Style(Arc) decisions for February

Like many people on PatternReview, I am enamored with StyleArc patterns, the indie Australian pattern company that offers trendy, RTW-ish designs. Their prices are in line with other indie pattern companies (maybe a little lower), but they lack a US distributor and shipping from AU is a bit pricey. To counter the shipping price pain, they do offer a monthly "freebie" pattern, which you'll receive free with any purchase. I try to plan my limited StyleArc purchases around freebies that I absolutely love, which usually works out to placing 3 or 4 orders per year.

I haven't placed a StyleArc order in nearly six months (when the freebie was the Tootsie Knit top, back in August or September), but I'll be taking the plunge again this month because I really love the February freebie pattern, the Issy Knit Top:

I love the ruching details, the neckline, and it seems like it would be a great pattern match for the insane amount of merino wool jersey that I purchased a little over a month ago.

Fellow US-based StyleArc fans have worked out that to get the most bang-for-your-buck with the AU shipping, you're best off ordering three patterns at a time (including the freebie), so that means that I will actually need to choose two more patterns (from the many StyleArc patterns that I've been eyeing) to fill out my order.

I will probably wait to place my order until the 15th. StyleArc sometimes releases a new pattern or two mid-month, and I want to see what the new offerings are, if any, before making a decision. Assuming that there's no mid-February release or that I don't "have to have" from that batch, here are the patterns that I'm considering, in no particular order:

Trixi Knit Wrap Dress

I love the neckline and inset on the Trixi dress:

I've been seeing similar dresses show up on women around town and the blogosphere, and this is a very curve-friendly style. The Trixi has looked good on everyone who's made it, so that makes this dress a strong candidate.

Jasmine pant

I made the StyleArc Linda pant a while back, but never blogged/reviewed them. The fit is fantastic, but the style (elastic waist) makes them feel like lounge pants, and I made them out of a navy ponte that didn't really go with any tops that I had, so they're an orphan item that gets worn around the house, on dog walks, etc. But given how well they fit, I want to to try another pair of StyleArc pants.

Over the years, as much as I've tried to get myself to wear other styles of pants that I've made, I have found that I won't regularly wear pants that don't have A) a fly front or B) front pockets of some kind. The Jasmine pant has both of these features, is designed for stretch wovens, and has a nice, straight-leg profile. Also, my almost-14-year-old calico cat is named Jasmine, so there's that, too:

Patsy Top

The Patsy Top grabbed my attention because it's looked cute on everyone who has made it, including two plus sized reviewers on Pattern Review. I like that it incorporates the flounce-trend-that-won't-die without looking too fussy. The neckline on this one is nice, too.

BurdaStyle has a blouse with a somewhat similar front flounce/ruffle available for download, , but I think I prefer the Patsy. Here's the BurdaStyle blouse:

 

Sandra Narrow Leg Jean

I have several of the HotPatterns jeans patterns, but none of them have this style of slim leg profile. And despite being plus sized, cigarette-style pants are actually fairly flattering on me. Even though the Sandra Jean is designed for non-stretch denim, lots of people have been successfully making them up in stretch denim and looking fabulous in them.

I think that these would be fun to make up in a bright color for spring or summer.

Camilla blouse

I think that the Camilla blouse would be a great layering piece and could be made up in a variety of different fabrics. I have a similar blouse from Old Navy, and the fit is a bit off, although I like the style on me. I could fix the fit if I made it myself.

Safari Sam Overshirt

I think I might leave of some of the epaulet details from some versions and omit or do a non-pleated chest pocket, but I am sorely lacking in a good, basic overshirt-style shirt pattern for layering. This is another case where I own a similar shirt from Old Navy (this one actually fits okay), but would like to be able to make my own. The Safari Sam shirt is the closest thing I've seen to my Old Navy shirt:

So, those are the patterns that I'm considering ordering along with the Issy Knit Top freebie. Thoughts? Or for you fellow StyleArc fans, is there a great pattern that I'm missing?