Boden: 20% Off Clearance...Plus Two Clearance Dress Reviews.

Ottoman Shift Dress, on sale for $66.24

Hey you all!  How have you all been?

May has been great, raining constantly (barring my daughter's First Holy Communion Day, thank goodness).  I have been wearing a ton of Made by Me items for this month, as a bunch of us on Instagram celebrate our "memade" (shudder at that grammar, btw) outfits every day. 

Recently I chose to buy some very nicely reduced work jersey dresses from Boden from clearance.  Alas I missed both of these with the extra 20% off, but I will say I was happy enough with the price I paid (clearly as I have already worn both!).  (To fit in the "memade" month, I wore both with made by me circle scarves.)

I will get to the info on the extra 20% off at the bottom of this post, so if you don't need these reviews, that's where that 411 is. 

The Ottoman Shift Dress was a bit hit from last fall at Boden.  I actually know, in real life, a French lady who purchased this and has worn it to pick up her kids from school.  She pointed to it, smiled, and said "Boden."  I winked back and said I could probably never wear it (big ole hips) and called it a day.

But then I tried this Ottoman top after buying it from my friend after she decided she wanted the smaller size, and realizing how much I love the fabric, I decided I should give this shift a try after all since it is so stretchy.

I purchased the shift in a size 8 Long, and it turned out the size was more than big enough.  In fact, with the cotton jersey being a bit less "bouncebackable*," I maybe could have gone with a 6 Long, but I think with multiple washings, plus the fact that I work in a conservative environment, makes the 8 the best choice, even if it means I will have a bit of a saggy Sally dress at the end of the work day (only a bit, and only at the back bit).

Plus, those darn pockets!  They are amazing.  Especially if you are a teacher (can hold a phone, pencils, kleenex, you name it). 

*Bouncebackable--totally a word.

This picture shoes how it has gone a bit saggy at the back, right under the bum, and at the elbows.  But, really, truly not that big of a deal.

The cozy comfy more than makes up any negative I can muster about the lack of bounce back it has.


Ottoman Shift Dress.  There are plenty in this color and the orange/pink available.  If you think you like this style, but are unsure of the fit, this extra 20% off time is a good time to pick one up.

Louise Ponte Dress, on sale for $55.20

Size 8 Regular.  I tried the 6 Regular, too.

This dress does come in a long, and though I normally buy the longs, this one was set to hit at my lower kneecap and I wasn't really digging the thought of this shape skirt at that length on me.  It would have been fine for the modesty requirements at the school, but honestly, this one is fine, too.

The 6 regular fit, but it was like a glove.  And this ponte, though lined in a very soft and thick jersey fabric, shows everything.  The 8 regular is a much better choice for my frame.

If you look at the models on the page, even they have wrinkling throughout, so I know that at least I am in good company.  :-)

The dress did have bouncebackability, so that gave it some points, fabric-wise.  The ponte is thick and warm, and the color combo is so beautiful together.

The back view is weird.  I don't mind the zip, but I wonder how much nicer it would have looked without it.  The 8 fit fine enough that I could keep the zip zipped up and pull it over my head (though that day I did unzip and step into it, as evidenced by the fact that it didn't make it all the way back up).

The colors, btw, are true to color for what I see on my monitor versus the actual dress.

The seam at the waist does fall as a slight curve.  It could make one look a bit "with child."  Even fully sucking in, I felt like there was a big old arrow to my tummy, and I actually rather like my belly (lol, what an odd thing to type), unlike my poor bottom, which bears all my body wrath.  ;-)  Just a thought to bear in mind if you worry about your waist silhouette.

Louise Ponte Dress.  There are virtually no sizes left in both colors.  So despite wrinkles, weird colored zip, and some tummy bits, it is a popular dress.  The Louise of What Lou Wore 365 doesn't own it, sadly.  I hope that changes one day.  I personally think she would look amazing in the darker blue version!

So this clearance extra 20% off lasts until Sunday night.  I will likely pick up an item or two.  There are a TON of leftovers from last summer, so you can even shop for what you need right now.

There are always popbacks, so if you check a few times over the weekend, you may catch an item you formerly thought sold out, is now back in stock.  If an item is low stock, though, remember that it means there are five or less of the item available.

Okay, that's all for now.  I hope you have a great weekend, and enjoy (sale) shopping!

The below link is the banner the affiliate gave me, but it is 20% off (to dream of 25% off!):


For non-clearance items, you can use this link and code:
15% off plus free shipping and returns with code 3K9M, valid 5/1-5/25