Hawaiian shirts
Posted by brinehart-cincy@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 53 comments
I guess it was '85 or '86 or so when Hawaiian shirts came "back." I didn't see anyone else wearing them, but they were on the racks at my local Shop-Ko, and I got a couple and never looked back.
Fast forward to now-ish, and I'm still wearing Hawaiian shirts. It wasn't until recently that I realized my attachment came from watching M*A*S*H; a show that began in the 1970s, was set in the 1950s, and is still influencing me in the 2020s.
DroneSlut54@reddit
I’m 57 and Aloha shirts have been fairly popular my entire life. I’m just glad the Boogaloo dorks have crawled back under their rocks.
ShoppingNo7369@reddit
I love highly stylistic Hawaiian shirts! I have many and wear them often!
TheAmethystDragon@reddit
My typical summer wear is an open Hawaiian shirt over a plain t-shirt.
I've been wearing them that way since high school. They're fun.
THSSFC@reddit
This hits a very specific subset of GenX nostalgia.
jnyrdr@reddit
reyn spooner, the king
Extension-Cook-7981@reddit
Aloha Shirts like this from Reyn’s are appropriate business attire in Honolulu.
Thirty_Helens_Agree@reddit
ShopKo! Hello, fellow Wisconsinite?
I remember getting my copy of Van Halen - 1984 at a ShopKo.
quipsNshade@reddit
Michigan here: god I miss shopko
brinehart-cincy@reddit (OP)
(Nebraska)
ShopKo was great! Better than ALCO!
Dino-F-Pouchez@reddit
As a fat teen in the 80’s I rocked xxl aloha shirts. And yes I was asked to do the truffle shuffle daily.
FallenValkyrja@reddit
Place I worked at in the late 80s would occasionally have Hawaiian shirt Fridays.
TheVentiLebowski@reddit
You worked at Initech too?
Dino-F-Pouchez@reddit
Penetrobe
MaddMango68@reddit
I've always enjoyed a loud button-up shirt since HS the 80s. It wasn't until the mid-90's when I dove deep into Hawaiian shirts, and then the nuances between true Hawaiian shirts, aloha shirts, tropical shirts, etc. I have about 25-ish, some vintage dating from the 50s and 60s, some newer custom made from Etsy, but I really enjoy the 70s shirts with the huge collars. I used to wear them 3-4 days of the week at work, but now that I work from home it's just t-shirts.
Russian_Doll_888@reddit
Have you been introduced to Tommy Bahama?
chromebaloney@reddit
MY attraction came from MASH too! I had 2 from high school thru college.
Accurate-Survey6985@reddit
MASH.
Magnum PI.
Miami Vice.
A-Team.
Hawaii 5 0
Quite a trend.
cookiesandpunch@reddit
Riptide
brinehart-cincy@reddit (OP)
The Boz!
WasabiChickpea@reddit
Aloha shirts
ku_78@reddit
This is the correct name.
KieferMcNaughty@reddit
viewering@reddit
does he look like gibby, haynes ?
Apawling_Behavior@reddit
General surgeon here, career in Army Reserve, loves Aloha shirts - raised on MAS*H!
wyohman@reddit
I call them my "poker shirts." I always wear one when I play poker
MaximumJones@reddit
Where I live it is too hot to wear Hawaiian shirts.
brinehart-cincy@reddit (OP)
Too.... hot... for... Hawaiian... shirts...?
MaximumJones@reddit
Yes
Ceorl_Lounge@reddit
Don't forget about Magnum PI, his Hawaiian shirt game was strong too.
Celtic159@reddit
Yeah, still wearing them and that's where I got it from.
Diasies_inMyHair@reddit
When my husband dropped his retirement paperwork, he said that he was going to start wearing Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops all the time. By the time he actually retired, he had been gifted a Hawaiian shirt for almost every occasion.
Willing_Crazy699@reddit
I had some in the 80s when I looked like something other than a big fat party guy
threelittlebards@reddit
If they are good enough for Weird Al, they are good enough for me. I have a couple.
Responsible_Sun_3597@reddit
If I can find it, I will burn it, but he finds it every weekend.
brinehart-cincy@reddit (OP)
You've got a keeper there.
zionzednem@reddit
Just wore my new one to a festival and got numerous compliments.
Praise be for mentioning the importance of MASH too.
brinehart-cincy@reddit (OP)
Alan Alda influenced my sense of humor in a big way too. I just never developed the appreciation for gin martinis.
Acceptable_Stop2361@reddit
Texas here, I have some old Hawaiian shirts that still get worn on the spring and summer weekends. So comfortable and my fav when going out on a lake.
Wonder-Signal2@reddit
Thank Magnum PI for the resurgence. Typed as I sit at work on a friday in my Hawaiian shirt.
lundah@reddit
I had a contract gig at an insurance company HQ in the mid 2000’s, a group in the IT department would wear Hawaiian shirts on Fridays in reference to Office Space.
elphaba00@reddit
Was it a certain insurance company headquartered in the middle of Illinois?
I had a contract job at that insurance company in the 2000s, and a bunch of people would wear Hawaiian shirts on Fridays
lundah@reddit
No, but not far away (Wisconsin). Funny that happened in more than one place though.
Wonder-Signal2@reddit
Upstate NY. Can confirm.
tacosandtheology@reddit
Living on the California coast, I've got two looks: hoodie and beanie in the winter; aloha shirt in summer.
FormerCollegeDJ@reddit
I’m wearing one at work (an office environment) right now!
NarwhalPositive8232@reddit
Me too! Hawaiian Friday!
WhereverUGoThereUR@reddit
California here, I wear Hawaiian shirts whenever I can.
NCPinz@reddit
I wear them all the time. Winter or summer.
ScabieBaby@reddit
Aloha, Mr. Hand
dkstr419@reddit
I have a closet full of them. Many are thrifted, some were handmade for or by me. I love them, they make me smile, especially in the wintertime when it’s dreary. I’ve also learned that many of our unions have a tradition of wearing Hawaiian shirts during the work week.
KurtStation68@reddit
Guess it depends on a lotta things. I wear Aloha (Hawaiian) shirts most of the week and have most of my life. But it's also the culture I grew into. Laid back 🤙 - full of aloha, food, naps and slipper throwing.
Look like a tourist wherever I go.
Watching MASH or Hawaii Five-O, even Magnum, PI told me there's no reason to change that aspect of life.
MAKLNE@reddit
Flannel for cool weather, Aloha for warm.
ONROSREPUS@reddit
I have one that my wife bought me from old navy. I wear it once in a while but I don't like collared shirts on the weekend.