Why clothes?

As I stood under the fan, trying to iron good creases down the legs of my dear husband’s work trousers I thought:

Why clothes in the Seychelles? It’s so hot all year round – why don’t we all just go naked? Who decided that trousers with creases in them were smarter anyhow? It must have been a man and he would soon have changed his mind if he’d had to iron them himself, in the Seychelles in summer. My husband hates his bright red work shirts too. (He said he stopped to offered a colleague a lift the other day, then realized it was a postbox.) They could all wear red ties with the company logo on it instead, knotted loosely round the neck so that no-one gets too hot under the collar.

It would be a shame not to have some colour around. So maybe the older Seychellois women should still wear their lovely outfits with hats that are so much a part of the character of this island.

Also, the men that wear the huge rastaferian green, red and yellow beanies over their magnificent dreadlocks would probably be reluctant to part with these. They are certainly eye-catching, but so are the dreadlocks when allowed to hang free. Perhaps the tourists would want to show off their newly purchased sarongs. These could be knotted around waists. Cloths that so many people carry around to mop their sweating brows could become a fashion statement. They could be produced in lovely colours and made big enough to cover up strategic spots if one was feeling a bit shy.

Think of the money we would save on clothes, soap powder, softener, electricity, not to mention the time spent doing, hanging and ironing our washing. The company’s Christmas party would have been a lot more fun if everyone had been naked - just prettied up a little with bits of tinsel or coloured baubles.