Sarongs are the indigenous form of dress for both men and women in tropical climates all over the world. Each culture has a different name for them (PAREO, a wraparound, pareau (Tahiti), pakome(Thailand), lava-lava (Samoa), kain (Indonesia), sulu (Fiji), canga (Brazil), malo (Tonga), lunghi, etc. )but they are all simply yardage of fabric in one size or another that is wrapped and tied on the body with no sewing whatsoever.
Sarongs are everyday clothing worn to work in the rice paddies and to do the daily chores. Sarongs allow for the full range of body movement from sitting cross legged on the ground to doing all kinds of hard labor.
The sarong is one of the world's most versatile garments. Worn over the shoulders and head a sarong can function as a wind-breaker, or muffler or scarf wrapped around the neck. It can be tied into shorts, pants, tops, and dresses. So utilitarian the sarong can become a carrying sack, a cradle and a baby carrier. You can also use it as a private changing room! Hold the upper edge of the sarong is your teeth while the tube of fabric encircles your body with a privacy screen. Men, women and children use sarongs as pajamas or, when necessary, as a lightweight, open-footed sleeping bag.
Batik is a printing form associated with sarongs historically. While no one is sure when mud, rice paste or wax was first applied to cloth to resist dye, Batik has been around at least 2000 years. Like the association of silk with royalty in China, in Indonesia batik was the pastime of privileged women and synonymous with aristocracy. It is in Indonesia that batik, and the sarong, arose as a great art form.
Because fabric is not as long-lasting as wood (much less stone), it is impossible to establish when sarongs were first used in Indonesia, but one of the earliest historical records of sarongs can be seen on the bas relief stone figures of the temple complex at Borobudur, built in the eighth and ninth centuries of our era in central Java.
The Islands of Indonesia have a lively trading history. Eventually, different cultural influences led to regional styles of batik sarongs that flourished from 1800 until the mid-1940's. Islamic, Javanese, Chinese, Dutch and Indo-European influenced designs used color more freely as well as new motifs, layouts and patterns-in contrast to the more formal and subdued classical patterns.
You remember that I mentioned this became an art form, yes? Sarongs by certain designers now fetch quite extraordinary sums. A serious collector would pay from $1800 to $3000 for an Oey Soe Tjoen sarong. Since the colors, executed with both natural and chemical dyes, have not faded and that the design is a classic from the late 1930's we can understand why.
The Dreaming Goddess sarongs include the Mermaid Sarong, the Sea Nymph Sarong/Sash/Shawl and Yemanja Sarong Ensemble. This ensemble includes a top piece which works as a bra under dress wraps. Confused about wrapping options? Check out the sarong-wrapping guide 44 Ways To Tie One On.
|
|
