A milestone birthday for your sister or oldest friend?
Give one thing, chosen carefully.
At a birthday with a zero she needs no more things; she needs one that shows how well you know her. A 44 inch silk shawl, drifting over her shoulders at the dinner and carried on every trip that follows, is exactly that kind of gift.
Imperial Lotus in pink and green: a lotus hand screen-printed on 100% Grade 5A mulberry silk, 16 momme, both faces, the edge rolled by hand.
44in Square
Pink & green Colorway
5A Silk grade
We pay the import duty, not you.
Free shipping to the US at this price. It leaves Hanoi in 1 to 3 business days and arrives in 9 to 15 business days.
A lotus for the years behind her
A Vietnamese saying about the lotus: it grows in mud and does not smell of it. At a milestone birthday, it says she stayed herself through everything.
The drawing comes from Thang Long, Hanoi's imperial capital from the 11th to the 15th century, where lotus petals were carved around the stone bases of the columns that held up the palace roof. Our motif guide tells the longer story of what the Imperial Lotus motif means.
Opened to its full 44 inches, the square shows the whole composition, the lotus at its heart and the pink and green reaching out to the hand-rolled border. If you are torn between sizes, our guide shows which size to choose.
The pink and green reads soft and celebratory, lovely over white, cream or dove gray.
Four ways she will wear it
Over her shoulders At the birthday dinner, folded to a triangle.
As a light layer For long flights and late dinners, folding down to the size of a paperback.
As a sarong On the birthday trip.
At home As a pillow cover, or framed.
For a friend who prefers her scarves at the neck, the 26 inch is the better size.
Is it real silk?
Yes: 100% Grade 5A mulberry silk. Tested at the Textile Testing Center, Vietnam Textile Research Institute. It is an outside lab.
Every box holds a small silk cutting for testing, so you can check it yourself.
Silk burns with a smell like burning hair and leaves a soft ash that crushes between your fingers. Polyester melts into a hard bead. Burn a thread over a sink, away from anything flammable, and keep children clear. It is a home check, not lab proof.
ELLE Vietnam and Harper's Bazaar Vietnam have both covered our studio.
Is the fabric made from lotus?
The lotus is the print, drawn by hand and screen-printed, and the cloth itself is 100% Grade 5A mulberry silk.
What if she is petite?
Worn loose, a 44 inch square can swamp a small frame. The 36 inch, tied neatly, may suit her better.
Where the $197 goes
Every edge is rolled and sewn by hand, close to an hour of work even on our smallest square. Both faces pass through the press in turn, each color with its own screen, and the drawing was redrawn by hand from archive photographs before a single screen was made.
This size carries almost 15 feet of edge, every inch rolled by hand.
Everything happens in our own atelier in Hanoi. The parcel comes to you from there, duty paid.
Will it arrive for the birthday?
Processing takes 1 to 3 business days. Delivery to the US takes 9 to 15 business days after dispatch.
Allow up to 18 business days, about three and a half weeks, for a fixed date.
Duties and returns
Duties: covered by us. She pays nothing when it arrives.
Returns: 30 days, in the original box, unused, unwashed and unworn. Return postage for a change of mind is paid by you, and store credit comes with an extra 15%.
For the woman you are celebrating
Your sister For the birthday with a zero.
A close friend of many years One beautiful thing in place of several she has no room for.
Yourself A milestone deserves to be marked, and you may mark it for yourself.
How it arrives
A rigid gift box with a matching bag. Inside, the scarf rests in tissue. A story card names the motif and its dynasty. An illustrated guide shows more than 20 ways to tie it. A care card and a small silk cutting complete it. There is nothing for you to wrap.
Sending it straight to her? Use her address for shipping and yours for billing. Put your message in Order Notes. We write it by hand on a card. No price appears anywhere in the parcel.
How to care for it
Every 3 to 5 wears is enough. Silk does not hold dust.
Cold water with shampoo or body wash, not laundry detergent. Squeeze, never wring. Dry flat in the shade. Iron on the lowest silk setting while it is still damp.
Specifications
| Material |
100% Grade 5A mulberry silk, with a lotus print |
| Weight |
16 momme |
| Print |
Hand screen-printed on both faces |
| Edges |
Hand-rolled, hand-stitched |
| Motif |
Imperial Lotus (Co Do Lien Hoa), Thang Long, 11th to 15th century |
| Colorway |
Pink and green |
| Size |
44 x 44 in (110 x 110 cm) |
| Tested |
Textile Testing Center, Vietnam Textile Research Institute |
| Made in |
Hanoi, Vietnam |
Imperial Lotus, 44 inch, pink and green.
For the birthday that counts.
100% Grade 5A mulberry silk with a hand screen-printed lotus. Free US shipping, gift boxed.
Add to bag · $197
Free US shipping from $90 No customs fees Gift boxed 30-day returns
Also worth a look: Dark red, 44 in · Pink and green, all sizes · All 44 inch shawls
