But if you’re more observant, you might notice that this garment feels familiar – both in appearance and function. In Indian urban fashion, the kaftan is fast becoming to the 2020s what the nightie was to pre-liberalised India. It functions as both daywear and nightwear. You can slip into it for a relaxed sleep at night, or wear it after a bath in the morning, equally suitable for lounging around the house, doing chores, or even welcoming guests.
The nightie, with its roots in Victorian era Britain in the form of the nightdress or nightgown, started as a loose, modest garment designed for personal comfort. In more modern times, when fashion often evolved independently of global trends, the nightie in India transcended its sexualised Western connotations. It became a symbol of comfort and practicality for middle-class women.
The late Sushma Swaraj even famously took a dip in the Ganga wearing one. As Santosh Desai pointed out in his 2010 book, Mother Pious Lady: Making Sense of Everyday India, the nightie became a bridge between private and public life. ‘It helps that, being of alien origin, the nightie frees women from the coded garments of the past, but in a way that invites no social opprobrium. The saree and the salwar kameez are both garments embedded with implicit roles… More than any other new form of attire, the nightie is perhaps a truly modern garment,’ writes Desai.
As women globally redefine their relationship with clothing, it was inevitable that a versatile piece would fill a gap in womenswear. Enter the kaftan.
Originally a West Asian garment, it got a Western stage during the hippie movement in the 1960s-70s, but remained niche until as recently as the pandemic, when fashion began to shift towards comfort and leisure. Now, the kaftan is firmly entrenched in mainstream fashion. Indian aunties in their nighties were right all along – we need breathable fabrics and relaxed cuts. Today, high fashion celebrates the kaftan’s comfort and versatility. And the best part? It’s even more adaptable than the Indianised nightie. While the nightie became acceptable as both daywear and nightwear, the kaftan takes it a step further, easily transitioning from casual daywear to formal evening looks. The daytime Indian nightie, typically made of cotton for comfort, was distinct from the lacy, satin nightwear of the West familiar in Jane Austen movies and Victorian Gothic stories. The kaftan meanwhile spans a range of fabrics – from cotton to lace, velvet, and satin – making it equally suitable for lounging and red carpet appearances. Interestingly, just as the kaftan grows in popularity, lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret, once criticised for catering to the male gaze, is re-entering the market with a more woman-centric approach.
This shift mirrors the organic evolution of the nightie in India, where women long ago rejected the garment’s overly sexualised Western connotations, embracing it as a practical, comfortable choice for daytime wear. For many Indian housewives, the nightie became the default outfit for sending children off to school, or sewing in the veranda.
While the fashion world may be discovering the kaftan anew, here in India, the garment evokes memories of the daytime nightie. Perhaps, we can call it the ‘kaftie’, a happy fusion of something old and something new, blending West Asian, Victorian, and Indian sensibilities, capturing the evolving balance between comfort, style, and local inspiration in an increasingly global market.