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Jams World shirts, Hawaiian

PabloElFlamenco

Practically Family
Messages
581
Location
near Brussels, Belgium
I've discovered a liking for Hawaiian shirts, generally garish. In my searches I came upon the brand "Jams World", and was very impressed by some of their designs. Especially the colorful ones, some of which remind me of the colors of Gauguin or even Vincent van Gogh or Renoir: beautiful vibrant summer colors. Now they don't seem to be classic Hawaiian shirt style, rather more something like modern surf wear. I've tried to search "Jams World" on the Fedora Lounge, yet nothing much emerged. Why could this be? Is the brand not, generally, appreciated, is it considered gauche? I've noticed the brand doesn't show up within the (apparently) select group of Hawaiian shirt brands that stand out. And, on blogs about the 50th state shirts, it seems there is a subtle etiquette, and the garish shirts I presently favor appear to be snobbed in favor of eclectic, as yet in my mind undifined, criteria: horizontal buttonholes, reverse printing etc.

What are some of the thoughts of Hawaiian shirt amateurs?

Thanks very much, greetings from Belgium.

Pablo
 

mikespens

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,913
Location
Tacoma, Wa
Pablo, I think what your search experience has more to do with is context, not to mention the search function here is legend for it's inefficiency. The FL was conceived to be a vintage style forum, obviously, that's not reality but in general terms that's what it is and who it generally attracts. "Hawaiian Shirt" has become a generic term over time. What was "Hawaiian Shirt" in the 40s/50s isn't the same as "Hawaiian Shirt" now. Today's Hawaiian shirt is basically any button up shirt that serves as a billboard for whatever subject it's print represents. I prefer the term "Aloha Shirt" for the vintage style which celebrated a fantasy island lifestyle and were printed with local themes of same. I also associate a more vintage cut to these shirts, square bottom, fewer buttons usually in coconut, and a spear point loop collar in general. They were never intended to be tucked in. The difference between "Aloha" and "Hawaiian" is similar to comparing a Converse "sneaker" to a Nike athletic shoe, both the same basic thing but one is classic and one has evolved.

To Jams World in particular, they were founded mid 60s after the classic "Aloha" period and reflected a surfer youth scene into comfy wash'n wear beachwear. Jams is short for pajamas and the look of the line was revolutionary at the time. Obviously, someone into the classic Aloha look would be hesitant to adopt, a classic generational gap. The same gap we see between vintage and contemporary fashion fans/nazis now. I've come across many Jams World shirts on Ebay and to my admittedly biased towards vintage eye, they "in general" feature button up modern collars, lots of buttons (usually print matched), and more Caribbean/abstract/African themed prints than traditional Hawaiian themes. Then again, the generic Hawaiian shirt can now feature themes from beer cans to NFL teams. Good or bad? Depends on what your into.

Bottom line, wear what serves you, what pushes your button, and forget about finding consensus here ;)
 

PabloElFlamenco

Practically Family
Messages
581
Location
near Brussels, Belgium
Pablo, I think what your search experience has more to do with is context, not to mention the search function here is legend for it's inefficiency. The FL was conceived to be a vintage style forum, obviously, that's not reality but in general terms that's what it is and who it generally attracts. "Hawaiian Shirt" has become a generic term over time. What was "Hawaiian Shirt" in the 40s/50s isn't the same as "Hawaiian Shirt" now. Today's Hawaiian shirt is basically any button up shirt that serves as a billboard for whatever subject it's print represents. I prefer the term "Aloha Shirt" for the vintage style which celebrated a fantasy island lifestyle and were printed with local themes of same. I also associate a more vintage cut to these shirts, square bottom, fewer buttons usually in coconut, and a spear point loop collar in general. They were never intended to be tucked in. The difference between "Aloha" and "Hawaiian" is similar to comparing a Converse "sneaker" to a Nike athletic shoe, both the same basic thing but one is classic and one has evolved.

To Jams World in particular, they were founded mid 60s after the classic "Aloha" period and reflected a surfer youth scene into comfy wash'n wear beachwear. Jams is short for pajamas and the look of the line was revolutionary at the time. Obviously, someone into the classic Aloha look would be hesitant to adopt, a classic generational gap. The same gap we see between vintage and contemporary fashion fans/nazis now. I've come across many Jams World shirts on Ebay and to my admittedly biased towards vintage eye, they "in general" feature button up modern collars, lots of buttons (usually print matched), and more Caribbean/abstract/African themed prints than traditional Hawaiian themes. Then again, the generic Hawaiian shirt can now feature themes from beer cans to NFL teams. Good or bad? Depends on what your into.

Bottom line, wear what serves you, what pushes your button, and forget about finding consensus here ;)
Mikespens, your reply is a generous gesture in that it opens wide open the gates to knowledge, diplomatically impartial, and generally an open-ended invitation to discover. Thank you for that!

Less than a fortnight ago, an Easy or eBay picture strongly drew my attention to a very "modern art" print of a Jams World shirt, hence the interest in that brand. As soon as I left the site, I lost all trace of that shirt, never to find it again, in spite of searching...

The whole background of my recent interest in Aloha shirts is...the shirt Jimi Hendrix wore on one of the album covers of "Electric Ladyland". Never found that shirt, either! Custom made?

One thing leading to another is part of exploring.

Pablo



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