Bergère de France Magazine 172: A Review

Bergère de France has released Magazine 172, a spring/summer collection.... and no, they aren't either behind or ahead of schedule. It seems I was using an "old link" to check for new issues of Bergère de France, and by the time I clued in to the fact that the link saved to my favourites folder needed refreshing, I was three issues behind. Which means there are two more Bergère de France reviews coming up in the next week or two. Although I was initially bothered by the fact that I wasn't bringing you a timely review of current seasonal styles, I stopped worrying about that mid-way through writing this review. As you will see, Bergère de France wasn't too concerned with being up to the minute in their designs themselves.

Pattern 01, 3/4 Sleeve Sweater. The shaping is good, and the mesh pattern is something a bit different and not too see through. Nice design.

Pattern 02, Open Sweater. This is one of those looks that only sort of work on a professional model who is striking an elaborate pose.

Pattern 03, Crochet Tank Top. This crocheted top is very "pattern from a seventies-era homemaking magazine". That is not a compliment.

Pattern 04, Long Sleeved Sweater. This colour-blocked sweater is kind of cute. The proportions work well and it has a sporty look to it.

Pattern 05, Openwork Cable Sweater. This one is the Bride of Frankenstein of cabled sweaters. And you know what always happens in movies and novels when the dead aren't left in peace.

Pattern 06, Openwork Zip-Up Jacket. Nice looking jacket, though I have my suspicions about its shaping. However, if it's too big or boxy anyone who is knitting it can always reshape it.

Pattern 07, Short Sleeve Dress. This is a really cute and even original dress, though I would tweak it by making it longer and making the top of the solid part of the bodice extend several inches higher.

Pattern 08, Shorts. And here we have the seventies-era homemaking magazine pattern shorts to go with Pattern 03. Are we going to see a fringed boho-style tote bag next, or a recipe for a casserole with potato chips crumbled on top?

Pattern 09, Openwork Stole. Putting a sleek modern shawl clip on an afghan does not turn an afghan into a stole.

Pattern 10, 3/4 Sleeve Openwork Sweater. This is a basic mesh sweater that's nice enough, but if I wanted to make myself a mesh sweater I'd go with Pattern 01, as it's much more interesting and will provide better coverage.

Pattern 11, V-Neck Cardigan. This one's about as basic as a design can get. The ribbing at the top of the sleeve is the only extra touch that I can see, but it works, and this piece does have good lines, so if you want a classic cardigan pattern you could do much worse than this one.

Pattern 12, Crochet Top. I think we're looking at the aforementioned seventies homemaking magazine fringed boho-style tote bag, except for some perverse reason it's been upcycled into a tank top.

Pattern 13, Crochet Lace Dress. Bergère de France, could you please do me a favour? Could you please not randomly tack merde to a basic top and call the result a dress? Thanks.

Pattern 14, V-Neck Sweater. If someone had described this piece to me, I would probably have thought it wouldn't work, but this idea has been remarkably well-executed. The criss-cross effect of the v-neck and the shaping ribbing at the waist is pleasing and flattering, and the overall lines are good. This would make a useful topper to wear over tank tops and camisoles in summer weather, and it would look good on most women.

Pattern 15, Sleeveless Cardigan. This would be a lovely piece if it fit. I'd make this a standard fit rather than oversized as it is here.

Pattern 16, Crochet Handbag. Now we have the seventies homemaker magazine's version of a handbag.

Pattern 17, Short Sleeve Sweater. The muslin flowers that decorate this top look like random gobs of fabric rather than a design.

Pattern 18, Openwork Sweater. Another mesh sweater. As with the last example, I'd recommend Pattern 01 over this one, which doesn't have much going for it in terms of either visual interest or coverage. I'm cringing because I'm imagining getting sunburnt through all those holes.

Pattern 19, Fringed Skirt; Pattern 20, Necklace; Pattern 21; Fringed Necklace. Bergère de France definitely went to town on the whole seventies homemaker magazine as design inspiration for this issue. But we all know where those bad seventies crafts wound up: in thrift stores and the garage sales of the coming decades. And we learned from that, didn't we? I will say that the skirt might not be too bad if one could fix whatever's going on at the waist and ditch the fringe for some sort of subtle lace or ruffled edging, but there are other knitted lace skirt patterns out there that would turn out a much better design without all that tweaking, so why bother.

Pattern 22, 3/4 Sleeve Sweater. This isn't a bad design. It's eyecatching and the overall shape is good.

Pattern 23, Hat; Pattern 24, Bracelet Cuffs. Keep this up, Bergère de France, and you may single-handedly degrade the French reputation for style.

Pattern 25, Fair-Isle Cardigan. This is a fair isle cardigan translated into French style. It has a modern, chic feel to it.

Pattern 26, Strappy Top. Let's see, top that will make even the flattest-stomached women look pregnant with two plastic rings sewn randomly onto the front. Pass. Or at least reshape the top and nix the rings.

Pattern 27, Crochet Tunic. This one would perfect for wearing to dance around your living room to the sound of James Blunt's song "1973", if being back in 1973 with James Blunt is your kind of thing.

Pattern 28, Openwork Poncho. You know, if you're going to design what is essentially the lace knitted version of a burlap sack, adding some random loose stitches to the top and tying a rope around the model's middle won't dispel the burlap look much. Neither will going overboard on the styling. It all rests on the basic design concept.

