First off, thank you SO MUCH for the lovely comments on my lace trench yesterday! SHUCKS, Y’ALL. You sure know how to make a girl feel special 😉
Now, let’s round up the first week of Me-Made-May! I know, it’s not a full proper week… but I like to do my round-ups on Friday, soooo deal with it.
5/1
Dress: Cake Patterns Tiramisu
Cardigan: Miette
Shoes: Nine West
I spent most of this day sitting in a car (on my first ever ~business trip~ woohoo), so I opted for something comfortable that wouldn’t wrinkle. As a side note, those 4+ hours as a passenger meant I got a LOT of knitting done. Expect a sweater post sooner than later, ha.
Also, welcome to the ugly side of my sewing room.
5/2
Tshirt: Sewaholic Renfrew
Skirt: Vogue 8317
Belt: Banana Republic
Shoes: Thrifted (yes, I’m totally gross and I thrift shoes, DGAF)
I need to find more ways to wear this skirt, because every time I do I get SO many compliments on it (usually in the form of, “Oh, I love that skirt… OMG I LOVE THE BACK!!!!” haha). I think it would be really fun paired with navy, or even teal.
5/3
Top: Papercut Patterns La Sylphide
Jeans: Imogene+Willie
Shoes: Keds
(not shown: Sewaholic Patterns Minorou jacket)
These jeans are my one piece of “cheat” clothing. MMM is all about focusing on wearing, well, me-mades, but let’s be real here – these are my only pair of jeans (yep!) and May is most likely the very last month I’m going to be able to wear them before it gets too hot for the summer. Considering I paid a shit ton of money for them and I love the everloving shit outta them, I decided the jeans are my free pass as long as the rest of the outfit is LT-made. I mean… they are handmade, just by someone else. That counts, right? 🙂
Also, it’s cold today and I wanted to wear pants. So there.
So that’s that! A short week of Me Made May; next Friday should be a little more interesting 🙂
Now, let’s talk about the new Vogue patterns that just came out.
They are actually pretty boring, sad to say 😦 Like a good 3/4 of them look exactly like patterns that were released last season, or the season before… just different fabrics and/or models. I do want to point out that whoever they have modeling with the red hair is a TOTAL BABE.
Vogue 1354
Am I right? BABE CITY USA.
I don’t even notice the ridic poses because I’m too busy being jealous THAT I DON’T LOOK LIKE THAT.
Then there’s this:
Vogue 8900
It’s… interesting. Definitely not a style that many people can pull off (both waist cut-outs AND a top that can barely accommodate a bra), but I don’t think pattern companies necessarily need to make stuff that flatters *everyone*, you know? I’ll give them credit for being interesting, and ignore all those seams that are screaming to be pressed.
Then these happened:
Vogue 8913
I think we’ve reached a breaking point with these unnecessary buttflaps.
Vogue 8914
Everything about this is just unfortunate.
Vogue 8895
Someone please tell me in what world this dress would be considered flattering?! Her head looks so tiny in comparison!
Vogue 8897
Hideously unflattering tunic aside (which, I might add, is eerily similar to this previous hideously unflattering tunic) it appears that their iron must have exploded during the making of this since NOTHING is pressed. Just looking at that hem is making my eye twitch.
The rest of the patterns are so boring, they put me to sleep. Actually, that’s a great idea. I’m going to print them out and bind them in a little book for the next time I am dealing with insomnia. Thanks, Vogue!
LLADYBIRD 
That Vogue dress with the tiny-head model is very sister-wife! It’s frumpy as shit.
I loooove your plaid blouse.
Yes that head is freakishly small! I have a big head though, maybe this dress will make it look more normal? Haha 🙂
She sort of looks like they took all the parts of her body apart, scaled them differently and put it back together… But maybe that’s THE look for this summer?
Great start to the ‘Me Made’ May! I was eyeing that Tiramisu just the other day 🙂
Thanks for pointing out all the unpressed seams in the Vogue release. It’s like they don’t want to make them look too polished, since that might make some people feel they just shouldn’t attempt the pattern (which is unfortunate, because this is a group of patterns that should not be released into the wild at all!). Boring and just plain frumpy – and a disappointment coming from Vogue! (Again)
Totally agree. And I can’t understand what they were thinking with some of those fabrics.
That said, I do like this: http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v1353-products-46629.php?page_id=174 — in that fabric, even.
Oh, me too! It’s a nice pattern in a pretty fabric (and again, babe model haha).
What the heck is up with 8895?? Maybe it’s the angle, she looks gigantor with a tiny head and enormous sleeves. Much less sleeve-action and a better print and it would be totally cute.
Love your round-up. Your yellow skirt is totally making me want to convert my ways of only thinking I can wear darker colored bottoms (don’t ask why, it makes no sense and I have no reasoning behind it other than routine).
I have the same way of thinking when it comes to wearing dark bottoms – I think it’s because most people tend to wear darker bottoms (esp jeans and stuff), so it’s now just a habit. It’s definitely stretching me out of my comfort zone but that’s not necessarily a bad thing 🙂 And bonus – you can totally get away with wearing super unflattering colors on the bottom, since they’re nowhere near your face 🙂 That yellow would look AWFUL on me as a dress, but it’s nice as a skirt!
Hehehehe you are amazing. Love your outfits, happy Me Made May!
I thrift shoes! DGAF either, they’re usually the one’s that last FOR EVER!! I LOVE your yellow skirt by the way! and your whole blog! 🙂
Your rundowns on the Vogue patterns are probably my most favourite blog thing in the world. They makes me laugh so much every time!
