OOTD/Review: Squirrels in the Hartland.

Just a very quick reminder before I get this post written, Boden has been offering an extra 10% off all sale items for the past few days, and it is set to end tomorrow night (December 27, 2014), so if you wanted to receive the additional amount off, make sure to get those purchases done before it expires.  I have a sidebar link for the 10% off, but I have also included that link at the bottom of this post.  For more information on this sale, go to this post I wrote a few days ago.

Many of you have been asking me to show off the Hartland Dress (here at Boden, the white one is EXTREMELY well-priced with the extra 10% off), but because of a few reasons, I am only able to review it now, but better late than never, I suppose.

This dress is a size 6 Long, and that is actually one of the reasons why I waited so long to show it off to you on me, I simply did not have it in this size.  I originally purchased it in a size 8 Long (that written review is here), but after losing some weight, I discovered the 8 L was ridiculously oversized in my bust and somewhat oversized in my hips, so I knew getting the 6 L would make it work better on my frame.

It was the right choice, ultimately, but it took a long time to get to me.  In fact it wasn't until I got back from our trip to MS that I received it.

Before I move on to the next photo, the pockets are fab.  They are patch pockets, but they work well, and I found I was slipping my hands in them all day, so while my preference is side pockets, these were great!

Boden did a great job with the sewing of this dress.  The squirrels line up perfectly at the seams and through the sleeves.  It would look *off* if they weren't properly laid out, so bravo. 

I find this dress favors those with curves, so if you are more straight up-and-down, you may have a bit of a challenge getting it to fit properly through the bust, waist, and hips.  Because I am straight from bust to waist, my bust area is not filled out at all, even in the smaller size (there is a bit of bagginess from my lack of boobage), but as you can see my bottom fills out the curve in the back of the skirt well.

The dress features a back zip, which is my favorite, as it makes getting in and out of the dress so much easier.

You can also see here how well Boden lined up the squirrels.

The length is awesome, hitting right at my knee.  The sleeve length is odd, I think I would have preferred full-length, but the combo of full-length sleeve and shape of the dress could have read frumpy, so I guess that was why they went 3/4 length instead.

The fabric is super soft, btw, made from a baby cord material.  It also stretches a bit, though the lining doesn't, so it is neither here nor there ultimately regarding stretch.  The lining helps when wearing tights, though, so I will happily give up stretch for ease of wearing with tights in the winter.

The squirrel print is not super obvious until you get up close.  From far away it definitely looks like a geometric print.  It is for sure a perfect teaching dress, especially if you teach younger kids.

And that is what I did that day, I was on day #3 of teaching second-graders, but it was also my first day back after finding out that my friend, W., had killed himself, so it really was a matter of finding something easy to wear, modest enough for school, and cheerful enough to take away some of the sting of losing a good friend.  It worked, sort of, but truth be told (and those of you that have read the last few posts know this), I still majorly struggled to get through the day (and it was a half-day on top of it).  W. loved the outdoors and hiking and the woods, so the squirrels were a bit of a nod to his love for all things nature.  (I wore a tree print cardigan to his funeral, too.)  So that was my day, figuring out how to simply get through the day.

Okay, that's all for now.  I really hope you all are having a lovely Friday.  I love having the kids home with me for vacation (it's a long one this year, too, two weeks total).

Have any of you tried the Hartland and would like to put in your two cents?  Would love to see your comments!

Link to the extra 10% off is below:
Extra 10% Off Sale and Clearance Items + Free Shipping!