A lot going on today in Boden land, so I am going to be brief in my comments so we can get to the reviews and the (clearance sale) shopping.
1. Some of you know this already, because you read my post on it, but Boden commenced a weekend long *further reduction* on clearance items. Many of the items are really really reduced, including one of my "wishlist" items, the Jewelled Collar Sweater, which had been over $100 and now is $30 (in the shade I wanted, the nude color). One of the colors is still over $100, but I suspect that is the color that is selling well, and Boden didn't feel the need to reduce that one anymore than it already had. If you had any items in your clearance wishlist, it is probably worth a look see to determine whether any of your items made it to *Target* pricing. (At least that is what I am calling it!)
Right now the current coupon code I have will give you free shipping with those clearance items, but the 14% off (or buy 3, get the fourth for $1) will not apply to the clearance items. Only the current spring items can be reduced in that way.
2. Boden rolled out a few dresses that are probably meant to be part of their special occasion line. There are some lookers there, take a peek here at them (they are listed as part of the "Bridesmaids Collection").
3. If you are in the NE region of the United States, and have a hankering for Boden in the form of a sample sale, check out the sample sale that will be going on in State College, PA on February 23, 2014. Maybe I can figure out how to get Mr. Dina to take me and call it a "Valentine's Day gift." ;-) Ebelandi has more on it here at this post.
Alrighty, onto the Boden reviews!
Current Boden
The tee is a gorgeous shade of red/coral, very happy and pleasant. The birds are nicely printed on the stretch viscose fabric, and don't appear to be the type of printing that will wash away with wear.
The shorts are made from a fairly thick cotton sateen (so it has some stretch, which is awesome if you have bigger hips and bottom like I do). The pattern is true to color as to what you see at the Boden site, and the florals, like the birds on the tee, are well printed and will withstand lots of wash and wear.
The length on both pieces is fine, especially in the shorts. I need a longer inseam with my shorts, and this pair hits at that sweet spot between too short and so long it looks frumpy.
Here are the shorts with a top tucked into them.
After having spent all that time in my pants patterning class, I now know what a good fitting pair of pants or shorts should look like, and these shorts, in a size 10 L, are exactly the way pants/shorts are meant to fit. Very hard to find great fit in ready to wear, so I am THRILLED.
If given the choice, I would have to recommend the shorts more (but be sure to go up a size if you carry your weight in your lower half) than the tee, but I definitely like both and will be keeping both.
I also want to point out that it is relatively sheer, even in the red shade, so layering with a cami/tucking it in will be the only fix for this top.
Must Have Tee and Bistro Shorts. The tee is getting dinged in the reviews, especially on the shape, so others are not enjoying the silhouette at all. That said, there is a significant backorder for some of the sizes and colors, so some folks must be of my opinion that it is darn cute. The shorts are fully stocked in this color, but there are a couple of sizes on backorder. A lot of the shorts are on backorder completely, so the love for them is there.
Mid-Heel Wedge. Wore these recently with a fun dotted casual outfit. I also made note of the fit issues in this post here.
Opaque Tights. I wore the red version with a cute Johnnie b. sweater dress a few weeks ago. (The Johnnie b. dress is in the clearance sale, btw.)
Canvas Shopper. Used this bag to carry all my pattern making supplies for my sewing classes.
Reviews from Blog Friends:
Rainy Day Mac. Lucky Avril was gifted this gorgeous topper recently and did a very in-depth review of it over at her blog. Okay Johnnie...I will take one, too, please.
Reviews from the Boden Reviews Tab:
Selina Dress, Blenheim (Seersucker) Blazer, Ella Dress, Spring Trench, Peter Pan Wool Dress, and Ponte Pencil Skirt. LizzyT gave us a few reviews from her Spring Preview order for these items. (She also did a second set of reviews--see below.) Here are her thoughts on these items:
Selina dress in navy: beautiful gatherings and color but it really is a special occasion dress and I'm in no need for one. I thought it would be a beautiful jersey dress. Return.
