Burda for December preview

I can only come to the conclusion, that like some strange empire on their own Byzantine, imperial, or otherwise Putin-ordered Secret Schedule, the Russians among us sew to a different calendar.

Hence, we have, and I do love getting it!  the December preview of Burda available on the Russian site which mysteriously bounced me to the German preview, click here when for months the French site has been whiffing around just trying to get up to speed on the shift from October when they were dead in L'Eau, to November.

I cannot in any way begin to match the wit and lovely bile of the Selfish Seamstress in ripping/shredding the Burda previews to delightful ridicule, but she is making curtains, (wouldjabelieve?) so let's have a sane, mature, considered look behind her busy back:

 What is that? A birdie costume? I can't wait to see how we're supposed to fend off the European cold by gluing feathers to our sleeves. Meanwhile, here they go again with weird pants. I have very long legs, but a short waist. Burda wants me to make that disproportion super, super painfully obvious to everyone with these "pull them up to your nose" pants. Do you think these will ever look normal? I've heard of carrot pants, but these strike me as turnips. I think these would look great on C.J. Cregg of West Wing, and nobody else.

But there's one thing they do every year, along with the regularity of my favourite safari issue, the over- the-top-evening-gown issue, (although I loved their "smoking" tribute to YSL this month) and the under-peopled-summer-wedding-I-wouldn't-want-to-attend-issue, and that is YES, it's the Swiss fantasy chalet feature!

Which looks ludicrous if you live all year in Switzerland as we do. I can't tell you how fast I'll be flipping the pages of these kitschy, gemütlich scenes out of Heidi. Somebody make me a martini and fast.

Thank you. Now there are three intriguing items that did catch my eye, fashion wise.

I could see borrowing these interesting sleeve designs and putting them on better items, like a real jacket or a dress that didn't fly apart as soon as you crossed your legs. Save those sleeves. And this interesting ruffled blouse, not frilly but nicely dramatic. I'd use something besides grey cotton.