Rose

“I listened to the lapping of the water against the boat and watched the enormity of the sky and the clouds moving within it and I felt the dancing energy of the pulling water, as it tried to teach me to let go.”

Threads – The Delicate Life of John Craske. Julia Blackburn

“A summer sun dress, reminiscent of  long days spent at the English seaside”

From the Olive and George collection, drawing inspiration from the Norfolk fishing communities of the 19th and early 20th centuries, Rose is the Charl sundress.

Sister to Eliza, Rose is slightly looser fitting with a longer skirt but with the same pin tuck detailing at the hem which is directly inspired by my collection of antique night dresses. She has a scooped neck at the front and back but ample chest coverage. She can comfortably be worn with/without bra or bikini top on beach days. The finer Ecru/Sky Blue stripe is lined in self fabric on the top half to avoid transparency. This dress has deep bucket pockets and is finished with tonal silk binding and French seaming on the inside.

This style is named after Rose, one of the characters in Philip Wilson Steer’s painting “Children Paddling, Walberswick” from 1889. It reminds me of family summers spent on the beach at Southwold and Walberswick, Suffolk, surrounded by striped windbreaks, deck chairs and beach huts.