Seersucker blazer: Boden definitely changed the fit of their blazers and it is not good news for my body. The arms are a lot tighter and chest is cut very small. The pattern and piping are beautiful but this is going back.
Ella dress: I had such high hopes for this dress that I ordered in 2 colors. Something is just not right. It bunches in the chest and shows lumps and bumps. Not the usual thick Boden jersey. Return
Spring trench in navy stripe: pattern is amazing and fit is perfect but very slim. Absolute love and a keeper.
Peter Pan wool dress: beautiful colors in pink and yellow. Nice darting on the chest but the waist is not quite right on me. Could be my lingering baby weight or I may need a good tailor to work some magic since I have a very small waist for my dress size. Can't decide.
Ponte pencil skirt in yellow: shows lumps and bumps and panty lines. No! No! No!
Kensington Dress, Jersey Maxi Dress, French Knot Sweater, and Pointy Toe Slingbacks. LizzyT received a second set of spring items, and here are her thoughts on those:
The Kensington Dress in sulphur: I thought for sure this would be a winner - a lined, longer, and lined. I just want something in this gorgeous chartreuse color! But, alas, I will have to settle for my fifties jacket to get my sulphur fix. Every lump and bump was screaming loud plus there were these weird tab things at the bust line. Very weird.
Jersey maxi dress in navy stripe: absolute hands down LOVE! Long enough for my 5'10" frame, cut is very flattering, and not see through at all. I may have to have the shoulders hemmed just a tad but that's my proportions not the fault of the dress.
French knot sweater in fruit punch: absolutely gorgeous and a total keeper. Wonderfully soft, cut on the longer side, and gorgeous orangey color that matches perfectly to a new Kate Spade scarf.
Pointy toed sling backs in silver: comfortable and gorgeous color. My 3rd pair! (I'm in desperate need of new shoes after 2 pregnancies left my feet a different size).
Paddington Dress. Avery12 wrote a brief review of this dress:
What a winner! It is very soft and comfortable, a thick fabric with stretch. The color is intense and the cut is slimming. Definitely recommend.
My Spring Preview order of the Erin dress arrived today. I ordered the Firecracker/Ivory Stripe and I *love* it. The fit is perfect, the length is perfect, and it looks super cute with my cropped denim jacket or on its own. Really glad I picked it up - I have high hopes that it will travel well, since it's jersey. Now I need the weather to be warm so I can actually wear it...but that will be a while.
Okay this one is weird. Obviously PDXElizabeth received hers, but I can't find the dress on-line at all, only at the Preview site. I wonder what happened?
Clearance Boden:
Before I get to the photos, I wanted to point a friend's blog post highlighting great picks from this weekend's big clearance sale. I don't know that I will get a chance to do one, so I appreciate the other blog friends for writing up their thoughts! Take a gander at Fiona's choices. Also in that post is three different ways of styling one of the dresses from the spring line. Fiona is new to the Boden game, and from what she tells me, she may become a regular contributor to the Review Roundup. :)
Bejewelled Sweater. The black version is a STEAL at $30, trust me. I bet after this blog post airs, every single one of those black sweaters will be gone.
Fair Isle Yoke Sweater, Tulip Party Dress, and Knitted Dress.
I wore the Fair Isle out to a meeting and to my son's birthday dinner, you can see it here.
Found a way to style the Tulip Party Dress that worked for church, so yay for versatility.
Wore the Johnnie b. Knitted Dress to one of my pants patterning classes and to my dad's play, so like the Tulip Party Dress, very versatile (if a bit short).
Lou has a ton of great clearance items in her latest blog posts. I am running out of time to finish this BWRR, but I would be remiss if I didn't at least *highly* recommend you all going and checking out her recent posts before you grab items from the clearance section.
Okay, so that's it for now. If I missed your review, and it is still Friday, definitely let me know, and I will amend the post to include it. If it is after Friday, let me know, and I will include it in the next roundup.
Thanks again to all my blog friends for their great reviews!
If you want free shipping on clearance items, either of the below links should work to get you that. If you are buying any current season clothing, you have your pick of which one will work best for your basket! :-)
