Boden: Mid Season Sale is Now Up to 50% Off!

That should read up to 50% off.  False advertising.  ;-)

Woah.  Tons of items have been moved to the 50% off mark, which is awesome!  So definitely grab a moment to take a look and see what is in the sale that has been further reduced.

I am kind of glad I waited to do a picks post as I now have a lot more to choose from in the sale.  I have a busy day, and it involves a visit to the local VW dealer (ugh!), but they do have free wifi there.  So as long as I can get Angus to nap while I am there, maybe I can get the post started during my errands.  (But in my head I am already saying, "fat chance, lady.)

If you had already purchased an item, and it is now further reduced, and it is still in stock in your size, definitely give Boden a ring as they are usually pretty good about price adjustments.  (I say usually because I am sure that isn't the case 100% of the time.)

Anyhow, as per usual, if you see anything that is a must have, let us all know.  :-)

Be back later!

Boden Weekly Review Roundup: The Union Jack and a Contrast Collar.

Good Monday night, all.  :-)

Yesterday Boden started its mid season sale, which many of us Boden fans really look forward to, and this year was no exception.  I looked yesterday at some items and saw quite a few fully stocked, and as of today, a lot of those items were either gone or at the pink "low inventory."  I know there are still some sales to come (notably the one that occurs right around Thanksgiving/Cyber Monday), but I would say if you love something and see it at either 30-40% off now, and its stocks keep going down over this mid season sale week, I would probably grab it now rather than chance it disappearing.

Anyhow, I wrote a quickie post on the sale here yesterday if you would like more info on it.

Onto the roundup!!!

Johnnie b.:

Embellished Sweater. Size 15-16.  Starting with a Johnnie b. item today because I sincerely think that most women out there could swing one of these sweatshirts (sweater, snort, as if).  The sizing is generous, and had I really wanted to, I could have worn the 13-14 easily, but since I don't mind the oversized look, I am keeping the 15-16.

Basically, I say that those of us size 4/6 (J. Crew or Boden tops) can go with a 13-14 for a fitted look, and a 15-16 for a more loose fit, those who are a size 8/10 (J. Crew or Boden) could wear a 15-16 for a fitted look, and a size 16+ for a looser feel, and those who are a 12/14 could grab a size 16+ for a fitted look.  So definitely a Johnnie b. piece that works for many sizes, which is great, since I feel like their skirts work for no one over the age of 10.  (SO SO SHORT!)

My brother didn't even notice the sequins, which I found slightly alarming, but that could mean that these aren't super "in your face" sequins that I normally love to wear.  Anyhow, the sequins are firmly attached and done well.  I personally think the price for this sweatshirt is WAY better than the J. Crew sequin sweatshirts they had a few years back.

The shoulder line is very wide, but I believe it is intentional, since the teen model has the same line on her sweatshirt.  I normally don't like the look, but it did offset my hips, so yay for small things, right?

The sweatshirt was most baggy through my waist, shoulders, and arms.  The arm length was also quite generous.  I also have a Johnnie b. boys sweatshirt ( this one) and it runs really large, too, but I guess that doesn't surprise me since most boys prefer larger and looser garments.

Pretty golden sequins!


Embellished Sweater.  Pretty well stocked over all sizes, but the sequined Union Jack version is selling best.

Regular Boden:

Contrast Collar Tunic.  Size 8.  So glad I purchased the 8, wow this puppy would have been super skin tight in the 6.  Boden has scaled back in sizing, making things have a bit more of a contemporary fit, so those of us who have worn Boden for years may need to get used to it.  (But on a related note, I do appreciate Boden increasing the hipline on dresses a bit as before they would size their dresses so the bust and hip measurement matched, and if I sized for my hips, the bodice would be too loose, and if I sized for my bust, forget getting the dress over my hips.)

I am not alone in feeling it runs wee, btw.  Several of the reviews felt that the fabric was less stretchy and the sizing less generous than other ponte offerings of the past.  On the plus side, the fabric is very thick, and exactly the right weight for a brisk fall or winter day (I wore mine on Saturday and it kept me nice and toasty).

No way, no how am I wearing this tunic without pants/leggings.  Tights would be far too revealing.  If I had gams like some of the Boden models, maybe.  ;-)

 Aw, it shows off my curves, lol.  :)

The color is a rich, deep orange red, with red piping around the navy placket.  The collar is attached and is not going anywhere.


Contrast Collar Tunic.  Really close to selling out, which surprises me.  That said, I did receive a lot of compliments on the tunic, so maybe the retro, colorful look is appealing to a lot of people?


