Thursday, February 23, 2012

Boden Weekly Review Roundup: Hello There!

I have had such a great past couple of days!  I have been under the weather, but with time and great medicine, I am definitely on the mend.  That said, I decided to take yesterday off from the blog so I could spend the day with my brother and my evening with my hubby and kids making some Build-a-Bears for Gus.  :)  They made a dragon (Rex) and a bear (CW).  They are super excited to give them to him in person at the hospital.  I am sure Gus will be most appreciative, even if he doesn't show it (imagine a newborn expressing surprise and gratitude...lol). 

I also got out and about today.  I went to our local nature preserve (a marshy area with a wonderful boardwalk) to enjoy the glorious near 70 degree weather.  A really nice local lady (she is one of the few of us actually raised in Northern Virginia--it is rare for me to meet others like that) invited me to walk with her and her adorable four month old nephew, and together we walked over 1.8 miles!  (I did it!  I was a bit tired at the end, but it felt great!) 

Then I headed to the local coffee shop to work on this roundup but ran into a good friend and her kids...who also mentioned that another good friend and her two youngest would be coming to the shop, too.  Guess what took the backseat?  :)

So that's where the title comes from--I am finally getting around to saying "hello, there" to you all after my two days of saying "hello, there" to lots and lots of IRL friends. 

Okay, so onto the roundup...remember if you would like to see an item on me close-up, please do click on the photo to see it larger (or right click to see it on its own page)...if you would like to see an item on a blog friend, do click on the link provided to that blog...if you would like to see more on the sizing, measurements, other colorways, and availability of an item in the roundup, please do click on the stock photos provided by my affiliate program, these will take you directly to the item page itself.

I have a 15% promo running right now for all current styles in Boden.  This will not work on the clearance items, but will at least provide for free ship and returns on those.  This 15% promo can be found in the sidebar or at the very bottom of this post (for mobile device readers of this post).

Boden Maternity:
I don't normally like to start with Boden Maternity, but my affiliate stock photos don't show up in the dashboard, and I prefer that there be a photo associated with the posts, so I start with the one and only IRL review I have this week.  (At this point very few non-maternity pieces are fitting me...so you may be seeing more photos of items paired with a written review, much like I did with the textured cotton skirt a few weeks ago.)

Breezy Jersey Dress.  Size 4 in the pink/red colorway.  I AM SO GLAD I bought this.  It is insanely comfortable and can be dressed up (which is how I did it yesterday--I will show the styling in another post) or dressed down with flip-flops or sandals.

It does run really large, though.  I could have gone with a size 2...the smallest size Boden makes.  Here is why...the bodice is fitted for your pre-pregnancy size, but with some stretch (Tencel Lyocell double layer fabric) and the skirt is excessively full.  This is NOT a dress to size up in, even if you have "girls" that grow with pregnancy.  The bodice will stretch fine enough in your true size.

The fit is very flattering from the front, I felt like the first thing you see when wearing this is the pretty fabric and the nice scoop on the neckline.  Then you notice the bump that goes along with the dress.

I don't know if this can be worn postpartum or not.  I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for first trimester, even, as most women don't show until 13 weeks gone (or later).  This could just look frumpy and oversized if worn too early on...

I will give it a shot postpartum (and clearly will wear it again the next month--multiple times, likely), and will get back to you on how well it transitions.

From the back.  I like that the waistline mimics some non-maternity frocks, that helps keep it from appearing to dowdy.

Breezy Jersey Dress
Breezy Jersey Dress. Also available in a blue version.

Regular Boden for Women:
Did you like the breezy jersey dress that I wore in the Boden Maternity section? If so, but not with bebe, you may want to look at these two options:
Wrap Jersey Top
Wrap Jersey Top. This comes in many colors (including solids), but the tie in is the "fizz" colorways which are the same as in the maternity frock I own. The print is darling and bubbly, imo.

Floaty Jersey Dress
Floaty Jersey Dress. This dress is a double layer tencel lyocell, which is the fabric my dress was constructed from, very breezy and lightweight.

Relaxed Knitted Tunic
Relaxed Knitted Tunic. Poppy's Style returned the one she bought. There is an excellent explanation as to why here at this post (also her picks for the summer preview--which I am SO late on doing myself!).  Also, if you want 20% off and free ship/returns on the preview, remember to key in the code "PRUS" in the shopping bag page.

Flower Burst Shift
Flower Burst Shift. Glamour magazine highlighted this dress in brown recently. I did a post on it here.

Boden Clearance:
Piped Shoe Boots
Piped Shoe Boots. Poppy's Style shows these off (in brown) with a DARLING outfit. Love it!

Definitely check out the summer preview. I have a few picks, especially in mini Boden, but that may be because I am currently in "nesting" mode. LOL. :)

If you are on a mobile device, below is a link that will get you 15% off and free ship and returns. Do let me know if you are having any issues using it!
Save 15% at Bodenusa.com with Free Delivery and Returns!


Okay, that's it!  Enjoy your Thursday, and hopefully next week I will get the BWRR published on Wednesday.  :)