the rules.
Respect the ancestors. We tie our lineage back to the history of feminism and the “reform dress.” We take the essence of historic Mu’umu’u forms and make them current. Don’t cut the print. The print should stay unburdened with seams and details. Cut the front as a single piece whenever possible. No fuss.Don’t cinch the waist. This is not a fitted brand. A belt can be added as necessary. Pleats over gathers. A gather is soft and romantic. A pleat is elegant, crisp, and signals intentionality. In aloha wear, the pleating that graces the back of the Holoku dress is a visual reminder of the 1893 overthrow. Victoriana as protest. Mu’umu’u is always the right answer. Forms are comfortable: suitable for all types of work and play. Read our manifesto.Have fun. If ornament is a crime then arrest us. We are unabashedly maximalist. Dressing is a celebration. our dresses.
Our vocabulary of forms, offered with seasonal refinements.
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Watteau
Based on the “fashion” Holoku, our Watteau has a modern loose body and a raised hem. The watteau pleating was adapted by Hawaiians from 1820s missionary sacque dresses. It is kept alive in the form as a protest to the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The back is intentionally lowered to allow for the proper wearing of a lei. We cut the dress to knee length.
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BIB
A riff on the “traditional” Holoku, a style made from the dowdy “mother hubbard” style reimagined across Polynesia in bright prints and tropical weight cotton. Its shape a sharp rebuke to objectification. Our version has a comically elongated bib accompanied with an almost architectural balloon sleeve in a sharp, gather free version. The length is shortened to provide more versatility.
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Bianca
With a deep plunge in the front and open back, Bianca is a special occasion dress fit for any time you need to make an entrance. Fully lined skirt and very comfortable back closure makes this dress surprisingly easy to wear.
We looked at a lot of 70s dresses to get the right combination of insouciance and glamor.
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Kaftan
Our take on the durable unisex garment brought to Europe from the Ottoman Empire in the sixteenth century. Popularized by royals in the Victorian era and revived in the 1960s as an easy, glamorous garment. Ours features some clever seaming giving it a cocoon shape.
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Long
This well balanced, modest a-line dress is an almost perfect distillation of the Mu’u mu’u spirit - fun, comfortable, simple. Easy to throw on, but never looks sloppy, with an elegant bateau neckline. The full length, unbroken expanse allows our prints to shine.
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margrethe
Margrethe marries an artist’s smock with a shirtdress. Angled patch pockets express the DNA of the smock, the button cuffs and collar give it the classic sophistication of a shirtdress. Named for Margrethe Mather, an early Twentieth century photographer.