Have you been enjoying seeing what is left in the end of season sale at Boden this past week? I am surprised by how little is left. Clearly the Boden marketing team is doing the best job they can because there is very little left overall. I see a few sizes here and there in most items being available, but in general a lot of sizes in a lot of colors have completely sold out.
HAVING said that, if you want a tip, I have one for you. The past few nights I have made it my nightly pleasure to check on my shopping bag (I have two items left on my wishlist but must wait for the budget to allow purchase) and at around 8 pm eastern (that would be 1 am UK time), the stocks get replenished across the board. All of a sudden there is a size 8 favourite jersey maxi where there hadn't been one an hour earlier. I highly recommend that if you want to get one that "got away," watch for the popbacks starting around 8 pm eastern time. Good luck!
I am glad that Boden is doing well, especially since it means that those of us that have a penchant for the unusual prints and conservative cuts will have more company (love company!), but it does have the unfortunate effect of reducing stocks in season so we can't have at it for cheap at the end of season. Sigh. LOL. Popularity, Johnnie. So hard. ;)
Now here is a cautionary tale for Johnnie, though. J. Crew got insanely popular, got really big for its britches, and in prior seasons overbought their items which meant that there were still 2010 items for sale in the clearance area of jcrew.com in 2012. That's not likely to be good, right? So keep the ego in check. Humility is a hard lesson to be dealt. (I should know. I was 15 once. Gawd. What a horrible little girl I was, clearly out of my mind. My dad just laughs.)
Speaking of sales and the lack of good prices and/or stocks, Poppy's Style wrote a great little article on why the moaning and complaining about it over at Boden's facebook page got on her nerves. I tend to agree. I understand the complaints, but really, Boden is aware of what is selling and what is not and is not going to massively discount an item (like the swishy jersey maxi skirt I am wearing below) if it is a best seller. They aren't in the business of losing money, right? However, if you want the Roma trousers, those are nicely discounted, they aren't selling well (likely because it was really warm this past six months, at least here in the States). (A whole host of other items are also deeply discounted, you just have to search them out.)
There is no free shipping right now, so definitely only buy one item if you really wanted it and it came as a popback. Otherwise, get all your items together in one basket so the $10 shipping charge is easier to swallow. OR wait till the autumn 2012 line drops (July 20th, supposedly) and buy some sale items with the promo/free ship codes that are likely to also happen at the same time (I always seem to get one at the beginning of each season through the affiliate program).
I have recently drunk the maxi juice and now fully get the love of the maxi skirt and maxi dress, especially in summer. Oddly enough the extra length and swishy fabric help keep me cooler than if I was wearing shorts or capris or shorter skirts.
I paired it with a halter top (from Inc., a Macy's brand) that I have had for years, my Target sunglasses, and a pair of embellished flip-flops from J. Crew. I am also bringing it on an upcoming trip where I will pair it with a peasant top, so full on top and full on bottom. It seems to work in an over-exaggerated boho style. You can also roll the waistband (hello, Catholic school uniform, ah, memories!) to make it into a midi length skirt, too, if you so desire.
I sized down from my usual skirt size of US 8 Long because I knew the jersey fabric has more give. I definitely think, though, if you have a larger waistline relative to your hip size, that you should size up or stay with your normal Boden skirt size (the waist is teeny, at 28 inches, this one fits nicely, but one inch down and it would be constricting).
There are also petite lengths, which I imagine is necessary, so I am glad to see that Boden didn't forget the smaller ladies.
I measure 42 inches from my natural (belly button) waist to the floor, so use that as your own guide. This skirt is pretty close to 42 inches long.
Swishy Maxi Skirt. The only color not on good sale is the navy (of course). That actually costs more on sale compared to what I bought it for...it is now $70 instead of $66 (I think I got a 25% off, and the navy is now only 20% off). The other colors are $58.10, which is a great price for a beautiful, very feminine skirt. I cannot tell you if the navy will sell out at that price, but since it is only a four dollar difference, I will let you all make that call if that color is the one you have been eyeing.
This skirt is high waisted (like the swishy maxi skirt, btw) and sits exactly at my navel. Which is fine...BUT, unlike the swishy maxi skirt, this one is shorter so the balance of the proportions are off. It also doesn't help that I have a relatively short torso compared to my lower half. When I tucked the blouse above in, I looked like I had been given the wrong upper body as the skirt's pattern and larger skirt looked overwhelming compared to the tee.
When I untucked the tee, the outfit looked better, but the tee needed something to balance it, so I added a thin belt, which I do like with the outfit, but the color is just a bit too obvious (too matchy with the skirt?). The shoes help lengthen the leg, which is great, but the color is too much with the rest of the outfit, so I just said "sigh," and went on with my day. My hubby really liked this ensemble, so there's that, but a part of me is left scratching my head wondering why this outfit? Whatever. Men are weird.
The length is great, I like having skirts that fit at or below the knee, they are surprisingly hard to find when you are my height, so companies like Boden having longs in skirts is fabulous.
Swishy Cotton Skirt. The only color really left in any abundance is the color I am modeling. I don't get it, but then again, I love the yellow/green everyday summer dress and that one is still available while the other colors have sold out.
Fab Jersey Tunic. Once again, Egyptomaniac looks so GOOD in Boden. She is such an enabler, I tell you. ;)
Okay all that's it for tonight. :) Have fun (sale) shopping!
