Updated usually on Mondays and/or Thursdays!


Monday, September 14, 2015

Aloha Ohana: Ways to Dress Kawaii

I'm very pumped for this post because....it's a culture post. Yay!!! It also features a few of my closest friends. Double yay!!! School is in full-swing, and summer feels like months ago. In light of it being senior year, Diana and I are committed to going to every dance this year. The first one, the Back to School Dance, was this past Saturday, so I took advantage of the fact that it was Hawaiian-themed. I mean, who doesn't love Hawaii+Culture+Fashion?! 

The Culture and Clothing of Hawai'i

1930's: Aloha Shirts

The Aloha Shirt was popularized in the 30's by tourists. It became an American fad especially after Hollywood stars like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra wore them in movies. The shirt is usually made of silk, rayon, or cotton and inspired by the Japanese kimono!

Aloha shirts are the obvious go-to when it comes to dressing Hawaiian-themed. I don't own one so the one I'm wearing in this photo is actually one of my dad's Tommy Bahamas aloha shirts. LOL. I have fun playing around with clothes, even if that means going into my dad's closet...although this was my first time ever doing that.


1940's: Light-weight Hawaiian Dress

The tropical, casual Hawaiian dress became a staple for women all around America in the 40's. However, the cultural dress of Hawaii, the muumuu, dates back to the 1800s when missionaries brought the style to Hawaii. The missionaries enforced muumuus because they were shocked by literally how naked Hawaiian women were. Back then, the women seriously went around topless and only wore grass hula skirts--no joke. 

Pa'u Skirt

It would be cool if I owned a legitimate pa'u skirt, but my pink skirt does just fine. The traditional pa'u skirt is made up of nine yards of fabric, covering the legs and flowing on the ground. Although I wore a very modernized and short version of a pa'u skirt, it still worked with the theme. The necklace I wore, which I received as a gift, was actually handmade of shells in Hawaii, which I thought was a nice touch to the rest of the outfit.
 Awww how cute are Sayne and Hanul?! Rocking the Aloha shirt!
 Rachel went all out with the skirt, hair, and necklace. Queeeeen! And of course #doroana
I have such cute, cute friends. They also happen to be loving, awesome, fun, and fabulous. 
Mahalo for reading!