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How To Tie A Sarong
Learn 25 different ways to tie a sarong or pareo, the world's most versatile and practical garment for both men and women. Produced by pareo.com.
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The Pareo
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Polynesia is a magical place where majestic mountains rise sharply from sandy shores washed by turquoise lagoons. Imagine verdant foothills tufted with swaying coconut palms, inviting waterfalls cascading through emerald green valleys to clear mountain streams, and waves of exotic flowers in fragrant bloom. Whether you’re in Hawaii, or New Hampshire, a colorful Polynesian pareo will evoke memories of the islands while providing elegant comfort.
On one level, the Tahitian pareo is a simple garment that is worn, wrapped around the waist or torso. The same garment is worn by nearly all Polynesian and other South Pacific island men, women and children, although in other parts of the region they might be called a lavalava, sulu, malo or a sarong…but wherever they originate, pareos are rectangles of cotton cloth — typically two yards long and one yard wide. Pareos are made from imported printed cottons, or from white cotton decorated with imported dyes and paints.
The colorful designs and island motifs that ornament the pareo are perhaps their most appealing feature. In addition to being cool and comfortable to wear, they are bright and attractive. The designs range from airy tie-dye and imprinted patterns, most popular in the Tuamotus, to the exotically bold designs of the Marquesas Islands.
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HOW WOMEN TIE PAREOS
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But, perhaps, one of the most intriguing aspects of the pareo is the wide variety of ways they can be tied. There are many ways to tie a pareo and create different looks — especially for women. Let’s look first at several women’s styles:
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1 Maeva Style
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For the Maeva style, hold the top two ends of the pareo behind your back in the horizontal position. Wrap the upper two ends in front of you. Cross and twist the two ends, cinching them comfortably against the body, and tie them behind your neck.
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2 Nukuhiva Style
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For the Nukuhiva style, hold the top two ends of the pareo in the horizontal position behind your back. Wrap the two ends in front of you, folding one side over the other across the chest. Twist the two ends a little and then tie them behind your neck with a double overhand knot.
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3 Moorea Style
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For the Moorea style, hold the top two ends of the pareo in the horizontal position behind your back. Wrap the two ends in front of you, folding one side over the other across the chest while twisting the ends three or four times into a coil. Tie the twisted ends behind your neck. Move the flap in front to the side and let it drape freely.
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4 Makemo Style
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For the Makemo style, hold the top two ends of the pareo in front of you in the vertical position. Wrap one end under your arm and behind you at bust level. Bring it together with the other end on the opposite side. Twist the top ends once, and tie them into a knot just under arm. Next, grab the edges of the pareo on each side a little below waist level; raise and fold the edges of the pareo, lifting it about six inches to the waist. Gather the two the two edges of the fold at your hip on the same side the upper part of the pareo is tied around your bust, and tie the ends into a knot or use a pareo buckle to fasten them. Adjust the bottom end as needed.
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5 Huahine Style
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For the Huahine style, hold the top ends of the pareo in front of you in the vertical position. Wrap the top two ends around the back of the neck, and tie them. Grab the edges of the pareo a below waist level, raise it a couple of inches to hip level and wrap it behind you, moving one edge all the way around to the opposite hip. Tie the two edges in a knot at the hip, and adjust the top portion of the pareo.
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6 Tahaa Style
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For the Tahaa style, hold the top ends of the pareo behind your back in the horizontal position. Wrap the two ends around front. Move your grip about a foot toward your chest along the top edge of the pareo. Twist once, and tie the two parts together in a double overhand knot until they’re snug against the bust. Now reach down to the two ends that are hanging in front of you, bring them to the front, fold them once or twice into a pleat, and tuck the top of the pleat into the top of the pareo at bust level. Straighten the pleat against the front of your body.
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7 Takaroa Style
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For the Takaroa style, hold the top two ends of the pareo behind your back in the horizontal position. Wrap one end all the way around and drape it over the opposite shoulder. Holding that end with one hand, wrap the other end across the bust, behind your back, and bring it together with the end over the shoulder. Tie the two ends into a knot at the shoulder.
