Ugly Hawaiian Shirt for the Win!

 

Its hard to believe that I have not wrote anything for almost 2 years! Whats even harder to believe is that it wasn't for lack of something to write about, I mean I am literally surrounded by bins with thousands of Hawaiian shirts and enough Hawaiian print material to make your head spin. 

So your probably looking at the shirt in this post and saying "what the hell is that?" well truth be told its one of our most popular shirts. When you manufacture Hawaiian shirts, you lay down layers of the same material, set the patterns and then take a special fabric saw to them.  

But as you can guess these ugly Hawaiian shirts are not made that way (people win ugly Hawaiian shirt contests with these). We simply grab the closest rolls and lay them out without ever giving consideration to them being the same. Then they are bundled up and sent to sewing, and they are assembled without any regard for the prints looking good once sewn together. Irma our seamstress hates the whole idea because she is a perfectionist. Alas I remind her that she gets the same pay and doesn't have to match pockets, her most dreaded task. Irma has been with us for almost 16 years now and is one of the best employees you could ever have. 

I am looking at this long list of tasks to complete before the year ends and wondering if I will even get half of it done. I also need to do some purchasing for next year, as well as finish up some new garments that we are adding to our line. One in particular is a retro print with hula girls etc. Its navy blue and really slick looking. Hopefully its the next shirt I write about. Aloha

Piles of Colorful, Yet Ugly, Hawaiian Shirts

Pile of ugly Hawaiian shirts

When we say nothing will match on a ugly Hawaiian shirt from Wave Shoppe, we really mean it. Pictured above is a random shot of shirts getting ready for a final round of quality control before packaging.

In this last phase of QC we remove any loose threads that may have been missed by sewing and then we fully button all of the shirts to ensure that all of the buttons are secure, and that the button holes are properly cut. Once that's been completed the ugly Hawaiian shirts get placed in sealed polypropylene packaging, which protects the shirts during storage and shipping.

Our customers love these shirts, some have purchased as many as 3 just for themselves. They are awesome shirts to wear while BBQing and they are often purchased for use as retirement and birthday gifts. Of course if these shirts are a little too extreme for you, have a look at our more traditional line of mens Hawaiian shirts that are made in the USA

These garments are made from a mix of traditional and sometimes whimsical Hawaiian designs and every once in a while a sprinkle of something patriotic, like American flag material. As fabrics are retired we replace them with something new, which is then added to the fabric inventory that we use to make these extra ugly Hawaiian shirts. This way the shirts can evolve naturally, expect overall designs to change by as much as 50% in as little as 6 months.

Mahalo

Men's Hawaiian Threads

This is the time of year that we start a review of sort on the current year clothing line, with he men's Hawaiian shirts section receiving extra scrutiny. This is not done by just one person, the entire staff is asked to reflect and provide their personal input on what Hawaiian shirts designs they think were popular, as well as which ones were not all that hot.

Yes, occasionally we put out a design that simply doesn't move as fast as others. Additionally lower sales doesn't necessarily mean it was a "bad print". Many of my personal favorites never sold in big numbers, beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but I can say that collectors and Hawaiian shirt addicts certainly knew a good shirt when they saw one

But today's post is not even about those shirts, it's about one of our most popular designs, the brown Hawaiian shirt with sea turtles

Part of the allure is that the coloring in this shirt is easy on the eyes and goes extremely well with khaki colored pants and shorts. While at first glance it my look a little busy, it's the fine detail that drives this one over the top. And then there is the layer of sophistication that airbrushed background, which we started using around 10 years ago, brings to the shirt. 

Keep an eye out for the new men shirts that we are rolling out over the next few months, they are going to look totally awesome! And the new Wave Shoppe Hawaiian Shirts website is now up and running. Please have a look around and remember to like your favorite shirts with the Facebook button that may be found on every product page. Mahalo

The Best Concealed Weapon Clothing

I was thinking that we author a lot of articles about the many uses for Hawaiian shirts such as something to wear at a Luau, clothing to pack for a trip to an island paradise such as Hawaiian or Fiji.

So in this edition we are veering off the beaten path and writing about a use that you may not have thought of, wearing colorful Hawaiian to conceal your permitted everyday carry handgun. Anyone that carries a firearm for personal protection knows that there are a ton of specialized garments specifically designed for permitted firearm carry available on the internet and in gun stores, some are made with built in elastic holsters, some with added shoulder reinforcement to support the additional weight and more.

I am not going to get into which is best method to carry or if who should or should not have the constitutional right to do so (because this is just not what this article is about), but there are a huge number of men that carry with a inside the waistband holster as well as those that also conceal carry with a outside the waistband holster.

But don't confuse open carry with concealed outside the waistband carry, if it covered, its concealed. If your unsure which is which and which method is legal and what is not in your state, please review the handgun laws and requirements for your state.

