Defining Today’s Relaxed Elegance

The elegant bespoke dresses and caftans of Margit Reydon exude an air of the exotic about them.  With their flowing silky forms, they are the complete expression of femininity as they move with the body and bring a relaxed elegance to the form.  When you wear her dresses, you feel as if you have been transformed into some mystical goddess.  The experience becomes something beautifully otherworld, something theatrical like a mid-summer night paradise.

“I am about free expression,” explains Margit. “My creations are made for versatility.  You can wear them anyway you’d like and transform them into any look you want.”  For Margit, creative interpretation on the part of the wearers is very important as is their interpretation of how they want to style the pieces.  “Whoever wears my dress can become part of the artistic process too.  Similar to a subject in a painting,” Margit offers.  “This way everybody becomes part of the artwork!”

Painting is what Margit especially does best as she thoughtfully lays out the designs with her swirling brush and adds her personal expression to every dress.  The colour mixtures are all devised by Margit, as her studio gradually transforms into some sort of laboratory during this part of the process as different pots and jars appear. The varying layers of hues and highlights she adds to every dress bring their own sort of combination of feeling.  When you watch her paint, it is almost like watching a dance of expression. 

 “Whoever wears my dress can become part of the artistic process too.”

“I am led by my emotions to guide my paintbrush across the silk,” Margit explains.  “The colours reflect my own state of being in the moment.”  Surrounded by the wonderful natural palate of the Tuscan landscape at her atelier, Margit often finds her inspiration in the stunning hues of the rustic countryside and its extraordinary lighting.  When she hand-paints the silk materials in her garden, she is often inspired by the shadows of light falling across the landscape.  Tuscany is the place of ethereal beauty and Margit seems to capture these sentiments on her dresses.

So too her travels and upbringing are part of the inspirational mix found in Margit’s designs and her unique brand of easy sophistication that she brings to every hand-crafted piece.  The synthesis of her Indonesian-Dutch ancestory, her European roots in the Netherlands, an early childhood in the Caribbean, her extensive travels to Africa and Asia and her many years living in Tuscany all have contributed to her signature caftan designs and silky dresses.

“I am all about relaxed living,” Margit smiles.  “I want to create dresses that reflect this and my version of the caftans seem to work.”  With a list of international clients who are lucky enough to swish around in their Margit Reydon designs, no doubt they are feeling this intended breezy vibe.