Ingrid Coat.  Did a review on the shocking, electric pink colored version of this coat.  It's love, almost completely*.  :-)

*barring the bottom button snafu, of course.

Lizzyt  generously took some time and left a review for us here at my Boden Reviews page, with pictures attached.  You can see them above.  She faced the same issues as me.  She wrote of this coat:

Here is my review of the Ingrid coat in bright pink. I've attached 2 images. One shows the bottom button left open and the other picture closed. I am what they say an exaggerated pear shape. Plus, I still have baby weight to lose (you can see my 13 month old daughter Charli in one of the pictures). I ordered my "after 2 babies" normal size and as expected the bottom is a touch snug. It's my usual problem, so if your hips are shaped smaller you should order your normal size. I wouldn't order up a size since the top would then be too big. I ordered a Banana Republic scarf to go with the coat - it's all shades of pink. I'm also waiting on the aubergine gloves to be shipped to me from Boden. This may be too much pink, even for me. I love the scarf as it's very warm, so it would work beautifully with a black or gray coat. I also ordered a pair of Kate Spade gloves that are gray and say "geek chic." They are currently 30% off but only today. I highly recommend the gloves! Overall, I'm in love with this coat. I've always wanted a hot pink wool coat and this is it!



Laura Dress and Honeycomb Stitch Jumper (sweater).  What Lou Wore Reviews.  Lou wore and reviewed the Laura Dress in red here, and wore the Honeycomb Stitch sweater as part of an adorable outfit here.


Envelope Clutch.  Check out Liz looking uber-glam in her party frock.  Her chosen accessory?  The gorgeous shiny metallic clutch from Boden of course.  :-)

Written Reviews**:

Rainy Day Mac.  Keilexandra received two sizes of this ever popular design and shared her review with us.  She says:

I ordered the Rainy Day Mac in the blue polka dot pattern, size 2R and 2P. The petite fits exactly the same as the regular, as expected from measurements, except for sleeve and body length. I actually preferred the body length of the regular size, but the zipper was set too low and the sleeves were a tad too long. The petite sleeves could stand to be a half inch longer, since I like a little bit of hand coverage, but in the end I decided to go with the 2P. Quality on both pieces was impeccable.

**Remember if you want to review an item, and you don't necessarily have a blog of your own, the Boden reviews page is open for business, 24/7.

THANKS TO ALL MY BLOG FRIENDS FOR THEIR REVIEWS!!! You all are great!  

Okay that's it for tonight.  :-)

If you like an item that is not in the mid season sale and would like to grab it with 15% off, go ahead and use the below coupon.  (Some items won't make it to a further reduction, btw, like the Ingrid coat or the Heeled Loafer, those are popular enough that Boden will never reduce them further.)

Loft and Pure Collection: Extra Percentage Off at Loft and New Arrivals at Pure Collection.

There is a link below which will get you an additional 20% off of already reduced sale items.

As it is apparent, I spend a ton of time talking about, reviewing, wearing, and buying Boden clothing.  But I do actually enjoy other retailers, I just don't have the physical time or energy to write much about the other retailers since I do have kids to raise, projects to sew, rooms to clean, etc., etc.  :-) 

That said, I definitely want to let you know when my other favorite shops have great things going on, especially (as in the case of Loft today) when the promo/coupon is one that my affiliate program has stated is an exclusive for our program, and it means you all will get an extra little bit off of your purchases at Loft.  Since I only ever buy at Loft with coupons in hand, I understand the allure of a good one.  I tend to buy my pants from Loft, since they must have a fit model with a more substantial derriere like mine, and for that, I appreciate them so much.  I also like their accessories, I have found really cute necklaces and earrings from them in the past.

Regarding Pure Collection, CC reminded me that Pure debuted their new arrivals last week.  Once again, I dropped the ball and forgot to mention it here, even though Pure has my *hands down* favorite cashmere on the planet.  My stepmom asked me where she should get her cashmere for this winter and asked me about all the usual suspects, and my response was that J. Crew is great for colors, Boden is great for colors and fit, but if she wanted the softest, loveliest, and best cashmere, she would need to go to Pure.  She hadn't actually ever heard of them, and from what I can tell from the blog world and from their own FB page, they aren't especially well known anywhere.