So what makes mens Hawaiian shirts so well suited for this you ask? Well for starters the Hawaiian shirts are usually cut longer than most pullover shirts and they tend to have a very loose fit, which is important because the whole premise behind concealed carry is the element of surprise and easy access to your firearm. A overly tight fitting shirt will tend to hug every nook and cranny of your torso, including the firearm you are carrying, this is often referred to as "imprinting".

With a loose fitting Hawaiian shirt you can be reasonably certain that imprinting will not occur. As an added bonus, most Hawaiian shirts contain a allover design, often with multiple colors that almost act as a form of camouflage, which further reduces the chance of imprinting. Even if your concealed carry is outside the waistband as pictured.

But lets not forget about the ladies. Marksmanship and self protection is huge popular with the ladies. There are more deadeye women shooters than you can ever imagine.

The amount of concealed carry clothing available to the ladies is mind boggling. Women also have the advantage of being able to carry in quite a few additional areas of the body that are not afforded to the males.

They can carry in their belt line as well as in specially made bras and boxer shorts and a wide array of other specialized undergarments. Which brings us to non-fitted womens Hawaiian shirts which offer a looser fit compared to a fitted shirt as many womens shirts are.

Remember the element of surprise is lost once your firearm is visible due to imprinting or lack of material to adequately cover the firearm.

Luau Sized Mens Clothing

In Hawaii a luau (Hawaiian: lū‘au) is a traditional Hawaiian party or feast that is usually accompanied by live entertainment in the form of music, dance and or story telling. Most luaus feature food such as poi, kalua pig, poke, lomi salmon, opihi, haupia, and huli huli chicken. Most of the time the delicious food is served buffet style and overeating is just bound to occur.

Lets get this out front, when you dress for any luau you want to dress comfortable, as well as look "Hawaiian". The last thing you want is to be seen standing in line or sitting in front of a plate full of yummy food wearing a shirt that is so dam tight that it looks and feels like the buttons are going to blow right off the shirt. Even worse is if it actually happens.

It happens more often than you think, and while the guys may be somewhat at fault, some of the blame has to be placed on the clothing manufacturers. There are so many companies pumping out Hawaiian shirts that are way to small for the grade, some are two to three sizes too small and that's before washing! We sell a lot of big mens Hawaiian shirts for one simple reason, they fit.

Shown on the left is a design that is very popular, the Hawaiian shirt is made from rayon material, which offer superior had vs. cotton shirting.

The print in this shirt has beautiful tropical leafs containing Polynesian designs and these Indigo (Blue) Hawaiian shirts are cut very liberally, the shirt will offer your body a comfortable fit in al of the right places without looking like you are wearing the wrong size.

We can not express enough the importance of choosing the best looking and well fitting clothing you can when planning on attending a luau. Even if the luau is on the mainland please take the time to select or a Hawaiian shirt that allows room for movement after washing. We guarantee that if you buy any handcrafted Wave Shoppe labeled shirt that it will fit well right out of the package, as well as after repeated washings. Wave Shoppe makes their clothing in the USA!

Why we blog

Aloha,
If your reading this, then you are probably one of the many customers and subscribers to the Da Kine Hawaiian Aloha blog. You may also be a fan of our business on Facebook or Twitter. But recently it came to my attention that many readers, customers, and close friends do not fully understand why we actually blog.

I think about a lot of topics and why I do something's and why I don't do others, but the blogging portion is pretty clear. Like a lot of our friends and customers businesses, we are a shining example of a mom and pop business. Our business model is pretty clear, we manufacture and sell Hawaiian shirts on-line and in our retail location in downtown Escondido CA. All in hopes that we will make enough money to pay our day to day bills, and maybe get a few items for the grandchildren, as well as covering a little entertainment for ourselves. Fishing fits the bill for me and my wife.

We primarily we use this blog as a venue to advertise and promote our products, we post for anyone that will read. Promoting a small business in a niche market can be daunting as the market is small and advertising budgets dry up fast, though there are many months where advertising money is non-existent.

But I have to say that in the back of my mind that I am also hoping that a reader or customer will have some Aloha and possibly blog or simply tell their friends about us. I believe that is also referred to as wishful thinking. I am also the first to admit that we don't have the advertising money to compete in the paid advertising arena.

Word of mouth is a powerful tool that shouldn't be taken lightly by any business, it can make you prosper or break you as well. How does your blogging help us? Well it's a multifaceted objective, in one hand doing so give you something to write about, it also exposes our business to your readership (which helps us with new customer acquisition). Your friend my in turn tank you for turning them on to some great products. Secondly, a blog article or webpage with a URL in it pointed to your favorite product page (like the one in this article) helps us somewhat improve our position in search engines.

