La Mia Boutique 01-02/2015

This morning I woke up feeling like giving some unrequested opinions on something, so I figured there was no better time to write a review :)

The good people of La Mia Boutique sent me a PDF of the new issue, which was not only very kind on their part (saves me A LOT of time in scanning the magazine), but it also shows they're not afraid of criticism, which impressed me quite a bit (they actually told me they do read my reviews and try to take notes, wow).

That being said, I'm afraid it doesn't make me less of a bitch harsh critic.

First of all, it's almost Carnival in our little corner of the world, which means dressing up in costumes, especially for children.
I know I usually skip the children patterns altogether, but I find costumes' patterns especially useful to have around (they're highly requested by relatives and friends, in my experience, and can be rather complicated to draft on your own) so I wanted to show them.
Furthermore, I've been working in a children store in the last three months, so I'm becoming less and less allergic to kids related stuff by the day.

This first strawberry costume looks really adorable, and quite easy to make as well.

I found this incredibly cute in its semplicity. I'd personally replace the floppy headpiece with a simpler headband with ears.

Mmph. Good idea, not liking the execution. It needs some major embellishing and accessorizing to work as costume, because it's a little sad as is.

I wouldn't have used an out of focus photo on a national magazine just because it's a jump shot (come on!), but ok.
I find this costume hilariously bad and outdated, but maybe it's just me.

Again, so sad!
If you go for American Indian, a feather headpiece is a must.

Awww, such a classic! But also, very cold! This needs a lot of layers if you want to avoid your kid going into hypothermia, so what's the point?

A Burberry print doesn't exactly scream cowboy in my opinion, but ok... Again, this needs more accessories and props to work, like, I don't know, a cowboy hat?! Presentation is everything, people!

This one is definitely my favorite although I seriously don't get the braids attached to the hood of the cape. When the hood is not on, they look really weird.

But wait, there's more! Costumes for adults!
This one, I find quite sad, and definitely not appropriate for a Morticia look... Maybe a vampire?

This one is quite beautiful, and it also includes a pattern for the headpiece.

The shiny poly fabric is a turnoff, but it's an otherwise very cute costume.

Ok now, real life clothes!

After the plethora of costumes, I decided to only includes pattern I more of less like. So, of course I included a coat. I don't like the styling here (popped up collars give me physical pain), but everything else works for me.

Two basic patterns, but quite cute ones. They also work quite nicely together.

Again, basic, but cute. Looks like instant gratification. Not much more to say...

Ooooh! Love this cape with the contrast bands! Love, love, love.

Aand, finally, a pretty cute outfit. I would gladly wear every piece here, although I'll use them more as an inspiration rather than using every single pattern here.

If you want to take a look at the rest of the patterns included in this double issue, here they are:

Aand... My job is done, I'm out! :)