A deep-V halter and a crossed empire waist falling into a long fluid column — the Roman goddess line, cut clean.
Free express delivery worldwide · import duties included
The Aelia is a maxi grecian cross-front halter maxi dress in jersey from the Victoria collection — a dress conceived in Rome for weddings, the opera and occasions that ask for more. The grecian cross-front halter maxi in jersey is cut from a heavyweight jersey that drapes like liquid, fully lined so it reads opaque in daylight and flash alike.
Like every Hugo Caesar Tassi piece, the Aelia is finished by hand: a concealed closure, real linings, and seams sewn to last. It is offered in 4 colors from the imperial palette — Avorio, Porpora, Basalt, Cobalto — and built to be worn for years, not a single season.
| Silhouette | Deep-V halter neckline, crossed surplice empire bodice, long flowing column skirt |
| Fabric | Soft fluid jersey, fully lined through the bodice |
| Neckline | Deep V halter with a wrapped, crossed empire waist |
| Length | Maxi — floor-skimming |
| Occasion | Weddings, occasion dressing, garden galas, the long evening |
| Care | Dry clean or cold gentle wash; cool iron on reverse |
True to size with a forgiving, fluid drape; the crossed waist defines without gripping. Take your usual size.
Model is 173 cm / 5′8″ and wears a size S. Offered S–3XL, including extended sizes.
Cut long for heels; the halter best suits an adhesive or strapless bra.
Complimentary express shipping worldwide; dispatched within 1–6 business days, import duties included. Most orders arrive in 3–6 business days.
30-day returns on unworn items with tags attached. Each piece arrives in a porphyry box with the HCT seal.
For occasion, pair the Aelia in Avorio with fine-gold jewelry and a barely-there heel. Add the Faustina silk scarf at the neck or wrist to complete the look.
Keep reading & explore the edit
Aelia™Select color · Select size
The Aelia takes the draped Roman chiton and resolves it into a single clean column.
Designed by Hugo Caesar Tassi for the Victoria line, the Aelia opens at a deep halter V, then crosses the fluid jersey over an empire waist — the way a chiton is gathered and pinned — before releasing into a long, unbroken skirt. It is the goddess silhouette, stripped of fuss.
There is no embellishment because none is needed; the drama is in the drape and the way the crossed waist lengthens the whole line. Bare at the shoulders, covered to the floor.
Soft jersey, fully lined through the bodice, made to fall and flow from first step to last.
The Aelia is built from a soft, fluid jersey that drapes like water and holds its column through movement, lined through the bodice so the line stays clean and opaque. The crossed empire waist does the shaping; the skirt simply falls.
Offered in pale Avorio ivory, deep Porpora wine, quiet Basalt and midnight Cobalto — one architecture, four ways to enter a room.
What she said after wearing it
The crossed empire waist sits exactly where it should and the jersey pours down from there into this long, unbroken column. I wore the Avorio to a summer wedding and felt like I'd stepped off a frieze. Quietly spectacular.
Deep-V halter with no fuss and no gaping — the cross-front holds everything in place beautifully. Bought the Basalt for a black-tie dinner and the jersey moved with me all evening instead of fighting me.
What sold me is the hand of the fabric. This jersey has a real weight to it, so the column hangs straight and skims rather than clings. Nothing cheap or thin about it.
Ordered the Porpora half-expecting something flat, and in afternoon light it's this deep, glowing wine-purple that shifts as you move. Photographs like a dream, looks even richer in person.
Everything about the Aelia is right — the jersey drape, the crossed waist, the deep halter that stays put. The only thing is that at barely 5'2" the column pools a touch at my feet. A quick turn-up at the tailor and it'll be perfection. Entirely a me problem, the dress itself is lovely.
Some occasion dresses wear you. This one let me breathe, sit, dance and eat without a single adjustment. The empire seam does all the shaping so the rest just flows.
I ordered the Basalt as a surprise for my sister's anniversary and, not knowing her measurements as well as I thought, picked one size too small. The exchange sorted it and she's now living in it — the jersey column suits her completely. I just wish I'd asked her first instead of guessing.
Thank you for choosing the Aelia for such a special occasion. Surprises are wonderful but sizing them blind is always a gamble, and we're glad the swap went smoothly — that's exactly what our 30-day exchanges are for. If ever you'd like a hand with measurements before a gift, do write to us at contact@hctbeauty.com and we'll happily talk you through it. Wishing your sister many lovely evenings in her goddess column.
