Boden Review: Pigeon et Étoiles.

Bonne Nuit!

In tonight's Boden reviews, I take a look at two Johnnie b. items, including one with a wee plump man bird named Le Pigeon, which is why my post's title is in French.

(And for those who don't speak French--I am one of them, btw, just know a few words--étoiles are stars which references the second item, the pretty cardigan with lots of them in a foil print on grey cotton.)

There he is, looking a lot like a man I met at Chartres Cathedral last year.

CC, one of the best blog friends here at My Superfluities, pointed out the sparkly graphic t-shirt to me back when it debuted.  I hadn't even noticed it, but was super excited when CC suggested it. 
'
I knew as soon as I was able to get a good enough code for Boden, I would definitely be purchasing this gorgeous chartreuse tee embellished with Monsier Pigeon and his sequined beret.

Sparkly Graphic T-Shirt.  My issue with this tee was I was unsure of sizing.  It had been since last season that I had purchased a Johnnie b. item, when they were still using alpha sizing (I was a medium top in the alpha sizing).  Now they have age-sizing, with the lowest 8 years and the highest 15-16 years.  They say the sizes correlate to XS-L (the 15-16 would be the L), but I found it hard to believe that my former size equaled a size 13-14.

I should have known better.  Although I am fine with this tee being less fitted than my tees of the past, it is fairly loose through the shoulders and through the waist.  And since I can't tumble dry this to shrink it AND it is sold out in all but the tiniest sizes, I am going to live with it not being as slim fit as they describe in its copy.  :)

I look forward to wearing this "put a bird on it" shirt with a pencil skirt and heels.  This is a great critter and I think I will be on the receiving end of many "I love that tee" comments.

Pretty Cardigan.  I also took this in a 15-16 and I am glad I did.  The 13-14 would have fit, but I appreciate that I can completely button it up and not worry about gaping.  At all.

The cotton is super soft (100%, btw) and the foil printed stars are nicely printed, deeply, and without me worrying that they will flake off with wear and wash.

Opened over the Le Pigeon tee.  I can see wearing the two together, with a smart pair of skinny jeans and boots, and of course, because I don't do irony, a beret on top of my head.

This face is made because even me, Miss Monkey Arms, think the sleeves might be a bit ridiculously long.  ;)



Sparkly Graphic T-Shirt and Pretty Cardigan.  The t-shirt is less sold out than the cardigan in grey, but there are popbacks sometimes.  Don't hold your breath for the star cardigan, though.   If I do see it, I will try to make an announcement on my facebook page.  :)

Okay, that's it!  Have any of you ordered any gems from the Johnnie b. line that you would like to share?  Any experiences with the new sizing?

Talk with you tomorrow, when I do reviews/ootds with the Swishy Jersey Skirt.

Outfit of Today! Fashion Night Out. SAHM Styled.

I cannot believe I am publishing an outfit on the day I am wearing it.  Since this outfit is sort of timely, I figured I probably should get it published today rather than wait and add it in one of my "catch-all" outfit series that I (unfortunately) have been employing with some regularity of late.

There is no way in H-E-double hockey sticks this stay at home momma is gonna be going out for the Fashion Night Out festivities in Georgetown (DC) tonight.  For one, I am so tired that the bags under my eyes have carry-ons of their own and for two, I didn't get an invite, so there's that, too. ;)

BUT...that doesn't mean I can't celebrate the fact that it is a day in the fashion world and since I have a personal style blog, I figured I might as well throw something together.  Here is my attempt!

The info on the pieces is in the photograph.

I was fortunate enough to happen upon exactly one copy of last September's Vogue Paris with this tee as a giveaway when I visited Paris with the family last October.  I dug the graffiti style of the tee, and even though the magazine cost something like 20 euros total, it did come with the tee, the very large September issue of Vogue, and a children's fashion insert.  I bought very little on that trip (besides two maternity pieces and a bottle of perfume), so I figured this tee would be a cool little addition to my souvenirs.

Anyhow the graffiti repeats the date of last year's Fashion night out, which was September 8, 2011, and has the date written in both English and French.

