The Ducks in the Rain Dress
On her nine-month birthday, our adorable neighbor Evelyn modeled this stylish button-back dress with set-in butterfly sleeves. The classic batik bodice and full skirt in an irresistible print of ducks, lily pads and raindrops are tied together by a generous length of Balinese lace that encircles the “empire” waist and ties in a bow in the back. Ev mixed up the patterns even more with a stuffed giraffe, one of many animals local wholesalers make from ends of fabric bolts.
When we say “handmade,” we aren’t exaggerating. All our dresses have interior French seams — machine-sewn — to prevent raveling, but much of the work is done by hand. The fine workmanship is by skilled seamstresses who are paid fairly and work in a spacious air-conditioned dressmaking studio. The fully-lined bodice fastens in the back with two buttons and stretchy elastic loops. The full skirt has a hand-stitched pleat above the hem designed to be easily let down as the child grows.
