Singing The Praises Of The Polynesian Sarong

My pal and colleague Crai Bower interviewed me for his MSN piece "What To Pack For Every Continent." I got to weigh in on the powers of pareos.

Adventure journalist Amanda Castleman visits a Pacific atoll a few times a year. She notes that the Polynesian attire – or lack thereof – that we associate with museum postcards is not exactly accurate. “Polynesia has a reputation for topless tropical beauties à la Gauguin, but most of the region was colonized by missionaries who introduced a much more modest attire.” Castleman’s primary clothing option is the sarong, which can range from a sultry dress to a church shawl. “I found my all-time favorite ‘lava-lava’ at the Pacific Resort Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, where I used it as a dress, towel and picnic blanket.”

The front page of my colleague Crai Bower's MSN slideshow, published June 26, 2013