Admittedly it's a small amount boost (though good karma may come your way), but it all helps. Especially when our survival on the web relies on us bettering the big box stores and goliath shopping sites like Amazon, all of whom could care less about providing things above and beyond customer service. We will even open up the store on days that we were scheduled to be closed, all just to help out the customer with tight time constraints. Even if you just have a minor question you can call our office at 760-294-1765 and we will do whatever it takes to help you. Charles will answer, call in the morning and he will just listen to whatever you have to say, mainly because it takes him forever to wake up and be productive.

Ok so your saying to yourself what do I get out of all of this. Monetary wise you get nothing for your efforts, but in terms of karma and do-gooding brownie points, the reward can be monumental. Your efforts will in a sense bring you even closer to the Wave Shoppe family. There are not enough words in the English language to describe our sincere appreciation for our customers.

Mahalo \m/

Selecting Shirts for Redheaded Men

Most men that come into our retail store have no clue on how to select shirts that go well with their hair color. The guys that have the toughest time are the gingers (redheads) because there are so few colors that compliment redheaded men. Those who are characterized by their paler, whitish skin and golden hair color will look their absolute best in warm blues and greens in varied shades of navy and olive colors.

At Wave Shoppe we offer a good selection of men's Hawaiian shirts that will compliment men with red hair. The ultimate challenge in selecting a green shirt is to select a shirt that doesn't make you look like a leprechaun.

Finding pictures of famous redheads on the internet is almost impossible, I was thinking a picture of Prince Harry in a Hawaiian shirt would make a good illustration, but I couldn't find one. So the next best thing is to just provide you with an image of the shirts we think would look good on gingers.

First up is a green Hawaiian shirt with pineapples, in a green color that has a hit of grey in the shirting (gray is another good choice).

The grey works because it is a very lite shade of grey with an overlay of sage, if it was too prominent, then it wouldn't work as well.

This particular green color works well for men with red hair, especially those whom want to wear a green shirt, yet has a green coloring that is far removed from being leprechaun green, a color and stigma you want to avoid at all costs.

When it comes to blues, there is a broad spectrum of shades of blue, especially with dye lots in shirting, but we think navy blue Hawaiian shirts look best on gingers.

Whether you have short red hair or even tressed red hair. Regardless of your color preferences, navy blue should be hanging in the closet of every red headed, Hawaii loving, American male. Navy blue just makes a man look good, especially when it's a navy blue Hawaiian shirt!

In closing we want to add that some of the worst shirt colors for men with red hair are black and tomato reds, those colors do nothing for gingers and should be avoided, unless you are carrot top (Scott Thompson) and don't care much about how people perceive you. He doesn't have a problem wearing orange or bright red shirts, but then he has some sort of celebrity status and we don't.

Aloha from Italy?

Every once in a while I run across something that myself or science for all that matters can not explain.

I ran across this image in a Google shopping ad and I just had to get more information on whom on earth would wear a Hawaiian shirt with a red bandana and skinny jeans.

To my dismay there is a online company selling Saint Laurent labeled silk Hawaiian shirts that are made in Italy of all places, and get this, they are only charging $890 for the shirt. OMG really?

I guess what I really want to say is that if there are that many punk ass bitch looking kids, that have so much money, to buy a ridiculous priced Hawaiian shirt made in Italy, then the world has gone to hell in a hand basket.

Sorry but that's just way to much money to spend on any type of clothing, not alone a Hawaiian shirt.

Even basic street gear from Aloha shirt shop sells for under $140 though people whom want more value and bang for their dollar tend to shop at places like Wave Shoppe Hawaiian shirts whereas the prices range between $38 and $48 for American made Hawaiian shirts (made in California and Hawaii).

Unprepossessing Shirts

While some people may say that ugly Hawaiian shirts are not particularly attractive or appealing to the eye, it doesn't necessarily mean the person wearing it isn’t attractive on the inside. Actual customer pictures sent to Wave Shoppe Hawaiian shirts suggest that despite their unprepossessing appearances, the customers could still be suave and possibly even a little animal magnetism going on. 

For those that are unfamiliar with this recent fashion trend, you need to know that it didn’t originate in Hawaii, they originated on the mainland, in a very messy textile cutting room.

These ugly Hawaiian shirts are the byproduct of years of shirt manufacturing, as well as making good on a few snide comments pertaining to what we were going to do with our remnant fabrics. Our response was usually that we were going to cut all of it up and make it into Hawaiian shirts and actually sell them.

People said we were crazy, nothing would match and that they would be hideous looking, we said exactly. Its not the first time people have questioned Charles rational.

Let it be told that in this type of manufacturing / business model that there really isn’t such a thing as scrap fabric, we use almost everything and only when the pieces become trace fragments of cloth, do we ever toss any of it. 

