Right around now, most people are either preparing for summer vacation or wishing they were. Alongside the challenges of booking plane tickets and hotels comes the age-old dilemma: What to pack?

MOMO NEW YORK KIMONO PIERA

The lightweight, breezy, innately elegant caftan (sometimes spelled kaftan) has for the past half-century been a go-to cover-up for the jet set. But before Halston and Emilio Pucci became household names with billowing, psychedelic printed tunics that graced the pages of 1960s Vogue, the silhouette was widely worn in ancient Mesopotamia as an easy, functional hot-weather garment.

 KAFTAN CROCHET SLEEVE HANNELI

Fast-forward thousands of years, and the same principle still holds true. For Resort, designers demonstrated the caftan’s ability to travel just about anywhere. London-based Roksanda chose to layer her canary-yellow sheath over a high-necked blouse, Emilio Pucci’s tunics evoked holidays on the Amalfi Coast, and Peter Dundas made his flaming orange robe evening-appropriate with a deep neckline and slits up the leg.

KAFTAN MARIE CLAIRE

The caftan’s status as a vacation staple has been further solidified by Instagram. Influencers Pandora Sykes and Leandra Medine have helped to popularize candy-color embroidered versions by up-and-coming brands Pippa Holt and Yuliya Magdych, while Italian fashion editor Giovanna Englebert favors longer printed styles by the Milan label La Double J. Though the style may vary in color, shape, and vibe, one thing is certain: This summer, with the right one, you won’t need to pack much else.

CROCHET KAFTAN RAJA

  EMBROIDERED KAFTAN NATALIE

KIMONO KOUMALY

 FLORA CROCHET KIMONO