A pointed collar, a slender hanging tie and princess seams that hold the figure — tailoring for the days that ask to be taken seriously.
Free express delivery worldwide · import duties included
The Octavia is a midi tie-neck fitted sheath midi dress from the Livia collection — a dress conceived in Rome for weddings, the opera and occasions that ask for more. The tie-neck fitted sheath midi 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 Octavia is finished by hand: a concealed closure, real linings, and seams sewn to last. It is offered in 3 colors from the imperial palette — Basalt, Avorio, Travertine — and built to be worn for years, not a single season.
| Silhouette | Fitted sheath, princess-seamed bodice with a pointed shirt collar and a long slim self-tie at the throat |
| Fabric | Lightweight breathable crepe |
| Length | Midi, falling to mid-calf |
| Occasion | Office, formal daytime and occasion wear |
| Care | Dry clean, or cool gentle wash and steam |
Closely fitted through the bodice and hip with a defined waist; a smocked panel across the upper back gives quiet stretch and an easy, true fit.
Model is 177 cm and wears size S. Available S–XXL.
Falls to mid-calf. Size up if you prefer a softer line over the hip.
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 Octavia in Basalt 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
Octavia™Select color · Select size
A dress cut for presence, not noise.
Octavia takes the discipline of a tailored shirt and lengthens it into a sheath. The pointed collar sits crisp at the throat; a slim tie falls down the centre front and draws the eye into a long, considered line.
Princess seams trace the body from shoulder to hip, so the shape is held by cut alone — no belt, no fuss. The bishop sleeves gather softly at the shoulder and close at a buttoned cuff, a small piece of formality kept for the wrist.
Made to move from the desk to the evening unhurried.
Lightweight crepe gives the dress its quiet authority: matte, fluid and breathable, it skims rather than clings and keeps its line through a long day.
Across the upper back, a smocked panel lends discreet give, so the tailored fit stays comfortable from the first meeting to the last. In deep Basalt, it reads as a wardrobe constant — the dress you reach for when the day matters.
What she said after wearing it
Wore this to chair a funding committee and felt completely armoured in the best way. The princess seaming follows the body without a single pull, and that slim hanging tie at the throat reads as deliberate, not fussy. Crepe with a lovely matte finish, no shine, no cling.
The Basalt is a deep, true charcoal-black that stays inky even under harsh office lighting. So many dark dresses go grey on me. Not this one.
Fitted without being a sausage casing. The seams give it shape over the hips and it falls clean to mid-calf. Sat through a four-hour client lunch in it and never once tugged at the hem.
The tailoring is genuinely lovely — the princess seams hug without squeezing and the Basalt is a proper deep black. My only small wish, and it's entirely about my own short legs, is that it sat a touch higher on the calf. On a taller frame the length would be ideal. The dress itself is faultless and I'll be wearing it to every meeting that matters.
The Octavia in Travertine is exactly the kind of grown-up tailoring I'd hoped for — that hanging neck tie and the clean seaming are beautifully done. My only frustration was timing: the parcel landed in the country quickly, then a national day off here meant the last hop to my door stalled for a few extra days while everything was shut. No fault of the dress at all, which is genuinely gorgeous now it's hanging in my wardrobe.
Thank you for such a generous review, and for your patience while a local holiday held things up at the final stage — that pause is on us to communicate better, never on you. We're delighted the Travertine and its tie detail won you over, and if a delivery window is ever tight, contact@hctbeauty.com can flag your order so we plan around closures in advance. Wear the Octavia well. — HCT Atelier
It's the slender neck tie that sells the whole thing. You can leave it loose and soft or pull it into a neater knot. Such a small touch and it changes the mood of the dress entirely.
Ordered the Travertine half expecting beige boredom and got this warm stone shade that flatters more than ivory ever has on me. Reads expensive against a tan.
Bought it for a round of investor pitches where I needed to look like the most serious person in the room. The pointed collar and clean line did exactly that. Confidence on a hanger.
I'll start by saying the cut and the matte crepe are everything I wanted. The problem was mine entirely — I ordered the size I usually take and, with how fitted these princess seams are through the waist, I really should have gone up one. It's a fraction snug across the hips and that's down to my own guesswork, not the dress, which is beautifully made.
We so appreciate you being fair to the piece while you sort the fit — and the fit is ours to help with, not a judgement on your choice. The Octavia is cut close through the seamed waist, so a size up is often the kinder call, and our team at contact@hctbeauty.com will happily arrange an exchange and talk measurements with you first. You clearly love the dress, and we want it sitting exactly right. — HCT Atelier
Heavier than I expected and all the better for it. It hangs rather than floats, holds the seam lines, doesn't crease into a map after a train journey.
This is hard to rate low because the tailoring is genuinely excellent — the collar, the slim tie, the way the seams hold the figure are all spot on. The honest truth is I picked the Avorio online and once I had it in real daylight I realised ivory simply isn't a colour I reach for. Pure personal taste, nothing wrong with the dress whatsoever, which is exquisitely made.
Thank you for being so candid, and for speaking so kindly of the make even while the colour wasn't for you — choosing a shade from a screen is never easy and that's on us to make smoother. We'd love to help you into the Basalt or Travertine instead; drop us a line at contact@hctbeauty.com and we'll set up an exchange so you keep the tailoring you admired in a colour you'll actually wear. — HCT Atelier
Married at the town hall in the ivory one. Wanted understated and tailored rather than bridal froth, and this was perfect. Photographed beautifully in soft daylight.
My daughter sent me the link and I'm so glad she did. Dignified, fitted, age-appropriate without being matronly. The collar gives it a real polish.
From a 9am meeting to drinks at eight, no sag, no bagging at the knee, no sad waistline by evening. The princess seams keep it honest from morning till night.
I have a tie-neck sheath from a house that cost three times this and the Octavia is cut more cleverly through the waist. At 245 dollars I genuinely don't understand how.
Those vertical seams down the front are doing quiet, flattering work. I'm broad through the middle and this is the first fitted dress in years that I felt good sitting down in.
Slid it between two jumpers in a carry-on for a conference, hung it overnight in the bathroom and the few creases dropped out by morning. Crepe earns its keep when you travel light.
A pointed collar on a midi sheath shouldn't work as well as it does. It gives the whole thing a tailored, almost shirtdress crispness while staying soft. Clever, clever cut.
Sent the Basalt to my sister for her new courtroom job and she rang me nearly in tears. Said it was the most grown-up, capable thing she owns. Sizing was spot on for her.
The matte crepe catches the light so gently — no sheen, just a soft even depth of colour. Stepped outside for photos at a christening and it looked considered in every frame.
Loved the Travertine so much that I ordered the ivory a fortnight later. Same flawless seaming, same easy fit. They're becoming my uniform for anything that matters.
Inside seams are clean and the construction feels honest — nothing scratchy, nothing raw. You can tell where the money went, and it went into the cut rather than a logo.
Hits at exactly the elegant point on the calf, the waist lands where my actual waist is, and the collar sits flat without gaping. Whoever drafted this understood real bodies.
Wore it to a private viewing surrounded by people in far flashier things and felt quietly the best dressed. The restraint is the point. A serious dress for people who don't need to shout.
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. Basalt and the deeper tones read beautifully after dark; the lighter colors suit daytime.
Pieces that share the Basalt palette and the house line
