The Short History Of Kaftans
A symbol of bohemian and exoticism In recent years, the term “kaftan” has become the common term used in the fashion industry for any loose-fitting garment or tunic, which is often used to refer to many different kinds of garments from Middle Eastern and North African origin (the Abaya, the djellaba and burnouse for instance). An authentic kaftan consists of a narrowly cut, long robe with long sleeves, usually with an open neck, or fully open to the floor or sometimes with buttons; the extremely voluminous robe with no defined sleeves commonly called the kaftan actually is more similar to the abaya.
Kaftan is a Persian word, and the fashion of wearing it is believed to originate within Ancient Mesopotamia. The Ottoman Sultans from the 14th until the 18th century wore extravagantly decorated kaftans; they were also offered as gifts to high-ranking dignitaries and generals. It is made of almost any fabric. Most consist of silk, wool, or cotton. They are often bound by untied sashes. Kaftans wear by females and males in various styles throughout the Iranian plateau, into North Africa, and West Africa. In hot climates, the kaftan is typically worn because its loose-fitting silhouette aids in proper air circulation, thus it reduces body temperature (though Russians have a similar outfit, called a kaftan, constructed of fur).
For a long time in Europe along with North America, authentic kaftans were not worn except by a select few tourists and the eccentrics who brought them home from exotic destinations as part of the fad for Orientalism and Turkish-style interiors during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was not until the 1950s and early 1960s that this style of dress began appearing in high fashion when it was adapted by French couturiers–including Christian Dior and Balenciaga–as a new form of a loose-fitting evening gown or a robe over matching trousers. By the year 1966, Vogue described the kaftan as a staple garment for every member of the fashionable class and photographed “the beautiful people” in various imported traditional styles and western variations “Here are the top trendsetting styles that have ever been invented The comfort of seraglio clings to them; the slumber and relaxation emanate from these garments. The classic robes from the Near East, they’re now everywhere on the map of modern times, as inspiration for fashion designers and every woman’s newfound appreciation for beauty. …”
The kaftan’s silhouette was well-suited to the styles of the next decade; providing a simple silhouette that could be beaded or heavily patterned, or sleekly minimal (as seen in the styles that were created by Halston at the end of the 1970s). Women at home entertaining wore it as a “kaftan dress,” while at the same time, more traditional styles were being brought to these parts of the United States and Europe by young people who had traveled the then-new “Hippie trail” from North Africa to Afghanistan. The popularity across America of the kaftan, ranging from expensive to mass market and low-cost imports–was a result of its connection with exoticism along with the effortless convenience of these items. In the late 1970s to the last decade, the kaftan was absent from all the high fashion catwalks, instead becoming more associated with fashion-forward clothing.
- A shorter length that was cut to micro-mini, Tom Ford took the kaftan silhouette to the realm of the erotic for Gucci Spring 1996. Designers seeking to inject their collections with distinct “oriental” touch and nostalgia for the 1960s came back to the many possibilities of this dress. Fashion designers such as Temperley and Matthew Williamson have continually reanimated the kaftan’s Bohemian appeal, while other designers like Naeem Khan and Elie Saab have taken the kaftan to the red carpet, with intricately embossed and beaded versions. The striking and graphic style of the kaftan gives designers the opportunity to create their own unique interpretation of it while keeping the same ease of ease and elegance that makes it so appealing to women around the world.