OOTDs/Review: Boden Everyday Sweater, Low Heeled Loafer, and Charlotte Top. Plus a Flash Sale Today Only!

Before I start, there is a flash sale going on at Boden today, for one day only.  I put the link in the sidebar and at the bottom of this post for those of you interested.  The Everyday Sweater is in the sale, fwiw.  The Charlotte Top is not part of the sale, but it is listed at 30% off, so it has been reduced to further than my current sidebar coupon is (currently at 15% off).

Okay, onto the outfit of the day/reviews.  OOTD portion first, followed by a review.

Day: Sunday, October 19, 2014.

Where:  Harris Teeter.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  It is a touch cool here today, with highs only in the low 60s.  I knew I would need a sweater (here at Boden, use link below for the flash sale savings), but was hoping this would be warm enough for the temperatures.  It was more than fine, I wasn't cold at all.  The weight of the sweater was more than adequate.

The shoes are a bit wide on me, sigh.  They didn't fall off or anything, but I am so darn picky.  If only these loafers (here at Boden) had come in half sizes, I would have been set. 

Cool Factor: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  A bit trendy with the necklace, jeans, and shape of the sweater, but a bit retro with the design on the sweater, so all in all, a great look for me.  Just wish I had someplace more exciting than the grocery store to go to...

Anecdote from the day:  Rex fell down from the illness that took his daddy down yesterday.  He is sick, too, with a temperature.  So now half the house is sick, and the other half is trying to take care of the half that is sick.  ;-)

REVIEW:

Everyday Sweater.  Size 6.  I chose correctly, size-wise.  The width is bit wide, but I know that was the intention, so I would not size down from your normal Boden knitwear size.  I personally think this is such a flattering silhouette, with the gentle curved hem, scoop neck, and long, thin sleeves.  Those are really long sleeves, though, and they have no petite option, so keep that in mind if you are a smaller lady.  The length is also a bit short, so if you have a longer torso this may end up bothering you.

The blue retro rose color is a cotton/wool blend and so soft.  I love it!  The other colors are not that combo, so I can't speak to their relative softness.

If they come out with other colors that tempt me in the future, I will definitely be buying this sweater.  It is truly a lovely item.

I did another review of this item here at this blog post.


Low Heeled Loafer.  Size 41.  I wear a size 9.5 at J. Crew, and their shoes, without fail, always fit me in that size.  Boden's shoe sizing is one place I can never be fully sure what size I wear.  It may be a 40 one time, another a 40.5 (if available), or a 41.  Sigh.  These, as I mentioned above, would be best for me in a 40.5 since the width on the 41 is too loose.  I can fix it by wearing thicker socks, but sometimes I just don't want to wear socks.  Oh, well. 

As it is, these are popular shoes, and nearly sold out in many of the colors (or on backorder), so I will keep the 41.  It isn't like they are falling off, they are just a touch wide, and I am picky.

The color is fab, a muted pewter color that goes with so much.  The heel height is also wonderful, just enough for a lift, but not so high that it becomes hard to manage.

I did a review of this item here at this blog post, way back when.  I wasn't so picky back at that blog post, maybe they felt tighter then?  Who knows.  Maybe I am just cranky.  LOL.

Day: Friday, October 17, 2014.

Where:  Target and School Pickup.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Well initially, at my house anyway, it was cool enough to justify a scarf with the outfit.  But by the time I got to the school for pickup, it was actually hot, so I had to take it off.  The Charlotte top (here at Boden) was a perfect weight for the mid-70s, so on its own, it was very comfortable.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  I dig shorts with a longer-sleeved top, a scarf, and sandals, but based on the look that some old guy gave me at Target, I would guess he wasn't into it.  LOL.  Okay.  That's fair.

Anecdote from the day:  The world's cutest chocolate lab puppy showed up at pickup (he was a rescue) and my son was in HEAVEN.  He spent half of the pickup time playing with the puppy.  The other half of the time he sat enjoying being the center of attention since all the adults there were oohing and aahing over the insane adorableness of cute puppy and cute baby together. By the way, Angus's shirt is from baby Boden and available here.   Hee. 

