Lilac dresses in three cool pastel cuts
There are three ways to wear a lilac dress from our workshop, and each one suits a different time of year. Velvet takes the winter, pleats cover the parties of fall and spring, and the satin wrap waits for summer.
How each of the three sits on you
Start with the cut, because they’re made very differently. The satin wrap ties at the waist, so you decide how close it hugs you and how deep the V opens. Velvet is the opposite. That midi is closed from the round neck down to the wrists, and only the slit on the leg moves. Your arms stay warm through a whole second act.
Pleats work their own way. Our pleated midi falls loose from a round neckline, the folds open up while you dance and settle back when you stop, and if you’re torn between two sizes on this one, sit down in it before you decide.
We make every lilac dress here in XS to XL. A US 6 or 8 usually lands on our M. XL comes out about a tenth dearer than the rest. Not sure? A manager can check your bust and hip numbers against the chart.
Velvet for January, satin by May
The lavender velvet is what we’d pick for a play or a restaurant birthday when it’s freezing outside. Sheer nude tights keep the pastel soft, and a long gray coat covers the trip from the car.
Satin comes back with the warm weather. It’s a short lilac dress with long sleeves, polyester with elastane, for a romantic dinner or a spring graduation party. If the patio gets windy, a gray trench works better over it than a cardigan.
The pleated one sits in between the two. Low heels and silver earrings turn it into a party dress for a birthday with a band, and white sneakers bring it back to a weekend morning. Its quiet shade won’t compete with the person being celebrated, which is why it’s our pick for someone else’s graduation. A long cardigan carries it into fall.
Care is simple for all three as long as the water stays cool and nothing gets wrung out, and the pleats should only ever meet a low steamer.
Frequently asked questions
Is the velvet one lilac or lavender?
It’s lavender, the softest side of lilac. Side by side with the satin you’d see a difference. Apart, both look like the same pastel family.
Which one can I wear on an ordinary day?
The pleated midi, with sneakers and a denim jacket.
What goes under the velvet midi in cold weather?
Thin nude tights. Darker ones fight with the pastel, and the slit makes them show. Over the top, a long coat in gray or another cool shade.
Do you sew anything in a deeper purple?
Not in this shade, but you’ll find darker tones among our purple dresses. For prom there are gowns in lavender, and every velvet color we make is on one page.
The new summer collection arrives in March.
Shop now: Purple dresses from soft lilac to deep violet · Pink dresses, from powder pink to bright rose · Fall dresses for crisp mornings and early dark evenings
