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THE ALOHA SHIRT
Beautifully illustrated with more than 700 images, The Aloha Shirt: Spirit of the Islands tells the colourful stories behind the marvellous Hawaiian shirts: as cultural icons, evocative of the mystery and the allure of the Islands; as collectibles, valued by professional collectors and by the millions of tourists who still cherish the shirts hanging in their wardrobes; and as a lifestyle - casual, relaxed and fun. Drawing from hundreds of interviews, newspaper and magazine archives, and personal memorabilia, the author evokes the world of the designers, seamstresses, manufacturers and retailers of the Golden Age of the Aloha shirt (from the 1930s to the end of the 1950s), who created the industry and nurtured it from its single-sewing-machine shop beginnings to an enterprise of international scope and importance. Here are the fun-loving 1960s; interviews with collectors who preserve these shirts as fine works of art; and insights into the roles of coconut buttons, matched pockets, woven labels and exotic fabrics in the evolution of the Aloha shirt.
228 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 21, 2018
We just spent several weeks in Hawaii and everyone wears these shirts. To the newcomer the shirt seems almost garish and flashy at first, but Hawaii has an intense physical beauty and after awhile you begin to realize the Aloha Shirt is as natural as the fragrant frangipani or the intense African Tulip Tree. It's a fun read, especially for the visitor to Hawaii.
And a travel tip...Hawaii is loaded with thrift stores, consignment shops and second hand clothing stores. It is a bargain hunters paradise for savvy shirt hunters. You will find stuff that was manufactured years ago and still looks amazing. Drag yourself away from the beach for an hour or two and check them out.
And a travel tip...Hawaii is loaded with thrift stores, consignment shops and second hand clothing stores. It is a bargain hunters paradise for savvy shirt hunters. You will find stuff that was manufactured years ago and still looks amazing. Drag yourself away from the beach for an hour or two and check them out.
February 20, 2024
Sumptuously illustrated, this book is a straightforward largely chronological account of the rise and rise of Hawaiian shirts. There is much of interest here, with an industry perspective on design, printmaking techniques, fabrics and accounts of changing fashion tastes as well as collectables. There is, however, no sustained narrative about the political economy of Hawaiian fashion or the marketing of exotica as part of the American dream. But what the volume lacks in intellectual content or political context is well compensated for by the unfolding graphic pleasures of so many swaying palm trees and hula dancing straw-skirted women.
August 4, 2020
When someone travels to Hawaii, they usually make at least one shopping excursion in order to not only have the appropriate wear while in this tropical paradise but to make sure they can bring back souvenirs for friends, family and themselves in the form of a Hawaiian shirt. Or as Dale Hope calls them - the Aloha Shirt. Brightly colored with the emblems that are associated with Hawaii - coconuts, hula dancers, surfers, pineapples, King Kamehameha and the Hawaiian seal, the islands, fish with corals, outrigger canoes, glorious sunsets and flowers. Many, many flowers.
One comment made and it is astounding enough that I feel it must be added. When discussing Duke Kahanamoku - who did much for publicizing Hawaii , the people, crafts and sports - his favorite surfboard was crafted from California redwood, was 16 feet long and weighed 126 pounds!
Back to the book . . . the classical Hawaiian shirt has not always been available to the tourists. Tailors in the 1930's imported fabric from Japan and made shirts for local casual wear. Different colorful designs were created by and for different tailors and various shops. Sailors stationed at Pearl wanted to fit in as well as obtain mementos of their time on the islands were also big buyers.
The author connected with several collectors of Hawaiian shirts in order to photograph some of the more exquisite and rare examples. The early years had a more Japanese flavor to the designs - understandable since the fabric came from Japan - with the back panels being the full, uninterrupted design like a mural. Separate edges and borders. Coconut buttons. the tailor labels that would let you know if you had a Shaheen, a Reyn's, Kahanamoku Champion, Musa-Shiya or one of the dozens of other noted sellers and designers. Rare designs custom-made for the cruise ship lines as well as the airlines that provided service to the islands.
