Burda 6388 evening gown

It feels like a long time since I last sewed a dress with some drama! If you remember the silver M8179 dress, it was the last origami look I made, which I loved so much and I’ve been craving a similar one lately! This Burda 6388 evening gown was perfect for that because of the beautiful bustier bodice featuring a half-bow and the end-less possibilities for the skirt design.

I sketched two skirt designs because I wasn’t sure whether the bodice bow satisfied my craving for drama or not. I thought a simple skirt would allow the bodice be the star of the show, yet I still wanted more drama!! (I am totally the opposite in my personal life though. Don’t bring any drama around me!)

So many of you commented that the left design looks more elegant and classic, yet the right design is more contemporary and playful. I had the exact same thought too. What really made me go with the right design was the rather ‘stiff’ drape of my duchess satin fabric, which wasn’t ideal for the fluid look of what I had in mind for the left design.

The sewing process went really smooth. I know the Burda patterns typically include minimal instructions compared to the big four, but I had no problems following along and making sense of the bodice design. The bustier bow front design may look complicated at first but the construction is quite straightforward. The bows are basically squares that are gathered at sides. You can see the breakdown of the bow construction below, where the underneath/left bust is gathered on both sides and the front half-bow is only gathered at the anchored right side.

As for the skirt design, I used my basic skirt block that we made in fashion school to create the panelled skirt. For the overskirt, I used the exact same technique that I did for this self-drafted taffeta gown, except that I only used a quarter of my waist circumference. I basted the overskirt to my skirt first (wrong side of overskirt facing the right side of my skirt) and then sewed to the bodice.

One thing to note is that I did not interface the front (big) bow as I figured the fabric itself has sufficient body. However, it made the bow a bit droopy. So I highly recommend you use interfacing for your fabric, even if it is a stiff material. It will only help make the bow stand straight.

Overall, I think this beautiful evening gown really catered towards my longing for some drama! The beautiful duchess satin that I got from the Montreal Garment District made this ball gown really stand out. The mustard colour is so vibrant in person, and the satin of course has a lustrous sheen, making this a stunning red carpet look. I would highly recommend this Burda 6388 evening gown pattern for anyone who wants to wear a dress to make an entrance!

With love,

Ava