The dress is genuinely beautiful — the Cobalto column drapes like liquid and I adore it. The frustration was purely the journey: it sat in an inspection backlog for the better part of two weeks, with nothing owed at my end, just an agonising stretch of refreshing the tracking. The Aelia was worth waiting for; the waiting itself wore thin.
We're so pleased the Aelia lives up to its promise on you, and we're genuinely sorry the customs backlog held it hostage for so long. Duties were settled in advance precisely so nothing lands on you, but we know that doesn't soften a fortnight of silent tracking. We're reviewing routing on that lane now. Should a future order ever stall, reach us at contact@hctbeauty.com and we'll chase it personally — thank you for your patience, and enjoy that Cobalto.
In a rush at checkout I fumbled my house number, and of course the parcel went off to the wrong street entirely. That was on me. The atelier's team tracked it down and rerouted it to me within a couple of days, which I appreciated. When it finally arrived, the Avorio dress was every bit the marble-soft column I'd hoped for — I just put us all through unnecessary trouble.
We're truly glad the Aelia reached you in the end and that it was everything you'd imagined in Avorio. A slipped digit is the easiest thing in the world to do, and you should never feel it reflects on you — recovering and redirecting parcels is simply part of looking after our customers. Our team was happy to help. If you'd ever like to double-check details before an order ships, contact@hctbeauty.com is always open. Wear it in wonderful health.
Long, fluid, clean — there's no zip digging in, no boning, just that gathered cross at the waist and yards of lovely drape below. I've never felt taller or more at ease in a maxi.
Wore the Cobalto to a gala evening and it was perfect for a long night of sitting then standing then mingling. The jersey doesn't crease where you fold, which I cannot say for most of my eveningwear.
I'm short-waisted and dreaded an empire line, but the crossed band actually lengthens the torso and the column does the rest. Genuinely the most elegant my silhouette has looked in years.
I've paid double at designer counters for jersey gowns with worse drape and flimsier necklines. The Aelia undercuts them and quietly outclasses them. Rare to feel you've come out ahead.
The ivory reads warm and creamy rather than stark white, which is so much kinder against skin. Against a tan it looked like something out of an old Roman villa. Stunning in daylight.
Folded it small into a carry-on for a destination event, and the jersey emerged needing nothing — no steam, no hanging out overnight. The column fell straight the moment I slipped it on.
It's that crossed empire band that makes it. It gathers the bodice softly, gives shape without squeezing, and frames the deep-V so it stays put. Clever, quiet construction you only appreciate once it's on.
Three different people at the reception stopped to ask about the dress. I just said it was a Roman atelier and left it mysterious.
Eight hours, a long dinner and a dance floor, and I never once thought about what I was wearing. The jersey breathes, the halter doesn't pull at the neck, the column moves freely. Bliss.
Bought the Basalt for my daughter's engagement party and she nearly cried. The way the fabric falls had her twirling in the mirror. Easily the best present I've given.
Dressed it up with chandelier earrings for the wedding, then later wore it with flat sandals and a denim jacket for a garden lunch. The clean column takes whatever you throw at it.
Loved the Avorio so much that the Cobalto followed a fortnight later. Two colourways, same flawless drape, and I regret nothing.
It came nestled in soft layers inside a proper box with a printed card from the atelier — felt considered and grown-up, not like fast fashion shoved in a poly bag. Made the whole thing feel special.
At 5'9" I usually find maxis stop awkwardly mid-calf. This one actually reaches the floor with a heel, which is what a goddess column is meant to do. Finally a long dress made for tall women.
Nothing about it shouts — no sequins, no slits to the hip — yet the deep halter and that long Porpora column read as pure understated luxury. It's the dress people remember without quite knowing why.
Answered by the Hugo Caesar Tassi atelier
It's fully lined and completely opaque — no slip required. Only the lightest details are very slightly sheer, by design.
True to size through the waist and skirt. The bodice is tailored, so size up if you're fuller in the bust. See the size guide for exact measurements.
Very much so — it was designed for weddings, the opera and occasions that ask for more. Avorio and the deeper tones read beautifully after dark; the lighter colors suit daytime.
Pieces that share the Avorio palette and the house line
