It’s no secret that I totally style stalk Madewell and Sézane. So when I got an email a couple of weeks ago informing me of another collaboration between these two, I wasted no time in checking it out.

The last time the pair collaborated I remember being taken with their dropped waist “Anna Dress” which was much like their current dress of the same name, but had short sleeves and was of a different silk print. I made a mental note at the time to sew something similar in the future, as I really love the ease and comfort of a dropped waist silhouette.

Upon seeing their new long sleeved version in the current collection I was reminded of my old plan to make a similar dress, but as it is summer here now I decided I would make a short sleeved version for my first attempt.

The original Anna Dress has quite a simple back without much detail, but I decided to give mine a button band stand. I’ve been loving back buttoning everything lately, and have used this Burda Pattern to good effect in some of my recent projects, so I thought it would be a good pattern to hack for the bodice.

I really love the fit and volume of the skirt in this dropped waist dress that I made a while back, so I decided to use the same dimensions (it’s just a gathered rectangle) for the skirt on my new dress. I definitely wanted pockets, so I drafted them onto the skirt pattern. You can find instructions on how to do this yourself below.  I had a few Viscose Rayon prints in my stash that were under consideration for this style, eventually deciding upon a Royal Blue micro floral.

The bodice ended up being WAY too big and quite baggy so I had to add in some waist control darts and take off at the side seams quite a bit. I have quite a lot of adjustments to make to the pattern before I make another one, as the fit isn’t really where I want it to be, but I have worn this dress a few times since making it and do really like it despite these imperfections.

I so love pockets, and seldom make dresses (and never make pants) without them, so I hope these instructions can assist someone else out there in altering their favourite patterns to include some like these.