I love BurdaStyle magazine but I confess I was a little disappointed by the March 2011 issue. It’s the wedding special so I can’t say I was really surprised – I’ve been married for nearly twelve years, so I’m not likely to want to to make a wedding dress any time soon. You can see the the styles here on the French Burda site, although that URL doesn’t look stable to me so who knows how long it will last. The rest of the issue was OK but nothing leapt out at me as a must-sew.
However my eye kept being drawn to model 106, which is one of the wedding dresses. I’m not quite sure how to describe it. Sleeveless, floor length, and, well, egg-shaped. Here’s the line art.
Common sense says that this dress is likely to make me look (at best) heavily pregnant. I can’t quite translate the French captions on the website but I’m pretty sure it says something about requiring a slim figure (‘une silhouette mince’) to wear it, which I fear might be fashion editor code for ‘only size zero need apply’. The English-language magazine, incidentally, simply says ‘you will look charming in this dress’. A case of the French editors being more realistic than the Brits?
Anyway I can’t help wanting to give this one a go, in a really loud print. Although as it requires three and a half metres of fabric it’s also going to have to be a really cheap print. Not like these John Kaldor ones, beautiful though they are.
So am I insane or could this work? I shall certainly be looking out for cheap prints in the next few months.
Catherine Daze's Blog 
I think you have to be tall and willowy for that style to work. I am short and curvy, so I would definitely look like a clown in that dress. I think you could get away with it. I say try it out in cheap fabric and see what you think! That’s why we sew, so we can experiment with shapes and materials we might not necessarily buy off the rack.
It looks like something you wear to the beach or pool as a cover up, in that scenario I think this could work great. I’m not sure where else you wear something like this
You are so tall and willowy that I think it would look fabulous on you.
I think if you are drawn to it you should definitely give it a go, if anyone can pull this look off it’s you. I guess if it turns out that you don’t like it you can adapt it to a belted top?
I agree with the others – it would look good on tall, willowy AND girl-shaped. Which is you. I am tall, willowy and boy-shaped, and those styles always make me look like I’m wearing a hospital gown. I think some curves are necessary to add shape to the shapeless-ness. And I can totally visualize it in a print. Go for it!
Hi Catherine,
I think it’s worth making. You have the body shape especially the shoulders in which this style of dress will hang correctly. Look forward to seeing it.
Colleen G Lea