I found this silk dress at a flea market in Rome (for market info see post, 31 May 2014). The stallholder was a young Italian guy wearing ordinary trousers, a white t-shirt and masses of eyeliner and mascara. In a lawn chair in front of his stall was a small, older woman with yellow cotton candy hair. From her perch, her feet didn't touch the ground. My passion for the dress was apparent from the get-go, so I gave him his asking price quick as a bunny. He then said "It was my mother's dress," and motioned to the little lady in the chair, now beaming with pride. I thanked her profusely in English, rabbiting on about how much I loved 'her' dress. She simply smiled happily in Italian. Note to self: always ask about the item you're buying or listen when told about it - your find may be full of sartorial secrets. Once home, I took the dress to the tailor to have it lengthened (its previous owner was at least a foot shorter than me). I found, folded inside the hem, the horizontal stripes you see here; stripes that make the changing graduated pattern of the fabric even more exciting and for my money, Prada-esque. The dress cost 10 euros.
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