Vol. X— Whispers of Women

On the evening and daybreak of April 26–27, 2025, I had a dream that I was floating above the deck of a beautiful vessel sailing upon a placid sea. The horizon revealed blue waters and a clear sky. The weather was warm, but there was a constant soft breeze, and I continued to float and hover as a visitor who was there yet not present. The sun pierced the sky from the west like a stage spotlight, yielding a bright path on the water’s surface, reflecting towards me. It was as if someone was turning on a spotlight from a distance. Voices whispered in the distance upon the wind, signaling that I was in the company of others. Their utterances were like those of soft whistles mingling with the fluctuating sound of the vessel’s sails. I did not see them for the left side of my face baked in the sun, and I froze in a moment, facing the right railing only an arm’s distance away. My heart pondered the others, though somehow, I knew that turning around in the dream was forbidden. The voices were not human, but their pitch was carefree like that of youngsters. I began to think that they may have been angels.

The vessel continued to sail right to left towards the sunlight, but now I know it was westbound. In an instant, we sailed near a massive carved structure protruding from the deep. Like a building, it was rectilinear and larger than a city block — towering six stories high. It was hewn from white marble and contained larger-than-life images of majestic figures of all kinds of beasts, men, and women. The structure appeared to float in the water, even though it was a mass of countless tons.

My body froze as I hovered, but my spirit floated over the rail and off the vessel onto the white marble edifice, shining in the sun. I watched from the boat as my feet touched the surface. The stone was smooth but not slippery, and I walked through the carved sculptures of beasts and fowls, and men and women majestically, as if I were in a church or a temple. I gazed from the vessel and through my eyes on the marble all around me, and it all seemed to be well and fine. However, it was the sculpture of the walking lion that faced right that caught my attention. The lion was unforgettable and almost real in appearance. I was awestruck in the dream and wondered what the purpose of this experience was. My spirit returned to me in the dream on the vessel with the other beings, and we continued to sail towards a group of islands in a calm portion of the Earth.

And although I could not see their presence, I spoke to some of the young beings on the boat to teach them things that I knew. They were busy with one another, and everyone was happy. We continued to sail until we docked on a small island and climbed a high mountain. When we reached the top, the others were all gone, or maybe I was alone all that time. For a short space of time in the dream, I stopped hovering and pondered these things. And in my aloneness with the sun setting slowly in the distance, there appeared above my head a beautiful wedding gown made of silk and tulle. It was a type of Grecian chiton with 24-karat gold rope threaded through silk, belting the waist, hips, and knees. The gown hung from a rope above my head, as if it was coming from heaven on a golden hanger and slowly descended above my head to another island below in the distance. The sun shone bright rays upon it, and I touched it and smiled.

I awoke in wonderment at this thing.

In a year since that time, I have come to know that the dream signaled the return of a gift. It is the gift of my couture craft that I had put away long ago in my heart because I’d come to a strange city and found no place for it. I had to sail a sea and climb a mountain to appreciate the gift again, which returned in the form of my revived house of couture in December of 2025. Thusly, I also resign to the meaning of this dream and the visage of the floating chiton gown. It is a signal to me that I must not only make clothing for men. A great gift has returned, so I may also serve women who have given their hand in holy matrimony.

I am planning to add a Stacy Stewart Smith women’s wear line in 2027. Be the first to know — contact the atelier.

Explore the current collection at stacystewartsmith.com.