It is not unusual for a shirt to go on a hot streak for a month or two to become a top seller. Sometimes a shirt a shirt makes an appearance on a TV show or movie and people start looking for it. Other times a celebrity might be seen wearing it and people want to mimic that style. But the shirts that make end up making it onto our annual Top 10 list are usually the strong and consistent sellers. Here are our top ten best selling Hawaiian shirts of 2019.
Honorable Mention
For most of the year, this Midnight Bamboo shirt was a decent selling shirt. It doesn't scream Aloha like some other shirts. In fact, if you just saw someone wearing this shirt out and about, you might not even realize that it is an Aloha shirt. It just looks like a cool black shirt with a white design on it. But that changed dramatically after this shirt appeared on Magnum PI Season 2, Episode 8 which aired on on November 15. Since then, this shirt is actually the #2 seller on our website. But overall for 2019, it is somewhere around #25.
#10 White Hibiscus Panel (red)
This shirt has been popular for years. We think it is because of the simple yet bold layout and the rich color. You might think this shirt is popular only around Christmas but it is a steady seller throughout the year. This shirt along with the blue version are often picked for school or company outfits.
#9 Calla Lily (purple)
Back in the early 80s during the filming of the Magnum PI series, Tom Selleck visited the offices of Pacific Clothing, the manufacturer of this shirt. Usually, the wardrobe designer from the show would pick the shirts out for him to wear during filming. But on this occasion, Mr. Selleck himself visited the manufacturer and picked this shirt out himself. So when you see him wearing this shirt on the show or in promotional pics, you know that this is one shirt that he chose himself. It is also rumored that this shirt will make an appearance sometime in Season 2 of the new Magnum PI.
#8 Tropic Shadow (navy)
This shirt has been a bit of a surprise because it is not as tropical and colorful as other shirts. It has a very understated look and also comes in white. Despite the popularity of this shirt, the manufacturer plans to discontinue the shirt after the current inventory of fabric is used up.
#7 Hula Moon
If you like the retro look of the vintage Aloha shirts of the 1930s and 40s, you'll appreciate this Hula Moon navy shirt. This Avanti shirt is made of very lightweight silk that flows very gracefully when you walk or stand in a gentle breeze. Jay Hernandez wore this shirt in Season 1 of the Magnum PI reboot.
#6 Bamboo Paradise (cream)
This popular Bamboo Paradise cream shirt is also available in black and navy. But it is this cream colored version that makes the list. It has nice Asian influence with bamboo designs in the print along with Bird of Paradise flowers.
#5 Wedding White Hibiscus Panel
This subtle white-on-white panel print is popular for weddings and has always been a strong seller. There aren't many all-white shirts out there so for people looking a white shirt, this shirt and a handful of others are the only options.
#4 Star Orchid (black) Magnum PI
Tom Selleck wore this shirt in the original Magnum PI series. According to Tim Smith of Pacific Clothing, the manufacturer of this shirt, the initial version differed slightly in that the orchids were bunched closer together. It also came in 7 different colors. When they tweaked the design by spreading the flowers apart slightly, the shirt became more popular. It has had the same design ever since. Jay Hernandez was seen wearing this shirt in Instagram promos for the new Magnum PI so it will likely make an appearance sometime in Season 2.
#3 Bamboo Garden (black and navy tied)
These two shirts are very popular as company uniforms. They have just enough design to give a Asian/Tropical vibe but subtle enough to look professional, especially in the visitor and hospitality industries. It also comes in a striking white version which is sold out until sometime early to middle of next year.
#2 Magnum PI (black)
If this shirt looks familiar to you, it is because this is the black version of the original Magnum PI shirt that Tom Selleck wore and that is also in the Smithsonian. Some people prefer this version over the red one and it is a little bit easier to match with whatever you want to wear. When shirts come in different colors, like red, black, blue, green, etc, usually the black and blue versions are the most popular. It has been rumored that the wardrobe people from the new Magnum PI have purchased this shirt and that Jay Hernandez will wear it sometime in Season 2.
#1 Magnum PI (red)
It should come as no surprise that this original "Jungle Bird" print shirt is the number one shirt of 2019. Tom Selleck made this shirt famous on Magnum PI. In fact it became so iconic and associated with his character that it is included in the Smithsonian. This shirt has made appearances on many TV shows and movies worn by other people over the years. In fact, Jay Hernandez also wore this shirt on a recent episode of Magnum PI. With both Tom Selleck and Jay Hernandez wearing this shirt on Magnum PI, this shirt is cemented as THE Magnum PI shirt.
