Massimo Alba Jenny Kaftan

The kaftan is one of the oldest surviving garment shapes in the world and it has never needed improving, because the idea is complete: fabric hanging from the shoulders, straight to the floor, touching the body nowhere in between. Everything a kaftan can be judged on is therefore the cloth and the print, since the pattern is essentially settled.

Here the cloth is a cotton and linen blend, which is the sensible answer for a garment of this length. Pure linen at maxi length is heavy at the hem and creases into permanent horizontal lines across the lap. The cotton in the blend adds enough stability that the drop stays clean, and the linen keeps it cool and gives the surface its dry, slightly irregular texture. A print on that texture behaves differently from a print on a smooth cotton: it breaks up slightly, which softens it.

It is the piece you buy for a specific evening and then wear all summer, which is the best thing a garment of this kind can do. We also wanted something with no restraint in it at all, which is not what this house is known for and is exactly why it belongs.

Sixty percent cotton, forty percent linen, printed, made in Italy. Maxi length. Colour: Ferro.

Kaftans do not fit; they hang, which means sizing is about length and shoulder rather than body. Maxi length runs to the ankle on most wearers and to the floor on shorter ones, and it is a shape that rewards being slightly too long rather than slightly too short. Cotton and linen at this weight will soften over a season and drape better in year two than year one.

Alone, which is the honest answer. Over a swimsuit in daylight. Under the Bali jacket in hemp for evening, with the Stole if it turns cool. It wants a flat sandal and nothing at the waist.

Wash cool, hang to dry, and dry it away from direct sun, which fades a printed cloth faster than washing does. Press on a low setting if the hem needs it. Our general care guidance covers the rest.

The Bali Jacket in hemp is the jacket over it, the Rosy Cardigan is the silk, the Stole is the cotton and linen square, and the Lois Trousers are the heavy linen. There is more on the house on the Massimo Alba designer page. Everything we carry from Massimo Alba is listed together.