• by Tricia Despres , October 26, 2006

McDonald’s recently decided to dust off some of its best-loved characters and advertising slogans for a line of vintage T-shirts that has the celebrity set drooling.

The fast food giant’s transformation from old hat to fashion statement began earlier this year, when McDonald’s partnered with DIC Entertainment to produce a line of vintage tees. The shirts received coveted window space at Lisa Kline, one of L.A.’s most exclusive boutiques. The window display ran for four weeks. Soon McDonald’s T-shirts were splashed all over the fashion and gossip magazines.

“To say we were astounded would be an understatement,” gushed Jeff Carl, corporate vice president of global marketing for McDonald’s. “It made us realize what a deep, emotional connection people have with our brand.”

The vintage tees are now sold at specialty boutiques, specialty department stores such as Nordstrom and Macy’s, and mid-tier department stores like Kohl’s and JCPenney. McDonald’s recently announced the formation of a new tween line currently available at Limited Too and Macy’s.

“Nostalgia is all about memories and comfort,” explains Nancy Fowler, head of global sales at DIC Entertainment. “McDonald’s has been a part of the American culture for more than 50 years and almost every American, young, old, and somewhere in the middle, has at least one McDonald’s memory.”