Caftan Conversion

I've always thought that caftans were best as beach cover-ups or for puttering around the home, so when I came across one while out antiquing with a friend, I thought it might be interesting to play with the length and make it something beach-ready. When I went online to get a little inspiration, I found these photos of Nicole Richie and Alyssa Sutherland, which has put me on the hunt for a dressy, higher-end caftan (I'm sort of in disbelief at how quickly I was sold on this look). While these dresses aren't precisely vintage, they certainly have a retro, hippie feel to them, which I adore. The dress I found is much more ethnic, like the one that Lily Cole is wearing below, and of a similar length as well.

Typically, caftans are long and shapeless, but this one is smocked at the waist and still terribly comfortable. I hemmed it to a mini-length and left the frog-closure, but unless I find the right accessories to make this an outdoors music festival dress, I think it will still be relegated to the beach (in which case I'll forgo my trusty Minnetonka boots for a pair of sandals!).