Hand Embroidered Silk Robe; Apple Kantha
A long generously cut dressing robe or duster coat with oversize patch pockets and wide gathered sleeves. Can be worn loose, or drawn in at at the waist with the long sash, finished with silky tassels.
Beautifully detailed hand embroidered kantha work on a fine lightweight hand loomed silk. Created from a carefully selected vintage silk sari.
Lined with a lovely printed silk in complementary shades (also from vintage silk saris). Areas of pale golden green shade into brighter apple green tones.
Kantha work Is a hand embroidery technique traditionally practiced by rural womenfolk in the region of West Bengal. Kantha embroidery is distinguished by the use of running stitches. Whilst the more usual kantha work is characterised by parallel rows of straight lines (and will be familiar to many from the lovely colourful cotton kantha quilts), more artistically interpretive kantha styles emerged over time to include depictions of floral or religious motifs. A single Kantha sari can take as many as 4-5 days of stitching for 5-6 women of a household working alongside each other.
The ingredients Please be aware that these unique pieces are created from vintage textiles, which have had a previous life, so consequently there may be the odd very minor smudge or flaw to the hand loomed and embroidered silk. These in no way impinge on their beauty, and you can be sure that they do not compromise the integrity of the material. Our saris are cleaned and checked for flaws prior to making, and we cut around any significant marks.
Any area of actual damage or thinning is repaired with a little embroidered patch using a visible mending technique (one of my favourite features!), and this is always clearly mentioned in the description. These should be seen as an enhancement to the garment, and a sign of the textile's previous life and history.
This is a deliberate choice to fit in with our ethos of creating beautiful garments with minimal impact on the planet.
IMPORTANT: Please be sure to read both our shipping and refund policy pages before placing an order (links to both at foot of page). By placing an order you are indicating you have read and accepted these terms.
Sizing As the fit of all these garments is meant to be loose and fluid it provides a fair bit of flexibility on sizing.
For this particular robe, I have designated it a medium. However the wide shoulders and generous sleeves mean that it could work very well for the UK size range 8 to18.
I have given the actual garment measurements below so you can ascertain for yourself how it will work with your own measurements. Remember to double these figures to give maximum circumferences, and that these pieces are meant to be loose fitting, so allow a generous amount of room over your particular body measurements
Underarm to underarm, laid flat; 73cms/ 28"
Waist, laid flat; 77cms/ 30"
Nape to hem loose; 147cms/ 58”
Shown on a UK size 12 tailors mannequin
Robe length options; In order to accomodate people of varying heights I have created the pieces long. It is not a straightforward shortening job to alter the length as we don't want to lose that beautiful border....but I have used a separate hem piece construction so that the robe can be shortened by taking out the excess length above the border hem. I am offering the option of doing this here at the studio for a flat £30 fee, but please be aware that if you choose this option I cannot accept returns. If you would like me to do this then please let me know how much length you want me to take out in the notes area at checkout
Construction The robe has a full silk lining.
As with all of the Vestment pieces, the quality of the finish is paramount, with French and bound seams throughout (no overlocking) to ensure both a comfortable wear and a long life.
Each of these pieces is created from vintage 100% silk saris. The design is very considered, with the cut engineered to make the best use of the various areas of beautiful embroidered or printed design on the saris. I will spend some hours before cutting trying out different pattern layouts to ensure the most pleasing finished effect.
Care; Although these embroidered silk robes can be sparingly carefully hand-washed in cool water with a mild liquid detergent formulated for delicate fabrics ( dip in the cleaning solution and agitate gently for 5 minutes, do not soak, rinse and drip dry on a hanger), I’d recommend dry-cleaning when possible to best care for the intricate embroidery.
Sustainability Every time a Brighton Bohemian piece is purchased a donation is made via Ecologi to fund the planting of 15 trees and make a positive net contribution to combatting climate change. The trees are environmentally high value and part of gold standard schemes designed and managed to benefit local communities.
Packaging Dresses are dispatched in acid free tissue paper and recyclable cardboard boxes sealed with kraft paper eco tape. These are placed inside pouches for weather protection during transit which are made entirely from an environmentally friendly compostable bio-plastic created from sugar-cane.
