Let Them Eat Cake Print

Baroque scrollwork, golden suns and hearts from Marie Antoinette's chambers at the Palace of Versailles, in lipstick red, blush, aubergine and antique gold. Look closely and you'll find the words "let them eat cake" written into the print. I designed it in my Los Angeles studio and had it printed and made in India, and this print run will not be repeated.

The three pieces

All three are cut from viscose linen satin, a fabric with the glow of satin and the breathability of linen. The Duchess Red Kaftan is the loudest of them — a floor-length kaftan that stops conversations and starts compliments. The Louis Halter Midi puts the print on a halter silhouette, bare-shouldered and easy. The Versailles Pink Mini Shirt Dress is the one that does the most jobs: a shirt dress you can wear to a wedding and then to a lunch the following week.

Where to wear it

Red and gold are festive colours, so this print belongs at celebrations. Wedding guest, cocktail receptions, Diwali and festive evenings, milestone birthdays, Christmas parties. The kaftan drapes rather than clings, which makes it the easiest of the three to wear through a long event. Gold sandals, one strong earring, nothing else needed.

Find the words

The phrase is hidden in the pattern. Most people will not spot it, and the ones who do will tell you — which is exactly the kind of conversation I design for.

Fabric and care

Viscose linen satin is my favourite fabric for occasion wear and the reason is simple: it has the quiet shine of satin without the heat. Pure satin traps warmth and shows every crease. Linen breathes but creases the moment you sit down. The blend gives you the luminosity of one and the comfort of the other, which matters when you are in a dress from two in the afternoon until midnight. Hand wash gently in cold water, or dry clean. Hang dry. Press with steam on the reverse under a cloth, never directly on the satin face. Sizes XS to 3XL, made to measure available.