How to properly dispose of a Hawaiian shirt

As revered symbols of freedom and Aloha, all Hawaiian shirts must be treated with the utmost respect, especially when it becomes time to part ways with the magnificent shirt you have been wearing for the last 5 to 10 years.

 

According to a renowned and almost ancient Hawaiian shirt god "The shirt, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a well-fitting garment for public display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by first donning the garment and attending one last luau before deciding its ultimate fate."

 

Follow the steps in this guide below to dispose of a worn or damaged Hawaiian shirt and you will be performing the task with the respect that it deserves.

 

1.    Donate the shirt to a qualified organization such as a second hand thrift store. Companies such as the Salvation Army or Goodwill are always happy to take the colorful shirts off your hands. Donating is a great way to subject another individual to your taste in clothing and at a discount they will appreciate. Be a good donator, wash the shirt one last time and inspect the shirt for any loose buttons, fix if needed. When delivering the shirt, or shirts, don’t wad them up and put them in the bottom of a bag with a bunch of other items. Place each shirt on a table and fold them nicely before placing them in a bag. Don’t disrespect your soon to be donated shirts by throwing them in a pile on the ground, fold a shirt in the same manner as a professional laundry service would.

2.    Repurpose the shirt. As strange as it may sound there are a lot of uses for a worn out Hawaiian shirt. Cut it up into a strip and use it as a decorative band around the crown of a hat. You could also have the better parts of the shirt repurposed. Any seamstress can easily transform parts of your old shirt into a bow tie or even a outfit for your favorite pet, such as a dog or parrot. Contact a local quilter and cut a deal to have them repurposed into a beautiful Hawaiian quilt.

3.    Respectfully burn the shirts. Often some shirts are so badly worn that burning is one of the few options left. If your wardrobe has reached this point we would say that it’s a good time to dig a pit and cook up a piglet for a luau, line the bottom of the pit with rocks and then add your old Hawaiian shirts followed by your wood and you will have a great lining for your pit.

4.    Take a final moment to pay respect to the shirts. Often these Hawaiian shirts have been your only friend and they were always there to lift your spirits, rain or shine. Focus your thoughts on the symbolism and always think of the good times and if need be discuss with family members what the shirts meant to you.

5.    Treat yourself to new Hawaiian shirts. Your will have a void in your sole and no quote rings as true as “out with the old, and in with the new”. We recommend grabbing your credit card and going online to Wave Shoppe Hawaiian shirts and using it to purchase replacement Hawaiian shirts as quickly as you can. The last thing you want to spend your life doing is mourning the loss of some old worn out shirt, a new one will magically create new memories in no time.

 

 

Mysteries of Spring Fashion, Solved in Seconds

With spring upon us men are yet again faced with that age old question on what shirts to wear in the spring.

Myself, I enjoy wearing mens Hawaiian shirts from a company called Wave Shoppe, largely due to them being loose fitting and that the colorful shirts they offer have short sleeves that look good on my longer than normal arms. Fit is important to me, I like my Hawaiian shirt short-sleeves to fall about one inch up from the crook of my elbow. Wave Shoppe Hawaiian shirts are cut with good proportions, and if your sleeves are much shorter (or longer) than what they offer online or in-store, you're getting into fashion territory that you may not want to tread in.

When wearing a collared dress shirt under a sweater; you always want to make sure that the collar is in and not out. But never, ever, wear a sweater over a Hawaiian shirt; if you’re cold don a light jacket or something.

And now we come to a point whereas we have to discuss long sleeve shirts with Hawaiian prints. In my opinion this is a fashion mistake, Hawaiian Aloha shirts have never been long sleeve, only the piecemealed long sleeve shirts worn by early plantation workers in Hawaii had actual long sleeves.

The workers long sleeved shirts were most often referred to as Palaka shirts (the prints often resembled a checkerboard) and had long sleeves to protect the workers during long periods spent working in the full sun.

So stay away from the often trumpeted "latest fashion" trends like long sleeves or pullover shirts look polo shirts etc. Do so and you wont look like a complete dufus.

Of course after years of almost collecting the brightly colored tropical themed shirts, I often find myself thinking about recycling. Ha not my shirts but recycling all of the empty cans lying around the house!

Whenever I buy a new garment from Wave Shoppe Hawaiian shirt, I never get rid of one to make room for another one. The one-in, one-out policy that applies to apply to a lot menswear does not (and never should) apply to tropical Hawaiian shirts and similar types of spring and summer clothing.

 

 

When is a Hawaiian Shirt not a Hawaiian Shirt?

You can purchase Hawaiian shirts for men and women from Wave Shoppe Hawaiian Shirts, Tommy Bahama, Reyn Spooner, Tori Richard, Kahala, Go Barefoot, Paradise Found etc. But when is a Hawaiian shirt not a Hawaiian shirt? Is it the design, the cut or the material that classifies it as a Hawaiian shirt? there are tons of shirts that have no Hawaiian or Polynesian designs on them at all. In example we have seen camp shirts with images of bears, hot air balloons, boats, airplanes, and even Hawaiian shirts with cars on the Internet and offline in many department and specialty stores.

Then we have the ugly (yet creative looking) Hawaiian shirt on the left. The shirt incorporates Hawaiian prints throughout yet looks like it was made by Dr. Frankenstein

Here is where you can purchase this ugly Hawaiian shirt which would indeed make a great gag gift for someone. I am thinking bachelor parties and birthdays for old Hawaiian shirt collectors that have everything. Your thoughts?

Hawaiian aloha shirts and when a turtle is not blue

The name of a shirt does not necessarily mean things are as they first appear. When a Hawaiian shirt is named "blue sea turtle", it may very well mean that the Hawaiian shirt is blue and has sea turtles on it. And not that the turtles are blue (like in the image)

Why sea turtles? Many Hawaiian shirts for men often contain turtles an petroglyphs and other ancient symbols. While offered in two colors, todays featured shirt is blue, with turtles of course.

Product link: Hawaiian Shirt with Sea Turtles