"Collecting Hawaiian Shirts"

People often ask me what to look for in a Hawaiian shirt, and I always tell them that they should treat every shirt like a work of art. Don't worry about it. If you like it, buy it. Be honest with your self, because if you like it, someone else will too.

I do not think anyone has gotten rich off of trading and selling used aloha shirts. I could be wrong. I just have not met that person yet.

So go into collecting aloha shirts and dresses because you like them. Some men are uncomfortable with Hawaiian wear and its sometimes bright colors, but this is simply out of mis-understanding. Hawaiian shirts are not about being loud, they are about being in Hawaii. Outer beauty is reflected in what you wear there.

What to look for

The starters are to look for the age of the piece, condition, the maker, where it was made (Hawaii for almost everything but silks), the buttons, originality, documentation, the styling, the beauty of the print, who may have owned it or worn it, and demand.

I recommend you get some books (there is a book section on this site). Look at the pieces and you will get a mental feel for what is desireable. Hawaiian shirts can be the child of many influences, and thse books with their hundreds of photographs will give you a good start.

Print styles can be documented through company records. If you have a shirt that you think may be valuable, contact the company and ask them. If they cannot help you directly, they may know where to look.

Condition - condition almost always trumps age. A shirt that is in tatters is worth less (unless the king wore it) than a shirt that is younger but in pristine condition..

The Maker - Sadly, many hawaiian shirt makers are no longer in operation. There have been cyclical ups and downs in the aloha wear market, and we are presently experiencing another where shirts from Asia and India are coming into the US market. For example, Tommy Bahama is a maker that is presently very much in demand by the public, but is made in Korea. This means that if you have a shirt whos maker is out of business, you can research a beginning point in time and an end point in time as to when the shirt was made.

Where it was made - Hawaiian shirts are always best, and only a shirt that was sewn in Hawaii can say "Made in Hawaii". The fabrics could have come from anywhere, and the standard in this era is for manufacturers to use fabrics imported from Asia.

Buttons - There are a great many buttons as you can well imagine, but there are four general types used. Plastic buttons are generally the least desireable, metal buttons (or 'coin' buttons) are the next step up, coconut buttons made from coconut husk, and then shell buttons. Shell buttons are cut directly from oyster shell, and often have blue, red, green, or white mother-of-pearl facing the viewer. Very nice!

Originality - once in a while you may come across a shirt with no label. Look at it closely! It may have been made by a tailor, a housewife, or be so old they did not use tags. These types of shirts have the possibility of being very original. Most of the time, though, the tags have been torn out by the previous owner and you can see some telltale stitching where it once resided. But if you get REALLY lucky, you can run across a hand painted shirt. Prices for these shirts can run into the thousands. Happy hunting!

Documentation - Can you find an advertisement from the 1950s that has your shirt on it?

Styling - Earth tones, rectalinear geometrics, and pointy collars? Probably from the heavy seventies, man. Psychadellic swirls and bright poly? Welcome to the summer of love, the 1960s. Seeing a pastel blend? The big eighties. Crisp no-nonsense styling but with a print design that looks like it was really thought out and well executed? Watch out, that may be an older one! But watch out again, there has been a recent trend where companies are re-issuing old prints. That's right, you think you have that shirt Bing Crosby wore on Waikiki, but it just might be newer than your last haircut!

Beauty - Beauty is subjective, but to a degree. A truly beautiful, elegant shirt will catch the eye of all. Again, review the books, and learn to train the eye. You will know it when you see one.

Who owned it? - Was it King Kamehameha, the King of Pop, or "The" King? Don't laugh, a shirt worn by a celebrity is definately in demand. You have hit the jackpot if you can find a shirt that was worn by a 40's to 60's celebrity that appeared in a movie.....

Finally the biggie.... DEMAND! - Demand is what the market will bear. My site offers shirts that sometimes appeal to collectors, sometimes to people I call "wearers", and often to both (like myself). It may sound odd, but what you can get for a shirt is what it is worth.