Boden Weekly Review Roundup: Part One. Phew.

You ALL.  It is insanity...not only do I have reviews, so do many of my blog friends, and so do my kids.  LOL.

Therefore I will focus on only ladies clothing tonight, and tomorrow give you part two which will focus on childrens clothing and ladies accessories.

Reminder, you can click on any Boden stock photo to access the measurements, colorways, and pricing.  To access any photos of me wearing the clothes, click on the photo for a larger image.  To access any reviews that are not mine, click on the link to the appropriate blog.

There have also been some fab reviews of items written in the past week or so on my various Boden sale posts, but I have not yet had an opportunity to get those all "rounded up," so to speak, so those will be in tomorrow's post as well.  THANK YOU a million times over, both my blog friends, AND my awesome followers for doing so many wonderfully executed reviews.

So without further ado...

DRESSES:

Yeah, yeah, I am totally hamming it up in these next three shots, but I just. can. not. stop. the. picnik. madness.  Teehee. 

The dress is the insanely lovely Retro Shift from the Boden Limited Edition.  Scrumptious is the best way to describe it from tip to bottom.  The size I have on here is the 8, and it fits exactly right.  Like, I had better not gain any weight in my booty kind of exact.

I will review the shoes (again) tomorrow when I take a stab at the accessories/mini-Boden roundup, but for your info they are called the Downtown heels and I am wearing the size 41.  If you can't wait, here is a review I did a while back.

This shot actually makes me sort of look like I belong in the Boden catalog, well except that I outweigh those ladies by at least twenty pounds.  Whatevs.

I will take a stab at a "Boden" question.  "Dina, What is Your Biggest Pet Peeve?"  "Inconsiderate and Pushy Driving."

The jacket, btw, is the J. Crew Collection Moonbeam Sequined Blazer from last winter.  I love the sparkly on sparkly (the neckline of the shift is beaded).

Ooh, yes, put the stare on.  :)

I personally prefer the dress with a belt, as it allows me to hike up the skirt a bit, which then allows for my hips to fit a bit better (the lower fit makes it a wee bit tighter through my largest measurement).  Plus, the belt helps reign in some of the "blousy" of the top.

From the side.  You can see the blousy in full effect here.  This is not a dress for people afraid of the mad men sexy secretary vibe...it is all out there on display (tastefully done, of course).  Very (as the Brits say) "yummy mummy."

From behind.  The blousy also blouses in the back, but I quite liked this as it evened out my hips and shoulders (yes!).

The neckline close-up.  So pretty and special, and definitely superfluous (hee!).

No belt.  Still special, but I really did like it all snazzed up.  The length is longer here, as you can see.

Yes, I do prefer it all snazzed up.  And all picniked out, too.  ;)


Retro Shift.  Currently $83, which is a really good price for a fully lined, expertly made, beaded, silk/cotton combo (the fabric is heavy silk/cotton, more like drapery than the thin fabrics you see from J. Crew).

FOLLOW THE MEASUREMENTS. Trust me.

And the continuation of the picnik madness. 

It was about three thousand degrees the day I chose to wear this (Friday last) and this dress kept me cool and covered, which was awesome...I hate HATE applying sunscreen when I am not going to the pool (don't worry, I did apply it to my "shown" bits).

I have done an in-depth review here, but I wanted to give you an actual real world account.

At no point of the long day with the kids at the National Mall did I feel that I needed to adjust my straps, or fiddle with the skirt, or do any of the various ridiculousness we ladies do for fashion.  It is simply an amazingly comfortable dress that you will not want to take off.  And for my modesty blogging friends, throw on a lightweight shawl or short-sleeved cotton cardi, and you have a very conservative dress.

I bought the 4 Regular, which is one size down from my Boden tunic size, and two down from my dress size, but it fits perfectly.  I love this dress so much that I bought another one in purple/green.  Yum.

Mr. Dina loved it A LOT, btw.


Tropical Maxi Dress.  This is selling out fast...and I know why.  :)

I feel a bit like KDot here, you all know her, right?  She is a fab J. Crew blogger from Canada, and with these specs on (Cutler and Gross #0930), I feel like I am channeling her.  :)

This dress, the Beach Shirt Dress, has been reviewed by me before, but this is another "real world" review.  The dress held up well, but was a bit wrinkly in the lap by the end of the day.  I think the heavy cotton canvas will do that, especially if you spend any part of your day sitting (and I did, I was in the car and then an Indian restaurant).  For those of you who like it when a dress in a smaller size stretches out, this would be your go-to.  The size 6 fits fine when first worn, but by the end of the day, it had stretched out (especially through the hips--yes!) to near a size 8, making it uber-comfy.

The sandals have been reviewed by me, too, but I will reserve my in world review of them for tomorrow.


Beach Shirt Dress.  I think the floral colorways are really bright (which is saying something, lol), but if you have a beachy trip this summer, this could be a "luau" style perfect for you.


Sassy Silk Dress.  I did an in real life review of this in the past week.  :)


Spring Shift.  Polly looks really lovely in this, especially love it paired with the obi belt!


Broderie Trim Dress.  Polly wore this in blue recently.  Love the aqua color on her!  Also love that the heels she wore helped with the length of the dress.

TUNICS:



Stripy Tunic.  Polly gives a fab review of this tunic.  I can see why many people like it.  

TOPS: 


Pleated Trim Top.  Polly shows it off in navy.  I am so glad to know that you must. size. down. in this top.  Sounds like Boden may have had a J. Crew vanity sizing conference.  LOL.

SKIRTS:

Last one, I promise.  ;)

So Egyptomaniac totally sold me on the Pintuck Skirt.  I wouldn't have even given it a second glance if it weren't for her wonderful review.  :)  Thank you, Ms. Egyptomaniac, for enabling this purchase.

I bought it in a size 8 Long, and I think it fits a definite purpose here in the American South.  Summer is KILLER here, with highs nearing 90 or higher most days with buggy humidity and "pop-up" thunderstorms always a possibility.  And there are no breaks from this...it is straight through like this from May to October.

A long linen skirt in a pencil/tulip shape can and should be considered by all ladies faced with such extreme weather.  It WON'T protect you from lightning (darn!), but it will keep things airy in the leg region, and really, what more can you ask for sartorially?  LOL.

I will do another review of the ruffled ribbon necklace tomorrow, but if you can't wait, here is the first review from a while ago.

It has pockets!  And the pockets are a lovely depth, and super-well made.  Yes.  AND all for (WAIT FOR IT)...$23.

You read that right.

The skirt sits high, like at your navel high, but since I got a long, it gave me exactly the right amount of fabric from waist to knee.  This, people, is rare, for Miss "Petite Torso/Tall Bottom."

Side view.  And it doesn't make my booty look to big.  Score.

It does get wrinkly, but it is linen, and rather than just wrinkling through the front, it kind of wrinkles everywhere, giving it a careless insouciance that the French would. just. love.

Back.  It is long there, too.  It is rare for my "back" knee to be covered.  :)


Pintuck skirt.  The colors include the brown (I have), the blue, the pink, and the green. 

You all.  Have a great night.  SWAK!

P.S. If I did forget a blog review, please forgive me, and please do e-mail me at dinagideon@aim.com or comment!