The muumuu or muumuu () is a loose dress of Hawaiian origin that hangs from the shoulder and is like a cross between a shirt and a robe. Like the aloha shirt, muumuu exports are often brilliantly colored with floral patterns of generic Polynesian motifs. Muumuus for local Hawaiian residents are more subdued in tone. Muumuus are no longer as widely worn at work as an aloha shirt, but continue to be the preferred formal dress for weddings and festivals such as the Merrie Monarch hula competition. Muumuus are also popular as maternity wear because they do not restrict the waist.

Etymology and history

The word ''muumuu'' means "cut off" in Hawaiian, because the dress originally lacked a yoke. Originally it was a shorter, informal version of the more formal ''holokū''. ''Holokū'' was the original name for the

Mother Hubbard dress A Mother Hubbard dress is a long, wide, loose-fitting gown with long sleeves and a high neck. It is intended to cover as much skin as possible. It was devised in Victorian western societies to do housework in. It is mostly known today for its lat ...

introduced by Protestant missionaries to Hawaii in the 1820s. The ''holokū'' featured long sleeves and a floor-length unfitted dress falling from a high-necked yoke. Over the years, the ''holokū'' approximated more closely to European and American fashions. It might have a fitted waist and even a train for the evening. As the ''holokū'' became more elaborate, the muumuu, a shortened version, became popular for informal wear.

Etymology and history

References

Further reading