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  • Where to get aloha wear?

    Where is a good place to get aloha clothing online? My family and I would like to have a few authentic things before we get there in Nov.! And on another note - my brother-in-law and his fiance will be going with us and getting married there. So, it would be nice to have matching sets for that.

    Thanks.
    Rez

  • #2
    Re: Where to get aloha wear?

    There are plenty of options, but I'd tread carefully. Most of what's marketed as "Aloha Wear" for visitors is pretty garish, and nothing at all like what a local would wear. Especially when you get into "matching" outfits. Which isn't to say locals don't dress this way, but combining the kinds of patterns that tourists prefer with "his and hers" generally leads to disaster.

    My advice is to either wait 'til you get here and shop at Macy's (but prepare to spend big bucks for the good stuff), or shop online but be sure to find something you like... then specifically choose a pattern more subdued and subtle than that one.

    HiloHatties.com
    is probably the WalMart of online aloha wear. I've got to plug the sites of two friends of mine, though: PainaGirl.com and HawaiiClothingCompany.com. The latter two certainly want to capture the Mainland market, too, but often choose patterns and styles that appeal to locals.

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    • #3
      Re: Where to get aloha wear?

      Originally posted by reznor99
      Where is a good place to get aloha clothing online? My family and I would like to have a few authentic things before we get there in Nov.! And on another note - my brother-in-law and his fiance will be going with us and getting married there. So, it would be nice to have matching sets for that.

      Thanks.
      Rez
      Is your future sister-in-law planning to get married in a wedding gown or does she want to get married in Hawaiian attire? A white holoku (fitted long dress with a train) or holomu (a long fitted dress without the train) and a lei are standard attire at the Hawaiian weddings I've witnessed. For the man, white slacks, a white shirt and a lei would be simple, tasteful and inexpensive, since the clothing could be used again. If your sister-in-law can sew, or can find someone to sew a holoku for her, here is a place she can get the pattern.

      At the totally other end of the spectrum, my cousin got married a couple of years ago in Kapalua in front of a kahuna (Hawaiian priest) wearing cutoffs and a t-shirt!

      Miulang
      "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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      • #4
        Re: Where to get aloha wear?

        Originally posted by Miulang

        At the totally other end of the spectrum, my cousin got married a couple of years ago in Kapalua in front of a kahuna (Hawaiian priest) wearing cutoffs and a t-shirt!

        Miulang
        Hey I got married in Kapalua on a beach in full tux! What ever the moment takes you.
        Listen to KEITH AND THE GIRLsigpic

        Stupid people come in all flavors-buzz1941
        Flickr

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        • #5
          Re: Where to get aloha wear?

          They are gonna get married in white, so we will just get something to match them. But...can someone explain what authentic aloha wear might be, and what distinguishes it from the stuff you might find at hilo hattie's, etc. I don't mind looking like a tourist because that's what I am, but I am also interested in learning about and wearing some authentic garb.

          Thanks.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Where to get aloha wear?

            Originally posted by reznor99
            They are gonna get married in white, so we will just get something to match them. But...can someone explain what authentic aloha wear might be, and what distinguishes it from the stuff you might find at hilo hattie's, etc. I don't mind looking like a tourist because that's what I am, but I am also interested in learning about and wearing some authentic garb.

            Thanks.
            "Authentic" Aloha wear to me means 100% cotton, not rayon or polyester. Most of Hilo Hattie's stuff is rayon, although the company does have an upscale line of alohawear (comparable to Reyn Spooner or Kahala) that they sell in places like the Wailea Shopping Village on Maui. Reyn Spooner and Kahala are two of the trendier alohawear designers. Macy's in Hawai'i carries both lines of clothing. There's also at least one book around the origins of Aloha shirts that's excellent. The interesting thing about rayon is some of the vintage Aloha shirts are made of rayon and nowadays the rayon that's used is washable.