So 5 or 6 years later we were brainstorming on new products that could be brought to market. Even micro clothing labels such as Wave Shoppe Hawaiian Shirts need to be mindful of breaking into new retail vertical spaces.

 

Thus the cutting shop was eventually given the directive to start blindly cutting up reserve fabrics (that were not being utilized for the current line). While we initially produced just a few shirts in our more popular sizes, they sold out within a few weeks. A more expansive production of ugly Hawaiian shirts that followed did the same.  

Realizing we may have hit on something, we made the decision to jump in with both feet and run off large amounts of ugly shirts in all of the sizes (Small through 5X). The problem we faced now is that we wiped out much of our excess fabric during the first two productions.

 

Obviously we had to have the shirts, so we went out and purchased a few thousand yards of fabrics from some of our suppliers. Mind you none of which will be used in our traditional shirt line.

 

Currently our inventory of these garish shirts is 50% over normal inventory levels, but we anticipate that demand for these shirts will soon outpace supply. If you’re looking to win a ugly Hawaiian shirt contest at the office or a luau, these are the ugly Hawaiian shirts to have.

 

These are not necessarily gag gifts either. Of the few hundred or so ugly shirts we have sold so far, its our estimate that over 80 % of the recipients are actually wearing them or have worn them at least once!

 

I will admit that as I see more and more of the ugly shirts released from sewing, that they are growing on me. Let it be known that I don't have one for myself yet, I guess I am a bit of a wimp or possibly have a weak Aloha spirit. But these are all one of a kind collectables, so I will eventually succumb to putting one in my Hawaiian shirt collection.

 

 

All of our customers that have provided us with feedback have reported that they are the talk of the water cooler and consistently win their office contests, as well as often finding themselves engaged in deep conversation about their odd looking shirts.

 

"Often times, my office mates (when I wear my ugly Hawaiian shirt to the office) often point out the fabric from the other shirts I have.  I enjoy watching people look at the shirt, and try to figure out where they’ve seen some of the other patterns."

 

""Not even the bleeding eyeballs detracts from the pleasure of this magnificent shirt!".

 

That's all for now folks, grab yourself one of these shirts and have a little fun this Summer. Mahalo and have a great day! Charles

 

The Dreaded Wedding Invitation



The wedding invitation said for all guests to dress in “Aloha Attire” as the wedding will take place on the beach and the elderly couple who visited my store last Saturday begged for advice on what to wear. “Aloha Attire” simply means that the men should wear a Hawaiian shirt and the women should wear a Hawaiian muumuu dress! Nothing to panic about, but some people are really concerned that they dress to the occasion. The wedding was the next day and this couple had been all over San Diego County looking for something tropical to wear and found us after their granddaughter did a Google search.  

Now I do know a little something about casual beach and Hawaiian weddings. I have probably worked with about 25 brides in the last 4 years and have become accustom to helping the bride and groom dress those who are in the wedding ceremony including bridesmaids, groomsmen, ring bearers, father and mother of the bride and groom etc. These events are typically casual, but most of the brides want a color coordinated look so that the wedding pictures come out looking great instead of too crazy!

My female customer was in her 70’s and after trying on quite a lot of clothing decided on the blue Hawaiian mid-calf muumuu we stock here at the Wave Shoppe showroom located in downtown Escondido on Kalmia Street. She was about 5’1 so the mid-calf muumuu fit her perfectly ending well above the ankle, so she didn’t have to worry about tripping on the hem like she would have if she would have worn our traditional long muumuu. I asked her what shoes she was pairing with it and when she said heels I discouraged her from that choice and suggested a pair of sandals that she could easily slip off and get rid of the sand that a beach wedding surely would bring.

Now the husband had been sitting in a chair patiently waiting for his wife, but he was getting bored. I know that look as he started to look like my Charles right before he bolts out of a store. So I suggested our white/blue Hawaiian shirt and he tried it on and it looks good with the blue Hawaiian mid-calf muumuu as the colors are complimentary. So voila they bought those items and exited the store very excited that they would look like a couple, but not match exactly.

I really do enjoy helping customers find what looks best on them and if you come to the store and don’t know what to choose just ask me. Beware; I am brutally honest, but you will look your best in the clothing I help you find.  

 

Peggy

 

Actually that shirt does not look good on you….

Last week I had a man with bright red hair come into my store and tried on quite a few Hawaiian shirts. He was going on a first date with a new girl and they were going to a luau down in Pacific Beach. As he tried on shirt after shirt ,he kept asking my opinion about which ones looked the best on him. After trying several shirts he picked our Red Panel Hawaiian shirt and it is really bright red with beautiful yellow plumeria's on a vertical panel design.

