Halter Dress in Flora

Every flower on this dress was drawn by hand in hot wax, petal by petal, by batik artisans in East Java. The halter fastens at the nape of the neck and leaves your shoulders bare, warm in the evening air. Below it, the bodice holds close, tailored so you can stand tall without trying. The skirt falls straight and easy until you take a step. Then the hidden slit opens and the flowers part around you, so for a moment it looks as if you are walking through a garden. The pink comes from sappan wood and banana stems. In candlelight it glows like the inside of a petal. Across a room, it is the colour people remember you in. It is made for the wedding where you are still dancing when the band packs up, and the dinner that turns into a long walk home.