Royal Hawaiian Shirt

I picked up this lovely shirt by Royal Hawaiian at a vintage clothing store. I found it right as the store was closing, so I only had a chance to give it a cursory inspection. Aside from one mismatched button, the shirt seemed to be in good shape until I got it home. Upon closer look, I realized the shirt once had a collar loop that was now gone. >:-(

In fact both the collar loop and the corresponding button were removed at some point. You can still see the remaining button threads under the collar. Maybe somebody wanted to streamline the look of the shirt? Didn't like the loop? Or perhaps the button came off and the previous owner decided to just cut off the loop rather than replace the button? Who knows. But otherwise, the shirt is in quite good condition. 

The shirt itself is barkcloth with five vertical button holes, large-sized Asian buttons, and it is really large - like an XXXL in modern day sizing. Most shirts of this period have four button holes, so I wonder if the extra large size required an additional button. The shirt has a triangular, loop-style label that reads "Royal Hawaiian - Made and Styled in Hawaii". The fabric is printed with "G.V.H. Hawaiianprints" on the seam.

A curious thing about the buttons. The original buttons are a bit large at 1.5 cm in diameter. Asian-style buttons on other shirts I have come in at around 1.2 cm. The replacement button is quite small in comparison, but is Asian style. I don't think I've ever seen Hawaiian shirt-styled Asian buttons for sale on the mainland, so this leaves me to speculate if the replacement button was sewn on in Hawaii(?).

Original button on left, replacement button on right.

Royal Hawaiian

Royal Hawaiian was founded in 1937 by Max Lewis, and the factory was located on Beretania Street. In 1947 Royal Hawaiian was acquired by Watumull and moved to their location at 1166 Fort Street. From what I gather, Watumull continued to manufacture clothing under the Royal Hawaiian label, although I do not know for how long. Watumull also sold clothing (including Hawaiian shirts) under the Watumull label as well.

Royal Hawaiian used at least two different designs for their label. The shirt I have has a variant of the Royal Seal of Hawaii (a similar seal was used for Duke Kahanamoku labels). There is another version that has palm trees in front of a beach with islands in the background.

Royal Hawaiian label with a stylized version of the Hawaiian Royal Seal.

All of Royal Hawaiian's clothing was sold at Watumull's East India Stores. By the mid 1960s Watumull had at least several retail locations throughout Hawaii. However, it appears these stores only offered clothing under the Watumull label.

Watumull's East India Store, from the 3 June 1937 edition of the Honolulu-Advertiser.

G.V.H. Hawaiiprint

I wasn't able to find much about G.V.H. Hawaiiprints. I did a search and found this company sold Hawaiian print fabrics in bolts and you can find vendors on Etsy and Ebay offering fabrics under the GVH Hawaiiprints name. I also found another Hawaiian shirt with a similar print to my shirt, but has a Made in Hawaii label. Whether Royal Hawaiian made this shirt under the Made in Hawaii label, or G.V.H. sold similar fabric to another manufacturer is unknown.

Hawaiian Shirt Print Styles

The great variety of designs are one of the things that makes Hawaiian shirts so interesting. There are thousands of different styles out there and you are bound to encounter designs that you will like and you will dislike. But despite the apparent chaos of the multitude of shirt designs, you can provide some organization to this apparent chaos. There are four basic pattern styles and five general print styles (which can be further broken down as desired).

Please note that a lot of books refer to "print" to indicate the general print layout of while I use the term "pattern". This is just my opinion, but I think pattern is a more descriptive term than print. To me, pattern refers to the general style of the design while print refers to the detail.

Pattern Style

Border Pattern
Border prints are shirts that have a vertically-oriented pattern. Many shirts of this type depict a contiguous border pattern that runs from the top of the shirt, down to the hem. The print may be solid lines, a string of flowers, bamboo, or anything that allows for an unbroken pattern. If you see an unbroken pattern running vertically down the shirt, that is a border print. 
 

Border Pattern (photo from Etsy)

Horizontal Pattern
Horizontal print shirts have a horizontal pattern that runs around the shirt, usually along the hem. The pattern may consist of just about anything, including solid lines, flowers, landscapes, etc. Some shirts may have vertical elements (e.g. a beach scene with palm trees sticking straight up), but these are not really border prints.

Horizontal Pattern (photo from Etsy)

All Over Pattern
As the name suggests, an All Over print has a print pattern that is distributed across the fabric, with no apparent pattern. Like all printed fabrics, there will be a repeat of the pattern after a certain point.

