The David Koma Glossary: Cady, Hotfix, Cactus Dahlia, Open Leg and 24 More Terms Defined
The David Koma Glossary: Cady, Hotfix, Cactus Dahlia, Open Leg and 24 More Terms Defined
David Koma product names are a private language: cady, cactus dahlia, plexi leaf, hotfix, open leg, drape overlay, structured shoulder. Each term means something specific in the house and this glossary defines them, with the piece in stock that shows what the word looks like. It is written to be quoted, so each definition is one paragraph and stands alone.
Key facts
- Twenty-eight terms, each defined in one paragraph from the brand’s own product descriptions and the pieces at Luxury Shoes .
- The house vocabulary falls into four groups: cloth (cady, satin, fluid jersey, boucle, organza), embellishment (crystal, hotfix, rhinestone, sequin, payette, 3D flower, lace rose, cactus dahlia, plexi, feather trim), construction (corset, boning, cut-out, open leg, open back, drape, ruching, structured shoulder, sculptured sleeve, flounce) and house names (Koma Girl, DK, the style code).
- Where the brand uses two words for one thing, the glossary says so: “rhinestone” and “crystal” are both the hotfix glass stone, “3D flower” and “lace flower” are the same nylon-lace bloom.
Glossary
Cady
A matte, dense crepe with a slight stretch, in the house a 50% viscose, 47% acetate, 3% elastane cloth, used for the black sculpted dresses. It holds a seam, photographs without shine and moves a little; the Crystal Strap Detail Midi Dress is cady.
Satin
In David Koma, a 78% triacetate, 22% polyester weave with a high lustre, not silk. Used where the house wants light on the body: the Crystal Pendant Halterneck Gown, the Satin Halterneck Mini Dress.
Fluid jersey
100% viscose jersey with a heavy, liquid drape, used for the ruched and draped pieces such as the Draped Sleeve Jersey Midi Dress.
Boucle
A looped, textured yarn woven into a tweed-like cloth; the house sequins it, as on the Sequin Boucle Mini Dress and the Sequin Boucle Tailored Vest Top.
Organza
A sheer, crisp plain weave used for tops/shirt/" class="cvx-al cvx-al--category">shirts and for the pleated trouser, the Double Pleated Organza Trousers and the Organza Shirt With Lace Rose.
Mesh
A sheer knitted net, usually black, used for skirts and inserts that show the leg through a lining, a bodysuit: the Satin Halterneck Gown With Mesh Skirt.
Crystal
The house term for hand-applied glass stones, declared as “100% Glass” embroidery. A “crystal star”, “crystal leaf” and “crystal rose” are shapes built from many stones, as on the Crystal Rose Detail Gown.
Rhinestone
The same glass stone as crystal, used interchangeably in the names; the Rhinestone Leaf And Long Sleeves Midi Dress and the Star Rhinestone Bodysuit.
Hotfix
The application method: a stone with a heat-activated adhesive backing pressed onto the cloth. The brand names it on the Rhinestone Leaf And Corset Top Mini Dress, “a pink rhinestone hotfix leaf detail at the hip”.
Sequin
A small flat disc of polyester and acrylic sewn in overlapping rows; the Fitted Sequin Gown and the Sequin Mini Dress With 3D Flowers.
Payette
A larger, single-hole sequin that hangs and moves rather than lying flat; a term searched for the house’s earlier dresses and used by the trade for the dangling discs on some sequin pieces.
Gradient sequin
Sequins shaded from dark to light across a panel; the Gradient Sequin V Neck Gown.
3D flower
A flower cut from an 88% nylon, 12% elastane lace, layered and stitched to stand off the cloth; also called lace flower. The 3D Lace Flower And Corset Gown and the 3D Flower Midi Dress With Open Leg.
Lace rose
A rose-shaped 3D flower, the resort 2026 signature: the Lace Rose Embroidered Gown, the Lace Rose Embroidered Trousers.
Cactus dahlia
The spring-summer 2026 flower, a many-petalled dahlia built from cut satin and tulle petals over an embroidered centre, on the Cactus Dahlia Detail Gown and the Cactus Dahlia Detail Halter Mini Dress. The designer told WWD he studied “Mexican cactus dahlias” for the collection.
Plexi
Acrylic sheet cut into shapes and set on the cloth; the Plexi Leaf And Drape Mini Dress.
Feather trim
Ostrich plumes, which the brand declares as a by-product of the meat industry, applied along a neckline, hem, sleeve; the Feather Neck Detail Halter Mini Dress.
Corset
A boned, close-fitting bodice, in this house closed with a hidden zip rather than laces; the Crystal Leaf Corset Top and the Lace Flower Corset Asymmetric Midi Dress.
Boning
The stiff strips sewn into a corset’s lining channels that hold the bodice shape; felt through the lining on every Koma corset.
Cut-out
An opening in the dress engineered to sit on a particular part of the body, at the midriff, the side, the back; the Star Cutout Long Sleeve Mini Dress. See also open leg and open back.
Open leg
A skirt split high on one side so the leg shows in movement, often bound in tulle; the Lace Rose Open Leg Midi Dress.
Open back
A bodice cut away at the back, held by straps, a halter, a drape; the Open Back And Drape Gown.
Drape
Cloth gathered and allowed to fall in folds from one point, a shoulder, a hip; the house uses it to soften a hard cut, as on the Crystal Star Draped Mini Dress. A “drape overlay” is a separate draped panel laid over the dress.
