Trench Dress: Burda Style 6321

The chic nature of the trench dress soared as a trend to watch when in 2018 Meaghan Markle appeared in a blush pink sleeveless trench dress by Canadian fashion designer Nina Khaney's fashion label Nonie. 

The Inspiration dress

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The trend took off from there. The trench dress is still available on Nonie's website for a cool $1,085 (Cdn).  As well, independent and the Big Four pattern companies are coming out with their own version of the trench / coat dress.  Sure, the trench has been around since the first world war and adapted as a fashionable look well before this event. Even Tim Gunn as long sang the praises of a good trench coat.  

I'm not really one to follow the latest trends these days, let alone drop a grand on a garment. But I am someone who will be inspired to make something I like to fit my taste. This is how BurdaStyle 6321 ended up on my cutting table. It had the double breasted button front and princess seams that I like in the Nonie version Meaghan Markle was photographed wearing and with some tweaking I have to say, I'm okay with how it turned out. It's nothing like the inspiration dress as mine doesn't have a capelet or the stand up collar and it has sleeves, but this one works for me. And the added bonus, it's in, as Frank Sinatra would say, the happiest colour. 

I removed the waistline seam and cut the bodice and skirt pieces as one. And I added pockets to the side seam adapting out-of-print Vogue 8934 pocket pattern to this design. I'm not too crazy about the button placement on this pattern, it probably doesn't help that I'm a petite sized person and those top buttons are at the perfect placement where I'd rather not draw attention to, I'm going to have to rethink the placement maybe even consider removing them. After that, I think this might be a good work dress.  

The Stats

Fabric:  2.8 metres

Interfacing:  2 metres

Buttons:  11 - 18 cm 

Patterns:  BurdaStyle 6321 and Vogue 8934

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Scissors, pins, thread clippers, tailor's chalk, tailor's mitt, clapper, collar press, iron, ironing board, hand needle, sewing machine, walking foot, buttonhole foot, serger, threads, seam ripper, buttonhole cutter and a chai tea latte.   

Happy Sewing!