The guayabera born of necessity, but still a fashion

Tag : cotton blends


While Tommy Bahama and Nat Nast have a stranglehold on the summershirt market for men, they owe a nod of recognition to theguayabera.

These breezy four-pocket shirts with vertical tucks are rooted inLatin America - Cuba and Mexico both lay claim to the originals -with the Philippines and Thailand also playing a part in theirhistory.

Once the wardrobe mainstay of dominoes-playing retirees andcigar-shop employees as well as politicians and military types,they didn't seem complete unless paired with a fedora.

But times have changed for the guayabera.

It's not uncommon to see one - especially from, say, May toSeptember - on men in their 30s or even 20s. The boxy loose lookflatters all figures and as the untucked fad refuses to fade away,what better than a shirt that's meant to be worn outside thetrousers.

"It used to be an item bought and sold to people 45-75 years old,"says Mark Penner, owner of San Antonio's Penner's Inc., which sellsa wide variety of authentic guayaberas.

"Especially when the retro look came back a few years ago, we solda lot to men 18-30 years old . . . some of that we credit to thatTV show with Charlie Sheen ('Two and a Half Men'). He wears retroshirts that are not tucked in. Guayaberas have always been worn onthe outside."

Mark's grandfather, Morris, a Polish-Jewish immigrant, foundedPenner's in 1916. Morris' son Sam later joined him in the businessand had the goal to be the largest distributor of authenticguayaberas in America.

Mark says that has become the case, especially since they startedselling online in 1995. In the past few years, with the help of sonMatt's aggressive Internet marketing, Penner's guayabera sales havesoared - and have been the focus of stories in The New York Timesand other publications.

"We probably average about 80-100 online orders each night," Marksays. "This morning we came in and there were 182 orders waitingfor us."

For this, Mark credits the fact that his shirts are designed here,with the specs sent to his four factories - one in Panama and threein the Yucatan city of Merida - where they are customized forAmerican sizes.

"To be successful on the Internet, you need an item (people) can'tfind down the street where they live," Mark says.

It's true. On a recent trip to shops in Fort Worth, Texas, we foundguayaberas, but all of them were tacky polyester blends that hadbeen made in China or elsewhere in Asia. They simply don't give youthe light feel of the 100 percent cotton or 100 percent Irish linenproducts from Penner's - which also has a few sateen shirts and,for items with heavy embroidery, cotton blends.

About 85 percent of the guayaberas that Penner's sells aretraditional, with four patch pockets on the front. They wereoriginally designed for guava pickers, who used the pockets tocarry fruit.

However, Penner's offers a few other styles, too, such as thePresidente, which has one pocket; and the Caliente, with two lowerpockets.

And while there are styles with retro designs and embroidery incontrasting colors, the solid-color shirts are the classics.Penner's even sells hard-to-find long-sleeve guayaberas.

But summer calls for the short sleeves. Wear it with cargo ordressy shorts and liven up those flat-front khakis. Dress it upwith a casual blazer, slacks and loafers.

"More people are starting to order them for their wedding parties,"Mark says -no surprise as they're perfect for a beach wedding.

She might be sweating, but you'll be cool as a cucumber.

I WANT THAT

Prices for Penner's guayaberas run from $68.50 for a short-sleevecotton shirt to $128.50 for a version in Irish linen. Online:www.pennersinc.com.