Indochine.

True, the French, and it's in history books, colonized South East Asia and it became known as French Indochina in 1887.

And left behind, until they were kicked out, croissants, French architecture, Latin replacing Chinese and religious converts.

However, in looking at this remarkable dress, it is almost impossible to determine who exactly conquered whom?

This is the dress Catherine Deneuve, as French rubber plantation owner Eliane Deveries, in the waning days of the occupation, would sidle into town looking for something to bring back.

It would usually be a man.

I found this in a small vintage boutique in Paris.

Indochine Dress (No. 2595). Echoes of a hundred years of cross-pollination are found in this silk knit fabric contoured to skim your body. A little Lycra keeps its shape. Mandarin collar is framed in piping. Sleeves button to form keyhole to pique interest. Ten inch slit for easy movement. Mid-calf length. Right side zipper.

Those flowers, as you notice, are designed to fall in just the right spots.

Women's Sizes: 2 through 16. Imported.

Colors: Sunset Orange with Black, Grey, White and Pink Print. (The colors of a Cambodian sunset.)