Member-only story
My Caftan Has Changed My Work-From-Home Game
The ease, beauty, and comfort is becoming a way of life
My mom’s 1970s uniform is indelibly imprinted on my mind. It started with an ankle-length caftan with a dashiki print and warm orange, green, and blue hues. My mom’s Afro was about 10 inches in diameter. (She’s 5 feet 10 inches tall, and her hair made her well over six feet.)
She always wore hoop earrings and two heavy silver bangles on her wrist that she bought from a bazaar in her hometown of Newark, New Jersey.
The caftan moved around her, subtle and swift. She could cook dinner on the stove, tote my baby sister on her hip, while looking over my homework. Her caftan made her royalty, even when we were just watching Days of Our Lives.
And when my dad came home from work, he looked at my mom like she was the belle of the ball. Even though it was the very same outfit she wore when she was braiding my hair, going to the market, or setting the table for dinner.
Eventually, the caftans settled into the back of Mom’s closet. She went back to work, clocking in eight hours and then coming home to three children. She was the quintessential ’80s working mom, power suits and heels. At home, she sometimes stayed in her work clothes until it was time to go to bed. And then, she decided…
