Pastel Dress on a Form Stand Limoges Box

A pastel dress on a dressmaker's form stand looks ready for its final fitting before a garden wedding or spring gala. This piece is a porcelain Limoges box, painted by hand in Limoges, France.

The Final Fitting

The dress form is the seamstress's silent partner, holding a gown while it is pinned, hemmed and perfected. Here the form and dress make up the box, with soft pastel colors painted by hand, giving it the airy look of a spring collection.

The Atelier Shelf

• Hand-painted porcelain from Limoges, France
• Fits a fashion, sewing or dressmaking collection
• Pairs with purse, bonnet, shoe and sewing machine boxes

Gifts for the Seamstress

Set it in a sewing room, on a dressing table or on a shelf in a bridal boutique. It makes a lovely present for a seamstress, a fashion design graduate, a bridal shop owner, or a bride to thank the person who altered her gown.

Porcelain has been made in Limoges since the late 1700s, when kaolin was found near Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche in 1768. Like a gown on a form, a Limoges box is shaped, fired and finished by many patient hands.