Great line of Muted Hawaiian shirts at Penneys - General Tiki

I ikitnrev Tiki Socialite D.C. / Virginia Joined: Jul 27, 2002 Posts: 1325	I ikitnrev Posted posted on Thu, Apr 24, 2008 4:36 PM Interesting points, bigbro. The Penneys shirts ARE muted, and it does make me realize that I can't recall a time when high quality Hawaiian shirts with LOUD prints were available for sale in mainstream stores. Most of the brightest shirts tend to be of the cheaper rayon fabrics or of the Caribbean design/colors. I will await the arrival of high quality cotton shirts with bright festive colors to re-enter the market, but until then, will appreciate the Penneys shirts while they are here. I might even start to interpret their muted colors as an attempt to replicate the look of the 'reversed' Aloha shirt. By the way, I just celebrated a birthday this past Monday, so am definitely one step closer, if not already immersed in, the old guy category. Perhaps my own appreciation of tiki will change just as the original Polynesian Pop era did during its own lifespan. Rather than to concentrate, focus, and try to stay in tune with one golden moment, my own taste in things might also de-evolve, in a life-long performance art effort to recreate in real-time the decline of a movement. My shirts will become even more muted, my music preference will change from Martin Denny to that 1972 Lawrence Welk in Hawaii television special, I will leer at the hula girls in even more spectacular dirty-old-man fashion, my tiki mugs will be converted one-by-one to vases for standard houseplants, and my mai-tais will slowly lose their color and potency. When I die, only the presence of my brightly colored tiki poles will signify to others that other tiki relics might be found in my home. Bigbro - you should have had a chapter on Hawaiaan shirts in one of your books! If a space alien were to arrive, armed only with the Book of Tiki/Modern Tiki pair, and try to deduce the everyday costume of a tiki-appreciating guy, he/she/it would assume that the standard wear consisted of a business suit and tie, and that the louder shirts were worn mostly by either the wait staff or the musicians. Fortunately I have the Hope/Tozian book titled 'The Aloha Shirt' (and Thortiki's nudge that inspired me to recheck the Avanti/Sun Surf websites) to remind me of how vivid and wonderful those old shirt colors were. Muted Vern ( bastard child of a man in a grey-flanneled suit) [ Edited by: ikitnrev 2008-04-24 22:23 ]

Interesting points, bigbro. The Penneys shirts ARE muted, and it does make me realize that I can't recall a time when high quality Hawaiian shirts with LOUD prints were available for sale in mainstream stores. Most of the brightest shirts tend to be of the cheaper rayon fabrics or of the Caribbean design/colors. I will await the arrival of high quality cotton shirts with bright festive colors to re-enter the market, but until then, will appreciate the Penneys shirts while they are here. I might even start to interpret their muted colors as an attempt to replicate the look of the 'reversed' Aloha shirt.

By the way, I just celebrated a birthday this past Monday, so am definitely one step closer, if not already immersed in, the old guy category. Perhaps my own appreciation of tiki will change just as the original Polynesian Pop era did during its own lifespan. Rather than to concentrate, focus, and try to stay in tune with one golden moment, my own taste in things might also de-evolve, in a life-long performance art effort to recreate in real-time the decline of a movement. My shirts will become even more muted, my music preference will change from Martin Denny to that 1972 Lawrence Welk in Hawaii television special, I will leer at the hula girls in even more spectacular dirty-old-man fashion, my tiki mugs will be converted one-by-one to vases for standard houseplants, and my mai-tais will slowly lose their color and potency. When I die, only the presence of my brightly colored tiki poles will signify to others that other tiki relics might be found in my home.

Bigbro - you should have had a chapter on Hawaiaan shirts in one of your books! If a space alien were to arrive, armed only with the Book of Tiki/Modern Tiki pair, and try to deduce the everyday costume of a tiki-appreciating guy, he/she/it would assume that the standard wear consisted of a business suit and tie, and that the louder shirts were worn mostly by either the wait staff or the musicians.

Fortunately I have the Hope/Tozian book titled 'The Aloha Shirt' (and Thortiki's nudge that inspired me to recheck the Avanti/Sun Surf websites) to remind me of how vivid and wonderful those old shirt colors were.

Muted Vern ( bastard child of a man in a grey-flanneled suit)

[ Edited by: ikitnrev 2008-04-24 22:23 ]

Post #375982 by ikitnrev on Thu, Apr 24, 2008 4:36 PM