{"id":4487,"date":"2023-01-29T18:20:09","date_gmt":"2023-01-29T23:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/?p=4487"},"modified":"2024-10-10T15:32:29","modified_gmt":"2024-10-10T19:32:29","slug":"the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\/","title":{"rendered":"The Aloha Shirt: History and Style"},"content":{"rendered":"

The origins of the Aloha shirt<\/span> can be traced <\/span>back <\/span>to <\/span>1920s and early 1930s<\/span> Hawaii<\/span>. <\/span>It was<\/span> inspired by and <\/span>first<\/span> made out of Japanese <\/span>work <\/span>kimono fabrics<\/span>, and took the name<\/span> \u201cAloha\u201d<\/span> from the propensity of the 1930s public to add that tag to anything that originated in Hawaii. The <\/span>Aloha shirt gained popularity during the Great Depression, <\/span>as it represented<\/span> the<\/span> idyllic,<\/span> carefree, untroubled<\/span> life <\/span>people <\/span>longed<\/span> to <\/span>be living at the time<\/span>. Since then, the Aloha shirt <\/span>has <\/span>evolved as a <\/span>warm-weather <\/span>fashion statement, and to this day evokes the same cool, laidback look we still <\/span>aim<\/span> to <\/span>capture<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"aloha

A colorful Aloha shirt with a traditional print.<\/p><\/div>\n

How to Design Your Aloha Shirt<\/h2>\n

Choosing a Fabric<\/h3>\n

Today\u2019s Aloha shirts are generally <\/span>made <\/span>from<\/span> rayon<\/span>,<\/span> a cellulose fiber similar to <\/span>L<\/span>yocell, <\/span>T<\/span>encel<\/span>,<\/span> and bamboo<\/span>, but<\/span> you can recreate the <\/span>A<\/span>loha shirt look <\/span>with<\/span> just about any casual summer fabric and the right design details. Cotton and linen blends, pure linen, and seersucker are fair game, but a<\/span>void c<\/span>lassic dress shirt <\/span>fabrics <\/span>like<\/span> cotton <\/span>twills and royal oxfords<\/span>, as these will result in a more formal look<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

F<\/span>un prints<\/span> and bright colors<\/span> are a major defining feature of traditional Aloha shirts<\/span>. They often depict tropical scenes and ocean imagery, including anything from flowers and surfers to cocktails and tigers. <\/span>You can, however, try solids or stripes if you want to go a more subdued route. The right design details will help give a less vibrant fabric an<\/span> \u201cAloha\u201d<\/span> sensibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aloha Shirt Design Details<\/h2>\n

Camp Collar. <\/strong>The Camp Collar is the <\/span>quintessential casual collar<\/span>, often seen on short sleeve summer shirts. It<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s completely unfused <\/span>and has<\/span> no collar ban<\/span>d which gives it<\/span> a relaxed <\/span>lack of <\/span>structure. <\/span>In our Design-a-Shirt tool, selecting the Camp Collar <\/span>automatically <\/span>adds<\/span> a plain<\/span> \u201cno<\/span> placket\u201d <\/span>front<\/span> to <\/span>the shirt to <\/span>maintain <\/span>a<\/span> consistently casual <\/span>shirt design.<\/span><\/p>\n

Short Sleeves. <\/strong>S<\/span>hort sleeves <\/span>are the only way to go <\/span>for the classic Aloha shirt look.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pocket. <\/strong>A single l<\/span>eft chest pocket is the most classic<\/span> Aloha shirt style<\/span>. <\/span>It\u2019s also a g<\/span>reat place to put <\/span>those<\/span> sunglasses, cigars, <\/span>and <\/span>drink tickets<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Straight Hem. <\/strong>You\u2019ll want to opt for a straight hem if you plan on wearing your shirt untucked<\/span> (which<\/span> we recommend)<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Custom Shirt bottom hem styles and descriptions<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Coconut Buttons. <\/strong>Choose coconut buttons for <\/span>the <\/span>most authentic look, but feel free to have fun <\/span>with <\/span>other options<\/span>,<\/span> too<\/span>. Match a fabric with a blue ground with our Slate Horn buttons, or go luxe with Australian Mother of Pearl.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aloha

A relaxed-fit Aloha shirt, tucked into trousers.<\/p><\/div>\n

Achieving the Relaxed Fit<\/h2>\n

The Aloha shirt <\/span>r<\/span>e<\/span>presents a laidback sensibility<\/span>, and fit <\/span>is an integral part of that<\/span>. <\/span>The<\/span> midsection of th<\/span>e shirt <\/span>should not be <\/span>much smaller than <\/span>the<\/span> chest width<\/span>, <\/span>so <\/span>as to avoid <\/span>the more formal<\/span> \u201c<\/span>hourglass<\/span>\u201d<\/span> silhouette<\/span> typical of business shirts<\/span>.<\/span> For example, if your shirt’s chest width measures 20″, a midsection width of no less than 18.5″ would work nicely. We also <\/span>recommend looser sleeves, as fitted ones won\u2019t offer an easygoing look<\/span>. <\/span>Overall, k<\/span>eep the <\/span>fit<\/span> loose and comfortable<\/span> to give your Aloha shirt the relaxed, <\/span>on-a-beach-somewhere vibe<\/span> it\u2019s best known for<\/span>. Tips for creating a custom short sleeve shirt size<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"aloha

