Hawaiian Shirts with Horizontal patterns

The other day I was looking at a page of Hawaiian shirts that I have for sale in my Ebay store, and I recognized some distinct patterning that I really hadn't considered before, although, in the moment, it was really clear.  Shirts can be classified in many ways; by color, by theme, by size, design elements, fabrics, you name it; this is about the layout of the elements of the print. So, I'm thinking, let me show you a  few shirts with a horizontal lay-out, for starters.

 Setting the tone and expectation....line them up on the bar. Party time!

 This shirt is one of my current favorites. the strong horizontal border  bands on the hem and sleeve are a great contrast to the vertical lines of the swaing palm trees in this incredible night-time beach scene of silhouettes.

 This red number is a Pierre Cardin rayon shirt with a horizontal 

band across the chest featuring woody station wagons.

 One of my favorite brands is Kahala.  The shirt above is by Hawaiian artist John Severson.  In this cast, the scene itself creates a strong horizontal line.

 Bands of beer!  It's a light-hearted design..is it lite beer?

 And palm trees

 Color creates strong contrasting bands

And alternating pineapples and palms in wide bands are separated by narrower 

bands of traditional tapa designs in a monochromatic print.

Today's Hawaiian Shirts - Vintage Matchbooks and Dragons on vintage 1990s shirts!

So, I've just been working on my new website, oldoldstuff.com and re-acquainting myself with some of the shirts that I have in my inventory.  Some new old favorite brands I seem to gravitate to are not-too-distant past labels such as Utility.  Here's  a prime example of the range of subject matter now attributed to the phrase "Hawaiian Shirt", seemingly co-opted to mean just about any printed shirt with a colorful design.  Here's one that might suit a philumenist. (That's the word match cover collectors call themselves - lovers of light, invented probably in the 1920s or 30s.)

  Other subject matter popular in shirts of the recent past includes Chinese dragons!  Menacing or friendly, symmetrically laid out, or twisting all over the fabric, they're a great addition to topical prints.  5-clawed dragons are generally associated with Emperors of Imperial China, while less claws are found on less auspicious dragons.  Check out several styles and sizes in my current stock on Ebay.

Amplify

Claudio Nucci

Million Guy

So, here's a curious Norman Rockwell tie.  I've seen a number of these in which the graphic seems to be stretched, as if it were computer generated and the ratio box was left unchecked when the print-maker designed  the plates. Or, maybe it's an "artistic license" issue.  Would love to know more about this. At any rate, you can see more by clicking here.  This fellow is wearing vintage football gear and being tackled by some with a lot of nerve.