Ann wrote:

"lucretia borgia" wrote in message
...

On 28 Dec 2005 06:19:35 -.

Come to think of it, wouldn't togas and Mu Mu's represent Roman and
Hawaiin jeans in the sense that they were the garments worn by all the
hoi polloi ?


Coming late to the party, but I believe that muumuus were imposed on the
Hawaiians by the English missionaries (to cover bare breasts). They are
fairly recent, a sarong (sans top) being more traditional "jeans" to that
population.

Ann


This is true but the mu'u-mu'u has come to be a *very* important part
of Hawaiian dress for many generations. On Causal Fridays, loads of the
local women wear them to work -- and not just those in the "tourist"
areas. Also, when young women get married, they often wear an
absolutely lovely version of this dress. It's white (of course),
princess seamed and flows out to a very full, long gown with a
self-train. The gown often has "leg-o-mutton" sleeves with narrow
ruffles at the wrists and ruffles also adorn the hem as well as the high
collar. A similar style dress is worn for certain hula dances,
depending on the story being told in the dance.
Like so many other things, some clothing is "historical" as with the
grass skirt -- that isn't really grass but made of large leaves -- ti
leaves IIRC. In today's Island culture & society, mu'u-mu'us are, by
most, now considered a "traditional" form of dress. CiaoMeow ^;;^