FROM ELLIOT LEWIS' COLLECTION,
Paradise Worn.
Faded island hues and time-worn rayon shirting form the foundations of vintage aloha style. Sun-bleached palms, hand-painted motifs and relaxed silhouettes capture the spirit of a bygone era. From softly draped camp collars to rare archival prints, each shirt carries the stories of distant shores, slow days and effortless dressing.
Photography by Paul Smith
Styling by Nicki Black
Grooming by Julie Thomas at David Artists, using Gents of London
Photo Assistant: Petros Poyiatgi
Special thanks to David, Alexandre, Rui, Yoeri, Rasmo, Sylvain, Fabio and Marvin for taking part.
A red abstract fish-print rayon shirt from The Kahala, made in Honolulu in the 1950s.
A 1950s rayon surfboard-print shirt by Shaheen’s, featuring Alfred Shaheen’s distinctive abstract designs.
A shell, coral and seaweed-print rayon shirt by Kamehameha, one of the most sought-after Hawaiian makers of the 1950s.
A navy rayon shirt with white pineapples by Champion for Duke Kahanamoku, a classic 1950s Hawaiian design.
An abstract undersea border-print rayon shirt from Liberty House, made in Honolulu in the 1950s.
A red and white orchid border-print rayon shirt from Liberty House, made in Honolulu in the 1950s.
An abstract seersucker shirt from J.C. Penney’s Topflight label, alongside a Eugene Savage Island Feast-print nylon shirt by Kamehameha, inspired by Savage’s 1940 mural for Matson Shipping Line.