No Hawaiian shirts for Apec

[CatInASuit]

The fashion choice for the last 20 years or so for the APEC meeting of world leaders has been to wear the local dress. This has been the case since Bill Clinton dressed everyone in Leather Jackets and so the tradition continued through ponchos and silks and so on.

Strangely enough, Bush and Putin looked completely at ease in silk.

But his year, Obama has decided that tradition should not be carried out and so the Hawaiian shirts that they leaders would have worn should be put to one side and it will be business suits as usual.

Feel free to insert comments about Obama trying to be serious in this time of austerity, but dammit, I like watching them try to pull off fashion like only middle aged people can and its normally the best copy out of these meetings anyway.

[Sarahfeena]

I'll be $5 it's because Obama normally wouldn't be caught dead in a Hawaiian shirt, and didn't want to lose his Smooth cred during election time.

[OneCentStamp]

There's also the fact that he's from Hawaii himself and possibly considers them touristy.

[Zuul]

In Hawaii, they're called Aloha shirts and they're worn for many functions. My niece's aunt and uncle were married with the men in Aloha shirts and the women in muumuus. They're commonly worn for things that mainlanders would consider formal. Perfectly acceptable and quite often lovely.

I imagine the fact that mainlanders have very different ideas about Aloha shirts (the ridicule and insults directed towards the shirts and women wearing muumuus is pretty well-known) may have been a factor.

[Rube E. Tewesday]

Homer Simpson:

The only guys who wear Hawaiian shirts are gay guys and big fat party animals.

[Orual]

I imagine the fact that mainlanders have very different ideas about Aloha shirts (the ridicule and insults directed towards the shirts and women wearing muumuus is pretty well-known) may have been a factor.

Yeah, I think this is it. Those shirts are seen as very casual, or goofy.

[RabbitMage]

To make up for this horrible error in judgement, I shall purchase one dozen (12) Hawaiian or "Aloha" shirts and wear them daily.

[Elendil's Heir]

To make up for this horrible error in judgement, I shall purchase one dozen (12) Hawaiian or "Aloha" shirts and wear them daily.

Anything to help spur the economy!

[Hatshepsut]

In Hawaii, they're called Aloha shirts and they're worn for many functions. My niece's aunt and uncle were married with the men in Aloha shirts and the women in muumuus. They're commonly worn for things that mainlanders would consider formal. Perfectly acceptable and quite often lovely.

I imagine the fact that mainlanders have very different ideas about Aloha shirts (the ridicule and insults directed towards the shirts and women wearing muumuus is pretty well-known) may have been a factor.

You beat me to it, Zuul! It's quite true - Aloha shirts are entirely acceptable as formalwear and in fact throughout the Pacific (or at least parts of it where I have been), it is very common to see invitations marked "Dress: Island Formal."

I'm so used to Hawaiian clothing and textiles that I can't wrap my head around the idea that it would ever be ridiculed. But given the ignorant jeering that went on in America when Bill Clinton wore batik, I'm sure it's a concern.

Incidentally, that ridicule of batik was horrifying and embarrassing. It is an incredibly well-developed and highly respected art form. While many countries have a batik tradition, it is especially well-developed in Indonesia and the artistry in a good piece of batik is worthy of great admiration. (Search Google Images on "batik tulis" and you will be rewarded with a rich selection of finely detailed textiles employing many motifs and colors.) I remember when Clinton's batik shirt was laughed at in the US. The narrow-minded ignorance on display made me sick to my stomach. SAVAGES.

[Trojan Man]

I've always liked Hawaiian shirts. They have a collar - how much more bloody formal do you want?! Never understood the ridicule, either.

[Zuul]

I remember when Clinton's batik shirt was laughed at in the US. The narrow-minded ignorance on display made me sick to my stomach. SAVAGES.

Right, and I imagine that being from Hawaii, Obama wouldn't want to invite that sort of ridicule onto it.

[The Original An Gadaí]

I want a Hawaiian shirt as befitting my status as resident big fat party animal.

[CatInASuit]

I want a Hawaiian shirt as befitting my status as resident big fat party animal.

Your new avatar awaits:

[Elendil's Heir]

For those yearning to see Clinton in batik: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/...l-Clin-011.jpg

[The Original An Gadaí]

I want a Hawaiian shirt as befitting my status as resident big fat party animal.

Your new avatar awaits:

Was too big but found a tasteful blue number.

[Trojan Man]

Dammit! Now I wanna be a big fat party animal!

[Hatshepsut]

For those yearning to see Clinton in batik: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/...l-Clin-011.jpg

And as an added bonus, you now know what it feels like for a Westerner to get on the elevator in Jakarta.

[Rube E. Tewesday]

Those are good-looking shirts.

I find it strange and mildly annoying that people made fun.

[Orual]

But also unsurprising.

[RabbitMage]

Those batik shirts and lovely and people are morons. I wanna wear batik.

[Orual]

Me too, though I would prefer a batik skirt to a batik shirt. It's pretty.

[Hatshepsut]

The good news is that batik has become very fashionable in Indonesia these days. Even though people were proud of their heritage, at the end of the 20th century no one Indonesian ever wore batik for daily life in the city, just on special occasions (weddings) or for specified rituals (government employees are expected to wear batik on Friday). It was considered old-fashioned, or embarrassingly - gosh, I can't think of a word in English that fits - like something some rube from the village would do (since people in villages never stopped wearing it). You could always find batik clothing easily but a lot of it was lousy quality, and it was only marketed to tourists.

Over the past decade that has completely changed. "Regular" clothing - skirts, shirts, jackets, pants - now are made from nice-quality batik, and you see ordinary Indonesians in the big city going about their ordinary lives, in ordinary clothing, MADE FROM BATIK!!!! It's great. I always feel that I had a small part to play in the revolution, too, as I always bought decent quality batik and had "regular" clothing made from it. It was unusual, and I'm sure some people, especially Indonesians, laughed a bit behind my back.* But I also got a lot of compliments on my clothes. Now everybody is dressing like that!

* The worst was when KPMG hired me and told me not to wear batik (I had some beautiful business suits made from batik) to the office. Assholes.

[Orual]

It was considered old-fashioned, or embarrassingly - gosh, I can't think of a word in English that fits - like something some rube from the village would do (since people in villages never stopped wearing it).

Countrified?

[Trojan Man]

My Indonesian friend (IRL) wears batik shirts, and I joke that it's amazing how those curtains now look like a shirt (coz the first time I saw a batik shirt, I thought it looked a bit like curtain material). Said completely in jest - I love these shirts - and my Indonesian friend uses the "curtain" joke now

[Elendil's Heir]

Meh. I can't say it does anything for me, but to each their own.