Burdastyle Magazine 06/2013

I'm sorry I'so late with my review this month, I've been distracted by MMM and a couple of great guests.

Also, I didn't know I needed to be registered to the Russian site of Burda in order to see the complete review (thank you Sveta for helping me out), and the technical drawings hadn't been released elsewhere yet.

This is actually a well balanced issue of Burda.
By balanced, I mean there's stuff I really like, some WTF-ery and a lot of stuff in the middle.

Let's start with the good.

As my dear Mathilde said, this is my "coup de coeur", my instant favorite. The neckline is a bit too deep for me, but that's an easy fix. Other than that, this looks like a perfect, comfy everyday dress that you can make in so many different fabrics and variations.
I also love how it's styled in the photo. It's supposed to be a street-style photo, but I wonder how staged these are.

Very, very cute skirt with a sash. Definitely a fabric eater, though, between all those panels, the gathers and the sash. I might be too cheap for this.

How original of me to like a shirtdress. I basically love them all. But come on, this is very cute and the shape and position of the pockets is something different.

Again, how original of me to like a vintage pattern! But, AGAIN, how cute is this? That top with the matching belt is adorable.
The shoes on the model are so ugly they should be illegal. I get that they wanted to modernize the look, but those things are hideous. Just sayin'.

This is all fine and dandy, but a Burda issue wouldn't be complete with some assorted ugliness, nor would be a review of mine, so here it is.

Without that curved panel at the waist, this could be cute, but as it is, it's very, very unflattering. A bad tennis player dress.

Now, I don't really like bomber jackets in general, although some people can make them look extremely cool. But I had to include this photo, because I find the idea of a MESH bomber jacket hilarious. Super useless and quite ugly.
The skirt is just there to remind us that the people at Burda are not giving up their rectangle patterns any time soon. Jeez.

And speaking of mesh, what the f is this?
I hope mesh clothing is not having a comeback, it was ugly enough in the 90s.
Oh, the pattern is not bad at all (a variation of the first dress above), it's the realization that makes me cringe.


This was probably the most discussed ensemble of the issue because honestly... Who sews her own scuba gear? The pants, I get them. No really, they can be easily translated into sport attire (for running, cycling, etc.) and I guess the top could be as well, but, once again, it's the presentation that just leaves me speechless (well, not really, since I'm writing a whole post about it).

The same pattern looks a whole lot better when made in a more realistic fabric:

I personally wouldn't go into the trouble of making a princess seam t-shirt. If the pattern is well designed, it barely needs dart to fit well. I guess this could be good for color-blocking or something like that.

Please, Burda, just re-think your photoshoot concepts.
Most of us don't give a rat's ass about fashion-magazine-look-a-like photoshoots. We just ask to see the garments better and that you tone down the craziness.

And I'll end this post with this ugly, unflattering 80's gown made in a horrible, shiny fabric, which is probably the worst thing in this issue. I've seen far worse from Burda, so it might be a good sign.


I think I'll end up purchasing this issue for the vintage patterns and the first dress. It's a good bargain, even though I don't need new patterns.

What abou you, are you going to get it? Did you buy it already and have already started working on something?

[While we're on the subject of sewing magazines, Silvia is having a giveaway for the latest issue of LMB, that I reviewed here. Just FYI :D ]