The magic of sarongs
Last week I was in Hilo, Hawaii for a conference, where I (re)discovered the magic of the rectangular piece of fabric called pareo or sarong. When I travel, I often bring a sarong along. They can act as scarves, shawls, swimsuit cover, or simply as a piece of fabric to sit on. In Hilo, I bought a beautiful blue hibiscus print on a white background at the farmer's market.There are many videos and tutorial on how to drape a sarong, but here are the three ways I find easy and handy.
1) The swimsuit cover
Once it's tied, you can take it off by slipping it over the head and easily put it back on. It also works indoors on hot summer days when you don't really feel like putting on clothes, but don't have the option of walking around naked.
You can use a large scarf and layer over clothing to take this look to a northern climate.
2) The Hawaiian cocktail dress
This is one classic way to wear a sarong as a dress and the easiest to tie. You can take it one step up in style by sliding it so that the knot sits in the front on the side of the neck instead of behind the neck. Add an ethnic necklace or earrings and heels or fancy sandals to dress it up.
3) The midi skirt
I like this way of tying a sarong as a skirt because of the freedom of movement and sophisticated look.
The key is to tie the sarong around your waist in the first step holding it length wise (it will likely drag on the floor). Also, the side you intend to show on the outside of the skirt should be underneath at that stage (the wrong side should show).
At the market in Hilo, I also saw gorgeous, double layered Indian silk "magic wrap skirts". Like the sarong, they can be draped in different ways. They are more sophisticated in shape, featuring an A line and a ribbon tie at the waist. I didn't buy any, but I am inspired to make my own. Some day it will happen.
1) The swimsuit cover
Once it's tied, you can take it off by slipping it over the head and easily put it back on. It also works indoors on hot summer days when you don't really feel like putting on clothes, but don't have the option of walking around naked.
You can use a large scarf and layer over clothing to take this look to a northern climate.
2) The Hawaiian cocktail dress
This is one classic way to wear a sarong as a dress and the easiest to tie. You can take it one step up in style by sliding it so that the knot sits in the front on the side of the neck instead of behind the neck. Add an ethnic necklace or earrings and heels or fancy sandals to dress it up.
3) The midi skirt
I like this way of tying a sarong as a skirt because of the freedom of movement and sophisticated look.
The key is to tie the sarong around your waist in the first step holding it length wise (it will likely drag on the floor). Also, the side you intend to show on the outside of the skirt should be underneath at that stage (the wrong side should show).
At the market in Hilo, I also saw gorgeous, double layered Indian silk "magic wrap skirts". Like the sarong, they can be draped in different ways. They are more sophisticated in shape, featuring an A line and a ribbon tie at the waist. I didn't buy any, but I am inspired to make my own. Some day it will happen.
Comments
Post a Comment