Even though the South Seas have increasingly adopted the commercialization of the 20th century, one nostalgic memento of days past remains: the large, comfortable, colorful “aloha” shirt. The Forties and Fifties were the heyday of the real McCoy: 100 percent rayon or seersucker shirts with unique Hawaiian prints, unlike the gaudy, lei-draped Don Ho tourist togs of latter days. Every Friday in Hawaii is known as Aloha Friday, when Hawaiian: in every walk of life wear their favorite aloha shirts to the office or the beach. Not many original aloha shirts survive today; those that do are gone as soon as they arrive in vintage shops.
Check out local vintage shops for the best availability of 100 percent rayon or seersucker Hawaiian shirts, which run from $20 to $200, depending on the year they were made and fabrication. The shirt pictured on the left is provided by Flaunt: the two on the right are from Geez Louise!
Fridays are never going to be the same.
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