I decided to go a bit out of my comfort zone and pair it with the maxi skirt from Boden, even though this top is a bit blousy.  I was concerned I would look like a rectangle, but it wasn't nearly as boxy looking as I thought it would be.

Wore this just picking up Rex from school and hanging out at the house. 

But in my mind, I am with the editors of all my favorite fashion magazines, including the scary Nina Garcia from Marie Claire, drinking awesome champagne and talking all about things sartorial.  My imagination knows no bounds.

I also bowled this morning.  You all.  I am living on the SAHM edge here.  I joined an all-women bowling league.  I am the youngest by about twenty years.  ;)

Closer shot of the fedora (my favorite accessory, natch) and the tee.

I wore a bit brighter shade of lipstick in honor of my stepping outside the box.  Next year, I may just try a liquid liner and purple eyeshadow.  No promises, though.

Fashion Night Out. SAHM style. by dinagideon featuring leather shoulder handbags

Polyvore is above.

Okay that's it! I hope that if you are enjoying the fashion night out festivities tonight that you have a drink for me, 'kay?

Just a quick reminder for the Boden fans out there.  Tonight (at 11:59 pm) the 20% portion of the diminishing discount expires and will become 15% off selected items as of tomorrow.  Since my sidebar coupon is for 15% off and free ship and returns anyhow, I will basically pretend that this diminishing discount doesn't exist and encourage folks to use the "normal" coupon instead.  ;)
Get 20% off + free shipping & returns on select items at BodenUSA.com! Shop dresses, tops, pants, tees, skirts, accessories and more!

Boden: Riviera Shirt Dress...Sexy?

Seriously pretty, but sexy?  Hmm.  I guess if you are French, maybe?

I have changed things up here at My Superfluities, and I promise the change does actually have something to do with Boden's super "sexy" Riviera Shirt Dress, but more on that in a mo.

I changed the blog background color (white, which I have discovered I prefer as a background, makes the text easier to read), the text font (needed to update from Times New Roman, you all, get all internet savvy), and the blog list (so many dead end links from the old one, yikes).  I also changed the header from me wearing a sassy gold J. Crew skirt, striped tank, and sunglasses to one where I am wearing the subject of this blog post, the fall 2012 version of the Riviera Shirt Dress.

I do plan on reviewing the current version of this dress, but I am going to do that when I have more time, for now I want to see if you agree with the French National Assembly, do you think this dress deserves wolf whistles?  If so, then you are in good company.

To see more on what I am talking about, check out The Sun's (UK) coverage of the French Housing Minister, Cecile Duflot, being subjected to cat calls and loud yells as she wore this during a recent speech in Paris.

I think Ms. Duflot does look incredibly lovely and it wonderfully suits her figure, but sexy?  I don't know.  Here in the US, this would be a dress that men would say, "you look so nice," but not so much, "oh, baby, I am taking you home!"

In all fairness, my brother and my husband both approved of the dress as I wore it in the header photo, but more on a "I like the way the dress looks on you," not in a "hubba hubba" way.  (That would have been especially disturbing coming from my bro.  Blah!  LOL.)

I have this dress in the same colorway as the Housing Minister (can't resist this shape!), and I wore it in this blog post, when I was going to my son's CATHOLIC school.  I think it is quite funny that what I considered quite modest for the visit was most definitely not by a bunch of French men.  ;)

Thoughts?

Winter Wardrobe: Day Two.

Hi, all!  I made it through another day of hanging with my elementary school homies...grade 3-5! 

Anyhow, I actually planned today's outfit as opposed to yesterday's, but what I didn't think about is that I am going to make these girls think I LOVE stripes.  Yesterday's outfit was pink with silver stripes, today's is black with silver stripes, and tomorrow's is white with navy stripes.  I think Thursday I have a solid dress, so that is in the clear.

