I met Zardis on the plaza of the Registan in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Still covered in grime and residual camel hairs from the thick felt blankets that had pressed us into sleep in the warm hollows of yurts during our thirty-three day overland journey from the heart of China through the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and into Uzbekistan, I dragged myself,road-worn and groggy, to the plaza in the center of town, determined to see the brilliant turquoise domes that adorned the ancient midway of the Silk Road.  

 

I could see her from across the plaza—a diminutive young woman, with long black hair carefully braided, wearing a glorious silk dress.  After a month studying the textiles of the Silk Road I had experienced silk inevery incarnation—seen a single two-foot  long strand of the mythic fiber, sat with weavers in central China and learned their techniques,purchased bolts and bolts of brightly dyed crepes and taffetas in Kyrgyz bazaars—yet I had not seen such a beautiful dress the entire trip. Vivid plum, cerulean, and gold, it looked as though it had been woven all in one piece, yet it was perfectly pieced together and detailed with silk cords at the hem and seams. Without a breath of hesitation, I dashed across the brilliant tiled plaza and grabbed her by the arm, explaining in muddled Russian that I wanted to know where she found her dress.

 

The next day, stepping off the rickety minibus and out into the open air of the steppe, Zardis led me up a dirt road to the home of her extended family.  Once inside (and after a warm greeting by countless aunties and cousins, sisters and family friends enjoying a game of backgammon)the petite young woman—who, I had learned over tea the day before, was a chemistry student in Moscow, home for the summer— showed me a room whose walls were lined with traditional tapestries, floors covered in hand-tied rugs, antique trunks used as low tables, and in the center of the room, a giant loom.  I resisted the urge to touch everything.  The whole place smelled of raw silk and cumin, warm bread baking and lanolin.Explaining that generations of women in her family had made each tapestry and rug as part of an elaborate dowry, she cleared off one of the trunks and opened it.  She pulled piles of the most heart-stopping dresses from within,and laid them out on the floor, one by one for me—her great grandmother's creations. I inspected each withutter awe, the craftsmanship apparent in each tiny detail. The rich aroma of the musty trunks, the dim light, and the supple fabrics engulfed me in a sense of history and tradition, of women making their whole world with their hands.  I was completely lost in that world—that is, until Zardis whispered "would you like to try one on…?"

 

It was with this vivid history in mind that we created the Silk Road collection.  Inspired by the ease and suppleness of Crepe de Chine silk, we created elegant, simple silhouettes that let the fabric speakfor itself, and let your own personal style shine. With styles influenced from both ends of the silk road—from Ming style sleeves to French couture tulip skirts—you'll be sure to find an enamoring new love to make part of your own fashion history.