Hawaiian shirts

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.

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 ]