Okay, so I have another massive BWRR to get set up to publish later today (with the mid-season sale on, I know having the IRL photos helps people choose more wisely), so I can't do picks from either the Loft sale or the new arrivals from Pure Collection, but I know that many of you don't need my help when choosing, so enjoy!  If you do see an item from Loft or Pure that you would like us to know about, leave a comment!  :-)

Loft Coupon *the text sentence below* is good for an additional 20% off all sale items.  They are asking for an e-mail but since I am already in their system, I am used to getting e-mails from them.  Just wanted to let you know that you needed to do that step!
Enjoy an extra 20% off sale styles

Pure Collection has a blanket 20% off all items, including the new arrivals. It also has free shipping and returns, which is great since in the past they only offered free returns!

Boden: Mid Season Sale Has Started!

Ladies and possibly a *few* gents, Boden has started their mid season sale this morning.  (Thank you to Alina for e-mailing me, btw.  Very much appreciated!)

I knew it would start, the affiliate manager let me know on Friday, and Lou mentioned it on her blog, too, but (and you mommies are gonna love this), I totally forgot it was going to start this morning and instead convinced myself that it was going to start tomorrow morning.  Ah, Momma brain.  I blame Angus.  ;-)

Okay, I have not had a look around yet, but as usual, I will definitely be doing a picks post in the next few days, and definitely before the sale ends.  I would love to see what you all pick, so leave a comment if you can! The folks at Boden have made the shopping by % off very easy, since the items in each category are listed by % off. I always view the items at Boden in "view all colours," which shows each item and not the model, so if you don't do that, you may want to switch over since a lot of times one color of an item will be greatly reduced and the other colors will be reduced by less or not at all.  (Quick example, the military wool jacket is 30% off in the navy and charcoal, but not in the green, which is 20% off.)

The usual conditions apply...you can't use the sidebar coupon for the sale items (no stacking), but if you feel like you want to get items both from the sale and from the regular priced items, the regular items would be eligible for the 15% off (so I am leaving the "regular" sidebar coupon in the sidebar, just for you all).

If you need assistance choosing, the BWRR posts have some great links to other blogs with photos of the ladies wearing the items.  Obviously this blog has plenty of IRL photos, too, lol.
 
Happy (sale) shopping!

Review: Boden Ingrid Coat.

UPDATE (Friday, 10/18/13 morning): It appears that Boden had a major restock of items last night, some completely sold out items are back in stock, including the black version of this coat.  The other colors are still gone, but thought I should tell you.  There are also some sizes and colors back in both the heeled loafer and the chic tweed shift (which I have in a size 8L and fits exactly right).  Good luck if you were hunting for a popback!

I know that this coat is super popular and was beloved by many during preview, so even though the darn thing is completely sold out (barring popbacks), I figured I would do a review for those of you than want to stalk this coat.  :-)

Ingrid Coat.  Size 6.  This is the electric pink color, and as you can see, it is pretty true to color for what Boden has on their site.  It really is a very lovely, bright, happy shade of pink, definitely not for the shy, and definitely not for anyone who feels pink has no place in a winter wardrobe.  (Obviously I do feel it has a place.)

This puppy is warm, its fabric is a lot like J. Crew's stadium cloth, 80% wool, 20% nylon, very thick, lofty, and soft.  I did NOT wear this coat out today, I would have died from heat exhaustion.  ;-)

They have no tall sizing, but I felt like the length on both the arms and the hem were fine for my height, if I were to quibble, I would quibble on the sleeve length, but it really isn't that big of a deal.

You will notice that all the photos of me wearing this coat I have it unbuttoned (even in profile and from the back).  When you get to the last shot, you will see why.

Side view.  Very flattering cut, might be a touch boxy, but it doesn't overwhelm my upper body even though it is a cocoon shape.  The bust darts are placed in an unexpected area, which may be why the overall coat has some shape, even though it is a fairly straight silhouette.

Back view.  Again, like the placement of the lines and how the shape just skims my curves.  Well, they skim my curves in an unbuttoned fashion.  Buttoned up, hmm...

Aw, there it is.  The one major flaw.  This coat was cut so straight through the hips that while the bottom button does do up, it is a tight enough fit that you can tell it is too small through the hips on me.  If I were in a place where I was required to button up in order to go outside in winter, I would be MIGHTILY ticked off since this coat doesn't do up on my pear shape, but fortunately for me, the weather in VA means most winter days I *do* go out in coats that aren't all the way buttoned up.  So while this coat is not a winner on me buttoned up, I do love it enough to not button it up and enjoy it unbuttoned (or only do the top three buttons).  But I will say that if you have an apple shape, or you are an inverted triangle, you will love this coat since it does seem to be made for frames like yours.

Hey, hers is unbuttoned too!

Ingrid Coat.  All sold out.  Check for popbacks, since they will come.

