Boden Weekly Review Roundup: Shoes. Sale. Smile.

Hi, everyone! Happy Wednesday!

So we have a few reviews here for you all who love the Boden. :)

Oh, and before I start in, this post is #700!  Woo!  That doesn't seem like that many for the more prolific bloggers, but yay, I love that I am there...  And I love that it is a BWRR that is #700! 

First up, I wanted to remind you all that the mid-Season sale is going on right now, and because of that, I have pushed up two reviews to today. They are not my full on with photos kind of reviews, but I did want to at least put my thoughts out there for folks who may be on the fence about the items I have and love.

Second, as usual, I have the 10% off with free shipping and returns coupon running on the sidebar (plus at the bottom of this post for mobile users). This gives you a bit of savings on regular priced Boden items, but if you are thinking of getting something from the mid-Season sale, it will apply an additional 10% off the extra savings already marked off. If you have another coupon code, you can still click through all the Boden stock photos to go straight to the item page, but once you get to the shopping bag, there is a little box on the page where you can put in your unique coupon code.

To see an item closer up, click on the photo and you will be taken to another page where you can view a larger image. To see it on another blog friend, click through the link back to their blog. To see the item at Boden, click on the stock image and there you can check on other colors, sizing, and measurements.

Onto the reviews!

Boden for Women:

Upbeat Kitten Heels.  I wore these as part of a dressy casual look for a dinner out with the family.  I had my eyes on these pretty little heels since the preview, but chose to wait to purchase them until I could budget for them.  Recently Boden ran a buy 3, get the 4th item for $1 promo, and decided that was decent enough of a discount (and I had the budget, more importantly) to get these.  Having read that the shoes ran long but sort of narrow through the toe box, I was right on the edge of being a size 40/41.  In the end, I went with the 40 because I know that the all leather construction of Boden's shoes meant that if these ran a bit narrow through the toe box (they do, btw, if you have narrow feet like mine, go a size smaller than your tts, if you have wider feet, I say stay tts to be on the safe side), they will STRETCH out eventually with wear.  Even after one night of wearing them (we walked our meal off at Fair Oaks mall afterward), I could feel them giving a bit.  (However, they still hurt a bit, lol, but nothing that required me putting on bandages after I got home, so this is a very good thing.)

Aforementioned toe box.  For me, this is a fine fit.

I adore this tweed, very classic, and combined with the taupe patent leather, it goes with almost everything.  It was a great neutral for my very colorful outfit.

Heel height is awesome, just around 2 inches, very friendly compared to some of the more trendy platform heights that have been in fashion the past three years or so (although I still love mine, lol).


Upbeat Kitten Heels. There is my tweed version, but it also comes in two animal prints.  The tweed is proving to be popular, so watch for popbacks. 


Fairisle Cardigan. Polly may have received it by accident but she definitely saw an opportunity when it presented itself. :) Great review, and thanks!


Everyday Tweed Mini. AudreyS left me a comment with some great reviews in it, including this one for the (very popular!) everyday tweed mini: The mini is definitely more A-line than "fitted", as it is described on the website, but is very cute and because of the A-line, very easy to walk in -- key for me. I ordered my very reliably Boden size 4, in spite of being a size 0/2P in J.Crew skirts -- I find Boden to run smaller through the waist than J.Crew, although very similar to J.Crew in the hips. I do think the JC viridian green pencil skirt is prettier, but for me, the Boden style is more practical and I think I'll get more wear out of it.

Notre Dame Skirt. (Affiliate program still has no link to this skirt, but you can get to it by clicking on the name of the skirt.) AudreyS also gave a great review for this beauty: The Notre Dame skirt is really gorgeous. I LOVE it. As noted in XOXO's review you earlier posted, it is actually a tweed. If Boden had described it as such, it would have avoided the few negative comments about the material being so thick and rug-like. I, for one, LOVE tweed, and love this skirt --where else would you find tweed in such beautiful colors??? And I also second Polly's assessment of the petite sizing -- I ordered a 4P (normally a 4 in Boden) and it fit perfectly, unlike stores such as J.Crew and Talbots where I order one size up when I order in petites, which I find TOTALLY bizarre. Petite sizing should only differ from regular sizing in length, not in width, and unlike most retailers, Boden seems to understand this so yay for them.


