This dress has been fully formed in my mind ever since February, when I bought Burda 7783 and this beautiful linen/lurex blend at Hickeys in Dublin. Luckily, they print the fabric content and washing instructions right on the receipts, so I can tell you with some degree of accuracy that this dress is 53% linen, 44% rayon, and 3% lurex. As far as I’m concerned, this fabric is 100% gorgeous – it’s got a subtle bit of shine under bright lights that really makes it special.
The details on this pattern are really amazing. At first glance, it’s just a raglan-sleeved, princess lined shift dress, but then the little touches start to emerge… the pleated scoop pockets that integrate perfectly into the princess seam… the gathered, banded puff sleeve… the curved back darts that mimic a princess seam… the gently tapered hem… and the standing boat neck collar.
The fit is beautiful here, and the instructions were absolutely clear. The only parts I had issues with were their binding of the pockets (which had to be hand stitched inside despite their suggestion otherwise) and the sleeve binding, which I didn’t interface so I could get the full benefits of the bias around my muscular upper arms. Don’t believe the wrinkles in the above photos – it was an incredibly windy day on the river when we took these and I had to discard a good 60-70 photos due to my dress billowing oddly or my hair in my face, etc. So forgive the side and back views especially – it really doesn’t cling so much to my backside under normal conditions.
And if you didn’t believe me, here’s proof of the wind!
I made this specifically to wear to our friends Holly and Simon’s wedding at the end of the month, so this is the last time I’ll be wearing it before then!