Clothes

[|Samoan Clothing]
Clothing in Samoa consists of a //lavalava,// a single piece of cloth that is worn as a wrap-around skirt by both men and women. Brightly colored floral print shirts or blouses, or in more informal settings, T-shirts, complete the typical outfit. In remote villages some women go without tops wearing just a lavalava around the chest while washing clothes or performing other household tasks. While Samoans prefer colorful floral designs in both their //lavalava// and tops, darker colors are preferred on formal occasions. In such instances, Samoan men often wear a lavalava made from suit cloth material. Such a formal //lavalava,// when combined with leather sandals, white shirt, tie, and suit coat, is considered appropriate dress whether attending a funeral or hosting government dignitaries. In such settings women will wear a //puletasi,// a sort of //mu'umu'u// designed by the early Christian missionaries. || URL: []