McCall's Early Fall 2016 Patterns

McCall's has just released their early Fall 2016 patterns and I think they have several winners. Most of the are pretty basic and look like many other patterns I've seen, but these are a few that jumped out at me...

7433

Just gorgeous vintage style. I'm in love with the fabric choices here and all the little details. From their website:Pullover dress has semi-fitted bodice, side zipper closing, skirt with front and back pleats, self-belt and contrast neckbands. A: Short sleeves with contrast band. B: Long sleeves with cuff and placket.Circa 1943I love the delicate pleats of the skirt, the gathering at the yoke and the pretty collar. It even has little notches taken out that are hard to see in these fabrics. While I'm absolutely in love with this dress I don't think it would be super practical. Although, I guess if you lose the gloves and vintage styling it automatically looks a little more contemporary. 

7431

McCall's is jumping on the boho 70s trend! I am totally ok with that as I've purchased 3 (!) wide legged flare jeans in the last few weeks. Don't worry, they're all in different washes so they look totally different! I swear ;)Again, they chose a great print and fabric for this dress. It actually looks like it may be from the same fabric line as the previous dress. Amazing how it suits both time periods so well, even though they're such different looks. From their website:Pullover dresses have elastic seamed waist, sleeve and length variations. A: Front bodice lace-up with two-part eyelets and trumpet sleeves. B: Purchased lace and bishop sleeves. C:Purchased piping and flared sleeves with ruffled band. D: Sleeveless and floor-length. C, D: Notch neckline.I really like the way the yoke has a piping option as well as a lace-up option. I'm not really a lace-up kinda girl but it looks great on the model. There are several sleeve options, as well. The bishop sleeves are probably most to my taste. Another thing I like about this dress is that it has a gathered waist. I see a lot of boho shift dresses with no waist definition. While that looks nice on less curvy women, I really need all the waist definition I can get. This dress pattern could easily be changed into a shirt pattern and that's awesome, too. 

7429

I'm a little less enthused by this pattern. I like the nice draping effect in the front, but the high neckline looks weird to me (especially the mock turtleneck version, wtf). I'm also worried that the draping would potentially draw all focus to the tummy area in a bad way. It could be really pretty, though, on the right person. From their website:Close-fitting pullover dress has front twist detail at waist and neckline variations. A, C: Sleeveless. A, D: Mock-neck collar. B:Long sleeves. D: Short sleeves. Note: No provisions provided for above waist adjustment. 

7436

Not a bad shirt pattern. I actually like the pussy bow version of this one better, but the photo has these weird black lace inserts that are just ugh. Definitely has potential, though, and a good pattern to show off a pretty fabric. Is it just me, or are there some fitting issues going on here?Loose-fitting tops have long sleeves, collar variations, front pleats, and narrow hem. A, D, C: Collar extending into tie ends. B: Back neck hook & eye closure and stand-up collar. C, D: Bishop sleeves with button cuffs. A: Flared sleeves. B: Cuffed sleeves. 

7446

YES. This whole outfit is one big yes. That galaxy print fabric is so amazing. I feel like the sewing world needs more galaxy print and also athletic wear. There are definitely some good pattern options out there, but a girl always needs more! Actually, I've never even sewn an athletic wear garment, BUT THIS MIGHT BE THE PATTERN TO START WITH.Maybe. If I can face my fear of sewing lycra. Anyway, love the seam lines, love the color-blocking options. I have to say, though, not a fan of the jacket. Maybe it's the fabric, but it looks a little too...Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century to me.For reference:Anywho, this is the info on their website:Loose-fitting jacket has stand-up collar, separating zipper and shaped hemline. Wrong side of fabric will show. Close-fitting tops and tunic have side seam panels, shaped upper front, elasticized neck and armholes, racerback straps, narrow hems. Close-fitting leggings have shaped front and back contrast. F: Pocket at hip. All have stitched hems. There are plenty more Fall 2016 patterns, but none of them were really doin' it for me. Definitely check them out, though!

My Winter 2016 Capsule Wardrobe

Turns out I'm a little late to the game on the whole "Capsule Wardrobe" thing, but I figure a great idea like this is something you can pick up any time. I stumbled across the blog un-fancy.com and was totally inspired by the author's style, chic looks and realistic way to pare down her wardrobe.I definitely struggle with over-shopping. It's not so much that I buy a ton of expensive stuff, more so that I tend to buy random crap just because it's "only on sale for one day" or  "kind of my size" or "ridiculously discounted in the Target clearance section" (my weakness).In fact, here's a confession: I recently purchased a pleather mini skirt at The Gap outlet because it was only $4.00. I mean, come on. You can't beat that! And while I love the idea of a pleather mini, the only one they had was a size too big. "I'll take it!" I thought as I threw onto a growing bundle in my arms. "I'll just trim down the sides."I still have plans to try to slim down that skirt but it really made me realize that I was just buying things because they were inexpensive. Not because they were high-quality or something I'd wear often. Reading Un-Fancy helped kick-start another closet cleaning.I've purged my closet a few times in the last year. This time I found several pairs of pants that I hadn't worn in at least 4 years, a bunch of ratty t-shirts and a few nice dresses and sweaters that I had never worn simply because they didn't fit right. Of course, all found in the clearance section.I've decided to try out a winter capsule wardrobe even though we're halfway through the season. After doing a bit of online shopping (and returning things that just weren't right) I combined my new items with pieces I already own to create this winter capsule wardrobe. Of course, as a designer, I tend to think best when I have a visual, so creating the actual clothes and putting them together into outfits was key to figuring out what I should keep/buy. So that's where I'm at with it! Everything that I purchased was, of course, on clearance. But I really tried to only buy things I would wear all the time and if they didn't fit I brought them back. I'm excited to stick with my capsule and see how much wear everything gets. These outfit layouts are going to be my cheat-sheets for when I'm feeling uninspired.