan, wearing a character’s tee is like being part of a secret society. I’ve certainly nodded at a few Sunnydale High Buffy tees I’ve passed in the street. With the success of Promising Young Woman fizzing, I expect our 2021 closets will become a touch more Cassie. The deer tee is already taking centre stage in mine, I’ll look out for you wearing yours.