*****

Well, I just give the bleep up.  I literally wrote a fairly involved blog post and the darn thing was just eaten up by the computer (except the intro paragraphs above).  I HATE not having my computer.  I absolutely loathe this teeny-tiny, "let's eat all of dinagideon's hard work up," dumb, *@###-ing computer.  I am just about to cry.  There was a review of the Alpine boots in it, and a rather extensive look at this new necklace I wore today, plus some info on my next post on the Boden Weekly Review Roundup, AND. it. is. all. gone.

I am going to bed.  I will show the pics, I will show the polyvore and I will fill in the blanks on this post when I get over my anger.  (I get angry, you all, it just. takes. a. lot. to get me there.  GRRRRRR.)

You all have a great night.  My Aspire One ACER computer?  I hope you have nightmares, you beast.

Dress: J. Crew Alex Sweater Dress, Size Medium.

Leggings: Madewell Convertible, Size Medium.

Boots: J. Crew Alpine Boots, Size 9.  I will do a review, I promise.  Just not now.  Sob.

Side shot of Gus riding high.  Any of you mommas out there have a belly ride this high?  Seems a bit ridiculous, in my opinion.

I had spent two or three paragraphs explaining how I discovered this jewelry designer in Paris, and how my hunt took on epic proportions once I got back home to find his necklaces here, but alas, it must have not been meant to be.  For what it's worth, it is designed by Tzuri Gueta, and he truly is an artist.  The beads are silicone (!!!) and the cording is silk.  Very unusual, and definitely a statement, especially in this lovely blue/red combo.

Winter Wardrobe: Day Two. by dinagideon featuring stirrup pants

Above is the polyvore, where you can find more info on the individual pieces, including the necklace.

Reminder, Boden did some second cuts on their items in their winter sale.  I explained it more in depth at this post.

;)  I will be back in a better mood tomorrow.  Promise.

Paris: Day Five Outfit(s) of the Day. Eiffel Inspired. And Gilded.

When did I do the day four outfit of the day?  A month ago?  Come, on.  Well, late is better than never, I suppose.

To remind you all, I am taking on my Paris trip bit by bit, starting with outfit posts, then moving to all around general stuff, and finishing with tips for traveling with toddlers.  Knowing my rate of success, I will get around to the "tips for traveling with toddlers" post on our anniversary of actually traveling to Paris.  LOL.

Okay, to re-cap...here is outfit Day One...outfit Day Two...outfit Day Three...outfit Day Four.

And outfit Day Five.

I actually drew inspiration for this outfit from two J. Crew catalog images, which I will show later on, but the top/vest combo is from one image, and later, my earrings and pose are from another image.

Top: J. Crew Suzannah Liberty Print Blouse, Size medium.  This was a sample from 2007, although it is similar to the blouse that they sold in the fall of that same year, this one has slight differences in construction from the retail version.  I am glad I went with the medium as this was cut a bit closer, and as timing had it, I needed the extra room in the waist.  :)  Go, baby belly!
Vest: J. Crew Jackie top, size small.  Do you all buy the Jackie tops only to use as vests?  I never wear mine on their own, I far prefer them with button-downs.
Skirt: Gap Maternity, size 8.  This is way too big and by the end of the day, it looked like I was wearing a skirt four sizes too big for me.  (This puppy stretches.  To say the least.)
Tights: Walmart George Brand.  I wear my George Brand control top tights constantly and they have not ever let me down, I have had the above pair for over three years.  Get thee to a Walmart for some $5.50 tights if you need some good ones.  Whilst in Mississippi, I bought the local store out of their Size Cs...I bought them in brown marl, black knit herringbone, grey marl, and a couple of opaque pairs.
Shoes: J. Crew Collection Lula Snakeskin Ballet Flats.  The love.  These aren't awesome for walking but they are certainly good enough if you don't go all crazy and wear them for a six mile trek.  I only did about four that day, so my tootsies survived.

CW is in a mix of Boden, Target, and some boutique-y brand.

From the front before the skirt became a size 16.

I wore my Thierry Lasry sunglasses that day along with my J. Crew Collection double faced cashmere popover.   For those of you dying for more info on the popover, I did a more in-depth review of it at True Crew Love.

The background is the Eiffel Tower.  We have more shots from that day, but I will publish those in the general "look at how awesome Paris can be" photos post.

