Wardrobe by Me Akinori Dress

This dress is such an amazing dress. Feminine with beautiful details like front insert, tie belt, pleats, cleavage. But also very versatile and comfortable: it has inseam pockets and no zipper or buttons, Just pull it over your head, tie belt, create the silhouette by arranging the pleats at the back and you’re done. You’re ready for every Summer beach party, girls birthday lunch or stylish dinner party.

I used a stretch fabric from Minerva crafts for my Akinori Dress. This fabric has a beautiful geometric print with sparkling golden glimmers. The advice was to size down one size in case of a stretch fabric so I printed size 6. The length hasn’t been altered and the dress is just above the knee. A preferred length by me. It’s comfortable to wear due to 25% stretch. I gave the belt interfacing for more firmness. It’s also a bit longer. Now I can tied the belt on the back as well.

This dress has 10 pattern pieces. The belt is given as template and needs to be drafted to measure your size. I altered the pocket pattern so it could be stitched together with the waist seam. This wil hold the pockets to the front. I basted the inverted pleat first so it stays in place when you stitch the body and skirt together. The hardest part of the job is sewing the center front insert needly in the front. After that it’s straight forward like any dress.

Although the instructions are clear with good illustrations this pattern can be a bit challenging for a beginner. But on the other hand when it’s made in woven fabric it’s probably easier to handle than using stretch fabric.