Fashion is a hot topic nowadays. Clothes need to be changed every season, the accessories need to match the shoes and the hairstyle is something that must not be neglected. These are only a few rules which any person who wants to impress with looks must follow, but what differentiates you from the others is the unique style you adopt. There are two things which will always be fashionable and comfortable making the owner look particular at the same time - Guayabera shirts and Hawaiian shirts.
While all of us know that Hawaiian shirts are cloth items originating in the Hawaii Island, the Guayabera shirts may not be that well known. They are shirts especially designed for men and they are very popular in Latin America. No one knows precisely where exactly the Guayabera shirts were worn for the first time. Cuba and Mexico are the two most mentioned countries when talking about the Guayabera shirts origin. Another interesting aspect related to Guayabera shirts is the fact that they are also called Mexican wedding shirts or cigar shirts, just as the Hawaiian shirts are called Aloha shirts.
What makes both Guayabera shirts as well as the Hawaiian shirts so popular? One particular reason can be that wearing them in anywhere else except their origin place makes you special and attracts attention. The Hawaiian shirts are always worn by the people coming from Hawaii, their holiday place, so just wearing them could lighten your day and make you think of a relaxing mood, a sunny beach with the ocean waves singing nearby.
Most of the people wear Guayabera shirts or even Hawaiian shirts without identifying their style or knowing that apart from the trend there is an entire story waiting to be told. Lets take the example of the Guayabera shirts. Their origin is related to an ancient Cuban story of a small farmer and his wife who was a shirt designer. The story tells that the farmer wanted a shirt with which he could carry all his necessities: tobacco, gum, pencils so what he asked his wife to sew four pockets on his regular shirt and buttons in order to protect his belongings. And this is how the Guayabera shirts were born. The first Guayabera shirts were so practical that they were soon adopted by other habitants of that specific village. In time, the Guayabera shirts popularity continued to increase, becoming national items. Of course, there are other stories which state that the first Guayabera shirts were worn in Mexico, Spain or even Thailand, but this one is the best known.
There is also an entire history behind the Hawaiian shirts. In the early 1930s, some visitors of the island just fell in love with some unusual shirts with exotic printings. They bought the later called Hawaiian shirts as souvenirs, but the young people selling them realized the potential success of the business and registered the Hawaiian shirts under the name of aloha shirts. And this was only the beginning. Soon, the Hawaiian shirts business transformed into a flourishing one and the Hawaiian shirts became one of the Hawaiis national symbols. In the years following the Second World War, the colorful shirts helped the visitors forget the years of darkness and the sales increased even more.
Both Hawaiian shirts and Guayabera shirts can be found in every corner of the world: USA, Europe, Australia, Asia and even in some parts of Africa. As their popularity increased, they were worn not only by common people, but by celebrities as well. President George Bush wore Guayabera shirts when visiting Mexico and Shaquille ONeal wore one at a celebration in Miami. Hawaiian shirts were worn by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra or Montgomery Cliff. Seeing famous personalities display these shirts amazed even more and made regular people want one of their own. Step by step, possessing Guayabera or a Hawaiian shirts became something to be proud of, something that could not miss from anyones wardrobe.
In the designers hunger for worldwide admiration, the original clothes were modified in order to satisfy a larger number of clients. It is very difficult to create fresh new printings for the Hawaiian shirts, so this is why the original items suffered several changes, becoming something easily worn by a large category of customers. Guayabera shirts had a similar path as their original white color just wasnt enough to attract peoples attention anymore. New ones, in different colors, were created for the delight of the public.
What is to be remembered when wearing this type of shirts is that they are more than clothes designed to impress your girlfriend or to make you feel better. They are items carrying a history representative for different parts of the world. Hawaiian shirts as well as Guayabera shirts are somehow part of the human heritage. |
