The puletasi (Samoa) or puletaha (Tonga) is a traditional item of

clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

worn by

Samoan Samoan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Samoan Islands, an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean ** Something of, from, or related to Samoa, a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands ** Something of, from, ...

, Tongan, and Fijian women and girls. Today, puletasi is used as a female full dress. It is most commonly worn to church and formal cultural events. The puletasi is a two-piece outfit with a skirt and a top, either with both pieces in the same fabric or as a plain skirt and patterned top. The skirt is usually a wrap skirt or 'ie lavalava, with ties around the waist. For formal occasions or performance, decorations of tapa cloth, woven flax or other material may be layered around the waist over the skirt. In recent years, different styles and improvisations have been added.

References

External links

Puletasi in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Culture of Samoa Samoan words and phrases History of Oceanian clothing Polynesian clothing {{Samoa-stub