Plano fires back at 'Real Housewives of Dallas' with clever T-shirt

Shannah Hayley may be fairly new to her job as director of marketing for the City of Plano. But she's not new to her love of the city.

So when LeeAnne Locken uttered a now-infamous put-down of the city -- "It's a little Plano in here," she said of two women acting immature on the season premiere of The Real Housewives of Dallas -- Hayley didn't get angry. She laughed and got to work.

"We want to provide the best services to our citizens and our businesses, but we're also human beings. I want people to remember that your local government is made up of people who are your neighbors," she says. "It just seemed like a really good time to have fun."

The result is a T-shirt that she hopes blankets the city. It reads: "It's a little Plano in here. And we like it." It's available in all kinds of cuts, including a baby onesie and a grown-man hoodie, with a cost that ranges from $18.49 to $41.49.

"We're not in the business of selling T-shirts," she says.

"I picked up on a phrase that people were already saying."

She finished the design over the weekend and uploaded it to Spreadshirt so items would be available right before the show aired Monday night. She's not making any money from it and neither is the city.

She says it's more that Plano is feeling proud and the City of Plano, the entity, is feeling proud along with it.

"It's my personal gift as a resident of Plano," says the shirt's creator.

"I've lived here longer than I worked here and I'm pretty darn proud of that."

Rewind to how it all began: Hayley says she was watching Twitter because of the hail storms April 11, responding to residents. When blogger Cynthia Smoot, who runs website Oh So Cynthia, tagged Plano in a meme, Hayley clapped back.

Says Hayley: "I just responded on behalf of the city with a Taylor Swift GIF, her singing 'Shake It Off. '

"... Everything sometimes just comes together at the right time and you're in the right mindset."

Cast member and Plano resident Brandi Redmond, who the comment was directed toward, defended her city during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live the night after the first episode of RHOD.

And fun fact: Locken worked for Plano as an "on-camera contractor for the City for 8 years."  (According to Smoot's blog, Locken says what she said was that Brandi was "a little plain-o." Ah, homophones ...) Locken has joined in the Twitter fun, showering love on Plano.

(Updated at 12:08 p.m.) On Wednesday afternoon, she will visit Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere to "extend an olive branch," according to a release.

Who's the winner here? I'm calling it for the T-shirt.

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