How to Wear A Hawaiian Shirt & Not Look Silly

Believe it or not, almost anyone can look amazing in a Hawaiian shirt. The volume of these distinctive floral-patterned shirts has surged to a considerable level as well as successfully penetrated the mainstream market. Still, one ugly truth remains: not everyone knows how to wear a Hawaiian shirt in a befitting manner that perfectly caters to your taste, let alone trendy styles of clothes.

Hence, there is no exaggeration to state that a $500 Hawaiian shirt is much the same as a $50 variation if the wearer has no idea how to dress decently. Silly Hawaiian shirts are extremely popular, especially in menswear stores. For an ordinary man who is not keeping himself up-to-date with the trends and styling, he might fall under the temptation of buying aloha shirts that doesn’ suit him.. 

However, with the help of this article, you are probably on the right track to mastering Hawaiian shirt fashion.

What Do Hawaiians Wear?

In order to truly understand how to look Hawaiian and natural in your aloha shirt, let’s check out some info about the history of Hawaiian fashion:

- In former times, Hawaiian fashion was well-known for its simple clothing products made of cool materials that suited the island’s distinctively benign climate. The Kapa was their first favorable and common material to form clothes.

Yet, it called for a laborious and complicated process to produce enough Kapa soft cloth whose material originated from the bark of mulberry plants, forced to undergo fermentation before completion.

Therefore, it took the indigenous Hawaiians a lot of time to make a piece of loincloth for men or a skirt for women.

- In the 1800s, hula skirts (or grass skirts) were introduced for the first time. They are made of ti leaves which is a palm-like plant tree with its unique spiral cluster of long leaves.

The fact that ti plant is an evergreen flowering type explains why people in Hawaiian islands thought of utilizing it for clothes.

Also, it can be used as ornaments due to its numerous color variations, from red to green and some other forms. 

- In the early 1900s, lauhala hats and leis were invented. The former was mostly worn by farmers or plantation workers, while the latter was often used as a decoration or a symbol of love, affection, healing, or respect.

Nowadays, people often see both of them worn by locals on every occasion including special ceremonies, since no obligatory rules of dress code are given anymore.

- From the 1930s to 1940s: Aloha shirts and dresses appeared and have been constantly developed until today. These clothes are originally inspired by kimonos from Japan, often made of silk or cotton, featured with tropical island themes and exotic scenery.

They were initially created for tourists and foreign visitors who desired to blend in the Hawaiian culture and have something to carry back home as a memorable souvenir.

Still, numerous popular celebrities have put their trust in the Hawaiian shirt and skirt designs when joining luxurious events and parties.

Gradually, everything started to change when modern innovation interfered with Hawaiian traditional styles of making clothes.

Benefiting from technology advancements, the Hawaiian fashion industry has gained a reputation for its diversity as well as modification in clothing products, not to mention the booming economic potential.

Among the new trends of shirts, dresses, flip flops, and even shorts, the Hawaiian shirt fashion has been regarded as a huge success. People now wear them as an authentic way of expressing their Hawaiian tradition and authenticity.

Besides, local designers are trying to imbue wearing Hawaiian shirts with the spirit of nature while still present the practices rooted in Hawaiian culture.

By doing that, they desire to embrace more cultural knowledge and value and make the shirts more appealing to new customers, especially young generations.

How To Wear A Hawaiian Shirt: What To Take Notice Of 

Bear in mind that a Hawaiian shirt should be linked with the relaxing ambiance or beautiful summer vacation memories. Therefore, try to avoid those bad advice for Hawaiian shirts that will only make you look ridiculous.

First and foremost, the key answer is to find the right style and choose the right Hawaiian shirt for yourself. As easy as it may sound, this process will actually need a lot of consideration. To learn the ropes on your own, here are some tips to mix and match your aloha shirts: 

Colors

Hawaiian shirts usually represent the tropical vibe, embodied by tones of rad, orange, yellow, green and blue, any of which is alright to start with. However, stick to the color patterns that are complimentary to your clothes you have on hand. 

For example, black and white trousers are good to go with many color tones because of their neutral tint. In case you have a big collection of blue jeans, a yellow or orange Hawaiian shirt will form a great duo to highlight your look. 