All Over Pattern (photo from Etsy)

Back Panel Pattern
Back Panel shirts dedicate the entire back of the shirt to a single design. These patterns seem to relatively rare. You find them more often with vintage shirts.

You can break down print styles to be as granular as you wish. Here are some higher-level style categories.

Back Panel Pattern (Photo from Vintage.Hawaiian-Shirt.net)

Print Style
You can break down print styles to be as granular as you wish. But here are some general print styles you will encounter. 

Hawaiian Motif
Hawaiian motifs are likely to be the most common patterns you will find. This style depicts any number of Hawaiian-specific themes including but not limited to tapa patterns, pineapples, flowers, bamboo, plants, tikis, etc. 

Photo Print
Photo prints are a print design that uses images of real places and people. Frequent motifs are Waikiki beach, Diamond Head, Hawaiian royalty (e.g. King Kalakaua), etc.. The images do not have to be literal photos and may include artworks of places and people.


Animal Motif
You will encounter shirts that have prints of fish, birds, even dragons. A lot of these designs are inspired by fauna that live in and around the Hawaiian Islands, although others have their origins in the Asian-origins of Hawaiian shirts (see more under Asian Motif).

Asian Motif
It is generally believed Hawaiian shirts originated in Asian tailor shops in Honolulu's Chinatown. The theory is that some tailors used surplus kimono fabric to fabricate the very first shirts. This fabric of had distinctly Asian themes (which may fall into one of the above print styles), and carried over as a common style in later shirts. You can find Hawaiian shirts with cranes, tigers, carp, Mount Fuji, etc. 

Other
An assortment of other styles exist including cocktails and tiki mugs. Hot rods seem to be styles more common on newer shirts. I've even seen football logos and Christian religious scenes. Whether these could be classified as "Hawaiian shirt styles" is debatable. I resist classifying any loud item of clothing as a "Hawaiian shirt", but I do realize this is how that term is used.

Hawaiian Shirt Hat Trick - Surf Line, Kona Kai Jantzen, and Sears Hawaiian Fashions

Christmas ended up happening on April Fool's Day for me, when I found three vintage Hawaiian shirts in a 2nd hand shop. This is the biggest single day, single location haul I've had so far.

Surf Line Hawaii

As I approached the clothing rack, one shirt jumped out. I've learned vintage shirts tend to have a richer color than new shirts - not brighter mind you, richer. I reached for this first and pulled out a dark blue and red shirt by Surf Line Hawaii. This item has four wooden buttons, vertical button holes, a collar loop, and a matching pocket. The shirt is made out of an unusual type of cotton. It is fairly coarse and heavy but it isn't broadcloth. The label is fully sewn in and there is also a fabric care tag (not a full label) on the inside of the left seam.

At first I wasn't able to find out much about Surf Line. The label didn't appear in any of my reference books but this brand does come up in some online stores. My shirt has a yellow script that reads "Surf Line" and Hawaii in blue block letters. The only decoration are stylized waves between the two lines of text. I came across a Surf Line for Liberty House shirt for sale that used a somewhat revised label design. There is also another label that reads Jam's Surf Line Hawaii, again using the same design as in my shirt, but with the "Jam's " name added. After a bit more searching, it all fell into place.

Surf Line started off as a surf shop located on Piikoi street in 1964. The owner was famous surfer Dave Rochlen. He began manufacturing clothing under the Surf Line name and they used the product name Jam's at least as early as 1965. Jam's clothing was originally inspired by loose fitting pajamas (pajamas, jammies, jams... get it?). The company is still in business today making all sorts of Hawaiian and surfer clothing.

So this brings up the interesting question of when this shirt was made. The four buttons are a telltale hint that the shirt is at least 1960s to 1970s (but obviously not earlier than 1964). The label itself appears to be made out of cotton and has an embroidery that seems to be 1960s. The cut and manufacturing almost seems like it is handmade, which could go counter to Surf Line Jam's later, large scale production. So taking everything into account, I would date this mid-1960s. Also, since Surf Line started out as a true surfer-oriented business, this might account for the heavyweight fabric of the shirt - the shirt needed to be rugged enough to stand up to frequent surf trips.

Kona*Kai Jantzen

The second shirt I picked off the rack was a beautiful green Kona Kai Jantzen, and it is my favorite of the three. The shirt is a soft cotton with five buttons, vertical button holes, fabric care label, and no collar loop. Jantzen started off as a swimwear company in 1916 and became well known for their logo of a bathing suit-clad girl in a diving pose. Jantzen later expanded to make an assortment of sportswear and ladies foundation garments. Jantzen also manufactured Hawaiian shirts but sorting out the details takes some explaining.

