La Mia Boutique 03/2014

As anticipated in my latest review, I was very, very impatient to get the March issue of LMB as it features my favorite designer they've ever had on the magazine: Makola, the same person who made the May 2013 one of the best issues ever and basically gave me back hope toward this magazine.

Aaand... Makola didn't disappoint! Let's see:

Ok, this is not earth-shattering, but it's really beautiful nonetheless. A simple a-line shift dress and a cute, retro bolero, both very versatile patterns that could look good on many people.
The only thing I don't like here is the choice of material: if you don't use the same thick, knit fabric they used here (which for me would be quite hard to find), you'll need to modify the pattern in terms of finishing (for example, the neckline and armholes of the dress would need a facing or something like that).

Now we're talking! What a beautiful dress! Again, maybe it's not the most unique design, but it's a classic, it's feminine, flattering and very versatile.

Hellooooo lover! I think I fell in love with this dress, in fact I want to replicate it with the same black and white gingham fabric! The wide collar and the dramatic, pleated skirt are gorgeous and I like that it has princess seams in the front bodice (easier to fit). Added to the top of my summer to-sew list.

And finally from this designer, another cute, retro outfit, this time with pants. To be completely honest, I forgot to take a closer look at the instructions for the pants, because the waistband on the technical drawing looks a bit... weird. I'm not sure what's up with that.
The top is a very cute basic, perfect for variations and easy to fit, with the princess seams.

My excitement for this issue pretty much ends here. There still some cute patterns (although not really my cup of tea), but there's also one the ugliest things this magazine offered us:

This is everything I wouldn't want to look like: dated, dowdy and homemade-looking. Just terrible all over. Both pieces here are pretty insulting, but the skirt has to be one of the fugliest things I've ever seen. Ouch.

But luckily, not everything is on that level. This dress is not bad at all and it reminds a little bit of the Chantilly dress pattern by Colette.

This looks pretty hot! Again, I forgot to check what's going on with the waistband of those pants, but that top, while not for me, is quite beautiful.

Now, this is a really interesting dress, and unfortunately it doesn't really show in the picture. I personally wouldn't spend an incredible amount of time to trace, cut, and assemble a gazillion on panels (plus bias tape), but if you're less lazy than I am, this could be a real head-turner.

I was really surprised to see this pattern, as I don't think I've ever seen a pattern for a leotard! By the way, when I asked you for help to find a long sleeved leotard with a low back in my last post, many of you asked why I couldn't make it myself... Is this destiny? If I find the right fabric for it at a reasonable price, I'll definitely try this pattern, obviously, after altering the neckline.

I really want to like this dress, but I'm afraid there's just too much going on... What do you guys think?

Finally, a quick look at the plus-size section. There are some very cute patterns for the curvier ladies in this issue, like this dress. It's a bit complicated and some details get lost in the print, but I like it. It's another Colette look-alike (this time it's the Macaron dress pattern). If you're not a fan of the "t-shirt with a strapless dress" effect, you can always make it all in the same fabric, and it still has enough details to make it interesting.

This outfit is quite basic, but it looks rather youthful and very flattering on the model, something you can't always say about plus size patterns in this magazine.

Other remarkable patterns in this section are a cute sleeveless dress and a couple parkas. You can see them right here:

Full size here

I'm overall satisfied with this issue, so much so that I have a new must-sew summer dress.
What do you guys think?