Hawaiian Clothes

[suziehmkr]

Thanks Suzanne! Not sure DH will appreciate it, but I do! ;)

[Lynda90]

I purchased some very pretty Hawaiian dresses in Hawaii a few years ago. Do some of the women wear dressy Hawaiian type dresses on formal nights? I would love to have the opportunity to wear them again. They are long style dresses with pretty flowers and tie inside.

 

Thanks for your help!:D

[kapoho2]

lyndabaker...your Hawaiian dresses sound perfect for a formal night on a cruise to Hawaii. This is the perfect time to wear them. Also, you might want to treat yourself to a beautiful lei to complement the dress. Enjoy!

[Lynda90]

lyndabaker...your Hawaiian dresses sound perfect for a formal night on a cruise to Hawaii. This is the perfect time to wear them. Also, you might want to treat yourself to a beautiful lei to complement the dress. Enjoy!

Thank you so much. That's a great idea about the lei. Will do that!

[suziehmkr]

Great idea! Do they sell fresh lei's on the ship? Oh!! I love it. I know I could find a nice silk one, but to wear a fresh one on formal nights would be great!!

[Cruise Arizona]

My dear husband thinks I am totally crazy to be worrying about buying Hawaiian clothes 8 months before I even go to Hawaii, but I really want to do the whole cheezy matching outfits thing for a nice family picture. I'd rather not have to go shopping for the item during my touring time, and just go ahead and get them ahead of time. I am leaning toward getting the long sundress for myself, the short sundress for my daughter, and the matching shirts for DH and my son at tydelhawaii.com. They seem to have the best price on that combo.

 

Hopefully there will be a perfect night for our matching outfits for a portrait on deck with the island in the background.

[suziehmkr]

I know what you mean! I approached DH with it the other night... assuring him that it was just for dinner one night so I could get a great picture! ;) He was way ok with it as long as he could have input on the fabric! Woo hoo!!

[PINKY&THE BRAIN]

even though i am not planning on the matching outfits, i also am starting to think for HI in the fall, with the excuse that then i can sort out comfort of cothing (silk vs cotton vs rayon??? UGH!!!) in warm weather before it's packed for my trip next fall :)

[RenieRaider]

Naha.

They do run true to size BUT....... many items, like dresses, are cotton and they may shrink. They have GREAT clothes! The website does it no justice.

 

By the way...... every island has a Hilo Hatties. AND there are Free shuttle buses from the pier to the stores. With each $25 purchase you get a Mug. Each Island offers a different Hilo Hatties Designed Mug. People try to collect them all. What they find out too late is that you will HAVE to spend $25 at each store to get that Islands mug after already spending lots of $$$ at the First Hilo Hatties because they found such wonderful things and shop to bring things home for 'everybody'! . So.... slow down. Make it a point to pick up a few things, one store at a time. It doesn't take long to scoot to Hilo Hatties from the ship. I'm not a shopper but it is an adventure in it self!

Have fun!

[suziehmkr]

Great tip about the different mugs! I had read that they had them, but not that they were different! Thanks for adding something to our itinerary! :eek: The only port that we would be crunched for time on would be Oahu... is it close to Aloha Tower?

[RenieRaider]

Suzie. I did not got to the Oahu one. I bet there IS on in the Tower thou or at least nearby. Check the website.

Sorry I can not be more help.

Oh. The cups. The background of each cup has that island's name written all over it. If you see someone's cup at first it just looks pretty THEN when you look closer you go .... ohhhhh ... this one's from Kauaii. Or Maui. Or ?????

 

;-)

[RenieRaider]

LOL

I bet you can find people on ebay saying ...... looking for Hilo Hatties Cup from Hilo Hatties to complete my collection. LOL lol

[Maui_Wahine]

Aloha:

 

I've been watching this thread for a while, and want to add my two cents worth:

 

First of all, I rarely buy anything from Hilo Hatties... Far too pricey for my budget. The sale rack at Sears is my hunting ground, although I've found some good stuff at a Walmart in New Jersey! :)

 

I wear some form of Hawaiian dress to work almost every day. Either a mu`umu`u, or Hawaiian print top and shorts (mostly) or slacks(rarely.) Locals wear subdued prints, reserving the garish eye-burning prints to tourists (yes, matching outfits are a dead giveaway!)

