Kaftan vs Abaya vs Kimono: What's the Difference?

Kaftan, abaya and kimono get used almost interchangeably online, which makes shopping confusing. They are three genuinely different garments with different origins, different cuts and different jobs in an outfit. Here is how to tell them apart.

The short answer

• Abaya — a long outer robe worn over your clothes. An outer layer.
• Kaftan — a long, wide dress worn as the outfit itself. A standalone garment.
• Kimono — in modest fashion, a short open layering piece with wide sleeves. A topper.

The abaya

The abaya is defined by being an over-garment. It goes on top of a finished or half-finished outfit and covers from shoulder to ankle. It may be open at the front like a coat or closed like a robe, but its role is always the outer layer.

Practically, this is what makes an abaya so useful: it converts whatever you are already wearing into a complete look. We go deeper in what is an abaya.

The kaftan

A kaftan is a dress, not a layer. It is cut wide and straight, usually with wide or flared sleeves, and falls loosely from the shoulder without a defined waist. You wear it on its own.

Kaftans have a long history across North Africa, the Levant, Turkey and Persia, and the occasion versions are often heavily embellished around the neckline and cuffs. In modest wardrobes the kaftan tends to play one of two roles: a very comfortable house or holiday dress in cotton and linen, or a statement occasion piece in silk with embroidery.

How to spot one

No front opening, no belt built in, dramatic width through the body, and detail concentrated at the neckline. If it looks finished on its own and has nothing to close, it is a kaftan.

The kimono

The Japanese kimono is a specific traditional garment. The word as used in modest fashion retail means something looser — a lightweight, open-fronted topper with wide sleeves, usually hip- to knee-length, sometimes longer.

Its job is layering. A kimono over a plain maxi dress adds a second colour and covers the arms without the weight of a full abaya. In summer it is often the most practical way to add coverage, because it can be very light and still break up the silhouette.

Choosing between them

If you want one piece that finishes any outfit

An abaya. It is the most versatile of the three because it works over almost anything, including clothes that would not be modest on their own.

If you want to get dressed in one move

A kaftan. Nothing to layer, nothing to coordinate. Particularly good in heat, where extra layers are the problem — see modest outfits for heat.

If you want to add coverage to clothes you already own

A kimono. It is the lightest way to cover the arms and add a layer over an existing dress or a top-and-trousers combination.

What about the jilbab?

The jilbab overlaps with all three depending on who is using the word. In most European shops it means a long outer garment or a two-piece set with a matching head covering. Our garment glossary sets out where the terms overlap and where they genuinely differ.