The History Of The Hawaiian Shirt

Maybe you'll think of The Beach Boys or The Surfaris when you see one or perhaps, depending on your mood, the image could inspire refrains from The Chantays or Dick Dale. Yes, the Californians of the surf rock era wore them fairly regularly, and it wasn't just the rock stars who took loved them; they became something of a summer staple Odd, really, that a garment named after one place could become closely associated with somewhere different. But then again, the traits and directions of fashion are often hard to understand.

Although on a different continent we might think of the Hawaiian shirt as national dress on those remote Pacific islands, the Hawaiian shirt's invention only goes back a few years. It came into being in the thirties, just as tourism to the islands got underway and they became associated with a relaxed summer-orientated lifestyle. The founder of the shirt, Ellery Chun, had a winner on his hands right from the start and sold out as almost immediately. The local paper called the shirt the "aloha shirt" and Chun registered the trademark it as its official name.

Although the first Hawaiian shirts employed traditional Polynesian designs, the look quickly took on a direction of its own, with the basic single-pocketed, short-sleeve version providing a base for every style of abstract and figurative designs. Although the flowery patterns were a typical reference to the original idea, it wasn't long before the repeating pattern played host to designs of palm trees, sea shells, VW buses, surfers, beach scenes or whatever took the designer's fancy (as long as it was vaguely linked to the beach). The sign of a top quality design is where the shirt's pattern beneath the breast pocket is an exact match of the pocket itself, otherwise it can look cheap. It's such details that have helped to create a collectible vintage clothing market in these garments, with some priced up at hundred of pounds.

One odd fact about the Hawaiian shirt that might seem strange to non-natives of the islands is that while they are strictly informal in the rest of the world, they are considered adequate business attire in their homeland. Hawaiian weather can be really not suited to the stuffy suits, shirts and ties of the western business person or office worker, so something lighter is much more comfortable. They may be slightly more muted in design than the types of shirt your average beach dude would put on, and the pattern is often printed on the inside to further play down the appearance, but formal they are. Suits, shirts and ties are certainly not unheard of in Hawaii, but they are typically reserved only for very formal occasions.

So clear a couple of hangers in your wardrobe for a breath of Pacific fresh air. You can go bright and shocking or subdued and stylish while staying true to the Hawaiian origins. And remember - if you're looking for a vintage original, be prepared to pay a pretty penny for a top quality garment.