Take My Hand Opera Duster (Full Length)

$148.00

A splendid and wholly original ode to friendship, this lighthearted design has quickly become one of our very favourites! We combined several pieces of art in the tradition of Victorian collage — including a remarkably detailed engraving of clasped hands and sun rays from 1626, a painted heart from a seventeenth-century colour chart, and flowers, leaves & hummingbirds from an 1800’s lithograph. The banners on the front reads, in both English and French, “La vie n’est rien sans l’amitié — Life is nothing without friendship”. The trim combines more hand-coloured 1800’s florals collaged together. The resulting print is so fresh and joyful — and unlike anything we’ve made before.

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 116cm, width 78 cm (across back, underarm to underarm). Model is 5’9” for reference.

“What are hands made for but this? For holding. For holding on.”

- James Patterson

“A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.”

- D. Roberts

“And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, they danced by the light of the moon.”

- Edward Lear, The Owl and the Pussycat

How To Wear

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We can’t help but get a little swept away by this lighthearted piece — it’s so much fun to style! Wear it layered over a simple black slip dress & sandals for brunch with your best friends, or add some drama by pairing it with high waisted jeans, heeled boots and statement earrings for a flirtatious date-night look. And definitely bring it along in your carry-on for any vaycay adventures — it looks absolutely amazing over a black swimsuit poolside or at the seashore. The versatile colour palette will match with so many tones in your existing wardrobe — blues, greens, pinks, yellows and black…a gorgeous bouquet of wonderful shades.

Our Muse

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The true friend, the kind hearted. Women who lift up the ones they love, who are always there when it matters. Women with an open hand, and an open heart.

More Inspo

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It’s amazing to think that the art we used to create this wonderful design spans more than three centuries! The Flemish engravings, created in the 1600’s, depict symbols of co-operation and charity, while the colourful flowers and hummingbirds come from British lithographs that were made almost two hundred years later. And even the heart we added to this piece has its own history, coming from a seventeenth century French painter’s chart that was used to record the formulas for how to mix paint colours. The motto, “La vie n’est rien sans l’amitié — Life is nothing without friendship”, was borrowed from an engraving on the inside of a French bracelet from the same era. Fast forward to the current century, where we brought all of these marvellous works of art together to make Take My Hand! Talk about a long time in the making ;)

The Poem

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Just for a moment, empty
your hands. Set down
the ghost of every brick
you carry, the ones
you built your dreams with
and the ones you threw 
at your own windows. 

Hush. The world is wide
and full of things to hold
and let go of. Some truths
you’ll only know by touch:
taut skin of tulips or apples, 
animal warmth, the curved
spine of feathers.

Others you’ll just know. 
Love is heavy
and weightless, the hummingbird
flies against all odds, 
every minute its heart beats 
a thousand times. Broken
windows will let in light.
And even if your open hand
holds nothing 
but a question,
my hand will answer.