Ilara | Pattern V Neck Tassel Midi Dress

An ikat has no hard edges — so there is nothing for a seam to break.

Hard-edged geometric prints have to be matched. Every diamond, stripe or tile crossing a side seam needs to meet its other half within a few millimetres, and on wider panels the mismatch grows with the pattern, so a broken line runs down your side and across the centre front. The armhole is the second trap. A close, high armhole means the sleeve is anchored tight to the body, so when you raise your arm the whole dress comes with it — the front hem lifts, and you spend the day pulling it back down. Third, a V with nothing but a narrow binding and a decorative cord has no structure of its own: on a fuller bust the split spreads sideways before it drops, and a cord sewn halfway down the opening can't hold the top of it closed.

Ilara is built around all three. The print is a true ikat, drawn with deliberately feathered, bleeding edges — there is no hard outline anywhere in it, so nothing needs to line up across a seam and no join reads as a break. The sleeve cap is gathered rather than set in flat, which leaves spare fabric at the top of the arm: raise your arm and the sleeve gives instead of taking the hem with it. And the two tassel ties are anchored at the very top of the split, where the strain actually is, so the knot you tie holds the neckline at that depth rather than letting it spread beneath the tie.

Why it works

• Feathered ikat edges: nothing has to line up across the seams, because there's no hard outline to break.
• Gathered sleeve cap: spare fabric at the top of the arm, so reaching up doesn't lift the front hem.
• Ties anchored at the top of the V: the knot holds the opening where the strain is, not halfway down it.
• Frilled cuff at the elbow: gathered into the fabric rather than a tight band, so it gives on a fuller arm.
• No waist seam: nothing has to land on your natural waist, so sizing for the bust doesn't misplace a seam.
• Gathered tier at the hem: width all the way round at the bottom, so the skirt swings clear of the leg.

Fit note

Loose through the body with no fastenings — it pulls on over the head, so take your usual size. The weave is fine and matte and lets some light through against strong sun; a slip underneath if you would rather it didn't. The ties can be knotted higher for a shallower neckline or lower to open it up. An ikat is printed to look hand-dyed, so the edges are soft and slightly irregular on purpose — that's the print, not a fault. Sizes M to 4XL.