The symbol of the tiki wave
Fashion is an eternal do-over. It’s the return of a cult item, as much adored as hated: the short sleeve shirt. Not so long ago, the shirt was at the height of bad taste, but today it is proving to be an indispensable piece. How did the shirt go from being old-fashioned to trendy? When we think about the shirt, we remember Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie “Romeo and Juliet”, Tom Selleck in “Magnum” or Charlie Sheen in “My Uncle Charlie”. Whether colorful, patterned or floral, the short-sleeved shirt is back. It echoes relaxation and holidays.
The shirt, like the bob, has long been considered old-fashioned or tasteless, yet it is a classic in the men’s wardrobe. A must-have alternative to the t-shirt for the summer season.
The shirt of the Japanese migrants in Hawaii
The origins of the Hawaiian shirt date back to the late 19th century, when Japanese migrants came to help the Hawaiians in the sugar cane fields. They used to work shirtless, which shocked the Christian missionaries and forced them to wear a cotton shirt called “palaka” with local flowers and decorations on the kimonos. The first shirt would have appeared around 1905, in the shop of a Japanese immigrant made with kimono fabric.
It wasn’t until the 1930s that tourists took her back to the United States across the ocean. The Hawaiian shirt was brought into fashion by Elvis Presley in the 1960s with the film “Blue Hawaii” before it was worn by the big names in the American series of the 1990s, including James Gandolfini in the cult series “The Sopranos”.
How to wear the shirt properly?
If you want to wear a patterned shirt, it is best to wear plain trousers or shorts to avoid the optical illusion effect. You can wear it open or closed as you wish, but you must absolutely avoid undersizing the shirt, quite the contrary. Otherwise it’s not cool at all. The shark-neck shirt fits perfectly over a nice basic white t-shirt. Then of course, we will have a remark from the brother-in-law sucks, who still wears his tight T-shirt and his ridiculous slim chino when it’s 35°, but no matter, the idea of the shirt is mainly to have fun.
The shirt remains iconic and timeless
A must-have since the 80s
Tom Selleck in the “Magnum” series is without a doubt, the one who left the deepest imprint on the Hawaiian shirt. Well, we’re clearly not on our most modern reference, but in terms of capillarity we respect the man.
The main character, played by Leonardo Dicaprio, wears a shirt and a shirt again in the punk-modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy. Leo becomes an icon.
In “Las Vegas Parano”, Johnny Depp has a great hippie look. He anticipated the return of the patterned shirt, smokes in the cigarette holder and wears a bobsleigh. We’ve all had a time of narcotic drifts. Combined with Johnny Depp’s outfit and his cult movie, the funky “short sleeve shirt” makes us want to succumb to it.
In “The Soprano”, Tony Soprano alias James Gandolfini also wears shirts.
Charlie Sheen who is the lead actor in the series “Two and a half men” also wears his “bowling” shirt. Living in Malibu, he has no choice but to wear a shirt to seduce, stay young and enjoy the summer season.
By Sacha Ponot