Aloha Shirts in Hawaii

November 7th, 2009

"What do you call Hawaiian shirts in Hawaii?" asked a recent joke on Twitter. "Shirts!" Wrong, on two counts. First, "Hawaiian" refers to a particular ethnic identity, not to all residents of the state, so that is incorrect when applied to a style of shirt by anyone. Second, we do have a term for the colorful, tropical patterns — they are called "aloha" shirts.

And, to answer another question, we really do wear them. However, there are differences among the cheaper, gaudier garments sold on the sidewalk and the graceful, elegant designs sold in fine clothing stores. Nevertheless, they reflect a local love of colorful clothing.

It took me a couple of encounters to realize that some of the aloha shirts are worn as uniforms. For example, when the first Target opened on the islands, crew members were dressed in red aloha shirts rather than the red polos worn on the mainland. Beyond that, some uniform shirts have customized patterns. The aloha shirts worn by bus drivers have little busses tucked in among the flowers. Our campus bookstore sells aloha shirts that incorporate the UH logo. Some of the private high school students who ride the bus with me have school uniform shirts in an aloha pattern.

If you have colorful, tropical shirts by all means bring them along on a visit to Hawaii. However, if you don’t you might want to wait and get some here. They are lightweight and casual, yet appropriate in almost any circumstance. It is not unusual for men to wear nice aloha shirts to the office or dinner. (I’ve seen legislators and government officials wearing them in TV interviews.) Women wear aloha patterned shirts and dresses. It’s a celebration of the beautifully lush natural environment in which we live, work and play.

Posted by Cindy Scheopner Follow me on Twitter @Scheopner

Links:
Follow us on twitter
See our latest videos
Book your Hawaii vacation here
Follow us on Facebook

Entry Filed under: Customs, Practices and Pastimes, Uncategorized

8 Comments Add your own

1. pam | November 7th, 2009 at 10:04 am

I have kind of an embarrassing collection of aloha shirts that I’ve picked up at mainland thrift stores. I love the old labels and they’re still made in Hawaii — an increasingly hard thing to find.There are lots of nice designers, but Hawaiian made, that’s an endangered species.
2. Bruce Fisher | November 7th, 2009 at 10:11 am

Personally, I am not a Aloha Shirt kinda guy, I feel goofy wearing them, kinda like how some woman might feel about wearing a Muumuu I guess?
3. Jonnie Santos | November 7th, 2009 at 10:28 am

…Costco almost always has the Cooke Street brand here in San Diego. I have a closet full of them and wear one daily with dark slacks for my work attire. I was gifted a Tommy Bahama and I save it for special occasions.

I’ve always loved bright, tropical prints and especially hibiscus flowers…
4. Cindy | November 7th, 2009 at 10:53 am

When we first arrived, I looked for good brand Aloha shirts at resale shops. Good for experimenting until you find a brand you like. Now, I just look for sales at my favorite stores. Unlike on the mainland, even Macys, Sears and other retailers have sections that include aloha wear.
5. Bruce Fisher | November 7th, 2009 at 11:03 am

I guess it goes without saying that the best vintage shirts are found here http://www.hawaii-aloha.com/blog/2009/05/19/you-wont-gt-a-curse-if-you-bring-these-back-from-hawaii/
6. Vernon Brown | November 8th, 2009 at 7:18 am

Aloha shirts are great! I have been sending one to my brother for his birthday every year for the past 10 years. He loves the loudest ones I can find. Can you imagine the looks he gets wearing these to work in Chicago! I can…I went to his work one day during a visit, ha ha ha, but overall his coworkers think they are nice and have even asked him to tap me for one.

Definitely agree with Bruce about Bailey’s. You can find some real gems in there so check them out.
7. Rochelle | November 14th, 2009 at 4:28 pm

My mom and aunt started going to Hawaii in 1962, after Mom and Dad divorced. That started a life-long love affair with the islands, and they went back nearly every year. Mom became “famous” for the blouses she wore everywhere, because every year she brought back at least half a dozen new ones (she only bought muumuus until women began to wear slacks more commonly). Then she started buying tropical fabric there also and making her own during the years she couldn’t get there. I picked up the “Hawaiian” blouse habit several years ago myself, because they are so lovely, and in So. Calif. they don’t look out of place.
8. Bruce Fisher | November 14th, 2009 at 5:21 pm

Thanks for sharing that Rochelle, such a sweet story!!

Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed