Lavalava
The wrapped waist cloth worn by men and women of the Pacific islands.
Also: sulu, lava-lava, pareo
The lavalava is a rectangular cloth wrapped around the waist and tied or tucked, worn as everyday dress and formal wear by Samoans, Tongans, Fijians and others across the Pacific. In Fiji it is called a sulu, and in Tahiti a pareo, brightly printed. Men wear it with a shirt, as a skirt, and in Samoa a plain dark lavalava is the dress of a chief and a church-goer. Women wear it printed and long. The cloth has also a role at ceremonies, where mats and cloths are exchanged between families. It is practical in the heat and easily folded into a bag.
Region: Oceania