A ME 2046, from Simplicity’s KnowMe pattern line is a fun fall/winter dress or tunic. The pattern comes with a dress (longer) length and a knee length zippered side seam tunic. I split the difference, making the dress length but using a slightly shorter zipper. I’ll share why in a bit.
The pattern is designed for stretch knit fabrics for the dress/tunic and either stable knit (like Ponte) or woven for the pants. I didn’t make the pants, because I have a lot of wide leg pants, but they look pretty straightforward as pants go with a side seam zipper, front darts/seaming and pockets.
The dress/tunic is very easy to sew – the only even remotely tricky thing is the elastic on the sleeves to create the ruching but even that’s not complicated. There are two lines of ruching, created by zigzagging over a stretched piece of elastic. When you let the elastic go, it crunches up the fabric!
I have it on with wide leg pants of my own closet, and I have several pairs and styles of them so I didn’t yet make the pants. I sewed the size 16 but added 1″ to each sideseam just in case. I probably could have sewn the 18 but they break the pattern sizing at that 16/18 range and I felt I would use the smaller range more (having lost a little weight.)
I used a shorter zipper on the longer length dress – so basically the zipper length for the tunic but on the dress (and I still shortened the dress by 6″). I am 5’3″ so it’s designed for a taller person, measure accordingly! I had the zipper in stash and it was the exact color of this knit also in stash, so I decided to just use that. I ended the zipper about a foot up from the bottom hem, so it’ll always have a side slit even when worn as a dress.
I’m styling it here with a pair of black wide leg pants (and navy flats). It’s super comfortable to wear. The flats aren’t perfect – I’ll switch out to my leopard ones. TBH my feet got LONGER during the pandemic (so weird!) so these and most of my dressy shoes are actually all a little too small in the length now. I really need to get another pair of shoes that fit. I don’t wear heels any more (I do occasionally wear a wedge but it’s not high), so ballet flats are my dress shoes. This dress/tunic/wide leg pants looks good with flats (pointy toe ones look best.)