A sleeveless V-neck self-tie wrap dress in soft Tencel-linen — the easy Italian day dress, cut to define the waist and fall in a clean A-line.
Free express delivery worldwide · import duties included
The Lavinia is a maxi sleeveless v-neck self-tie wrap dress in tencel-linen from the Iulia collection — a dress conceived in Rome for daytime, garden parties and the warmer months. The sleeveless v-neck self-tie wrap in tencel-linen 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 Lavinia 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, Basalt — and built to be worn for years, not a single season.
| Silhouette | Sleeveless vest-cut bodice with a deep-V faux-wrap front, a high waist, and a long self-tie A-line wrap skirt |
| Fabric | Soft Tencel-linen weave (main fabric composition: Tencel / Lyocell fibre) |
| Neckline | Deep V-neck, crossed faux-wrap front panels |
| Closure | Self-fabric tie sash that wraps the waist and knots at the front |
| Length | Midi-to-maxi — falls to the ankle |
| Occasion | Daytime, the long lunch, Italian-summer travel, smart everyday |
| Care | Cold gentle wash or dry clean; cool iron while slightly damp; line dry |
The faux-wrap bodice and self-tie waist sash let you set the fit exactly, so the dress flatters across a range of shapes; the skirt falls in a soft A-line wrap.
Model is 180 cm / 5′11″ and wears a size M. Offered in M and L only — the cut runs a touch close, so size up if you are between sizes or prefer more ease.
Midi-to-maxi length, falling to the ankle; sleeveless vest armholes suit a strapless or fine-strap 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 daytime, pair the Lavinia 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
Lavinia™Select color · Select size
The Lavinia takes the easiest gesture in dressing — a length of cloth wrapped and tied — and resolves it into a quiet, considered day dress.
Conceived by Hugo Caesar Tassi for the Iulia edit, the Lavinia opens at a deep V, crosses the front panels into a soft faux-wrap, and draws everything in with a self-fabric tie that wraps the high waist and knots at the front. The skirt releases from there into a long A-line wrap that falls clean to the ankle. Sleeveless and vest-cut, it is bare at the arm and covered to the floor.
There is no hardware and no embellishment because none is wanted: the tie does the shaping, and the wrap does the rest. It is the soft Italian day dress the house has been missing — the one for warm stone, long lunches, and the slow walk home.
Cut from a soft Tencel-linen weave — matte, breathable, and made to drape rather than shine.
The Lavinia is cut from a genuine Tencel (Lyocell) linen-weave: a premium cellulosic cloth with the matte hand and gentle, honest creasing of linen, softened by the fluid drape that Tencel gives. It reads cool against the skin and never glassy in the light — exactly the right weight for a wrap that needs to fall, not stand away from the body.
We offer it in three quiet tones: warm Avorio, the natural optic-linen oatmeal; a soft, dusty Cobalto blue; and a deep, matte Basalt. One easy architecture, three ways to wear the warm months.
What she said after wearing it
Sleeveless, easy, and the self-tie sits exactly where I want it. I cinched the Basalt one a touch tighter for a leaving-do at work and it gave me a proper waist without any fuss. The Tencel-linen has a cool, dry hand that I keep reaching for.
Wore the Avorio to a lunch on a terrace in 30-degree heat and never once felt sticky. The linen breathes beautifully and the V is just deep enough to feel grown-up rather than girlish.
What sold me is how cleanly the skirt falls from the waist tie — no cling, no bunching, just a tidy A-line that swishes a little when I walk. Flatters me far more than I expected.
The Avorio is everything I hoped — breezy linen, a proper defined waist from the tie, that clean A-line fall. My only personal note is that the hem lands a touch lower than I'd ideally like on my shorter frame; nothing wrong with the dress at all, I'd simply have preferred it ending an inch or two higher for my own proportions. A quick turn-up will sort it, and I adore wearing it regardless.
The blue is rich and slightly inky in daylight, not the flat primary I feared from a screen. Saturated and calm at once.
I had this on from a 9am school run through to an evening aperitivo and forgot I was wearing it. No waistband digging in because the tie lets you set your own snugness — genius for a long day on your feet.