The problem was this bright red shirt combined with his carrot red hair just didn’t go together. Here at the Wave Shoppe I have a lot of men come into the store shopping and if they don’t have a wife in tow I am the one they ask “does this look good on me”. 

A long, long time ago I decided I didn’t just want to sell them “any” shirt but sell them a shirt that looks good on them so sometimes I have to be brutally honest so I looked this customer in the eye and said “I would like to offer you my honest opinion that Hawaiian shirt clashes with your hair” He looked at me and said “Well I thought so too but I was going to see if you said it looked nice just to sell a shirt”

So we both started laughing and he asked me to pick the one I would pick for my husband if my husband was unfortunate enough to be a carrot top. So I picked our black traditional Hawaiian shirt with white vertical hibiscus flowers. It toned down his hair and he looked good in that shirt.

I guess the moral of this story is as a merchant do you want to just sell a shirt, or sell a shirt that looks good on your customer?


 

Tropical Shirts of Hawaii

Soon the weather is going shift gears and once again begins to warm much of the United States; it will be time for Hawaiian shirts. The warmth of the sun will begin to change people’s chemistry and make them crave good old fashioned outdoor BBQ or Luaus, think pit roasted pig or Kalua pork and mac salad with rice.

Even if people on the mainland cannot be in Hawaii, they still manage to do a good job of bringing the laid back lifestyle of the islands to their very own backyards. Anyone who has ever attended a Hawaiian themed party will attest to the fact that just about every man in attendance wears very colorful shirts, as well as shirts symbolic of Hawaiian or Polynesian culture.

The tropics are well represented in the fabrics utilized in the making of Hawaiian tropical shirts; you will find lush greenery, flowers, sea life, palm trees and even cool looking surf themes. After getting a few new shirt, most men or women only needs to add are flip-flops or a pair of beach sandals and shazam, you are ready for summer!

Women also get dig the Hawaiian styles. Women's whom like to wear women's Hawaiian shirts can choose form hundreds of designs on Hawaiian shirts made for women. Don’t forget the little ones, you can purchase boys Hawaiian outfits and shirts for children and matching girls Hawaiian dresses for little girls and tweens.

On Casual Fridays choose from Aloha shirts made by RJC Hawaii or KYs International, Milson Hawaii Fashion or Wave Shoppe, your guaranteed to be a fashion hit at the office.

During the summer, or any other time, enjoy the tropical, Hawaiian island look of the Hawaiian shirts that can be found while shopping at Wave Shoppe Hawaiian Shirts.

 

How to make a grown man (almost) cry!

Recently my husbands’ Hawaiian shirt collection has grown to overflowing one whole closet.  While rifling through his stash I noticed some of the ones he has had 10 or more years are faded and a little ragged so I asked him to weed out the old ones to make room for some new ones and the look on his face made me laugh out loud.  Seriously you would think I had told him the sky was falling.  “But those are my favorite Hawaiian shirts” he said to which I replied so are all 150 or more but we don’t have the room to keep the old ragged ones and as the owner of a Hawaiian shirt apparel company you should be wearing the ones that still look good!  

After bantering and bartering he agreed to give 10 measly shirts to the Goodwill. So then he spent 15 minutes trying to select the ones he could part with and that was hilarious next thing you know he stomps off muttering “just pick the ones I can’t wear any more”  so I agreed and while he was gone I found 15 shirts that had seen their better days years ago. The next morning he came out of the bedroom wearing a t-shirt that had holes in it so can you guys guess what will happen next?


 

Bass Boats and Hawaiian Aloha Shirts

It’s summer here in always sunny southern California and prime time for outdoor activities. There are tons of outdoor activities that are challenging and entertaining, but one thing that’s does suck in San Diego and most of California is the fishing, the shore fishing is one of the worst things you will ever experience if you decide to try your hand at fishing California. When you want to fish our so called public lakes you will be required to have a expensive state fishing license, as well as pay for daily fishing licenses for that particular location and in some instances an additional parking fee. What our state fishing license fees are used for is anybody's guess. In my opinion it’s all just one big rip-off because you are paying to fish from shore with very limited shore access to most of the areas that actually have fish. And when you do manage to locate fish, they are numb to your lure presentations. That's most likely a result of all of the fishing pressure our lakes receive in general, not to leave out that the bass here are the ever finicky Florida strain bass.

Sure you can rent a small aluminum boat from one of the concession stands, but you will pay a lot for it. Take the sucky, nearly void of deep water Lake Hodges for example, a lake access/fishing permit and boat rental for 2 people will set you back about $75 for a unreliable boat (image below is what you actually get) that has to be returned by 6pm or something. I mentioned unreliable because in the past we have rented boats from Lake Hodges and every single one of them quit running at some point, most appear to run out of fuel or lose spark. Hodges solution was to give you another piece of crap which had the same characteristics. When they are out of replacement boats to give you, they prorate your rental fee and tell you that you now have the option to fish from shore or go home.

