Anna Yakubovskaya's Tropical Silk Dress

Anna Yakubovskaya's painted silk dress was also selected for special recognition by the judges of the Hot Tropics show. Here's a photo of the garment on a mannequin:

Anna says, "I was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and because it is often cold there, there was never enough sun for my liking. It is probably because of this that I love bright, juicy, uplifting colors. The tropical theme is exactly for me!"

Anna uses the cold batik technique of painting silk. She starts with a sketch, then transfers this with pencil onto her silk fabric. The silk can be pretreated or not, depending on the dye or paint she will use. Next, she uses gutta to outline the sketch lines that she wants to keep. Gutta is a cold wax that prevents the colors from bleeding into each other wherever it is applied, thus preserving the outlines of her shapes. She can then apply the paint, achieving a look that is very similar to watercolor. For special effects, Anna may add alcohol or salt to alter the look of particular areas. After her painting has dried, she steams it to set the colors permanently and prevent their being affected by humidity.

You can see that Anna has been able to achieve the lush look of the tropics in this wonderful garment.