kaftan – Shrimptank

Another beautiful day in South Florida

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Sarah

Staying cool in a caftan.

One of the perks of living in South Florida is the beautiful weather all year long. In winter, it’s fairly warm in the day and cools off at night. In Spring and Autumn, it’s gloriously perfect. Summer the sun shines, and we get the daily thunderstorm roll through to add to the humidity. It can get a little too hot during the heat of the day, but that’s where the local dress code is a win.

Unlike some places where they wear their jeans all year long, down in places like Palm Beach, everyone slips into something a little more comfortable. Shift dresses and caftans are everywhere. Bright colors, and crisp white are de rigeur. Palm Beach was the home of Lilly Pulitzer, and her spirit hasn’t left the island. Wearing bright colors makes you feel happy. There’s no being a wallflower in a kaleidoscope print.

Palm Beach has more preppy pastels with splashes of bright pinks, but as you head south towards Miami, the colors, like the people, get a little louder.

When I was there last week, it was like Miami had issued a uniform. Almost every single lady was moving between the beaches and bars in soft flowing caftans of every length, color and pattern imaginable. It was magical. All these women, flowing around in soft fabrics. Some had plain, short, sheer cover ups to show off their sexy bikinis underneath, others had long silky caftans that looked more like etherical evening gowns. Everyone looked so comfortable, even in the stifling heat. The caftans dry quickly, even when put over a wet bikini. The few people walking around in cut off jeans had wet patches that looked super uncomfortable. The best part about a pretty caftan is I can walk straight from the beach, over to the bars, and get myself a pina colada, and I don’t have to go back to my hotel and change first. You can also tie your caftan back or go one shouldered and make it look like a sexy dress for clubbing after the sun goes down. Everyone had completely different patterns and lengths, so no two women looked alike. It was a beautiful thing to observe.

South Florida is full of resorts. No resort wear wardrobe is complete without the staple caftan.

So if you’re headed to South Florida, do yourself a favour and grab yourself a caftan or two. It’ll be the most versatile piece in your luggage.

If you’re like me and have trouble finding a caftan to fit your petite frame, I’ve curated a collection of both long and short caftans that will all fit a petite. Check out my Petite Caftan Fit Guide to see how long each length caftan is on an actual petite person, and then find something in your style at the Shop.

Petite Caftans

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Sarah

Living in South Florida, I see women effortlessly breezing around in this heat and humidity in soft flowing Caftans or every color.

I was sad thugh, because I could not find any pretty petite sized caftans. Most were too long, and either drug along on the floor, or required cutting off half the pattern. Even most of the “short caftans” were still too long, and would come down to just below my knees, which makes a short girl look even shorter.

So, I did some research, and decided that I would find petite caftans. I am working with an apparel manufacturer, and I purchased some samples so that I could make sure that the quality was great, and the lengths were correct.

In the future, I’ll produce my own designs, with my own label, but for now, I’ve got a bunch of perfectly proportioned petite caftans that I’m ready to share with y’all. They are all different designs, and they are also all slightly different lengths. They are all made from viscose, some are crepe, some georgette. There are also some long ones. I’m 4’11” tall, so I’ll post pics of them on me, so you can gauge the length. I’ll be putting them all up in my online store here. Let me know if there’s some you really like, or any color combinations you would like to see in the future, and I’ll make it happen.