Before I begin this long overdue BWRR, I wanted to remind you all of a couple of things in the Boden world.
First, yesterday started another big discount over at Boden, with 20% off everything (barring clearance items) until tomorrow (Thursday, May 30, 2013). I have the link in the sidebar and the bottom of this post. On Friday the discount reverts to the "usual" 15% off, at which point I will just place the normal coupon back in its place in the sidebar.
Second, the lovely Lou (What Lou Wore 365) sent me the Boden Autumn/Winter Preview Lookbook a few days ago and I had a chance to photograph all of the women's line photos and a few from the Johnnie b., mini Boden, and baby Boden lines.
You can see that post here.
Okay, let's get started!
Regular Boden:
Penny Loafers. These are a size 40, which is supposed to be a size 9 US. I should be wearing a 41, which I do from time to time, but I find that Boden will run so wide that my narrow foot needs the smaller size to stay on my foot. If I had gone with a size 41, these would definitely have been too wide and they would probably have flown off my foot every step I took. The length is fine, and since it is leather, will stretch enough over the years to mold to my exact length.
I was going to be out running around with the family that day, so I wanted something that would work with the navy and green combo and not distract from it, and that is what these shoes did. They are "nuder" than I wanted them to be, since the color matches my legs precisely, but I have worn them enough to see that they look better than I thought they did at first.
Nude heels make sense to me, but nude flats seemed weird. (I don't know why, it probably only bothers me, like flippy sequins do, oh how I hate flippy sequins.)
Anyhow, I am definitely keeping them, and if I had unlimited funds and a HUGE closet, I would buy these in the orange or aqua shade.
Close up. I think these look really nice when you can make out the penny loafer detailing, which gets lost in the outfit photos.
All leather construction (as per usual with Boden) and careful craftsmanship. The upper part of the patent leather has wrinkled a bit because walking bends your foot which bends the leather, but I like it better a bit worn looking since the shoes are almost too perfect looking with no creases. (Again, this may just be me and my particular personality. Others may prefer it be brand spanking new forever!)
Okay, so this collar necklace is not from Boden, but it is so pretty I have to show it off. (It is from a British company, so it counts, sort of, right?) This necklace is all sold out from Accessorize,
but here is the info from polyvore so you can stalk it if you want it. I bought it on my trip to Ireland, and was so stoked because I loved Accessorize when I lived in England in 1995. So last weekend I am at Pentagon City mall and guess what is just down the mall floor from J. Crew? Accessorize. I must be living under a rock, not realizing that the shop had made its way across the Atlantic. :)
Penny Loafers. Many sizes are fully stocked, but there are the odd outliers which are completely sold out. If you wear comfortable shoes a lot, then these may be worth the investment as they are a bit pricey.
I also wore these shoes with the LouLou dress to church, since it was raining.
More on that outfit here at this post.
Off Duty Shorts. Size 10 Long.
Please go to my initial review so you can see why I chose the size 10 Long. :)
Please forgive the clash of stripes and florals. My hubby absolutely loved this outfit, but I was *this* close to changing into a different pair of shorts for the day. (I ended up wearing black pants to church, so I got my way later on...) I think the outfit looks okay, but I feel like I look a bit like a crazy toddler here. LOL. I have no idea why Mr. Dina liked it so much. Men.
Anyhow, weird styling aside, I love the shorts so much better in the larger size. They do gape a bit at the waist, but nothing terrible. It is so nice to have shorts that are a touch too big everywhere so that I can feel relaxed wearing them and not like I need spanx just to make it through the day.
And if I end up losing weight, enough that I would have to size down, I can just alter them on my sewing machine and be done.
Still a crazy toddler! For those of you who are curious, the
Tippi sweater in multistripe is still available (runs a bit long and wide, but I like how easy the small felt, so I don't know that I would size down to my usual extra-small, the Tippi sweaters fit differently in each style, so I never know what size to buy). The
Sperry Top-Siders for J. Crew were a huge sale score at the store, since they are still higher priced on-line. I paid $30 after all the discounts. They call these shoes "deep violet," but look a lot like a bright cobalt blue to me.
