Imperial yellow, opened wide in the lamplight.
Every dragon of the drawing, all at once.
At the Lunar New Year dinner, a silk shawl of imperial yellow falls open over her black dress, and the whole of May Hoa Long An is there to be seen. Eight small dragons circle the center, each offering a bodhi leaf inward, with carved borders and a lotus pedestal filling the field between them. The smaller squares each hold a portion of this arrangement; here it is complete.
Sixteen momme mulberry silk in imperial yellow, hemmed by hand on all four sides and printed by hand in Hanoi from a Ly Dynasty dragon redrawn out of Ly Dynasty heritage sources. It covers both shoulders and still folds small enough for a handbag.
16 Momme
5A Grade
2 Sides printed
On every order we pay the import duty, not you.
On every order nothing is owed on arrival and nothing is added at checkout. Free shipping at this price. Sent from Hanoi, most US orders land in 9 to 15 business days.
Yellow at this scale
Across the shoulders, over black Wear it open over a black dress or coat and yellow becomes the whole look, bright and assured, with nothing more to add.
Over cream, camel or ivory A tonal pairing, soft and warm, that looks expensive in photographs and effortless in person.
With denim, worn loose It turns a white shirt and jeans into something considered, loose and easy.
Over the arms, for evening At 44 inches the color falls across the shoulders and down the arms, framing an evening dress the way a fine wrap should.
Yellow asks to be seen, which makes it a wonderful color to choose for yourself or for a friend who already loves it. For a quieter note, Dark Green carries the same dragon.
Same size, other colorways: Dark Green · Red · Turquoise
In the hand
Silk is protein, spun by the Bombyx mori silkworm, and you feel it the moment the square leaves its tissue: a dense, supple cloth with a quiet luster.
The weight comes next. At sixteen momme, forty-four inches of silk has a real presence, so it drapes across the shoulders and stays there through dinner and the long goodbye at the door.
Folded, it is smaller than a paperback and comes out of a handbag ready to wear, a lovely companion on a plane or in a restaurant.
Three details that reward a closer look
Each detail shows itself as soon as the shawl is on.
01
Sixteen momme, spread over a shawl At this weight the silk falls in soft, deep folds and keeps its place on the shoulders once it is set there.
02
One square, seven ways Open it as a shawl or a sarong, wrap it at one shoulder, wind it into a turban or a full head wrap, drape it wide at the neck or carry it as a travel layer; folded down, it does all that the smaller squares do.
03
The full composition, uncropped Eight dragons in center symmetry, the carved border and the lotus pedestal all sit inside this one square. Each smaller size is a portion cut from the same drawing, so here you see it whole.
Proof beneath the tissue
Under the tissue lies a cutting of the very silk your square was cut from, a small piece to test however you like while the shawl stays perfect.
|
Mulberry silk |
Polyester |
| The smell |
Singed hair |
Acrid, like plastic |
| What is left |
Soft ash that crushes between your fingers |
Melts into a hard bead |
Testing it yourself? Light it over a sink, with flammable things moved aside and children out of the room. A corner is enough. As a home check it works well; a lab can say more than a sink can.
Lab results are not claimed for the 5A grade or the 16 momme; both are supplier specifications. The cutting in the box is the same silk, there for a home test.
Add to bag and check it yourself →
What goes into a hand-finished 44-inch shawl
Four times the area of the 22-inch, this square is printed by hand through both faces, screen by screen and one color at a time.
Around the four sides runs close to fifteen feet of hem, rolled and stitched by hand, and an artist in our studio redrew the motif from archive sources. Made in our own atelier in Hanoi and sent straight to you, it arrives at $197.
What size silk scarf should I buy?
| 22 in → |
Bag handle, wrist, narrow twilly roll · $75 |
| 26 in → |
Headband, ponytail, neck knot · $97 |
| 36 in → |
The 26's jobs, with a full head wrap and a sleep wrap added · $153 |
| 44 in |
A shoulder wrap, and the only square big enough for the full drawing this one
|
Take this size to wear it on the body rather than at the neck, or if the drawing itself is the reason you are here. It still does everything the smaller squares do, folded down.
Which motif should I be looking at?
