The Beauty and Usage of Sarongs
Sarong. For those who already know of these beautiful fabric pieces, it may conjure up imagery of the Meditarranean or Hawaii. A sarong is a length of fabric that typically ranges from three feet in length to up to eight feet in length. In many countries, they are plain in color, while in others, they are found in deep shades of red, blue, and green. Sarongs in more tropical regions may be brightly colored such as yellow, orange, or light green. They may also feature patterns such as a tropical flowers. They are typically made of cotton, nylon, rayon, polyester, or silk.
Sarongs could be considered a universal style of clothing, as many different cultures use them for as many different purposes. In America and Europe, they are typically worn only by women as a cover up for swimwear. The country of Sri Lanka, in contrast, men alone wear sarongs and they typically denote one’s financial wealth. In ancient Greece, they were called togas and were used most often used to symbolize one’s social status. Sarongs are known by many names in India, but there they are most traditionally free of brightly colored design and are worn primarily for ceremonial usage. Other cultures may use them to wear in the style of a skirt or loincloth, to cover the head and shoulders, or as decorative table covers and wall art.
How a sarong is worn and its appearance on a person will depend primarily on whether the length is appropriate for their body type, whether the fabric is simply gathered and tied together, or if the fabric is being cinched together by a tie that works similar to a belt buckle.
To wear a sarong as a skirt or loincloth, the wearer simply needs to wrap the sarong around their waist, bringing the ends together at the waist in a slightly asymmetrical fashion. Tie the ends together at the hip in a tight knot, and tuck one end under to cover any gaps. To wear one as a dress is also accomplished quite simply by bringing the ends of the fabric piece around the body and under the arms. For women, this can tied, cinched, or pinned together just above the breasts. For either men or women, the ends can be ran one under the arm and one over, tied above the shoulder. This method may require pinning the fabric together somewhere between the arm and hips in order to avoid being overly revealing.
Sarongs have a wide variety of other uses as well. They may be wrapped around the shoulders and worn as a shawl. Other uses could include as a towel, a blanket, as a curtain, or used to gather and carry such items as small toys, books, a packed lunch, or laundry.
The widespread, varying use of sarongs is amazing! The spread of usage of sarongs among cultures and endurance through time, as well as their overall versatility are proof alone that everyone could benefit from owning one!
