She held everything together and never said how hard it was.
This lotus says it for you.
Some mothers do not want praise. They want to be understood. The lotus on this scarf carries a line every Vietnamese schoolchild learns: it grows in mud and does not smell of it.
The lotus is the print; the cloth is 100% Grade 5A mulberry silk at 16 momme. Printed by hand on both faces in dark red, with a hand-rolled edge. Four sizes for her birthday.
Dark red Colorway
5A Silk grade
4 Sizes
We pay the import duty, not you.
The 26, 36 and 44 inch ship free to the US; the 22 inch ships for a flat $20. Orders leave Hanoi in 1 to 3 business days and arrive 9 to 15 business days later.
Why a lotus for a mother like her
The saying means keeping your character in circumstances that did not deserve it. For a mother who got the family through lean or difficult years, it is exactly right.
The drawing comes from the palaces of Thang Long, the imperial capital in Hanoi, between the 11th and 15th centuries.
Archaeologists there found stone column bases carved with lotus petals. Those bases held up the palace roof. The lotus was not painted on for show; it carried the weight.
Dark red is deep and warm, the kind of color that suits a woman who dresses simply.
Which size for your mother
22 in
$75 |
Bag handle, wrist, a small knot at the neck. If she has never worn a scarf. |
26 in
$97 |
Neck knot, headband, ponytail wrap, bag roll. Our suggestion when unsure. |
36 in
$153 |
Head wrap, shoulder cover, halter, waist sash. Feels significant for a milestone birthday. |
44 in
$197 |
A shawl for restaurants, theaters and cold rooms. Folds to the size of a paperback. |
If she likes to cover her shoulders, choose the 36 or 44. For the neck and hair, the 26.
Is it real silk?
It is 100% Grade 5A mulberry silk, 16 momme. The Textile Testing Center of the Vietnam Textile Research Institute tested it. That is an independent lab, not ours.
The box includes a small cutting of the same silk, so you can test it yourself.
Burn a thread or a corner of the cutting over a sink, away from anything flammable, with no children nearby. Silk burns with a smell like burning hair and leaves a soft ash that crushes between your fingers. Polyester melts into a hard bead. It is a home check, not lab proof.
ELLE Vietnam and Harper's Bazaar Vietnam have both covered our studio.
Is the lotus the fabric?
No. The lotus is the design, hand screen-printed. The fabric is 100% Grade 5A mulberry silk.
She says she does not need anything
That is why it lands. It is the thing she would never buy for herself, and it arrives boxed, with nothing to explain.
Why $75 to $197
Start with the hem, rolled and stitched by hand: close to an hour, even on a small square. Each face is printed separately, one color at a time. The artwork was redrawn by hand from archive sources.
Going from 26 to 36 inches nearly doubles the silk: 676 against 1,296 square inches.
The hand-rolled edge grows from about 8.5 to 12 feet.
It is all made in our Hanoi atelier and shipped direct, with the duty paid by us.
Will it arrive for her 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.
Mother's Day is the second Sunday of May, if you are planning ahead.
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%.
Who it is right for
Your mother, on her birthday For everything she carried without complaint.
A stepmother who stepped in The lotus says you saw it.
A grandmother who raised you The 44, as a shawl for cool evenings.
How it arrives
Every scarf ships in a rigid gift box with its own bag. The silk is folded in tissue. Inside: a story card and a styling guide with more than 20 ties. There is also a care card and a small silk cutting.
Ordering for her? Ship to her address and bill to yours. Leave your note in Order Notes, and we handwrite it on a card. There is no price inside.
How to care for it
Cold water, shampoo or body wash, no detergent. Every 3 to 5 wears is plenty.
Never wring it. Press out the water and dry it flat, out of the sun. Iron it damp on the lowest silk setting.
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 |
Dark red |
| Sizes |
22, 26, 36 and 44 in (55, 65, 90 and 110 cm) |
| Tested |
Textile Testing Center, Vietnam Textile Research Institute |
| Made in |
Hanoi, Vietnam |
Also worth a look: Dark red silk necklace, $64 · Gifts for mom · All Imperial Lotus
