He couldn't bring home the Olympics, but he's nailed the funny shirt photo.

That's one way to view President Barack Obama's announcement that the United States will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Honolulu in 2011.

"I look forward to seeing you all decked out in flowered shirts and grass skirts," he told the other leaders yesterday.

Since the 21-nation APEC meetings became summits under President Bill Clinton, they've followed a tradition of letting the host dictate what guests wear for the official picture.

For the first summit, at Blake Island, Wash., in 1993, Clinton passed out bomber jackets. But over the years, things have gotten more interesting — and lots more colorful. The garb has ranged from Javan batik shirts (Bogor, Indonesia, 1994) to flowing ponchos (Lima, Peru, last year).

The resulting pictures would suggest some leaders enjoy this tradition more than others. Remember President George W. Bush in the poncho?

During this year's meeting in Singapore, the uniform was silk tunic shirts with mandarin collars, in a choice of red or blue-gray. Obama cheerfully opted for the latter. But since he arrived at the summit a day late and just in time for a gala dinner, there was something of a scramble as the leaders pulled together a special photo session to include him.

Steering APEC to Hawai'i was likely a consolation for Obama, who failed to land the 2016 Olympics for Chicago despite flying to Copenhagen last month to lead his hometown's closing pitch.

Meantime, after Hawai'i and its floral shirts, APEC is almost certain to move in the opposite direction, sartorially speaking. Russia's hosting the summit in 2012 in the eastern city of Vladivostok, where the average November high is just 37 degrees Fahrenheit.