With Summer fast approaching comes a wave of new pareo ties. And we promise to bring a few new ones for our readers, pareo enthusiasts, dancers and collectors in the coming months.
If you've noticed, we've recently introduced our
Mahana Pareo at our
Black Pearl Designs website. It's a traditional style that has been around for decades. Funny thing though, no one got around to creating a name for it. So it was from many hours of making the pareos and countless hours discussing its attractive attributes that we most appropriately called this style - Mahana - meaning... sun.
Mahana pareos are created by using photo sensitive dyes, tropic motifs, island salts and light from the sun. They are handmade works of art. Each unique. Each of the colors are hand dyed. Along with sea salt and themed silhouette, the pareos are dried in the sun to lock in
the colors.
Here is a first look at the first pareo tying style we are featuring using the Mahana Pareo - Tahaa. Tahaa is known as the "vanilla island." Over 75% of all the vanilla that is produced in Tahiti is from Tahaa. The aroma is intoxicating and its scent permeates everywhere you go on the tiny island. Its sister island Raiatea might be more well known, but its every bit as beautiful. So as we expand our style guide, we share this island inspired tying style.
Start off by wrapping the pareo
lenthwise around your body, holding the two ends in front of you. From there, move your hands about a foot or so along the top of the pareo close to your chest. Allow the ends to fall and twist once to create an easy tie. Next, reach down to the open ends and bring them together in front.
From there, you fold twice to create a pleat. Bring the pleat flat to your chest and tuck into the top of the pareo above the knot.
There you go. Simple, fun and easy to create.
While you are enjoying your pareo tying accomplishment, we're delighted to announce that we will be introducing two new pareos this summer. Introducing our our first rayon pareo - the
Tiare Pareo. Look for it coming shortly. Our second pareo will be coming later this summer. We're still working out the colors and material, but it will be available soon as well. We're excited for both and excited to let our readers know first of these developments.
The Mahana pareo is the only one that is hand dyed. It's varying colors and motifs are the result of a photo sensitive dye process that fixes the colors into the fabric depending on how much heat and light it receives. Sea salt that is thrown on the fabric absorbs colors and creates texture to the design.
The Heiva Hibiscus pareo is based on classic Tahitian motifs. Many prints in the past were printed on a polyester and cotton blend. We've decided to stay away from the polyester.
The Tehani pareo is all our own. It's one of the most "Tahitian" that we're proud of. Tehani is based on the Tahitian tiare, Hawaiian lauae and Marquesan tattoo inspirations. The fabric is just the right weight (we think it is) and has a nice balance of weight and durability.
Our last pareo is made of rayon. We've had request after request for rayon and we intend on making a new design in the future on rayon or one of the above in a rayon version. The Tiare pareo is a handmade work of art. Each is screened by hand. The only fabric more softer is silk.
