DIY: Prada Train Dress

Sewing my favourite 2023 red carpet look (It’s Prada!)

Main Inspiration:

Materials:

4 yards Pink Satin, Medium weight
Pink Thread
Safety Pin (for flipping the straps)
9" Invisible Zipper
Optional, but helpful:
- Shop the Fashionary sketch tools: (use WENDY_10 for 10% off)
- Shop Lutterloh kits: (use Wendy10 for 10% off)

Create the pattern

Ideally, it’s easiest to start with an existing dress or bodice pattern that has a singular side dart
From the first draft, I drew a new trapezoid-shaped neckline that ran straight across the collarbones with two corners for shoulder straps to connect
I also lengthened the top with a straight line connecting the armpit to the hip and extending that beyond the hip until it was mid-thigh length

Cut the Pattern

Layout the pattern so there is enough room along one long edge for the train
Cut 3 x 58 cm straps
STRAPS: sew the edges, and right sides together leaving a 1.5 cm seam allowance. Flip right sides out using a safety pin to travel through. (Be careful as satin is very delicate)
Press the straps

Prep the dress

Pin and sew each of the darts in the chest, on both lining and shell materials
Press the darts to fold away from the spine
Sew the side seams right sides together on the both the lining and the shell
Try on the shell to check the fit (mine was a bit wide at this step, so I had to take in some fabric at the side seam and back darts)

Sew the shell and lining together along the top edge, right sides together, inserting the straps at the front

Try on the dress and mark the strap length to touch the back of the dress
Seam rip a small opening for the straps at the back and insert them to sew in place
Finish the top opening with an understitch all the way around
Insert the zipper in the side (here is a link for sewing invisible zippers with a lining)
Trim the bottom edge of the dress to the desired length

Add pockets

Join the pocket’s right sides together around the curved edge (I used an existing pair of pants as a template for the desired size for the pockets)
Seam rip an opening for the pockets in the shell and insert the pockets
Press the pockets

Close the bottom edge

Seam rip an opening in one of the sides of the lining (here is a link for bagging the lining)
Reach through the opening to get the bottom edges right sides together, sewing all the way around the bottom edge
Add an understitch to the bottom hem
Close the lining opening by hand
Press the bottom edge

The Train

Cut 2 big rectangles for the train at 170cm x 23cm each, add seam allowance on all four sides
Cut 2 strips at 6cm x 70cm for the bows and 1 strip at 6cm x 18cm for the tie
Join the train right sides together, leaving a gap to flip it right side out
Flip the train right side out and close the gap by hand
Press the train

Join the bows and tie the right sides together on only 3 sides, close the 4th side once flipped right side out using a blind stitch by hand.
Press the bows and ties flat
Tack the ties into a single pleated fold (just for decor)
Join the bows and ties by looping one end of the bow through the tie
Hand-sew the bows to the train
Join the train and back straps with a zigzag stitch

Final Touches