THE KAFTAN

A kaftan is a luxurious way to dress luxuriously when you are at home relaxing with friends (Oscar dela Renta)

 It is an extremely versatile piece of clothing and can be worn in various ways besides as a beach robe. Wear it long with heels, jewelry and a small clutch for an evening look. Instead, during the day it may be worn with flat sandals, suede sling-bag and layers of necklaces. The short version is perfect with jeans or wide pants. In this case it’s better to use a belt to accentuate the waistline and choose high heels and a clutch. The daring souls may try the mini dress version with bare legs.

 A tunic of Arabic origin used in wedding ceremonies, its golden age was the Ottoman Empirewhen the models were enriched with fabrics and precious stones which indicated the wearer’s social status. Diana Vreeland, the renowned director of Vogue America, was the one who popularized it as a fashion item in the West. She discovered it during a trip toMorocco and she dedicated a series of articles which decreed its success. Some of its greatest fans are: Marella Agnelli, Jackie Kennedy and the multimillionaire Barbara Hutton (who had an entire collection of them).