Stitch Detail Dress. AudreyS purchased this dress in the same color as I had (the antique brass color) and here are her thoughts: I had to try out the stitched detail dress (WH293) that you paired with in that earlier post. First, the dress is SO olive -- how can Boden describe as gold or brass???? But like you, I happen to like that muted sort of antiqued color so that worked out okay. I will say the dress looked much better on you than on me -- I agree with your review that it runs loose, maybe to accommodate layers as shown on the boden website. On me, it looks like a mom dress, but whatever, I am a mom, and it is awfully comfortable. With some black tights and patent boots, I think it will be cute.

Hi!  I think the dress does have a "mom" vibe, but in my opinion, that is okay!  Sometimes moms need to be moms.  Ya know?  :)   At least we can be super-colorful and comfortably cute while doing it!



Ribbon Trimmed Coat. AudreyS also grabbed this coat, of which she says: I also ordered the Ribbon Trimmed Coat (BE012). This was RIGHT after I did a major closet reorganization and committed to NO MORE J.CREW COATS this year. I have every imaginable color. But then comes Boden with this gorgeous ribbon trimmed coat. I ordered the navy trimmed with pink and grey in my normal size 4 (J.Crew size 2) and it fit perfectly. It's not a super warm coat (maybe similar to non-thinsulate J.Crew) and perhaps not super figure enhancing, but the details are just so unusual and pretty that I will have to keep it. This is much more of an Anthropologie-esque item than J.crew, which is how I justify its purchase...

I love Boden coats, and J. Crew coats!  Like you I have to constantly just say "no," lol.  :)  This is a really pretty coat...good choice!

Mid-Season Sale Reviews:

Animal Bow Flats. Although I don't have any pics of this, I have received them and can add a few thoughts for those of you contemplating this purchase. I bought the olive green colorway in a size 41. I always get nervous buying any shoes from Boden as I find their footwear to run long and wide. I had always thought of myself as a size 42, but I never buy that size from Boden. I have even had to buy a size 40 from them in the past (as we saw above in the upbeat kitten heels). The 41 fits nicely, not too loose, but I wouldn't say they are so narrow that any of my friends with wider feet will have to size up. The color in the olive green reminds me a bit of Army green camo, but with the really cute crystal bow, it takes it down a notch or two from military. I don't think the military thing would even be a concern in the grey or camel colorway.


Venice Dress. Again no pics, but I do love this dress enough to give my two cents before the mid-season sale ends (tomorrow). I had been contemplating buying one of the yellow dresses that Boden is offering this season, but I knew I wanted one for the colder days of winter and one that offered a bit of stretch. After some thought and being swayed by the neat ribbon detailing all over this dress, I got this in a size 6 Regular. (I almost went with the 8 Regular but saw that it was running large so I took a chance on a smaller size.) The 6 Regular fits beautifully, just stretchy enough through the hips, and not too oversized at the bust. The waist is a bit baggy on me, but this is always my issue. The merino wool is super-soft and looks very classic, smooth and fairly thick. The color is a true deep yellow a bit darker/brighter (I know, weird right?) than what you see on  Boden's site (but the color is not super off like the Stitch Detail Dress, lol). I say go for it if you want a sort of dressy casual dress for winter. The other colors seem more popular, but I was definitely wanting a bit of sunshine. :)

I need a pic of this dress for Polyvore, but it also lets you all see it close-up, too.  :)

Hope these reviews helped some of you.

For mobile users, here is a link to get to Boden's website with an additional 10% off (which can be used along with the mid-Season sale for extra savings!):



Talk with you all soon! :)