 

 

Nonetheless I tried to brush things off and give things the old college try and adopt the mindset that even though its Lake Hodges (which is close to my home), it’s still better than being in the office. I was also very easy to find on Lake Hodges, one just had to look for the bass fisherman wearing one of the (almost predictably) bright Hawaiian shirts from Wave Shoppe Hawaiian shirts, and yes that was a shameless plug for our business. But then one day not to long ago my wife and I got totally fed up with the local fishing scene and decided that we needed to go elsewhere for our outdoor entertainment. Being an old Mississippi river rat that's far from home, the only logical choice for me was to head to the next closest big river, that being the lower Colorado river.

It took just one excursion / trip to the lower Colorado to realize just how much Lake Hodges and California in general is screwing its residents and visitors. Everything in Yuma and probably most of Arizona is actually accessible to the public, do you see a body of water from the road? Just pull off the road onto one of the many paths through the sand and head to the water! But there was still one major annoyance (ok, frustration), that being access to the actual river. With few roads in the area you are still extremely limited on what you can access and ultimately end up to going to the public fishing docks and a sprinkling of cleared bank areas to fish. The good thing is that most water access is free, unlike California parks that charge you an access fee just look at the water.

So what was my solution for straightening out this dilemma you ask? Buy a bass boat of course! So off we went to our local Outdoor World (Bass pro shops) to look at boats, while we started out looking at a aluminum Tracker boat (which would have suited our needs well) but somehow ended up buying fiberglass boat, in particular a 2013 Nitro Z-7. We have not taken delivery yet, but in a few days we will have a boat similar to the one pictured below. (I snagged the picture below off the internet because it does have the same paint scheme, less the Mercury 150 fourstroke) Our Nitro Z 7 has a 2013 Mercury 150 Fourstroke, which I am really looking forward to running, Lowrance on the bow and Lowrance color sonar with GPS capability and chart plotters in the console, KeelGuard, hydraulic pedestal, hydraulic steering, etc.

Sadly I didn't see an option for a Hawaiian print bass boat, but I certainly would have considered it. Thinking out loud... I guess I still have the option to do a Hawaiian themed wrap for my bass boat.

 
OMG Not that it's a new low for me, but I just realized that I have already resorted to blogging some of my "line sheet" and I don't even have the boat yet! I guess that's what happens when you have bass boat fever. and of course my wife has taken every opportunity to buy boat related stuff for herself, if there was ever an excuse to needlessly blow money this is it. My wife has purchased more stuff in the last few weeks than she has all of last year (nonetheless I still love her).


I will update the Nitro Z 7 bass boat picture once I take delivery, which is this Saturday, but if you see someone wearing a bright Hawaiian shirt and standing on the bow of a bass boat in the vicinity of the Colorado river, it's probably me. Am I going to change my clothing to fit in more with the local fisherman? Hell no, my personal opinion is that there is no reason that we can not have a dress code that's somewhere between covert camouflage and sponsored tournament apparel similar to a NASCAR drivers suit. But because of my preferred clothing choice I am sure that someone will tag me with a funky nickname that will be hard to shake off. Next week we take the boat to the lower Colorado river for it's maiden voyage, so stay tuned, this could be a very interesting year.

Back in the day I used to fish Red Man bass tournaments and a whack of club and pro am tournaments, there is a voice in my head telling me I have some unfinished business in my future.

I previously stated that I was going to post more pictures here but have since changed my mind and started a new blog called Fishing Safaris which is 100% dedicated to our Nitro Z-7 boat and bass fishing on the Colorado River

Mahalo

Hawaiian Shirt Collars Explained

Picture of the 2 different collar styles used in Hawaiian shirts

Shown above is button up collar Hawaiian shirt (shown on the left), a spread collar Hawaiian shirt with a loop closure (shown on the right), this style is commonly referred to as a camp shirt.

In the western hemisphere there has to be at least 35 or so official shirt collar styles, possibly more, so its easy to see why Hawaiian shirt collectors and aficionados get confused about what is what. In regards to a Hawaiian shirt collar, there are 2 basic styles, each has a few style variations as well as different nomenclature.  

The button up collar Hawaiian shirt will utilize what’s called a collar stand, which is sewn between the shirt body and the visible collar.

The collar stand will have a button on one side and a buttonhole on the other, which give the wearer the option to button the shirt or leave it open at varied degrees of openness.


Technically speaking you can say that this shirt style shown above utilizes a 2-piece collar.

Keep in mind that we are referring the sewn garment and not the number of pieces required to make such a collar, which is 2 for the collar stand and 2 for the visible portion of the collar.