Before you decide, a word on how our motifs differ:
Buying for an achievement A promotion, a new venture, a leader or a corporate gift calls for a dragon. This square repeats the Ly Dynasty dragon eight times, small, so even folded as a head wrap it shows a dragon at every angle; Dragon Dreams draws four large dragons at the corners, a picture that opens beautifully across the shoulders.
Buying for a person For a mother, a new chapter or a recovery, Phoenix Dance is the gentler choice: the phoenix, empress to the dragon's emperor.
Buying for a couple A wedding or an anniversary belongs to the mandarin ducks, two birds for two people.
The simplest guide: a dragon for an achievement, a phoenix for the person.
Seven ways to wear 44 inches
No pins or rings are needed for any of these; a fold and a knot will do.
The open shawl Fold it once into a triangle and lay it across the shoulders, points at the front, and a simple dress is complete.
The wrapped shoulder Over one shoulder, under the other arm and knotted at the hip, it stays put from the aperitif to the last dance.
The full head wrap or turban It holds enough silk to wrap, twist and tuck with plenty left over, even for the fullest turban.
The sarong Knot it at the waist over a swimsuit, bright yellow against the sand.
The wide neck drape A broad band, folded lengthwise and hung around the neck with long ends, it looks like a detail of the coat.
The travel layer Across the shoulders in flight, a soft pillow at the window seat, then folded back into the bag on arrival.
Framed A hand screen print on silk, complete at this size and handsome on a wall.
More than twenty ways in the illustrated guide, which is in the box.
Using it as a sleep wrap
Long, thick or tightly coiled hair needs room, and forty-four inches offers it generously: cloth to wrap, twist and tuck in the dark, with plenty left over.
Giving a yellow 44-inch shawl
A 44-inch square of silk speaks for itself the moment the lid lifts and the tissue parts, and imperial yellow gives it the confidence of a celebration.
Admired across the table, it gives her a story to share: a Ly Dynasty dragon, and the pearl it gives away.
For a promotion, or a business opening A dragon in imperial yellow, at the size that is worn to the celebration itself.
For Lunar New Year The turning of the year calls for a bright dragon, and this one wears beautifully through a long evening of toasts.
For a mother or mother-in-law It is light to wear and generous to wrap, the one she will bring out for every family occasion. If she is more phoenix than dragon, Phoenix Dance is drawn for exactly that.
If you are unsure of yellow In Dark Green the same dragon and meaning come in a deep ground that pairs with anything.
The story behind Dragon of Grace
Grace is the point of Dragon of Grace (May Hoa Long An): eight Ly Dynasty dragons in symmetry, each offering a bodhi leaf or a lotus, with the Dragon Girl's pearl as the story behind them. Strength, wisdom, luck and blessing are what it wishes the wearer.
The box, the care, and the returns
In the box A rigid gift box and matching bag · the square folded in tissue · a story card naming the motif and its dynasty · an illustrated styling guide · a care card · the silk cutting. Nothing left for you to wrap. Sending it straight to her? We write your note by hand and keep the price out of the parcel.
Washing Professional dry cleaning is the first choice for silk. Or hand wash in cool water with a little shampoo, without soaking. Press the water out gently, never wring or twist, dry flat in the shade, and iron on the reverse side at low heat while still slightly damp.
Returns Thirty days from delivery, unused and unwashed, in the original box. If the fault is ours, a flaw in the silk, a print error, a seam that failed, postage goes both ways on us and you get a replacement or a full refund. Changed your mind? Thirty days, return postage yours, and if you take store credit instead of a refund we add fifteen percent. One condition: it comes back unused, unwashed and unworn, in its original box.
Specifications
| Material |
100% Grade 5A mulberry silk |
| Color |
Yellow |
| Motif |
May Hoa Long An · Dragon of Grace · Ly Dynasty |
| Layout |
Center-symmetric repeat, eight dragons |
| Weight |
16 momme |
| Size |
44 × 44 in · 110 × 110 cm |
| Print |
Hand screen-printed, double-sided |
| Edges |
Hand-rolled, hand-stitched |
| Silk grade | 5A raw silk thread, 16 momme (supplier specification) |
| Made in |
Hanoi, Vietnam |
Imperial yellow across her shoulders, the whole drawing in view.
A dragon for this celebration, and every one to come.
Sixteen momme, printed through both faces, hemmed by hand in Hanoi. Packed gift boxed, with a cutting to put a match to.
Add to bag · $197
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