It’s been a while since I’ve bought or sewn from a La Mia Boutique magazine. It wasn’t any sort of conscious decision, but it’s a bit difficult for me to get ahold of since the newsagent that used to stock it is no longer a newsagent, and RD Franks sells out of it within hours of getting any instore… The styles were also usually a bit too “out there” for me, in the way that Italian fashion can sometimes be – always vibrant and interesting, but not necessarily something I’d want to wear myself.
In any case, I’d been hearing reports and seeing scans from others that La Mia Boutique was getting a lot more wearable these days, so I jumped on two recent issues when they came up for sale from a UK ebay seller (after having a previous order with a UK magazine shop mysteriously cancelled weeks later with no explanation).
December 2009
I absolutely knew I wanted to grab this issue since littlejazzbird gave a pretty comprehensive rundown of the best patterns in it (seriously, go see the scans on her site! She’s sewn up a lot of LMB patterns recently, too), but there were a few more I wanted to highlight…
This is actually a plus-size pattern (though with LMB I’m a 44/46 anyway so it’s not a big deal), but I absolutely love this tunic! I’d leave the above-bust pleats unstitched, but otherwise wear it as-is.
I really like this all-over lace dress, with a great lace hem and a nice cowl neckline:
How much do I love that turtlenecks are “dolcevita” in Italian?? This is super slim-fitting, but otherwise a nice basic that I don’t really have in my pattern arsenal.
I don’t think I’m quite ready to pair it with one of the many miniskirts in this issue though, even with the thickest tights!
February 2010
This issue I just bought blind, having not seen anything more than the cover, and it turns out that I actually like this one even more than December!
Oh my freaking god, how amazing is this draped knit dress! I absolutely adore this. It’s the kind of thing that makes me want to drop everything I’m doing, go out and buy 2.25m of silk jersey and just go to town. Dress – you and I have got a date with destiny, just you wait.
A new twist on the basic teeshirt, with lots of shirring at the neck. I usually think of shirring as being the sole domain of the (shudder) peasant blouse, so it’s nice to see it here with a totally different look.
I love the technical drawing of these trousers (there’s two other great trouser patterns in this issue, too), but there’s no WAY I’ll be making these in stretch pleather. Just to make that clear…
A quick knit top!
Here’s a cool twist on the twinset idea – layer a vest (tank top) with a modern cape jacket for a great business casual look. For me, this is a grat alternative to the Chanel-esque jackets (of which there’s also one in this issue), which IMHO add at least 20 years onto whomever’s wearing it.
And hooray, another turtleneck! They love them so much there’s even a short-sleeved version to see you through the other seasons.
While LMB are still difficult to get ahold of in single issues, I’m not quite ready for a subscription yet either, so I think I’ll wait and see how many designs I make from these two before reassessing my options.