Hawaiian Shirt Mojo

[HEARTLESS-531]

Do any of you own an Hawaiian shirt and if so, how do you wear it? Can you pull off the look? Ok. Ok. I know someone is going to post the requisite Tom Selleck shot. But seriously, can't these shirts look nice with a pair of light wool summer trousers and loafers?

 

[Gus]

Around here they are worn by suburban dads to BBQ's (Tommy Bahama brand usually) or by skinny hipsters. On a rare occasion I will see an athletic and sun tanned guy wearing one at the beach with shorts and it will look OK but not great. They look awful on pale white guys anytime and anywhere.

 

[HarleyBob]

Originally Posted by pocketsquareguy

Around here they are worn by suburban dads to BBQ's (Tommy Bahama brand usually) or by skinny hipsters. On a rare occasion I will see an athletic and sun tanned guy wearing one at the beach with shorts and it will look OK but not great. They look awful on pale white guys anytime and anywhere.
Every white guy in the Bay Area is a pale white guy, unless they are using tanning beds. You have very little sun. As Mark Twain said, "the coldest winter of my life was a summer in San Francisco." Having said that, I think Tommy Bahama type shirts can look good with a pair of khakis. I think just about anything looks awful on a pale white guy.

 

[Dakota rube]

I wear Hawaiian shirts almost every day from May through August.

But, I am hardly a paragon of either style or fashion, so ymmv.

 

[dv_indian]

It all depends on how comfortable you feel wearing one. I work in a casual environment and I wear one to work every Friday. People compliment me on my Aloha shirts all the time.
I also wear a sport coat to work in the cooler months and while it did raise a few eyebrows and inquiries the first few times, I simply didn't care and now no one asks me why I am wearing one.
What matters is that you enjoy what you wear and don't feel self conscious/uncomfortable.

 

[Holdfast]

o/o has a dazzling range of Hawaiian shirts. Hopefully he'll post something in this thread!

I like the idea of them, but they're not really going to get worn where I live! Instead, I have a couple of brightly coloured solid linen Andre-collar shirts from Loro Piana that serve a similar "relaxed summer fun" place in my wardrobe.

 

[oldog/oldtrix]

This is a standard summer combination for me. It is an abdication of standards and I decry it. If I'm doing anything more lawyerly than sitting in my office communicating with my co-workers or by telephone/email with outsiders, I wear lawyer duds. But in DC summers, even my most tropical suits/shirts are to much for comfort when I'm commuting by public transit/foot and walking out for lunch or errands. I do however, keep a couple of suits and related accoutrements in the office.




If it's a bit cooler and/or less humid, I might do this:

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

I bought several Hawaiian shirts on my vacation to Maui and wear them quite frequently during the summer. I agree with Glenn O'Brien's observation that these shirts look best on guys you would least expect to wear them.

 

[globetrotter]

about 10 years ago I had a great year, and I decided to go "all hawaiian" for a year. that's all I wore to the office for about a year. I like them, I haven't worn any for a while, but not because of a conscious decision.

 

[HEARTLESS-531]

Olddog -Nice looks - Dapper! My favorite is the white sports coat.

 

[greger]

Looks good oldog/oldtrix.

 

[Poindexter]

That's the standard biz uniform around here; nicer slacks and a tucked-in aloha shirt. Gotta be a good one, though. The traditionals were Tori Richard and Reyn Spooner.

 

[Tristan.sf]

I loathe Hawaiian shirts. But if there is such a thing as a proper way to wear one, it would be like oldog/oldtrix did.

 

[cmacey]

Originally Posted by HEARTLESS-531

Do any of you own an Hawaiian shirt and if so, how do you wear it? Can you pull off the look? Ok. Ok. I know someone is going to post the requisite Tom Selleck shot. But seriously, can't these shirts look nice with a pair of light wool summer trousers and loafers?

Even when I lived in Hawaii, I refused to wear one...ugly as sin!

 

[Parker]

I like them and wear them. But mostly very casually. Usually with chinos and zoris.
I only like 1 or 2-color shirts and really like reverse print best.