Booklist
Cultural icon and bon vivant Homer Simpson has opined that the only people who wear Hawaiian shirts are gay guys and big, fat party animals. Hope and Tozian put the lie to Homer in a lush, loving look at aloha shirts and the industry that provides them. Part fashion history, part cultural exploration, the marvelously well illustrated tome examines the rise of Hawaii's image as a tourist's paradise, a perception engineered by far-sighted folks intent on making a buck. After reviewing competing claims as to who "invented" the aloha shirt, Hope and Tozian delve into the manufacturers that made it a perdurable icon of carefree relaxation. Amidst all the knockout threads on display, they sprinkle color pictures of vintage labels and the coconut buttons the authentic shirts sported. Languidly informative and pretty as a hula dancer, this is a book to please anyone interested in Hawaiian tourism and culture, in fashion, or in big, gorgeous picture books. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Santa Cruz Sentinel October 22, 2000
Hope has blended his love of Hawaii and knowledge of textiles into a coffee-table book that appeals to anyone who's ever worn a Hawaiian shirt.
