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$199.00
The Swing Top is designed to swing around you. Pair it with a snug cami or long sleeved shirt to emphasize your beautiful form within its sassy layers. With jeans or pencil skirt in contrast (hard/soft, textured/smooth, fitted/loose), the Swing Top is a quick and easy answer on how to jazz up your day.
The front two layers of the swing are shorter than the back; the first providing a window into the second. Together, they create a visual conversation as they swing at different rhythms. The back is a single layer, longer than the front and translucent, revealing the curve of your back in silhouette. You are the 3rd layer, the center of the universe.
The answer to the Second Question is revealed under the first layer amid a rainbow selection of paper doll people: The right person is the one you are with.
The Swing Top is designed to swing around you. Pair it with a snug cami or long sleeved shirt to emphasize your beautiful form within its sassy layers. With jeans or pencil skirt in contrast (hard/soft, textured/smooth, fitted/loose), the Swing Top is a quick and easy answer on how to jazz up your day.
The front two layers of the swing are shorter than the back; the first providing a window into the second. Together, they create a visual conversation as they swing at different rhythms. The back is a single layer, longer than the front and translucent, revealing the curve of your back in silhouette. You are the 3rd layer, the center of the universe.
The answer to the Second Question is revealed under the first layer amid a rainbow selection of paper doll people: The right person is the one you are with.
The Swing Top used to be called the Circle Top because the structure is a dot or a circle if you lay it out flat and stand back and squint (‘30 feet and squint’ is the Motto my husband taught me because almost everything looks great from that perspective. Try it!)
Ultimately, the top is a sculpture to be worn and, when in that intended iteration, it swings. Ergo: Swing Top.
The story of the Three Questions is also a circle. A King’s quest for the answers to his questions reveals he always knew them. He needed to leave his kingdom in order to circle back with the realized truth:
When is the right time?
Who is the right person?
What is the right action to take?
Leo Tolstoy first published ‘The Three Questions” in 1885 as part of a collection of short stories titled “What Men Live By, and other Tales”. The story takes the form of a parable, and it concerns a king who wants to find the answers to what he considers the three most important questions in life.
Unable to find resolution within his kingdom, he embarks on a journey to find the answers from a wise man in the mountains. On his journey he overcomes 3 trials. The wise man reveals to him that the actions he took in response to each trial provides the answer to his three questions.
I asked my Mother’s sister, Aunt Pat, to write out the Three Questions and their answers. She kindly obliged. I made silk screens of them , hiding the answer under the first layer of the Swing Top, paying homage to the trial as a veil to the answer. The King knew the answer to his questions before he left on his journey but he needed the wise man to lift the veil in order for him to see them.
My daughter in law’s brother in law, Edison, created the graphic.
Paper doll cut outs are linked under a blue jay lace (another intersecting chain) sky signaling inclusion and connectedness of all things. Look no farther than beside you (or within you) to find the ‘right’ person dancing under the same sky.
I paint a large painting of ‘bluejay’ dye and when it dries I screen on clear lace. This lace will resist the ‘bluejay’ dye in the printing process, revealing a smidge of ‘bluejay’ smudge from the under layer.
I screen the paper dolls in a rainbow of dyes on another piece of paper.
I screen the answer to the Second Question on the final piece of paper.
Now I make the sandwich. I don’t want any of the layers of colour to blend in the printing process so I insert blank paper cut outs to block migration.
I lay the garment on its back onto the ‘blue jay’ paper. Under the top veil portion I lay the paper dolls and answer onto the second layer. I fold the ‘bluejay’ paper on top, pin everything in place, heat press and unwrap.
Washes like a rag, machine dry or hang, no ironing needed but will handle high heat and steam. Made from polyester curtain sheer bolt ends.
| Size | S, M, L |
|---|
SMALL Max 36”
MEDIUM Max 42”
LARGE Max 46”
SIZE 1 (28”-34” ribcage/Hips max 40”)
SIZE 2 (34”- 40”ribcage/ Hips max 46”)
SIZE 1 chest and hips max 44”
SIZE 2 chest and hips max 48”
SIZE 3 chest and hips max 52”
X-SMALL Max 32”
SMALL Max 34”
MEDIUM Max 38”
LARGE Max 44”
X-LARGE Max 50”
X-SMALL Max 28”
SMALL Max34”
MEDIUM Max 38”
LARGE Max 42”
X-LARGE Max46”
2 X-LARGE Max 50”
SMALL Max 36”
MEDIUM Max 42”
LARGE Max 46”
SMALL Max 36”
MEDIUM Max 42”
LARGE Max 46”
X-LARGE Max 52”
SMALL Max 40”
MEDIUM Max 43”
LARGE Max 46”
X-LARGE Max 48”
2 X-LARGE Max 51”
Dahlia Drive’s sizing is based on my shape and because I am the center of my universe (as Aphrodite was of hers), I am a Medium (even though, according to the Marilyn Monroe world of sizing I am a small, the Penthouse world of sizing I am a 0 and the Asian metric of sizing I am an extra large). So if you find comfort in thinking you know your size, stop now and get a tape measure *.
As Aphrodite so beautifully demonstrates (she has invisible servants because she is a goddess):
Note: it is vital you do not take what you discover personally. It is just a number.
Then click your heels together and repeat after me, “There is no place like me”, “There is no place like me” . Voila! You have arrived home in your perfect body!
* (if you do not have a measuring tape, find a yardstick or 12″ ruler and measure off a 60″ piece of yarn or shoelace liquorish or toilet paper. Use this length to loop around your body at the designated spot for your style and mark the join with a knot or paper clip. Measure the distance from end to knot against the inches of your ruler or yardstick.)
All items but the Puffy Coats require 2 weeks time from your order to my shipping. Puffy coats require from 2 to 3 months construction time.
I will gladly exchange your purchase due to faulty craftsmanship or an error in sizing. I can not accept exchanges on specially ordered items.
There are no returns or cancellations.
Please contact me within 30 days of the original order should you desire an exchange.
Send me an email at wendy@dahliadrive.com to identify the reason for the exchange. Mail the item, unused and in its original condition to 5898 Fraser Street, Powell River, B.C. V8A 4T5 Canada. You are responsible for the shipping costs. Consider using a tracking service to guarantee its arrival. I cannot be responsible for undelivered items.
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I can not be responsible for delays due to customs.
Thank you for your business. I make each piece with care and attention, just for you.
My very first structure, circa 2007, the Kimono is a cursory nod to the traditional Japanese kimono esthetic. The back is shape fitted yet the front can hang loose, (a column of elegance), tied in front (a bow of delight) or wrapped back (sleek and active) This Kimono is the most versatile of all Dahlia Drive Structures.
A quick piece to dramatize a simple dress, give class to jeans, cover arms in the sun. Washable, dryable, packable, uncreasable. Made from discarded curtain sheer roll ends.
Choose from Jade, Wasabi, Coal or Cedar as your kimono’s front colour. The sun and tree are ubiquitous.
Pair your Dahlia Drive Tree Kimono with the matching colour of Dahlia Drive Lace Piano Pants or, if you choose a Coal base, the Dahlia Drive Dot Piano Pants. A complete outfit!
Recycled, warm, water resistant, puffy, spectacular.
What else to say about the Dot Puffy Coat except “MUST HAVE”?
The Puffy Dot Coat has serious Japanese influence. Simple, elegant, no unnecessary parts. No angry corners.
Gradient sizes of clear dots on an exterior ‘coal’ colour field and ‘heart’ big dots on a white colour field interior, ‘heart’ or ‘coal’ silk collar (you choose)). Leonardo spine down the lining back where we are all the same; a talisman of strength.
A dot is complete and self contained. It is its own world and yet, in groups it becomes an infinitesimal part of the fluid fractals in a molecular world; all one together. Cuddly, washable, two ties and you are off.
Double your dot quotient by pairing your Dot Puffy coat with a pair of Dahlia Drive Dot Piano Pants. How about red tights under that? Outrageous.
No mud, no lotus. Thich Nhat Hanh
With just one button, the Smock is Dahlia Drives most popular garment. Flattering on every shape and size, it can transform any outfit quickly and profoundly into a beautiful flower. Pair with a fitted short or long dress, leggings or jeans, summer shorts or evening gown. Winterize it with boots and a long sleeved top to contrast its flow with fitted texture or wear it to the pool over your bathing suit! Travels light and small, does not wrinkle and the pleat in the back is permanent, animating the lotus wherever you go.
“No mud, no lotus” Thich Nhat Hanh
The Lotus Dress is a romp in the park, a glimpse of joy in the shadows, a promise of a sunny day. Worn as a dress or tunic, alone or with leggings/pants, sleeveless or over a fitted winterizing long sleeved top, the lotus dress will keep you blossoming out of the mud in any season.
The red ( ‘heart’ ) lotus symbolizes pure love and compassion.
The blue ( ‘bluejay’) lotus symbolizes victory of the spirit over the senses.
The pink ( ‘hopscotch’) lotus symbolizes enlightenment.
Please pick the lotus colour of your choice.
The Swings swing.
Three diaphanous layers create a kaleidoscope of colourful veils to spin around your silhouette.
The front two layers of the swing are shorter than the back; the first providing a window into the second. Together, they create a visual conversation as they swing at different rhythms. The back is a single layer, longer than the front and translucent, revealing the curve of your back in silhouette. You are the 3rd layer, the center of the universe.
The answer to the Third Question is revealed under the first layer amid a portion of a Leonardo da Vinci drawn skeleton, representing yet another layer beneath where we are all the same: The right action is to serve the one you are with.
The very first Dahlia Drive sheer structure, circa 2007, the Kimono is a cursory nod to the traditional Japanese kimono esthetic. The back is shape fitted yet the front can hang loose (a column of elegance), tied (a bow of delight) or wrapped around to the back (sleek and active).
The most versatile structure in the Dahlia Drive repertoire, the Lace Kimono is an easy adornment to dramatize a simple dress, give class to jeans or cover arms in the sun. Washable, dryable, packable, uncreasable. Take it with you wherever you go.
Made from discarded curtain sheer roll ends.
Pair your Dahlia Drive Lace Tree Kimono with Dahlia Drive Coal coloured Lace Piano Pants or Dot Piano Pants. A complete outfit!
The Swing swings.
Three diaphanous layers create a kaleidoscope of colourful veils to spin around your silhouette.
The front two layers of the swing are shorter; the first providing a window into the second. Together, they create a visual conversation as they swing at different rhythms. The fourth layer, the back, is a single layer longer than the front and translucent, revealing the curve of your back in silhouette. You are the third layer, the center of the universe.
The answer to the First Question is revealed under the first layer amid heart coloured dots of exclamation: The right time is now.
Wrap around Piano Pants are amazing. Wide legged pants emerged in the 40’s and strode through the 60’s and 80’s right through to today. Walking in these pants, the folds undulate vertically (piano keys) while the lace migrates the pleats with an organic flow of water like threads.
Easy to put on and adjustable at the ribcage, the pants fit snugly right under your breasts and then fan out in decadence. Translucent, the shadow of your legs can be seen beneath the water or dancing along the keys.
The heating process makes the pleats and dye permanent. These pants can be washed and dried by machine! Wear over boy shorts, bathing suits or tights. Couple them with a snug top with a matching colour in the Tree Kimono, Tree Hatori or Swing Top.
Winterize with a leather bomber jacket over and tights under. Take big strides and feel the wind follow you. Flash some leg. Go wild.
These translucent wrap around pants are made from recycled curtain sheers: washed, cut and sewn into a blank structure . A paper canvas is painted with ‘coal’ dye, screened with clear polka dots and pinned onto the blank pants with the pleats carefully set. A large red dot is inserted on the bottom left, the Dahlia Drive name is hidden and the sandwich is heatset.
The heating process makes the pleats and dye permanent. These pants can be washed and dried by machine! Wear over boy shorts, bathing suits or tights. Couple them with a snug top and Tree Kimono, Tree Hatori or the First Question Swing Top.
Take big strides and feel the wind follow you. Flash some leg. Go wild.
Dahlia Drive’s Hatori is designed to be worn over a simple snug garment. Its function is to layer the story of a tree onto your landscape, creating an ephemeral image of nature influenced into life through your form.
The lapels are designed to create a column of equal space between them; long, lean, elegant.
Wear this piece for coffee, to the beach or the opera. Light, washable and crease resistant, it is a perfect piece to take with you wherever you go.
Choose one colour as your base colour and Dahlia Drive will do the rest!
Pair your Dahlia Drive Tree Hatori with the matching colour in Dahlia Drive Lace Piano Pants or, if you choose a Coal base, the Dahlia Drive Dot Piano Pants. A complete outfit!
What lies beneath the beneath?
The Leonardo Hatori seeks to layer the story of a 500 year old skeleton onto your landscape, creating an ephemeral image of our shared inner structure.
Underneath we are all the same.
Dahlia Drive’s Hatori is designed to be worn over a simple snug garment.
The lapels are designed to create a column of equal space between them; long, lean, elegant.
Wear this piece for coffee, to the beach or the opera. Light, washable and crease resistant, it is a perfect piece to take with you wherever you go.
Please pick one main colour for the body of your Hatori. Dahlia Drive will pick the wardrobe for our 500 year old ancestor. SURPRISE! That is simply the way these bones rock.
“No mud, no lotus”.Thich Nhat Hahn.
The very first Dahlia Drive sheer structure, circa 2007, the Kimono is a cursory nod to the traditional Japanese kimono esthetic. The back is shape fitted yet the front can hang loose (a column of elegance), tied (a bow of delight) or wrapped around to the back (sleek and active).
The most versatile structure in the Dahlia Drive repertoire, the Lotus Kimono is an easy adornment to dramatize a simple dress, give class to jeans or cover arms in the sun. Washable, dryable, packable, uncreasable. Take it with you wherever you go.
Made from discarded curtain sheer roll ends.
Pair your Dahlia Drive Lotus Kimono with Dahlia Drive Tarragon, Heart or Coal Lace Piano Pants or the Dahlia Drive Dot Piano Pants. A complete outfit!
