One Way to Keep Your Wardrobe Casual Yet Classy is the Aloha Shirt
While not to everyone's taste the Aloha Shirt with it's vibrant patterns that evoke both the laid back style of the Hawaiian Islands and a classic sense of style that reached it's peak in the 1930's to 1950's is something that has stood the test of time.
The Aloha shirt has its origins on Hawaii when a merchant, Ellery Chun saw a gap in the market that would allow him to get rid of some of his leftover stock of Kimono material. With that decision, the Aloha shirt was born.
The designs found early favor with those involved in the surfing culture, as well as those who were beginning to flock to Hawaii in the 1950's on vacation as the attractions of the islands became better known.
It was not long before manufacturers on mainland U.S.A. took note of the increasing popularity of the shirts and they have remained a mainstay of fashion to this day.
The tradition of 'Aloha Friday' or casual Friday began in 1965 when Bill Foster, Sr, President of the Hawaii Fashion Guild campaigned for the shirts to become an integral part of casual attire to be worn in the workplace on Fridays - and this led to the widespread adoption of the shirt in California. The fashion choice quickly spread across the United States and eventually across the globe.
Today the Aloha Shirt is still with us and there are numerous designs to choose from. However, for the real aficionado, there really is only one choice and that is the Aloha Shirt that is still made with pride and great material on the island where it first appeared - Hawaii.
The revival of the Aloha Shirt can probably be traced back to the 80's - when Magnum P.I. was on television screens across the U.S. Suddenly the shirts became 'cool' again. This was probably helped by the appearance of 'surf shop' franchises in malls across the country.
Patterns today can be found in every conceivable style, from classic bamboo and Palm Tree prints to the ever popular and tongue in cheek 'kitsch' of the Aloha Shirt featuring baggage labels.
However, scenic prints still remain incredibly popular. Take for example the well-known patterns featuring some of Hawaii's iconic flora like the Hibiscus flower.
There are also a number of other styles such as the 'Panel' Aloha Shirt which features images on either side of the buttons. There are also the 'Border' styles which feature prints going from one side of the shirt to the other (usually along the bottom of the shirt).
The classic material for the Aloha Short is cotton, which is light and comfortable. However, there has been a move to blends and Rayon in recent years as many people find that the way the shirt hangs is more comfortable.
Whatever style you choose a great quality Aloha Short will suit a night out on the town or casual Friday. These shorts are now firmly mainstream - but style and quality still rule.
