Boden: Fifties, Finsbury, and Westminster.

So this is a review/outfit of the day post.  I received the Finsbury dress about two weeks ago and fell in love with it so hard that I eagerly anticipated a night where it was cool enough for me to wear it out and about.  (Also an evening that required such a beautiful dressed-up dress.) 

The weather on Saturday night last was utter perfection, low 70s, low humidity, with just a touch of wind, AND we had church and sushi on the offer, so I knew this was exactly the right evening for the debut of this stunner.

The info on the individual pieces is in the photo, but I will definitely link to the scarf and dress in this post.

This was the outfit as it came together.  The dress without the belt, scarf, clutch, and heels looks fine, but a teeny bit boring.  Having said that, I think this is an ideal dress for a myriad of occasions...because of the plainness of the frock, not in spite of it.

Looking at these photos, I realize the George Nelson bubble lamp really fits the fifties feel of this outfit.  I love that I could have been wearing this dress as is, accessories and all, at the same time as this house was built.

Without the clutch, from the front.  As a pear shape, I love dresses like this, with a fitted bodice and very full skirt.  If I had a choice, I might have reined in the flare a tiny bit on the skirt, but as someone who has to wear spanx with at least 50% of my dresses, it feels good not to have to worry about it.

The dress is exceedingly well crafted, not a thread or stitch out of place and fully lined throughout (excepting the lower sleeve).

The zipper is on the side, if I were to talk with Johnnie myself, I would BEG him to use back zips as side zips can be a struggle to get on or off.  I think if you have a larger chest or shoulders, that side zip will be what prevents you from buying the right size of this dress (you would have to size up to get it to fit over your head and shoulders).  I know that it will be difficult to get on and off.  If me, miss "when will I get some girls" has problems with it, those of you blessed up top will be struggling for sure.

I also read that the cap sleeves felt tight on some women, so another consideration if you carry your weight in your upper torso.

The dress fits very nicely through my shoulders and upper back, but you can see where it is a touch too big in the waist.  No biggie, it doesn't look horrible, in fact, I can't even imagine anyone noticed who was around me.

I wanted to wear a slimmer belt, btw, as a larger belt would have probably been too much of a statement.  I am not saying "no" to that in the future, but it would have looked silly with the rest of the outfit as I had styled it.

The makeup that night is the way I wish my makeup would look every time I wear makeup.

Speaking of my makeup, for those of you that are curious, my Arbonne site is no longer working.  I decided the amount I needed to spend keeping it running wasn't worth it, so I have decided to go back to taking Arbonne orders through my e-mail.  If you are interested in rejoining my e-mail list for monthly specials, you can do so at dinagideon AT aim DOT com.

So do you like the Westminster silk scarf?  Isn't it purdy?  :) 

I didn't even have to pay for it (technically).  I will explain more about that later.  ;)

Close-up of the scarf.  It is all silk, and a twill fabric.  The print is very special, scenes from Westminster itself, with the buildings and the guards in their red regalia.

The fabric of the dress is a wool, with a touch of stretch.  For those of you who buy J. Crew, it is a similar feel to the Super 120s.

The color is off from the one on-line.  Instead of being a bit buttery, I would call this a green/gold.  Of course I love this particular shade of light olive, so no complaints from me.  If this is not your bag (baby), there is a charcoal and black version as well.

I really hope that they keep this style, and bring out new colors each season.  I am telling you, they make it in a mid-orange color, and I will be first in line.  :)

Posing on the sidewalk in Arlington after mass.  The dress still looks fresh and barely wrinkled.

This is such a great photo of Angus.  I cannot believe he is almost six months old!  Crazy!  He is so big, too, wearing the 9 month clothing.

So remember this post from last year, where I showed off a long cashmere cardi coat I was able to buy because I won a gift card award for being the "Boden Publisher of the Month?"  Well, it happened again!!!  I was surprised, but super happy, to find out that I won it again!  :)

This time, the $50 gift card completely covered the cost of the scarf.  And because the scarf is a British based print, I call it fate that I won the award at the same time I had been interested in purchasing this scarf.


Finsbury Wool Dress.  Lovely on its own, but you can see how there is a lot of potential for accessorizing here.


Westminster Silk Scarf.  Vanessa!!! We love you.  :)  Her makeup looks really good with the outfit. 

Okay, all, that's it!  Have any of you tried either item and have some thoughts about either of them?

Have a great night!

P.S.  Don't forget, tonight is the last night of the 25% off September Favourites sale over at Boden.