Real quick, before I start, Boden rolled out another winter rollout on Tuesday. There seems to be lots of cute items, but I do tend to like their sparkly, dressier offerings for holiday parties, and usually end up grabbing something from them year to year. (In 2013,
I wore this dress to my 20th high school reunion, and last year,
I wore this dress to my kids' Christmas pageant.)
Okay, so the
Spring 2016 preview has been up for a while, and I know I could be all "my work kept me from doing this post earlier," but if I am being fully honest, I am not all that wowed by the offerings. I mentioned that the blue backgrounds seemed to dull everything down, but I noticed some other things that bothered me. I don't love the fit of some of the garments on the model. She has a great figure, but I think they may have chosen to size down on some items rather than size up and the pull lines on many of the garments are distracting. Girlfriend has beautiful curves, an actual butt, a small waist, and longer legs, and so I feel her particular fit issues, and dude, if I were a model and they shoved me garments too small and too short, I would be irritated. I think either fit the model properly to show the garment off best (or use a couple of different models), or just show the item as is, no models needed. But on the bonus side, I definitely now know which garments best suit those of us with a shorter torso, bigger bottom half, and longer legs. :-)
The 20% off code expires tomorrow night, so if you do plan to preorder, bear that in mind. The code is 9R7C.
Onto my (slim) pickings...
Dresses
Martha Dress. This cotton sateen classic sheath dress with inverted pleating at the waistband is precious. That use of a border print is genius and will likely flatter many shapes. I would like to give this one a try but will need to wait until Boden publishes the garment measurements so I can see how much wiggle room I would have in my hips. There is also an all-over dotted version and a plain navy version.
Molly Dress. I probably could get away with ordering this early (if I felt like chancing preorder and the usual snafus that come with it), but I think this color is tricky for a lot of folks to wear, so I will wait until it comes out and get it then. The garment measurements are not published on this one either and this dress looks to be super short on the model. It is supposed to hit at the low thigh, and if that is the case, then this dress may not work for me as I don't know that this silhouette will work on me, personally, that short.
Floral Jacquard Dress. The styling of the model in the blue version of this is WOOF. Who in the world would choose to wear that dress with those animal print tie up flats? Maybe I'm the insane one, but I think it looks HORRIBLE together. Anyhow, that said, this dress is lovely, and would work very nicely in many office environments, but is still dressy enough for many more formal gatherings and parties.
Sophia Shirt Dress. Once again, Boden delivers an exceptionally pretty shirt dress. I have at least five shirt dresses from them, and would be happy to add this sunny version to my closet. They usually fit well, flatter most, and come in the best prints and styles.
Pants, Shorts, and Shoes
Woven Jogger. This is made from a viscose crepe, so be prepared to size up for potential shrinkage, especially if you dry yours in the dryer. (Do not recommend, fwiw.) The style is cute, and I like it on the model (barring the weird styling). Don't know if they're for me, but I like them overall.
Richmond Shorts. Of course I love the crazy printed shorts. :-) To be fair, I also want them in black. The change this year is from the designation of petite, regular, and long length. Now they have a four inch, six inch, and nine inch choice. Clearly I can wear a 9 inch inseam, but I actually prefer to have a five or six inch inseam since I think it flatters my frame more, so I definitely will be getting the six inch inseam instead. I do have friends who wear the 9 inch for modesty reasons, and I so I am glad they kept that choice for their sake.
Keira Stud Ankle Boot. The studs on this boot look less obnoxious than they do on the other items studded up. I think the studs suit a boot, and on the other versions (the heel and the flat), they look like sad versions of that
Valentino "Rockstud" which is everywhere. (Blegh and ugh.) I know some of you agree with me. ;-)
Tops and Tees
Ravello Top. The Ravello top has been around forever, so the silhouette is clearly not new, but I adore this print in this colorway. So pretty and fresh feeling. It definitely will be welcome in the greyer days of winter. It may have to be the first Ravello top to enter my wardrobe!
Tamara Top. This top I decided to buy in
the green floral version from this winter season
(I chose a size 4, found the armholes were too tight, so exchanged for a 6, which fits great). I like this small dotted version. It has interest, but can still be paired with printed items since the print on this is understated. Great choice for a formal office setting.
Drop Shoulder Cowl Neck. This is normally not a kind of item I would be attracted to, but I love the mix of dot sizing with the black background. It kind of looks like stars. It seems like it would flatter a variety of shapes and sizes, too.
Okay, those are my picks. This may be my smallest "picks" post ever. Hurrah for less work on my part, but sadness over the lack of real pretty and unique. :-(
Anything I missed that you love? Anything you loathing?
