Burda dress

This dress is one of the two patterns I traced from the August Burda issue. I considered changing the sleeves in regular sleeves without pleat, but thought it would be nice to just try something different and do something that I wouldn’t normally do.
I made it from a very stable knit that doesn’t  need any finishing of the seam allowances. Might be what in English is called a “ponte” knit, not sure about what that exactly is, just that it’s a bit more stable than a regular knit (correct me if I’m wrong).
It was a relatively easy dress to make, the pleats on the sleeve were the only part needing a bit of extra attention . As I used a dark charcoal grey, the lines of the pattern are not very visible in the pictures. I cut the center front on the fold, the pattern has a seam there. Further I made the top part 2 cm longer and decreased the skirt length with 5 centimeters. It was a dull length on me. Definitely longer than the picture above suggests.

The dress on me, the shoes are not for this dress, or should have a blue accent elsewhere too.
   
I traced the pattern in a size 40 at the shoulders, tapering to 42 at the front at bustlevel and adding extra width at hip height (no surprise).
After sewing it together I took out a bit from the waist, as the 42 was definitely too big there, which I knew it would, but wanted to see how the dress was on me.  Needed a bit more waist definition than it originally had for me.
And important: the pattern calls for a side zipper. I ommitted it and initially just sewed the side seam with larger stitches just to see whether the zip was really needed. I could get in and out of the dress pretty easily without a zipper, so the seam got stitched with regular stitches.  I also omitted the stetch lining that was in the instructions. I cut the center front piece twice and made a back lining piece.
I consider making this pattern again with 2 colors and changing the sleeve to a regular 3/4 length sleeve. I did like to try the sleeve as the pattern is, but are not too enthousiastic about it, not the shape of it and not the way the sleeve “hangs” in the garment. Also important is that it makes it more difficult to wear a jacket or cardigan over the dress.
 
It must be the season of dresses for me. I went shopping and bought two (!) dresses as well. I needed some new work clothes and decided that it was not wise to think that I could make them all . Quite a change in perspective. I also bought a jacket recently in a special shade of green, for which I today bought fabric to match. That will be a dress as well. With the couture dress still in my sewing queu too, that will be far more dresses than I’ve had in years.