The patisserie team at Ohio-based specialty grocer Dorothy Lane Market displayed a 40-lb white chocolate dress worn by a model at its annual Spring Fling Pastry & Food Show in April.

The dress — which was modeled for nearly three hours — was handmade and included 125 chocolate flowers, 200 gum paste flowers and 25 hand-painted rice paper butterflies and chocolate branches.


“The most surreal part was seeing it all come together,” says Lindsey Lucas, Dorothy Lane patisserie manager. “It’s one thing to think up ideas and know how you want it to come out; but achieving it can be challenging.”

Part of the challenge was deciding how the dress could support its own weight. A papier-mache cast was made of the mode’s body, which added stability and created a barrier between the chocolate and the model’s skin.

Dorothy Lane is a locally owned specialty food store with three Ohio locations. The store’s claim is as a mecca for all things foodie.