Friends, have you seen the latest crap patterns offered by Burda Style for Plus Size women? Let me introduce you:
They are calling this Loft Life: 9 New Trending Plus Size Patterns. Hmmmm, the only way I see these as trending is if it is talk of their gross misunderstanding of what plus size sewists want.
Let's take this coat for example:
Of all the shapeless, tacky things I have ever seen, this thing takes the cake. Who on Earth would want to walk around looking like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man dipped in Silver? Tell me friends, are any of you planning to sew such hideousness?
On to this skirt and top:
The styling of this whole outfit is awful. The model looks slouchy and unkempt. That dolman sleeve top may be great paired with skinny jeans and flats, but it is terrible tucked in to this skirt. Let's be honest, that wide neck opening is going to be bra strap city! As for the skirt, is it supposed to be some kind of awful twisted mullet skirt. Party on the left and business on the right? Or does this skirt just have a split personality? And the length is awful, especially paired with those ankle boots and socks. Geesh, someone please fire this stylist. In all honestly, it looks like a little girl has been playing dress up in mother's closet!
There is also a coat offered up:
This coat just appears shapeless to me. I do like the split cuff detail, and have been noticing this pop up in more patterns and RTW clothing, but that is the only redeeming feature I see here. This coat would be better off without buttons and instead with a tie belt. At least then you could cinch it in and show that you actually have a waist.
These pants and this top:
Let's start with the pants. I know as a curvy gal, the very thing I want to do is use a yoke and pleats to accentuate my stomach. Don't get me wrong, I know there are some curvy gals out there who are flat in the tummy, and maybe these would look great on them, but for me and my curvy body, these pants are a major don't. Those pockets are gonna pull in all kinds of wrong ways, and make my saddle bags seem...baggier. Pattern companies listen up...curvy women DO NOT want pockets that hit them at their widest areas. It just isn't a good idea. Now for this shirt (note: there were a few other asymmetrical shirts offered in this collection as well), please please please, enough with the asymmetrical shirts! This is basically a potato sack cut on the bias if you want my opinion.
Burda Style, occasionally you knock it out of the park with a really great design for plus size women. By and large, you miss the mark big time. Please, listen to what your plus size sewists are saying! I've seen the rants of other bloggers so I know I am not alone in these opinions! Just look at the comments below this collection on your own site and you will see that you totally missed the mark.
We want shaping. We want patterns that accentuate the good curves. We don't want baggy clothes that are going to make us look even heavier! We don't want pattern deja vu, either! It seems like I have seen all these patterns before, just in a slightly different iteration. Where is the originality? I can't speak for the rest of the plus size community, but for me...I would rather you only produce ten great, well thought out patterns a year in plus sizes, than have 50 junk patterns and 5 great ones!
Sorry for the rant ya'll! Sometimes a girl has just had enough.
 |
| Source: burdastyle.com |
They are calling this Loft Life: 9 New Trending Plus Size Patterns. Hmmmm, the only way I see these as trending is if it is talk of their gross misunderstanding of what plus size sewists want.
Let's take this coat for example:
 |
| Source: burdastyle.com |
Of all the shapeless, tacky things I have ever seen, this thing takes the cake. Who on Earth would want to walk around looking like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man dipped in Silver? Tell me friends, are any of you planning to sew such hideousness?
On to this skirt and top:
 |
| Source: burdastyle.com |
The styling of this whole outfit is awful. The model looks slouchy and unkempt. That dolman sleeve top may be great paired with skinny jeans and flats, but it is terrible tucked in to this skirt. Let's be honest, that wide neck opening is going to be bra strap city! As for the skirt, is it supposed to be some kind of awful twisted mullet skirt. Party on the left and business on the right? Or does this skirt just have a split personality? And the length is awful, especially paired with those ankle boots and socks. Geesh, someone please fire this stylist. In all honestly, it looks like a little girl has been playing dress up in mother's closet!
There is also a coat offered up:
 |
| Source: burdastyle.com |
This coat just appears shapeless to me. I do like the split cuff detail, and have been noticing this pop up in more patterns and RTW clothing, but that is the only redeeming feature I see here. This coat would be better off without buttons and instead with a tie belt. At least then you could cinch it in and show that you actually have a waist.
These pants and this top:
 |
| Source: burdastyle.com |
Let's start with the pants. I know as a curvy gal, the very thing I want to do is use a yoke and pleats to accentuate my stomach. Don't get me wrong, I know there are some curvy gals out there who are flat in the tummy, and maybe these would look great on them, but for me and my curvy body, these pants are a major don't. Those pockets are gonna pull in all kinds of wrong ways, and make my saddle bags seem...baggier. Pattern companies listen up...curvy women DO NOT want pockets that hit them at their widest areas. It just isn't a good idea. Now for this shirt (note: there were a few other asymmetrical shirts offered in this collection as well), please please please, enough with the asymmetrical shirts! This is basically a potato sack cut on the bias if you want my opinion.
