Woman in a burgundy satin top with a ruffled sleeve and a burgundy and black patchwork maxi skirt reading in a library

Satin and slip · Autumn · Winter

Burgundy satin ruffle-sleeve top with a patchwork maxi skirt

A burgundy satin top with one folded ruffle sleeve, over a maxi skirt pieced from burgundy satin, black satin and black leather.

The top is burgundy duchess-weight satin with a round neck, princess seams and an uneven peplum hem that drops to a point on one side. The interest is all on the left shoulder: a single sleeve folded into a stiff, oversized ruffle that stands away from the arm and leaves the right side clean. Underneath, a maxi skirt cut in long diagonal panels of burgundy satin, black satin and black leather, finished in a handkerchief hem that falls lower at the back.

It is an evening outfit that behaves well in daylight because the palette stays narrow: two colours, two finishes, nothing else competing. Wear it in autumn and winter with a black pointed boot under the hem, the hair long and straight, the black watch and beaded bracelet and nothing more. The leather panels catch lamp light differently from the satin, so the skirt changes as you walk.

A sleeve this size needs its own chair at dinner. I have stopped apologising for it.