An Aloha shirt styled with a casual suit.<\/p><\/div>\n

How to Wear the Aloha Shirt<\/h2>\n

How many buttons should be left unbuttoned? <\/strong>To keep with the casual, laidback look, we recommend wearing 1-2 buttons open below the collar. How low you go is primarily personal preference, and depends on how relaxed you want to look. <\/span>Generally<\/span>,<\/span> the collar<\/span> button and loop<\/span> on the Camp Collar<\/span> is <\/span>simply<\/span> for show and should never be buttoned<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tucked or untucked? <\/strong>The shirt is m<\/span>ost<\/span> commonly worn u<\/span>ntucked<\/span>, especially<\/span> with shorts<\/span>, casual pants, or a <\/span>swimsuit<\/span>. It pairs well with l<\/span>inen<\/span> and<\/span> vintage <\/span>denim in particular<\/span>. <\/span>You can certainly wear your Aloha shirt tucked in\u2014preferably with<\/span> linen or cotton trousers<\/span> or unstructured suiting\u2014<\/span>for a smarter<\/span> summer<\/span> look.<\/span><\/p>\n

This iconic shirt has such a presence in style that even the Smithsonian<\/a> did a write-up. No matter how you rock it – or where – this breezy, legendary garment has a spot in almost any wardrobe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The origins of the Aloha shirt can be traced back to 1920s and early 1930s Hawaii. It was inspired by and first made out of Japanese work kimono fabrics, and took the name \u201cAloha\u201d from the … Read →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1013,1010,30],"tags":[],"prod-type_taxonomy":[],"class_list":["post-4487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-casual-wear","category-shirts","category-style"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Aloha Shirt: History and Style - Proper Cloth Help<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the story behind the iconic Aloha shirt. Learn about its origins in Hawaii and how it evolved into a symbol of laidback style.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Aloha Shirt: History and Style\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover the story behind the iconic Aloha shirt. Learn about its origins in Hawaii and how it evolved into a symbol of laidback style.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Proper Cloth Help\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/propercloth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-01-29T23:20:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-10-10T19:32:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Q-aloha-shirt-2.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Carolyn Spalding\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Carolyn Spalding\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/45ac95b0d6b3e8e579ae593a5d059a05\"},\"headline\":\"The Aloha Shirt: History and Style\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-29T23:20:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-10-10T19:32:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":747,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/Q-aloha-shirt-2.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Casual Wear\",\"Shirts\",\"Style Advice\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Aloha Shirt: History and Style - Proper Cloth Help\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/Q-aloha-shirt-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-29T23:20:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-10-10T19:32:29+00:00\",\"description\":\"Discover the story behind the iconic Aloha shirt. Learn about its origins in Hawaii and how it evolved into a symbol of laidback style.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/Q-aloha-shirt-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/Q-aloha-shirt-2.jpg\",\"width\":624,\"height\":676,\"caption\":\"A colorful Aloha shirt with a traditional print.\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/\",\"name\":\"Proper Cloth Help\",\"description\":\"Custom Clothing Expertise\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Proper Cloth\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/logo.png\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":540,\"caption\":\"Proper Cloth\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/propercloth\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/propercloth\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/propercloth\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propercloth.com\\\/reference\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/45ac95b0d6b3e8e579ae593a5d059a05\",\"name\":\"Carolyn Spalding\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Aloha Shirt: History and Style - Proper Cloth Help","description":"Discover the story behind the iconic Aloha shirt. Learn about its origins in Hawaii and how it evolved into a symbol of laidback style.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Aloha Shirt: History and Style","og_description":"Discover the story behind the iconic Aloha shirt. Learn about its origins in Hawaii and how it evolved into a symbol of laidback style.","og_url":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\/","og_site_name":"Proper Cloth Help","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/propercloth","article_published_time":"2023-01-29T23:20:09+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-10-10T19:32:29+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Q-aloha-shirt-2.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Carolyn Spalding","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\/"},"author":{"name":"Carolyn Spalding","@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/#\/schema\/person\/45ac95b0d6b3e8e579ae593a5d059a05"},"headline":"The Aloha Shirt: History and Style","datePublished":"2023-01-29T23:20:09+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-10T19:32:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\/"},"wordCount":747,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Q-aloha-shirt-2.jpg","articleSection":["Casual Wear","Shirts","Style Advice"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\/","url":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\/","name":"The Aloha Shirt: History and Style - Proper Cloth Help","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Q-aloha-shirt-2.jpg","datePublished":"2023-01-29T23:20:09+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-10T19:32:29+00:00","description":"Discover the story behind the iconic Aloha shirt. Learn about its origins in Hawaii and how it evolved into a symbol of laidback style.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/the-aloha-shirt-history-and-style\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Q-aloha-shirt-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Q-aloha-shirt-2.jpg","width":624,"height":676,"caption":"A colorful Aloha shirt with a traditional print."},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/#website","url":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/","name":"Proper Cloth Help","description":"Custom Clothing Expertise","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/#organization","name":"Proper Cloth","url":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/logo.png","width":1000,"height":540,"caption":"Proper Cloth"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/propercloth","https:\/\/x.com\/propercloth","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/propercloth"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/#\/schema\/person\/45ac95b0d6b3e8e579ae593a5d059a05","name":"Carolyn Spalding"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4487"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4487\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8890,"href":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4487\/revisions\/8890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4487"},{"taxonomy":"prod-type_taxonomy","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propercloth.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/prod-type_taxonomy?post=4487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}