How to tie a sarong
When it comes to choosing a beach cover-up to wear over your swimwear, there are plenty of options and versatility available.
Both kaftans and sarongs are great choices to provide protection against the sun or simply to give you a little something extra to wear if you don’t want to walk around in your swimsuit all day. The difference between the two styles lies in their design. Kaftans are essentially lightweight, summery beach dresses, ideal for an easy outfit you can slip on to go for a meal.
Sarongs, on the other hand, offer an increased degree of versatility as they come as a large rectangle of fabric which you can tie or fold into any style you like.
How to wear a sarong as a dress
When tying a sarong, the two most common garments to emulate are dresses and skirts.
Dresses naturally offer greater coverage, so they’re a great option to choose if you’re looking to cover up to head into a shop, café or restaurant, or as something to wear home from the beach or pool while your swimsuit is still damp. But even within the category of dress-styles, there is plenty of variety to choose from.
Strapless dress
A simple style to try out, tying your sarong into a strapless dress is a great way to achieve a sleek look for a summer evening. Here’s how to do it:
- Hold the sarong behind you so that it forms a rectangle with your body forming the centre. You’ll want the longer edge of the rectangle to run along the underside of your arms when you stand in a ‘T’ position.
- Bring the two upper corners together over your bust to wrap the sarong around yourself. Adjust your grip on the corners so you have plenty of fabric to tie a knot with.
- Make a knot over your bust, allowing any excess fabric to form a stylish bow-like adornment over the chest area.
- Optional: If you feel the sarong is too flowy at the bottom, you can also tie a knot in the lower corners - just be careful to leave yourself plenty of legroom so you can walk about easily.
Halter dress
Love the halter neck style? It’s simpler than you think to recreate it with your favourite sarong.
- Hold the sarong horizontally behind you so that it forms an unfolded rectangle with you on the midline.
- Take the upper left corner and wrap it across your body and round to the back of your neck on the right hand side. Then take the right corner of the sarong and wrap it around to the left hand side of your neck. This should form an attractive cross-over design over your bust as well as wrapping the sarong stylishly around your body.
- Tie the two upper corners of the sarong together. Make sure to do this with your head held high, as doing so with your head lowered can affect how the fabric sits when you raise your head again.
- Optional: Again, if you want to close up the bottom of the sarong a little, you can make a knot in the lower corners to give the look a side-slit style.
How to wear a sarong as a skirt
The alternative is to tie your sarong as a skirt and leave your upper half uncovered, which can be an excellent option if you’re heading somewhere a little less formal where bikini tops are welcome - or if your bikini top is just too stylish to hide away!
Sarongs can be tied into long, maxi-style skirts or shorter mini versions - it all depends on what you prefer. Fortunately, the trick to either variant is super simple. Here’s how to tie a sarong as a skirt:
- Choose your length. If you want a maxi-style skirt, hold the sarong behind you unfolded, or only fold it in half to stop yourself from tripping over it. The right size will depend on your leg length, so don’t be afraid to adjust accordingly. Alternatively, for a shorter skirt, fold the sarong into thirds or even quarters horizontally before holding it behind your waistline.
- Take the two upper corners of the sarong (making sure to include any and all layers in a folded sarong) and wrap them around your waist.
- Tie a simple knot to keep the sarong wrapped as snugly as you like.
And that’s it! Tying your sarong into either a dress or a skirt is simple, so why not try it out the next time you head to the beach or pool - or even on a hot summer’s day in your own back garden? With lots of stylish printed sarongs available, you could have a whole new wardrobe on your hands.