I received the March issue of Burda Style and the Spring/Summer issue of Burda Plus in the mail on the same day and decided to pick the better of the two magazines to review first. Sorry “regular size” ladies… Burda Plus is where it’s at this month! First up, can we talk about that sheath dress on the cover? Perfection. I don’t remember if they’ve always done this, but a few of the patterns in this issue are petite plus size which means zero alterations for me personally. This dress is going straight to the top of my make list.

The last issue of Burda Plus (Fall/Winter 2013) was full of pleat front pants and over-sized cocoon coats… all things which I don’t find flattering on plus size women. I feel torn sometimes on whether to point out that I don’t think a certain silhouette works for a body type… There are always people who can pull it off and I also hate anything resembling fashion “rules”. (Anyone who tells me not to wear horizontal stripes can take a long walk off a short pier!) But you have to admit that there are silhouettes that plus size women flock to, so it just seems prudent to have more of those styles in a plus size issue. The point I’m so slowly getting to is that Burda really got it right this time! First off, there are TONS of patterns for fitted dresses. Here’s a cross-over neckline dress with pleats going into the side seam:

And here’s another fitted dress with those un-sewn darts that have been somewhat popular over the last year:

This fitted shirt dress with 3/4 sleeves might not be anything original, but it is the kind of design that looks good on just about anyone:

And here’s yet another fitted dress with vertical darts and an interesting neckline. (“Interesting” is the word I like to fall back on when I have no idea WTF to call something.) I’m kind of torn on this one, but I’m sure someone will love it.

I really HATE contrasting godets, but the pattern here is solid and once again it is a silhouette that works on a lot of people:

At this point you’re probably thinking, “Wait, are there any patterns besides dresses in this issue?” Calm down and take a gander at this smorgasbord! Love the jacket lapels, the shoulder tabs and the in-seam zipper pockets. (I’m imagining it with leather sleeves.) The pants are equally fabulous with vertical front seams, pockets, and ankle slits. The tunic pattern isn’t too shabby either.

If you have the time for such an endeavor, this tuxedo jacket pattern is fabulous. Also, I love those printed pants more each time I look at them.

I’m intrigued by this pattern for an off the shoulder knit top, especially the one with the wrap ties. This has some great potential for color blocking as well. I’m just so proud of Burda for not giving us another plain knit t-shirt! Good job guys.

Finally, this pieced tunic pattern is nothing to write home about, but I still love wearing tops like this and it can be great to use up small pieces of fancy fabrics.

I hate to end on a negative note, but I have to voice a concern because I kept seeing these pop up in the last few regular Burda Style issues and now the Burda Plus issue too… SLEEVE FLOUNCES are apparently the new diaper harem pants!

Please please please don’t let this actually become a thing.