Hawaiian fashion reimagined in chic, retro designs

When it comes to fashion in Hawai'i, everything old is really new again. Designers of leading aloha wear lines have combed through archives for classic patterns to reinterpret in new shades and shapes, while individual crafters are busy creating one-of-a-kind handbags out of retro fabrics. The islands' natural fusion of East and West finds expression in elegant clothing made from vintage kimonos, just as surfing's green aesthetic surfaces in board shorts made of recycled plastic bottles. And the elements of nature that inspired Native Hawaiian ornaments and dress for centuries bloom again in the prints of kama'āina artists.

Oh sure, you can spend your days in Hawai'i in shorts, T-shirts and slippers (i.e. flip-flops, called "slippahs"), and just add a hoodie for cooler, breezier nights. But if you want to show a little bit of style — perhaps for an evening out in the islands, or a wearable souvenir for back on the Mainland — the dressier designs of the labels below are worth checking out. But even if you stick to the T's and trunks, supporting clothiers with local roots is always a good look; even the Ala Moana mega-mall has added more island-based boutiques.

Here are five fashionable options for window shopping or wardrobe expanding:

SLEEK CHIC

The labels: Reyn Spooner, Tori Richard

The look: Understated vintage prints — think clean-lined graphics, rather than fussy florals or busy surf scenes — are reinvented in subdued colors, with form-fitting shapes in lieu of boxy aloha shirts and tentlike muumuus.

In the know: Tori Richard designer Tamar Hassing Wong, profiled last year in the Chronicle's Style section, has revamped the overshadowed women's line with help from the 54-year-old company's extensive textile archives of Asian- and Polynesian-themed prints and a sense for more modern silhouettes. Similarly, Gordon Thompson, former creative director at Nike, and Cole Haan, who splits his time between O'ahu and Los Angeles, relaunched the classic Reyn Spooner men's line this year with an eye on the past as well as future.

The company began in the late 1950s, when Reyn McCullough, who owned a menswear shop in Southern California, bought Spooner's of Waikiki, known for its board shirts. Drawing on the reverse-print fabric that made the company famous, as well as its less-representational, archival graphic designs, Thompson helped design closer-fitting aloha shirts, long-sleeved button-down versions, trousers and swim trunks to appeal to a younger generation of more style-oriented men. Preppy cardigans and corduroy shirt jackets can help keep the aloha spirit back on the Mainland.

Where to go: In addition to the label's new online outlet, reynspooner.com, the 2010 fall/holiday collection can be found at the first-ever Reyn Spooner boutique, opened earlier this month in the Sheraton Waikiki. (Fans of the previous era of boxier shirts and bold prints — including designs licensed by pro sports teams — can still find them at reyn.com and seven Reyn's stores in the islands, including Honolulu's massive Ala Moana Center.

Tori Richard's women's line is also available online, at Ala Moana and five other stand-alone stores on O'ahu and Maui, which also carry the men's line. The newest Tori Richard boutique opened in February at Whalers Village in the Kā'anapali Resort. Use the Website's e-mail form to find other stores stocking the latest collections.

ISLAND ICONS

The labels: Sig Zane Designs, Manuheali'i

The look: Traditional emblems of island ecology are presented with a sharper, modern aesthetic, or celebrated in bold color for a proud cultural statement, both in comfortably cut lines for men, women and children.