(Fashion)

This Summer Trend Is Already Everywhere — Including Your Dad's Closet

by Nicole Kliest
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Hawaiian shirts will forever remind me of my dad. Sweet surfer Steve in all of his who-cares-what-I-look-like glory considers this a year-round wardrobe staple. Holidays, reunions, dinners out, vacations — no occasion can keep him away from his beloved tropical mainstay, and I wouldn't want to change that for the world. Instead, it actually seems as though I'll be joining him this spring thanks to a slew of designers doing their own iteration of the dad-worthy Hawaiian shirt for Spring 2019.

"The tropical top is very 'ironic chic' — a fashion faux pas so wrong it's right," Moda Operandi Fashion Director Lisa Aiken tells TZR. "It overlaps with something we are seeing everywhere: items with a vintage feel being reworked by designers to feel fresh again."

Designer Richard Quinn included a Hawaiian-print satin shirt in his Spring 2019 runway collection, which is crafted with floral beaded embroidery and comes in a cool boxy silhouette. Other labels ranging from iconic Balenciaga to quirky-cool Dries Van Noten and Rejina Pyo to edgy Alexander Wang all partook in a little aloha spirit and the result is fun, refreshing, and a reminder it's time to dip into your vacation days.

Richard Quinn S/S 2019

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If you're curious how to wear the piece while not on holiday, Aiken loves it "tied up with jeans and worn with a dose of confidence to embrace the bold print and colors." Or for a more polished take, feel free to wear it to the office by dressing the piece up with a midi skirt or trousers and your favorite mules. The beauty of the Hawaiian shirt is that it's an easily convertible staple for summer.

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Ahead, shop the season's best Hawaiian shirts to help you get ahead of the trend.