The muumuu or muumuu () is a loose dress of Hawaiian origin. Within the category of fashion known as aloha wear, the muumuu, like the aloha shirt, are often brilliantly colored with floral patterns of Polynesian motifs. In Hawaiʻi, muumuus are no longer as widely worn as an aloha shirt, but continue to be a popular dress for social gatherings, church, and festivals such as the Merrie Monarch hula competition.

Etymology and history

The word ''muumuu'' means "cut off" in Hawaiian. The dress, which was originally used as an undergarment or chemise for the ''holokū'', lacked a yoke and may have featured short sleeves or no sleeves at all. The muumuu was made of lightweight solid white cotton fabric and, in addition to being an undergarment, served Hawaiian women as a housedress, nightgown, and swimsuit. ''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. In contrast to the muumuu, the ''holokū'' featured long sleeves and a floor-length unfitted dress falling from a high-necked yoke which was worn by the '' aliʻi'' as well as the common people. By the 1870s, the ''holokū'' of the ''aliʻi'' took on a more fitted waist and often a train seven or eight yards in length for the evening, and included ruffles, flounces and trimmings, while the modest loose-fitting train-less ''holokū'' continued to be widely worn by women of all classes as their daily dress. In time, upon the introduction of printed fabrics to Hawai'i, the muumuu, essentially a shortened and more comfortable version of the ''holokū'', gained popularity for everyday wear.

Etymology and history

References

Further reading