In 1950 Jantzen acquired a Hawaiian clothing manufacturer called Nani Sportswear. They sold clothing under the Nani label until 1964 when that name was retired. Jantzen also sold Hawaiian shirts under their standard brand. These shirts had a label that said "Jantzen" and had the diving girl, all surrounded by a stylized border. I wasn't able to conclusively determine when this label style was used, or if clothing under the Jantzen name was manufactured by Nani. 

Jantzen also sold clothing under the label Kona*Kai by Jantzen. It isn't clear if Kona*Kai was evolved from Nani or was just a name for a particular line of clothing. It does appear that Kona*Kai by Jantzen clothing was sold sometime between the latter 1960s into the 1970s. To complicate things further, there was a manufacturer called Kona Kai that made Hawaiian shirts for Sears. Kona Kai is a fairly popular name in Hawaii and I believe the brand and the manufacture are different.

Rather risque ad for Jantzen, circa 1960s.

I initially dated this shirt as 1970s due to the five buttons and the manufacture label that is stitched in on only one side (as opposed to being fully sewn in). But I've seen some online well known retailers date shirts with similar tags as 1960s. It does appear older but similar looking Kona*Kai Jantzen labels were fully sewn in, while later ones were sewn on only one edge. My guess is the shirt is from the latter 1960s to mid-1970s.

Sears Hawaiian Fashions

The last shirt is a barkcloth shirt with four buttons (one missing), vertical button holes, internal pocket, and collar loop. The shirt has a Sears Hawaiian Fashions label.

I have a creeping suspicion the buttons are not original to the shirt. The buttons are a smoke colored plastic type. Curiously the collar loop button is a mother-of-pearl color and doesn't match the front buttons. This may not normally be an issue since the collar loop button is not visible. But this button is sewn in with white thread while the front buttons are attached with black thread. Then again the factory that made the shirt may have just used standard thread/button color matching. It seems like extra work and cost, but maybe that is a reflection of quality work.

Sears sold Hawaiian shirts under a number of labels. Between the late 1940s to the early 1960s Sears sold shirts made by Burma Gold Handprints, Hoaloha, Kona Kai, and Lauhala. These shirts generally had a label that had the manufacturer name with something like "Made Exclusively for Sears". Sears ultimately had their own brand and I've seen labels that read "Sears Hawaii". 

Sears store in Honolulu

Whether Sears Hawaii is different than Sears Hawaiian Fashions is unclear but I believe they are the same. But both names used the orange and pink stylized flowers along with the Sears name.

Malikini for Liberty House Dresses

I found a lovely pair of vintage Hawaiian dresses, the second such find in three days. The dress are both from Malikini for Liberty House.

The first dress is a red and white pull-over dress. The second is a navy blue and white dress with a back zipper. The zipper is a nylon one. Both dresses have the same style of Malikini for Liberty House labels and they were obviously owned by the same person.

Red Malikini for Liberty House dress.

Blue Malikini for Liberty House dress.

 The labels seem to be of a more modern design than other Malikini labels I've seen. The stylized purple, black, and orange "M" is much more modern than the palm tree and hibiscus images seen on older labels. Both dresses are 100% polyester. So the zipper style, label design, and fabric strongly indicate a date of the 1970s.

Malikini Sportswear was founded just after World War Two and was located at 746 Ilaniwai Street in Honolulu. They opened a retail women's clothing store in the Moanalua Shopping Center in 1964. Liberty House was a retailer that began in the mid-1800s. By the mid-1960s there were three or four Liberty House stores in Hawaii. They expanded to the mainland in the early 1970s but encountered financial difficulties by the end of the decade. Liberty House was eventually acquired by the early 1980s.

Lauhala Dress

I recently came across this Asian style dress by Lauhala. The fabric is, unfortunately, all polyester. This particular dress is style 4128. The label says "over" but I didn't flip it to see the other side. A potential clue for more information about the dress?

The dress has a Mandarin style collar and interesting bat wing-style sleeves. This kind of sleeve seemed to be popular from at least the 1940s, although I haven't seen any contemporary dresses with this style. The front opening has an interesting decorative piece - not exactly a bow, but sort of like a stiff ribbon. I've seen this same style of decoration on a Hawaiian Togs dress.

I have a Lauhala shirt and I've seen a couple of Lauhala label styles, but I haven't seen this kind before. The label is larger and more elaborate than others I've seen, with two-color embroidery. Based on the more "modern" label and the polyester fabric, I would place this dress around the early to mid-1970s.

