Doctor T Designs

So far this year has been a pretty banging one for Burda – January and February were both stellar editions of the magazine.  I don’t think March is quite as good, but it’s still a pretty decent issue.  March, as per tradition, is the “wedding issue,” so it skews a bit towards fancy frocks and a little less towards the everyday pragmatic, but it’s fun to have some more fanciful options now and again.

Since this is the wedding issue, let’s start off with the dresses:

This is a rather sweet dress – the open shoulders and sleeve ruffles are cute, and the overall silhouette is nice.  I don’t think it is the most sophisticated or elegant wedding dress that Burda has produced, but it is nice.

I might prefer it in the shorter version – definitely a cute look for an outdoor spring wedding.

I love this!  It’s the perfect dress for a small wedding or for any pre-wedding events where you still need to look the part of the bride.  Pretty and chic, and with different accessories, it could be used as more than just a wedding dress which makes it pretty versatile.  Burda’s fabric could, perhaps, have used a thicker lining, but the dress itself is great.

Love it in a color too!  Great dress.

This strapless dress is quite fancy!  I find the fabric manipulation of the bodice to be very pretty, and the contrasting skirt color is a nice take on the wedding dress.

Another very chic dress!  Burda has been producing quite a few sheath dresses with interesting seam lines lately, but I like all of them!  The subtle curve of the neckline is a nice design feature here.

I’m not so in love with this dress.  The overall silhouette is fine, but the extra bits over the bust just feel unnecessary?  Though I sort of want to see it in purple and green because it reminds me of The Little Mermaid.

This is one of those boxy dresses that I don’t really enjoy for myself, but I do actually rather like the proportions of the sleeves and the collar to the overall look.  It’s a sort of goth vibe in the black, but, stylish goth.

There aren’t a lot of jackets as we roll into the spring months, but what we do have is pretty good:

The translation of the Burda site describes this as a “dress-coat.”  In the black and white version it seems to look like a dress, but the grey version is definitely open as a coat?  Either way, I like it!  The black and white print is really stunning, and the grey version is super classic.

The extra flap on these jackets reminds me of Burda circa 2007.  Ah, the golden years…  Anyway, I think this is super cute and I wish we could see it on a model who wasn’t hunched over.

This short sleeve jacket feels like a very cool designer piece!  The sleeve seems are a fascinating detail.  I’d worry about it being restricting, but the model looks to have plenty of arm room?  Either way this is a really unique design, and I very much enjoy this take on the cape/jacket mashup.

Another take on the cape/jacket trend.  It looks deceptively complex – on the model and in the garment photo it seems like a lot, but the line drawing reveals that it is just a very cleverly drafted pattern.  Looks like you’d need a lot of fabric, but the effect is pretty cool.

There aren’t any real stand-out tops for me, but there are a lot of options this month:

I do like this mock-wrap top.  Interesting to see a version in a stiffer woven.  It definitely feels formal, but it makes sense in the context of the wedding looks this month.

The top version of the goth dress.  I think I like the dress better?  Though this does look like a nice blouse that could be good for a work environment.

The less formal version of the wrap top for the month.  I’m not a fan of the fabrication Burda chose, especially for the pink version, but I do like the overall shape of this top.

The draping on this casual knit top is pretty interesting.  The shape is a bit boxier than I’d usually wear, but I’d be tempted to make it just to play with the pattern.

This top has some interesting features.  From the back it almost looks like you are wearing the shirt backwards, because that sort of button feature is usually on the front.  The overall shape is nice, though similar to the other drapy top in this issue, but with a few more complex features to add interest.  Not my favorite design, but also not totally boring, so points for that.

The bottoms in this issue are fairly simple:

The waistband detail on these 7/8 length trousers is actually quite nice.  I especially like it on the olive pair – the zippers really stand out.

Not as much a fan of these pleated pants.  The waistband is interesting, but I am always leery of adding that much volume at the hip.

From the line drawings I would have given these skirts a pass as being rather boring, but Burda has done a marvelous job of photographing them in a way that feels super chic.

It wouldn’t be the March issue without a good pencil skirt.

The Burda Plus offerings are pretty good this month:

I like that Burda is now doing wedding dresses for both the regular and plus sizes in the same issue, and that they integrate the photo shoots.  In the line drawing this dress seems like a lot, but in the garment photo and on the model it just feels like a ruffly wedding gown.  Burda must have got a great deal on that lace because EVERYONE is wearing it, but, I do think it works well with this dress.

I also like that both size ranges get a gown and a simpler option.  The neckline here makes this dress slightly fancier than a plainer sheath dress.  I’d probably have used different buttons (with rhinestones?) to make it more of a wedding look.

This dress feels sort of out of place when compared with the other looks in this issue, but I really like it!  The crazy print is fun, and shows off the bias skirt nicely.  I also love the neckline and the sleeves.  I think this would look equally stunning in a solid charmeuse as well.

The trousers are sort of whatever, but the jacket is stunning!  Love the soft drape in the front and seam lines.  Beautiful combination of elements here.

I also really like this pencil skirt.  The pipping detail is nice, and the overall look is very classy.

The kids all get formal party looks as well:

Lots of ruffles and the boy’s jacket looks very classy!

And with that it means it is time to pick the Best of BS for March 2018!  For me there are a lot of good looks in this issue – nothing that was a clear stand out, but certainly lots of contenders.  In the end I went with:

The short wedding/party dress!  I love the classic shape, the pleated vertical lines, and the contrasting sleeves.  I think this dress is rather versatile too – it could go anywhere from wedding gown to work dress depending on the fabrication.

The BWTF for the month was also difficult to choose – there weren’t any really tragic patterns, though there are certainly a few that were in the running.  After looking back at all the patterns, I have given it to:

The boob-a-licious twist top dress!  This dress isn’t really that bad, it just suffers from the too much going on syndrome.  The print with the collar with the twist top – too much!  There is a good pattern lurking in here, but as is I think it is the least successful look for the month of March.

And that’s it!  What do you all think?  Are we as excited for March as we were for the first few issues of the year?  Or is this a massive letdown after the bold looks of January and very wearable looks from February?  What are your top and bottom picks?  Would you wear any of these looks to a wedding?  Do you have any weddings coming up that you need to sew for?  Or does March always feel like a bust because it is so heavily into the part dresses?  Feel free to discuss in the comments!