Aloha shirts

So it's this time of the year again when I plan to purchase another couple of aloha shirts. I mostly get them from the site alohashirtshop.com
They have a nice selection of brands and run regular discounts.

My favorite shirts are cotton by quality brands such as Tori Richard.
We're not exactly living in exotic climes here and the ease of washing / drying cotton is a big plus. No dry cleaning or hand washing rituals...

But online purchases can be tricky; I was disappointed by some brands' quality of cotton and sometimes the liveliness of the print is hard to judge by peering at the computer screen.
Hence I tend to stick to the little that I know.

I'm looking at Maunahaole in particular but I'm sure others here can chime in and share their experiences about what brands to look for, or point me to other recommended online sources for the nicer aloha shirt experience.

Mahalo!

Reyn Spooner in spooner cloth , which is a poly cotton blend. Machine wash and hang dry. Although it seems counterintuitive, the blend manages sweat better and doesn't wrinkle nearly as easily as all cotton. The fabric is a bit heavier, but looks a little neater. That is my every day work uniform. Sizing is pretty accurate.

A couple other brands to look at for cotton would be Rix and Sig Zane. Rix is a newish brand and has fun patterns, pretty modern. Sig Zane is a more boutique brand, designs are more subdued. A lot of the Tori Richard stuff is nice, you probably won't go wrong there.

Folks here really don't wear the insane super colorful stuff. That is more for tourists. Knowing where that line sits is one of the unwritten rules that you learn after being here for a while. The tommy Bahamas with the embroidered bird on the back is a non starter.

Yes, it should remain stylish, not loud. I've been looking at the Spooner Kloth shirts as there are some very nice patterns there. Will give it a shot with my next order. Thanks!

Get on the Reyn Spooner email list, you will get notified of sales and new releases. They float a number of new patterns per year. keep in mind as well with the spooner cloth shirts, they are reverse printed, so the back side of the print is the outside of the shirt, giving them a slightly faded look even when new.

I wore Reyn Spooner when I lived in Hawaii during the late 60s, his shirts were considered high class even then. I have one in my closet now though it doesn't fit me any longer.

Laundry day, abbreviated. Be careful what you ask for.

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...psxnahsj59.jpg

Some of my favorites right here...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/mv...=w960-h1280-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zi...=w960-h1280-no

The black shirt is Reyn Spooner. Black on black palmtrees - very subtle. Feels very pleasant but I'm not sure if it's Spooner Kloth...

The reverse print is a nice touch and I always look for groovy buttons, too.

Reyn Spooner is sort of the standard well made Aloha shirt. Tori seems like more of the Lawyers , Doctors and downtown business guys work shirt. Sig Lane is a pure artist kind of guy that comes to Oahu from Hilo a couple times a month to rep his stuff. The guy is brilliant. Since I wore scrubs all day at work I don't have a zillion of the things in my closet. Tommy Bahama seems to be up there in the dressy night out crowd.
I personally have a bunch of Patagonia aloha style shirts. They really aren't exactly aloha, but close. My true Aloha shirts are mostly Kahala brand leaning heavy on their vintage style and Reyn. I have a couple of Reyn Spooner "Phil Edwards" group shirts that I like a lot. They have sort of a 60s surf vibe. Not too many locals wear crazy wild shirts as mentioned above.
Just be careful with your purchases or you will be like every guy in Hawaii. More Aloha shirts in the closet than days of the week to wear them. Everybody I know drags a few of them off to the Goodwill twice a year.

I tend to like the medium to bigger print designs from:

Sig Zane- have four traditional Hawaii fauna prints from 14 yrs ago still in the rotation
Reyn- love the traditional reverse fabric, durability. Have gone through 2-3 blue flag shirts from wearing them so much.
Kahala- like the cuts, designs and that you can always find some good ones half off at Nordstrom rack
Manuheali'i- dri-fit fabric ones that they release once every few years. Stopped buying the rayon ones- humbug to iron.

I like the Rix designs and colors but the cotton they use does not seem to hold up well after a few washes.

How about Paradise Found? I used to wear those in the 80's- must have been the Magnum PI influence?

The Best Selection of the Best Hawaiian Shirts on the Web.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by enr1co

I tend to like the medium to bigger print designs from:

Sig Zane- have four traditional Hawaii fauna prints from 14 yrs ago still in the rotation
Reyn- love the traditional reverse fabric, durability. Have gone through 2-3 blue flag shirts from wearing them so much.
Kahala- like the cuts, designs and that you can always find some good ones half off at Nordstrom rack
Manuheali'i- dri-fit fabric ones that they release once every few years. Stopped buying the rayon ones- humbug to iron.

I like the Rix designs and colors but the cotton they use does not seem to hold up well after a few washes.

---

Sorry -got timed out before adding the pic :o
Attachment 92649

Hilo Hattie

Bought one each time I visited Hawaii.

I totally forgot about manuhealii. They have nice colors and designs. It tells the world that you are part of the band. They also make some nice women's clothes as well if you and the wife want to go matchy.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by maunahaole

Reyn Spooner in spooner cloth , which is a poly cotton blend. Machine wash and hang dry. Although it seems counterintuitive, the blend manages sweat better and doesn't wrinkle nearly as easily as all cotton. The fabric is a bit heavier, but looks a little neater. That is my every day work uniform. Sizing is pretty accurate.

---

Cannot go wrong with Reyn spooner cloth shirts- classic, stylish, comfortable, durable, easy maintenance and appropriate wear almost anytime.