ooobop! review: Burda Style June 2013

Burda magazine June 2013

Can you believe this is the summer edition of June 2013? I can’t. I’m wrapped in my fleecy blanky, fingerless gloves no less, shivering my butt off as I point blank refuse to turn the heating on. My toes are curled for no other reason other than I can’t uncurl them because they are frozen solid. Is this weather for real?

I really want to get excited about summer clothes, really I do. But I’m struggling. So if you hear a slightly less enthusiastic tone this month, please bear with!

First section up is… Summer Fashion… ha! “Keep looking stylish, even in the heat…” is the opening line of the first intro copy.  Ha bloody ha! Rub it in why don’t ya!

Summer fashion Burda June 2013Ok. I’m going to try. I actually do really like the hand finishing on the brown shift dress, bottom left (above). Its a great couture technique that I’m thinking of employing on a future wool crepe dress I have planned.

The shorts, centre, bottom row, are not dissimilar to the plaid shorts I made. These ones are made with stretch pique which sounds more comfy. I will defo give these a go as one of my gripes was the lack of facing with with Simplicity ones. I know I could probably draft one but hey, I don’t need to now! A bit difficult to see in the photo (top row, centre pic) but that t-shirt looks to be a good fit with side panels and neat little sleeves. Don’t have an overlocker as yet and I’m wincing at the thought of messy insides so I’ll just hang on a bit for that one until I win the lottery. Boy I can’t believe how much those overlockers are!

My dislikes are the pink pants, bottom right. I love this look on the right kind of body. I don’t have that kind of body, unfortunately so they won’t be appearing on my list anytime soon. As won’t that dress top left corner, funnily enough. I say funnily enough because at first glance it looks like a classy dress. Save the pompoms! But it’s not even the pompoms that are putting me off. I quite like them. Its more the “artfully laid little pleats” that appear on the right shoulder aligned with the left hip. Even from the photo I can see some annoying crosswise folds that would annoy the heck outa me!

So who doesn’t like lots of dots? That’s the theme for the next section:

Lots of dots Burda June 2013I think I can safely say I like everything in this section save the long shorts, first column middle row. Just a bit unflattering and boyish for me. I love the shirt-dress top right, most of all. If Me-Made-May’13 has taught me anything it’s that I need more shirt dresses. I love how comfortable and stylish and edgy they can be. It’s not to do with cutting edge design. More clever choice of fabric that makes a great shirt dress. And I’d love to have one for every day of the week. This is quite a slim-fit one and it sure fits the bill as far as I’m concerned.

The shift dress, bottom right corner, has some great side panels that are piped. I still haven’t attempted piping but this would be a great opportunity to practice. It would also be a great chance to practise some colour blocking too. Employing some block colour in those panels would create a great slimming effect.

The cowl top with gathered sides (top left corner) is a firm fave too. Much more stylish to wear than a plain old T! And I love the yellow swinging full skirt. Perhaps not in yellow though. It’s got plenty inset godets on top of all the gathering. And a big bow at the waistband. Dead funky!

The next section is all about beach wedding/party dresses. I truly have goosebumps right now thinking about how the chiffons and georgettes might feel next to my skin, but there are some pretties…

beach beauty section burda June 2013The cowl neck dress, bottom left corner, is my favourite here. With its side gathers and simple shape I think it could be really flattering and perfect for a few evening cocktails on the beach. The dress, top right, is quite stunning and doesn’t look that difficult to construct but there is some yardage of crèpe satin going on here, so it’s not really for the ‘thrifties’ among us!

I don’t dislike the others. They all have their place. Apart from the strange diagonal pleated bodice dress, top left corner – same issues as that purple dress in the first section. Oh, and that one sleeve wonder dress bottom right corner. Not sure I could handle that!

So, swiftly we move on to ‘Surfer Girl’. Not me. Not any part of it. I have noted there are a lot of runners that sew. Or sewists that run! I wish I could say I was one of those. But I’m not so I will leave judgement in the hands of the “Sporty Spices” of the sewing blogger nation…

surfer girl section June 2013That said, the little jersey skirt in the centre, bottom row, could be a quick and easy casual make for holidays and weekends. The jacket is a bit 80s for me, mind!

The Mother & Daughter section is at the very least tweeee!

Mother and Daughter section June 2013Would anyone ever consider dressing to match their daughter?

I quite like the dress, top centre. Though it looks a bit starchy in the batiste. I might be inclined to use something slightly drapier. I do really like the idea of printing on the fabric though. That would totally seal the uniqueness of the garments. You could really create some signature pieces with a clever use of design. I just made a skirt, similar to the star-print one, top right corner, but from an old vintage curtain. I love the deep waistband. I need to finish mine but I hope it looks as good as it does on this mummy!

The Plus Section gets as much attention, if not more this month:

Plus fashions June 2013I love how each of these designs incorporate clever structured detail to flatter the curviest of bods. Simple lines and crepe satin exude the elegance and the loose cut sleeves and empire waistline of that red dress, bottom left is simple yet stunning. But the one I like most is the red dress on the right. Cute standy up collar and dinky button loops on a fabulous yoke bodice add perfect detail to really versatile dress.

So what do you all think? Any faves? Any absolute disses?

