Your parents' anniversary is coming up.
Two mandarin ducks say what a card cannot.
In Vietnamese art, a pair of mandarin ducks is a wish for a marriage that holds. Your parents already did the holding. This scarf, given to your mother, honors both of them.
Brown and pink, 100% Grade 5A mulberry silk at 16 momme, printed by hand on both faces, edges rolled by hand. Four sizes on one page.
2 Ducks, 1 lotus
4 Sizes
5A Silk grade
We pay the import duty, not you.
Orders leave Hanoi in 1 to 3 business days and reach a US address in 9 to 15 business days. The 26, 36 and 44 inch ship free; the 22 inch ships for $20.
A marriage that held
The two ducks come from the roofs of the Thang Long citadel in Hanoi. Archaeologists found tiles there named for what was on them, including a mandarin-duck tile and a lotus tile.
The ducks are older than the Ly Dynasty. Figures of them appear at Hoa Lu, the earlier capital.
A pair on a palace roof was a wish for faithful love and a household at peace. The lotus below adds endurance: it grows out of mud and stays clean.
Brown and pink is warm and quiet. It suits a woman who has been married a long time and does not need a fuss.
Which size for your mother
22 in
$75 |
Bag handle, wrist, small neck knot. Easy if she rarely wears scarves. |
26 in
$97 |
Neck knot, headband, bag roll. The everyday choice. |
36 in
$153 |
Shoulder cover, head wrap. Feels significant, for a 25th or later. |
44 in
$197 |
A shawl for the anniversary dinner, and a family gift from all the children. |
From several siblings, the 44 reads as a family gift. From one child, the 26 or 36.
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.
Should it be for Dad too?
Give it to her, and let the card speak to both. The motif is the couple; the story card names it and its dynasty.
If he wears ties, a woven silk tie makes a matching pair of gifts.
Why $75 to $197
Three things set the price. The hem is hand-rolled, close to an hour per square. Both faces are printed, one screen and one pass per color. And the motif was redrawn from archive sources before any screen existed.
Going from 26 to 36 inches nearly doubles the silk.
The hand-rolled edge grows by about three and a half feet.
We work from our own Hanoi atelier and ship direct. The US import duty is on us.
Will it arrive for the anniversary dinner?
It leaves Hanoi within 1 to 3 business days and reaches a US address in 9 to 15 business days.
Allow up to 18 business days, about three and a half weeks.
Better yet, send it to arrive a few days before, so she can wear it.
Duties and returns
Duties: Folk Form pays the US import duty. Nothing is collected at delivery.
Returns: within 30 days, unused, unwashed and unworn, in the original box. For a change of mind, the return postage is yours. Store credit adds 15%.
Who it is right for
Your mother, from all the children The 44 for a 25th, 40th or 50th.
Your mother-in-law A warm, safe gift with a real meaning.
Grandparents renewing their vows Two ducks for two people who stayed.
How it arrives
It arrives ready to hand over: a rigid box, a matching bag, the scarf folded in tissue. With it come a story card and an illustrated styling guide. A care card and a small cutting of silk are included.
To send it directly, enter her address as shipping and yours as billing. Type your message in Order Notes and it is copied by hand onto a card. The parcel carries no price.
How to care for it
Wash it after 3 to 5 wears. Use cold water and a little shampoo or body wash.
Squeeze the water out; never wring. Dry it flat in the shade. Iron on the lowest silk setting while slightly damp.
Specifications
| Material |
100% Grade 5A mulberry silk |
| Weight |
16 momme |
| Print |
Hand screen-printed on both faces |
| Edges |
Hand-rolled, hand-stitched |
| Motif |
Lotus Serenade (Uyen Uong Lien Ha), Ly and Tran Dynasties |
| Colorway |
Brown and pink |
| 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: Brown and pink, 44 in · Gifts for mom · All Lotus Serenade
