Among the more interesting retail establishments I have seen recently is a specialty shop called Newt at the Royal, an attractive space in The Royal Hawaiian hotel that is filled with Panama hats and Newt's own make Aloha shirts.
Short-sleeved, square tailed, collared and printed in local motifs, the Aloha shirt has been considered the equivalent of a jacket and necktie in Hawaii since the 1960's . The muted print of the best shirts comes from printing the reverse (inside) side of the cloth. And though the word tradition is not completely appropriate for a custom instituted only fifty years ago, in their role as aloha attire the shirts are worn outside of dark trousers. 
Newt's $75 aloha shirts are printed and sewn by the company and can be found only at the firm's two retail locations (the other is in the Hilton Hawaiian Village) as well as online.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Newt's Aloha Shirts
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
7 comments:
Just do it, Will! You know you want to. ;-)
Beautiful fabrics. Rayon, silk, or cotton? I find such shirts stylish and acceptable casual wear in the right venue.
Don' do it, Will. Stick to your guns.
The red one in the first photo is done in a classic retro style. It's a beautiful shirt, and I hope you can see the virtue and value of aloha wear before you leave the islands.
C'mon, you know you want one... ;-)
I have owned aloha shirts. Nothing against them but I never find occasion to wear one.
I was in Hawaii ten years ago to visit a childhood friend who lives there. I was also in that store and almost picked up a shirt. But I knew that I'd never wear it. I'm more the Lacoste and Lacoste copies kind of guy. As for Hawaii, not for me. Yes, the scenery can be spectacular but I really don't relate to the tropics.
Hi Will. I have worked in downtown Honolulu for the past twenty years and yes, the aloha shirt (usually Reyn's Spooner or Kahala) with dress slacks is the standard business attire - shirts are tucked in and trousers are worn with belts. Until I started reading your blog, I had never heard of trousers with side straps. I would like to try them and am considering having the belt loops taken off my suit trousers. Several questions. Since I don't wear a jacket very often (only when I go to court and then I wear a suit), is it okay to wear dress shirts/aloha shirts tucked in with beltless trousers with side straps? Second,do you recommend metal buckles or button/tabs for side straps? Mahalo, Gregg
Gregg, it is usually a bad idea to remove belt loops. The process leaves marks, and in your case you would need matching cloth for side tabs of any kind.
Aloha shirts are properly worn untucked so far as I know. And buckle is more adjustable than button.
Post a Comment