Since the white trader has taken up his residence on the island, the natives are all keen to possess printed calico, though they have to pay a high price for flimsy goods with blinding colours. Three yards of print are sufficient to make a lava-lava, and as the natives do not think it necessary to hem the borders, the garment is ready for use as soon as the three yards are cut off the roll. The strip of calico is twisted thrice round the waist so as to hang to the knee, and then fastened on one side of the waist for a knowing little twist and tuck-in. These bright-coloured lava-lavas are really very picturesque, when worn with garlands of flowers only. The men always look well on week-days, because they wear nothing but a lava-lava, or a native leaf petticoat. The women spoil themselves, even on week-days, by the hideous tiputas (bust cloths) they wear above the leaf petticoat or the lava-lava.

from: http://www.janesoceania.com/tuvalu_impressions

no expert, but I've never seen the 'jagged' hemlines before. Did find some pix of Samoan Police with a police blue lava-lava - but with a straight hem, and worn as a daily uniform I'm fairly sure.

The Fiji Police Force web site has pictures of modern officers in bloused, BDU type pants. Their history page makes reference to an original uniform of a white sulu tavatava (serrated sulu) and chinese blouse. So there ya go..looks like a ceremonial nod to the past.

I have a lava-lava or three - a couple from Hawaii, and one made in the fashion described above, I picked out a couple yards of something I liked at the fabric store and wrapped it around myself...

So far as the question that's sure to follow - watching a Hawaiian gentleman raise the feast from the imu at a luau years ago the thin fabric of his lava lava made the answer fairly obvious... of course it was a resort setting and these things are situational, yes?

come to think of it...

I've never heard anyone ask a man what he was wearing under his lava lava...