The Style Files: The Kaftan Comeback

Comfortable, eternally chic and elegant the 60’s staple is sashaying its way into the modern wardrobe. No longer the remit of aunties kaftans are an essential part of summer and one of the chicest ways to be the heat. Few garments are more pleasurable to wear than a kaftan; the best ones are soft and sensuous against the skin, simple in construction and a gentle swish of cotton basically just everything your skinny jeans aren't.

There is history and an evolution of kaftans – the first one surfaced in Persia in 600 BC. While admittedly, the first thing that springs to mind when you hear the word ‘kaftan’ is ‘beach’ (closely followed by ‘cocktail’, or maybe that’s just me), happily the kaftan has found its place outside the narrow holiday remit. To say that the kaftan has found its place in the sun this summer is an understatement. Superstar design houes like Saint Laurent, Fendi and Alexander McQueen all have versions of silk, beaded and embellished kaftans for the summer.

Some of the most timeless style icons were kaftan devotees which can’t be coincidence. Catherine Deneuve, Jacqueline Bisset and Angelina Jolie have all embraced its bohemian spirit. Yet nobody owned the kaftan quite like Elizabeth Taylor, who seemed to spend the latter part of her years drifting around in various examples of diaphanous splendour. For centuries, kaftans were worn in most parts of the world but it wasn’t until the 1960s that the West embraced the look – largely thanks to Yves Saint Laurent, who recast the ultimate hippie garment as a chic hostess gown, best worn with bare feet and a plate of olives. It was Talitha Getty who most memorably brought the garment to life, thanks to a famous photograph taken by Patrick Lichfield in 1969 in Marrakech, which sees her reclining in one as the city stretches out behind her. An iconic image that defined the  kaftan as chic.

On the beach the kaftan needs nothing more by way of accessories than sunshine and a smile. But what about other occasions? Drinks at 41 Sugar, dancing at Silk, dinner at Nihonbashi? The easiest way to embrace this new function is to think of your kaftan as a peasant top, and offset its wispy, ethereal qualities with a tougher garment like jeans, or wear it tucked into a denim midi skirt or with a nude slip and you’re good to go!

By Minoli Ratnayake