There is a particular kind of woman who arrives at the beach club looking as though she has not tried at all, and is, for that exact reason, the most elegant person there. She is wearing very little — a swimsuit, probably — and over it, a single flowing length of beautiful fabric that turns "going for a swim" into something that looks like a photograph. That length of fabric is the kaftan, and it is, quietly, the most useful and most luxurious thing a woman can own in summer. It asks nothing of you. You throw it on. And somehow you look more put-together than the woman who spent an hour getting dressed.
The kaftan — and its beachier cousin, the cover-up — has always been the secret weapon of the well-travelled woman, but it is having a particular moment now. As resort dressing grows more considered and the line between "beachwear" and "real clothes" dissolves entirely, the kaftan has been elevated from poolside afterthought to genuine hero piece. The best versions are no longer flimsy throwaways; they are made in silk and fine cotton and broderie anglaise, embellished and embroidered and cut with real intention. Eres opens the conversation with its impeccably simple Voilier kaftan in navy, the kind of pure, unfussy piece that proves the whole point: that the most elegant throw-on is also the simplest.
A length of beautiful fabric, the sea, and nothing else required. The kaftan is ease made elegant.
Why It Works
The genius of the kaftan is that it solves the hardest problem in summer dressing: how to look pulled-together when it is too hot to wear anything structured. It skims rather than clings, it moves in the breeze, it flatters every body because it touches none of them too closely, and it goes from sand to lunch to a sundowner without a single adjustment. It is, in the truest sense, the lazy woman's luxury — and luxury, done well, has always looked a little lazy. The everyday versions earn their keep again and again: Verandah's drawstring satin kaftan, the same label's embellished viscose kaftan dress and its breezier cotton-hemp mini, Oseree's lightly Lumière stoned kaftan, and the easy Sloan keyhole linen mini kaftan set. For something with a little more texture and character, BODE's Cattail plaid kaftan in brown brings an artisanal, collected feel that lifts it well beyond the beach.
There is also the matter of versatility, which the kaftan has in a way almost nothing else does. The same piece that covers a swimsuit at noon becomes, with a pair of sandals and gold earrings, an entirely respectable dinner dress by eight. The printed silk versions are especially good at this double life: Emporio Sirenuse's Jenna printed silk kaftan in pink, Thierry Colson's romantic Rachel broderie anglaise kaftan, and Dima Ayad's metallic floral-print maxi caftan all read as proper evening pieces the moment the sun goes down.
White, flowing, sunlit. The kaftan turns very little effort into a great deal of elegance.
It is the lazy woman's luxury — and luxury, done well, has always looked a little lazy.
The White One First
If you own only one, make it white. A white embroidered cover-up is the single most useful resort piece there is — it flatters a tan, goes with everything, and reads instantly expensive. Miguelina is the great house of the white cover-up, and the choice is only a matter of detail: the Jane embroidered cotton, the more delicate Jane cotton-lace, or the belted Lucinda voile and lace for a little more shape. Johanna Ortiz makes a more ornate white statement in the tasseled, embroidered Quetzalcóatl cotton coverup, while for the crochet-and-pearl version of white-on-white, Sara Cristina's pearl-embellished Nerea crocheted coverup and neutral Arena crochet carry that artisanal, hand-made charm. A flash of soft colour works too — Miguelina's Eloisa cotton lace in yellow is the same idea, warmed by the sun.
Straw hat, embroidery, sun on linen. The white cover-up is the most useful piece a tan ever met.
The Printed Statement
When you want the cover-up to do more than cover — when you want it to be the entire look — reach for print. The printed cover-up is the kaftan at its most expressive, and the resort houses pour real artistry into it. Johanna Ortiz leads with the zebra-print linen Boa Whisper in ivory and the tapestry-printed georgette Sensory coverup in red; Emporio Sirenuse offers its painterly Jenna print in both cotton-voile red and luxurious silk blue. Eres brings its quiet French polish to the belted silk Holi crepe de chine in red, Etro its heritage paisley-ish floral-print coverup, and Farm Rio the joyful, accessible printed satin coverup in red for those who want the look without the four-figure price.
Print, breeze, bare feet. The cover-up that is the whole outfit.
The Showpiece
And then there is the kaftan as event — the embellished, feathered, fringed, metallic showpiece worn to the kind of evening that deserves it. This is the kaftan at its most glamorous, and it is worth every bit of its drama. Pucci's embroidered La Isla kaftan maxi is the grand showpiece of the whole genre; Françoise brings two unforgettable versions in the feather-trimmed silk La Isla Daisy and the fringed crepe La Isla Fiona. For metallic drama, Missoni is the only answer — the gold Mare metallic crochet-knit cover-up and the sequin-embellished striped coverup in black shimmer like nothing else on a warm evening. And for pure painterly elegance, Andres Otalora's Cefalonia chiffon caftan proves the showpiece kaftan can also be soft, fluid and quietly grand.
White lace against stone and sky. The kaftan at its most quietly ceremonial.
How to Wear It
The kaftan asks for almost nothing in the way of styling, and that restraint is the entire point. Over a swimsuit by day, with bare feet or flat leather sandals, a straw hat and a raffia tote. Into evening, add a heeled sandal, gold earrings, a stack of fine bangles, and let the kaftan stay the star. The only real rule is to let it float — resist the urge to belt or cinch the simpler ones; their elegance lives in the way they move. Choose the white embroidered one for everyday, the printed silk for the double life of beach-to-dinner, and the embellished showpiece for the night that calls for it. Then throw it on, walk toward the water, and look — effortlessly, enviably — like the most elegant woman on the beach. Which, with a kaftan, is the easiest thing in the world to be.
Eyes closed, fabric drifting, the sun doing the rest. The kaftan is summer, distilled.
Toward the water, hat on, kaftan drifting behind. Effortless, by design.
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