This off-white long-sleeved shirt, part of California-based Artvogue’s collection, recalls Asian motifs that became commonplace in designs that used fabric from the Orient back in the 1930s. The most iconic of all Chinese symbols is the dragon, thought to have auspicious powers and represents power, strength and good luck. It’s no surprise this mythical creature has center stage on both the front and back of this shirt. The handprinted dragon is done in the traditional colors of gold and red and stands upright, spitting fire and ready to attack. It’s framed in an ornate cable.
In the late 1940s Mainland shirt makers were influenced by servicemen returning to the United States after their duty in the Pacific. Servicemen stopping over for R&R in Hawaii undoubtedly acquired what were called “postcards you could wear”–Hawaiian Shirts in colorful Polynesian prints. Mainland companies got their inspiration from around the World and made shirts with international interest.
