Muʻumuʻu

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The muʻumuʻu (more often spelled as muumuu, muu-muu or mumu) is a loose dress of Hawaiian origin that hangs from the shoulder. Contrary to popular misconception, the correct Hawaiian pronunciation is moo'-oo moo'-oo. Like the Aloha shirt, muʻumuʻu exports are often brilliantly colored with floral patterns of generic Polynesian motifs. Muʻumuʻu for local Hawaiʻi residents are more subdued in tone. Muʻumuʻu are not as widely worn at work as the aloha shirt, but may be worn as a uniform by women working in the hotel industry. Muʻumuʻu are also popular as maternity gowns because they do not restrict the waist.

[edit] Etymology and history

The word muʻumuʻu means cut-off or amputated. Originally it was a shorter, informal version of the more formal holokū. Holokū was the original name for the Mother Hubbard dress introduced by Protestant missionaries to Hawai'i in the 1820s and 1830s. 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, as worn by the Hawaiian chieftesses. It might have a fitted waist, and even a train for evening. As the holokū became more elaborate, the muʻumuʻu, a shortened version, became popular for informal wear.