Go to Google and type “T-shirt” in the search box. Number of hits you will find: over 87.9 million.

The T-shirt is a widespread, pop culture phenomenon. Whether it has “Ohio” emblazoned across the chest or it is a vintage rocker tee from the ’70s, T-shirts remain timeless in the fashion world.

The history of the T-shaped shirt travels back to ancient times. The T-shirt derives from the tunics ancient Egyptians wore, said Sky Cone, assistant professor of retail merchandising.

Although very different from today’s modern styles, the ancient tunic holds the same basic T shape of today’s T-shirt, Cone said.

The tunic evolved from ancient wear to underwear throughout the ages, from T-shirts worn under Roman togas to undergarments for soldiers in World War I. However, the real turning point, Cone said, happened when James Dean wore a classic white T-shirt in 1955’s Rebel Without a Cause. Dean’s style shocked America and moved the T-shirt from function to fashion.

Our society is a casual dress culture, and the T-shirt fits right in, Cone said.

When she puts on a dress Tuesday morning, Cone’s husband said, “Whoa, you’re dressed up today — what for?”

In order to estimate popularity of products, business leaders use a bell curve with growth, a peak and descent. Products at the peak of the curve show maximum popularity. Cone said the T-shirt managed to bypass this curve by evolving into a classic article of clothing.

The Miami Vice look that T-shirts dominated in the 1980s is Cone’s favorite T-shirt fashion experiment that she called “trend city.” Characters blended the casual T-shirt with sport coats. At this point, Cone said, the lines began to blur between professional and casual wear.

College students choose to wear T-shirts out of comfort and convenience, said Julia Pflaum, president of OU’s Fashion Associates.

Pflaum said T-shirts are a way to express one’s personality and make a fashion statement. One way to do so is through slogan T-shirts.

Slogan T-shirts hit the news in 2004 when Abercrombie & Fitch was sued for displaying offensive slogans. While some still embrace the message T-shirt, others choose not to wear them.

Annie Krystowski, a sophomore hearing, speech and language sciences major, said she doesn’t like T-shirts with slogans such as “angel” or other words.

On the other hand, Pflaum said slogan T-shirts are the hottest style on the market.

“Any (T-shirt) with a funny or controversial phrase is going to be a hit,” Pflaum said.