Of course I’d be late to the party and find the perfect summer dresses right as temperatures begin to drop ever closer to freezing around here. Brisbane-born, Bali-based Innika Choo dreams up the most lovely designs that are inspired by vintage Romanian smocks and made modern with colors and embroidery you just can’t help but love. (Or at least, I can’t help it. Look at those flowers!)

These linen dresses are totally handmade, dyed and smocked in a traditional Vietnamese style before being embellished with all manner of stitched petals and leaves. Just like our own bags, no two are exactly the same, which seems to suit Choo’s vision for the brand. She’s said that she loves “the feeling of a garment that has been held by many people. There’s something in the weight, or perhaps an energy in the garment, when so many people have helped make it.” 

The idea is for each dress to develop its own story, an inevitability if for no other reason than that there’s no sizing involved. It’s up to the wearer to style their dress in whatever way suits their fancy: cinched with the included belt or flowing free, laced up at the neck or untied and billowing. There’s no wrong way to wear an Innika Choo design, but so many right ways!

In related news, I think I need to plan a trip to Bali.