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? Well, designers are giving us new reasons to change our minds about sarongs. We’ve seen them used or referenced at Chanel, Balenciaga, Oscar de la Renta, Stella McCartney and Johanna Ortiz, among others. Resortwear brands, such as Eres, Marysia, Solid & Striped and Marie France Van Damme, have them, as do H&M, Banana Republic, & Other Stories and Whistles. Recent collections have highlighted city sarongs, which, done right, with a crisp blouse, can look fabulous. Intrigued? I am. I’m no Dorothy Lamour, but I’m starting to see the light. For those of us who worry about looking short and stumpy, or who are “blessed” with pear shapes, creating a waist could be a boon. What if our legs, not our tummies, are the parts we want to cover up when we exit the water? Anyone who loves a scarf could revel in the efficiency and versatility of packing a piece of fabric equally suited to wrapping around the neck as the waist. It may be worth dusting off my old sarongs hiding in the bottom drawer.