What’s a pareo?

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Sarongs and pareos are rectangular pieces of cloth worn as clothing in tropical countries. Sarongs originated in Tahiti and were made from bark and leaves, while pareos come from Indonesia. They can be worn in many ways and are often brightly colored with floral patterns. They can also be used as curtains, tablecloths, and wall art.

A sarong is a rectangular piece of cloth that is wrapped and tied to create different pieces of clothing. Pareos are worn by men and women in tropical countries of the South Pacific. They date back to ancient Tahiti, which is known as French Polynesia. The sarong is a traditional clothing that was first created from cloth made from bark and leaves.

The pareo is similar to the pareo, but the main difference is where they originated. Pareos are what the long rectangles of fabric used to wrap the body are called in French Polynesia, while pareos come from Indonesia. Ancient Tahitian patterns are often floral, and the colors are bright or have a watercolor effect. To achieve the popular rainbow watercolor style used for many sarongs, Polynesians use Hawaiian rock salt over dyes or paints.

The salt is sprinkled on the colored pareo fabric; Dyed and salted cloth must be baked in the sun to create the full watercolor effect. The old way of making sarongs was to use grass and bark to make the fabric before stamping on ferns, grasses, and bark to create the patterns. Before the influence of Western attitudes, Tahitian women were topless and wore a parea for a skirt. Tahitian men wore sarongs primarily as canvases.

Today, Polynesian men wear the sarong as a waist wrap, while there are 30 or more ways for women to tie and wrap sarongs. For example, neckline variations include halter, straight, drop, and one-shoulder styles. Within these necklines, the options increase even further, as a halter neck can feature a wider soft bow at the corners of a sarong, or slimmer tie-up pieces can be made by twisting the fabric tightly, like rope. . One-shoulder sarongs were one of the first clothing styles to become popular in French Polynesia.

Today, most sarongs are made of rayon, silk, or cotton. Some can be created with thinner wool or wool blends. Whether bright or aqua, most sarongs feature repeating abstract patterns or floral designs.

It is interesting to note that the versatility of the sarong does not end with the clothing. Since sarongs are rectangles of fabric, they can serve many purposes. For example, sarongs can make attractive curtains, tablecloths, pillowcases, and beach throws. Beautifully patterned sarongs can even be hung as wall art, such as over a bed to create a tropical headboard look.




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