It feels impossible for me to have too many shift dresses. There are plenty of reasons for that, including the fact that they can be worn for so many different occasions. For as long as I’ve been sewing, I was searching for the perfect shift dress pattern. I must say that I never came across the best onethat can be used over and over again, but it wasn’t the main plan I had in mind. The idea was to try different designs and fill my wardrobe with lovely dresses.

This time I picked my pattern from Burda Style and it was a slightly unusual choice for me. It features an interesting V-neck detail that I never used before and a pleated skirt. It’s not exactly a pencil one, which makes it easier to sew - no back vent and too much fitting. Even still, I had to fit it quite a bit in the back. In the end, the good fit was achieved by adding two extra darts, something that almost always works for me. I also raised the V-neck a bit to make the dress a bit more modest. Surprisingly I also had to raise the bodice and shorten the sleeves - two completely conflicting adjustments, but it happens to be a feature of the pattern that many seamstresses have noticed.

I used English wool & mohair suiting fabric, which was the perfect choice for this dress. It’s quite lightweight and very suitable for the pleats. The colour is beautiful and it changes its intensity under different angles.

I used: