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Hawaiian shirts

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are there any collectors of shirts in here? i just started to look around for them, but soooooo many makers out there. are there any in particular brand/makers /labels, to keep an eye out for? i do know to look for made in Hawaii. and quality. thanks for any input/tips TD

Ui MaiKai
Kai Nani
Malihini
Pomare Tahiti
Reef
Waltah Clarke

Try those searches on ebay and you will find the good vintage stuff.

H
hewey posted on Thu, Dec 14, 2006 5:52 PM

Thread on the book "The Aloha Shirt - Spirit of the Islands" By Dale Hope

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=3745&forum=1


Kustom Kahoona* - Tiki and Hot Rod Art by Hewey*

[ Edited by: hewey 2006-12-14 17:52 ]

I'm not a full on collector, but I know what I like.

Check out
http://www.thehanashirtco.com

Robert has a great selection of shirts, at a wide range of prices. Always great service and really fast delivery [especially for me on the island of Britain].

Aloha from Wave Shoppe Hawaiian Shirts. Hana’s does indeed have a decent collection of vintage shirts and they are decent to work with. But I also want to add that it doesn’t stop there. You need to understand what makes a Hawaiian shirt collectable, in our earlier days we manufactured shirts under our original label, which was used for approximately 6 months. Some of the prints were special order; one time runs with quantities as low as 25 shirts. We kept about 5 of them for prosperity but like everything else produced in small quantities, they have the potential to eventually become collectable.

In regards to the original Wave Shoppe shirts, there is a lot more to the story but we will let that unfold overtime. To this day if we find a rare and unique Hawaiian print fabric it will be transformed into a shirt, no matter how small or large the quantity may end up.

We have some rare pints in stock now at http://www.waveshoppe.com the fun part is identifying them. Hint: look for Hawaiian shirts with intricate details.

I've been collecting Hawaiian shirts for about 25 years now. As with most of what I collect I probably don't really have a clue. But I know what I like. I've bought shirts for a dollar at a thrift store and I've paid $85.00 for a special order. About 15 years ago my wife made me some homemade shirts, one of a kind, from fabric that I got to pick out. I love those shirts! I did stop wearing my Hawaiian shirts to work about 2 years ago. I guess I didn't realize the reputation I had acquired. I was sort of the computer guy genius that always wore Hawaiian shirts. Well, I had to make a presentation to upper management about a program I was working on. For the presentation I dressed the part, shirt and tie, and when I got to work my boss said, "You're not wearing a Hawaiian shirt! I already made apologies for you to the CEO." Boy I hate being predictable. So, it's been awhile since I showed up at work in my Aloha shirt finery. I'll post some pictures of my favorite shirts and I'd love to see what other people like. This could be a fun thread.

You can also look for vintage shirts from Sears, J. C. Penny's and that ilk. Apparently, most of the mainstream, middle-of-the-road department stores had "Hawaiian" Departments that sold shirts, dresses, etc.

Okay, here are some shirts to start things off. First up, a thrift store purchase. One of my favorites.

I like shirts that kind of tell a story. Patterns that don't repeat too much.

Next up $5.00 clearance from Old Navy. Front view.

And back view. I like this one.

I bought this one off e-Bay from England. I don't know, a surf shop in England? I thought it was funny. Probably not technically a Hawaiian shirt. Polo style.

Last, a shirt my wife made for me. Simple design, a pullover with a tail. Very comfortable, especially on a hot day.

I put these in the tiki finds thread..and at the suggestion of kahn_tiki_mon, I'll put them here too

not exactly the best tiki find, but they're cute! haha...I found these at a Beall's Outlet in Orlando

I got this for xmas, it says "tiki peepshow", too cool!

[ Edited by: hala_kahiki 2007-01-03 21:35 ]

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