Unofficial Downton Abbey Knits 2014: A Review

The review I wrote of Unofficial Downton Abbey Knits in September 2013 has been in the list of my ten most-viewed posts for many months now. Interweave must have had a similar reception to its publication, because here I am reviewing the 2014 issue of Unofficial Downton Abbey Knits.

The Luxurious Lacy Overblouse. This... isn't bad. I like the neckline and the lace stitch, but the lines of it could be more flattering. I'd shorten the sleeves to short or cap length and add waist shaping (unless there already is waist shaping — it's hard to tell from this photo).

The Night-on-the-Town Herringbone Scarf. Very handsome, classic scarf.

The Hidden Delight Lacy Camisole. This would make a very pretty summer top for we brazen hussies of 2014 who can wear what used to be considered underwear as outerwear.

The Modular Lace Blouse. This one is very pretty too, and it also is more evocative of twenties style than any other piece so far, with its elongated length and the lace stitchwork, which is similar to the kind of lacework used to decorate sewn clothing in the 1920s.

The Lotus Blossom Scarf. Lovely lacy scarf.

The Lacy Tapered Jacket. Not very enthusiastic about this one. The lace panels are lovely, but the shaping isn't great. It appears as though this is a sweater that buttons only at the waist, and that style is a hard one for many women to carry off, especially in the longer length, because off all the visual lines it creates. I'd fix the dropped sleeves, make the jacket shorter, and consider changing the shaping of the front pieces.

The Floral Finery Pullover. I love the style of this one. The body of the sweater is very well shaped and the collar and cuffs provide polish and pops of visual interest. The semi-abstract colourwork on the collar and cuffs is not doing much for me and I'd replace it with something more traditional, but that's just personal preference, because it is good design objectively. And it's a nod to the art of the early twentieth century.

The Fair Isle Wristlets. These aren't bad. The fair isle pattern is attractive. I think I'd want to fit them more closely to the wrist, though. It'll look better and there's no point in inviting the cold air into one's gloves.

The Cozy Cardigan. Not a particular fan of this one. It's lumpy looking and the collar and cuffs don't sit well.

The Cabled Aran for a Day Out. Beautiful classic man's cabled pullover. There's a reason men have been wearing sweaters very much like this one for over a century.

The Let's Ride to Ripon Hat. Before I rode to Ripon in this hat, I would want to inquire just how far it is from here, and how many people are likely to see me in it, and then, on second thought, if I could possibly take the time to nip into the house and exchange it for another hat before our departure. This cap looks like it's wearing a headband from a 1980s Jane Fonda exercise video. There's a reason why Interweave hasn't released the Unofficial Jane Fonda Workout Knits.

The Tour-the-Estate Paisley Slipover. I love this one with its beautiful detailing at hem and cuffs, but I would definitely refashion that tie. I know it's probably true to period detail, but it looks too random and tacked on as is. I think I'd edge the front part of the neckline and the slit with the contrast trim, and attach ties to the top edges.

The Classic Autumn Cardigan. This one isn't doing it for me. It has a muddled feel to it, as though the designer tried to incorporate too many elements (lace, stripes, and tartan) and chose a colourway that didn't help at all. I'd simplify this design a little by removing one of the three design elements, and go with a more monochromatic colourway.

Driving Gloves for the Lady of the Manor. Love these, which are elegantly simple and totally wearable for either the lady or the maid of the house (and aren't we women usually both, these days).

The Cosmopolitan Peasant Blouse. I very much like this one, which has the smart, Art Deco-like look of sportswear in twenties, a time in which sportswear meant polished outfits, not sweatpants.

The Lace-Leaf Pocket Cardigan. This cardigan has some pretty detailing, but the fronts that don't meet combined with the sleeves that are too short make it look too small. My guess is that this sample was simply not big enough to fit this model. If you are going to knit this, I'd recommend that you make sure the sleeves are the right length and that it's wide enough to fit the wearer.

The Flirtatious Felt Hat. The shape of this hat is really good and I like the idea of a knitted band for it. There are better colourways for this design, though.

The Maids' and Maidens' Lace Blouse. Love this one, which updates a twenties style by shaping it like a contemporary sweater.

The Market Day Beret. Cute little classic beret.

The Bristol Pool Double-Braided Muffler. Another beautiful classic scarf that almost any man would be happy to wear.

The Going to Town Tam. Very much like this one, which looks even better from the back than it does here.

See? The broken lines and the centre button are so visually interesting.

The Evergreen Table Set. This doily is a lovely piece of work and the colour and its diagonal lines update it as much as a doily can be updated, but I don't know anyone who uses doilies these days. My 75-year-old mother scorns them as hopelessly old fashioned.

A Lampshade for the Grand House. This is really pretty, but the concept of homemade lampshades makes me very, very nervous. I started to research and write a post on knitted lampshades once, and what I read made me decide to delete the draft and abandon the idea for a post altogether. Factory-made lampshades have to meet certain safety regulations with regard to flammability; a handmade lampshade does not, so one cannot be sure it'll be safe to use. It seems to me that it would be a better idea to dress up an existing shade by adding beaded fringes (using glass beads and fine wire, not plastic beads and thread or yarn) than to knit one. I really don't care at all for the thought of any of my readers being burnt to a crisp, so if you do decide to make this pattern and put it on a lamp, please don't ever leave the lamp unattended while lit.

The Upstairs and Downstairs Bag for Needlework and Sewing. Lovely little bag, though I would be inclined to use this an evening bag rather than a sewing bag, as very few of my sewing projects would ever fit in a bag this size.

The Tea Cozy for Cook. This is definitely from the Frumpy Grandmother category of design.