            If you're willing to go look on eBay, Rez, you will often find really nice Aloha shirts (there were 802 of them for sale when I captured the URL). We've bought quite a few at auction and they've always been really nice ones that were bought far cheaper than new ones at the store.

            Good luck.
            Miulang
            "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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            • #7
              Re: Where to get aloha wear?

              One malo!

              I'm sorry I couldn't resist. (slapping my hand, nawty poster)

              [Malo = loin cloth]
              ~Lika

              \\000// Malama Pono \\000//

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              • #8
                Re: Where to get aloha wear?

                There's also a very talented local designer by the name of Sig Zane who produces absolutely gorgeous authentic Hawaiian design (from nature) alohawear. He has a shop in Hilo and on Maui on Market St. I love his stuff, but since it's designerwear, it's pricey.

                Miulang
                "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Where to get aloha wear?

                  Originally posted by GypsyLika
                  One malo!

                  I'm sorry I couldn't resist. (slapping my hand, nawty poster)

                  [Malo = loin cloth]
                  Something I read once about malo stuck in my head. You know that malo were made from kapa, right? Well, apparently kapa doesn't hold up too well when it gets wet. I read that when men were traveling and they got caught out in the rain, they'd take off their malo, roll 'em up into a tight wad and hold 'em under their arm to keep the malo dry, and keep walking that way until the rain stopped. Then they'd take the malo out again, unroll 'em, and put 'em back on.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Where to get aloha wear?

                    "Authentic" is a dicey word to use with aloha wear. What does authentic mean, anyway? Made in Hawai‘i? Made by Hawaiian craftsmen? Made just like they used to make it back in the Old Days? To me, "authentic" isn't the right criterion to use. More to the point, does it look good?

                    I also have to take issue with Miulang because while 100% cotton may be all the rage, I don't see why rayon isn't OK. I have some very nice, and very pricey, rayon aloha shirts that are gorgeous and definitely not touristy.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Where to get aloha wear?

                      Originally posted by Glen Miyashiro
                      "
                      I also have to take issue with Miulang because while 100% cotton may be all the rage, I don't see why rayon isn't OK. I have some very nice, and very pricey, rayon aloha shirts that are gorgeous and definitely not touristy.
                      The "new" rayon fabric they use today is great because it's washable (the old stuff was only dry cleanable) and doesn't shrink when you wash it, like the old stuff used to do. One other really serious drawback to the "old" rayon fabric is wrinkles would set into the fabric that you could never get out! Lord knows how many rayon and rayon-blend articles of clothing I've shrunk into kids clothes before I learned to look on the labels to make sure the rayon was washable! And as I also said previously, some of the first Aloha shirts were made of rayon...you just couldn't wash them.

                      Miulang
                      "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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                      • #12
                        Re: Where to get aloha wear?

                        Rayon wasn't washable back then? Huh. Before my time -- or at least, back then I wasn't buying the nice stuff so I never knew.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Where to get aloha wear?

                          Originally posted by Glen Miyashiro
                          Rayon wasn't washable back then? Huh. Before my time -- or at least, back then I wasn't buying the nice stuff so I never knew.
                          Plus, you're a guy! And guys don't normally do laundry so they never think to look at laundry care labels. I dunno when they reformulated rayon, but it's probably only been within the last 20 years or so...hmmm....with the energy shortage, I wonder what's going to happen to rayon and polyester fabrics since they are petroleum derivatives? Wonder if everything will revert back to cotton goods?

                          Miulang
                          "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Where to get aloha wear?

                            Rayon is made from cellulose (wood pulp), not petroleum. Although there's probably a lot of petroleum that's burned to provide the heat to make it.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Where to get aloha wear?

                              Originally posted by Glen Miyashiro
                              Rayon is made from cellulose (wood pulp), not petroleum. Although there's probably a lot of petroleum that's burned to provide the heat to make it.
                              If you want to become a rayon expert, here's one place to read up on it. Become one with rayon! It is your friend!

                              Miulang
                              "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

                              Comment

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