REVIEW:

Charlotte Top.  Size 6 PETITE.  After taking the measurements into consideration and reading that the top is supposed to hit at the low hip, I *knew* I had to get the petite because that would mean it would be shorter on me, which means it wouldn't hit at my low hip and instead hit at my high hip.  Whenever something straight up and down hits at my low hip, I either size up to fit the hips and have it be too large on top, or get it to fit my bodice and know it will be too tight on bottom.  Yay PETITE sizing!  :-)  It is a touch short in the arms, but I like where the cuff hits, just below my elbow.

The size 6 R and 6 P both have the same body measurements, it is just the length of the top and sleeves that are different.  They don't do what J. Crew does and make the 6 P have the same measurements as the 4 R, just shorter (so weird, don't get that at all), so definitely do not size up if you want to buy the petite version.

I am particular about how the plaid lines up and it doesn't, kind of obviously, if you notice it, but meh, it isn't something most people look for, so I can get over it.  It is a really cute top otherwise.

Okay, that's all for now.  Hope everyone is having a great Sunday.

Sale Info:
Sunday only! 20% off all Women's Knitwear, Hats and Scarves15% Off Everything Else + Free Shipping

OOTDs: Three Pairs of Pants and One Purse.

Day: Tuesady, March 11, 2014.

Where: CW's Bible Play.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I love the ease of this outfit.  I normally try to dress up more if I am going to the kids' school, especially if it is for a play/performance, but I wasn't feeling up to getting kitted up that day, so I figured a dash of color would make up for the fact that I am wearing jeans.  :-)

The Must Have Tee is super soft and just warm enough, even though it is fairly lightweight (see my original review of it here).  I didn't have to wear a coat that day, by some minor miracle in this Canadian winter of ours, we had a day of semi-warmth.

Cool Factor: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.)  Very pretty, but also very casual.  Just somewhere right in the middle of cool...

Anecdote from the Day: You can never hear kids when they are performing, huh?  There is a chance CW did say her line properly, but we aren't sure.  They all sang the songs really well, though.

Day: Wednesday, March 12, 2014.

Where:  Home sewing and school pickup.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Again, a super high score for comfort.  Those Pure Collection pants are sublime, and I am so glad I have these in both the navy and the black color (I am wearing the black now as I type).  Even though I haven't been able to do a lot of in-depth reviews of Pure Collection lately (budget constraints, boo!), I do look over there from time to time (and keep their coupons in my sidebar) since I LOVE everything I have from them.  Looks like they have a near dupe of these pants in their current collection called the Pure Silk Tie Waist Trousers, and I kind of think I need to save up for the ones in jade.  My pants are made from a heavy poly mix, so I suspect the silk ones would be even more luxurious and special.  Pure is having a big mid-season sale and the pieces in there look to be very pretty, especially all the cashmere in sherbert shades.  The Pure Silk Tie Waist Trousers are not in the sale (the sister, the silk tie waist skirt is, though), but you can use the sidebar coupon to get an additional 25% off those, if you like the look.  (The 25% off does not come off the mid-season pieces, though.)

Cool Factor: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.)  The Downtown Field Jacket seems to be the coolest bit of this look, as it is so popular that J. Crew keeps bringing it back season after season.  The rest of the outfit is fine, of course, but not especially cool.

Anecdote from the Day: My stinking Pants Sloper I worked SO HARD on is TOO BIG!  I spent hours redrafting the sloper into a new pants pattern with a yoke and pockets only to make the whole thing up and find the whole thing was too big by one whole inch on each side.  Sigh.  I put the redrafted pattern against what I had made in class and it was the same, so the only thing I can think is that because I wore tights and not bare skin to the lessons that the friction from the fabric allowed the pants to stay up since they definitely were falling off of me when I finished all the hard work on the pants I made at home.  I can save them, I took an inch off each side seam and they fit better, but still a bit loose.  I think I need to redraft the pattern again and hope for the best.  I can save the pants I worked on, but they will likely become "at home" "fat day" pants.

