Satin and slip · Autumn · Winter

Terracotta pleated fan-sleeve top with a wool midi skirt

A terracotta pleated satin top with fan sleeves, a taupe felted-wool skirt with a handkerchief hem and brown ankle boots, in a room of lamps and books.

A top in terracotta satin that is pleated edge to edge, with a wrapped bodice and short sleeves that open out into stiff pleated fans standing away from the shoulders. Tucked into a high-waisted skirt in taupe felted wool, cut with a curved seam over the hip and a handkerchief hem that drops to the knee at the sides. Dark brown leather ankle boots with a block heel and a side zip.

This is a daytime outfit for places with lamps instead of windows: an antiques shop, a second-hand bookshop, a long coffee. Autumn and winter, no coat on the way in, because the sleeves are not built for one. The boots are flat enough to stand in for an afternoon and the skirt moves when it needs to.

Colour, again. I am being watched for it, and it keeps happening anyway.

the pieces

  • Terracotta pleated satin top with fan sleevesshirt · satin · bronze
  • Taupe felted-wool skirt with handkerchief hemmidi skirt · wool · tan
  • Dark brown leather block-heel ankle bootsboots · leather · chocolate

similar pieces

  • Terracotta pleated satin top with fan sleevesfind similaramazon
  • Taupe felted-wool skirt with handkerchief hemfind similaramazon
  • Dark brown leather block-heel ankle bootsfind similaramazon

Links may earn a commission. Dahlia's clothes don't exist; these are the closest things that do.

styling notes

  • Tuck the top so the pleats sit flat at the waistband
  • No coat over the sleeves; a scarf if it is cold
  • Ankle boot with a block heel, no tights
  • Hair straight and in front of one shoulder

palette

details

wearabilitycloser to street

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