The White Dress

The simple white shift is the most evocative of garments. It is the first dress of the newborn, tucked and buttoned at the hem. It is the traditional dress of christenings and confirmations. It is the young girl’s dress, the dress of maidenhood. It is the wedding dress, made of satin and silk and sewn with seed pearls. It is the dress of the sacrificial virgin, tied to a rock to be devoured by the dragon or rescued by the prince. It is the thin cotton shift worn next to the skin under medieval velvet robes. It is the dress worn by Joan of Arc, Anne Boleyn, Marie Antoinette and Mary Hamilton at their executions. Finally, the white shift is the shroud, the last dress of all.

The dress of parity and of purity,
the white shift is the simplest, most scaled-down of dresses. It has never changed, and links us to times past. It is the most sculptural, the most modern of dresses, and is at the same time the most ancient dress
of all.