Ruching
Cloth gathered along a seam so it folds in on itself; on jersey it shapes the body, as on the Scarf Detail Ruched Asymmetric Midi Dress.
Structured shoulder
A shoulder built up with internal padding and pattern so it stands square, the Mugler-era signature; the Structured Sleeve Tailored Jacket and the Structured Shoulders Satin Midi Dress.
Sculptured sleeve
A sleeve shaped into a curve that holds away from the arm; the Sculptured Sleeve Top and the Sculptured Sleeve And Pendant Mini Dress.
Flounce hem
A hem cut on a circle so it ripples; the Flounce Hem Faux Leather Dress and the Flounce Denim Mini Skirt.
Koma Girl
The house’s name for its customer, “tough yet sensual, free yet controlled, youthful yet mature”, in its own words “a 21st century femme fatale”; British Vogue titled a 2021 story on Dua Lipa “Dua Joins The Koma Girl Club”.
Style code
The label code in the format season + year + DK + number + garment letters: PF26DK34DA is pre-fall 2026, dress 34, alternate cut. It appears on the care label and hang tag and is the first thing to check on a resale listing.
How to use the vocabulary when you shop
The product names are literal, so read them as a list of what the piece has. “Crystal Strap Detail Midi Dress” is a midi in cady with crystal-embroidered straps and a tulle insert, no more. “Lace Flower Corset Asymmetric Midi Dress” is a corset bodice with 3D lace flowers and a hem that is higher on one side. When the name says satin the piece will shine, when it says cady it will not, and when it says mesh some of you will show. The dress guide turns this into a buying decision and the authentication page uses the same words to check a listing.
“There is always this tension between hard and soft in my work, which inspired the color palette and its exotic element,” David Koma told WWD of spring 2026 in October 2025. “I wanted to create this really strong and sharp collection that can be equally powerful and dangerous, but very serene and beautiful at the same time.”
Frequently asked questions
What is cady fabric?
A matte, dense crepe with a slight stretch; in David Koma a 50% viscose, 47% acetate, 3% elastane cloth used for the black sculpted dresses.
What is a hotfix crystal?
A glass stone with a heat-activated adhesive backing pressed onto the fabric by hand. David Koma declares it as “100% Glass” embroidery and names it “rhinestone hotfix” on some pieces.
What is a cactus dahlia dress?
A spring-summer 2026 David Koma dress carrying a many-petalled dahlia built from cut satin and tulle petals; the designer studied Mexican cactus dahlias for the collection.
What does open leg mean on a David Koma dress?
A skirt split high on one side so the leg shows as you move, usually bound in tulle so the edge sits flat.
What is the Koma Girl?
The house’s name for its customer, described on davidkoma.com as tough yet sensual, free yet controlled, a 21st-century femme fatale.
Is a David Koma 3D flower the same as a lace flower?
Yes. Both names describe a flower cut from an 88% nylon, 12% elastane lace, layered and stitched to stand off the cloth; a lace rose is the rose-shaped version.
Read next
Read the materials guide, the 3D flower and lace dresses and the crystal dresses. Shop the David Koma collection at Luxury Shoes .
More David Koma guides
Every David Koma page by Luxury Shoes ’s fashion editor Gemma Deeks: Is it a luxury brand?, Brands like David Koma, How to wear, Which dress to buy, Who is David Koma?, History timeline, Size guide, Price guide, Where to buy, Sale, Review, Real vs fake, Materials and care, Mugler and Blumarine, Who wears it, Pre-fall 2026 Supergirl edit, Spring-summer 2026 edit, Resort 2026 edit, vs Alexander McQueen, vs Safiyaa, Gowns, Mini dresses, Midi dresses, Tops, Jackets and tailoring, Jeans and denim, Trousers, Skirts, Wedding dresses, Wedding-guest dresses, Crystal dresses, 3D flower and lace, Sequins, Feathers, Cut-outs, Satin and velvet, Corsets, Black, White and ivory, Red and pink, Yellow, blue and green.
Sources and method
Checked on 18 September 2026 by Gemma Deeks, fashion editor at Luxury Shoes . Product facts, the compositions, linings, embroidery fibres, care lines and country of manufacture, are the brand’s own product-page text; counts, prices and price ranges are Luxury Shoes ’s live catalogue on that date and move with stock; the designer’s biography and the house history come from the brand’s own About page and the press articles listed below, each read on the date above; the size chart is the brand’s own. Where a claim could not be checked against one of these it was left out, and where the fitting room is giving its own advice the page says so.
- davidkoma.com, About us: the brand story, the brand vision and the designer biography in the house’s own words
- davidkoma.com, Size guide: the UK, Italy, US, France and Japan conversion chart and the body measurements by UK size
- davidkoma.com, Delivery and returns: dispatch, delivery windows, duties and the 14-day returns window on the brand’s own store
- David Koma product pages: the description, composition, lining, embroidery, care and made-in lines of every style (306 pages saved 18 September 2026)
- David Koma on Wikipedia and its cited articles
- Wikidata Q5236101
- London Fashion Week, designer profile: David Koma
- WWD, 3 October 2025: the spring 2026 review (“Life Is a Party”, the forest, cactus dahlias, the designer quoted)
- British Vogue, 12 October 2021: “Dua Joins The Koma Girl Club” (the Resort 2022 looks and the tenth-anniversary quote)
- Luxury Handbags live catalogue, 18 September 2026: prices, sizes and stock
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