Boden: First Fall Sale! A Catch! Tops and Tees!

I had mentioned on Friday that I had heard there would be a sale starting today.  And there it is--the famous "catch of the day" sale that Boden rolls out at least once a season.  Today's "catch" is *all* tops and tees, so yay for universal promotions.

BUT--before I start talking about this promotion, for all of those of you who have been WAITING and WAITING for free shipping on clearance items, it is here, kind of.  As of today, Boden has a banner at the top of their site that says "free shipping on all purchases over $50."  I placed a clearance item that was exactly $50.40 in my bag and free shipping was applied.  So that's great, especially if you want items from clearance that are either $50 or more on their own, or you have multiple items that are $50 or more.

Okay, back to the catch.  The link I have been given by the affiliate gives you direct access to the sale, but they also made sure to include the current "15% off" coupon that has been running here on this site since Fall began since they figured some of you all would still want to grab items that aren't necessarily in the catch.  Unfortunately you can't stack the 15% off with the catch promo.  

Also, this catch is for one day only, with tomorrow focused on another set of Boden items.  One of the days will likely be for dresses, another for outerwear, etc.  The whole catch of the day sale ends next Sunday night, August 17, 2014.

I can officially recommend two tops from this sale, and later today I will publish a review post on the Chepstow top I wore yesterday to church.


Chepstow Top.  (I published IRL photos of this top--not worn by me--at this blog post.)

I missed out on this one last year, as it was one that I figured I could get later in the season for more than 20% off.  Well by the time Boden got to a % off I wanted to pay for it, they were all gone, and never came back.  Oh, well.  But--because Boden is smart--they tend to bring back items that sell really well.  So, yep, new Chepstow Top crop this year.  I purchased the navy color, and the "hotchpotch" effect is very subtle since the yoke pattern is very tiny and is the same color scheme as the main top pattern.

It was warm last night, but the top was lightweight enough for me not to overheat.  Although technically not great for summer wear, it was fine, especially since I paired the top with a pencil skirt.  I also made sure to wear bare legs and loafers.  In my opinion, though, this top is made for wearing with slimmer pants and shorts.  Too hot to wear pants, and can't wear shorts to church, so there you go.

I chose to buy a size 6, and it fits perfectly.  It is not too long, but it is long enough to still provide coverage even if you have a longer torso.  The yoke is not too fitted (sometimes yokes squeeze me in because of my square shoulders), but still slim, so it doesn't look sloppy. 

I would say buy whatever size you normally buy with Boden knitwear, not their jersey tees.  This shirt really doesn't have a ton of stretch.  I can buy a size 4 in a lot of their jersey tees, but tend to wear size 6 in their sweaters.  Don't buy this one too big, or else it could look maternity (or size up if you are pregnant--hey--why not?).


Must Have Tunic.  (I published IRL photos of this top--not worn by me--at this blog post.)

I have not yet worn this one in real life but will likely find an occasion to in the near future.

I chose to buy a size 6, and possibly could have gotten away with the 8.  The 6 fits nicely, but is fitted.  If I was looking for something less body con, I would definitely exchange for the size 8.  I don't mind the fit, though, and when worn with leggings, it looks great.  :-)

If you are shorter, this could work as a dress for you, so think about that possibility if you are under 5'4" or so.  (Jealous of you all, btw.  This would make an adorable dress!)

Okay, that's it from my end.  Do you have any recommendations from this sale? 

There were a few tops reviews (besides my two I highlighted above) in the last BWRR, and some clearance reviews, so go ahead and check those out if you are interested.

Boden: Autumn/Fall 2014 Preview Picks (Dresses, Pants, Skirts, and Tunics).

The Sophia Dress is definitely one of my picks for fall!  I love their spring version a lot, but this fall version is amazing.

