ROME -- The other day I opened a jar of hair conditioner from L'Oreal, a present from my daughter. I was overcome by an incredible sense of deja vu because the scent reminded me of a fragrance from my youth - pikake flowers from Hawaii.
My grandfather represented the Hawaiian sugar planters in Washington. He was a lobbyist when that wasn't always a dirty word, and traveled to Honolulu at least once a year. He always brought back presents for the whole family, Hawaiian shirts, pikake perfume, and sometimes even jewelry in jade or pearls for my mother or grandmother.
When my grandmother accompanied him we were sure to receive sundresses in hand-printed Hawaiian fabric, or a sarong dress with matching bolero. I came across a beautiful sundress in a blue and white print, which I would wear today if only I still, had the 26-inch waist I had then. Several holokus are in my trunk also; they were the scooped-neck long dresses with trains made from flowered silk or rayon, the islands' version of the gay nineties dresses worn by the wives of the missionaries.
Still on the subject of nostalgia, an Internet newsletter from Lands End from a couple of months ago featured a fabulous Hawaiian shirt with blue skies, white clouds, palm trees, and the Pan American Flying Clipper, the seaplane from Boeing that flew the only commercial run across the Atlantic and Pacific in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
I just had to have that shirt, as my grandfather also was a director of Pan American Airways at the time, but when I got around to ordering some shirts for myself and family Lands End was out of stock. So I wrote my friend Mark Spink, who helps with my orders, and after a couple of weeks he actually found some for me. I then learned from another friend that Hawaiian shirts are not only colorful and beautiful, but by tradition they have always told the story of Hawaii though their prints.
Recently a viewer of my Web site from Hawaii wrote with a question, so when I answered I asked if pikake perfume is still on sale in Hawaii. Who knows, perhaps at Liberty House? The department store continues a 150-year history. He wrote back that the perfume is only for tourists, that real Hawaiians WEAR the flowers.
Properly put in my place, I then opened the June issue of Italian Glamour and found three pages packed with photographs titled "Aloha! First the Fashions, then Flowers, Home, Food, Beauty, Books. The Long Wave from the Pacific has Even Arrived Here."
Right smack in the middle was a photo of a Hawaiian shirt printed with sea, palm trees, and thatched huts. Next to it a ukulele, shell jewelry, and a photo of the statue of Hawaii's Olympic champion, Duke Kahanamoke, on Waikiki Beach. Other pages showed books on Hawaiian design, printed sun hats, macadamia nuts, and recordings of Hawaiian music.
A caption over a photo of a woman wearing an oversized pink silk shirt, draped pink pareo, and lei of pink flowers by Paul Smith, mentioned other designers currently showing jungle and flower prints, flower necklaces, pareos, and other summer outfits with the Hawaiian influence. These included Dolce & Gabbana, Gianni Versace, Kenzo, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Fiorucci, who never abandoned the look.
For men, casual Friday dress might be a bright Hawaiian printed shirt worn with immaculate white duck pants or pale beige chinos, with white buckskins or moccasins. Flower-printed swim trunks or longer surfer shorts look great at the beach, and a matching shirt is tops for elegance!
Women who don't want to spend a lot of money for designer interpretations can check their nearest thrift shop for a shirt that will look great over white shorts or slacks. Since most of these shirts were made for men they will probably be a bit large, but loose in the summer means cool! A large square of printed cotton or rayon fabric, from 45 to 55 inches can be tied around the waist for a pareo skirt, and the young with trim figures can combine it with a halter or short tank top that bares a bit of midriff.
My biggest regret is that my mother, who grew up in Hawaii, was happily planning to return for her 50th reunion at Punahou school in 1977. Unfortunately she did not live long enough to make the voyage to her beloved islands. Aloha!
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Logan welcomes questions and comments and will respond to as many as possible. They may be sent to ParadigmTSA, P.O. Box 111372, Stamford, CT 06911-1372 or by e-mail to paradigm@paradigm-tsa.com. Additional fashion and style information may be obtained from Logan's website, http://made-in-italy.com
(c) Copyright 2000 Logan Bentley Lessona
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