I remembered that the beautiful Vanessa Lorenzo was wearing a pair of Eiffel Tower earrings in one of the Paris catalog images, so of course I bought a pair from the Eiffel Tower gift shop.  They were only $10 and adorable.  They seem to be decently made, too.

Both of my kids LOVED the Eiffel Tower and now, whenever they see a photo or film of it, shout really loudly, "look MOMMA...the Eiffel Tower!!!"

Not exactly the same shot, etc., but look!  The Eiffel Tower earrings!  (Too bad I didn't have roller skates and a more agreeable husband, lol.)

Again, not exactly the same...I searched and searched for this sweater dress all over ebay but never found it (but still interested, lovely ladies, size small or medium, please!!!)...so I came up with my version instead.

That night my hubby and son went to a French soccer game, so I took CW out to a nice little restaurant for a night out.  We got all dressed up and it was sort of special...really sweet, in fact.

Top: J. Crew Tissue Turtleneck, Size Medium.  From a while ago and I still wear it, all the time.  Great versatile basic.
Skirt: J. Crew Collection Floral Long Swing Skirt, Size 8.  It's my header skirt!  :)  Cannot even think about wearing this one now...waist is way too tiny to fit over my baby belly now.  It barely did up that night for that matter.
Shoes: Clarks Artisan aka "most comfortable black heels ever," size 9.5.  Bought them for nada at the local Rugged Wearhouse.
Necklace: J. Crew Double Strand Frog Necklace.  Also a perennial favorite from the Paris Catalog.  I double looped it for a different look...I quite like it like that...

With CW...she is a cardigan by some French brand (I forgot which, and she is napping right now), a Tea dress, random tights, and a pair of Target shoes.

Paris: Outfit of the Day Five. Girls Night Out. by dinagideon featuring tote handbags

Above is the polyvore of the outfit for our Parisian Girls Night Out.

Well I guess that's it for now.  Hope your Friday is great.  :)

Reminder, if you are a Boden fan, the affiliate folks sent me a direct link to their most recent promo, 30% off and free shipping:
Save 30% at Bodenusa.com with Free Shipping

Thanksgiving Maternity Wear Times Two!

Hi, all!  Happy belated Black Friday.  LOL.  :)  I hope everyone had a great time shopping the great deals.  I, unfortunately, had absolutely no access to the internet (it was on the fritz in a major way, and kinda still is, ugh).  So I did my Black Friday shopping the old fashioned way, in the mall and at Walmart.  Woo!

I did have a great Thursday, though, with all sorts of yummy deep Southern favorites like sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, broccoli and cheese and rice casserole (do you sense a theme?), and of course, the ultimate yumminess, stuffing.  I barely even touched the turkey or pecan pie.

We dress for dinner here but only just, so I didn't really need to bring it fully with a dress and tights and heels, so I decided to wear a maternity outfit I purchased in Paris (only clothing I bought, btw!) from a darling little (little is being ambitious) boutique called Mamma Fashion. 

I walked into the store and barely showing meant that I had to guesstimate if the items I chose would actually fit, but these pieces had the dual advantage of looking decent without a real belly, and now that I have a belly, look pretty good with...I guess it might have something to do with French women only buying quality pieces that will last a lifetime, so the shop only carried the items that truly fit that description.  I anticipate the top working well beyond my pregnancy and the pants appear to be the sort that can be tailored to work after your postpartum stage is up.

The top and pants are from a brand called Pomkin, and they have the rare (at least I have rarely seen this) plus of actually being MADE IN FRANCE.  That probably also explains the prices, which also explains why these two pieces are the only clothing I purchased over the entire trip.  ;)

Top: Pomkin Liberty of London Silk Fabric Tie Top, Size Small (FR 38).  This retailed for around 170 Euro, but it was on sale for 85 Euro and was the last one in the shop.  I felt like I had literally died and gone to heaven, here I am the biggest Liberty of London fan, AND on sale is one of the most exquisite tops (not even just maternity tops) I have ever seen.  In. my. size.  And my hubby gave me a thumbs up.  I might have squealed.  Yes, 85 Euros, even on sale, is a HUGE chunk of change, but I think you all get it, right?

