What Now

SO VERY SARI

Oy.

Yesterday, Steve and I decided to take advantage of the holiday and the lovely weather and go on a drive to Scottsboro. We wanted to visit the First Monday sellers, but we managed to get there too late to really see very much. We saw a few junk dealers and some great antiques, and were even offered an insane deal on a set of antique furniture (seriously $50 for a sideboard and wash stand) by a man who didn't want to repack them. I would have loved to take advantage of that, but we were in the Challenger and wouldn't have been able to take them home! :(

Since we were too late for those guys, we decided to go over to the Unclaimed Baggage store! It was packed in there, mainly because it was their 40th anniversary, so we didn't hang around for too long. Neither Steve nor I enjoy really crowded, indoor places. Plus they had a freaking DJ blasting music that was honestly too loud for the size of building we were in.

Anyways, for the short time we were there, I got to peruse the "International" section of clothing that they have. I'm always kind of fascinated with the materials and clothes they have. Lots of Indian, Arabic, and African stuff is usually the norm, but occasionally they have other things sprinkled in. While I was looking through it all, I found a gorgeous red scarf with Indian embroidery on it, and the price was too good to pass by. I also found a 3 piece Indian outfit I liked, a long flowery thing, and what looked like a long, black dress with beads around the edges of the sleeves and a matching scarf. I was excited, because they were all so pretty and very cheap! True, I don't normally wear clothes from other cultures, but quite frankly it's because I didn't have any! I decided to change that!

Once we got home with my purchases, I decided to try them on. I know, I know, I should have done that at the store, but I didn't. My bad. There were just too many people in the store for me to want to wait in line for a dressing room. So I pulled out the lovely red scarf and looped it around my neck. Then I looped it again. Then again. It wasn't a scarf, apparently. What I took to be a scarf was a Sari, which is a long length of cloth that Indian women wear draped over an under dress type thing. I didn't realize what it was, because it had been folded in such a way that I couldn't tell how long it was. I'm not too disappointed, though, because it's several feet of gorgeous red silk, and I know I can figure out a way to use it!

The Indian outfit is something called a "Salwar kameez," at least according to Wikipedia, and it is a long tunic over a pair of M.C. Hammer pants and it also comes with a matching scarf thing. It was too small, because of course it was, but I think I can alter the top to fit. I'm at least going to try, because it's so pretty and I WANT to wear it! The Hammer pants, however, fit everywhere except in the calf part of my legs because they taper in a big way. Honestly, I'm not that bothered with the pants! :)

The long flowered thing turned out to be an African dress that is too big, but very comfortable. It makes me look like Mrs. Roper, so maybe I'll just get some big, smoked amber glasses, a bad perm, and some gaudy beads to wear with it. I suppose it will be my first official mumu!

The long black dress turned out to be the big mystery. It wasn't a dress at all, but more like a robe that had three buttons at the top and had a slit up the front to the waist. It obviously was meant to be worn over something, but there weren't any more pieces to the outfit. It wasn't until I put it on that I noticed it was very severe and modest, even with the beads around the wrist part of the sleeves. I also couldn't figure out what the scarf was for, since the neckline was so high and I couldn't find a place to attach it on the bodice. I was kind of nonplussed. I had figured everything else out, but not this! I finally threw the scarf over my head, and everything clicked. I went to college with a Muslim girl who dressed like this, only not as fancy! I have no idea what it is called, but the scarf is supposed to wrap around your head and the long cloak thing is to cover the rest of me. I thought it was called a burka, but I was wrong. I still have no idea what it is, but I don't think I will be able to wear it as it's supposed to be worn. At least not without winding up on no-fly lists across the country! I can fix the robe thing to be appropriate for church, though. I just have to fix the neckline and possibly the sleeves and find a skirt or under dress for it. I can also use the head scarf as a wrap, because it is long enough and has beads around the edge. Of course, you realize that the one thing that fit me perfectly would be the one thing that I couldn't wear as-is. Typical.