Todd Oldham, designer

We called this the Zebra Dress because of Helen’s spectacular sheet-dyeing on the bodice and at the bottom of the skirt. The dyeing technique was quite complicated because it combines two techniques on white fabric, which is a nightmare. It had to be engineered perfectly. Otherwise it’s a fairly conservative dress and it fits very beautifully. It has a breezy way about it, with a couple of support details like flexible horsehair sewn into the hem to give it a little extra weight that reacts beautifully with the velvet. It’s also lined with black tulle and navy blue silk.

Todd Oldham