Pants: Pomkin Career Full Leg Pants (Pantalon Drew Caviar), Size Large (FR 42).  These were 98 Euro, but the fabric is super soft and fit then and fits now.  It also didn't appear to be too small in the thighs but too big in the band which is often my issue.

The headband is from Anthropologie, the earrings are the J. Crew Snow sparkle earrings (which have been the MOST popular item I have ever clipped for polyvore, seriously every time I go on polyvore, it has been used by 20 women for 20 different sets), and the shoes are Nine West.

You can really tell here how this top can work both for pregnant and non-pregnant women.  The fabric is the Caesar design, more often known as the Peacock design (as the design is based on peacock feathers).  I have a few items with this pattern, but they are all from the Liberty of London for Target line.  I daresay the fabric on this blouse may be a teeny bit more exquisite.

I also happen to own a LoL top from Target that can also be maternity, same pattern.  :)  LOL at the LoL love.  I just think that one is less dressy, so can be worn a tad more casually. 

Close up of the snow sparkle earrings, headband, and the bow on the blouse.

You know what I did after the very filling meal, right?  No, I didn't nap.  We took a walk!  Of course!  I didn't want to wear heels and fancy pants and fancy top out so I switched to a Boden Maternity tunic called the Special Day Tunic.  I will be linking back to this on Wednesday for the next Boden Weekly Review Roundup, so here is a little on this tunic.  I went with my regular tunic size in Boden, size 6 (US size), and it fits well, and is very very soft.  I love the pretty pattern, it reminds me a lot of the Show Stopping Tunic, but is a bit more forgiving of a forever expanding waistline.

The leggings and shoes are a bit casual, but worked for the event.  I will probably wear the tunic with tights the next time and a cute pair of ballet flats.

From the side.  The nice thing is that this tunic could also work as a non-maternity dress if you so desire.  I feel like you had best wear super-control top tights, though, as any little bulge is going to be read as a pregnant belly owing to its baby doll shape.  Just a little PSA.


Special Day Tunic. Also comes in a blue and a pink version. Right now, with the continuing 25% off and free ship and returns (till November 30th), this tunic goes from $98 down to around $75. (I have placed a link at the bottom of this post for folks to get the 25% off...seems that with my internet issues lately, I turned out to be the one who MOST needed the access from my mobile phone, lol.)

I have added this top's photo to this post so I can clip it to Polyvore and create a chic maternity set. Yay!

Okay, all, better go, as I really don't want to press my luck with the internet...

Here is that link for the extra 25% off and free ship and returns at Boden:
Boden 25% off plus Free Shipping and Returns!

Paris: Day Four Outfit of the Day,

It seems beyond appropriate that I do this post today, as Rex's behavior today has only really been matched by the behavior her recently exhibited in the beautiful small French city of Chartres. Ugh. :)

He is getting more "mature" every day, but for all his advancements socially, his fits have also matured to their own fine and ripe age. They will soon be so ripe they will be spoiled. Oh, dear. He will be five in February. Someone out there tell me it gets better when they turn five. Please. LOL.

So yeah, I am not one to focus on negativity (well at least not here on my happy place, aka my respite from my crazy, rugrat filled life), so I am choosing to continue my sartorial journey in France for the rest of the post. Remember, you can also see the other days here, day one, day two, and day three.

Anyone who LOVES the Paris Catalog from Fall 2007 will immediately know what this outfit is referencing.  :)

I also included the image in the polyvore set, so all you polyvore addicts, clip away. 

I had the Bridget shirtdress in plaid from the original season, had bought it in a size 10 to fit my newly postpartum body (post-Rex, yes, five years ago, lol), and when I lost all that weight a couple of years ago, the 10 was getting too big, so I hunted ebay for a replacement in a size 6, and finally one day, I found it.   (And a fellow JCA got my size 10 from the exchange, you know share the love...it really is a great dress.)

