ALOHA SHIRTS Some background
Late 1920s: Hawaii, which already had a rich history in the fabric and garment industry, was the birthplace of the aloha shirt. Students and local residents began wearing loose, flowery, colorful shirts. The first were made of the same material used for Japanese kimonos.
1930s through 1950s: Considered the golden age for aloha shirts, the Hawaiian garment industry sold creations to tourists and movie stars.
World War II: The war prevented importing fabrics and tourism slowed in Hawaii, but it did make the shirts more famous in the rest of the United States when soldiers brought them home.
1947: Honolulu city and county employees were allowed to wear aloha shirts to work. This led to a long push in the state to allow people to wear aloha shirts to work to promote the state's clothing industry. Today, there is Aloha Friday and Aloha summer, when business people don the shirts.
1953: Montgomery Clift made the aloha shirt he wore in the death scene of "From Here to Eternity" famous. The shirt from Cisco Casuals' Duke Kahanamoku collection had a dark background, coconut trees and mountains. On vintage collector Web sites, the shirt is referred to as the famous Montgomery Clift death scene shirt.
1960s: Shirt patterns depicting carefree island life began to change to reflect changes in society. The reversed shirt was first sold at Reyn's, a menswear store in Hawaii.
1980s: The shirt was made popular again by the TV show "Magnum P.I.," starring Tom Selleck.
Today: The shirt is seeing a resurgence again and can be found in department stores, specialty shops and via the Internet.