I purchased a nice dhoti at an Indian shop in San Francisco a few years back.
The shop owner said he didn't know how to wear it.
I have only found one short reference by a college student on wearing the dhoti.
Does anyone have any information on the traditional way to wrap/tuck it?
Any pics?
I have just wrapped it like I do my sarongs, but I know there is a particular style to wearing a dhoti.
Wearing a dhoti... how does one fold/wrap it?
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WSmac
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Since I haven't searched the web for a while, a new search today found this:
http://members.tripod.com/~daceg/1/dhoti.html
http://members.tripod.com/~daceg/1/dhoti.html
WSmac
For Dhotis, lungis, and other "South Asian Sarongs".....this is one method
Step 1: Open it out, making sure it's longer horizontally
Step 2: hold behind your back, at waist level. Bring the ends out in front of you.
Step 3: The end held in your right hand should be "accordioned" a bit. Take a short length, and fold it outwards. Then do an inwards fold. As few as two or as many as four may be done, depending on the length of your folding style and sarong. Don't worry if the rest of the cloth doesn't "fold" that way, only worry about the top.
Step 4: Keeping this "pleat" intact, bring it to your left hip, and transfer from left hand to the right hand.
Step 5: Bring the left side over to the right, while keeping the "former right side" in place an intact.
Step 6: Do a similar pleating of this side.
Step 7: Now roll the top of the garment, making sure to do so outwards, to adjust the sarong so it's at the right length for you. The garment should fit comfortably at the waist.
Step 8 (OPTIONAL): Some styles call for part of the cloth to be passed between the legs, forming lose pants. I'm not the best at this part, but you may want to give it a try. But it's from the back and passed to connect at the front.
This may take some practice. But the natives there are so good at it, some of them can do it with one hand (while the other hand is holding food or something).
This is for "lose" sarongs. There's also "tube" sarongs worn in Myanmar and parts of India, where the ends are already sewn together. I don't own any tubes.
~Ra'akone
PS Sorry, I have no illustrations
PPS I recently bought some "lungis" someone got from India, and he showed me his technique.
Step 1: Open it out, making sure it's longer horizontally
Step 2: hold behind your back, at waist level. Bring the ends out in front of you.
Step 3: The end held in your right hand should be "accordioned" a bit. Take a short length, and fold it outwards. Then do an inwards fold. As few as two or as many as four may be done, depending on the length of your folding style and sarong. Don't worry if the rest of the cloth doesn't "fold" that way, only worry about the top.
Step 4: Keeping this "pleat" intact, bring it to your left hip, and transfer from left hand to the right hand.
Step 5: Bring the left side over to the right, while keeping the "former right side" in place an intact.
Step 6: Do a similar pleating of this side.
Step 7: Now roll the top of the garment, making sure to do so outwards, to adjust the sarong so it's at the right length for you. The garment should fit comfortably at the waist.
Step 8 (OPTIONAL): Some styles call for part of the cloth to be passed between the legs, forming lose pants. I'm not the best at this part, but you may want to give it a try. But it's from the back and passed to connect at the front.
This may take some practice. But the natives there are so good at it, some of them can do it with one hand (while the other hand is holding food or something).
This is for "lose" sarongs. There's also "tube" sarongs worn in Myanmar and parts of India, where the ends are already sewn together. I don't own any tubes.
~Ra'akone
PS Sorry, I have no illustrations
PPS I recently bought some "lungis" someone got from India, and he showed me his technique.