Queen of the (Thespian) Kaftan

O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name;

Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love

And I'll no longer be a Capulet.

William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, Act 2 Scene 2 (The Balcony Scene)

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LOOK #1 

Kaftan: Vintage velvet (from Italy)

Booties: Emerson @ Big W suede

Bag: Vintage, 1950s resin

Ring: V&A Museum

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JULIET CAPULET style: 

A kaftan reminiscent of the heroine of Shakespeare's most famous tragedy - that of the young star-crossed lovers who can't bear to be separated by their families' age-old feud & plot to be together regardless, culminating in their deaths by suicide. 

Despite being from the late 1960s, this kaftan has been easily updated for the new century with funky accessories in the form of sculpted black suede platform booties (very "in" for 2013) & chunky gold & diamante cocktail ring that I picked up at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The other nod to vintage in this outfit is the glittered resin 1950s handbag to really highlight the flecks of gold in the kaftan's embroidery. 

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"I love you. More than you know. I love you more than children. More than the fields I've planted with my hands. I love you more than morning prayers or peace or food to eat. I love you more than sunlight, more than flesh or joy, or one more day..."

Marian to Robin, Robin Hood (1976 film)

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LOOK #2

Kaftan: Vintage, 1970s handmade brocade

Platforms: L&J suede

Bangle: Vintage, American brass

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MAID MARIAN style:

A kaftan fit for the lady-love of one of the most celebrated outlaws of all time, Robin Hood who, according to legend, was highly adept at archery & swordsmanship. Often portrayed as "robbing from the rich to give to the poor" & clad in his Lincoln green outfit (replete with quiver... just ask my brother Louis!) he is still an English folk hero to this day. 

The kaftan's exquisite hand-embroidery (obviously done with love by its first owner) on the luminous green brocade simply begs to be worn again in the modern era & I will happily oblige, pairing it with suede peeptoe platforms & a chunky vintage brass bangle. 

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Lara: "Wouldn't it have been lovely if we'd met before?"

Zhivago: "Before we did? Yes."

Lara: "We'd have got married, had a house and children. If we'd had children, Yuri, would you like a boy or girl?"

Zhivago: "I think we may go mad if we think about all that."

Lara: "I shall always think about it."

Larissa "Lara" Antipova to Yuri Zhivago, Dr Zhivago (1965 movie)

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LOOK #3

Kaftan: Dawn de Vere velvet 

Booties: Emerson @ Big W suede

Hat: Vintage, 1950s (from Paris)

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LARA ANTIPOVA style:

A kaftan suited to the unlucky-in-love Larissa Antipova, the unhappily married nurse kept apart by fate from Dr Yuri Zhivago, the man she truly loves & who relentlessly pursues her despite all obstacles in the sweeping Russian epic, set during the turbulent political changes of World War One, the Bolshevik Revolution & the Communist rise to power. 

While much too hot for the Queensland climate, this kaftan is stunning none-the-less & one of a kind, made exclusively by the Australian designer Dawn de Vere for a theatre performance in the 1970s. See below for a copy of an article about the garment from 1979! I have played up the kaftan's "wintery" beauty with a vintage Russian-style cocktail hat & updated it for 2013 by adding a pair of super-high suede platform booties. 

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Stay tuned for the third installment of my Queen of the Kaftan series, coming soon!