 

When cruising, I always wear mu`umu`u at formal nights (they're all I have in my wardrobe.) DH generally wears slacks and a nice Aloha shirt. We've never been turned away. Since we can't seem to find shell lei aboard ships outside Hawaiian waters, we take shell and feather lei with us.

 

I really feel badly for folks who only get to wear Hawaiian dress while on vacation. I can't remember how to put on pantyhose (selective amnesia?) and DH threw away all of his ties years ago.

 

Oh yes, footwear... Sandals for "dressy" and rubber slippers (flip-flops) for almost everything else. When hiking or extended walking, lace-up walking shoes, but I try to avoid closed shoes as much as possible...

 

Do hope this helps. The most important thing is, enjoy yourself and be comfortable. Wear what pleases you and don't worry about what some stranger thinks. We know you're a visitor by the Jeep or convertible you're driving, so kick back and have a great time.

 

Aloha...

[gracecarmo]

Maui Wahine: when you mention shell leis: what type of shells are they, and would there be any pictures of these on a web site?

And re muted colors: are they pastels, or black and white?

 

Thanks, or Aloha...Grace

[gambler]

Great websites!! Thanks. I am going to try one for the matching outfits for me, hubby and son. I got some shirts a few years back, but son's looks a bit small now. These prices are great.

[Maui_Wahine]

Maui Wahine: when you mention shell leis: what type of shells are they, and would there be any pictures of these on a web site? And re muted colors: are they pastels, or black and white?

My shell lei are mostly kokua nuts, which are about ths size of large grapes and can be found in colors ranging from jet black, through the browns and tans, to almost pure white. Often gentlemen will wear lei of smaller beach shells, which are almost always white. Sorry, don't know of any pictures.

 

Mostly the pastel prints look more like the reverse of some of the brighter prints (as though the shirt was deliberately sewn inside out.)

[suziehmkr]

So, if I wanted to make some nice silk lei for us to wear on a formal night on the ship... should DH's be made of shells? Or should his be more of a greenery style?

[Cruisin' Chick]

We bought these on our honeymoon from some outdoor stall in Hawaii and try to wear them on every cruise.

[beachchick]

So, if I wanted to make some nice silk lei for us to wear on a formal night on the ship... should DH's be made of shells? Or should his be more of a greenery style?

 

You certainly could make nice silk leis for formal night. It would be a nice touch because you will have created the exact look you want. I looked at your profile, but don't know that itinerary. Will you have your formal nights before you get to Hawaii? If so, then silk ones from home would be fine. Men and women wear all kinds (floral, shell, ti leaf, kukui nut). I've seen many for men made of ti leaves and orchids together.

 

If your formal nights are after you get to Hawaii, I suggest waiting and buying fresh leis on the islands. (You might ask Princess if the onboard florist will have leis.) Orchid leis tend to last very well (at least in our experience)--I've even taken them to the mainland for family. There's just nothing like a fresh floral lei.

 

Word of caution: tuberoses are extremely fragrant. I had one once and was just overwhelmed by the scent. It was too much. I wouldn't be surprised if it was strong enough to be smelled 2 tables away. Plumeria is also fragrant, but I've never had a problem with them. It's a softer fragrance and very pleasant. This of course is JMHO.

 

My sister and BIL were married on Maui. He wore a long ti leaf drape (open like a scarf, called Maile style I think). She wore a flat white ginger lei and braided floral head lei (I'm sure there's a proper name for it). I've seen wrist and ankle leis as well (I think they are called kupe'e, but I'm not sure).

 

For everyday, we've seen everything from the white ginger to roses to pikake to tuberoses to various orchids to plumeria. You can find them all over, including grocery stores. Florists have an amazing variety, but finding one takes time.

 

Have a lovely cruise. :D Aloha,

beachchick

[spleen93]

Small corrections:

 

"kokua" should probably be "kukui". "Kokua" means help in Hawaiian. Kukui nuts are often used in leis and their oil can be used for massage.

 

And maile is its own plant ... it's definitely not ti. :) Maile leis are the classic decoration for grooms in Hawaii (but can obviously be worn by others as well)

 

 

The head leis are called haku leis.

