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Hold Fast Pixie Duster (Cropped Length)

$120.00

Hold fast, Stargazer… you’re stronger than you know.
Created using an antique lithograph of a Victorian woman bravely rowing through a storm — this piece is a beautiful reminder of hope, tenacity, and strength. (Not to mention it’s also really, really cool ;)) We added the image of a Brig from an 1851 painting by Fitz Henry Lane, and the vintage lettering & seagulls from a ship merchant advertising poster circa 1882. The joyful rainbow and rising sun on the horizon come from an antique postcard from the same era. For the trim, we reconstructed a 200-year-old textile fragment of suns, moons, and stars (origin unknown). The phrase “Hold Fast” — meaning “hold on tight, you’ll get through this” is a seafaring expression that sailors traditionally tattooed on to their knuckles, as talismans of protection to keep their grip on the rigging of the ship in rough weather. “Smooth seas and fair winds will find you” is a play on the traditional nautical good luck blessing, “fair winds and following seas”.


PS…For more on the story of Grace Darling — the woman in the lithograph — jump to our “More Inspo” section at the bottom of the page ;)

100% viscose (derived from plant fibres such as wood and bamboo). Machine wash gentle or handwash and hang to dry. Iron to finish if needed.

Kimono measurements: length 58cm, width (across back, underarm to underarm) 74cm. Model is 5’7” for reference.

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”
- Louisa May Alcott

“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you…never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”
- Harriet Beecher Stowe

“Fix your course on a star and you’ll navigate any storm.”
- Leonardo da Vinci

How To Wear

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This enchanting piece is perfect for the free-spirited adventurer! The rich mix of cool blues & greys with warm corals & golds makes it endlessly versatile and fun to style. Pair it with a long flowy skirt, rust-toned cami and vintage leather belt for an ethereal, wanderlust-ready look. Finish with celestial-inspired accessories & suede ankle boots — perfect for strolling through antique markets or channeling your inner pirate! For a touch of elegance, layer it over a midnight blue slip dress with velvet platform sandals, and complete the look with a vintage locket (and may we even suggest a bold red lip ;)) Our favourite look for this one? Worn with sun-faded cutoffs, a simple white tank & leather sandals. Toss in a woven straw tote & oversized sunnies and you’re set for a carefree day of exploring on land or sea! 

Our Muse

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The survivor, the hopeful heart. Women who weather the roughest seas with unbreakable spirit and grace, who keep rowing toward the dawn. Women who hold fast.

More Inspo

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Grace Darling — the brave woman featured on our design — was a lighthouse keeper’s daughter with the soul of a storm-sworn heroine. In the early morning hours of September 7, 1838, as the sea thrashed against the rocky Farne Islands off the coast of Northumberland, twenty-two-year-old Grace spotted the wreck of the Forfarshire, a steamship broken in two by the waves. With quiet courage and fierce resolve, she rowed through the raging surf with her father to rescue nine survivors—an act of selfless bravery that captured the hearts of the nation. Her story, like a beacon in the dark, reminds us that even in the wildest seas, there are hearts lit with starlight and strength.


Another fascinating detail in our Hold Fast duster is the phrase itself — a sailor’s talisman, rich with history. "Hold Fast" has been a traditional seafaring expression for centuries, a kind of mantra whispered (or shouted) in the face of wild storms and rough seas. Sailors would tattoo the words across their knuckles as a good luck charm — a reminder to keep their grip on the rigging, no matter how fierce the wind. (And if you’ve ever wondered why so many traditional nautical tattoos feature stars and celestial imagery, it’s because sailors navigated by the stars — trusting the night sky to guide them safely home.) In so many ways, “Hold Fast" isn’t just about weathering the literal storm, but about having faith that even when the winds howl and the waves rise, we are stronger than we know — and the dawn always comes.

The Poem

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Gift

Should the muses gift you 

another boat, then steer it. 

Let your old shipwrecks rest, 

let them rest. 

Watch the undertow 

carry your iron tune of grief 

down to the deaf mud floor.


Today is a good dream,

a sounding of splendour. Sun 

on the proud peak of the waves 

and the bright prow

of your collarbone. Hear the overture

of your voice announcing itself 

as it crests and wheels to the clouds:

The sea is deep. I will not drown.