How to Wear a Kaftan Dress: From Summer Days to Evening

How to wear a kaftan comes down to one choice: let it hang free for ease and air, or gather it at the waist for shape. Change the shoes, the jewellery and what goes underneath, and the same dress moves from a summer morning to a long dinner.

A printed silk kaftan makes that journey easier than most clothes, because the dress carries the colour and the story on its own. Below is how we wear our own printed kaftans, from summer days to the evening and on into the colder months.

Key takeaways

• Wear a kaftan loose with flat sandals by day, and add heels and earrings for the evening.
• Gather it at the waist with a belt or a knotted silk scarf when you want more shape.
• Keep everything else plain, so the print stays the centre of the outfit.
• In cooler months, layer a kaftan over slim trousers or a fine knit, with boots and a coat.

What makes a kaftan a kaftan

The kaftan is an old and widely travelled shape. Versions of it have been worn for centuries across the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, from the robes of the Ottoman court to the Moroccan caftan worn for celebrations today. Kaftan and caftan are two spellings of the same word. In Western fashion, the kaftan dress became a symbol of relaxed glamour in the 1960s and 1970s, and it has stayed in wardrobes ever since.

What defines the shape is its generosity. The body is cut wide and straight, the sleeves are cut in one with it, and there is no waist seam. That makes a kaftan comfortable in heat, easy to move in and kind to many figures. It also gives a printed design a broad, unbroken surface, front and back.

Our kaftans are cut from 100% silk twill, printed in Italy and made in Estonia. Each one has a rounded hem and a button closure at the back of the neckline. The print is a still life composition that runs over both sides of the dress, and both kaftans come in one size.

• The Scylla silk kaftan is a sea-grey blue. At its centre a great squid spreads coral-orange tentacles among bone-white forms, blue coral, dark feathered fronds and a small seahorse.
• The Topaz silk kaftan has an ochre-yellow ground and a pale mint panel down the centre, where purple leaves, dark seed pods and a branching stem form a botanical still life.

How to wear a kaftan on a summer day

By day, a kaftan dress is at its most relaxed. Silk twill is light against the skin, and the loose cut lets air move around you on a warm afternoon.

1. Wear it loose. Let the dress fall from the shoulders without a belt. The rounded hem swings as you walk, and the print reads as one whole picture.
2. Choose flat shoes. Leather sandals, espadrilles or slim ballet flats keep the line easy and suit a day of walking.
3. Add a woven or canvas bag. Natural textures sit well against printed silk and keep the look unfussy.
4. Keep jewellery small. A pair of gold hoops or a single bangle is enough, because the print is already busy.
5. Think about the sun. Sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat finish the look on a terrace, a boat deck or a garden lunch.

A kaftan also works as a cover-up by the water, slipped on over a swimsuit for lunch at a beach restaurant. If you do this in silk, keep it away from sun cream, salt water and pool chemicals, and give it a fresh-air airing afterwards.

How to wear a kaftan with trousers, and into autumn

A kaftan dress over trousers is one of the easiest ways to make it part of an ordinary week. The straight lines of the trousers balance the volume of the dress, and the outfit feels considered with very little effort from you.

Slim or straight trousers work best. Cropped cigarette trousers show a little ankle and suit loafers or flat mules. Straight jeans give a looser, seventies feel. Wide trousers can look heavy beneath a full kaftan, so keep the leg narrow unless the fabric is very fluid.

As the weather turns, the kaftan keeps going. Our kaftans have wide sleeves that end around the elbow, so a fine roll-neck jumper or a long-sleeved T-shirt layers easily underneath. Add opaque tights and ankle boots, then a long wool coat on top. The print shows at the hem and the neckline, and a sea-blue or ochre silk brings colour to a grey November street.

At home in winter, a printed kaftan makes a generous hostess dress for a dinner party or a long holiday lunch: comfortable for hours at the table, dressed up by its own colour.

