BurdaStyle - Special, Plus Magazine Spring/Summer 2013

REVIEW: BurdaStyle - Special, Plus Magazine Spring/Summer 2013
Aside from spotting people I know in print, I also picked up the latest issue of the Plus magazine last week too.

And, what a pleasant surprise it was! Very often comments about Burda's  offering of plus-size patterns in their normal monthly magazine tend to leave people a little cold, and mutterings of shapeless sacks abound. (Their normal magazine shows only a handful of plus sized patterns amoungst the regular sized and kids items.) 

But, as I flicked the pages of my purchase (a biannual publication) I found quite a few things drawing my attention, things I could see myself making.

 

Shirt Dress 421
This is a figure-skimming number with princess-seam shaping on the bodice front and back - with a pencil style skirt.

Blouson Jacket 435
BurdaStyle call this a College Jacket, but to me this is totally reminiscent of a Bomber Jacket I had as a teenager - a total throw-back to Ace McShane in old Doctor Who episodes LOL! This would be pretty good looking with some skinny jeans and heels (or Baseball Boots!).

Jacket 405
Look at the great style lines on this jacket. Burda's is made from Silk - but how great would this look colour blocked - or even a Leather/Ponte Knit combo huh?

Drape Front Dress 405
Again Burda call this a Corsage Dress - but it's more like a softer ruffle / waterfall to my way of thinking. If you didn't like the asymmetric details it could be altered into a pretty good strapless fitted dress methinks - and at least being Plus-Sized drafted already there'd hopefully be less fitting issues than trying to grade-up from  the standard size-ranges.

Drape Skirt 416 A
Then there was this pencil skirt with side-gathers that looked very familiar - and if you ask me aside from the higher waist... it's a pretty close style-match for the Starburst Skirt Pattern #113C from the 05/2012 issue of BurdaStyle Magazine - perhaps this was a popular style for Burda and they decided to try and duplicate it's success in a larger size range?

Sleeveless Jacket / Waistcoat 413 verses Jacket 414
I'm a sucker for admiring that slightly louche music festival style. It's not a style I wear - but I sometimes like an item or too I spot in a fashion magazine. I've always kind of liked those worn-in cotton military/safari style khaki coloured jackets (example) so comfy looking to through on for Spring/Summer. 

Then, I saw the 413 sleeveless jacket pattern, and I liked the covered zip feature (though I'd personally prefer buttons with a covered a concealed button placket), I and I like the collarless finish.. BUT I'd want it to have sleeves (and I didn't fancy drafting any haha!). But a few pages further in I spot 414 - and it look suspiciously familiar to 413. I compared the technical line drawings - and if you ask me they're both based on the same core pattern (yay!).


So, below is my cut 'n' pasted re-hashed version of how I want my jacket to look..... now if only I could find the right fashion fabric ;)...
Long-length sleeves, collar-less neckline, concealed button placket, nice deep gusseted pockets with flap finish, and a drawstring at hem.