Hi, all! Thanks for all the recent comments and e-mails. :) I have been less available than I have been in the past so if I haven't e-mailed you back or commented back, do know that I have seen your communication and will likely be able to get back to you soon.
Anyhow, as you all know, the Boden winter line and Limited Edition line both dropped on Friday. I did a picks of the winter line back when the winter line was in the preview phase, but since I had no idea there was going to even be a Limited Edition (I had read that it was going to be phased into the regular line), I haven't done a picks from those garments.
I really appreciate how very edited this line is, this looks exactly like what I would expect of designers when they are asked to be cohesive across the board when presenting a collection. Now we know that Johnnie and co. do not present their collections, but if they did, I would hope that the fashion journalists would have sat up and noticed how tight it all is throughout this "capsule" collection.
There are lots of pretty to choose from, but I am definitely nervous about some of the fabrics that Boden has chosen to use this time around. In the past almost all Limited items were made from gorgeous natural fabrics like cotton, silk, and wool. This time I am seeing a lot of poly, poly-blends, and acetate. This doesn't mean that the garment isn't made well, or that it won't stand the test of time, because Boden is all about
QUALITY, but I am sad that our British purveyor has to use more of those fabrics because the natural fabrics are getting more and more expensive to use.
No need for me to be a huge Debbie Downer, though. Here are the beauties that I have my eye on...
Full Skirt Dress. I love the lines of this dress (same basic shape as the Finsbury Wool Dress which
you saw here at this post) but in a really pretty abstract dark blue and grey print. This one is made from a poly-blend, so until I read some reviews about how this fabric feels, I will be holding off on purchasing. (I love the Finsbury so much that if this fabric is okay and works for others, I will definitely be interested.)
Full Skirt Dress. The model looks positively radiant here. Definitely channeling Grace Kelly.
Jacquard Pencil Skirt. I am going to give this one a go before re-buying the right size of the Glamour Tweed Pencil Skirt (
I did a review of that one here at this post). I really love how long this skirt is and the jacquard looks very special. It is very possible I will hate it in real life, but since I need longer lengths in skirts (and this one offers a 25 inch length), I will at least give it a look-see before re-trying the glamour tweed.
This is also a poly-blend with *just* a bit of wool thrown into the mix.
Jacquard Pencil Skirt. Guess who is going to recreate this exact look one day? ;) (Oh, I already mentioned that to you all. At least I am consistent.)
Metallic Lace Pencil Skirt. I have seen incarnations of this from J. Crew before and always at some mind-blowing amount like $700 or so. Admittedly they are using the finest French lace possible, but this doesn't exactly look like Forever 21 lace, either. ;)
And at $125.80 (that is with the sidebar 15% off coupon, btw), it is significantly less expensive than J. Crew's previous versions.
Metallic Lace Pencil Skirt. The outfit looks *almost, but not quite* work appropriate here.
Metallic Lace Top. If you wanted to, you could match the top and skirt and pretend you have a dress. I think that could be lovely, but I far prefer the idea of using this top the way it is used in the next photo.
I hadn't even noticed that this blouse had been belted with the
Metal Rope Necklace until CC had pointed it out to me in her comment on Friday's post. I think it's a winner! I looked at the dimensions of the necklace, and it appears I could wear the necklace as a belt, but I am still deciding on this top. So if I decide on the top, I will definitely grab the necklace, too, as this is adorable.
If not, I will at least keep this styling option in mind for my own future styling endeavors. ;)
Metallic Lace Top. Whoever styles these models for Boden should get a raise. She looks glowing in these photos. (Or give the raise to the photographer if it was his abilities with photoshop.)
Paisley Print Dress. This is such a unique design and print. I really like that they limited the print to the bottom half and just allowed a small portion of it to peek out from above the tie belt.
However, this is viscose, with a poly lining, so I would need to read other people's thoughts before even considering it. There have been many items from Boden and elsewhere that use viscose, but I have yet to buy anything made from it. Does anyone have experience with the viscose that Boden uses and would care to chime in?
Paisley Print Dress. The model looks beautiful and the pattern is super-vibrant in the more colorful version. (I showed you the more muted colorway above).
Peplum Top. Boden has jumped on the bandwagon and created a top in this very "now" silhouette. But...unlike some other companies, this seems more vintage inspired, like a top your mother or grandmother would have actually worn in the early 60s. I love this pattern, especially. It sort of reminds me of either upholstery fabric from a mid-century sofa or wallpaper from the same era. I can't decide. And, no, I don't think it is bad that the pattern reminds me of a sofa or wallpaper, but maybe I am just a big weirdo. LOL.
This one has a *smidge* of wool.
Peplum Top. Same shape as the one above, but this one is in a fab orange paisley pattern.
Peplum Top. Cute paired as in a "hook-up." Don't think I would do that, but looks wonderful on the model.
Silk and Broderie Top. Finally, an all-natural fiber composition. I like the top, but only on others, I have about a bazillion grey tops, and the other shade it comes in, a purple, looks like it would be the wrong shade of purple for me. I will happily enjoy looking at it on others. :)
Silk and Broderie Top. I think I prefer this one belted, but with the right outfit would look great unbelted. (Depends on the styling, though, definitely go with a narrow cut on bottom if you wear it unbelted.)
Vintage Ponte Dress. Okay, I bit on the navy. I will possibly not want to keep it as I have a lot of vintage inspired dark dresses, HOWEVER, if it is an absolute winner on my body, then I will keep this one and sell one of my dresses or give one away (depending on circumstances).
I was going to buy an 8, but then I spied the back a bit closer and it showed me something that made me decide on the 6...
Unlike Boden dresses of the past, this one has a BACK zipper, instead of a side zipper. I often would size up because I don't like to struggle getting dresses on, and side zippers are a big fat PAIN in my patookus.
But a back zip means the garment can be pulled up from the bottom and then placed on the body, no need for a hairstyle killing/makeup destroying fight.
It is also available in this turmeric color, but (
cough, cough) if I bought this one, I would expect you all to revolt at my stupidity, since it basically is the Finsbury wool dress in a different fabric. I assure you, although my children's schedules have definitely made me stupider, I still have some sense.
Vintage Ponte Dress. The
Sequin Belt is adorable with the dress.
So do you have any favorites or are you waiting to see how others feel about the fabrics?
Don't forget, if you are interested in any of these, you can use this coupon (below) to receive 15% off with free ship and returns.
