On Pareaus

You're probably wondering, "what in the heck is a pareau?" It is a part of my daily wardrobe when I am back home in Hawai'i, but who would have thought it had so many uses?

Pareaus, also known as sarongs, are colorful dyed lengths of cloth using the methods of batik. The history cannot be traced back to a single place, since so many cultures use pareaus. There are many variations in many different cultures, some with tasseled edges, interchanging color patterns, and/or  tribal designs printed on them. I have a sort of demented addiction to them. When I see a pareau I am immediately drawn to it, and if I like the pattern and design enough, I'll buy it for sure. I have a red one with swirling yellow flowers, an orange one with fishes printed on it, a yellow one with tribal stingrays, and the list goes on. I have pareaus from Hawai'i, Tahiti, Samoa, and even Japan. Just as a girl can never have too many shoes, a girl can never have too many pareaus.

My everyday wardrobe at home consists of a bikini, salty tangles of hair, a surfboard under my arm, and a pareau tied around my hips. Walking around like this while shopping or eating in restaurants is perfectly fine and considered normal. Considering we live on an island surrounded by beaches, it is more unusual to see someone walking around in a coat or boots.

After a long day of surfing, I grab my pareau and dry myself off with it like a towel. I lay it down on the sand and used it as a mat to lie down and read. I shake the sand off and lay it on the seat of my car. It's a great substitute seat cover. I forgot my purse, so I wrapped my cell phone, wallet, book, water bottle, and shorts into a perfect little bundle topped off with a knot. It started to rain, so I grabbed my pareau and wrapped it around my head and shoulders like a blanket to fend off the wet drizzle. And I finally got to Tahitian dance practice, where I tie two knots in the cloth and hike it up to my knees as the yellow flowers bounce up and down, and the fish twist in circles, and the stingrays swing to the beat of the drums.