More often than we think Fashion brands get inspiration from main street. In the case of The Kaftan, there is no exception. The Kaftan is a unisex loose gown with full sleeves that originated in the far east, became a symbol of the hippy culture of the 60’s to eventually rise to become a representation of wealth and the jet-set. Today, is an essential item in every fashionable woman’s summer suitcase. Vogue declared the kaftan ‘as an essential garment for every member of the jet-set’. Although a unisex gown is mostly worn by women now a days, unless you happen to be a very eccentric male of the name Wary Ahluwalia…
The Kaftan today comes in many different fabric and length: from minimal ones to more exotic and embellished evening-inspired ones… Many Fashion Designers have created collections inspired in the far east culture and the kaftan has been interpreted in many ways… from short sexy versions by Tom Ford to more sophisticated ones by Balenciaga and Christian Dior… It’s also associated with the very lavish Turkish interiors, as a matter of fact, Sultans from the Ottoman empire worn very glamorous versions of it.
Now, don’t think you need to be a very rich lady who owns a villa in Palm Spring to wear a kaftan as loungewear… because that’s is not the case. All you need on your side in order to dress wear this free and comfortable gown at home is cooperative weather. Lately I’ve been wearing kaftans quite often at home and I can attest how comfortable and easy they are to upgrade. Simple things as adding a belt to head out of the door can make it look very Twin Olsen chic… Here is a roundups of the very stylish piece that according to Vogue every fashionable woman should own…
1 Ergon Mykonos Avran Kaftan
2 Cecilia Dragouni Embroidery Cotton Kaftan
3 V I X Paula Hermanny
5 Paolita
7 Celia Dragouni Embroidered Kaftan
9 Yuliya Magdych oversize kaftan
Above Lee Radziwill in her Turkish inspired London drawing room, photo by Cecil Beaton.
