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Roberta Oaks, Hawaii

Pow! Wow! Hawaii 2019 Old News Pullover Shirt

Pow! Wow! Hawaii 2019 Old News Pullover Shirt

Regular price $135.00 USD
Regular price Sale price $135.00 USD
Sale Sold out
Shipping calculated at checkout.

ON SALE FEB 8

My 13th aloha shirt release for Pow! Wow! Hawaii, Old News was a fun one to research and design.  This collage of 13 island newspapers dating from 1840 to 1912 lends a perspective of the islands at a time when all the business and commerce was very central to the Port of Honolulu at Aloha Tower.  All passengers arrived and departed by ship and each persons name was printed in the paper as part of the ships manifest. This port of arrival was bustling upslope to Fort Street, Bethel Street, Nu'uanu, and Hotel, which was the thriving center of mercantile shops, tailors, commerce, hotels and saloons. Being a retail store owner with a shop in Chinatown made this all especially interesting to me, my present reality being set in a historic neighborhood who's charm lingers in a moment of the past.

 

The classifieds were by far the most interesting section to explore.  I discovered an ad for a lost terrier bitch named "Patch", who's owner asked for her return to the Anchor Saloon at the corner of Nu'uanu and King Streets. In the FOR RENT section is a single advertisement for a five bedroom furnished house available for $25 per month, or if your needed a job, a jewelry shop on Fort Street had a position open for a live model to wear a diamond ring, the pay being $1 per week. I also found the article from when Duke Kahanamoku broke the world record in the 100-yard freestyle swim by 4.6 seconds in Honolulu Harbor on August 11, 1911. In a "travel" article is told the delight of day-trip excursion up to Tantalus.

 

All the newspapers at this time were printed on a printing press, the text being laid out pretty much one letter at a time.  These newspapers took skill and craftsmanship to print.  Illustrations were etched onto plates. People read the paper word for word.  I find myself appreciating the aesthetic of the different fonts, the layout, the time and skill it took to print a single line and the romantic thought of my Chinatown community a century and a half ago, in it's hay day, shops bustling and horse's hitched up outside the saloon on the corner of Nu'uanu and King as a man stands bellied up to the bar in the hopes that someone had seen his ad and would stumble in with his lost dog Patch.

 

Original artwork print plus cut and sew by Roberta Oaks, hand lettering for the sew in label by Jeff Gress.

    • Luxe white cotton with a black/grey print
    • Black buttons.
    • Contrast collar and pocket flap.
    • Contrast inner yoke with cotton loop.
    • 100% Cotton
    • Cut and sewn in Honolulu, Hawaii
    • Machine wash cold and hang to dry. Or, dry clean it.
    • Rolled sleeve is optional and can be unrolled for more traditional styling.
    • Original print design by Roberta Oaks.

Our cut is MODERN and therefore is more tailored than a standard aloha shirt. Those of our customers who wear traditional aloha shirts and/or who like a loose, relaxed fit will go up one to two sizes in our brand.  Those of our customers who are used to wearing modern/slim cut shirt brands and like their shirts to fit sharp, order true to size. 

    *all sales are final on Pow! Wow! Hawaii limited edition shirts.

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