To say this book is lavishly illustrated is an understatement. There are at least one shirt on every two-page over-sized spread - even if it is someone wearing it. More often there are 3 to 5, with pictures of tailors' labels, notable people in the industry, cutout designs as well as ghostly background photos. The final pages are a gallery of more shirt photos from 1 to 4 on each page.
The only negative I can possible say is that some of the publicity pictures of various people wearing a specific shirt and then the author states that the collector's photo is the same shirt. No, in a couple, they don't appear the same. The designs are slightly off or reversed from one another. But it doesn't mean that both examples aren't gorgeous.
So when next you watch a movie or television show situated in the 50th state, consider that the colorful Hawaiian Aloha shirt is actually about to hit it's 100th birthday.
2020-149
One comment made and it is astounding enough that I feel it must be added. When discussing Duke Kahanamoku - who did much for publicizing Hawaii , the people, crafts and sports - his favorite surfboard was crafted from California redwood, was 16 feet long and weighed 126 pounds!
Back to the book . . . the classical Hawaiian shirt has not always been available to the tourists. Tailors in the 1930's imported fabric from Japan and made shirts for local casual wear. Different colorful designs were created by and for different tailors and various shops. Sailors stationed at Pearl wanted to fit in as well as obtain mementos of their time on the islands were also big buyers.
The author connected with several collectors of Hawaiian shirts in order to photograph some of the more exquisite and rare examples. The early years had a more Japanese flavor to the designs - understandable since the fabric came from Japan - with the back panels being the full, uninterrupted design like a mural. Separate edges and borders. Coconut buttons. the tailor labels that would let you know if you had a Shaheen, a Reyn's, Kahanamoku Champion, Musa-Shiya or one of the dozens of other noted sellers and designers. Rare designs custom-made for the cruise ship lines as well as the airlines that provided service to the islands.
To say this book is lavishly illustrated is an understatement. There are at least one shirt on every two-page over-sized spread - even if it is someone wearing it. More often there are 3 to 5, with pictures of tailors' labels, notable people in the industry, cutout designs as well as ghostly background photos. The final pages are a gallery of more shirt photos from 1 to 4 on each page.
The only negative I can possible say is that some of the publicity pictures of various people wearing a specific shirt and then the author states that the collector's photo is the same shirt. No, in a couple, they don't appear the same. The designs are slightly off or reversed from one another. But it doesn't mean that both examples aren't gorgeous.
So when next you watch a movie or television show situated in the 50th state, consider that the colorful Hawaiian Aloha shirt is actually about to hit it's 100th birthday.
2020-149
November 28, 2018
A stunning tribute to Hawaiian print makers and designers of the mid century era. Beautifully bound like a boned halter dress, with beautiful fabrics and designers inside. makalapua!
March 18, 2021
Great coffee table book if you have an interest in Aloha (Hawaiian) shirts. Covered a lot of history of the development.
June 5, 2023
Fun and informative read. Includes lots of photographs. Covers the GIs, celebrities, and tourists who made Hawaiians shirts popular.
February 22, 2017
This is a beautiful written history of the aloha shirt. The shirt is a work of art in itself and the book displays several of the amazing designs from each era.
September 17, 2011
This book is a lot of fun. GoodReads only has the paperback edition, but the one we got from the library was a large coffe-table style hardcover. It has beautiful pictures and a surprisingly rich history of Hawaiian style and the creation, popularization and evolution of the Aloha shirt. Pairs of pictures showing a particular shirt in a historical photo and a high-resolution picture of the very same shirt today were a highlight for me.
decided-not-to-read
November 8, 2008This couldn't seem to decide if it wanted to be a serious history or a coffee table book. The layout is a bit awkward, and there were a couple places where the captions seemed to be incorrect.
August 27, 2012
A "must have" for persons collecting Aloha shirts or having an interest in the history of this style of shirt.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews