The Gardenia Dress

Loose box-sleeve robe gown with placement print.

Robyn Mayo’s 'Gardenia with Aboriginal Basket' artwork is turned on its head in this semi-sheer silk cotton robe. The basket itself cascades down from the shoulders, creating a trompe-l’oeil shawl effect when open or an almost corseted, tailored cowboy waist look when closed. Leaves, branches and blooms tumble from within, spreading throughout every corner of the garment.

The gown presents an exaggerated silhouette, which can be adjusted to fit any frame by cinching the waist with the matching belt. Hidden ties and handmade thread loops on the inside keep the garment secure for modesty.

A passage from Mayo's book ‘Vast’, scribbled in small handwriting, at first resembles a colony of tiny ants scrambling up and down the branches. However, for those who care to look closer, it tells the story of the artist's return to the big cities after her immersion in the Australian outback and the changes of natural scenery she encountered on the road home. The passage recounts the reality of our shifting landscapes and the impact of man on the land. Begin to read the story on the left arm, tracing the words as they continue to envelop the body before the prose reaches its end on the right box sleeve.