Alohawear, or It IS OK for boys to wear flower print
Written: Mar 19 '00 (Updated Mar 20 '00)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: pretty, unigue, light, cool
Cons: can be blindingly loud in the shopping bags of the inexperienced
|
|
|
| joli's Full Review: Hawaii |
Ok, ask yourself one question. "Do I want to look like a tourist, or do I want to look like a local on my next trip to the islands?" If the answer was "look like a tourist", then don't read this, I'm sure you'll do fine. If the answer was "look like a local", then read this ... a few times.
What is Alohawear
Alohawear is the colorful aloha shirts, muumuus, board shorts, pareos, dresses, and matching outfits that personifies and sometimes stereotypes clothing trends in Hawaii. You've seen them, the bright flower and bird filled clothing brought to the world by Magnum P.I.
Who really wears that stuff in Hawaii?
Everyone! My husband has at least 20 aloha shirts in his closet, I have a gorgeous Hawaiian print summer dress, I always buy men aloha shirts for their birthdays (extremely easy gift). Fridays are traditionally Aloha fridays where the women wear their best muumuu (the long, colorful, frilly, shapeless dress). Because of the heat no one wears suits - the newscastors, the mayor, business people; they all wear aloha shirts with nice pants.
So how do I wear it without looking like a tourist
Ok, here is the major difference between tourist wear and every day wear in the islands. If I am going to but an aloha shirt for my husband, I do not look for the loudest, most garish, glaring shirt I can find. Here are some very important rules to remember:
1. Print is important - anything that shows a city, a parrot, or people on it is a no no.
2. Too many different things on a shirt (flowers, moons, fish) is disorienting.
3. Only wear one aloha print item at a time. (Wear an aloha shirt with plain pants or shorts and wear aloha shorts with a t-shirt)
4. Board shorts (surf shorts) do NOT go with everything.
5. Stick with blues and browns and blacks and shy away from greens and purples and reds.
6. Do NOT wear the same print as your spouse or children (this may be cute, but it will normally identify you as a tourist.
Is it ever ok to break the rules?
Yes - if you are getting married, matching alohawear is great. If you are an entertainer, the louder the shirt the better. If you are a kid - you can wear anything you want. Want to get a head start on the mad rush for your alohawear? Visit Hilo Hatties, the mother of alohawear; web site at http://www.hilohattie.com/hilohattie/ .
Aloha, Lisa
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
joli
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Location: Keaau, HI
Reviews written: 126
Trusted by: 389 members
About Me:
That is my son Joseph in the picture.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.