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Can anyone help me ID what this print may be on the Hawaiian Shirt

Discussion in 'PUBLIC Vintage Fashion - Ask Questions Get Answers' started by poppysvintageclothing, Mar 4, 2020.

  1. poppysvintageclothing

    poppysvintageclothing VFG Member Staff Member VFG Past President

    I keep wondering what this print is supposed to be of...if you can help out, it would be appreciated. Is it some sort of fan? It makes me think a bit of Indonesian Batik, but I honestly am stumped with this one.

    Weird Print on Hawaiian shirt.jpg

    Weird Print on Hawaiian shirt 2.jpg

    Weird Print on Hawaiian shirt 1.jpg
     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2020
    poppysvintageclothing, Mar 4, 2020
    #1
  2. amandainvermont

    amandainvermont VFG Member

    Makes me think of abstract honeycomb. ???
     
    amandainvermont, Mar 4, 2020
    #2
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  3. catseyevintage

    catseyevintage VFG Member

    Does the shirt have a label? What fabric is it? It looks like it may be from somewhere other than Hawaii?
     
    catseyevintage, Mar 4, 2020
    #3
  4. poppysvintageclothing

    poppysvintageclothing VFG Member Staff Member VFG Past President

    Sorry, Debbie, you cannot make it out from the photo, but it is from Honolulu, it is on the label on the lower right corner. I cannot get back into etsy at the moment to check on the fabric content. Etsy is down for me right now.
     
    poppysvintageclothing, Mar 4, 2020
    #4
  5. lkranieri

    lkranieri VFG Member

    The brown design seems to have drawn its inspiration from tapa cloth designs. Assuming that might be so, it seems reasonable to find a Hawaiian shirt with allusions to a traditional native craft/art.
     
    lkranieri, Mar 4, 2020
    #5
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  6. The Vintage Merchant

    The Vintage Merchant Administrator Staff Member

    reminds me of a fly swatter. not familiar with Capt David. interesting. the long collar points have me thinking 70s on this one.

    love those cool petroglyph buttons.
     
    The Vintage Merchant, Mar 4, 2020
    #6
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  7. poppysvintageclothing

    poppysvintageclothing VFG Member Staff Member VFG Past President

    Thanks, Lynne. I looked into tapa cloth, quite the process to make from the mulberry tree. Native to the Pacific islands including Hawaii, so that may well be the inspiration.

    Thanks, Amanda....It does have nice buttons, Mary and yes definitely 70s.
     
    poppysvintageclothing, Mar 4, 2020
    #7
  8. laurenm

    laurenm Registered Guest

    My first thoughts were woven wicker birdcage or broom.
     
    laurenm, Mar 4, 2020
    #8
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  9. catseyevintage

    catseyevintage VFG Member

    How strange - the bottom three pictures showing the button and label didn't show for me earlier. I had thought it might be Jamacian or even an Africian wax print, but apparently not.
     
    catseyevintage, Mar 4, 2020
    #9
  10. poppysvintageclothing

    poppysvintageclothing VFG Member Staff Member VFG Past President

    Debbie, the photo was there, it was just that I forgot to enlarge the photo here and left it as a thumbnail.
     
    poppysvintageclothing, Mar 4, 2020
    #10
  11. Midge

    Midge Super Moderator Staff Member

    Seeing that pattern made me think of Lapita pottery (Lapita where prehistoric people in the South Pacific - ancestors of Polynesians etc.), which featured fine geometric patterns - but then geometric patterns also show up on tapa cloths. I saw some Lapita pottery last year in a museum and found it fascinating how fine and regular the patterns were.
     
    Midge, Mar 4, 2020
    #11
    poppysvintageclothing likes this.
  12. poppysvintageclothing

    poppysvintageclothing VFG Member Staff Member VFG Past President

    It is a polyester...so it appears it is just a print and not actually a depiction of some sort of object.

    Glad I posted about it as I had never heard of tapa fabric before and so I watched some YouTube videos of the whole process.
    Loads of work to make the real fabric - interesting stuff.
     
    poppysvintageclothing, Mar 4, 2020
    #12
  13. BonniesVintageClothesLine

    BonniesVintageClothesLine VFG Member

    Boy, I can sure see why you were stumped on this pattern, MJ! I agree with Lynne. It does resemble tapa cloth inspiration on this shirt. But, Mary is correct, too. I also see that fly swatter!!!
     
    BonniesVintageClothesLine, Mar 4, 2020
    #13
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  14. Retro Ruth

    Retro Ruth VFG Member Staff Member

    I saw broom as well
     
    Retro Ruth, Mar 5, 2020
    #14
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  15. poppysvintageclothing

    poppysvintageclothing VFG Member Staff Member VFG Past President

    The problem with it being a broom or fly swatter is that the handled part is super short.
     
    poppysvintageclothing, Mar 5, 2020
    #15
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  16. catseyevintage

    catseyevintage VFG Member

    When I visited the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, they had a large exhibit regarding suspected travel and movement between the Hawaiian islands and other islands, as far away as New Zealand and Fuji and the Carribean. They believe ideas did travel between the different islands.
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2020
    catseyevintage, Mar 5, 2020
    #16
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  17. anothertimevintageapparel

    anothertimevintageapparel VFG Member

    I thought it was more of a hand fan or a depiction of an island shape?
     
    anothertimevintageapparel, Mar 5, 2020
    #17
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