According to the Encyclopaedia of Islam, the kaftan was introduced into the Barbary States by the Ottomans and spread by fashion as far as Morocco. [39] The Russian kaftan was probably influenced by Persian and/or Turkic people in Old Russia. [53] The word "kaftan" was adopted from the Tatar language, which in turn borrowed the word from Persia. [54] In the 13th century, the kaftan was still common in Russia. In the 19th century, Russian kaftans were the most widespread type of outer-clothing amongst peasants and merchants in Old Russia. Currently in the early 21st century, they are most commonly used as ritual religious clothing by conservative Old Believers, in Russian fashion (Rusfashion), Russian folk dress and with regards to Russian folklore. [55] Jewish [ edit ] Jewish children with a school teacher in Samarkand, wearing kaftans (circa 1910). Now that you’re fully aware of just how versatile and stunning these staple garments are, let’s dive into some of our favorite styles. Grossman, Heather E.; Alicia Walker, eds. (2013). Mechanisms of Exchange: Transmission in Medieval Art and Architecture of the Mediterranean, Ca. 1000-1500. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-24977-6. OCLC 1008267530. ABDYYEVA, Gulruh (2020). "Clothing Culture in the Hun Period and Hun Reflections in the Gokturk Period: Traces on the Clothes of Today’s Central Asian Folks". International Turkish Culture and Art Symposium 29–30 October 2020 ETIMESGUT / Ankara.

Lamia Balafrej (2015) Islamic iconoclasm, visual communication and the persistence of the image, Interiors, 6:3, 351-366, DOI: 10.1080/20419112.2015.1125659 Türk dünyası kültür atlası: Osmanlı dönemi. 3. 2. Türk Kültürüne Hizmet Vakfı, Turkish Cultural Service Foundation. 1998. ISBN 9789757522119. OCLC 39969202.UNESCO - Rites and craftsmanship associated with the wedding costume tradition of Tlemcen". ich.unesco.org . Retrieved 2023-03-29. More recently, in 2011 Jessica Simpson was photographed wearing kaftans during her pregnancy. [58] [ bettersourceneeded] American fashion editor André Leon Talley also wore kaftans designed by Ralph Rucci as one of his signature looks. [62] Beyoncé, Uma Thurman, Susan Sarandon, Kate Moss, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and Nicole Richie have all been seen wearing the style. [63] [ bettersourceneeded] Some fashion lines have dedicated collections to the kaftan.

Why the Kaftan, you ask? Because a man kaf-can as well as any woman. And that's the authentic history of the Middle Eastern garment. A kaftan or caftan ( / ˈ k æ f t æ n/; Arabic: قفطان, qafṭān; Persian: خفتان, khaftān; Turkish: kaftan) is a variant of the robe or tunic. Originating in Asia, it has been worn by a number of cultures around the world for thousands of years. In Russian usage, kaftan instead refers to a style of men's long suit with tight sleeves. a b Annette Lynch; Mitchell D. Strauss (30 October 2014). Ethnic Dress in the United States: A Cultural Encyclopedia. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp.61–62. ISBN 978-0-7591-2150-8. Caftan" redirects here. For a specific 8th-century caftan, see Caftan (Metropolitan Museum of Art).

Most fabrics manufactured in Turkey were made in Istanbul and Bursa, but some textiles came from as far away as Venice, Genoa, Persia (Iran), India, and even China. kaftans were made from velvet, aba, bürümcük (a type of crepe with a silk warp and cotton weft), canfes, çatma (a heavy silk brocade), gezi, diba ( Persian: دیبا), hatayi, kutnu, kemha, seraser ( سراسر) (brocade fabric with silk warp and gold or silver metallic thread weft), serenk, zerbaft ( زربافت), and tafta ( تافته). Favoured colours were indigo, kermes, violet, pişmiş ayva or "cooked quince", and weld yellow. [ citation needed] Silk or wooled vests embellished with couched gold thread or silk embroidery probably represent the introduction of a Turkish feature into an Arab aesthetic. [24] Yep, you guessed it! Our go-to, most-loved Kaftan of choice is nothing other than The Original Kaftan. Who said classic had to be simple? Not us. Ferit Edgü, ed. (1983). The Anatolian Civilisations: Seljuk. Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. OCLC 21460383. In Southeast Asia, the kaftan was originally worn by Arab traders, as seen in early lithographs and photographs from the region. Religious communities that formed as Islam became established later adopted this style of dress as a distinguishing feature, under a variety of names deriving from Arabic and Persian such as " jubah", a robe, and "cadar", a veil or chador. [57] Europe and United States [ edit ] Americans returning from journeys on the hippie trail helped popularise the kaftan.