Point spread, which we will cover a bit more later on, really isn’t at play because it mainly applies to the cut of the collar and the degrees apart when the collar tips are when the shirt is buttoned. With this collar style there is no pre-set position for the collar tips or collar points, so there is no real way to measure the spread of the collar tips/points. A.K.A. point spread. 

 

Since hardly anyone buttons their shirts at the collar stand, its really not much of a factor or talking point right now. 
 

Let’s now talk about Hawaiian shirts with loop collars. As you can see from the picture on your left that the loop collar style is noticeably different from the button up collar that utilizes a collar stand. While this collar style still uses a button, a loop has replaced the buttonhole. To attach one simply places the loop around the button.

The overall design of a camp shirt is built around a simple open collar design with tips integrated into the shirt. Some may also referred to these collar types as spread collars or camp collars.

You will also find that many of the Hawaiian shirts available today may or may not have the loop and button closure, does that mean anything? Not really, its more a matter of preference, just as having a shirt with a button up collar or loop collar is.

I would like to close by emphasizing that just because your shirt has one of the two collars mentioned, it doesn’t mean that it’s a Hawaiian shirt. You still need some type of design on the shirt that is symbolic of the islands and cultures. In my opinion a solid colored shirt is as far from being Hawaiian, as a horse is to being a zebra.

Special thanks to the folks at Wave Shoppe for the technical info and to Kahala for the model images. Mahalo

Thomas Jefferson died on July 4th

I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to believe that the 4th of July is a little over a week away. I mean what happened to April, May and most of June? There’s even a month long gap in my Blog posts, maybe I have lost track of time or maybe it’s just that I have not had much to say, probably the latter. I was thinking that I might research and write about Hawaiian Independence Day, but I think I will save that for a later post.

For most people the 4th of July means a long weekend, fireworks and lots of BBQ and increased alcohol consumption, for some that is. Myself I relish the patriotic displays but I also have a penchant for history and all the little mysteries that come with it, but don’t lump me in with the confused conspiracy theory people, ok.

So speaking of history… below are a few forgotten or little known facts about the 4th of July that you may not know, courtesy of wikipedia

‘Historians have long disputed whether Congress actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, even though Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin all later wrote that they had signed it on that day. Most historians have concluded that the Declaration was signed nearly a month after its adoption, on August 2, 1776, and not on July 4 as is commonly believed.

In a remarkable coincidence, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as Presidents of the United States, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration. Although not a signer of the Declaration of Independence, James Monroe, the Fifth President of the United States, died on July 4, 1831. Calvin Coolidge, the Thirtieth President, was born on July 4, 1872, and thus was the only President to be born on Independence Day’

I would also like to point out that if you’re a superstitious politician, the 4th may not be your luckiest day. Myself I think I am going to keep it simple, though I do have a nifty and quite loud fireworks shirt (shown below) that I am going to wear for the holiday weekend. I also have an additional patriotic shirt that I will be wearing that’s pretty cool but I don’t have a picture of it yet. Maybe I will add it later on, my wife picked out the design and I must say that she has excellent taste.

Before I forget, while Wave Shoppe offers a lot of unique Hawaiian shirts in the stores and on the Website, many of the shirts I wear are “one of a kind shirts’ which are not available for purchase.

Hot New Summer Dresses Under $40

Summer is not all that far off and we wanted to introduce you to 2 really hot Hawaiian print dresses in two popular color combinations. These dresses are one size fits all, also known as smocked dresses, and they are the latest rage at the beach and casual Hawaiian themed events such as luaus. These Hawaiian dresses are very comfortable to wear and the elastic top means you don’t have to worry about obtaining a good fit.


First in line is this beautiful black Hawaiian tube top dress with red hibiscus flowers, which is going to be a big seller this year.

Priced at just $38.95 you can afford to get more than one.

Next up is another black Hawaiian dress with turquoise hibiscus flowers. We introduced this color combo last summer and it sold out in less than 2 months, nuff said. Psst this is also priced at $38.95

While you are at it, take a moment to check out the many new designs we have added to our line of Hawaiian shirts for men (men like gifts too) as well as new additions to our lineup of authentic muumuu dresses (think Mothers Day), styled after the most popular designs worn in Hawaii.

Mahalo from all of us at Wave Shoppe Hawaiian Shirts and Apparel

Hawaiian Apparel Wedding Planners

In conventional Hawaiian weddings, both the bride and groom wore all white, and the groom wore a painted sash around his waist and a maile lei around his neck. Many grooms dressed for a San Diego beach wedding wear Hawaiian shirts and light colored pants. Mainland wedding couples also prefer to dress themselves in formal bridal gowns and tuxedos, which creates beauty and a romantic contrast on a sandy beach.

