UPDATE (10:45 am, 1/2/13): There are many items with popbacks. Good luck if you had your eye on an item that was previously sold out!
Happy New Year! 2013 feels SO different from 2012. :)
Anyhow, this review is a day late, but I know there will be popbacks on this dress, so I figured better late than never.
I also have some of my clearance picks at the bottom of this post for those of you who want to see some of the best deals from this latest set of price cuts (at least they seem like good deals to me).
Paisley Print Dress. Size 8. I always get nervous with Limited Edition pieces because they tend to run smaller, but based on the measurements, I was fairly certain that the size 8 would work. It does, but with a small caveat.
The hips are exactly right, but without the smoothing powers of my control top tights, I find I am not as comfortable in the dress as I want to be. I am holding onto an extra 10 pounds because I am still nursing Angus, so I am certain that once that weight is gone, I will be able to sport this dress sans spanx-like control.
This is the front view without the added sash belt. Honestly, I prefer it without the sash belt. Normally dresses like this (without a defined waist) look awful on me, but I suspect the way the print is placed may give the illusion of a defined waist.
The top portion is large, if I were to split hairs here, I would ask for a size 4 top with the size 8 bottom, but since I can't, I will accept the shape and say that it does help broaden my shoulder line, which in turn balances out my silhouette. So I consider it a win. Especially since I got this dress for a small fraction of the original price (second cut--when it went to $59--currently $49).
The sash belt was worn by me on Sunday. I wore this outfit as above with the
60s Coat
, and kept the placket open so that the print could be seen. I figured if I needed to take off the jacket, the dress would look cute with the nipped in waist, but now that I see it, I definitely will wear it without the sash next time. (Or I will use a different belt. The sash is a really sad bit of fabric.)
Side view. I like how it *just* skims the curves.
Back view. The sash looks less awful from the back.
Here is how I wanted to wear the outfit, but the outside temperatures conspired to prevent this.
If Sarah is reading this post (she is my IRL friend who
has her own blog), she should remember me buying this jacket at
Club Monaco a few years back when we visited her in NYC. She was surprised that I wanted to visit Club Monaco, but I thought since I had heard of it (in mags), I would at least like to see what the buzz was all about. In the end, this was the only piece that caught my eye (and was also on super sale), but in the years since I bought it, I have really come to appreciate its unusual shape and lines, plus its versatility (the fabric is perfect for rain showers--it isn't cotton, though it looks like it is).
Here is one on ebay (same size as I am wearing--small) for sale.
Placket open to show off a different look. This really broadens my shoulders. My hips look teeny in comparison. LOL. ;)
The boots are the Charley wedge suede boots from J. Crew last year. There are a ton of these on ebay. If you like them, you can definitely get them for a lot less than they originally cost last year.
This fabric is a bit odd, a viscose. Boden is using way too much viscose this year. But...this viscose is nice and soft and it didn't wrinkle like I thought it would, so I would say as long as you are okay with the viscose, and you would wear the dress enough to justify purchasing it, then the current clearance price is very nice.
The grey is a very dark grey, nearing charcoal. I would have done poorly in the black version as black is the worst color for my skin tone.
Paisley Print Dress. This is almost all sold out (a lone size 2 in the thunder paisley is hanging on for dear life) BUT there will be popbacks. Trust me. The black will be less likely to popback, but I wouldn't rule it out.
Alexa Dress. I reviewed the grey Alexa dress
here at this post. This grey color is nearly sold out, but there is a lot of the purple/red colorway for sale. At $59, this is a solid choice for any winter wardrobe. Very warm, very lady-like, and very well made.
Riviera Shirt Dress. Hey, it's the dress in my blog header. :) And it was supremely unpopular. I still love it and
actually prefer this printed version to the
blue and white floral Riviera Shirt Dress I purchased last spring (though that one is lovely, too). At 70% off, I think it is a very good deal.
Glamour Tweed Skirt. I found the right size and
recently wore it to a holiday party.
The first time I wore the glamour tweed skirt, it looked like I was hiding a small pregnancy up in the folds of the fabric. Definitely make sure you choose your size well. If you do, this is a skirt that could be in your closet for a lifetime, classic shape and fabric with a color that goes nicely with many others.
This one is not on super sale, but for $82, and with the idea of wearing it loads, the cost per wear could be very low by the end of its lifetime.
Embellished Cardigan. Hey, it's another very unpopular item that I love! :) Maybe the fact that this so so so soft and sweetly detailed cardigan is now 70% off will convince folks that they can make room for it in their closets.
I d
id a review, but I think if you look at
the way I styled it here, you will see why I (heart) this embellished cardigan oh, so much.
Merino Cardigan
. I do not own this cardigan, but all of my merino pieces from Boden are wonderful, no pilling, soft hand, and in sumptuous colors. This light blue shade is 60% off, but many of the merino cardigans for sale are at 70% off. Definitely a great buy.
Juliet Top. I bought this top for my stepmom for Christmas (the navy version, though) and she LOVED it. It fit true to size (she and I both wear a six, and I tried it on, too, and it fit me). It is also constructed with the finest, smoothest silk and lovely detailed pleating at the neckline. It is a keeper if you can find it in your size.
Juliet Top
. Here is my stepmom in the top on Christmas Day (she wore it as soon as she received it). I would say half-off is a good price for what you get. Make sure you will wear it often (or plan on keeping it for years) to lower the cost per wear.
Leather Loafers. At 50% off, these won't stick around for long. I have now worn mine many many times, and think this shoe is the ideal traveling shoe (especially when going through airline security--they slip on and off easily). Definitely size down in the leather loafer,
as per my original review.
Sixties Heels. The black is all sold out, but
use my original review of the sixties heels to help you decide which size is best for you. I love the red, and if I had the world's largest shoe closet, I would get those. I won't, but plan to live vicariously through those of you that do. ;)
I had planned on adding more to my picks, but there is a WHOLE LOT that sold out between the time I downloaded the photos and now. I am sure some of them will be back thanks to returns, but I wanted to make sure that there were at least some sizes and colors still available when I hit "publish."
Do you have any thoughts on the paisley print dress? Do you own it and love it? Or did you own it and hate it? :)
Are there any picks that you see from Boden's clearance that I may have missed?
If you are on a mobile device, here is a direct link to the sale.
You all have a great New Year's Day!
