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The third season of Stranger Things featured lots of '80s mall culture, a couple lovable new characters, and what the cast described as the scariest monster yet. Even with all of that excitement, fans — myself included — couldn't get over Jim Hopper's sweet Hawaiian shirt. And while many viewers found his new sartorial choices side-splitting, I found some Summer fashion inspiration. No, seriously. What my younger self would have cringed at, my older self is 100 percent considering purchasing — maybe because I like the look, maybe because I'm a massive David Harbour fan, who knows? Whatever the case is, after just four episodes, I decided I was going to spend my hard-earned money on a Hawaiian shirt and wear it without a hint of irony.
My interest in Hawaiian shirts actually started a year ago, when Hawaii/California-based Instagram fashion blogger Halley Elefante — known on IG as @TheSaltyBlonde — posted a photo of herself wearing one from & Other Stories. I waited for that shirt to go on sale all Summer long (it didn't) until I forgot about it (I guess I didn't, either). Fast forward to this Summer, and right after seeing Harbour's magnificent pastel number on Stranger Things, I went to my first music festival in London after moving to the UK two months ago. I spotted quite a few cool festival-goers wearing Hawaiian shirts and immediately knew I finally needed one of my own.
Keep reading and and you'll see the (tropical-printed) fruits of my online shopping labour. Not only did my search include options that range from high street (ASOS has tons!) to super high-end (oh, hello, Prada and Esteban Cortazar), but it also provided some great examples of how to style a Hawaiian shirt. Tuck it all into high-waisted jeans or tie it in a knot in the front; do the half-tuck in a pair of slouchy denim shorts or let it hang loose over a pair of biker shorts. However you decide to wear it, the point is to stay cool and be comfortable — and most important of all, make sure not to take yourself too seriously.