Tips on What to Wear in Hawaii


Pictured is Hawaiian surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku and the Waikiki "Beachboys" at the Outrigger Canoe Club, Waikiki, Hawaii, 1963. Duke Kahanamoku is in the back row, towards the right, wearing a simple red and white Hawaiian shirt.

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There used to be a live camera on Waikiki beach in front of the Duke Kahanamoku Statue, but it doesn't appear to be operational anymore. We hope that the city decides to re-activate the live feed. Nonetheless, we hope everyone has an opportunity to visit the Hawaiian islands at least once. Eat some island food, take in some hula shows, and plain relax a while in the beautiful Hawaiian islands.

Are you already planning for your trip of a lifetime to Hawaii and have some doubt on how to dress for the occasion? We can help you with tips on what to wear in Hawaii. Believe it or not dressing for your Hawaiian vacation is pretty simple, mainly because the Hawaiian culture as a whole is pretty laid back, with emphasis on Hawaiian history and comfort.

Pretty much everywhere you go on the islands you will see tourists, as well as locals, wearing flip flops,cargo shorts, t shirts, and of course a plethora of Hawaiian shirts of which many of them come from Wave Shoppe.

Part of the magic of vacationing in Hawaii is that you get live the part of being... well, a tourist. Of course what to wear depends a lot on why you came to Hawaii in the first place. Most conventioneers are going to be dressed in a pre-agreed upon style, usually aloha shirts or casual attire. But on rare occasions the convention dress code may be mainland style business suits. So you could find yourself having to dress for business, as well as personal time.

Hawaii is not some alien place at the edge of our solar system. The men, women, and children living on the islands wear everything and anything that mainlanders do and that includes aloha shirts, t-shirts, shorts and flip flops. Just about everywhere you go in Hawaii you will find fun loving, carefree people living on the islands that are completely immersed in the tropical lifestyle. And for the most part residents wear little more than a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and flip flops and on a daily basis.

Regardless of what you choose to wear in Hawaii, casual clothing styles are the acceptable form of dress in Hawaii. Even the finest restaurants in Hawaii will seat you wearing a Aloha shirt with dress-shorts or khaki trousers.

You will enjoy Hawaiian weather at its best if you plan your visit during the dry-season months of May through October. While any month is good, the two primo months are June and July. The driest and sunniest locations are in the southern and western sections of the islands and summer temps are mid 80s during the day and mid 70s during the night.

During the summer you should enjoy mostly dry, warm weather, with only a slight risk of brief isolated showers. The temperature for Hawaii during the so called "winter" months (November, December, January, February) is normally in the high 70s during the day and mid to high 60s at night. Depending on the trade winds, some locations in Hawaii can also be cooler and very windy at times, when deciding on what to wear in Hawaii make sure you pack at least one pair of long pants and a light sweater, as well as some sweat pants for lounging around on your rooms balcony or lanai.

If your undecided on what designs to wear, (or even how to match Hawaiian clothing) we can tell you that Hawaiian shirts worn by the local men are usually the more inline with the traditional designs as found in tapa (a grid of squares, each of which contains geometrical patterns with repeated motifs such as fish, sea turtles and or native plants) and simple floral designs depicting native flowers. What you wont see when visiting Hawaii is many locals or native Hawaiians wearing shirts with airplanes, pot leaves, motorcycles, etc. If your tastes are leaning Hawaiian, then choose a clothes with flowers or turtles. If your tastes are leaning Polynesian, Samoan, or Tahitian, then choose clothes with leaf images or tribal tattoos or petroglyphs.

Local children usually wear t-shirts teamed with a swimsuit or trunks and of course flop flops. Many little girls will wear children's Hawaiian dresses with a simple print, in colors such as pink, red or blue. Keep in mind that children grow like weeds, so if you intend on buying children's Hawaiian clothing that its best not to buy their outfits too early, or you risk it not fitting. You can also dress your children in pants that match with she shirts primary color. The boys Hawaiian shirts and cabana outfits can even be matched to the rest of the family's vacation clothing.

Hawaiian shirts for women are normally more feminine in color and the designs are usually quite flowery. Muted button-up shirts with subdued designs / patterns are also popular with the ladies. The dress code for a Hawaiian island vacation is pretty non-existent and more in line with wear whatever you brought. Visitors will pack everything from shirts, to dresses, to sarongs. If it looks like resort wear then its probably acceptable attire to wear in Hawaii.

One of the most worn garments in Hawaii are simple Hawaiian print sundresses. The ladies like them because they are very comfortable and easy to change in and out of. If we were hard pressed for figures we would estimate that approximately 50% of the ladies wear button up shirts, tank tops or t-shirts and 50% wear tropical print Hawaiian dresses with footwear such as tennis shoes or light weight flat sandals and platform flip flops.

Couples and family can also dress in the same print/color for their Hawaiian vacation. Red or even blue shirts teamed with khaki shorts is a good color choice that looks good on matching families. Regardless of what you chose to wear in Hawaii, there are 2 simple rules that you should follow. Rule number one: do not wear your Hawaiian shirt tucked in. Rule number two: do not wear socks with sandals or dress shoes with shorts.

Wave Shoppe has the latest Hawaiian clothing and during normal business hours, offers same day processing and shipping. 2-Day Express Delivery is also available at checkout. Uniqueness is what you get when you purchase a Wave Shoppe brand Hawaiian shirt. The majority of our designs are closed prints and are only available through our store. You will have peace of mind when you are packing for your Hawaiian vacation (don't forget your beach bags) knowing that its very unlikely that you will be sitting on a airplane or standing next to someone in Hawaii that is wearing an identical design.

If you have ever spent the better part of your day picking out the perfect apparel for a trip to Hawaii or major function, only to arrive and see that others choose the exact same outfit, you will definitely know what we mean.

Mahalo (Thank you) Wave Shoppe Hawaiian Shirts