The Aloha Shirt book

As it turned out, I already had Dale Hope's book The Aloha Shirt sitting on my bookshelf when I started collecting vintage Aloha shirts. I don't recall when I bought it or how long it sat there collecting dust. But this book turned out to be a great reference to learn about the history and evolution of Hawaiian shirts.

The bulk of the book is to relate the chronology of Aloha shirts, from its roots in early Polynesian culture to the present day. Hope discusses the somewhat murky origins of the shirts, going from the palaka, to the early tailors in Chinatown that were the source of the first recognizable Aloha shirts. He goes on to discuss the evolution of the shirts from a largely island phenomena to an internationally recognized fashion style.

For the collector, there are numerous photos of vintage shirts from the early days, some labels, and perhaps in some sort of meta-reference, a discussion of collectors. If you are looking for a reference book on collecting shirts, this probably won't be for you. But I do think this book is a must for anybody interested learning about the history and nature of the Hawaiian shirt. Highly recommended to have on your bookshelf.