Collection: Evening Silk Wraps

For the cooler hours of an occasion. A wrap light enough to carry all evening, and warm enough that you actually want it by eleven.

Occasionwear is designed for the photographs, not for the temperature. The dress is chosen in spring for a September evening; the venue is beautiful and unheated; the drinks are outside. An evening wrap is what closes that gap — and in pure mulberry silk it does so without flattening the outfit underneath.

Every wrap in this collection is made from 100% mulberry silk and hand-dyed by artisans in Vietnam, shade by shade. Silk is unusual in being both very fine and genuinely insulating, which is why a wrap that folds into a clutch still takes the edge off a cool room or an open marquee. It sits softly over the shoulders rather than bulking them, and it holds its drape through a long evening.

The collection spans two moods. Deep jewel tones — emerald, peacock, burgundy, midnight — sit well against black tie and darker occasionwear. Softer shades — champagne, blush, pearl, sage — suit daytime ceremonies and dinners, and carry through to the evening without a change. Because each piece is dyed by hand, no two are identical; small variations in tone are the mark of the craft rather than a flaw in it.

Most of these wraps begin life at a wedding and stay in the wardrobe long afterwards. If you are dressing for one specifically, the Silk Wedding Shawls collection narrows the choice, and Mother of the Bride Silk Shawls is curated for a longer day. For the dress itself, the hand-embroidered pieces in the Velvet Atelier are made for the same evenings.

Cared for simply — an occasional gentle hand-wash in cool water, dried away from direct sunlight, stored loosely folded — silk keeps its colour and softness for years. Our guide to washing silk so it lasts twenty years covers it in a couple of minutes.

All Silk & Bears wraps are handmade in Vietnam using traditional artisan techniques, ship from the UK, and arrive in our gift box.