The Hawaiian Shirt Lowdown

[nycgal]

The Hawaiian shirt, or the "Aloha Shirt" as it is often called, is one of the most iconic pieces of apparel associated with Hawaiian culture and lifestyle (not including the grass skirt, of course).

According to Wikipedia:
The modern Aloha shirt was devised in the early 1930s by Chinese merchant Ellery Chun of King-Smith Clothiers and Dry Goods, a store in Waikiki. Chun began sewing brightly colored shirts for tourists out of old kimono fabrics he had leftover in stock. The Honolulu Advertiser newspaper was quick to coin the term Aloha shirt to describe Chun's fashionable creation. Chun trademarked the name. The first advertisement in the Honolulu Advertiser for Chun's Aloha shirt was published on June 28, 1935. Local residents, especially surfers, and tourists descended on Chun's store and bought every shirt he had. Within years, major designer labels sprung up all over Hawaii and began manufacturing and selling Aloha shirts en masse. Retail chains in Hawaii, including mainland based ones, may mass produce a single aloha shirt design for employee uniforms.

So, I thought it might be fun to take a look back at Chin's Hawaiian shirts. He has worn so many, for better or worse, over the course of the show.
In case you can't remember them all, see below for some highlights.
Which ones do you like best??

CBS also has a whole photo line up Chin's "proposed" Hawaiian shirts. From the style story boards to pics of the actual garments on the Wolf forms. Notice how many of the shirts actually made it to the screen.
Here's the link:
www.cbs.com/shows/hawaii_five_0/photos/101556/aloha-style/101557

And how do Chin's Hawaiian shirt choices stack up against that other famous Hawaiian detective, Thomas Magnum?? Scroll down further to refresh your memory.

Or, how about AOL's Steve McGarrett in a Hawaiian shirt?? Scroll down even further for a visual.

What about Jack Lord's Steve McGarrett?? Is he able to pull it off?? Scroll down even more to see for yourself.

Chin's Hawaiian Shirts

1. Grey Print #1


2. Bright Aqua Print


3. Teal Print on White


4. Olive/Khaki Print


5. Tonal Red Floral Print


6. Grey/White/Black Print


7. Blue Tonal Print


8. Grey print #2 ( I think it is the same shirt as pic #1, but in a different light...still a cool print)


9. White Ground Print



Magnum's Hawaiian Shirts circa 1980

1. "Jungle Bird Shirt" - Probably one of the most iconic shirts ever.
In fact, the original Magnum PI shirt was donated to The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History where it is currently on display (along with Magnum's favorite Detroit Tigers baseball cap).


2. Small Black Ground Floral


3. White Ground Floral


4. Large Black Ground Floral


5. Purple Ground Floral


6. Teal Ground Floral



Not even AOL, aka "our" Steve McGarrett can really pull off the Hawaiian shirt look.....
He has so many other options that work better for him, IMHO....




And what about Jack Lord, aka "the original" Steve McGarrett? He was more a coat and tie kind of a guy, Not sure if he ever actually broke out the Aloha shirt on H50, but he was photographed in one a few times. I really think the business suit worked best for him.
Just in case you need confirmation, see below....

Yikes!


Double Yikes!



This concludes the Hawaiian shirt over view.
Thoughts and comments are welcome!

[runner]

Thanks for the photo-style flashback. My husband has the same shirt Chin is wearing in photo #2.
But I like Chin best in the red shirt of #5, it's very flattering on his dark skin.

Steve just needs to stick to what works for him, and an Aloha Shirt is not it.

The Magnum P.I. and original McGarrett were a nice walk down memory lane, so I'm glad you included those ones, too.

[mandyblue]

No Aloho shirt for Alex dose not look good in them. Daniel looks good in them.

[biochemgeek]

Chin looks great in the Aloha shirt. I like #1, 3 and 6.

But no one call pull off the look like Thomas Magnum! Yum.

[margarine]

Runner, I think Chin #1 and #8 are the same shirt, just in different light. I like it the best as a shirt on its own, but I prefer the dark blue on him.

Biochem's right, Magnum is the very nonpareil of the Aloha shirt. For him, it's the black with the big flowers.

And Steve's fine in that one blue and white shirt, but there are wonderful shirts out there just waiting for him.

[nycgal]

Wow, this is so funny.....
CBS also has a whole photo line up Chin's "proposed" Hawaiian shirts. From the style story boards to pics of the actual garments on the Wolf forms. Notice how many of the shirts actually made it to the screen.

Here's the link:
www.cbs.com/shows/hawaii_five_0/photos/101556/aloha-style/101557

[margarine]

COOL, nycgal! I love the pattern on the long-sleeved one, although not the long sleeves. And the last one, gray with palm tree, that's gorgeous.

[booklover]

I liked Chin in the red one best. And I really don't think that either McGarrett looks good in aloha shirts.

However Magnum looks perfect in all of them, especially the black one.

[gabbyelizabeth8]

I was never a fan of the aloha shirt but somehow Chin pulls it off. I definitely did a double take when I first saw the episode where they have McGarrett in one, definitely not a good look for him and I don't think it goes with his personality at all if that makes any sense.

[davilarose]

Wow-talk about a trip down memory lane! Chin looks great in his aloha shirts--I like the red tonal best on him, although aqua looks good on him too-just maybe not that print. Tom Selleck looks soooo young in those pictures. LOL. And I remember a couple of times that Jack Lord's McGarrett wore aloha shirts on the original H5-0...ewwwww he just could not pull that look off. And those pics of him you posted.....yikes!

This afternoon my husband was helping me hang up some of his shirts from the dryer. I mentioned his Hawaiian shirt was in there too-and he immediately started singing the H 5-0 theme--and I was like *Huh?* I can be so dense sometimes.....

[trina]

Mar 16, 2012 17:14:20 GMT -5 nycgal said:

Yikes!


Double Yikes!



This concludes the Hawaiian shirt over view.
Thoughts and comments are welcome!

There is nothing wrong with how Jack wears these shirts, nycgal and davila. He pulls it off well. No need for the "yikes."

Look at these:








Jack wasn't afraid to try a new style, and was confident with himself to go beyond what was traditionally acceptable for men his age. He liked to wear bright and vibrant colors because he was an artist and painted with them. That first photo in nycgal's post, where he's wearing the blue and green shirt, is exceptionally stunning. Just watch him on the original show, and you'll see him wear these shirts often, and he wears them well.

[trina]

Here are some clips of Jack Lord's Steve McGarrett wearing those Hawaiian shirts. The man was already so sexy, he could take a look that seems to be a complete contrast from his perceived personality and make it work for him:

[sweetlikemeli]

I love Chin in the red shirt & aqua one they seem to suit him more.....Steve in that shirt just didn't suit him maybe he should have tried another color...just saying.......Magnum wow he looks great in every shirt I think they suited him so much because of his laid back attitude.....Jack Lord pulls off some of the colours but not all......