Few things before we begin this roundup.
1. If you missed the Retro Boden Roundup, the first installment is here. It is a compilation of recent blogger's/reader outfits that include older Boden pieces. If you are interested in joining in the fun, the next "RBR" should be in a few weeks time.
2. Boden's facebook page recently showed a photo of a black balloon with white writing on it. The folks at Boden asked us what we would write on ours if we could ask Boden for any wish. I replied (in my blog's fb page mode) with this:
"A dream for many of us...an extra percentage off clearance items! I think a lot of the leftovers would be gone the instant you do so! Just a thought...maybe it will become a reality?"
Would you agree? I was told by a friend of mine yesterday (after picking up CW from preschool) that there were many pieces she likes in Boden's clearance but still thinks some of them are priced too high for her to buy, and if she could only use my sidebar coupon to get an additional 15% off, she would be buying the place out. I think it is psychological, in reality, 15% off clearance isn't a ton of money, but to see pieces just sitting there, not being bought, and knowing they will be there in six months time, at the same price, makes buying right now seem a bit silly. And there is proof that this is the case, since many of LAST year's spring and summer items can still be purchased, at the same price they were in last year's second cut clearance. I think this is the one main issue I have with Boden, their firm grip on prices during clearance. J. Crew has a lot wrong with it, but they definitely know how to throw a good "% off sale items" party.
If you do agree, think about "liking" my comment, who knows, maybe they will take notice. Can't hurt at the very least...
3. Another big dream of mine is to get to London and check out the Boden shop in real life. I know I can go to the one in Pittston, but it wouldn't feel the same without the British shopkeepers. ;)
Although I can't go (as of yet), my dear blog friend, Lou, of What Lou Wore 365, took a trip there recently. She did two posts on her time there, one with photos of the shop and her wonderful (full) shopping bags, and one of the clothing itself.
Thank you, Lou, for taking the time to show these off to us. I am definitely a bit jealous, but happy I can live vicariously through you!
Regular Boden:
First the positives. The jumper is thick, interesting, and a wonderful shade of mid grey/brown. Its shorter sleeves are the right length for layering a long-sleeve tee under (like I did here) or wearing on its own when the daytime temperatures are a bit higher.
The jeans are exactly the right shade of dark denim, and are exactly the right length for me to wear with small heels. The cuff is not necessary but still looks good. The jeans are also nicely made, and I can tell the tailoring means these are meant to last a long time in your wardrobe.
Negatives: The sweater is very large, and the extra small fits me perfectly. I normally am a size 4 or 6 in Boden's tops, so I should be a "small." Based on what I have seen from Boden this season, though, everything is running large, so I decided to not play the "try on, find out it doesn't fit, and return/exchange game," and for this sweater that was the right choice. However, if you have an even smaller frame on top than I do, you will be sized out unless you want the oversized look. Bear in mind this sweater does stretch out a bit, so what may be more fitted in the am is going to be a bit bigger in the pm.
The sweater is very heavy, which I like, because it means that knit is serious, however, there is NO way in H-E-double hockey sticks I am going to wear this one past May or before October here in Virginia. OMG, I would die from heat exhaustion.
The jeans are my "size down" and I found them an agreeable fit at first, but by day's end they were a bit saggy in the waist and hips. It wasn't horrible, they weren't falling off (the waist sits higher, so the measurement there is small enough to prevent that from happening), but I would like to get the size 6 long since I know the last ten "Angus baby" pounds will fall off once he weans. The 8 long will be way too big when that happens.
I am normally a size 10 long in Boden pants and a lot of their skirts, but lately I have noticed that even the 8 longs are running large. Am I the only one noticing this?
Hand Knit Cable Jumper and Wide Leg Jeans. Hand Knit Jumper is part of the "Spring Trim," so it is an extra 20% off (plus you can stack the 15% off sidebar coupon so it ends up being 32% off with free shipping). I wish the wideleg jeans would go into the spring trim again so I could try the 6 long and see if those fit a bit better. :)
I bought the size 41, which is the same size as my Sixties Heels
The only difference is the closure, which I don't have to do on the sixties heels, but are definitely necessary on these. I don't really love the snap closure, but it does its job well enough and are well made enough that I don't have to worry about them falling off in the future.
