Mother Hubbard dress
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A Mother Hubbard dress is a long, wide, loose-fitting gown with long sleeves and a high neck. Intended to cover as much skin as possible, it was introduced by missionaries in Polynesia to "civilise" those whom they considered half-naked savages of the South Seas islands.
Although this Victorian remnant has disappeared elsewhere in the world, it is still worn by Pacific women, who have altered it into a gayer and lighter (less hot) garment, using cotton sheets, often printed in brightly coloured floral patterns.
In Hawaiʻi, it is called holokū. There, a derivative, the muʻumuʻu, is highly similar, but without the yoke and train, and therefore even easier to make.
In Tahiti, the name was ʻahu tua (empire dress); now, ʻahu māmā rūʻau (grandmother's dress) is used.
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