On the other hand, a pink shirt can barely match beige khakis due to miscalculation of contrasting color hues.

Patterns

Make an effort to find Hawaiian graphic patterns that relate to your own style so that it can convey your authentic image, not make you look peculiar in an eccentric way. For that reason, prioritize classic symbols or vivid patterns of trees, birds and oceans instead of hardcore stuff like weapons or skull and bones.

Fabrics

Ignore the rigid materials no matter how cheap those Hwaiian shirts are. Good choices are loose fabrics like silk and cotton that provide you with a smoother feeling of texture and comfort all day long. 

Otherwise, a shirt made of low-quality fabric after a night party can have such an odd smell that makes you wish to turn back time and undo the payment process. 

How to Style Hawaiian shirts: 5 Creative Tips 

It is no surprise that we can learn from celebrities, especially supermodels and fashion gurus, and get the gist of how to dress like a Hawaiian. Good news: These ain’t difficult or exclusive for famous people at all.

Instead, everyone can find and utilize some techniques of how to wear a Hawaiian shirt that work under any circumstances, just by mixing with some other accessories and clothes. 

Smart Casual

In combination with jeans or trousers, these can help create an elegant look to fit in many occasions, ranging from your workplace to a festive event. However, assess the situation carefully and choose the right pants to wear with a Hawaiian shirt so as not to offend the majority of people with your lively Hawaiian print shirt. 

Here are some useful tips to take into consideration: Go for pleated trousers and a plain-colored suit, better be gentle tones like grey and blue. 

The choice of shoes to wear with your Hawaiian shirt is also important. Depending on your choice of footwear, you can tuck them in your boots or leave them out of your sneakers as naturally as you wish for a casual look.

Perfect party outfit

Going to a summer festival or tiki bar in a Hawaiian shirt is more than fitting. It’s the perfect look to bring your fun, energetic vibe to any event. 

In case you are going to a beach or pool party, there’s no better duo than a mix-and-match of Hawaiian shirt and jeans. This combo will guarantee to create a sporty and stylish look, just remember to keep your bottoms simple and let the shirt stand out. This also applies to choosing shorts to wear with Hawaiian shirts. 

How about customizing your own Hawaiian shirt with your name or cute pictures on it to show off to your friend? Now you’re ready to rock the stage.

Pair with a matchy skirt

As mentioned before, the rules are simple: Keep your skirt color patterns complementary (or contrast) to the Hawaiian shirt tone. If you prefer to wear oversized Hawaiian shirts, tuck it into your skirt. For your information, dungaree is also among the ideal options to take.

Pro tip for girls: Tucking and tying a knot at the front of your shirt to mock a crop top. Revealing part of your tummy can make you look more charming and attractive than ever.

Take advantage of the following color mixing solutions to shine a spotlight on your outfit: Blue and orange/yellow, lime and pink, lime and orange. Last but not least, don’t underestimate skirts patterned with vibrant and funny figures. A touch of hibiscus, dolphin and turtles is more than enough to make your outfit pop.

Mix with an undershirt

It is apparent that a Hawaiian shirt cannot do the same job as a windbreaker, but wearing it as a substitute for jackets is not a bad idea. Many people have realized the secret behind this: Not only to give more details and highlights but also to cover your skin and partially prevent yourself from the sunlight impacts. 

“What to wear under a Hawaiian shirt?” you may ask. The best combination would be to wear it over a solid color tee, preferably black or white. This will help your Hawaiian shirt shine and become the center of attention. 

Slay With Layers

There is a wide variety of ways to layer up, but most people would opt for a basic tee, a Hawaiian shirt, and blazer, or sweater/denim jacket - the most iconic style for a summer-fall transformation. This is also how to wear a Hawaiian shirt in the winter - just add a black or white tight sweater underneath your aloha shirt.

Wanna try something less bulky? Wear an extremely oversized Hawaiian shirt outside and improvise a new faux dress for yourself with a belt. Add a short (if necessary) and other accessories like a headband and waist bag to spice up a little bit.

Are Hawaiian shirts still in style in 2021? They definitely are! We hope that you find these tips helpful and let you rock your Hawaiian shirt with pride.