Aloha may mean hi, hello, love, but nothing translates the warm grand groundswell of emotion felt when you say "aloha" or express it in some form or another. It's like a mini-orgasm of the heart. Maybe it's felt in Israel when one says shalom, but I can't vouch for that because I have never grown up there, nor have I felt the magic of having someone make something for me and give it to me from their hands and heart while simply saying "shalom." I have had it happen with "aloha." And it's a feeling you don't forget and one that you want to give to others. It's contagious in a good way --
Maybe that's why I love the "aloha shirt." The aloha shirt is something that lifts my heart and says, "Hi, hello, love," and does so with a relaxing way that invites people to look at the images of ukuleles, hula girls, palm trees and other icons that represent Hawaii and other images of our 50th United State that are beautiful and speak of paradise and grace these fun wardrobe pieces.
Surprisingly, the aloha shirt is not that much older than the aloha state! It is only 25 years older to be exact and was developed almost by necessity after so many suits may have been stuffy and too hot for tropical temperatures. With the kimonos coming in from Japan, the silks from China, the tapa prints of Hawaii and the oppressively hot shirts of the West, the aloha shirt was born as the elements came together in a shirt created by necessity that just happened to catch on like wild sugarcane fire! The only caveat? it's not to be tucked in.
Some of the prints are works of art and involve dragons, pineapples, pin-ups and are collected the world over. Donning an aloha shirt, man or woman, immediately puts the wearer in a Hawaii state of mind. Today, shirts are collected to the tune of thousands of dollars!
I started collecting aloha shirts as a child and they were teeny tiny little ones, just like me, had coconut buttons, (as the authentic ones should) with brand names you just had to own!
It became a custom in my house to buy them for my brother, Rusty as he grew from child to lifeguard to college professor and my father, as he went from businessman wearing them on weekends to retired and wearing them daily with prints that boasted as many as seven colors. Living in aloha shirts usually motivates the wearer to choose a less is more color scheme of two or three colors. Or so I've noticed. And lots of locals in Hawaii love the muted shades of the fabric turned inside out.
When you put on an aloha shirt, you are making a statement, "I am relaxed. I am aloha. I am the islands. I embody the aloha spirit. I brake for animals. I will let you into my lane in traffic." And so it goes...the aloha shirt is as American...well...as America!
It's quite a bit different than "heroin chic" where you hope no dead bodies are going to fall upon you in the desire to exit world. People in aloha shirts embrace the world and the aloha spirit and are happy to see the sun rise and set and are happy that they will be around to welcome a new day! They are glass half full people and as an optimist myself, I like positive people because they reflect my positive spirit!
Photo: Patricia Rust
Aloha spirit is pro-active; it is "paying it forward." It is doing from the heart, no questions asked, nothing asked for in return. It is unconditional love for a stranger. It is positively positive. It is helping those with a broken down car or whatever is in front of you.
Aloha attire for women means flowing flowery dresses which have the same effect as the aloha shirt. Or, women can wear the aloha shirt as well. It's the fabric with its iconic designs and colors that set the stage for the aloha spirit. Aloha spirit is a state of mind. Once you get it, you get it and you can have it in your heart ALL THE TIME! You could be in prison irons and an orange jump suit and still have it. But if you are practicing aloha, you would never be in leg irons and an orange jump suit because you would be giving love and goodness and not breaking the law!
So, as you party through the holiday, celebrating our nation's birthday, please think about and remember the aloha spirit and what it means to carry it in your heart. Think about the feeling of giving love to others and how wonderful that makes you feel. Nothing else feels better for your heart. Consider it heart healthy, too!
Say aloha to aloha. And if you have to don an aloha shirt to get you there, do it! Just don't tuck your shirt in!