Cover-up comeback: sarongs and kaftans, what’s not to love?

Unpacking after a summer holiday can be a depressing task, with only work and winter ahead. Mercifully, in Hong Kong we don’t have to put away our beachwear for long. This year’s homecoming, though, to both stormy politics and weather, triggered an immediate bout of post-holiday blues. I have sought solace in dashes to the beach and soaking up brief bursts of glorious sunlight, and thisreminded me of a former beach staple I haven’t considered in years: the sarong.

A Malay word meaning sheath, “sarong” refers to a length or tube of fabric that is wrapped around the body. The tradition can be seen in various forms from Asia to Africa. A synonym is “pareo”, a term from the South Pacific to describe a woman’s wraparound skirt. In the 1970s and 80s, sarongs were the only kind of swimsuit cover-up I was aware of, besides the humble towel, of course.

There were all those nifty ways to tie them, too, from the skirt to a halter dress to a romper. (See YouTube for instruc­tions.) However, I can’t quite put my finger on when and why I forgot about them.

Let’s blame the kaftan, a one-piece cover-up from ancient Mesopotamia and now used by various groups in the Middle East. Fashion inter­pretations come in all hem lengths, embellishments and colours thanks to the explosion of swimwear and beachwear brands in recent years. And with more affordable travel, it only follows that business is booming for what goes over the swimsuit, too.

I have my suspicions regarding the rise of the kaftan, and waistless dresses in gener­al. Expanding waistlines. Studies in the United States and Britain have shown their populations have been growing side­ways for decades. The average woman’s waist size in Britain, for example, has grown by as much as six inches over the past 60 years. Why would she want to constrain her least favourite body part with a bit of bulge-making fabric when she can throw on a kaftan and look put together?