Hawaiian shirts: the divisive menswear staple that refuses to die
Fashion trends are essentially cyclical: wait long enough and you can rest assured that that natty pullover or shiny shell-suit, bought in a decade you now prefer to forget, will find its way back into contemporary style. Recently, we've had a resurgence of 1950s-style short trousers; the 1980s, once voted the worst decade for fashion, are now eulogised; even flares are supposed to be cool again (though the jury's out on that one). Garish 1990s trainers are in vogue; soon overly gelled hair, ridiculously baggy jeans and cheap metal chains will surely return.
Hawaiian shirts, too, have made a resounding comeback. After heydays in the 1950s and 1980s, a 30-year cycle seems to have resurfaced, and they can now be spotted everywhere. From faintly unacceptable holiday fare a few years back – always worn in jest – the Hawaiian shirt is re-emerging as a summer staple.
At online retailer Asos, where they come with all sorts of patterns, sales are up 64pc on last year, with a peak at this time of year, as the weather picks up. Hitwise, the UK's largest online behavioral specialist, notes that year-on-year searches for "Hawaiian shirts" were up 26pc from May 2017 to May 2018, a rise driven predominantly by men between the ages of 25 and 34.
The shirts are said to have been introduced to Hawaii in the 1930s and have roots in Chinese and Japanese immigration. Also known as Aloha shirts, Hawaiian shirts are incredibly varied, ranging from highly questionable numbers (I have a particularly divisive shirt with windsurfer motifs) to more elegant and smart options.
Cinema has played a crucial role in giving Hawaiian shirts their iconic status. In 1961, Elvis Presley wore a simple, elegant red shirt for the hit Blue Hawaii. Who could forget Al Pacino in a similar red number, blood pouring down his cheeks and pistol in hand in Scarface? Consider Nicolas Cage in 1987's Raising Arizona and Jim Carrey in Ace Venture: Pet Detective in the early 1990s. More recent silver screen showings are more fitting with the Hawaiian's status in the 21st Century – cheesy rom-com holiday costume, think Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
How important is what we see in films and on TV in influencing fashion? "No doubt a lot of fashion movements are resurrected by television. Six months ago all tailors were riding the crest of a wave with their clients asking for a 'Peaky Blinders look'," says Carl Thompson, a men's fashion and lifestyle writer. "I think with movies like Scarface gaining greater cult status for having never been re-hashed or serialised, some looks are immortalised, like Al Pacino in that red tiger Hawaiian shirt."
"I'm not sure if it's seasonal, and I'm not sure it ever really went away," says Thompson of the trend. "I got a little exasperated two or three years ago by people hijacking the Hawaiian shirt just for the sake of peacocking. I know the Instagram kids are loving it right now. It's a weekend piece, a statement."
Nevertheless, Thompson is a fan of the shirts, and has "two or three" in his wardrobe. "I have a couple from Ted Baker that I like, and if money was no object I'd probably get a bunch from Levi's, the 100-200 range. They're more muted, yet still abstract."
All men's clothes retailers are embracing the revival. Upmarket outlets stocking them include Mr Porter, who last month launched an exclusive range by Prada. The elegant floral shirts can be yours for a prohibitive £640. For the friendlier price of £85, All Saints have all manner of colourful, flowery shirts.
Others go down the second-hand route, though "even they can cost you a fair whack," says Thompson. Vintage, retro and charity shops are filled to the brim with floral, while on Depop, the peer-to-peer shopping app, you can't move for them. "I get why people don't want to pay for new high-priced colourful shirts in this country, because the window of opportunity to wear them is so remote."
"The tropical shirt says something very positive about you," Thompson notes. "It boasts confidence and effuses a bright aura. If you're that kind of guy then absolutely wear a Hawaiian shirt. If you're not the life and soul of the party, but want to be, then why not?"