Stockholm Coat.  I think if you love the bright color of the Ingrid, desire its warmth, and are a pear shape, this one in coral could be a good option.  It's a shame that Boden didn't make more coats in this color (the Mia Coat is in this color, but it is shorter and more blazer-like).

Hope that helps someone out there.  :-)

OOTDs: Puff Sleeves and Pelicans.

Day: Sunday, October 13, 2013.

Where: Anniversary lunch at Oyamel and a trip to the Corcoran Art Museum, one of the only things that is still open while the government is shut down. 

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Well, we walked quite a bit and the whole outfit held up well to the slight drizzle and wind that overtook the area this weekend.  There was a bit of wrinkling on the dress, but that comes after sitting for a bit, so no biggie.  The Heeled Loafer was very comfortable, and having added the inserts to make them fit just a bit better (original review here) was a blessing in disguise since they provided extra cushioning for our long walk.

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) I think this dress, a Paul & Joe pelican printed silk frock that I got for a great price on sale last year from Net-a-Porter, was styled much cooler when I wore in New York City last April.  It still looked very pretty for my date with my husband and our son (lol, there's a date companion), but not as chic.  Mr. Dina liked it, though, especially since he went to college at Tulane in New Orleans, and pelicans are big down in Louisiana.  (They recently renamed the New Orleans basketball team the "Pelicans.")

Anecdote from the Day:  We were married 12 years ago.  Gracious.  :-)

That dress gave me a bit of a heartache since I had always planned to wear it out for our anniversary lunch.  I thought I had hung it up after we came home from NYC in April, but after searching three separate closets (I have some off season storage), I couldn't find it anywhere.  Then I had the horrible thought that I had cleaned it at the dry cleaners and had left it there, but couldn't for the life of me remember leaving it there.  Then Mr. Dina suggested gently looking for it in the suitcase since it was possible I left it in there.  I just scoffed, tears ready to be shed over the loss of my pretty pretty dress, and looked there.  And he was right, there it was all nestled so in a garment bag in the front pocket of the suitcase.  :-)

Day: Saturday, October 12, 2013.

Where: G Street Fabrics for a class on how to work with vinyl, leather, and other "difficult" fabrics. 

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I like the outfit, but I guess I take a bit of an issue with the thinness of the Johnnie b. Harem Pants (there is a size 13-14 left, I took these in a 15-16) since I feel like they should be made from a bit thicker of a fabric if they are going to be for bottoms.  That said, they are really meant more for summer, so I can see the thinking behind the decision.

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) I love the outfit all done up with the trench coat and the bag, but the outfit without those two pieces is a bit meh.

Anecdote from the Day:  I love the G Street fabrics $2.97 remnant table SO much.  They have the most gorgeous fabrics shipped down from the fabric stores in New York all the time.  When I was there for that class, I grabbed a lovely poly (which I normally detest, but figure this one can be lined to take away some of the potential static that comes with it) in a sage green color with dandelions blowing in the wind.  There was also some yummy knit cottons, perfect for continuing how to figure out how to sew up my own tee-shirts.  (I made one already, and it turned out okay.)

Day: Saturday, April 20, 2013.

Where: Day out in NYC with my little lady--going to see Cinderella (Broadway show) and dinner out with our good friends, Marietta and her husband, A. 

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Besides the shoes, I did great walking all around NYC, since given the preference, I would rather walk than take the subway.  CW did great, too, but she was just four when we went, so by the time we were walking on the Upper East Side to meet Marietta, she was a little (maybe a lot) bit tired. 

I did end up changing right before my walk to the restaurant, but only into a pair of pants and a lace tee (didn't get a photo of that outfit), so the shoes stayed on my feet.  I will know better for next time.  ;-)

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) This is one of my favorite outfits ever.  I think I prefer the dress unbelted and tied up at the neck with the self-belt.  The Draycott Coat is fine, but maybe I will try another topper the next time I wear this out and about.

Anecdote from the Day:  Poor CW, the first scene of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella included a scary forest scene and she kind of freaked out.  I knew that the rest of the musical would be all flowers, rainbows, and happy sunshine, but of course she didn't.  It took a lot of convincing (quietly, of course) to assure her that the rest of the musical would be fine and she would really enjoy herself since she was ready to bolt.  :-P

And it was fine, she was positively swooning over Cinderella by the end of the show.

Okay, that's it for today!  I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday.

BTW, I am taking all these skirts to the consignment shop tomorrow (well, the ones not sold), so if you wanted one of them, let me know today.  :-)