 

Oh, and orchid leis in Hawaii? Most of the orchids that are used in leis in Hawaii are actually imported from Southeast Asia. That's why they're cheaper than other leis and flowers. Loses something in terms of authenticity ... ;)

 

Spleen

[suziehmkr]

Wow! Thanks so much for the great information. Our itinerary is 15 days, 5 stops... Honolulu, Kauai, Lahaina, Hilo & Kona. Because this is a holiday cruise, we can't predict when the formal nights will be... I have heard they TRY to schedule them for the holidays (Chistmas or Christmas Eve & New Years) but those are ALL port days, so we won't know until we get on the ship, I guess. I have also heard mixed reports on the availability of the fresh lei on the ship. Some say yes, some say no. My ultimate would be to have the fresh... I was considering making or purchasing good quality silk lei just in case... and like beachchick said, I can coordinate them with our formal wear. DH will be all decked out in his tux, but I want to find him some fun vests and perhaps a simple "manly" lei! The kukui nuts do look nice, I have seen them on many websites. But I also like the maile! hee hee Plus we have another night planned with matching outfits that I found thanks to this wonderful board! And I would love to have fun lei for that night too. I love to do this sort of stuff, so it should be fun! I made my own headpiece for my wedding, and I didn't even know what I was doing! LOL

 

In searching websites for ideas, I have seen so many great designs!!!

 

Spleen - it seems that when I am looking at designs that even on the white ones, there is often a red or bright colored flower in one spot.... perhaps where it is tied. Is this significant? Or is it just a characteristic of some.

 

Cruisin' Chick - great to finally see a picture of you!!! It will be fun to meet you in person!!

[suziehmkr]

Oh, and orchid leis in Hawaii? Most of the orchids that are used in leis in Hawaii are actually imported from Southeast Asia.

Really? You are right, it does kind of lose something, doesn't it? Although I am sure they are beautiful!

 

I keep reading in many places and even from friends that the place to get flowers is in Hilo... which I hope to do. But, I thought these were mostly orchids. All so confusing.... :confused:

[Cruisin' Chick]

Suziehmkr, that's a great idea to wear "formal" leis. Maybe I'll start checking out the various Hawaiian company websites and see what they sell.

[spleen93]

The color that you're seeing on the lei is usually a ribbon to cover up (as you guessed) the area that the lei is tied together. For the leis that are left open, you usually won't see it (like the maile lei you see above).

 

Hilo is a great place to get flowers, especially in the farmers market. Lots of different flowers, not just orchids.

 

Spleen

[beachchick]

Small corrections:

 

"kokua" should probably be "kukui". "Kokua" means help in Hawaiian. Kukui nuts are often used in leis and their oil can be used for massage.

 

And maile is its own plant ... it's definitely not ti. :) Maile leis are the classic decoration for grooms in Hawaii (but can obviously be worn by others as well)

 

 

The head leis are called haku leis.

 

Oh, and orchid leis in Hawaii? Most of the orchids that are used in leis in Hawaii are actually imported from Southeast Asia. That's why they're cheaper than other leis and flowers. Loses something in terms of authenticity ... ;)

 

Spleen

 

Thank you for the info. I just knew that the head lei had a proper name (whether I'll remember it or not is another question).

 

Also, I wasn't aware that maile is a plant. I just remember the florists and others calling the style "maile." Now I know the difference.

 

As for the orchid leis, I was aware that lots of the orchids are imported, so I know that authenticity could be an issue. My only point was that they typically last and store well, which might be nice for cruisers, and are not so fragrant (in fact the "common" purple one--whichever orchid that is, maybe a dendrobium?--has no scent) that they will overwhelm both the wearer and those at the surrounding tables. Three people wearing tuberoses and other heavily scented leis could easily make dining difficult for pax at the surrounding tables. I had to take mine off at the restaurant because my dinner "tasted" like the flowers.

 

I particularly like the ginger leis, but they tend to be pricier. That could be an issue for a large family. I also love the pikake ones, but again they are more expensive and harder to find "in bulk."

 

(BTW: You will note that I spelled kukui correctly. Of course that's only because my mom brought me a kukui nut lei almost 30 years ago and made me learn about them. In fact, I still have it.)

 

beachchick