I’ve had this pattern in my sewing queue since I first saw it in 2012. I was held up looking for the separating zipper in the correct length for the back. I never found one but the more I thought about it the less I wanted an exposed zipper on this dress.
I’m glad I omitted the zipper because I love the lines of the back on this dress and a zipper would have been a distraction. My fabric has enough stretch so that a zipper is not required. Besides leaving out the zipper the only other change I made was to cut the facing on the fold as a single piece. On the subject of cutting, it would have been easy to get the right/wrong sides mixed up with my fabric. The front pieces are all cut on a single layer. I put pieces of tape in the corners on the right side of the fabric and wrote the corresponding seam number on the tape. I normally don’t do this with Burda Style but once the pattern pieces were cut they looked like a bunch of triangles and it would have been easy to get things turned around.
I had the black and off-white knit in my stash but needed the brown. I headed to Britex in San Francisco and found this stretch woven in the suiting section. It is the exact shade of brown I was looking for and has an incredible amount of stretch for a woven.
The directions were pretty clear for Burda. The dress came together without any issues. If you are not one to do a muslin I recommend basting the side seams to make sure the dress fits well before sewing the sides. The front pieces all have center front markings. These are very important for aligning the top front properly.
My expectations were met with this dress. I was looking forward to the project and now that it is done I’m very happy with the result. I wore this dress to dinner on Saturday and felt great in it. As my husband and I walked to the restaurant I caught a glimpse of myself in a store-front window and thought “I love sewing my clothes”.
Love this color blocking. The dress details really sing and your color choices provide interest but don’t overwhelm the design. Just perfect.
Thank you Amy!
Very stylish dress and interesting that you added brown to the mix, love it.
Thank you Sharon!
Gorgeous dress and I’m glad you did it without the zipper. I really like your color combos too.
Thank you Renee!
I love this dress! I’ve had this in the back of my head since 2012 too. I will still make it!
Thank you Dawn!
Looks absolutely fantastic! Very chic & classy at the same time. As usual for you you sewed it beautifully!
Thank you Rosalind!
Your dress is amazing, I love everything about it.
Thank you Lori!
Élégante comme toujours! Excellents choix de tissus pour le patron. J’adore!
Merci Lise!
I have always liked this dress, and I double-love it in the colors you chose. Tres classey!
Thank you Nancy!
gorgeous. I actually bought that Burda issue for that pattern and then never sewed it. your version is great.
Thank you Beth!
Beautiful dress and I also agree on no exposed zipper. I think it would have been a distraction.
Thank you Mrs K!
Lucy, this dress is so high-end looking and you just look lovely in it! I agree, no exposed zip is necessary!
Thank you Sue!
Lovely job. I always liked this dress but hated the exposed zipper. I love your version!
Thank you Meigan!
Stunning! First Lady caliber! Congrats!
Thank you Jennifer!
Have recently been introduced to your site which I am thoroughly enjoying. I agree with Paula…..this is also my favorite. Although it is difficult to judge after that lovely red suit. Your choices are modern and fresh. Look forward to more!!
Thank you Yvonne!
This is definitely one of my favorites of your dresses.
Thank you Paula!