Carolina Panthers Mickey Mouse Hawaiian Shirt Beach Short

The loose definition of a Hawaiian shirt (sometimes called vacation shirt, aloha shirt or resort shirt) is a short-sleeve button-up with a colorful print and a camp collar (meaning the collar folds down to lay flat on the chest). Obviously, this criterion is interpreted quite loosely by fashion labels, especially when it comes to the print. Traditionally, a Hawaiian shirt has some type of floral or marine theme. The particular motifs and colors may change over time, but the core idea of Hawaiian shirts always remains the same: a super comfortable button-up that can be worn while lounging by the pool or drinking at the bar.

Hawaiian shirts, originally called aloha shirts, most likely originated from Honolulu-based dry goods store Musa-Shiya the Shirtmaker in the 1920s. “Aloha shirt” wasn’t coined until 1936 when Hawaiian shirts started to take root. US troops started wearing the shirts while stationed in Hawaii during WWII and subsequently brought them home, introducing mainlanders to the ultra-comfy button-ups.

Although Hawaiian shirts are now back in style, they’ve undergone some changes to fit modern tastes. Hawaiian shirts used to be long and flowy, verging on dress-like cuts. Not any more. Most modern brands that offer Hawaiian shirts have altered the classic in a few ways. While we still prefer slightly over-sized Hawaiian shirts with a looser fit, brands like J.Crew and Topman are now making more slim-fit Hawaiian shirts, too. We’re also seeing surf and skate brands like Vans sell Hawaiian shirts that abandon the traditional camp collar for a more modern look.

First, the fit of a modern Hawaiian shirt is slimmer and more cropped than its older iterations. Second, brands are now more experimental with prints than they used to be. You’ll find some Hawaiian shirts with minimal black-and-white prints, others with nods to recent pop-culture and some with designs that look more like modern art than a Hawaiian flower print.