 |
||
|
 |
|
|
|
|
What to wear
By Robert Bone
Special to The Advertiser
Of all the questions about vacationing in Hawai'i, perhaps the least crucial is the question of what to wear.
I know islanders who moved here more than 20 years ago and who boast they haven’t worn a tie since the day they landed. To some, then, the question might better be posed is what not to wear.
It’s true that there are a handful of restaurants -– mostly on O'ahu –- that ask that male patrons don a coat and/or a tie. But by and large, those places feel so guilty about the requirement that they also stock a large supply of loaners. When you see a fellow diner at the next table dressed in some ill-fitting, gawd-awful getup, you’ll know what happened.
Generally speaking, a nice, fashionable aloha shirt and a neat pair of slacks are considered proper for an evening out for a gentleman. The aloha shirt is the patterned garb that on the mainland is known more often as a Hawaiian shirt.
Occasionally you’ll see a guy wearing white trousers of an evening, but usually only if he’s trying -- not too successfully -- to make a retro fashion statement. If he last visited Hawai'i during the 1970s, he might also be wearing a lei made from polished kukui nuts.
For women, of course, a long muumuu, usually made from aloha design material, is also acceptable, though not required. Unless you have an aloha shirt or muumuu in your closet already, these might be among the first purchases to make on arriving in Hawai'i. Of course a flower lei is always proper, but usually it signifies some sort of special event, like the wearer’s birthday, graduation, or the couple’s wedding anniversary.
TIP: But if a couple does not want to look like they’re JOTJ (just off the jet), they will not parade down Kalakaua Avenue in matching aloha shirt and muumuu. This kind of sartorial mistake is widely advertised and sold, but is virtually never worn by island couples -– except those hired to pose for the advertising, of course.
Occasionally you’ll even see the youngsters in these ads, also, pretending to happily wear the matching patterns of their parents. Believe me, most islanders think this kind of thing is the height of yuck.
During the day, you’ll see tourists and islanders wearing any darned thing that comes into their heads. Shorts with T-shirts or pullover tops are common.
About the only thing that may be prohibited or at least frowned upon by some stores and commercial establishments are bare feet. You should at least wear what many in Hawaii call the rubber slipper, also known by the Japanese name of zoris. Other nicknames are go-aheads, flip-flops, etc.
But don’t wear them driving a car, since they have a way of getting caught up in inconvenient if not dangerous ways with accelerators and brake pedals. Bare feet make for safer driving than zoris.
Travel writer Robert W. Bone is a journalist, editor and photographer. He is the author of "The Maverick Guide to Hawaii."
