Vintage Outfit Post-Aloha Tiki Style

So my last post on the 1927 Clara Bow film Hula might have given a hint that I'm in a tropical mood.  The reason is the fab Jitterbuggin Hawaiin sarong dress I've been wearing.  Inspired by the Tiki style  Alfred Shaheen dresses of the 1950s its a really gorgeous dress, and very comfortable.  Perfect for the super humid and near 90 degree weather we have been having.  I don't do 50s vintage as often as 20s, 30s, and 40s, looks, but the tropical looks of the era really appeal to my love of kitsch.  

The dress is actually in a crane print, which is perhaps not as traditional as a regular Hawaiin print but very pretty:

I really had fun with the accessories for this look my beloved 1940s coconut purse, my favorite Re-mix 40s style sandals, an assortment of bakelite and bamboo bangles, the dead stock 1950s cats eye sunglasses my husband gave me for my birthday, and a hair flower I've had for years.

I wasn't completely happy with the hair flower, so I got a better one from Etsy's Chatter Blossom.  I love all Jamie's hair accessories and this new one is no exception.  I'm no good at styling hair, particularly vintage looks, and Im often disappointed with my tresses, but never when I'm wearing one of Jamie's pieces.  I love the purple floral clip she made me.

Wearing the whole look made me curious about the man behind the gorgeous tropical prints.  Alfred Shaheen, the Hawaiin shirt king,  was born in 1922 and passed away in 2008.  Born in New Jersey into a family of textile manufacturers Shaheen moved to Hawaii in the 1930s and started focusing on the prints he became famous for.

  He originally used textiles imported from the main land but eventually built a massive factory for creating his own fabrics, Surf N' Sand prints. 

 Employing local artisans he made the gorgeous fabrics he became famous for.  The look peaked in the 1950s and 60s but continues to be popular today.  

With five dogs and three cats that I can't bear to leave I won't be taking any Hawaiin vacations any time soon, not to mention that to take the vacation of my dreams I'd need a time machine, but with my Jitterbuggin dress I can take Hawaii with me.