A SUMMER COVER-UP FOR PEOPLE WHO HATE TO SEW

(Page 2 of 2)

May/June 1982
By the Mother Earth News editors 
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SIMPLE AND STRAPLESS

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Centering the material in the back, grab two little "bunny ears" of cloth from the top of the front "flaps" . . . twist these around each other a few times until the material is closed tightly across the bustline . . . tuck them in ... and arrange the front folds neatly.

THE SIDE SPLIT
Some mere modern versions of the Polynesian garment require working with the pareu lengthwise. To create a simple (but elegant) dress, just tie it on one shoulder…then lift the skirt slightly to make it the desired length, and fold it across the hipline. Conclude the garment with another knot at that point.

OVER ONE SHOULDER
One of the most popular ways of donning the pareu is to simply hold a corner of the material in front (or in back) of a shoulder…wrap the cloth almost twice about your body…and then tie it over your shoulder.

THE BIKER
When your day will include bicycling (or any activity which requires that your legs be unencumbered), you can tie the pareu in the back as a strapless top (or around the neck as in the crisscross version below) . . . then pass the material back between your legs . . . bring the end around to the front . . . and tie it off at the waist.

Martine showed us quite a few other ways to drape, tie, and wear this simple attire that we don't have room to describe here. However, with a little experimentation you can likely come up with some versions of your own that no one else has even thought of! For example, by using a piece of material three or more yards long, you can actually devise a variety of floor-length gowns.

Better still, you can join our South Seas Seminar next January 23 and—in addition to enjoying some of the finest snorkeling in the world and participating in stimulating discussions with John and Cheryl Holdren and Paul and Anne Ehrlich—get your pareu inspiration straight from the source. (For tour details, see page 70 and/or check out our South Seas report in MOTHER NO. 74, page 66.)

Remember, too, that a pareu can substitute as a beach mat, towel, tablecloth, curtain, or turban . . . and—as someone once suggested—in an emergency it could even be used as a sail!

THE CRISSCROSS
Center the material in the back. Then just stretch one corner neatly across the chest and over your shoulder. Now, hold that tab in place with your chin while you cross the other piece over your unadorned shoulder, and tie the two "straps" behind your neck.

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