# When are Hawaiian Shirts appropriate? (Other than Hawaii) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 28, 2010, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741 "2010-08-28T00:30:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/21 "2010-08-28T01:36:24Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > > > For example, check out some of the designs at [Reyn’s](http://www.reyns.com/), one of my favorite Hawaiian-shirt shops in Honolulu. > > They still look pretty loud to me. Well, some, yeah. But not all. Like maybe [this one](http://www.reyns.com/SC101_Services/SC101_Shopper/showItem.php?menuId=7&itemNum=8525). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/22 "2010-08-28T01:43:59Z")
God help you if you _don’t_ wear one, when the department secretary sends out an e-mail announcing Hawaiian Shirt Day. When they’re appropriate is whenever it’s warm enough. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/23 "2010-08-28T01:47:56Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > > > For example, check out some of the designs at [Reyn’s](http://www.reyns.com/), one of my favorite Hawaiian-shirt shops in Honolulu. > > They still look pretty loud to me. [Amateur.](http://www.nouilles.info/sdpix/35658.html) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/24 "2010-08-28T01:52:29Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > > [@Cunctator](#): > > > > They still look pretty loud to me. > > [Amateur.](http://www.nouilles.info/sdpix/35658.html) Hey! I could match that. But I’m trying to show they’re not _all_ loud. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/25 "2010-08-28T01:54:09Z")
They are appropriate for “business casual.” However, loud colors or distracting designs are still unprofessional. [Here is a typical example](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GmsTPbdAL.jpg) of tasteful, business casual, aloha shirts. This particular one is a little too bright for my tastes. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/26 "2010-08-28T01:58:10Z")
And naturally, they can’t be worn in a library if they’re too loud. ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/27 "2010-08-28T02:10:32Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > > [@Cunctator](#): > > > > They still look pretty loud to me. > > [Amateur.](http://www.nouilles.info/sdpix/35658.html) Psah… you call that loud? Merely a whisper. Doesn’t even make your eyes bleed to look at it , much less cause blindness in people who only hear it described. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/28 "2010-08-28T02:53:15Z")
> [@sassyfras](#): > > I saw a man wear an Hawaiian shirt to work at an office environment on casual friday. Maybe he’s a supervisor. The head of my department, now retired, would wear them whenever the outside temperature hit 95°. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/29 "2010-08-28T05:31:36Z")
They are welcomed at tiki bars. Also at conventions where collectibles are being sold… records, comic books, etc. Probably at vintage car shows also. ---
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/30 "2010-08-28T05:36:37Z")
Everyday is a great day for a Hawaiian shirt! In the summer, it reminds of the cool breezes and helps me think cool thoughts when it is 106 outside. In the middle of winter, I wear it to defy the snow gods and remind them their time is short. They brighten up blah offices and conference locations. I was wearing a red one with parrots on it one day last spring as I wandered through the Smithsonian Museum. By one of the gift shops I noticed a shirt with the same pattern was in one of the cases. [Always wondered what Tom had done with that shirt I loaned him for his audition.](http://apa.si.edu/collections/images/surfboard/surfboard_vert_web.jpg)🙂 Oh, and one more thing. I’ve been known to wear an unbottoned Hawaiian shirt over a t-shirt as I head through the airport. I guess the TSA agents think it looks pretty sharp, too, as they almost always give me a free massage at the security checkpoint. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/31 "2010-08-28T08:13:44Z")
Hawaiian shirts are appropriate for any truly casual occasion in warm weather. In some workplaces, “Casual Friday” is really casual; in others, it’s “business casual”, which isn’t the same thing at all. So in some offices a Hawaiian shirt would be fine, in others, not so much. For me? I’m a high school teacher, and if I owned a Hawaiian shirt, I wouldn’t wear it on days when I had classes, unless I had a _very_ specific reason. But on a day when I only had meetings, sure. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/32 "2010-08-28T10:34:10Z")
Hawaiian shirts are appropriate for any casual occasion. Except that “business casual” isn’t always _really_ casual. They are dressier than t-shirts & better at disguising an imperfect physique. Of course, this is Texas–where weather can get tropical & boldness is appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/33 "2010-08-28T10:47:44Z")
I have one I bought in the Caribbean, which was made in Indonesia, and after purchase I discovered that its cheery colors belie the design which is of Prometheus having his liver pecked out by an eagle. In addition to being tasteless, it’s tasteless. It is never appropriate, ever. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/34 "2010-08-28T13:01:28Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > I wear them almost every day in the summer. I’m in software, so every day is “casual Friday” here, plus we’re near the beach. For me it would be easier to pin down when they’re not appropriate - funeral, job interview, meeting a head of state. (yes, i have worn a Hawaiian shirt to a wedding, but it was in Hawaii) I have a lot of Hawaiian friends and I can testify first hand that a lot of Hawaiians consider a Hawaiian shirt and nice slacks and shoes appropriate for a funeral. For weddings hardly anyone wears a suit. Woman tend to dress much nicer than men at weddings. People will wear their dressy Hawaiian shirts, often with embroidery, rather than everyday Hawaiian shirts. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/35 "2010-08-28T13:20:02Z")
[Certain Fridays occur once in awhile that make it appropriate.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCJ55u8kOIw) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/36 "2010-08-28T13:26:29Z")
I have one given to me by my beloved children for Father’s Day. It is so loud that it violates the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. I wear it to church, under a nice business suit. Hawaiian shirts are \*always \*appropriate. Unless one wishes to display good taste, which is never the case with me. **silenus** , that is a very lovely shirt, if a bit understated. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/37 "2010-08-28T14:29:59Z")
We call them church shirts, since that is what a sizable amount of the congregation wears every Sunday to church. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/38 "2010-08-28T15:25:31Z")
There’s a guy at work who wears them nearly every day in the summer. I’m jealous. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/39 "2010-08-28T15:39:53Z")
If it is above 50 degrees F, I am wearing one. They are comfortable and my dress code at work permits them to be worn. Yes, I’m self employeed. The other kind of shirt I frequently wear is the used uniform shirt with name tag. Today I am Joel with RD Pools and Spas. I bought 3 dozen used work shirts for a buck a piece. Kind of like Halloween every day. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741/40 "2010-08-28T16:08:44Z")
> [@](#): > > There’s a guy at work who wears them nearly every day in the summer. I’m jealous. I don’t understand… Why be jealous? If you would like to wear Hawaiian shirts every day, then do so. The fact that someone else at work already does is evidence that your workplace doesn’t have rules against them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-hawaiian-shirts-appropriate-other-than-hawaii/551741.md?page=3)