Woman seen from behind in a violet silk blazer dress with crossed back straps and a bubble hem, at a loft window

Dark tailoring · Spring · Summer

Purple shantung blazer dress with open back and bubble hem

A violet silk shantung blazer dress: crossed straps where the back should be, a slit at each elbow, a pleated bubble hem. Seen from behind.

The blazer dress is cut from violet silk shantung, the kind with a dry, slubbed surface that catches window light in streaks. From the front it is a single-breasted jacket with a flap pocket. From the back, which is the point, the body is open from the shoulder blades to the waist, held by two crossed straps, and the sleeves have a horizontal slit at the elbow so the forearm shows through. The hem is pleated into a bubble that stops well above the knee.

It is a warm-weather dress worn with no tights and a heeled sandal, the kind of piece that goes to a cocktail hour and does not need anything over it. Hair down, the smartwatch, the bead bracelet, nothing else.

I only wear it in rooms with windows. A dress like this deserves a view, and so do I.