Kaftan dresses are all about versatility and wearability. They work just about anywhere and everywhere. Heading to the beach? Great! Lounging at home? Awesome! Going on a hinge date? You guessed it! Style these dresses however you may, wherever you may.Have we sold you on this one-of-a-kind must have yet? By this point, you have to answer yes. How could we have not? A bright, gorgeous, comfortable, flowy dress that you can literally wear everywhere? What’s not to love? UNESCO - Rites and craftsmanship associated with the wedding costume tradition of Tlemcen". ich.unesco.org . Retrieved 2023-05-09. In the recent era the kaftan was introduced to the West in the 1890s, Queen Victoria's granddaughter Alix of Hesse wore a traditional Russian coronation dress before a crowd which included Western on-lookers, this traditional dress featured the loose-fitting Russian kaftan which was so exotic to Western eyes. [58] [ bettersourceneeded] This was one of the first times a Western woman, a high-status Western woman who had also been seen in fashionable Western dress no less, was seen wearing something so exotic. The traditional Russian kaftan resembles the kaftans worn by the Ottoman sultans; it was in stark contrast to the tight-fitting, corseted dresses common in England at that time. [ citation needed]

Tahsin Öz (1950). XIV-XVI centuries. Turkish Press, Broadcasting and Tourist Department. OCLC 7134256. Kaftan dresses are known for their loosely-fitting yet always flattering and freely-flowing appearance. And despite the opinions of some, Kaftans are not only a fashion choice for a day on the sandy beach. Some of our absolute favorite and best-selling patterns include Palm Springs, Splash Stripe, Pride-O-Scope, Koi, Fly, Technicolor, and Wild Night. (As you can see, even we struggle to narrow down our favorite Original Kaftan to just one color choice. Who says you have to?) Huart, Cl. (24 Apr 2012). "Ḳaftān". doi: 10.1163/2214-871X_ei1_SIM_3796. {{ cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= ( help)Turnau, Irena (1991). History of Dress in Central and Eastern Europe from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century. Institute of the History of Material Culture, Polish Academy of Sciences. ISBN 9788385463030. OCLC 1008382522. The tiles in the Kubadabad Palace depict Turkish figures dressed in kaftans. [15] The palace was built for Sultan Aladdin Kayqubad I who ruled from 1220 to 1237. Furthermore, typical Seljuk depictions from the 11th to the 13th century depict figures dressed in Turkish style kaftans. [16] The kaftan was also worn by the Anatolian Seljuks who had even gifted kaftans to the first Ottoman Sultan, Osman I. [17] [18] In connection with the inheritance of Osman I, the historian Neşri described a kaftan in the list of inherited items: "There was a short-sleeved kaftan of Denizli cloth". [19] It's better than your favorite coat. It’s your adult approved teddy bear. It’s your rainy day at home best friend. Wear it a million ways, but always feel one thing - KOZY. Kaftans were worn by the sultans of the Ottoman Empire. Decoration on the garment, including colours, patterns, ribbons, and buttons, indicated the rank of the person who wore it. In the first half of the 14th century Orhan Ghazi captured Bursa and made it the Ottoman capital. One of the chief specialties of Bursa was gold embroidery among other weaving related specialties, an archive notes that two kaftans made of the finest Bursa gold-brocaded velvet were prepared for the circumcision of Geliboulu Bey Sinan Pasha's two sons in 1494. [21] [22] A young member of the Ottoman court dressed in a navy velvet caftan woven with gold. Variously attributed to Gentile Bellini or Costanzo da Ferrara, with a caption in Persian by a later hand. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Callmer, Johan; Gustin, Ingrid; Roslund, Mats, eds. (2017). Identity Formation and Diversity in the Early Medieval Baltic and Beyond. Communicators and Communication. Vol.75. Leiden: Brill. pp.91–102. ISBN 9789004292178. OCLC 951955747.