Good News! Sumer doesn’t official end until Saturday, September 23d, when fall drops in. Still weeks to go with plenty of hot sunny days left to work on that golden tan. So be bold! Show off in style and fashion with that famous embodiment of summertime and laid back island life…The Aloha Shirt!
Now I may get myself into trouble here crediting Mr. Chun with the first Aloha Shirt. However, I’m going to press forward. Why? Because he was the first to register the trademarks, “Aloha Sportswear” and “Aloha Shirt” in 1936 and 1937. Here’s an excellent article with background and more on “who’s-who” in the debate over who first invented this fashion phenomena at thealohashirt.com.
Ellery J. Chun was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 17, 1909. A graduate of Punahou High School in 1927, he majored in economics at Yale, class of 1931. When he returned back to Hawaii it was to work in his father’s store that specialized in goods for the local Asian Community. Eventually Ellery took over operations and added merchandise including clothing, renaming the store at the corner of King & Smith Streets, King-Smith Clothiers.
When the Great Depression hit island businesses hard, to help generate sales Ellery and his sister, Ethel Chun Lum, designed short-sleeved shirts out of leftover kimono material and placed them in the store window with a sign, “Aloha Shirts!” Well…the idea caught on!
While in Hawaii as a postal manager, I was afforded the privilege of being able to wear an Aloha Shirt to work each day. While my counterparts in D.C. were in stiff suits and ties I was styling in island wear. Now you may say “so what,” however, it afforded many advantages. I could meet and greet visiting officials or brief General Officers and international and domestic postal emissaries in comfort. I don’t meant to boast, but I once briefed U.S Postmaster General John “Jack” E. Potter for a commemorative stamp unveiling…in Aloha wear! And here’s the kicker, after work I could shoot directly to Waikiki for a sunset Mai Tai already dressed for the occasion!
Yes, many an evening I’d head directly from work at Pearl Harbor-Hickam Station, to watch the sunset on Waikiki: a Mai Tai in hand and a plate of Pupu’s (Hawaiian for hors d’oeuvres.) The palm trees swaying in the breeze, the waves lapping up against the shoreline, and the sun setting over Diamond Head. Usually, at the Halekulani Hotel’s beachfront restaurant & bar appropriately titled The House Without A Key (a tribute to Earl Derr Biggers’ first Charlie Chan novel.)
Other times, decked out in one of my most fashionable Aloha Shirts, I’d head to the Banana Patch Lounge in the Miramar Hotel, where Karaoke was king to croon out some Sinatra. The Karaoke host, Mr. Pico Payne, sang harmony with the likes of The Ink Spots, The Platters and The Drifters. He was the main draw and any big name artist visiting the Islands often stopped by to pay their respects, and occasionally perform a tune or two.
Finally, another attraction for me at the Banana Patch was Bernie (short for Bernice) the barmaid. Bernie, had been a Tina Turner impressionist with one of the big Honolulu show venues and would sometimes grace us with a tune or two. She was a wonderful, kind person, not to mention had the alure you might find on the cover of one of those ’60s detective paperbacks. One day I was enjoying a libation and Bernie told me she had some really great news. Her son had gotten a contract to make a recording and was heading to New York City. And he was stopping by to sing a few songs. The kid came and he sang some tunes. He wore a porkpie hat, was entertaining and had a great voice. Not exactly my style of music, but I admitted to Bernie he had talent. I never did hear what became of the kid, but hope he earned a few bucks with that recording and made something of his life.
Amazing the adventures one can have wearing an Aloha Shirt!
Postscript. Need a place to show off that new Aloha Shirt? Try this map of Tiki Bars across America at: https://tikimap.com/. But hurry! Summer is almost over.
“When you travel abroad, speak as the people of the country are speaking”
Keeper of The Keys, 1932, Chapter 1
The Postman on Holiday 