The Cape Dresses

Ayo Fuchsia Flower Cape Dress with raised floral embroidery, worn with gold heels against a blue backdrop

The Cape Dress Collection · 4 November 2026

It started with
a ball in Texas.

Cape dresses, handmade in Lagos.
Arriving Wednesday, 4 November.
8am for subscribers · 9am for everyone else.
All times UK time.

A dress for the invitation you’re excited about. And comfortable enough to enjoy the whole night.

Email me when they arrive

No more than eight in any fabric.

Made by Helen in LagosStretch slip includedOne size · Small numbers

A note from Yvonne

“What am I going to wear?”

I was invited to a debutante ball in Waco, Texas. I wanted a dress I would feel beautiful in. Something different. And, just as important, something comfortable enough to enjoy the whole night.

The dresses I found were so expensive that I decided to make my own.

On the night, I stood out. I felt beautiful. And people kept asking me where my dress was from.

“Kemi Telford,” I told them. “Bespoke.”

That’s when I realised: if I needed this dress, the Kemi Telford woman needs it too.

Ayo Fuchsia Flower Cape Dress worn with its slip and gold heels

The shape

Somewhere between
a kaftan and a coat.

I love the shape of a cape. It falls from the shoulders, ties at the back of the neck, and moves with you.

Each dress comes with a stretch slip. Wear them together to Christmas cocktail parties and weddings. Or leave the slip off and wear the cape over jeans.

That’s exactly how I wore mine on Sunday, with jeans, when The Observer featured me in its 30 most stylish people in England.

One size, with a generous, flowing cut. If you’re unsure about the fit, ask us before you choose.

The fabric

Found by a friend.

Last year in Nigeria, I built a real relationship with a fabric vendor. I told him exactly what I was looking for, and he did not disappoint.

Most of the fabric in this collection was sourced for us by him. Much of it is deadstock, the end of a roll, so there was only ever a little of each.

The palm tree was my first love. Silver and gold palms, embroidered on delicate black net. I knew straight away.

The making

Made by Helen.

Every dress is cut and sewn by hand in Lagos by Helen.

I’ve worked with Helen since 2020. I wasn’t looking for a factory. I was looking for a woman we could invest in and grow with. Today, Helen is more like a sister to me than a tailor.

Made in small numbers. No more than eight dresses in any one fabric.

A first look