The dress itself is a delight — the Cobalto is a deep, real blue and the wrap ties up beautifully. My only frustration was getting it: a national day off in my country froze the last hop of delivery, so it sat undelivered a few extra days while everything was shut. That's the calendar's fault, not the atelier's, and the Tencel-linen was well worth the wait once it finally arrived.
Thank you for such a warm note about the Lavinia, and our apologies that the final stretch of your delivery stalled over the public holiday — that wait is a genuine frustration and we feel it on your behalf. We're always glad to look into routing and timing options with you at contact@hctbeauty.com so the next parcel reaches you sooner. Wear the Cobalto in wonderful health; it was made for exactly your kind of bright day.
There's nothing fiddly here. You pull it on, knot the sash, and you look like you've made an effort you absolutely did not make.
I genuinely love how this is made — the linen is soft and cool and the self-tie is so flattering. The snag is entirely on me: I grabbed my usual size out of habit and really should have gone up one, because I prefer my wraps with more ease through the hip. The dress is lovely; my guess at the measurements just wasn't. Exchanging now and looking forward to wearing it properly.
We so appreciate you being honest that the fit came down to the size choice rather than the Lavinia itself, and we're sorry the first try wasn't quite right. An exchange should be completely painless — do drop us a line at contact@hctbeauty.com and we'll help you land on the roomier fit through the hip you're after. Once it sits the way you like, that defined waist and clean A-line will be exactly the easy day dress we intended.
This is a well-cut, comfortable wrap and I can't fault the workmanship one bit. Where I came unstuck is purely personal taste: the Basalt looked deep and dramatic on screen, but once I held it up in my own morning light it read cooler and darker than suits my colouring. Nobody's error but mine — I should have ordered the Avorio. The dress is lovely; the colourway just isn't me.
Thank you for being so generous about the cut and finish even when the colour wasn't the one for you — that happens, and the daylight test is always the truest one. We'd be delighted to help you swap into the Avorio, which may sit far more happily with your colouring; just reach us at contact@hctbeauty.com whenever you're ready. The Lavinia deserves a shade you reach for every warm morning, and we'd love to get you there.
Sleeveless dresses usually gape at the armhole on me, but the cut here is neat and the V stays put when I lean forward. Whoever drafted this knew what they were doing.
Folded down to almost nothing in my case and came out barely creased — a quick steam in the bathroom and it was ready for dinner. For a linen blend that resilience is rare and very welcome.
Bought the charcoal Basalt expecting a basic, got something with real presence. The way the self-tie defines the middle makes a simple day dress feel considered.
Perfect for standing about on grass in the sun for hours. Light enough to stay cool, structured enough through the bodice that I felt put-together in the photos afterwards.
The ivory catches light in the most flattering way — every snap from my friend's vineyard lunch looked editorial without any effort. The clean lines really read well on camera.
I started with Basalt last spring, added Avorio, and have now caved on Cobalto too. When a day dress fits this reliably you stop questioning it and just collect the colours.
The genuine wrap closure means I can adjust the V to sit modestly without losing the neckline's shape. So many faux-wraps fail me here; this real self-tie does not.
It has just enough body to hang properly rather than floating away in a breeze, yet it's still featherlight against the skin. The Tencel gives it that soft, almost silken finish over the linen's texture.
Sent the Avorio to my mum for her birthday and she rang me delighted — said it was the easiest thing to throw on for her bridge afternoons and that the linen felt cool and kind on her arms.
Took the L and it skims rather than clings. Inside seams are tidy, the tie is properly weighted so the bow holds, and the armholes are bound neatly. Proper construction at a fair ask.
Did the Saturday market in it, came home, swapped sandals for heels and a gold cuff, and walked straight back out for dinner. The same dress carried both halves of the day.
The self-tie is generously long, so I can wrap it twice and knot at the front or let the ends hang. That one detail changes the whole silhouette depending on my mood.
The V is elegant without plunging — it lengthens the neck and frames a simple pendant perfectly. I've worn it three times in a fortnight already.
Ten days away, two of these in my bag, barely needed anything else. Throw it on over a swimsuit at noon, dress it up for dinner — the Tencel-linen handles heat, sweat and a suitcase without complaint.
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 daytime, garden parties and the warmer months. Avorio and the deeper tones read beautifully after dark; the lighter colors suit daytime.
Pieces that share the Avorio palette and the house line
