Hawaiian Shirts - Aloha Shirts

A.R. McVintage · Nov 12, 2007

BellyTank said:
aught you right- if someone will pay $700 for a shirt, then that's what it's worth- o the guy who bought it- not to a bottle cap collector, of course.
But then the bottle cap collector is not in the market for vintage Aloha shirts... why should he care anyway..?

I watch eBay too, have been for years and I'd be very surprised to see a shirt like that go for only $100. In fact, I'd have to buy it. $100 is peanuts- money's worth nothing.

B
T

Speaking of which, I did a BIN of a fifties rayon Hawaiian shirt the other day for $35.

epr25 · Nov 26, 2007

Ok I think I might be in possession of one of these rare $700.00 shirts. I hope. I can't see the photo any more of the other one. But mine is the same brand, rayon, from the same time period? If anyone knows how to date these please step forward. And is a size large. Check it out.

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brylcreem boy · Dec 28, 2007

Hawaiian Shirts

I have recently come to admire alot of the classic Hawaiian Shirts, they are so comfortable and festive, especially for parties. Does anyone on here have any good insights for online stores that carry the best quality shirts, let me know what you have found if you can. I'm not having alot of luck finding shops that carry them locally, especially this time of year.

cheaterome · Dec 28, 2007

Classic Hawaiians

The search button bruddah.

http://historypreservation.com/hpassociates/sunsurf_2.php

History Preservation Associates or HPA carries the Sun-Surf line from toyo industries and in my humblest of opinions the only maker that has the right look and classic feel of the great shirts of the 1940's.

Haneli is good to and Avanti will work for mowing the lawn and a decent 10 footer but the best copies are sun-surf.

Shaka brah,

Jerome

Mike K. · Dec 28, 2007

The biggest selection, from a variety of makers, can be found at Paradise on a Hanger (www.hotshirts.com). All of their shirts are modern, but most measure up to what an aloha shirt should be - matched pockets, appropriate buttons, etc. I think they occasionally offer a few vintage shirts. My purchase experience with the company has always been good.

Nick Charles · Dec 29, 2007

I agree with Mike,, also take a lokk at the book Aloha shirts, you can get a pretty good idea of the designs to look for. http://www.amazon.com/Aloha-Shirt-Islands-Dale-Hope/dp/1582700346

dr greg · Dec 29, 2007

real thing

These are top quality, but I've never bought online,
http://www.alfredshaheen.com/

Twitch · Dec 30, 2007

You may not find true vintage at thrift stores but many are similar in style and pattern. Besides if you truly like Hawaiian it's the comfort factor that outweighs vintage-ness for me.

brylcreem boy · Dec 30, 2007

Twitch said:
You may not find true vintage at thrift stores but many are similar in style and pattern. Besides if you truly like Hawaiian it's the comfort factor that outweighs vintage-ness for me.

True, comfort is the main reason I wear them. As long as their quality made and will last awhile, that's what I mainly look for.

Hugh Beaumont · Dec 30, 2007

I grew up in Hawaii and there are a lot of shirt makers making good repros. I own a ton of nice vintage and repro Aloha shirts. Vintage shirts are very hard to come by these days as the Japanese bought them up in the 90's and took them to Japan.

"Paradise Found" is a good shirt maker. They made the famous Magnum PI shirt.

Try to buy Rayon as they are closer to the original shirts.

Here is a site that carries most of what you'll need:

http://www.alohashirtshop.com/

Mike K. · Dec 30, 2007

Another decent source for the real deal is www.rainbowhawaii.com
I have a few shirts from them. The quality is good, the traditional patterns are adhered to, heck they're made in Hawaii. Fabric choices constantly vary too.

dhermann1 · Dec 30, 2007

My GF gave me very nice one from www.madgringo.com .

Ecuador Jim · Jan 9, 2008

HPA is a great site. Another place that has some nice patterns is www.newtattheroyal.com

Twitch · Jan 9, 2008

The good thing about Hawaiian shirts of any era is that they are cut large for their sizes unlike the rest of vintage stuff out there

RBH · Jan 10, 2008

not a great photo but here I am this past weekend in Texas in one of my shirts that i got for $5 at a local Dillards outlet.

pablocham · Jan 10, 2008

Twitch said:
The good thing about Hawaiian shirts of any era is that they are cut large for their sizes unlike the rest of vintage stuff out there

Sorry, but the originals I have seen are actually cut exactly the same as Gab and other sport shirts of the 40s and 50s. Go on the Bay and check the measurements on some Rayon originals if you don't believe me. By comparison, modern Aloha shirts are cut insanely large, which is probably to accommodate the stomachs of modern men. The only modern ones I have seen that stay true to the original sizes are the Sun Surf and other Japanese repros.

Lucky Strike · Jan 10, 2008

My only one, although it's Barbadian (Barbudian?). Cotton.

Any ideas about dating it?

Twitch · Jan 10, 2008

Well I always felt many of the shirts over the years ran a size larger than stated. Like a Medium fit like a Large and a Large fit like an XL[huh]

Lucky Strike · Jan 10, 2008

Twitch said:
Well I always felt many of the shirts over the years ran a size larger than stated. Like a Medium fit like a Large and a Large fit like an XL[huh]

Yes, this is marked Medium, and fits like a smallish Large. Among all the other Barbados slogans on the shirt, there's a reference to "Seawell Airport". For the hell of it, I'm trying to identify it by finding out when the airport opened and/or closed - so far I think the shirt is from the fifties.

Any thoughts?

pablocham · Jan 11, 2008

Twitch said:
Well I always felt many of the shirts over the years ran a size larger than stated. Like a Medium fit like a Large and a Large fit like an XL[huh]

Keep in mind that I am only talking about the Rayon shirts made through the 1960s. I only mentioned it because modern Aloha shirts in size Medium other than the Japanese repros are way too big for me, while vintage Mediums fit me perfectly. Vintage smalls are generally too small for me, but between makers they sometimes fit. The same holds true across the board for vintage shirts. Even the modern smalls made for the American market feel way too big to me! This also has to do with modern ones being cut longer than originals were.

Hawaiian Shirts - Aloha Shirts

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