Twice in my life I have known guys who only ever wear Hawaiian shirts. ALWAYS, as long as they are not required to wear something else for a special occassion (a wedding, a uniform for work, etc.). Other than that they always wore Hawaiian shirts, rain or shine, no matter the season.
Neither of these guys is ethnically Hawaiian, or from the Hawaiian Islands. When questioned about their choice of dress, all either of them would say was that they simply liked Hawaiian shirts. Both guys (probably by coincidence) were a bit stocky, and (probably not by coincidence) a bit “weird” in other ways as well.
Is this a common phenomenon? Anyone else know a Hawaiian shirt guy? Anyone have an insight into their thinking? And how about people who only wear various other types of clothing? I’m aquainted with a woman who has only worn purple for 10 years.
I once had a maths teacher who had over 30 shirts, all in different solid colours. He wore a different one every day and us slackers in the corner had a running contest to decide who could most accurately name the shade he was wearing that day. The teacher was pretty cool; he judged the contest It became something of a trademark of his. I think it’s got something to do with self-expression through clothes or something - women have many outlets for this, men tend to be restricted to shirts and ties (of which he also had a formidable collection).
I can think of at least 2 people at work who do - one guy is an electrical engineer, the other is a woman, but I don’t remember if she’s an engineer or a social scientist. Both are a little stocky, but not what I’d call fat. Both are very friendly, outgoing people.
It’s one of the times I’m glad we don’t have a dress code per se. They brighten the hallways when they go by!
I know no one who always wears a hawaiian shirt. I do have a friend who wears one every friday and whereever he works attempts to get a *Hawaiian Shirt Friday *going.
I had a friend in college who wore one most of the time, with camouflage army pants.
I’ve got a nice one I picked up at Penneys’ last year, washable silk I think. I got dinged on my yearly review for not dressing well, he said “needs to work on his appearance.” Damn, a SILK hawaiian shirt?? Looks great with off-white shorts. Damn thing cost me $25 and it’s not good enough?
FWIW, I’m a computer programmer for the State, and about 5-10 pounds over my ideal weight.
I lived in Hawaii for about six years. Here’s the thing(s) – Hawaiian shirts are comfortable; they fit loosely, but aren’t too baggy. They’re also not drab (duh). While some are obnoxiously ugly, others are made of nice, non-offensive prints. I kinda think of it like wearing a colorful tie. As someone else said, they go with everything. Finally, they’re not sloppy looking. Button-down, collared, generally not wrinkled or dirty. In short, they’re comfortable without looking ratty, much better than a t-shirt.
When going for job interviews after first moving to Hawaii, I was rather baffled when interviewers consistently asked me “So, you just moved here from the east coast, right?” Turns out that wearing a suit and tie, which I’d been given to understand was simply what you wore for job interviews, was simply not done. I got over the suit thing pretty quickly; y’know, when in Rome (or Honolulu, as the case may be)…
Interesting, interesting. Mamboman and China Guy – do you wear Hawaiian shirts all the time though? I mean, even in the dead of winter?
I’m not slamming the HSG’s; both of the ones I knew were pretty friendly, if, as I said before, a bit different. (And again, I’m not counting people who wear Hawaiian shirts occassionally as part of a rotating wardrobe – just the few happy guys who wear them all the time.) It’s just an interesting subculture, if that’s the right word for it. The two I knew struck me as being people who would naturally be shy, but were making an effort to be outgoing. I wonder if the the Hawaiian shirt’s were a visual symbol of that – a good luck charm, kinda like Dumbo’s feather. The shirts make them look more easygoing, they were a conversation starter, etc.
…Or maybe, as others have said, they’re just comfortable shirts!
That’s why I wore Hawaiian (Aloha) shirts when I lived in L.A. Cool and comfortable. Up here in the PNW it never gets hot enough to wear them. But the summer’s aren’t cold enough not to wear them, so maybe next year I’ll pull them out of storage. (I only have a couple. Not a collection like mamboman.)
Line from The Simpsons involving a Hawaiian shirt: ‘Hey, you’re not fun! You’re just fat!’
Amateurs. I just counted the closet: 86 Hawaiian shirts. That count excludes jerseys, bowling shirts and my one dress shirt. They are all I wear. My students recognize when I buy a new one, and I try to debut a new shirt several times a year at major tournaments. I’m not gay, nor am I a party animal. DS hit it on the head. They are comfortable and colorful, and I never have to worry about matching the shirt to the outfit…Hawaiian shirts clash with everything!
Hey, the year-round Hawaiian shirt theme worked for this guy! (One of my favorite films of all time, BTW)
As pointed out elsewhere, Hawaiian shirts feel very nice in the summertime. They’re too cold for Boston winters, but I’m thinking of rummaging around my closet and digging them out for next summer.
One thing people might not realise when they see these shirts is that they can be expensive. The Big Cheese’s $25 is pretty cheap. (I only have a few of these shirts, and most of mine were in that range. One was more expensive.) Browsing Hilo Hattie’s I’ve found (and bought) shirts in the $20-$30 range, but I’ve seen shirts there that are over $90.
I’ve never known anyone who always wore Hawaiian shirts (i.e., ‘Hawaiian Shirt Guys’), but I used to work with a woman who would wear one occasionally. She was from Vietnam, and was one of the prettiest women I’ve met. Almost asked her out, until I found out she was married. She was very petite and looked great in a fairly tight Hawaiian shirt.
Those are the cheapies. Most of my shirts cost from $59 to $99. They are single-needle, matching-pocket shirts. A healthy percentage of them are limited-edition, with less than 100 made. If you want quality, you have to pay for it. Most of them are from Paradise On A Hanger.
It became something of a trademark of his. I think it’s got something to do with self-expression through clothes or something - women have many outlets for this, men tend to be restricted to shirts and ties (of which he also had a formidable collection).