Louise Ing's post on the unique unwritten rules of men's haberdashery in Hawaii's courtrooms and law offices (What Not to Wear - Hawaii Lawyers Edition) on her firm's new blog Hawaii Litigation Blog, got us thinking. She wrote:
The sartorial customs of the Hawai`i legal profession are a frequent "oh by the way" inquiry of out-of-state lawyers about to appear in a Hawai`i court, but it turns out that appropriate attire can vary even among islands and judges. The result: even Hawai`i lawyers visiting a neighbor island for a court or a court conference can unwittingly telegraph "I’m out of step" if they don’t pay attention to their environment.This came into focus in humorous way at a 2010 conference attended by judges and lawyers. First, there was a Circuit Court judge from the island of Hawai`i who looked around the room and chuckled about Honolulu men’s business casual custom of donning jackets over aloha shirts. The judge’s point carried a lesson: when doing business in Hilo (at least when meeting with him), no need for the jacket; just the aloha shirt is fine (Hawai`i professionals go for the more conservative type found at Macy’s or Reyn’s).
Her musings prompted us to respond:
I especially appreciate the anecdote about a Hilo judge's reaction to what I call the "John Waihee outfit" (blue blazer over reverse-print button-down aloha shirt), a getup which I associate with our former Governor who, if he didn't invent the look, certainly made it acceptable.
Despite local business rules, figuring out what to wear to court is easy - if the judge is wearing a tie and jacket, you'd best be similarly attired. Think the original Hawaii 5-0 squad. But as Louise points out, it's not so simple when choosing your uniform on non-court days, especially when trying to figure out which flower-print shirt is deemed to be "more conservative" on Bishop Street. To help with the dilemma, we offer this guide to what to wear and what not to wear when you're next on the block. Disclaimer: your mileage may vary while on neighbor islands or in the First Hawaiian Bank building; don't blame us if you get funny looks in these venues.
In addition to The Waihee, we offer these variants:
- The Cayetano. An open-collar full-placket aloha shirt (preferably Ono & Company), with or without the blue blazer; vintage, probably purchased at Liberty House (before it morphed into Macy's). May be worn tucked into trousers, or for a more Casual Friday flair, untucked. Our homage to pathbreaking lawyer and former Governor Ben Cayetano. Follow his example and you'll always fit in on Bishop Street.
- The Bocken, after my Damon Key mentor Charlie Bocken. This is a pullover button-down, bold print (a Phil Edwards design perhaps?) Reyn Spooner shirt, with medium starch. Charlie was the Pacific Air Force's JAG before he joined our firm, and he remains squared-away to this day -- he's what we used to refer to as "STRAC." This is the Bishop Street equivalent of a Brooks Brothers ensemble. Emulate it and you can't go wrong.
- The Arakawa. Our plantation and paniolo roots, showing. A blue (or, more rarely red or brown) palaka shirt. Named for the now-gone Arakawa's store on Depot Road, and currently best modeled by current LURF honcho and former Honolulu Corporation Counsel Dave Arakawa. Combine a palaka shirt with a western-cut blazer for a Waihee-Arakawa for your next business trip to Kamuela. An island classic.
- The Fujiyama, a long sleeved quilted poly aloha shirt, untucked (preferably by Tori Richards). Aka The 5-0 when coupled with an ascot. Named in honor of the late Wally Fujiyama, trial lawyer and power broker extraordinaire, who was about the only guy besides Jack Lord who had the stones to sport this outfit. Wear it if you dare.
- The Robert E. Lee Prewitt (the original silkie from From Here to Eternity), The Blue Hawaii (the Elvis variant), and their modern version, The Magnum. While these shirts are massively cool and highly sought after by collectors, looking like you rolled off the set of MASH or just alighted the Hilo Hattie shuttle is a definite Bishop Street faux pas.
Did we miss any or get any wrong? If so, comment below or drop us a line.One hint to our mainland colleagues: never, never, never refer to an aloha shirt as a "Hawaiian" shirt; use that term and you will immediately incinerate any street cred you might otherwise have gained.
For more, see our colleague Rebecca Copeland's recently published piece in The Appellate Advocate (posted here) about the differences in courtroom attire between Hawaii and Texas. Mark Murakami adds his thoughts (and admits he has sported The Waihee on a few occasions) here.