Off Duty Shorts. These are definitely selling well. The green print is selling slowest, so you might be able to wait for a better discount if you don't anticipate wearing them soon.
Lace Dress. I wore the yellow version on Mother's Day. :)
Lightweight V-Neck T-Shirt. Lou is head to toe Boden. :) And of course it looks wonderful on her, especially the pear drop shade of the tee.
Authentic Casual Shirt. Lou looks lovely in yellow, yes she does.
Worn as the shirt suggests, that is casually, but with the most amazing blue pumps, she fits right in with "casual Fridays" everywhere.
The Shirt. Speaking of shirts,
Joanna looks perfectly put together in her ensemble, from her dotty button-up right down to her darling wedge sandals. :) (Use the link in the name, the affiliate program does not have this item in its catalog.)
Ruffle Bikini Set. Joanna has bravely
(and I do mean the word bravely since I know how much courage it takes) shown off this adorable swimwear set for us. :) I love it on her, ruffles and stripes alike. And to show her I am with her in spirit, I will link back to the last time
I showed off all my thigh lumps and bumps in a swimsuit. (
And will do so again when the Johnnie b. swimsuit I bought finally comes off the slow boat from England.)
Johnnie b.:
Leather Clogs
.
I wore them here (and did a review). So all of these are currently sold out. As of two weeks ago, there was a full run of the leather clogs. Hmm. I don't think my review alone caused them to sell out, but it is a bit surprising to see them all gone. Use the link in the name to access the page, since my affiliate program no longer has the photo link (which is why I used the photo from the blog post instead).
Floaty Top. I had seen this one in the pretty seagull print and considered it (
here is the seagull print in a pair of pants), and
now that I see how darling the top looks on Egyptomaniac (wearing the concert ticket print), I definitely will stalk it for a good price for CW in the size 8 so we can have a mommy/me outfit day when she is 7 (she can wear one size up). ;)
Clearance Boden:
Embellished Spot Cardigan. This is a spring item, and until this year, this item would still be in "regular" Boden. This year Boden has decided to tinker with the usual and has placed many spring items in the clearance section many months earlier than the typical July clearance start date.
Don't let the "clearance" moniker fool you, though, since the price they are offering it at right now is the same price I purchased mine for back in January.
Anyhow, I think the cardigan is delicious, well made, and just blingy and detailed enough to justify the cost, especially since it is ivory colored, which means it will work with nearly all of my wardrobe. I can't see selling this one anytime soon, and since I often will grab a cardigan for the possibility of a chill, this gets worn often.
Here is my advice if you like this one...buy the ivory version if you love it, since that one is more likely to sell out. The dark grey version looks like it will stick around for the long haul (
except in the larger sizes, since those are gone), which means that it will make it a deeper discount the next time they have cuts on clearance prices. (The ivory might, too, but not all sizes will get there.)
Detail Shot. This cardigan is in the size 6, which is what I typically buy in Boden knitwear. When I do up all the buttons, it doesn't gap, but I don't do that ever, except to see if it fits that way. :) The knit fabric is so soft and lightweight, exactly the right feel for spring and summer (well not our summers, except in the freezer aisle of the grocery store). The little embellished dots are made from a poly or rayon fabric and have not frayed, which makes me think they were treated with an anti-fray solution before placed on the cardigan. The beading is very secure, only one small seed bead has fallen off, and that one is near the side seam which gets a lot of abuse from my "flingy" arms.
Embellished Spot Cardigan. I would love to see what the dark grey looks like on someone, since the detailing is so much more obvious on that colorway.
Adelaide Dress. Lou is wearing the navy version again, despite the rain. (Lou is also very fortunate to have received that umbrella for free, I had wanted the folks at Boden to sell that one!)
She also speaks to the fact that this dress is in clearance so quickly after just being introduced this spring. :)
Okay, all, that's it for today. Be back later, I am sure. Thanks again to all my blog friends for sharing their reviews with us!
Below is the link to the 20% off sale going on right now.
