Not to be deterred, I had a look at their range of kaftans instead and chose to try the Black Embellished Kaftan.
Image courtesy of Evans
I had never even tried on a kaftan before but when I've been on holiday I've often seen women looking very glamorous in them so I wanted to see how it worked on me.
The fabric is a soft 100% polyester chiffon (machine washable) that offers coverage without completely hiding away one's figure. I adore the v-neckline and the large gold and bronze sequin-like beads around the neck help to add a bit of weight to hold it in place.
The kaftan didn't feel heavy or as if it would be hot when worn in the sun. It seems a great way of covering up whilst still keeping cool and it's so light that it would fit into your beach bag without you knowing it was there.
Lengthwise it's good: coming down to just above my ankle. The kaftan could be worn with any kind of heel or even barefoot and still look great.
The Black Embellished Kaftan is one size so it should fit most. It also has fully open sides (so is essentially a sheet of chiffon with a hole for your head), which gives a lot of flexibility for fit but I found that it didn't offer the best coverage. I tend to go to the beach rather than the pool when I am on holiday and sometimes there are gusty winds along the coastline, which would cause quite a problem if I was wearing this - I have visions of it blowing up over my face and head! Not the glamorous look I was hoping for. I also felt that the material seemed somewhat voluminous so I wondered if there was a way to make it work a bit better...
Yes! With a belt, of course! I tried adding my trusty IGIGI By Yuliya Raquel Plus Size Obi Belt In Black and I think it worked really well. Because the belt is soft and flexible it'd be the ideal thing to have in your beach bag without it taking up too much room or being awkward to fit in.
As always, the belt pulls in the outfit and highlights my waist. It also helps to keep those open sides closed on the top half at least and the improved shape definition makes the kaftan look more like something one could wear on a night out. I personally wouldn't though as the bottom half is still fully open and it's pretty easy to reveal more than intended!
The floaty fabric falls into place beautifully and the belt serves as an anchor to ensure that any wardrobe malfunction due to gusty coastline winds would be kept to a minimum.
I think the Evans Black Embellished Kaftan is a great piece to use as a cover-up on holiday. However, do be aware that the sides are fully open as this factor could affect your decision to buy.
You can read all about Evans swimwear here.