I was actually really worried it wouldn't fit, but with Gus hanging out and growing but not really, the dress did up just fine.  Phew.  (Can't wear it today, though.  I have officially lost my waist--woo!)

The boots are the Britten Tall Flat boots, and I am so glad I decided to bring them to France, they were super comfy AND stylish, which I appreciated.

This is just outside the cathedral at Chartres, in the courtyard.  It was pretty sunny that day, so the sunglasses were more than just "fashionable."

I added the Icon trench to keep the wind from whipping me too much.  It was warm-ish that day, but it was good to have the topper that evening, when the temps dipped quickly.

Just like the previous photo, many of you have already seen this image, but now you know more about the outfit under the trench.  Plus the cobblestone plus French folks plus CW equals really cool photo.

Paris: Day Four Outfit of the Day. by dinagideon featuring a tee shirt dress

Above is the polyvore. Eventually I will get around to publishing my packing list (which I did about two months ago), but I will wait until all the ootd posts are done (two more to go!).

Boden ladies...remember I did a post on the Boden Spring Preview in this post yesterday. I bit the bullet today, so I feel poorer, but at least I have a few weeks to save up for the January bill. :)

Also, if you have a Boden review and would like it to be included in tomorrow's Boden Weekly Review Roundup, you can e-mail me at dinagideon AT aim DOT com or comment in the post (although if you recently commented, I have seen it, and will include your review--thanks!).

Alright, have a great night!!!

P.S.  Can I just say how sweet and caring all of you are?  I love (and read) ALL of the comments left here, and omg, I have the nicest, most darling blog friends.  I want to let everyone know that although I have been unable to spend a ton on other friends blogs, or comment back to everyone's comments here, I at least want to express my gratitude!  So many of your comments (especially on the "Gus is here" post) have really made me smile big, and often laugh out loud, literally!

Paris: Day Three Outfit of the Day.

I cannot believe I have waited this long to do a new post.  I don't even have a good excuse, like actually being in Paris.  LOL.  Ah, well.

Better late than never, I suppose.  :)

On the third day in Paris, my true love said to me...

wear the green jacket and teal top and jeans, and Thierry Lasry sunglasses, and double strand frog necklace,

you get the drift...

Why start with the boring shot when I can start with arty?

Anyhow, this was taken at sunset in the Jardin des Tuileries, which is right next door to the Lourve, which is where we spent the majority of our day (outside of a very long walk looking for a very specific shop in the Saint Germain neighborhood).

Yes, I put CW in a shirt that has the Eiffel Tower and says "a la mode a paris."  Mr. Dina said to put her in that the day we go to the Eiffel Tower, but I just scoffed at how cliche that would be.  Snort.

On me, we have the Parisienne Jacket from Boden Fall 2009 (not cliche, lol), a top that I bought at TJ Maxx by Willi Smith, some Docker's Denim (that got really stretched out by the end of the day), the Lula Snakeskin Ballet Flats from J. Crew (yeah, these only are comfortable the first five miles of walking, btw), and of course the double strand frog necklace from J. Crew Fall 2007 (which also appeared in the Paris catalog).

You can buy CW's a la mode top here (and the 14 fits me, for what it's worth).  I was able to find a fairly similar jacket at Boden called the Milan Jacket, which comes in a very similar green shade (and is on "secret" sale).

No jacket.  I really like the Willi Smith top, all pretty silk and a lovely teal color.  I wore teal with green for a reason, and you will see that when you get to the Polyvore set.

At the Lourve with the kids.  We were all beaten down.  The kids LOVED the museum, though.  My favorite part were the sixty million Japanese tourists who wanted to take photos with Rex and/or CW.  It was adorable.  I guess my kids are cute to others, as they are to me, but honestly, at the end of that day I was all, "are they really that adorable?"

Paris: Day Three Outfit of the Day. by dinagideon featuring j crew jeans

Above is the polyvore set.  In it you will see the catalog image from Boden that inspired the whole look.  I would have never paired teal and green together, but it worked here.  :)

You all have a great Sunday.  :)  Talk with all of you soon!