Burda Style, occasionally you knock it out of the park with a really great design for plus size women. By and large, you miss the mark big time. Please, listen to what your plus size sewists are saying! I've seen the rants of other bloggers so I know I am not alone in these opinions! Just look at the comments below this collection on your own site and you will see that you totally missed the mark.
We want shaping. We want patterns that accentuate the good curves. We don't want baggy clothes that are going to make us look even heavier! We don't want pattern deja vu, either! It seems like I have seen all these patterns before, just in a slightly different iteration. Where is the originality? I can't speak for the rest of the plus size community, but for me...I would rather you only produce ten great, well thought out patterns a year in plus sizes, than have 50 junk patterns and 5 great ones!
Sorry for the rant ya'll! Sometimes a girl has just had enough.
Not a plus size sewer, but I do have hip and butt issues. You expressed my thoughts exactly when I looked at these unbecoming, to say the least, patterns. In fact, I am losing faith in Burda altogether. The patterns, accompanied by horrible styling, (can you please get the model's hair away from the interesting neck treatment of the dress/blouse?) are driving me to seriously consider dropping my subscription of many years.
ReplyDeleteBarbaraq, you are right. They are very unbecoming, and I like you am losing my faith in Burda!
DeleteThis was a sad plus outing for Burda. And shame on them for essentially repeating that hideous parka from 05/2013 (the worst plus pattern collection ever). Everything on the beautiful model is the wrong size for her and the proportions are all wrong. They need a visit from Tim Gunn. In fairness, I think the full coat is nice and with all those seams could easily be made as shapely as wanted.
ReplyDeleteLaurie
Yes, I believe Tim would have a thing or two to say about this outing. I guess I don't like the collar proportions on the coat, and I know that many sewists would have a hard time shaping that coat, and grading those seams without the necessary shaping being there, pointing them in the right direction.
DeleteHa ha I looked at this collection and thought exactly the same. Shapeless, frumpy, unflattering and ill conceived from start to finish. Absolutely nothing I would want to see from this!
ReplyDeleteManju, it really is such a sad collection! I can't even conceive a way that I would make any of this in to something that I would wear.
DeleteI used to buy Burda every month and all the plus specials and Easy Fashions. Can't remember the last time I bought one now as each month the plus clothes are getting worse. Who on earth designed the silver curtain jacket. When they do get it right though they can produce some beautiful patterns. Stick with the old issues. Xx
ReplyDeleteMother of Reinvention, I am with you. I was getting copies of Burda long before I was sewing because I was looking for inspiration. I fear that someone dabbling in sewing would pick up an issue now and decide sewing isn't for them based on what they see!
DeleteYOKED, pleated pants? What sort of normcore horror is this?
ReplyDeleteAlexandra V. you are right. The yoked pleated pants took me back to the day when my uncles in their early 20s were all wearing z cavaricci jeans that were yoked and pleated in the front. Blech!
DeleteI saw the stay puft marshmallow jacket and instantly thought: they are making clothes out of actual tents now...
ReplyDeleteMy sentiments exactly!
DeleteI think one of the problems is that I see more and more baggy clothing in the regular-sized pattern offerings at Burda and lots of oversized clothing around the internet, so this may be the new trend for clothing in general. Of course you see more of this on thin women so if you're not watching a wide range of sewing bloggers you might be missing this. If you're not plus sized, its not as bad because BurdaStyle offers enough options in their standard sizing that you can still find something fitted, but if your plus sized your options are so limited. I really don't see this trend taking off so when sales slack off, I suspect they will "get the picture." To me this look just isn't that flattering even on the thinnest of women, so hopefully this insane idea of over-sized clothing won't reemerge.
ReplyDeleteNadine, you may just be right about that! Hopefully the powers that be will come to their senses sooner rather than later.
DeleteDidn't someone recently (was it you?) do a beautiful post on period costumes and how the fluffier women of the time wore the exact same fashions as the less fluffy women? The fashion was tailored to fit each body regardless of how the inches were distributed. I wonder why this changed. This collection is hideous and unflattering.
ReplyDeleteNita, it wasn't me, but I did read the posting. I think this changed because in the past women's curves were celebrated. Nowadays, we are supposed to hide our curves in shame and shapelessness. Not this chic! Not gonna happen.
DeleteI totally agree with you...this collection totally missed the mark!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carolyn. Hopefully Burda will see the light soon!
DeleteThat tent jacket??? Really?
ReplyDelete