Margaret Howell V Neck Dress

Most of what people dislike about silk is the luster rather than the fiber. High shine is what makes silk read as formal, as slippery, and as something that has to be lived up to. A matt silk is the same protein filament finished so that it scatters light rather than reflecting it, which leaves you with everything silk is actually good at, the weight, the way it moves from a single point at the shoulder, the temperature of it against skin, and none of the theater. In black, with a V neck and a plain fall, it is about as quiet as a silk dress can be. And it has pockets, which sounds like a small thing and is not: pockets in a fluid cloth require the seam to be engineered so that the weight of a hand does not distort the drape.

Why we selected it

A dress that can go to dinner and be worn with a hand in a pocket is a rarer object than it should be. That is the whole reason.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent matt silk, made in Italy. V neckline, with pockets. Color: Black.

Fit notes

Falls from the shoulder and skims rather than fits, which is what a fluid cloth does when it is cut correctly. Numeric sizing. Silk is warmer than it looks and takes the temperature of the room quickly.

Styling

Alone is the point. If it wants something, the Seamless Crew over the top with the neckline showing, or the Raglan Blazer, which is soft enough at the shoulder not to fight the drape. Flat shoes rather than a heel keeps it from becoming an occasion.

Care

Silk does not want a machine, a hot iron, or a long soak. Cool and gentle, or a specialist, and dry away from direct light, which fades black silk faster than wear does. Our general care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The Oversized Shirt Dress is Irish shirting linen cut long and easy, and the Midi Waist Crop Flannel Trousers are a wool flannel with a cropped leg. There is more on the house on the Margaret Howell designer page. Everything we carry from Margaret Howell is listed together.