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The 13 Best Hawaiian Shirts for Sharing the Aloha in Style
Transportive button-ups from Bode, Kapital, Ralph Lauren and more
Hollywood's unwavering support for the Hawaiian shirt – or the Aloha shirt, if we’re to go by its original name – should be respected. It has long espoused the divisive, striking, holiday-ready layer, reminding audiences that although it isn’t easy to pull off the shirt style, it isn't impossible, either.
The trick, according to style icons of the silver screen, is to commit to dressing it up or down. Pairing a Hawaiian shirt with smart trousers and leather shoes à la Tony Montana (Al Pacino in Scarface) offsets the fierceness of the look, whilst throwing one over a baby tee and rocking it with some boot cut jeans and casual boots à la Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) plays into its tawdry connotations, making for a winning sleaze chic ensemble.
As usual, this season’s collections are rife with Aloha shirts of varying levels of intensity, from the approachable to the ultra out-there. Wallflowers will feel most at ease in the shallow end where lightly decorated iterations offered by Gap and Ralph Lauren exist; live wires, on the other hand, should dive into high-risk territory where punchy takes from the likes of Amiri, Aries and AllSaints prevail.
Of course, there are plenty of knockout Hawaiian shirts available on the second-hand and resale markets, too – Goldsmith Vintage, for example, stocks legions of funky vintage Hawaiian shirts (many of which have a Lurhmann's Romeo + Juliet vibe about them), and GOAT is in possession of some knockout archive pieces inspired by the Polynesian archipelago.
We’ve listed the best of the bunch below in hopes that it’ll inspire your final selection. But before you set forth, one final piece of advice: never wear a Hawaiian shirt with jorts. Leave that to the Zante lads.
ERL
Venice beach outfit ERL bestows the Hawaiian shirt with the unruly attitude of its hometown through harsh hues and a sharp botanic pattern.
£198; mytheresa.com
Bode
Bode rips up the rulebook and delivers a delightfully practical Aloha overshirt made from a heavyweight jacquard and complete with long sleeves and pockets.
£1,674; farfetch.com
Gap
A super-easy-to-style Hawaiian shirt for those who thought they’d never wear one.
£27.99; zalando.co.uk
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren offers a sense of escapism through its postcard-adorned Hawaiian shirt that Selfridges recommends styling with cream trousers, sand-coloured Birkenstocks and, if you're feeling up to it, a khaki neckerchief.
£179; selfridges.com
Aries
Reminiscent of stressless days spent sky gazing, Aries’ adaptation of a Hawaiian shirt imagines a laid-back life in America's most paradisal state.
£175; endclothing.com
Represent
A boisterous shade of red is teamed with a floral logo pattern to indulge Represent’s high-spirited cult following.
£135; representclo.com
AllSaints
AllSaints incorporates black into its Aloha shirt, resulting in a seasonless button-up that imagines the nocturnal side of island life.
£119; allsaints.com
Tombolo
Since its 2018 inception, Tombolo has been busy perfecting the Hawaiian shirt. Its Mar di Gras shirt – a tencel piece finished with a fun print inspired by a 20th Century Swedish tapestry – demonstrates that it’s been time well spent.
$128; tombolocompany.com
Goldsmith Vintage
There’s a Hawaiian shirt for everyone available at Goldsmith Vintage, and it’s this blue Pineapple Connection piece that’s calling our name.
£34.95; goldsmithvintage.com
Kapital
Kapital employs a boxy relaxed fit and a tasteful combination of black and pastel turquoise to elevate the Hawaiian shirt for its au courant clientele.
£410; mrporter.com
Amiri
In Mike Amiri’s world, Hawaiian shirts are sheeny and elaborate, and are just as ready for pool parties in Vegas as they are for beachside relaxation in Honolulu.
£790; mrporter.com
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