How to belt a kaftan

Gathering a kaftan at the waist gives it a completely different silhouette. The upper half blouses softly over the belt, the hem falls in folds, and the dress reads as more tailored.

• A slim leather belt in tan, black or a colour taken from the print gives a clean, modern line.
• A silk scarf knotted at the side is softer and more playful. Choose one in a related colour, from our printed silk scarves or your own drawer.
• A wider belt suits taller figures and gives the kaftan a more structured, seventies shape.

Tie the belt at your natural waist, then lift the fabric a little above it so it drapes evenly front and back. Belted, a kaftan dress pairs well with block heels or heeled sandals. Loose, it suits flats. If you are unsure, try both before you head out, and choose the one that feels more like you.

How to wear a kaftan in the evening

Silk changes in evening light. The twill catches lamps and candles softly, and a printed kaftan looks richer after dark than it does at noon.

For the evening, keep the shape loose and let the accessories do the work. Heeled sandals or pointed pumps lengthen the line. Statement earrings frame the face, and hair worn up shows the collarbones. A small clutch and a single strong lipstick colour, pulled from the print, complete the look.

A kaftan dress is a good answer for a summer wedding, a gallery opening or a dinner where you want colour and comfort in equal measure. For a more formal occasion, belt it and add heels. For a relaxed supper, wear it loose with flat sandals and let the silk move.

Letting the print lead

A printed kaftan is a piece of wearable art, so treat it as the centre of the outfit. The same principles we use for our kimonos apply here:

• One hero print. Keep everything else plain or tonal.
• Pick one colour from the print. Repeat it in your shoes, your bag or your lipstick, so the outfit feels connected.
• Mind the scale. A large still life reads best from a distance, so keep layers and accessories simple.

The kaftan and the kimono are close relatives: both are wide, generous shapes that make a broad canvas for print, and both move from home to evening with a change of shoes. If you like the kaftan, our guide on how to wear a kimono shows the same day-to-evening approach with a wrap shape, and our printed silk kimonos share the same artist-led prints.

Looking after a silk kaftan

Silk lasts for years with a little care. As a natural fibre, it often needs nothing more than an airing: hang your kaftan in fresh air for a while and it is ready to wear again. When it does need washing, wash it by hand in cold water or have it dry cleaned, because silk tends to lose its shine in a washing machine.

If a water mark appears, take the kaftan to a dry cleaner. To smooth creases, steam it or iron it inside out. Store it on a wide hanger away from strong sunlight, which can fade printed colour, and check the care label on your kaftan before you wash it for the first time.

Frequently asked questions

What is a kaftan dress?

A kaftan dress is a long, loose dress with wide sleeves cut in one with the body and no waist seam. It slips on over the head and can be worn loose or gathered with a belt. The shape has roots across the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, and became a fashion classic in the 1960s and 1970s.

Are kaftans in style in 2026?

Kaftans have been part of fashion for decades, and a well-made printed kaftan is a piece you keep for years. Its appeal is its ease: a single garment that is comfortable in heat, flattering on many figures and simple to dress up or down.

What kind of shoes do you wear with a kaftan dress?

By day, flat sandals, espadrilles, loafers or ballet flats. For the evening, heeled sandals, pointed pumps or block heels, especially if you belt the kaftan. In autumn and winter, ankle boots with opaque tights.

Can you wear a kaftan in public?

Yes. A kaftan dress works for a city lunch, a holiday, a wedding or a dinner, as well as by the pool. Choose the shoes and accessories for the occasion, and add a belt or a layer underneath when you want a more polished look.

Find your kaftan

Choose a print you love, keep what goes with it simple, and wear it loose by day and gathered for the evening. Explore our fashion collection, a capsule collection we launch each year around a conceptual theme and a new print design by Klaus Haapaniemi.

Klaus Haapaniemi & Co. is a Finnish design house that designs, prints and produces its own homeware and clothing, founded in 2010 by designer Mia Wallenius and artist Klaus Haapaniemi.