I’m not sure what I did to deserve this, but this latest issue of Manequim is chock-full of lovely silk blouses! Over the past few months I’ve been wearing my silk blouses all the time – with jeans as often as with skirts! I wear them out to casual weekend outings as much as to the office or dressy dinners, and the blouse I made from the February Manequim (twice!) is my favourite of the lot.
So I foresee quite a few of these making their way into my Fall wardrobe in and around work on some other, bigger projects…
But let’s look at all my picks from this issue!
I really like this lavender sheath dress, especially the little sleeves, but I’d alter the back so it’s not quite so low. I don’t normally wear this colour, but I think it looks really light and fresh on this model, especially considering it’s coming into Spring in Brazil.
This yellow cocktail dress with its angled, pleated bodice and skirt is possibly my favourite dress of this issue. It’s a size too small from me, but there have been enough similar styles in the past that I should be able to mix and match to make it work anyway.
The designer style feature this month is emulating Valentino, so of course there’s his signature red in this lovely blouse with multiple ruffles around the sleeves!
But that’s only the start, because the next feature contains a trio of amazing little silk blouses!!
The first is this asymmetric, bias cut blouse, with a unique tuck in the neckline. This is my favourite pattern in the whole issue, and I’m definitely making this even though it’s a size too small! This blouse has been on my mind since it arrived!
Next, there’s a great basic blouse with pleats around the neckline. This would be perfect for layering under little jackets or with a skirt suit for business wear.
And finally, the most flamboyant of the blouses is this one with a bow collar over one shoulder.
Following on, there’s a great feature where they show the same garment styled two different ways…
Even though I made a leather skirt not long ago, I’m still drawn to this leather pencil skirt (and it doesn’t hurt that it’s already in my size)!
But we’re not done with the silk blouses, because there’s another one styled twice here! This one has a pleated V-neck collar and short, ruffled sleeves.
It’s difficult to see the details here since the fabric is a dark navy, but I love that this little cocktail dress uses both sides of a crepe-backed satin, and the fun little peplum gives back interest, too.
Lastly, from the extended Plus section in this issue (with a fantastically fun model, too!), I rather like this pleated shirtdress and slip.
So yes, this issue is a big winner in my book, with FIVE silk blouses that I’m not only very likely to sew, but very likely to wear, too! And, err, that’s pretty much the point of sewing!