Anyone who has travelled with me knows I can never resist a vintage store, especially in Japan. For years, I’ve hunted down Hawaiian shirts in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, filling shelves with treasures in rayon, silk, and cotton. Some are vintage originals, others are newer finds, but every single one made its way home with me for a reason.

My absolute favourite brand has always been Sun Surf.

I bought my first Sun Surf shirt many years ago in Tokyo and have been collecting them ever since. The brand has become legendary among aloha shirt enthusiasts for recreating some of the most beautiful Hawaiian shirts from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. The level of craftsmanship and attention to detail is extraordinary. The Japanese have a way of taking something already beautiful and treating it with an almost obsessive level of care and respect.

What I love most, though, is the feeling.

There is something about a great Hawaiian shirt that instantly puts you in a good mood. The colours, the oversized flowers, the tropical landscapes, the boats, the birds, the complete freedom of the prints. They don’t whisper. They sing.

Although originally designed for men, I’ve always loved them on women. Pair one with a full 1950s skirt and suddenly it feels elegant. Wear it oversized with trousers and it feels effortless. Mix it with another pattern and somehow it still works.

I’ve always had a soft spot for the optimism of the 1950s, and Hawaiian shirts capture that spirit beautifully. They remind me that fashion doesn’t always have to be serious. Sometimes it can simply be colourful, playful, and full of life.

In many ways, Aloha started there.

To me, wearing a great Hawaiian shirt feels a little like walking around inside a painting.

Sometimes fashion should simply make us happy. And few things do that better than a great aloha shirt.