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8 Raiatea Style
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For the Raiatea style, hold the top ends of the pareo across your back in the horizontal position. Take one end and place on top of shoulder behind arms and bring the other end to meet end on top of the shoulder. Tie on top of the same shoulder.
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9 Tubuai Style
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For the Tubuai style, hold the top two ends of the pareo behind your back in the horizontal position. Wrap one end across the bust, finishing up under the opposite arm. Choke up about two feet on the other end, twist once or twice, and tie that to the first end above the bust. Grab the hanging end and drape it over your shoulder on the same side so it hangs freely down the back.
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10 Tetiaroa Style
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For the Maire style, hold the top twos ends of the pareo behind your back in the horizontal position. Wrap one end around your bust to the opposite shoulder, and let the excess drape down your back. Bring the other end around your bust, and continue wrapping it around your back. Tie that end of the other end hanging over the opposite shoulder.
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11 Maire Style
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For the Maire style, hold the top twos ends of the pareo behind your back in the horizontal position. Wrap one end around your bust to the opposite shoulder, and let the excess drape down your back. Bring the other end around your bust, and continue wrapping it around your back. Tie that end of the other end hanging over the opposite shoulder.
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12 Heirani Style
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For the Heirani style, hold the top two ends of the pareo across your back in the horizontal position. Wrap the two ends all the way in front of you. Tie a double-overhand knot at the ends. Loop that knot behind your neck. Grasp the front sides of the pareo about waist level, and tuck each side across your body to the opposite side. Fluff the front out.
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13 Mareva Style
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For the Mareva style, hold the top two ends of the pareo in front of you in the vertical position. Wrap the top two ends behind your neck, and tie them in a knot. With the front draping nicely, grasp each side of the pareo a little below waist level, and lift the sides to create a fold. Wrap the fold against the front of your body at waist level to the back. Holding those ends together behind you, twist the pareo at waist level so the ends meet above either hip. Tie the ends into a knot above that hip, or use a pareo buckle to secure them, and blouse out the top to adjust the draping.
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14 Moerani Style
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For the Moerani style, hold the top two ends of the pareo in back of you in the horizontal position, but leave it about two-thirds longer on either side. Wrap the shorter end around your bust until it meets the top edge of the longer side under your arm. Twist out a coil from the longer side at that point, and tie it to the short end at the side of your bust. Now lift the hanging end above your head, fold the excess toward you and inside, and drape that end over your shoulder. You may either leave it hanging freely, or you can tuck it into the back if you wish.
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15 Orama Style
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For the Orama style, hold the top two ends of the pareo behind your back in the horizontal position. Bring the top ends in front of you, tie a single overhand knot, adjust the fit under your arms, and pull the two ends until the knot is cinched comfortably in the middle of your bust. Then tie the second overhand knot to secure the pareo, and fluff out the ends so they drape nicely; or you may choose at this point to wrap the two hanging ends around your bust and to the back, tying them there for a bustier look.
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HOW MEN TIE PAREOS
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Now let’s focus on how men can also look handsome, yet masculine, in a Polynesian pareo. Polynesian men have known for centuries that the multi-functional pareo is one of the best ways to stay cool and comfortable on a warm tropical island, the beach, or the privacy of your own home.
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1 Arenui Style
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For the Arenui style, hold the top ends of the pareo behind your back at waist level in the horizontal position. Wrap both ends in front of you at the waist, folding one side under the other until each end reaches the opposite hip. Give one end a little twist or small fold for extra bulk, then holding it near the top edge, roll the top of the pareo over that end until it’s cinched. Hike up the pareo on that side, if needed. We’ll use this basic tying method again with other styles as well. Now pull the loose top end until it’s snug, place it against the top edge, and roll the pareo over that end as well. Voila! By the way, men, it’s not unusual to have to adjust your tying style occasionally, similar to the way you sometimes have to pull up your pants. And, oh yes, many men now days wear undershorts beneath a pareo.
