Bergère de France Magazine 177: A Review

Bergère de France has released Magazine 177. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Pattern #01, Cable Tank Top. Classic cabled vest.

Pattern #02, Jacquard Cable Sweater. I give Bergère de France points for trying to be original, especially in menswear, where original knitwear design usually means an arguably new arrangement of classic cables done in a daring shade of gray, but I don't think these asymmetrical sleeve designs are working. Love the sweater otherwise, but I'd pick one of the sleeve designs and use it on both sleeves.

Pattern #03, Shawl Neck Cable Cardi. Classic sweater. The minimal shawl collar does give a it a bit of an updated feel.

Pattern #04, Fur Collar Jacket. Can't say I care for this one. It isn't shaped with any style and has a dumpy look.

Pattern #05, Cable Jacket. Like this one on the whole, though I do have some reservations about the dropped shoulders and the horizontal cables on the arm, which aren't flattering. The leather fastenings are a nice touch. I think I might be tempted to go with another zippered jacket pattern and borrow the leather clasp idea for it.

Pattern #06, Double-breasted Jacket. Don't care for this one. The collar is poorly shaped and the design looks rough and amateurish on the whole.

Pattern #07, Long V-Neck. Very sister wife. (This is not a good thing.)

Pattern #08, Cable Tank Top. Solid classic piece.

Pattern #09, Button Neck Sweater. Classic henley that would look well on just about any man. As you can see, it isn't exactly detracting from this model's looks.

Pattern #10, Roll-Neck Sweater. Lovely classic turtleneck.

Pattern #11, Top Down Jacket. This isn't just sister wife, it's "depressed and alienated sister wife whom all the other sister wives pick on".

Pattern #12, Rolled Edge Beanie. Shapeless and too large hat.

Pattern #13, Hooded Cable Jacket. Very decent cabled jacket. Though I am getting the feeling this is this woman's very first day as a sister wife and she's anxious to make the best fried chicken dinner ever to make sure she gets off on the right foot.

Pattern #14, Hooded Sweater. Not bad. I like the concept of the side buttons echoing the buttons at the placket.

Pattern #15, Shawl Collar Cardi. Not liking the asymmetrical design here. I'd put that cable motif on both sides. And style it over things that actually go together.

Pattern #16, Short Cable Sweater. Not bad. It's not looking too flattering here, but I think that's the styling. I'd put a bulky item like this with a fitted bottom rather than a pleated skirt.

Pattern #17, Flared Tunic. I'd reshape the bottom of this. A sweater that flares unecessarily through the waist and hips will do no woman any favours.

Pattern #18, Jacquard and Cable Sweater. Not a bad incarnation of the circular yoke sweater.

Pattern #19, Asymmetric Zipped Sweater. I don't like "design on the one side" concept here either. If I were to make this one, I would knit both sides and the sleeves for the sweater in the cable pattern (which is quite nice), fix the dropped shoulders, and keep in mind that this item won't look good worn open.

Pattern #20, Tunic. This lovely yarn (created by knitting two different yarns together) deserved better than to be made up into a sloppy poncho.

Pattern #21, High Neck Cable Sweater. Nice piece. It looks like it has good shaping, which is crucial in a bulky knit like this.

Pattern #22, Jacquard-Look Sweater. The dropped shoulder is used here as a way to create visual interest, and it's not working any better than it does when it's simply part of the shaping.

Pattern #23, Large Snood. Dead simple yet wearable piece. I rather like the idea of making a cowl to match a sweater with a simple neckline. It gives one a way to freshen up the sweater and would be a good way to use up a leftover skein of yarn.

Pattern #24, Tunic Sweater. Quite like this one. The gradient effect was created by knitting two strands of different yarns together, which is a brilliant idea to keep in mind for some future project. It's a way to create colours that blend well if you're unable to buy them as is.

Pattern #25, Top Down Cardi. I would definitely neaten up the fit of this and run the buttons from the top of the neckline to the hem. It's not a bad design on the whole, but it looks unfinished and frumpy as is.

Pattern #26, Round Neck Cable Sweater. Nice classic piece. And that is some good styling, because it's made a standard piece look chic and eye-catching. The right accessories and colour scheme do make such a difference.

Pattern #27, Openwork Cable Sweater. Quite like this one. It's well-shaped and the texture is so good.

Pattern #28, Chunky V-Neck Cardi. Another sister wife fashion. And by the looks of it, this sister wife has been secretly growing some mary jane in the kitchen garden and smoking it out behind the bunkie with some of the oldest of her "nephews".

Pattern #29, Short-Sleeved Cable Sweater. Bergère de France has clearly tried to give the cable sweater a fresh look here, but using the kind of shaping that is consistently unflattering is not the way to do that.

Pattern #30, Cable Cardi. And we end with another solid classic piece.