From Josh Brown on Facebook yesterday, passing on an ad he’d gotten:
(#1) [JB:] Now THIS is targeted-Facebook-algorithm-marketing that I can get behind. My kingdom for a caftan!
The Facebook ad features gay-oriented products (rainbow-colored, pink, and lavender caftans / kaftans); but Maxikaftan also offers Arab-patterned ones —
(#2) In beige
(#3) And in black
— and garments in solid colors that aren’t gay-coded: white, dark grey, black, beige, light blue, green, navy, and red.
The garment. From AHD5:
noun caftan or kaftan: 1. A full-length garment with elbow-length or long sleeves, worn chiefly in eastern Mediterranean countries. 2. A westernized version of this garment consisting of a loose, usually brightly colored waist-length or ankle-length tunic. [AZ: as you will see from the examples, the garments have no front opening; and their collars can be V-neck or round-neck] [AZ: note also that uses of garment without a modifier — as here — standardly refer to garments that are neither undergarments / underwear nor outer garments — a category for which we have no commonly used term]
Related garment terms, from NOAD:
noun robe ‘a long, loose outer garment’ [AZ: typically with a front opening, and reaching to the knees or ankles] … noun tunic ‘a loose garment, typically sleeveless and reaching to the wearer’s knees, as worn in ancient Greece and Rome’ [AZ: in my experience, men’s tunics never have a front opening] … noun muumuu / muu-muu: ‘a woman’s loose, brightly colored dress, especially one traditionally worn in Hawaii [AZ: frequently used specifically for long tent dresses (lacking a front opening), reaching as far as the ankles; traditionally with a round yokeless head opening]
About Maxikaftan / Mixkaftan. From the “About Us” puffery page on the Maxikaftan site, using an alternative brand name:
MIXKAFTAN, a brand born to celebrate the captivating allure of kaftans.
Our mission is to empower individuals to express their unique style boldly through our meticulously designed garments. With a fusion of tradition and contemporary aesthetics, we create versatile kaftans that embody timeless elegance with a cosmopolitan flair. Crafted by skilled artisans with attention to detail, using only the finest fabrics for unparalleled comfort.
Join us on an enchanting voyage where traditions and modernity intertwine flawlessly. Discover the transformative power of MIXKAFTAN’s kaftans, transporting you to a world where culture and personal style shine. Embrace your journey draped in the artistry and grace of MIXKAFTAN.
My title: about Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. From Wikipedia, with a lot of history, illustrating the vexed question of how to date this theatrical work:
(#4) The 1991 revival logoJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (often colloquially known as Joseph) is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible’s Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly; their first collaboration, The Likes of Us, written in 1965, was not performed until 2005. Its family-friendly retelling of Joseph, familiar themes, and catchy music have resulted in numerous stagings. According to the owner of the copyright, the Really Useful Group, by 2008 more than 20,000 schools and amateur theatre groups had staged productions.
Joseph was first presented as a 15-minute “pop cantata” at Colet Court School in London in 1968, and was published by Novello and recorded in an expanded form by Decca Records in 1969. After the success of the next Lloyd Webber and Rice piece, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph received amateur stage productions in the US beginning in 1970, and the first American release of the album was in 1971. The musical had its professional premiere, as a 35-minute musical, at the Haymarket ice rink during the Edinburgh International Festival in 1972. It was Part Two of Bible One, a Young Vic Theatre Company production presented by the National Theatre of Great Britain. While still undergoing various modifications and expansions, the musical was produced in the West End in 1973. In 1974, its full modern format was performed at the Haymarket Theatre in Leicester and was also recorded that year. The musical was mounted on Broadway in 1982. Several major revivals, national tours, and a 1999 direct-to-video film starring Donny Osmond followed.
xx