Fashion: Cool as a summer breeze
The simple kaftan is 2021’s top wardrobe staple of the summer to stay comfy, cool and dressed in one
Usually the reserve of beaches in far-flung destinations, the kaftan’s reputation for only sunshine and sand has been challenged and is hitting the fashion capitals’ streets. While the style set might not have been able to jet off on holidays, they could bring their style to the street at the most recent slew of fashion shows in Paris and Milan.
The fashion stars kept their cool in the city heat in a range of stylish, unstructured kaftans in glorious prints and colours.
Instead of pairing the kaftan with the usual go-to flip-flops and bikini, they upped the ante by wearing the wafty printed dress with heels and luxe accessories, and one showgoer even layered a leather jacket over a more clean, minimal style to make it pavement appropriate. Adopting the kaftan for the street was no doubt inspired by the spring catwalks of Valentino, Tom Ford, and XX’s who showcased loose silhouetted styles in floral pop prints, tie-dye and chic vertical stripes that looked anything but just for the beach.
Luckily, the high street has also bought into the breezy, billowing style dresses, offering options in endless possibilities of patterns, colours, lengths and fabrics. You can take your pick of wonderfully embellished styles at Zara to more muted takes at Cos or joyful prints at H&M. If investing, for more versatility and wearability, avoid sheer. It gets too complicated on what to wear underneath, so keep the transparent styles for the actual beach. Instead, for a chic city look, be inspired by the street style set and catwalks; go for lined styles that don’t require layering, or tunic-shaped styles that mimic the silhouette but won’t be seethrough.
The popularity of the kaftan style dress couldn’t come at a better time, especially if, like most people, you are still struggling to decide what to wear for inperson interactions and miss the comfort that your loungewear brought. For real-life dressing, the kaftan should be your go-to for the warmer months. Not only does it offer ventilation for those warm sunny days, but also coverage, comfort, and they are super stylish — what more could you want from a summer dress?