Pointed Mary Janes. This stock photo shows a color I wasn't even aware was available. It is NOT the same shade as my shoes, since the eucalyptus color still shows up as its original self on the item page. This blue shade must be a summer addition, and it is quite pretty and appears to be in plain leather as opposed to patent leather.
The eucalyptus shade is not selling well, but the other shades are. I heart the eucalyptus shade and will wear it many times before it goes to clearance, but it would have been nice to know that it wouldn't be selling out. :)
The coat was from my preview order, and I am glad I grabbed it, since I have worn it a handful of times.
I bought the size 6, which worked out well for me. However, if you carry your weight in your upper body, you may need to size up since the 6 just fit me. I would even go so far as to say that this coat is made for pear shapes since I had plenty of room in the hips.
I would buy the size 6 long, if that existed. Rarely do I feel I need a long length in coats, especially since most coats are long enough in the regular size, but I would have been happier with a coat that ended right at my knee, like we see on the model. And since there is NO way the model is shorter than me (only one model is shorter than me, and that is Vanessa at 5'7"), I know that she was given a sample to wear that is cut longer than the ones in production.
Only buy the petite size if you really are very small, in other words.
Draycott Coat. I don't think this coat is going to sell out anytime soon. If you would wear it now, buy it now, but if you can hold off, I bet there will be some good deals on it. I am in a climate where a lighter weight cotton coat is a good thing to have in February, but I know that for many of you, pulling out a coat this light would be ridiculous until April or May.
Suede Brogues. I wore them in this post with the Crossover tunic, so you can take a look at them there. I have a need for practical shoes in my closet that are not ballet flats or loafers. I only own a handful of shoelace tie shoes, which may be why my kids can't tie their own shoes yet. (That and the fact that velcro closures are so much easier.) These fit the bill perfectly. They can be worn all day long, and the light grey color works with so many other colors. They are made from all leather (of course!) and if another company were to sell these, they would be obnoxiously expensive. They include a pair of "fun-colored" ties (the purple ones in my outfit, for instance) and one pair of ties that are the same color as the suede. I did size down, because they run a bit long and definitely a bit wide (so I bought a 40). They are selling well in this version, however if the colors aren't your thing, the regular Brogues
Adelaide Dress. Lou wore hers in navy when shopping at the Boden shop. (Lucky gal!)
Lexington Skirt, Casual Weekend Dress, Skinny Ankle Skimmer Jeans, Crinkle Cotton Top, and Textured Ponte Dress. Lou did some fitting room reviews of these items. Again, so very jealous. :)
Clearance Boden:
I decided to wear this to Winesday with my brother, but since it was pretty chilly outside, I needed to winterize it. The fabric is thick enough (silk/viscose jersey) and it is lined, so it definitely is warm enough, but it is sleeveless so I needed to at least add a cardigan.
The sequin front cashmere cardigan is on very steep discount from Pure Collection (so no further discounts like you can get on current season items with the sidebar coupon), and possibly one of my best buys ever, since it is very soft cashmere in a perfect neutral with just the right amount of bling. I chose to get the size 4 since I usually find the items from Pure to run a bit big.
The color of the Vanessa dress is still photographing terribly, since in real life it is more teal than this. The other issue I have with this dress is that it does wrinkle, so I have to either hang it (unh uh, not jersey, thank you very much) or iron it, which I clearly did not have time to do before I went out with my brother. Next time, though. Fortunately no one seemed to care at Whole Foods, since wine is all they really care about.
Vanessa Dress. I still think they styled this one poorly in the catalog, and even HOT Miss Helena couldn't save them. Even with her look. If you like the dress, it can be yours for a pretty decent sale price.
Alexa Dress. I wore this one recently, along with a playful hairdo. LOL, "playful." ;)
Riviera Shirt Dress. Lou wears hers that she got for an insanely good price here at this blog post.
Zip Ankle Skimmers and Crinkle Jersey Shirt. Two lovely Boden staples come together in one outfit over at this post on the equally lovely Lou. :)
Roma Jacket. Lou tops her very feminine stripey full skirt with this practical jacket.
That's it! A BIG THANK YOU to Lou for so many great reviews!
Okay, below is a coupon for those of you on a mobile device (or who know how long this post is and how long it would take to pan back up). :)
