How to Style Your Caftan: Playing Dress Up at Home

Okay, if you've been reading along chances are you have either ordered yourself a caftan online or made one for yourself. Here's the post on how to do that!

 Now what? 


I am so glad you asked! One of the joys of wearing a caftan as opposed to that all American female loungewear (AKA things that should be cut up for rags) is that you can have fun with it. Let's face it, there is something about putting on sweatpants and a t-shirt that makes you want to eat a pint of rocky road and watch 17 hours of the Kardashians. It makes me feel like my spirit animal is a sponge... taking a nap.

Putting on a caftan makes me feel like the appropriate behavior is reading a book and having a cup of tea. Maybe I'll practice the Rhumba while the souffle is baking! Okay, that's exaggerating, but seriously, putting on ratty clothing for anything but yard work makes me feel like nothing else productive can happen today. A pretty bad thing if it's just after lunch.

Add the biggest jewelry you can find. 

Wearing a caftan is a great excuse to wear your favorite pieces of jewelry around the house. Do you have some GINORMOUS pin that you never wear because it's just too much? Pin it on your caftan! Those dangly earrings you bought on vacay that are just over the top with your work wardrobe?  Get them out and put them on.

 No, really. Like right now. 

Add something under your sheerest caftan. 

A lot of gorgeous caftans are super sheer and made for beach wear. Do you think that's going to stop us from letting them see the light of day between trips to the pool? Nope. Add a clean white tank and white leggings underneath with sandals to make it work for going to the grocery. Girl. You'll like a movie star in aisle 6.

Take a pen for signing autographs.

Sandals. There's no photo for this because who wants more than one picture of feet? (Well, except that one guy.)

I have one pair of flip-flops and I only wear them at home. The amount of dog hair in my house discourages strongly my going barefoot. But I don't wear these beach shoes anywhere else. Okay, maybe the mailbox. If I'm headed anywhere else I trade the flip-flops for sandals that qualify as real shoes. It's a small thing but it says to the world "I'm trying, okay?" 

You'll be so glad you chose real shoes if you run into your husband's college girlfriend at the farmer's market.  

Sunglasses. Sunglasses. Sunglasses. 

I have a lot of fashion fantasies. One is shopping for caftans in Morocco and another is wearing a caftan in  San Tropez. My fashion imagination has me wearing sunglasses in both scenarios obviously. If you are hanging inside during the heat of the day use them for an impromptu headband. You may be making a sandwich but you'll look like you just arrived from the Riviera.

Isn't this fun? 

Lipstick.

Yes. At home. On a Saturday. You can do it. Now if you are like me your husband will ask "Where are you going?" Do not be deterred. Just continue to enjoy playing dress up. Personally, I think confusing men is good for them. Not to mention, entertaining for us. There is something incredibly fun about dressing the way you always thought you would when you were little. No self-respecting little girl imagined growing up to wear gym shorts and her husband's 20-year-old fraternity shirt.

Embellish your caftan! 

If you don't like the idea of adding jewelry around the house you can always embellish your caftan by adding beadwork, appliques, or faux jewels. Here's the neckline of the one I made for my daughter. In this post it was plain. I wanted to make sure she liked it before I did all that extra work!

You might even actually twirl. In your kitchen! 

So this completes my 3 part caftan series. Now I have to put on the less attractive and super hot bee suit and get back to work. If you made it this far welcome to the Caftan Tribe! Post pics! Send postcards! Leave comments! Name a kid after me!  Because clearly we are besties now.