A Letter From Rosemary: Why We Made Bianca
A Letter From Rosemary · Founder of Rosemary & Faye New York
New York · September 2026
A Letter From The Founder
I wanted one dress that could do brunch, a wedding and a Tuesday. So we made the Bianca.
On the six things I insisted on when we made our polka-dot chiffon midi, how it carries straight through into autumn with a cardigan over it, and why it is clearing as I close my final boutique.
For years I owned two kinds of dress. The first looked lovely on the hanger and clung to every part of me the moment the day warmed up. The second was comfortable and made me look like I had stopped caring.
I never accepted that a woman our age has to choose between the two. The Bianca is my answer, and I argued for six things when we made it — usually with a supplier who wanted me to do the cheaper thing instead.
It is September now and mine has not gone into storage. A cardigan over the shoulders and it carries straight on through the autumn, which is the whole point of a dress made properly.
1A chiffon skirt that moves instead of clinging.
Lightweight, layered chiffon, cut full enough that the air moves underneath it. That is the whole difference between a dress you keep pulling away from yourself and one you forget you are wearing by ten past eleven.
★★★★★
"It skims straight over the part of my middle I am self conscious about instead of hugging it. The first dress in years that does."
Linda K., Cape Coral
2A V-neckline that is flattering, not revealing.
Cut to open up the neck and shoulders and stop exactly where it should. I wanted a neckline a woman can wear to her granddaughter’s christening and to a work lunch without checking a mirror in between.
★★★★★
"I am careful about necklines these days. This one is open enough to feel like summer and closed enough that I did not think about it once all afternoon."
Patricia H., Sarasota
3Buttons down the front, because details matter.
The bodice is finished with a row of buttons down the front. It is a small thing and it costs more to make, and it is the reason the Bianca reads as a proper dress rather than something pulled over your head.
★★★★★
"Two women asked me where it was from. It was the buttons, I think. It looks far more expensive than it was."
Rhonda K., Albany
4A waist that is defined, not squeezed.
The bodice is fitted through the waist so you keep a shape, and the skirt is released from there so nothing pulls when you sit down to eat. You should be able to have a second helping in a dress. That is not a small ask, and most makers get it wrong.
★★★★★
"Wore it to a long lunch and never once had to sit up straight to be comfortable. That is new for me."
Joan D., Rochester
5A midi length that carries into the autumn.
Long enough to feel elegant, short enough to walk in, and it does not stop when the season does. Flat sandals in the morning, a heel in the evening, and once the mornings turn, a knit cardigan over the top and a pair of boots. One dress, three seasons.
★★★★★
"I bought it for the summer and I am still wearing it in September with a cardigan over it. That has never happened with a dress I own."
Maureen S., Buffalo
6Three quiet colours, and sizes XS to 3XL.
Blue, grey and black. No colour we could not defend, and no size run that stops just before the women who most want the dress. If you are between sizes, take the larger one.
★★★★★
"I ordered the blue and I am now looking at the black, which is exactly what I told myself I would not do."
Barbara F., Syracuse
The Bianca, against the dresses you have been buying
You can find a dress for sixty dollars almost anywhere. I know, because before I made the Bianca I bought a great many of them, trying to find the one that did not let me down by lunchtime. Here is the difference, laid out plainly.
The dresses you have been buying
Clings the moment the day warms up
A neckline you keep adjusting
Pulled over the head, no real finishing
Tight at the waist, or no shape at all
Packed away the moment the mornings turn
The Bianca
Layered chiffon that skims and lets air move
A V-neck cut to flatter, not to worry about
A buttoned bodice, properly finished
Defined at the waist, released through the skirt
Layers under a cardigan and carries on into autumn
I will not put our name on a dress that asks a woman to choose between being comfortable and looking like herself. That is the whole reason the Bianca exists.
Why the Bianca is clearing now
After years of building this brand, I am closing my final boutique and stepping into retirement. My daughter Faye grew up alongside the business, and she is ready to lead Rosemary & Faye New York into its next chapter with her own perspective. I am proud to hand it to her.
That means this is my final collection, and it is clearing at up to 70 percent off — the pieces I chose myself over the years, going out before her era begins. I will be plain about it: the Bianca goes by size before it goes by colour, the middle sizes empty first, and there is no next production run under my name. If your size is still showing on the product page, it is there today.
“
★★★★★
I bought the blue in June and have worn it more than everything else in my wardrobe put together. It is the only dress I own that works for a garden party and for the grocery run afterwards, and it is still in rotation now the leaves have turned.
Eleanor M., Ithaca
It is the dress I am proudest of. I would rather it went to women who will wear it than sit folded in a box as I close the doors.
The reviews say the same things I have heard from women in person for years — 4.8 stars across 3,166 of them. If you have ever wanted a dress that flatters without clinging and does not get packed away in September, this is the one I would put in your hands myself, while your size is still in stock.
— Rosemary
The Bianca Polka-Dot Chiffon Midi Dress
★★★★★ 4.8 / 5 from 3,166 reviews
$59.95
- ✓Lightweight layered chiffon that skims and never clings
- ✓Flattering V-neck with a buttoned, fitted bodice
- ✓Midi length — layers under a cardigan into autumn
- ✓Blue, grey or black, XS to 3XL
- ✓Free shipping and a 30 day money back guarantee
Buy 2 and save: take a second piece and get an extra 10% off.
See if your size is still in stockAbout the writer. Rosemary founded Rosemary & Faye New York in honour of her daughter, who grew up alongside the business, learning every detail of it. Now, at 28, Faye is ready to lead the brand into its next chapter with a fresh, modern perspective.
As Faye steps forward, Rosemary is stepping into retirement — closing her final boutique and proudly passing the brand on to her.
This is a paid advertisement from Rosemary & Faye New York for our own products. Prices and availability are accurate while stock lasts as the collection clears.