At least the crotch length and depth is accurate, so small favors, right?

Day: Saturday, March 15, 2014.

Where: Finishing the kindergarten class quilt, the Veronica Mars movie, and Girls Night Out with B. and T.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  The Peter Pilotto for Target tee is very soft and comfortable (and worth the $20 I spent, only thing from the collection not overpriced in my estimation).  The points off are for the jeans, which while look fine on me are just not *super, over the top,* pj comfy the way I have decided I want all my pants to feel.  LOL.  I am getting soft in my old age. 

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.)  This outfit is pretty cool.  I think the whole look makes me look a touch younger, maybe not super youthful, but maybe, possibly, *not a mom with three kids* young?  :-)  Here's to hoping, anyhow.

I cannot believe how much the people in the UK were willing to pay for these Target pieces.  They were sold at Net-a-Porter UK and from what I could tell they simply took the American price and put a pound sign in front of the amount instead of a dollar sign.  So this tee would have been 20 pounds, or nearly $35.  Yikes.  And then of course some of the items sold out and the ebay people over there then double or tripled the UK price.  Seriously.  Wow.  I made a joke with some of my UK blog friends that I could go to the local Target, buy most of the pieces on sale, and then make a *stupid* amount of profit if I did that.  I guess we didn't want these pieces as much as the ladies over there did.

Anecdote from the Day: My hubby and I love Veronica Mars.  I loved it enough to obsessively watch it, but my husband was obsessive enough to actually give money to the kickstarter to get the movie funded.  It turned out that he couldn't give money in the end since the whole project was funded in one day (fast!!!).  That's some serious love.  It was a good movie, but it was weird, like it should have been on TV, but there I was, along with other adults reliving their *decade old* youth in a theater.  Did anyone else out there see it?

Okay, that's all for now. 

If you have a Boden review, I will be writing the BWRR up tomorrow if you would like to include yours in it.  You can either comment your review here at the Boden Reviews tab, or you can email me at dinagideon AT aim DOT com.

OOTDs: Sequins, Morning, Noon, and Night.

Day: Wednesday, January 9, 2013.

Where: Whole Foods Wines-day, Anthropologie, and La Madeleine in Old Town Alexandria.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) 4. Outside of a bit of scratchiness in the skirt from the sequins, this outfit was very comfortable.  The tights were a touch too big, so that wasn't awesome, but they stayed up, so whatever.

Glitter flats?  Pretty and easy to wear.  Love!

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) 4. I think wearing the combo of bright blue with a gold base works.  And since I am not in France, the beret looks okay cool.  LOL.  ;)  (At least I think it does.)

Anecdote from the day:  I was able to see a good blog friend of mine, Monica.  She used to live in Maryland, but moved all the way across the country last year.  Amazingly, we have seen each other multiple times since her move, so I guess 3000 miles is really not that big of a deal.

Also, we went to the Anthropologie in Old Town that night and I found the Goldspun Paisley Dress for $39.  Yahoo!  Monica found it, hung all alone, in my size. It was meant to be. (I like it best belted and with a black cardigan.) :)

Day: Monday, January 14, 2013.

Where:  Rex's first piano lesson.  More on that frivolity in a moment.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) 3. It felt easy at first, and actually would have continued to feel easy, but because of the nature of the piano lesson, I ended up having to carry Angus for half of the time, which isn't super easy in a sequined top.  It's my bad for choosing this outfit, but it is rare for me to have to hold Angus all the time, he usually prefers to toddle around and explore. 

I wore this cardigan way way back when, and I really like it.  I far prefer it styled like this though.

I also was able to bring out my most favorite pair of jeans, they finally fit again.  I still have some baby weight to lose, but these jeans prove I am almost there (woo!).