Whenver a new Vogue pattern release comes out the first thing that I think is… “I cannot wait for Lladybird’s review”!
i was crushin’ on the redhead too 😉
I’d make V8895 just so that I could take the glory for haking/upcycling/reinventing it into something reasonable!
OMG I’m just in love with your Vogue Pattern commentaries!!!!! LOL!!!
I agree on the new Vogue patterns. YUCK!!! So ugly. Not even just boring. Just plain yuck. What were they thinking??????? Love that yellow skirt. I need one!
Was this the styling they were aiming for with 8914?
https://www.google.ca/search?q=miss+peregrine's+home+for+peculiar+children&client=safari&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=uemDUYiQJKOMigK47ID4CA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=672#biv=i%7C3%3Bd%7Cw0l2wCwvYU356M%3A
GOD NO KILL IT WITH FIRE D:
Your commentary on the tragic vogue collection killed me. And also, BABE CITY USA?!?!? I LOVE Babe City, USA. I’ve been trying to make it back there ever since I resided there briefly in 2006.
ps you’re foxy and i’m loving your Me-Madeness!
God these are all snoozee. The models even look like they are about to fall the hell asleep well except for the first babe of course. The last one looks like she just caught a whiff of something rank.
Leave Vogue ALOOOOONE!!!!
You are hilarious, Lauren.
Feel special? You are special and that coat deserves the recognition!
I too like 8900 but with the contrast panels, not cut outs!
And I also really love the seaming on 8902
http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v8902-products-46643.php?page_id=174
plus, small miracle, they did the sample in a solid so you can actually see it – woah!
I know, I actually liked that one! It could really be sewn up into something amazing.
8895 is actually so scary I just know its going to give me nightmares…why is her head so tiny and her body so gigantic?!
Lauren, put you in a red wig (like hers), and you would look waaaaay prettier, much more babe city. You really shouldn’t want to look like anymore other than yourself. Most of us want to look like you! These patterns are hideous, period. And 8895 looks like something off Big Love. What are they thinking? I always considered Vogue to be well, vogue, but not anymore.
I’m laughing so hard I’m crying – what the heck is going on? I had a subscription to vogue a couple of years ago and everything was beautiful, and some were even easy enough for me to sew.
Love your yellow skirt. I bought some yellow ponte after Cidel made a yellow dress (copied her and ordered the exact fabric) then realized it would look terrible near my face. It wants to be a skirt now!!! Thanks for the inspiration.
The only person who does high-low patterns well is Megan Nielsen. Everyone else should stop trying lol Especially Vogue. But yeah that girl is a TOTAL babe and would make all of those patterns look appealing and wearable!
Omg Megan Nielsen has totally conquered the market on high-low hem patterns. No one else can even inhabit the same sewing planet as her as far as I’m concerned.
Yay for Me Made May! You look so put together.
Thanks for sharing! I love your La Sylphide top – I may just need to get a copy of that pattern for myself!
I hate to rain on everyone’s parade/crush on that redhead but, take a look at her chest and upper arms. She is so skinny you can see her ribs. I definitely agree with the above comments about Vogue patterns no longer being “in vogue” so guess they gave up on decent patterns but decided to go with malnourished models to get the high fashion look instead?
First: Beautiful roundup!
And Melina, the skinnyness was the first thing to strike me too. The back of the redhead was disturbing: http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/filebin/images/product_images/Add_3_Full/V1354.jpg
I don’t think that’s very fair to assume she’s malnourished just because she’s skinny. The difference between me showing ribs and not showing ribs is about 2 deserts- and in some ways, they’re always visible depending on how I stand. I can assure you that I am not malnourished in any way, it’s just the way my body is. Maybe she is underweight, maybe she isn’t, but just because you see bones does not mean that she needs to~eat a sandwich~ or whatever.
You know I made vogue 8824 and it wasn’t sack like at all! The cut out Vogue is based on a Carven designer dress and I actually like quite a few of he Vogue patterns this time. At least they didn’t have a lot of weird poses this time!
8895 would be, like, totally flattering in the world 1987. I think 8900 would be perfect for Trekkie babes to wear to the new movie. (And maybe not much else.)
Like the rest of the world, I love your striped shirt/yellow skirt combo. It’s chic and cheerful at the same time!
I just really like your tags for these posts
Thank GOD!! So many other bloggers were extolling the virtues of Vogue and the designer pieces, and I….well, I was afraid that something was wrong with one of us…3 gazillion flies can’t be wrong and all that…
And I have totally worn thrifted shoes. I just wipe them down with a clorox wipe thingy and set them out in the sun for a day or two (both supposedly kill most germs). 🙂
Aw, I always look forward to new Rachel Comey designs but these were kind of blah. There’s plenty that are wearable, but they’re also simple enough that most people probably already have an identical pattern.
Your yellow wool skirt is my favorite thing, EVER. Gorgeous color & fit from the front, and then the back! It’s amazingly fun!
You make the best stuff! It all looks so good and well planned/made. I’m glad I’m not the only one who was appalled by the new vogues. Yuckaroo.
Dear Vogue 8895- The ’80’s called and they would like their hideous, football shoulder padded dress back. Sincerely, me
Your outfits are so lovely – I love the way you put everything together, and hell yeah, wear those jeans as long as you can! Feeling totally “meh” on the Vogue patterns – I think I’ll pass this time around.