I know wikipedia sometimes is not accurate, but this one on Aloha_shirt is better than anything I can put together. So I will just underline the parts I think are the most important:
"The
Aloha shirt is a style of dress shirt originating in
Hawaii. It is currently the premier textile export of the Hawaii manufacturing industry. The shirts are printed, mostly short-sleeved, and collared. They usually have buttons, sometimes as a complete button-down shirt, and sometimes just down to the chest (pullover).
Aloha shirts usually have a left chest pocket sewn in to make the printed pattern continuous. Aloha shirts may be worn by men or women; women's aloha shirts usually have a lower-cut,
v-neck style. The lower hem is straight, as the shirts are not meant to be tucked in.
Aloha shirts exported to the mainland United States and elsewhere are called
Hawaiian shirts and often brilliantly colored with floral patterns or generic
Polynesian motifs and are worn as casual, informal wear.
Traditional men's aloha shirts manufactured for local Hawaiian residents are usually adorned with traditional Hawaiian quilt designs,
tapa designs, and simple floral patterns in more muted colors. Contemporary aloha shirts may have prints that do not feature any traditional Hawaiian quilt or floral designs and instead may have such elements as automobiles, drinks, sports team logos, or other elements arranged in the same pattern[
specify] as a traditional aloha shirt.
Aloha shirts manufactured for local consumption are considered formal wear in business and government, and thus are regarded as equivalent to a shirt, coat, and tie (generally impractical in the warmer climate of Hawaii) in all but the most formal of settings.
[1] These shirts often are printed on the interior, resulting in the muted color on the exterior, and are called "reverse print"; this is often mistaken for the shirt being worn inside-out."
If you want the best Aloha shirt, go for Tori Richard or Reyn's.