ways to wear a wrap-around

I love summer and sunny days! For one thing, they paint me a picture of white sand, turquoise waters, reggae music, and The Beach Boys. Sunny days are made for donning bikinis, board shorts, and wrap-arounds.

Duh, a wrap-around?

A wrap-around is a piece of garment, usually a skirt, that you can wrap around yourself in various ways to create a different outfit each time. Typically, a wrap-around skirt looks like an apron which overlaps in front when worn. It is also called a kilt-skirt by some, because a type of wrap-around resembles the kilt traditionally worn by men in the Scottish Highlands. Nowadays, wrap-arounds come in a variety of designs and fabric.

Make the most with reversible wrap-arounds

The most practical choice would have to be the reversible variety, as they allow you more versatility. One side of the wrap-around may be made from plain fabric, such as silk, and when you turn it over, the other side may be printed, such as paisley or plaid. When you know how to tie, twist, and knot it in several ways around your body, who knows just how many looks you can create? With just one fashion item that you can wear as a wrap-around top , skirt, or dress, you can still be in control of your budget, which is really important especially in these hard times. What's more, you won't have to worry about having someone point an accusing finger at you and shouting, "You are an outfit repeater!" (Gee, I do feel sorry for Lizzie Mcguire).

Get your creative juices flowing

If you're the creative type (or simply one of the gene-pool lottery winners who can wear their bed sheet and still come out looking fabulousa), lucky you! If not, don't be discouraged. Here are a few styles that can help you get started:

You can actually come up with more designs using just one fashion item. All you need is a reversible wrap-around skirt. I got mine as a present from a friend who went on a trip to Mexico (although I believe the fabric came from India), but you can actually have one made for you by a seamstress. When laid out, this looks like two layered aprons, with one layer smaller than the other. It also has strategically placed slits on the band through which you can slip one or both ends of the straps to make certain designs.

And that's a wrap.

My wrap-around is made by Kariza, and although I would have wanted to say that I came up with these myself, I must admit that the skirt came with an instruction DVD. Still, you can make a few tweaks here and there and voila! You can end up creating your own wrap-around style that's not on the DVD.

So whether it's spring or summer where you're at--or maybe where you're headed for a tropical holiday--you can start practicing the art of wrapping around. For traveling light, a wrap-around would be a good thing to pack in your suitcase. Live. Love. Laugh. Create! And do come back to give me feedback... even if it reads like "How I Spent My Summer Break" back in grade school. :)