Hooray, the latest issue of the Brazilian pattern magazine, Manequim, has arrived! Even though our seasons are reversed, I’m finding plenty of styles in this issue that work well for English summers, even moreso than Burda magazine, which is aligned with our seasons (though is anyone else excited to see the return of Burda’s designer patterns? There were actually TWO patterns in the July issue that I’m tempted to make. Please oh please let this be the end of Burda’s slump!).
Manequim have started doing a little section at the front where they get a seamstress to help a poor damsel in distress to alter a Manequim pattern from a few months ago to suit their needs. I let out an audible squeal when I saw that this damsel loves my blouse so much she wanted help grading it down to a size 38! The skirt is apparently from an earlier issue, too, but it clearly didn’t make much of an opinion as I can’t recall it.
First off, I really like this blouse and the trousers here – it’s hard to see, but the trousers have a high-waisted band with piping that really reminds me of the waistband on my tuxedo trousers (which are stored safely in a garment bag now while we build our new bedroom and wardrobe). Both are offered in multiple sizes, too.
The designer featured this month is Gucci, and I love these panelled, slim stretch trousers. ohmygod, I love them even more every time I look at the line drawing – the curved bum seams, the inset corners at the knees, the topstitching, the tapered ankles. Yes! The heartache of it all is that these are size 38 (like a Burda 36) so I might as well draft my own rather than try to grade these up to a 44. (oh and the red wrap dress also has a pattern, too).
Strangely, the closest pattern I’ve seen to these are a McCalls legging pattern – I don’t often think the Big Four have their finger on the pulse, but these are seriously tempting me!
You can see the blouse more clearly here – it’s a bit of a strange design in that it’s a woven blouse with a partial button placket closure, but with an additional panel overtop which wraps over to the side. It’s something I’ve only ever seen once before, in a HotPatterns blouse pattern that I was sent by mistake 5 years ago (mom, are you still planning on ever sewing that? I could make the Manequim version and we could be twins!).
This frilly blouse looks like a great use of 1 metre silk, and since it’s offered in a bunch of sizes, it’d be a good Manequim starter pattern for anyone who’s not quite sure of their size, too.
Oh WOW – check out the seaming on this blazer!
And finally, there’s nothing particularly special about this basic trouser pattern, as Manequim include at least one pair in each issue, but these are finally in my size! I think if you have a subscription like I do, you eventually collect the whole set of basic trousers in every size!
My latest KnipMode hasn’t arrived yet, but I expect it to turn up any day now, since these two magazines usually arrive like clockwork within a few days of each other…