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2 Hiro Style
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For the Hiro style, hold the top ends of the pareo behind your back just above the waist level in the horizontal position. Take one end and place against the side of your waist. Take the other end and wrap to the opposite waist and tuck it at the waist.
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3 Moana Style
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For the Moana style, hold the top ends of the pareo in back of your waist in the horizontal position. Wrap both ends in front of you at the waist, folding one side under the other until each end reaches the opposite hip. Give one end a little twist or small fold for extra bulk, then holding it near the top edge, roll the top of the pareo over that end until it’s cinched. Hike up the pareo on that side, if needed. Now pull the loose top end until it’s snug, place it against the top edge, and roll the pareo over that end as well. So far, this is the Arenui Style. Now spread your feet and hike one side of the pareo to at least mid-thigh. Lean forward, grab the bottom end of the side that’s hiked up, and twist it into rope. Pass this “rope” under your legs and up your back, thong-style. Cinch until comfortable, and then tuck the end into the back of the pareo.
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4 Tane Style
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The Tane style is somewhat different. Hold the top ends of the pareo in front of you at waist level, but this time in the vertical position. Tie the top two ends behind your waist. Spread your legs and lean over. Gather the pareo at the sides, passing it under the legs and up the back. Then grab the two ends that are now behind your back, and wrap them around each side of the waist. Cinch the ends until the pareo is comfortable, and tuck them into the top. If you’re thin waisted, the two ends might actually cross over, which is okay.
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5 Teva Style
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For the Teva style, hold the top ends of the pareo in back of your waist in the horizontal position. Wrap both ends in front of you at the waist, folding one side under the other until that end reaches the opposite hip. Give that end a little twist or small fold for extra bulk, then holding it near the top edge, roll the top of the pareo over it until it’s cinched. Hike up the pareo on that side, if needed. Now, holding the unsecured end, fold it over vertically about two or three inches, now fold it back on itself, again about two or three inches, and repeat this alternate folding until you have a pleat even with your navel. That’s right, this is the pleated pareo look. Finally, tuck the top of the pleat inside the pareo in front of the waist. C’est beau.
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HOW TO USE A PAREO BUCKLE
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Put one end of fabric through the back of one slot continue to tuck through the other empty slot. Take the other end of fabric and slip into the second slot from behind and tuck into the other slot.
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HOW A PAREO IS MADE
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Hand-made pareos are created by cutting white cotton fabric into two-yard lengths and hemming the two ends. The fabric is then dipped in water and later dipped into light-sensitive dyes which form the base colors. While still damp, the dyed fabric is then stretched out to dry on tables with metal screens on a sunny day. Linoleum patterns cut into island motifs and shapes are placed on top of the fabric. The sun activates the exposed light-sensitive dye, but the linoleum patters block the sun from striking the fabric below, leaving negative imprints in the pareos. Leaves from various island plants can also be added on top of the prints to give the fabric a natural look. Hawaiian rock salt can be added to create special effects as the fabric is being dried by the sun. It takes about 30 minutes for the fabric to be permanently set into the fabric by the heat and ultraviolet rays of the sun. The fabric, which has now been transformed into a beautiful island pareo, is then removed from the table, cleaned ironed and folded.
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HOW TO CARE FOR A PAREO
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For best results, it is best to hand wash and line dry your pareo.
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CONCLUSION
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Part of the beauty of pareos in the islands is their pure functionality. These special kinds of cloth have many secondary uses: For example, they make colorful curtains, car seat covers, bed covers, pillow cases, throw pillow coverings … Their eventual use is limited only by the imagination. Brightly colored, with strong decorative motifs, locally produced and used by all Polynesian families, the pareo is the single most evident form of modern folk art in Polynesia. The pareo is a symbol of the islands, and will quickly become one of the most comfortable items in your wardrobe.
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WHERE TO BUY
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This DVD was created exclusively for http://pareo.com. Pareos and accessories can also be purchased from this website.
Copyright 2007. This DVD has been created for personal viewing only. No commercial use or reproduction of any kind of text or video is allowed.
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