Gardenia Dress: Floral Jacquard Maxi with Three Quarter Sleeves

A long shirt gown in floral jacquard, woven exclusively for Baruni. The flowers gather densely around the waist and thin out as the skirt falls, so there is more white showing towards the hem than there is at the body. The neckline is a V, the sleeves are three quarter length and finish in a cuff, and it comes with a tie for the waist.

Lined throughout in soft rayon. Available in Turquoise and Hot Pink. The model is 175 cm and wears a size S.

Why do the flowers fade towards the hem?

Because of where you want the eye to land. Pattern is heaviest at the waist, which is the narrowest part of the dress, so that is where the attention goes. As the skirt widens the flowers thin and the white ground opens up, which makes the lower half read as lighter than it actually is. A floral printed evenly from shoulder to hem does the opposite and makes the whole length look the same width. This is the harder way to make a floral and it is the reason this one flatters.

Is the pattern woven in or printed on?

Woven in, which is the difference between a jacquard and a print, and it is most of what you are paying for. The flowers are built into the structure of the cloth on the loom rather than laid on the surface afterwards, so they have a faint relief you can feel with your hand. A print sits flat and can crack or fade at a fold over the years. A jacquard cannot, because there is nothing sitting on top to come away.

Will it crease if I am seated through a long dinner?

Less than you fear. Jacquard has body to it and springs back rather than holding a fold the way a flat silk does, so the skirt recovers on its own within a few minutes of standing. The place to watch is the lap, where the fabric is pressed under your own weight for an hour or more. Smoothing it with your hand as you stand is usually all it takes.

Is a floral gown too much for a wedding guest?

Not in this form, and here is the distinction worth making. A small busy print reads as daytime and can look casual in a formal room. A woven floral on a white ground, in a full length gown with sleeves, reads as formal. If the invitation says black tie, wear it with the tie fastened and a heel. If it is a garden ceremony, loosen the tie and wear a flat. You will find it with the rest of our wedding guest dresses.

Does it need ironing when it arrives?

Hang it for a day and it will usually settle on its own. If it needs more, steam it rather than press it, with the gown on a hanger and the steamer held a little away from the cloth. A hot iron laid directly on a jacquard flattens the relief that makes the flowers visible, and that cannot be undone. Dry clean when it needs cleaning properly.

It sits with the rest of our evening gowns.