A well-known fashion label would have you believe their product the Altern8 Fashion Wrap will replace the Sarong as indicated by their jingle: Wear them on bikinis or wear them on their own.
Wear them to go shopping or just about the home.
Use them as an add-on or just to steal the show.
Wrapping up the fashion - girls who are on the go.
Most people would know the Sarong by one name or the other: Sulu in Fiji; Tahiti calls them Pareos and Ancient Rome wore Togas.
The term Sarong is generally accepted as an Indonesian descriptor of what is essentially a body wrap.
Such a wrap is versatile and can be worn as a skirt, swimming cover-up, a dress toga like a Fijian Policeman, scarf, shawl, turban or morph nicely into an hijaab if you are Muslim.
So what is their Fashion Wrap and what features does it have that cannot be achieved with a Sarong? Their Fashion Wrap is an elegant cross between a Sarong and an apron.
It is characterized by a front panel, a loop over the neck and two ties that typically provide the waist structure similar in principle to what can be found on an apron.
The essential difference is the width of the ties and the neck loop giving continuity from the front panel to the structural elements that provide a chic presentation rather than look ready for housework.
The brochured information for their Fashion Wrap provides eight different styles from an over-one-shoulder dress to a miniskirt, from a twisted halter-neck to a boob tube, from a shallow cowl to a cross-your-heart arrangement.
With very little imagination a dozen more styles spring easily to mind.
Indeed, their Fashion Wrap seems to give all the things a Sarong can provide but go well beyond in variety of configuration.
Because of its flexibility a single garment can reflect a woman's individuality without ever risking that dreaded "two identical dresses at the party" syndrome to strike.
A twist at the neck, a tie at the side and Voila! A new style is created.
Some consider dividing the cost of the garment by the number of styles able to be created to arrive at a true cost of a dress.
That might rationalize the purchaser's motives and ease post-purchase dissonance but it will not convince husbands of the wife's frugality.
Indeed, the Fashion House makes no attempt at claiming such benefits.
However, the Sarong with its plethora of names has been around since time immemorial.
The methods of configuration get handed down from mother to daughter, from Grandmother to Granddaughter.
It is cultural as well as practical and is simple to configure.
As a timeless fashion, it is known, loved and worn around the Globe.
As for replacing the Sarong? Not for a little while just yet, sorry! However, it will create a whole new market niche because it addresses the need to accentuate an old garment and bring it back to life as well as all the other features and applications not found in the Sarong.
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