I’m off up the wooden hill to Bedforshire right now. I’ve given up trying to keep warm. But I’m still thinking shirt dress. Perhaps in some rockabilly print that I have in a box somewhere. I’ll dream about it and see how it looks!

Night all. And thanks so much for keeping up with my ramblings x

0 Replies to “ooobop! review: Burda Style June 2013”

    1. Oops! ruching. I like quite a lot in this issue… the sewing queue is growing.
      As for your overlocker problem. I picked up the infamous Brother overlocker at a half price sale. It’s quite cheap at that price and a very very easy to use machine. Just save your pound coins in a big jar (and don’t take it to the pub…)

  1. Couldn’t agree with you more about the purple/gold dresses, though the skirt/bodice (respectively) each very nice. Good capacity to frankenpattern!

  2. I like the t-shirt in the first section too and the one with the cowl neck later. I’m looking for a pattern to use a metre of lovely jersey with a LIberty print. I am definitely thinking of getting an overlocker when my finances improve a bit. Which is the ‘infamous Brother’ one – is that the one to go for?
    Keep warm and, if it’s any consolation, we have the log fire burning and I’m in the ‘sunny’ south of France!

  3. Shirt dress and red smock dress are definitely the pick of the crop! I feel so sorry for you guys still freezing when it ought to be hotting up. 🙁 It’s a quandary too – we want to come over next year in March/April because it was so lovely last time in 2011, but if it’s anything like it was this past spring, it will be utterly miserable. What to do!

    1. Mrs C, we can’t possibly have a repeat of this next year. If we do, my plans to emigrate will be in full force. Whenever you decide to come, it would be so lovely to meet you. Rain or shine, a little bloggers meet up would be sure to keep you warm! x

  4. I totally agree with the cowl neck dress. My favorite. Perhaps because I’ve been looking for a dress to make for some summer weddings I’ll be attending. That is, if we warm up. Crazy weather here, too. A few weeks ago, we were roasting in 90 degree heat, then this week, snow. Here’s to some warmer weather soon.
    Happy Weekend!!!
    Beth

    1. It would make a lovely wedding guest dress. Or a wedding dress, for that matter! It looks pretty simple from the instructions but handling the fabric might be the tricky bit! 🙂

  5. I liked this issue a lot which is very unusual for a summer one. I agree with you that the shirt dress and the cowl necked dress are lovely. The shift dress is really nice too but I didn’t think the fabrics used did it justice. I couldn’t get over the mismatched pattern on the spotted version.

  6. I like the plus size dresses, They are really cute. I think most of them would look better with a belt if the plus sized girl was curvy.
    I want to note (from a term that was used to describe plus size) that plus size and curvy are not the same thing. It is one my pet peeves when those terms are used interchangeably.
    Their is a difference between plus sized and curvy. Let me explain it in an example. Lets go by a woman’s measurements.
    Lets say a woman had a 20 inch waist and a 36 inch hip line she certainly wouldn’t be considered plus size but she would definitely be curvy, as there would be a substantial difference between her waist and hips. lets say a woman had a 40 inch waist and a 42 inch hip. The lines of her body would be very straight but she would most assuredly be plus size. “Curvy” is body shape not size.

    http://www.etsy.com/shop/CurvyTiffy

  7. The green ruched dress is beautiful, if not economical. Given that it takes about 6 months for Burdas to arrive in New Zealand, I appreciate the review!

    1. Thanks Kat. It probably takes me 6 months or more to get any one of those projects on my list so you are probably ahead of me in any case!

  8. I really like the yellow skirt with all the gathers and the bow. And the cowl-neck top. And the top with the funny straps in the dotty section. In fact, most things in the dotty section. And some of the pretty dresses – I like the cowl-necked one as it looks like it would be quite easy to wear (and doesn’t involve putting a zip in!).

    I also like some of the things in the mother and daughter section – particularly the star-print skirt. My three-year-old would *love* us to wear matching outfits. Fortunately, I still get to choose what I wear, so we won’t be doing that any time soon!

  9. thanks for the sneak peak, I haven’t seen Burda in the shops yet here…
    the swim wear section seems vaguely familiar from an earlier edition in the late 80s/early 90s, last time neons were in fashion! I no longer have those old magazines so I can’t check it out, and I guess it is inevitable there is some repetition in these magazines!
    the cowl dress looks quite similar to the cowl dress/top from the 10/2012 edition, I just made the top version, it was an easy sew and looks really lovely on.

  10. I love the cowl dress and that simple pink cotton blouse really speaks to me. but I’m way too cold to think about summer, not yet…

  11. I like the look of the shirt dress. I’ve never worn one so far as I can remember but I’ve made a few for other people. Maybe it’s time to have my own?

  12. The yellow skirt with the godets. The styling is great too. The whole issue seems to be lacking the usual very uglies, but it doesn’t really excite me at all. It must be the weather. 🙂

  13. I was pleasantly surprised by this issue. I love the shirt dress and the shift dress, too. I was thinking about trying it in a plaid seersucker with the side inserts turned on the bias. I like the zipper dress in the Surfer Girl section, too. It looks easy and comfortable, I’m just not sure it would look that great on me!

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