Ottobre Woman: Spring/Summer 2014 (2/2014)

I love the "magazine roundup" posts on other sewing blogs. I love both the pointing out of the what-were-they-thinking design or two of Burda and the hidden gems that I maybe missed in flipping through the previews.  Currently, I only subscribe to Ottobre Design (the kids' magazine) and Ottobre Woman and occasionally by single issues of other magazines, so I probably won't have too many magazine roundup posts, but I thought that it would be fun to write one for the current issue of Ottobre Woman.

The most recent issue of Ottobre Woman was published on February 25th and arrived in my mail box last week. This issue has a TON of nice casual basics and very few items in the "I'd never wear that column." Let's take a look, shall we?

The Good

I'm very intrigued by the rise of the woven t-shirt in patternland. I don't recall seeing these very often before a few months ago. (Sleeveless shells, yes, but tees with sleeves? No.) I love the idea of a simple, darted top that doesn't take much fabric and therefore can be used to show off a nice, expensive fabric. This issue of Ottobre contains its own version of a woven tee (with bust darts), and it's the first item on my to-sew list from this issue:

At first glance, this blazer/jacket might not seem all that interesting, but it's designed for sweatshirt fleece. I love a knit jacket, so this one is also one of my top picks:

An easy knit dress with interesting pockets. I need to double-check the pattern pieces in the magazine, but I wouldn't be surprised if this one works for border prints:

There's a similar (woven) version of this dress that does clearly use a border/panel print, too:

When the weather gets warmer, there's a cute maxi-dress with a princess seamed bodice:

 

The bad

This issue doesn't have many things that I flat-out wouldn't wear.  On that list, though, is this tank with the large ruffle. I can think of few garments that would likely be less flattering on a large-busted plus-sized woman. Even better, the version here is shown in a shiny silver fabric:

The Head-scratcher

From the line-drawing, this variation on the woven tee with a pleated neckline looks really cute, doesn't it?

But take a look at the garment photographed on the model:

What the heck is going on with that neckline, I thought? Then I looked closer at the neckline, and the tucks or pleats don't appear to be stitched down in the upper few inches. So of course, they'd open up, wouldn't they? In any case, I can't imagine wearing this top without feeling self-conscious about that neckline.

In other news, I finished my StyleArc Olive Top. I don't have pictures yet, but I'm happy with how it turned out. It's very wearable, comfortable, and I think I made good choices with the color blocking. I hope to photograph it in the next few days, and then I'll blog it.