A loose cotton-linen shift with a split collar and a curved shirttail hem — the easy dress for warm, unhurried days.
Free express delivery worldwide · import duties included
The Antonia is a mini split v-neck cotton-linen shift dress from the Livia collection — a dress conceived in Rome for weddings, the opera and occasions that ask for more. The split v-neck cotton-linen shift is cut from structured crepe that holds a clean line, fully lined so it reads opaque in daylight and flash alike.
Like every Hugo Caesar Tassi piece, the Antonia is finished by hand: a concealed closure, real linings, and seams sewn to last. It is offered in 3 colors from the imperial palette — Avorio, Cobalto, Vermiglio — and built to be worn for years, not a single season.
| Silhouette | Loose straight shift with a split V-neck and short notched stand collar, short cap sleeves, curved shirttail hem |
| Fabric | Natural cotton-linen |
| Length | Short, sitting above the knee with a curved side-dipping hem |
| Occasion | Warm-weather day and relaxed occasion wear |
| Care | Cool gentle machine wash, line dry, warm iron while slightly damp |
Cut loose and straight with plenty of ease; the curved shirttail hem dips at the sides and sits above the knee.
Model is 176 cm and wears size S. Available S–XXL.
Relaxed through the body — take your usual size, or size down for a closer line.
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 Antonia 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.
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Antonia™Select color · Select size
Linen the way summer should feel — light, loose, unbothered.
Antonia keeps everything soft. A split V-neck breaks at a short notched collar; short cap sleeves fall from a dropped shoulder; the body skims straight to a curved shirttail hem that dips a touch lower at the sides.
There is no waist seam and nothing to fuss over — the cut does the work and the cloth does the rest. It is the dress you reach for when the day is warm and the plan is loose.
Cotton-linen made to breathe in the heat.
Woven from natural cotton-linen, the cloth carries a gentle slub and a dry, breathable hand that only softens with wear. It moves air, resists the heat and creases just enough to look lived-in rather than laboured.
In warm Avorio, against travertine and afternoon light, it reads quiet and modern — a piece that travels easily from a long lunch to a slow evening.
What she said after wearing it
The cotton-linen has that lovely dry, cool hand that only gets better once it has been worn in a little. I throw it on for long lunches that drift into the afternoon and never once think about it again. The Avorio is a soft, warm ivory rather than a stark white.
It is the little notch at the neck that sells the whole thing. Sits open and easy without gaping, and the shirttail curve at the hem means it looks finished whether I leave it loose or knot one side up.
Everything about this shift is right for me, the cool cotton-linen, the easy shape, the Vermiglio that glows in summer light. The only thing that is purely down to my own taste is the neckline, I tend to suit a deeper or rounder opening and find myself wishing the split V dipped a touch lower for me. A me thing, not a fault, and it does nothing to dim how much I reach for it.
Saw it on the screen and worried it would read flat. In actual daylight the Cobalto is deep and a touch inky, gorgeous against a tan, and it holds its colour beautifully through repeat washes.
Loose without looking like a sack. The shift cut skims rather than clings, which at my age is exactly what I want for a warm garden party.
Wore it through a sticky July afternoon and stayed cool the whole time. Cotton-linen is the only thing I trust in real heat and this one is cut generously enough to let the air move.
I ordered the Cobalto right in the thick of the summer rush, and with every courier swamped at that time of year the parcel took noticeably longer to reach me than I had expected, well over a week of refreshing the tracking. The dress itself, once it landed, was lovely, the linen cool and the cut just as easy as I had hoped. The hold-up was simply the season, not the atelier.
Thank you for your patience and for such a generous review of the Antonia. You are quite right that the carrier networks slow to a crawl at the busiest point of the season, and we are sorry the wait stretched longer than it should have. We are always glad to keep you posted on timing ahead of a dispatch, so do write to contact@hctbeauty.com any time. We are delighted the cotton-linen shift was waiting at the end of it.
The red is properly confident, a warm vermilion that flatters rather than shouts. I bought it for a friend's vineyard celebration and felt put-together with zero effort. The curved hem is such a clever, quiet detail.
Completely my own doing, I packed up the flat and changed address halfway through this order, then had to chase the parcel across to the new place, which turned into a small saga of forwarding and missed deliveries. The Antonia itself, the Avorio, is exactly the gentle warm-weather dress I wanted, soft and breezy. The logistics were the headache, never the dress.
We are sorry the delivery turned into such a runaround while you were settling into a new home, moving house is enough upheaval without a parcel adding to it. For anything in transit, a quick note to contact@hctbeauty.com lets us reroute or hold a piece for you, and we will gladly do that next time. It means a great deal that the Antonia in Avorio was the soft, easy thing waiting once the dust settled.
I sat right on the line between two sizes and talked myself into the smaller one, which on a loose shift like this was the wrong call, it pulled where the whole point is to drift. The Vermiglio colour is stunning and the cotton-linen feels gorgeous, so this is entirely my error and not the dress, which I am sure is beautifully cut in the right size.
Thank you for being so fair about it, and please do not be hard on yourself, sizing between two options is genuinely tricky to call from a screen. We would love to put this right, an exchange for the next size up is straightforward, so do reach out to contact@hctbeauty.com and we will sort it for you. The Antonia is meant to float exactly as you describe, and in the right fit that gorgeous Vermiglio will do just that.
Linen wrinkles, that is its nature, but this blend softens rather than shatters into harsh lines. A few hours in and the creases just look lived-in and intentional. Construction inside is tidy, with clean seams.
Six minutes from shower to door and I looked like I had planned an outfit.
I went in expecting to sacrifice ease for a nicer cut and got both. No tight waistband, no fuss, just a roomy shift I can sit cross-legged in at a long terrace dinner and forget I am wearing.
The shift shape floats away from the middle and lands at a really kind point on the leg for me. The split V opens the neckline up so it never feels matronly. Quietly very flattering.
Squashed it into a carry-on for a week down south, gave it a shake each morning, and it came good every time. For a linen-blend that is no small thing. Wore it to dinners and to the beach bar both.
Bought the Avorio for my mother who is forever hard to shop for. She rang me the evening it arrived genuinely delighted, said it was the most comfortable thing she owns and she has barely worn anything else this summer.
I have linen shifts from labels charging nearly double and this sits right up there on cut and cloth. The shirttail hem and that split neck are the kind of finishing those others skip. Pleased I took the chance.
Came up beautifully in our holiday pictures, the cloth catching the light without any shine. The Cobalto especially looked rich in the late afternoon.
It came wrapped with real care, layered between sheets of soft paper and a little hand-written note from the atelier tucked on top. Made the whole thing feel considered rather than just posted.
Started with the ivory, then the cobalt followed me home, and now the vermilion is on its way. When something works this well on you, why fight it.
I am fairly petite and midis can swallow me, but the proportions here are judged well and the curved shirttail keeps it from looking heavy. Hits below the knee and moves nicely when I walk.
Bare sandals and a basket for the market in the morning, then heeled mules and gold hoops for an evening out, same dress. It bends to whatever the day turns into.
No scratch, no stiffness, none of the cardboard feeling cheaper linen has at first. It felt broken-in and gentle from the very first wear, and softer still after a wash.
Nothing loud about it, and that is the appeal. The understated split collar and the unhurried, easy line make it feel grown-up and considered for an occasion without ever trying too hard.
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
