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Kachha Style

THIS SARI requires 6 yards of cloth. Starting from your left hip, wrap the sari toward the right so that it goes around your waist. Tie a knot just under your belly button using the sari edge (held with your right hand) and bunched-up fabric (from the wrapping side, held with your left hand). Once you make the knot snug, make a series of seven to ten pleats to the right of the knot. Wrap the pallu around yourself so that the end is centered on your back. Tuck it in all the way across your back to hold it in place. Pleat the rest of the fabric between the first pleats and the part of the sari tucked on your left hip. Tuck in the pleats at the waist, grab the bottom of your fabric and bring it back between your legs. Tuck that into your back, with or without securing it in a knot, and voila—sari pants!

The Chiton

THE SARI may remind you of another ancient style of dress involving what is essentially a large sheet—the toga. Togas were actually semicircular pieces of cotton or wool fabric measuring about 15 feet in diameter and worn wrapped around the body and draped over the shoulder. But togas were never worn by women—instead, women wore a similar but more flattering draped fabric called the chiton (KEE-ton).

The Doric chiton was a simple but elegant garment, the fabric of which depended on the season and the sensibility of the wearer. It could be worn as a dress or as an undergarment, and was constructed by drawing a rectangular-shaped cloth around the body, pinning it at the shoulders, and tying it about the waist. The most popular shade of fabric for the chiton was white, the better to display the elaborate embroidery or brightly colored woven patterns often used to decorate the borders. Yellow was also a favorite color, so common that the tunics were nicknamed “saffrons.”

The chiton isn’t complicated in terms of design—no sewing, no cutting—but it could be a little tricky to put on by yourself. So to assemble your own chiton, you’ll need a length of fabric, a tie or sash to belt it, two safety pins, and a friend to help you dress.

The piece of cloth used for a Doric chiton should be about a foot longer than the wearer is tall and as wide as the span of her outstretched hands. A twin-sized flat sheet will most likely do, or a nice gauzy curtain.

Place the fabric on the floor and fold the top over about two-thirds of the way down. Lift up the cloth, holding it so that the folded side is facing you, and fold the fabric in half length-wise, keeping that first fold on the outside. Lay the fabric back on the floor so that the closed side of the fold is on the right, and the open side of the fabric is on the left. Use a safety pin to pin the back and front sides together along the top of the fabric about one-third of the way in. Use a second safety pin to fasten the front and back together about two-thirds of the way in. This creates two shoulder straps.

Here’s where you might need a little help from your friend. Have her lift the cloth up and help you put your right hand all the way through the top, beneath the safety pins and out through the other side. Your right arm should be in the hole between the edge of the folded fabric and that first safety pin. Then put your head through the hole created between the two safety pins. The safety pins should now be resting on your shoulders. If you have a fair amount of cloth hanging open on your left side, you can wrap the back part against the left side of your body and put the front part on top of that. Then use your sash, rope, or belt to tie around your waist for the girded chiton look.

Hopscotch, Tetherball, Jump Rope

Hopscotch

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, hopscotch got its start not as a schoolyard game, but as a military exercise. During the early Roman Empire in ancient Britain, Roman soldiers ran through 100-foot long rectangular courses wearing full armor to help improve their footwork. Roman children drew up their own version of these courses, shortening the length