4 days ago
My Mrs. Roper–Inspired Dress Is All I Ever Want to Wear
Long before Mrs. Roper became the poster child for the long, colorful caftan on Three's Company , there was my grandmother — all 4 feet 11 inches of her — clad throughout my childhood in psychedelic muumuus of her own making. She favored paisley prints, West African fabrics popularized by the Black Panther Party, and neon mod florals featuring a shade of fuchsia not found in nature.
All this to say that I come by my love for the entire category of flowy, vibrant, loose-fitting dresses honestly, possibly even genetically. But the one I return to again and again — which also happens to be the very first thing I put into a gift guide when I started at Wirecutter — is the Silkandmore Cotton Caftan.
I truly don't remember how I discovered the unremarkable and slightly hectic Etsy shop that is Sikandmore, but I suspect I was — surprise! — looking around for affordable caftans to use as swim coverups. I do, however, remember my first one. It was a navy blue striped number, over a decade ago, that first got me hooked on the gossamer lightness and beautiful simplicity of this particular caftan.
The shop offers a bunch of different styles of caftan-like dresses: Some have empire waists and buttons, others are made of jersey knit, and there are also halter maxi dresses, nighties, robes, and maternity items.
But I am loyal to the simple rectangle of lightweight Indian cotton folded lengthwise, sewn down the sides, and featuring a reinforced V-neck and a simple drawstring waist. That's it.
This caftan comes in one size (when laid flat, it measures about 36 inches across, with 11-inch arm openings, and it fits my size-12 body well). And there are a few different lengths based on your height range. There are small slits at each side, and for an extra $5, you can add pockets. I haven't tried the one with pockets, but I've owned a knee-length version, and I prefer the long ones, for more dramatic swishing and sashaying.
Because they are more or less made to order and shipped from India, these caftans can take up to three weeks to arrive. This regular cotton version has been in rotation for at least three years. Samantha Schoech/NYT Wirecutter
Although I first intended to use it as a beach cover-up (and still use it for that), my Silkandmore Caftan's main job is being a house dress. As long as the temperature is above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, this caftan is what I want to be wearing (preferably without a bra, but you do you) while I'm working, lounging, and going about my business at home.
I have also worn it out of the house with a cute pair of platform sandals and a long string of turquoise beads. (But do be aware that the lighter-colored versions can be quite diaphanous.) And on many occasions, I've also worn my caftan as a nightgown.
By my count, I've bought five of these caftans in the past 10 years, and there are two still in circulation. I am not careful with them — I treat them with the delicacy of a beloved pair of sweats. But I do hang them to dry to avoid shrinking them and subjecting them to unnecessary wear and tear. Still, the cotton is so lightweight that it does tend to rip after some years. The side seams also weaken and creep upward, turning modest slits into hip-high ones (though anyone with basic sewing skills could repair this in minutes). The organic cotton version seemed especially delicate and prone to tearing. But this rip only happened after two years of heavy wear. Samantha Schoech/NYT Wirecutter
If I reserved one of these caftans to wear only as a dress outside the house, or used them only while I was at the beach or the pool, I could avoid loving them to death in this way. But that's not the life I want to lead. The life I want to lead has me clad in the thinnest, flowiest cotton, with a cut that barely grazes the body. And although I'm not quite as fond of hallucinatory prints as my grandmother was, I like to think she'd recognize me now as a kindred spirit. As would Mrs. Roper.
This article was edited by Hannah Rimm and Catherine Kast.
