Boden: Ruffle Front Dress (Maternity) Plus Some Sale Info (???).

First things first...I received a comment from Greatbleuheron this morning at my last post where she let me know that in the wee hours of this morning that Boden switched the prices on the items to their "sale/clearance" prices. And then when she checked again later this morning that all the prices were back to their regular prices. AND to verify it even further, my shopping bag was COMPLETELY empty this morning when I went to the site to check things out (I had a few items in there). My shopping bag only disappears when Boden is having "fun" at their site.  So who know whens the switchover to clearance will happen, but in order to to keep your access to the site easier (especially if you use a mobile device), I am providing a link at the very bottom of this post, which you can click on to see if the site has changed over. From what I remember from years past, the changeover doesn't take long, so when it does happen, the site should only be down for a little while (under a couple of hours, most likely).

Second, I have a bit of info from another commenter, lala, who said that she needed us to know of a fault in one of Boden's jackets, the short military jacket. She says this: [I]ts lining simply falls apart. I bought it back in October and two days ago I noticed that the very soft, velvety lining they used for this item simply does not do the job. I wrote to Boden and they told me that they had quite a few complaints of the same nature and offered me a full refund. They did not, however, withdraw the item from their website and considering that the sale is imminent (and this jacket really beautiful), many will be tempted but it is better to stay away from it.

I truly appreciate lala reaching out to us over this item. Boden has had issues with items in the past, most notably the Audrey Dress (which I do own in green). I had ordered it in charcoal but the production had to stop because the Boden folks did not believe its quality from the production line was up to snuff and decided to pull the item from their stock. I wonder why they chose not to do the same with this jacket. Odd. Maybe it has something to do with how late in the season they discovered the problem???

Third, I have a review of a clearance item from last summer that I finally have gotten around to ordering, the ruffle front dress from Boden maternity. I fell in love with it back in the spring but knew that unless I had a true belly full of baby that buying it would be a tad excessive. In fact, I held off until the beginning of December because I still wondered if the $85 (clearance price, people!) tag was worth it for a fairly simple dress.

I do want to give all of these photos a disclaimer...I am not on my normal computer, and the world's teeniest laptop doesn't have the amazing editing program, Picasa, on it.  Sadly.  So while these photos should do the job, they are not up to my personal standards.  Everyone, cross your fingers that I can get my computer back as quickly as possible!

Ruffle Front Dress.  Size 6, which is my true to size jersey dress size with Boden.  The dress fits very nicely, and the fabric is extremely soft.  The top is nice and fitted, with just the right amount of flair to accommodate hips and a growing belly. 

From the side.  You can tell that this makes my belly look bigger than it actually is, especially as the skirt falls straight from the belly versus contouring it.  In my opinion, I am okay with this...I have had six months of not having any sympathy, so for people to notice now and offer to open doors and help me up from my seat, etc., is certainly appreciated (and useful, I am actually in a bit of pain, especially by the end of the day, as my belly gets heavier and is starting to affect my back and lower pelvis).

I personally believe this dress can be worn non-pregnant, as well, but won't truly know until the spring after I have Gus.  The way the dress is fashioned makes me believe that the skirt will just be a generous a-line versus one that looks deflated from lack of a baby belly.

From the back you can't even tell I am pregnant.  It just looks like a normal little black dress.

Close-up of the ruffles.  On the black version, this element is almost lost, but is still a nice bit of fluff for those of us girly-girls.  The pink and blue versions the ruffles look very pronounced.

Here is the dress dressed up.  I bought the dress because it can be worn on its own with sandals and a necklace, or with tights, heels, and a jacket in the winter.  If you are pregnant OR expect to be pregnant in the future, this may be a good investment piece that you can work into your maternity wardrobe in many different ways.  10 out of 10 for versatility (especially in the black) but only a 5 out of 10 for value.  Even at $85, it seems pretty expensive.  Although if I make this dress work postpartum, I may re-evaluate the value.  :)

The jacket, btw, is from Anthropologie and is called the Boucle de Souffle jacket by Elevenses.  I last wore it here.  I also wore it the same night I took these review photos, but with a different outfit, which I will publish later this week.  The shoes are the Coralie patterned heels which J. Crew sold a few years ago, love the pop of colorful paisley in this fairly simple outfit.


Ruffle Front Dress.  Many sizes and colors still available.

Finally the link I promised for easy access to the Boden website:




If you see the changeover, I would love to read all about it! :)

You all have a great Saturday!