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  3.  This cardigan was probably cool when it came out in the Fall of 2009, but since then, I am sure it has fallen out of favor, regardless of the Marc Jacobs label.  The jeans, though, will always be cool.  (Again, at least in my mind.)

Anecdote from the day:  The piano teacher, bless her heart, was a bit *confused.*  It made for a very interesting "hour" with Rex, CW, and Angus.  Basically, you walk into the lesson, put your name on a list (Rex's), and wait for your turn.  With five to seven kids in the class, each kid should get 10-15 minutes with the teacher at the piano.  The first child (who also goes to Rex's school) got 25 minutes, and the next kid got 20 (and the book that was supposed to be used by all the beginners).  The next child had the book, so that kid got 15.  Are you doing the math?  That's three kids in 60 minutes.  There are still 3 kids to go, along with the *next* lesson's kids coming in, plus some random family whose kid wasn't signed up for the lessons, but wanted to sign up for lessons.  That random kid got five minutes.  We still haven't gotten to the last three kids, and it is now 5:10 pm.  (That is 70 minutes after we showed up.) 

Rex was a champ and sat there and waited patiently, CW did okay, but poor Angus, because we were in a music room with lots of breakable instruments was struggling.  Sigh.


Eventually she saw to seeing Rex, but because the book had been given to another kid, Rex didn't even get to sit at the piano.  The whole time he kept looking at me and saying, "I get to play the piano, right?"  And I, thinking it's gonna happen said, "of course, honey, thank you for being patient."


So when she saw us she told us what book to get and that she looked forward to seeing him at the next lesson.  If this happens again, though, regardless of her sweet personality, I will probably drop the class.  Would you do the same?  Just curious...

Day: Tuesday, January 15, 2013.

Where:  Little Gym with Angus in the AM, and El Paso Cafe in Arlington for my brother's birthday.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) 4. This outfit felt good.  I am really glad I chose to size up by two whole sizes in the Neiman Marcus/Target Tracy Reese blouse.  I had originally thought I would buy it in the size small, but when I tried that on in the store, it was too tight in my hips.  And really expensive for what it was.  But by waiting until the VERY END of the life of the collaboration (I bought it on Saturday night, 1/13/13), I was able to try on all the sizes and get it for $20.  (I also grabbed the Marc Jacobs pewter clutch for $20.)

This was the large, and it is large overall, but nicely skims over my hips, so I can wear it as a tunic.

The jeans are a wonderful stretch denim material, and the Naturalizer flats are made for making lives as easy as possible.

(BTW, the first photo up there is from me trying the outfit out the night before.  I guess I was so traumatized by the piano lesson I had to do something to calm down.  That means making outfits and seeing how they look in real life.  Ha.)

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) 2.5.  No lies, I don't know that any part of this outfit was that cool...even if the name on the shirt is Tracy Reese and the name on the pants is Michael Kors.  The colors of the outfit are currently "in," but I am not sure that I am wearing this outfit the way the cool blogger girls are, so there's that.  But those girls probably don't have a Little Gym class to attend, so let's call it even.  ;)

The sombrero definitely helped up the chic factor. 

Anecdote from the day:  The sweet, earth mother teacher at the Little Gym class LOVED my sequin blouse.  Other people kept feeling it up, all day long.

The dinner was fabulous, and halfway through dinner, my brother decided to give me his phone, and because I am me, I went to his facebook page and wrote "Peter is hot," as him.  So he basically looked like he wrote that himself.  Hahahahaha. 

A few years ago, I got hold of my dad's facebook account and wrote as him on Peter's page, "Peter, I have always loved you most.  Your sister, Dina, drives me crazy.  It is no secret to everyone that you are my favorite."  LOL.  Peter sniffed me out pretty quickly, sadly...within mere minutes he outed me as the real author.  Dang.  Practical jokes are no fun.  ;)

Okay, that's it for tonight.  Don't forget, tomorrow is the last day to enter my big four year blog-o-versary giveaway!