Mr Obama, don't deny Apec their Hawaiian shirts

When recording the legacy of President Obama, Honolulu 2011 must surely go down as a major fashion fail. It was the moment when POTUS had the opportunity to dress the world's leaders in an item that was not only symbolic and traditional, but also, hello, blisteringly on trend. Alas, he bottled it spectacularly.

Leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) forum were gathered in Obama's birthplace, Hawaii, with the expectation that before they got down to some serious world economic chat, they would be able to indulge in the rather jaunty sartorial tradition of ditching their power suits and rocking out the traditional local dress. It being Hawaii, the assembled heads of state were understandably looking forward to some boxy aloha shirt action. But Obama, fashion killjoy that he has revealed himself to be, declared the 20-year tradition over.

It was Chilean president Sebastián Piñera Echenique who voiced the group's concerns for the forum's fashion standing: "Where are the Hawaiian shirts?" he asked. It must have been especially galling for Piñera Echenique and the Asia-Pacific leaders as Obama had all but promised them back in 2010 that tropical-print shirts would be on this year's agenda. But over the weekend Obama announced his change of heart: "I was persuaded by our team to perhaps break tradition, and so we have not required you to wear your aloha shirts, although I understand a few of you have tried them on for size."

"I didn't hear a lot of complaints about breaking precedent," he added defensively.

The tradition started in 1993 when President Clinton handed out bomber jackets for the photocall when the summit convened in Seattle. Since then, Apec chic has gone from strength to strength. Not surprisingly, Bush and Putin proved themselves to be naturals at this particular fashion lark. The 2004 forum, which took place in Chile, afforded the lads the opportunity to test the then burgeoning poncho trend. In 2008, world leaders revisited the longer-line poncho in Peru – the photos from which were surely hastily posted on the moodboard in the Chloé design room. In 2006, Apec attendees rocked out the traditional ao dai silk tunics in Vietnam. But it seems that these annual pictures didn't go down well with team Obama.

The timing of this decision frankly could not have been worse. Hawaiian shirts are having something of a moment on the catwalk right now. Did White House advisers not look at the spring collections of Jean Paul Gaultier, Givenchy, Prada and East London newcomer Maarten van der Horst and realise how prescient the 2011 summit pictures would have looked come next year when aloha chic hits the shops? Did they not realise how easy they were to wear for men who spend more time working on economic packages than they do on their abs? Tssk.

Admittedly, there is something of the retro James Bond about the vision of besuited men suddenly appearing in palm tree prints. Which may not be the image Obama is hoping to project. Elvis, Christian Slater in True Romance, Al Pacino in Scarface, Magnum PI... the list of questionable associations of aloha chic is long. But as disappointed locals have been keen to stress, the colourful shirts are a symbol of Hawaii's multicultural history and it would have been great for tourism on a group of islands that rely heavily on it. What's more, imagine the fun the Hawaiian tourist board could have had photoshopping an Elvis quiff on to the head of an aloha shirt-wearing Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. Big mistake, Obama. Huge.