Lauhala started as a sportswear manufacturer in 1943. Their headquarters was at 1722 Kalakaua Avenue and subsequently opened another in Hanapepe around 1965. 

A bit of trivia regarding the name of the company. The plant embroidered on the label is a Pandanus. This plant looks sort of like a cross between a palm and a mangrove and it has a fruit that looks somewhat like a pineapple. Lauhala is the Hawaiian word for Pandanus leaves used in weaving.

Master Book of Hawaiian Shirt

If you can read Japanese, then you are in luck. Master Book of Hawaiian Shirt is probably the best and most comprehensive book on vintage Hawaiian shirts that I've come across so far.

This book is a soup-to-nuts assessment of Hawaiian shirt history, design, and manufacturing. You will find photos and text discussing:

• Hawaiian shirt history
• Fabrics
• Buttons
• Labels
• Individual designers (with photos of the designers as well as samples of their shirts)
• Manufacturing
• Prints and print styles
• Collectors

The book delves fairly deep into teach of the topics, so this isn't just a picture book but one that is chock full of real information. The trick is, of course, is that it is all in Japanese.

There is a book called Aloha Style: Master Book of Hawaiian Shirt 2. I don't know if this is a follow-up book or possibly a rebranded version of the original. Either way, this book is worth having.

Desmond's of Southern California by Kahala shirt

Ok, I scored my first vintage silkie yesterday. I went to a 2nd hand shop and hit the racks. The second or third shirt I checked had a telltale vintage label:

Desmond's of Southern California

by Kahala

All Silk

M

Since I was still in the store, I had to suppress my shout of joy until I paid for my purchase and left. I did take a look at the shirt before buying it and noticed there were some condition issues in that the fabric was separating in the right armpit location, but was in otherwise in good shape. Four coconut shell buttons, vertical button holes and, at first, it didn't appear to have a collar loop.

The vertical blue strips to the left and right of the button line looks sort of like palm tree trunks.

When I got this beauty home I took a closer look. The fabric separation was occurring in two areas under the right sleeve. The separation is very close to the seam where the sleeve attaches to the body of the shirt, but it isn't on the seam itself. The separations are in a place that normal hanging on a hanger doesn't put any undo strain on them. One good thing is that the separations are not visible when the shirt is being worn. This could be sewn up without being seen, but I am not going to do anything at the moment.

The print is stylized and somewhat abstract. So there is nothing obviously Hawaiian about it at first - no palm trees, no fish, no waves, etc. But after looking at the shirt a bit more, I see what might be elements of tropical design. Palm trunks and palm fronds? The color palette consists of red, blue, black, white, and grey. Pretty conservative compared to the strong colors of shirts from the 1960s.

Upon closer examination, I found a button for a collar loop. When I first looked at the shirt in the store, I didn't see a collar loop. But after a bit of searching I found the loop. In the other Hawaiian shirts I own, the loops are prominent and made out of fabric. On this shirt, the loop was made out of reinforced thread and it lay flat. So it almost looked like a bit of stiching and was nearly invisible. Is this typical of older shirts? 

The collar loop is nearly invisible.

The label is, of course, the biggest source of information about the shirt. Desmond's of Southern California was a clothing retailer in the Los Angeles area that was founded in 1862 and operated until being sold in 1981. At one point Desmond's had 19 locations throughout California. 

Desmond's of Southern California existed from 1862 to 1981.

 I checked several reference books and found a few different designs of labels for Desmond's. One version has an outrigger and another has a palm tree. The label on my shirt has text and a wave pattern. I checked Hana Shirt Company and they have a couple of shirts from Desmond's, one shirt dated 1950s had the outrigger. But they also have a NFS rayon shirt with a label that appears to be similar to mine, and this was dated 1940s. 

The "All Silk" label is in script font.

 The shirt also has a second label that reads "All Silk". This term is a bit unusual in that modern clothing seems to use percentages, e.g. "100% silk" or some such thing. The label also has a size, "M". I recall but can't find an article about when letter sizing was introduced to clothing. IIRC clothing up to the 1950s used a ML (Medium/Large) size. 

The shirt itself was manufactured by the well known Kahala brand. Kahala made a lot of shirts for retailers and a common style of label on vintage Hawaiian shirts reads "Made for <Name of Retailer> by <Name of Manufacturer>".

Based on the information I've gathered on this shirt, I would date it to the late 1940s or, at the latest, the very early 1950s.