Aloha Attire - The good, the bad, and the hideous

Theres a lot to be said about Aloha attire. Working in a corporate environment in Hawaii I'm accustomed to seeing a majority of my male co-workers in Aloha shirts of varying degrees of attractiveness, ranging from very nice to the outright hideous.

To begin this post we'll start with a bit of history on Aloha attire - the Aloha shirt in particular.  

10 Facts about Aloha shirt:

1. The modern Aloha shirt was devised in the early 1930s by Chinese merchant Ellery Chun of King-Smith Clothiers and Dry Goods, a store in Waikiki, made for tourists from brightly colored Japanese kimono fabric.
2. The Aloha shirt is the premier textile export of the Hawaii manufacturing industry.
3. Aloha shirts exported to the mainland United States and elsewhere are sometimes called "Hawaiian shirts" or "Luau shirts" and often brilliantly colored with floral patterns or generic Polynesian motifs and are worn as casual, informal wear and are not what (most) locals elect to wear to the office.
4. Contemporary aloha shirts, popular with visitors, tourists and newcomers (malahini, in Hawaiian) to the island (as well as a few of my fashion-challenged male co-workers) may have prints that may feature have such elements as automobiles (classic cars & hot rods), drinks (usually of the alcoholic kind), sports team logos, half-naked female hula dancers, the iconic Bob Marley, or other equally (usually) bold patterns. 
5. Traditional men's aloha shirts manufactured for local Hawaiian residents (or in Hawaiian: kama'aina) are usually adorned with traditional Hawaiian quilt designs, tapa designs, and simple floral patterns in more muted colors.
6. The muted color or "reverse print" effect for traditional shirts is acheved by printing on the interior. For those not familiar with reverse print designs, it may appear to be a manufacturing defect as the shirt appears to be sewn together inside-out.
7. The popularity of the Aloha shirt boomed in the United States after World War II as major celebrities sported the Hawaiian wear.
8. President Harry S. Truman wore Aloha shirts regularly during his tenure in the White House and in retirement.
9. Actor John Wayne and surfer Duke Kahanamoku endorsed major designer labels.
10. Elvis Presley, Jimmy Buffett, Bing Crosby, comedian Gabriel Iglesias, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Randy Newman, and Jay-Z  (and many others) have entertained while wearing them.

A few of my co-workers last year during our annual holiday bell ringing for the Salvation Army.

The reverse print shirts worn by three of the guys were produced exclusively to commemorate our employer's 150 year anniversary of doing business in Hawaii.



A visitor to Downtown Honolulu on a typical business day would likely see many business men in Aloha shirts, and some women in aloha printed attire (shirts/slacks, dresses and muumuu). For men the shirts are printed mostly short-sleeved, and collared. They usually have buttons, sometimes as a complete button-down shirt, and sometimes just down to the chest (pullover). Aloha shirts usually have a left chest pocket sewn in, often with attention to ensure the printed pattern remains continuous. Aloha shirts may be worn by men or women; women's aloha shirts usually have a lower-cut, v-neck style. The lower hem is straight, as the shirts are not meant to be tucked in, though its still encouraged in a business environment. Retail chains in Hawaii (restaurants and hotels in particular, in Waikiki and other resort areas on all islands), including mainland based ones, may mass produce a single aloha shirt design for employee uniforms. Shirts are typically printed on silk, cotton and cotton-blend fabrics although rayon was the fabric of choice in the 1930s through the 1950s.

In my office, most of the guys favor aloha attire on the daily, not just on Aloha Fridays.

Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately for the sake of this blog) none of them are wearing particularly hideous aloha shirts.

Aloha attire in Hawaii is not limited to an office environment. Semi-formal functions such as weddings, birthday parties, and dinners are often designated as "Aloha Attire" on invitations, meaning that men wear Aloha shirts and women wear muumuu (Hawaiian style dresses, more voluminous, less curve hugging than a typical American style dress, perhaps by mainland standards only acceptable for maternity or sleepwear, but common and fashionable in Hawaii) or other tropical prints. Because Hawaii tends to be more casual, it is rarely appropriate to attend such functions in full evening wear like on the mainland; instead, Aloha Attire is seen as the happy medium between excessive formality and casual wear. "Aloha Friday," a now-common tradition of celebrating the end of the workweek by wearing more casual attire on Fridays, initially grew out of an effort to promote aloha shirts.

There are several notable retailers of Men's, Women's and Children's (and coordinated family ensembles) aloha attire in Hawaii: Hilo Hattie, Reyn's, and Jade Fashion. Mainland chain stores located in Hawaii like Macy's, Sears, Target, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart also carry various lines of aloha attire. When visiting Oahu, the Aloha Stadium Swapmeet is also a good place to find a wide variety of inexpesive novelty gifts for friends and family including aloha shirts, dresses, and swim wear.


Hope you enjoyed this entry! Next up - a Oahu North Shore tradition - Shave ice!