After a lot of years of planning weddings here in San Diego we can tell you that we've had requests for just about every style of Hawaiian wedding attire at our Hawaiian apparel store. If you need help selecting attire fit for a wedding, just stop by the Kalmia St showroom and our expert wedding planner Peggy will help you choose the wedding attire that is appropriate for the two of you.

Pictured above is another happy couple that had recently utilized our expert wedding services wearing Wave Shoppe Hawaiian apparel for their special day.

Quintinn Piikane Holi and the Hawaiian Trio

Its not often that post many people pictures, but we wanted to say Mahalo to an awesome friend of Wave Shoppe’s named Quintinn Piikane Holi. Quintinn is not only a remarkable singer/musician and story teller, he is also a real Hawaiian (and eats like one) with lots of Aloha in his heart. He is someone you actually want to know.

Quintinn plays at a lot of gigs, but in my opinion some of the most down to earth stuff is performed right in front of our store, accompanied the local San Diego hula troupe, Tipanie O Patitifa. If you’re in San Diego during the summer months please stop by and have a listen. Holy smokes! I almost forgot to tell you about the picture. Just prior to one of Quintinn’s high sea adventures, Wave Shoppe released the Indigo Hawaiian shirts (pictured above) and it wasn’t long before Quintinn came by to scope them out. Well as fate would have it, a few of them (almost magically) ended up in brudah Quintinn’s pickup truck, headed for exciting destinations unknown.

Alas we saw a post on Quintinns facebook or something, it mentioned the shirts were spotted in a picture on a cruise ship. Weeks later Q wandered to the store to play, with picture in hand, and honestly its one of the nicest things I have received all year.

Mahalo Quintinn!

Wave Shoppe Hawaiian Shirts and Apparel

What’s Behind Your Clothing Label?

What’s Behind Your Clothing Label?

Over the years the apparel industry in the United States has taken a pretty severe beating, much of that can be attributed to the cheap foreign labor and government trade agreements that reward businesses for taking their apparel manufacturing out of the country. Personally I think it’s just plain sad that companies like Wal-Mart and Kohl’s have set up camp in places like Vietnam (actually whole cities), where the average monthly wage is about $45 USD a month and then have the balls to further leverage that by bringing the cheaply made garments back to the USA for sale and distribution.

We are sure that you noticed during the holidays that those stores were selling shirts and outfits for as low as $5, but have you really thought about the real story behind those clothing labels with crafty designer names that for the most part do not even exist? Probably not, but envision yourself as a seamstress that works in often appalling conditions with a sign above the room that counts down the daily quota that needs to be met before your shift can go home, you have to endure that 6 long days a week and for just a couple of bucks a day. I call that corporate exploitation of human species.

So you think that couldn’t possibly be the case with companies that make Hawaiian shirts and apparel? Wrong, while you may see the name of some person that rings a bell like Tori Richard etc. or a label that says Aloha Island or something, you probably don’t think about where it was actually made and by whom. Looks can be deceiving and that applies to clothing labels. While Reyn Spooner may state to operate out of Hawaii, the fact of the matter is that the colorful silk garments are 100% made overseas, as are all other shirts made from silk. No aloha there folks.

Then we have the shell game called re-labeling which is rampant throughout the apparel industry and not just limited to Hawaiian apparel manufacturers and distributers. Put it this way, there are over 100 Hawaiian and tropical themed clothing labels and just a handful of actual manufactures in the USA; you can see how it’s hard to keep track of who makes what.

Your best bet is taking a moment to turn over the label and look. If you can’t find a country of origin then we strongly suggest you take a pass on buying the garment. Secondly give thought to whether or not you will be able to sleep at night knowing that a human being was exploited to offer you a Hawaiian shirt for $14.95

Ok it says made in the USA or Hawaii or San Diego, it must be ok to buy. Not necessarily because while a company may say that it makes something in the USA isn’t always as straight forward as it appears. Case in point, a company named American apparel that on numerous occasions has used workers that are here illegally to manufacture their products, is that what you would call American made? Source

So what do we do now? Be assured that any Hawaiian shirts that carry the Wave Shoppe label are actually made by Wave Shoppe. We do not have any distributers, do not practice re-labeling, nor do we employ any workers or seamstresses that do not have legal residency in San Diego, California or Hawaii. The Wave Shoppe label is also proudly sewn on our muumuu and Hawaiian dresses.

But let it be told that cotton Hawaiian fabrics of any quality are almost exclusively printed overseas with cotton imported from the USA. While we are aware of a couple U.S. based textile printers the quality of the fabric and dyes used is beyond atrocious and at nearly $25 a yard you can hardly justify using it to cover a chair not alone produce apparel. So when you factor in that our branded clothing utilizes cotton from the U.S. and all of the cutting and sewing and distribution are done on American soil with American workers its about as close as you are going to get for being American made Hawaiian clothing.

Clothing label images courtesy of Clothing Labels 4 U