The nautical trend was the hottest thing in Honolulu in the 1930s and '40s. Ask Lila Morgan, 84, of Makiki. Whether she was riding a bicycle or a horse, swimming in the Punahou School pool or at Sandy's, picnicking with friends or going for a weekend drive with family, during her high school years in the 1930s, Morgan lived in sailor mokus. (Say "sailah mokus," please.)

Morgan was not alone. The nautical-inspired pants and shorts were nearly as ubiquitous in Honolulu in the 1930s and '40s as jeans are today. You simply weren't "in" unless you wore them. But not in school — in those days, skirts were required in the classroom.

The term "sailor moku" was derived from the front-buttoned, wide-legged style of pants sailors wore as their uniform, paired with the Hawaiian word moku, which means a ship or schooner. They were made of nearly indestructible cotton duck and came in three lengths: long, cropped and shorts that were often paired with a halter top as a modest precursor of the two-piece swimsuit.

Sailor mokus were the creation of Les Linn, a custom tailor who operated shops in Honolulu from the late 1920s through the late 1960s. He got his start making formal uniforms for Army and Navy service men stationed in Hawai'i, then tweaked the nautical look, turning it into a feminine, flattering style statement for Island women.

Sailor mokus were an instant hit, especially among teens and young women in Honolulu.

Sailor mokus were usually navy and white, but the ladies at Arcadia Retirement Residence, where Lila Morgan lives, report that you were "high muckamuck" if you could afford them in brighter colors, such as red and green.

David Linn, son of Les and Birdie Linn (she ran the business side of the boutique) remembers that the beachboys used to buy their swimwear at his parents' shop, as did Henry Kaiser, a large man who preferred his swimwear tailor-made.

Reach Paula Rath at paularath@aol.com.