I made this dress a couple years ago while I was in Tonga. It was really simple to make and ended up being one of my most-worn dresses. It was lightweight and comfortable in the extremely hot ans humid weather and yet modest enough to pass Tongan standards of decency. I used Burda Style’s Anda dress pattern and some cheap but cute-patterned Japanese polyester fabric. Cotton probably would have been a bit more comfortable, but on the plus side the synthetic fabric dried really fast.

I didn’t modify the pattern too much- I just lengthened it a little bit to make sure it covered my knees and also took in a little on the top to make it a bit more fitted. I think I also moved the placement of the elastic a little bit to make it hit on my waist.

I would definitely recommend this pattern to anyone, especially someone who is learning to sew, because it is very easy and straightforward to make and the simplicity of the pattern makes it really versatile. You could also tweak the neckline, hemline, and skirt fullness to get a variety of different looks!

Has anyone else made this pattern? What did you think?