One of the outdated Hawaiian shirt stereotypes is a clueless dad on vacation at the beach for the first time in five years with pasty white legs covered in sunscreen.
Hawaiian shirts and fathers are sometimes associated with one another when the intent is to emphasize lack of fashion savviness. Really, though, Hawaiian shirts have been fashionable in decades past and have come back in style.
Father’s Day is a great reason to buy your dad Hawaiian shirts that are fashionable and dispel the stereotype. Here’s a look at 10 of the best Father’s Day shirts ideas, Hawaiian style:
1. A premium rayon Hawaiian shirt
This fabric is more breathable than polyester or acrylic, so it’s comfortable in the kind of warm weather that will make your dad want to pull a Hawaiian shirt out of his closet. We like the bold simplicity of this Paradise Jungle rayon shirt.
2. A retro print Hawaiian shirt
If you were born in the last 40 years, you might think retro is Thomas Magnum of the 1980s Magnum PI TV show. In the history of Hawaiian shirts, though, retro and vintage refers to the 1960s and before, when the shirts were mostly an island phenomenon that hadn’t become mainstream. Think Don Ho belting out “Tiny Bubbles,” or Frank Sinatra in “From Here to Eternity.” We love the vintage-inspired artwork in this retro Hula Hawaiian shirt.
3. An all-over print Hawaiian shirt
This is the most popular form of Hawaiian apparel. These shirts have a base color and simple pattern that covers repeats over the whole shirt. Popular patterns include palms trees, flamingos, pineapples and flowers like this Floral Garden shirt pictured below.
4. An all-over print Hawaiian shirt with broader themes
Not every Hawaiian shirt is inspired by themes uniquely or strongly Hawaiian. You often find these in all-over print shirts. Examples include patterns of vinyl records, guitars and music notes or Christmas trees and ornaments. One of our favorite shirts for dads and guys in general is this cool Beer Blast shirt.
5. An engineered or border-style print shirt
Technology has allowed these once-luxury shirts that required extensive tailoring to be produced for far less money. Now they just look expensive, as the beginning and end of the design cannot be found through the repeated pattern. Some designs are breathtaking in their clarity and detail, and the pattern catches eyes from a mile away. This Shark Storm shirt is always a popular gift item and is one of our top sellers.
6. A scenic print Hawaiian shirt
This comes to mind for many people who think “dad Hawaiian shirts.” Some would call it “loud.” We’d call it colorful and fun. A single print is repeated all over the front, back and sleeves with a contrasting background. Prints include palm trees or scenes from beaches. At Aloha FunWear, the same prints can be found with different background colors. When it comes to all-over scenic print shirts, this Diamond Head Sunset shirt has proven to be a consistently popular over the years.
7. A panel print Hawaiian shirt
Panel print shirts have vertical design elements which can have a slimming effect when you wear it. They're also less common than the all over print or border designs which makes these a little more interesting to look at. Right now, the shirt we'd recommend is the Manoa Garden shirt.
8 & 9. Shirts from the Original Magnum P.I.
Very few things have done more for the popularity and cool factor of Hawaiian shirts than the Magnum P.I. TV program in the 1980s. Tom Selleck starred as private investigator Thomas Magnum and looked good doing it. Selleck wore several styles on the show, the most popular being the red “Jungle bird” shirt. If you bought only one shirt from the original Magnum PI show, hands down it would have to be the "Jungle Bird" Magnum PI Hawaiian shirt.
If your dad doesn't really like wearing red, there is a black version of that shirt that we really like. But for something a bit different, there is another super popular Magnum PI shirt. Over the years, the second most popular Magnum PI shirt is this Magnum Orchid (aka Star Orchid) shirt.
10. Shirts from the New Magnum P.I.
Fashion trends move fast, but you know your Hawaiian shirt is in style when it’s been recently chosen by fashion consultants for a new TV program about a hip, tough private investigator. Magnum P.I., the remake, is on the air with updated plots — and an updated look. The first Hawaiian shirt Magnum wore on the new show was an awesome looking red one, which we love. But the shirt that has proven to be most popular from that show is the retro Hula Moon shirt.