UPDATE (July 21, 2014): Some of the fall 2014 items have rolled out, including many of the below.  I have received a coupon from the people at the affiliate program.  You can find it below this first paragraph or in the sidebar of the blog if you need a coupon.  I will eventually be updating this post with proper links to the items that are available, so you can easily find the items you love below on the regular site.  :-)

15% off with free shipping coupon that is valid once you spend $50 or more!

Hi, all!  Happy Wednesday!  Usually I try to do a singular picks post for the Previews, but right now, because of the work schedule I have (subbing this week and next), I need to stagger out my picks.  So today I am going to publish my dresses, pants, skirts, and tunics picks from the fall 2014 rollout.  The next one will likely be on tops, shirts, and knitwear.  Then I will publish the accessories, shoes, and jackets/coats one.  Eventually I will also do a mini Boden picks, too.  :-)

Speaking of mini Boden, their lines were added to the preview last week.  Most of you knew that, but I figure it never hurts to mention it again.  There are no Johnnie b. or mens items in the preview, though, for whatever reason.

As per usual, there is a code for 20% off with free ship and returns which will expire next Friday, May 23, 2014.  I will make sure to publish a post on that Friday to remind you all that the code is expiring so you don't forget.  The code is H6G9. 

Amy Dress.  Fabulous!  A retro dress silhouette in a mod plaid print?  And in a stretchy cotton sateen?  Yes, please!

 

Elena Dress.  Wasn't sold on it as it stands, but it really suits the model (and looks like it could suit a variety of shapes), so I added this one to my picks, as well.  Comes in three shades.

Harriet Dress.  This one is getting a lot of buzz over at the Boden Facebook page.  I like it and can see the appeal, but since I already own a few jacquard dresses from them, I need to just say "no" to this daisy wonder.

Milano Dress.  The other versions of this colorblocked knit dress do not appeal to me AT ALL, but I really love this subtler version, less in your face.  (I know how ridiculous it seems that a girl who proudly wears huge bright florals all over her body would balk at brightly colored colorblocking, lol.)

LOVE this particular silhouette for subbing/teaching, especially.

Natalia Dress.  Intrigued by this dress, don't know that it would suit me, but I kind of dig it from afar.  Will not even attempt it until others have since I have to know more about how that skirt would lie on a pair of hips like mine.

Warning--this is a viscose woven, which means eventual shrinkage.  Definitely size up.  (Of course I say that and all the reviews come back that it is huge and two sizes to big everywhere.)  :-)

Ottoman Shift.  Wow, this is a beautiful shade of blue.  The shape and pockets are so lovely, as well.  Again, no way would this shape work on me, but I will happily live vicariously through you all.

Retro Tunic Dress.  I put this in the picks, 'cause if I know one thing there are a lot of you blog readers who really really like Boden's bright and bold prints, and are super excited that for all of Boden's sartorial "maturing" over the past years, Boden has kept enough of its "fun" to keep you all around.  ;-)

Sophia Dress.  Swoon.  In basket and soon to be checked out.  LOVE!

Bistro Pants.  This pair of pants are certainly fine looking.  The metallic jacquard fabric is very mod and mid-century, and would suit so many tops/sweaters/jackets paired with it.  These are a touch expensive, so I will have to hold out for a good sale (hello, catch of the day, pretty please), but hopefully they will be in my closet in the very best size for my body.  (Sadly, Boden's pants don't often fit me, so as much as I really want these, reality does remind me that I probably wouldn't be able to keep them.)

Skinny Jeans.  This pink cord fabric is wonderful.  From far away, it appears somewhat sedate, but close up you see the pretty tile pattern.  For those of you that like pink for fall, these may be the pair of pants for you.

Fancy Embroidered A-Line.  Again, peeps who love Boden being "fun," here is a great skirt just for you.  The lines on this skirt are embroidered, so the texture is there, just hard to see right away.

Lois Skirt.  This is so early 70s, my goodness.  But I love it.  I think you will either love or hate this skirt, really no in-between, I imagine.

British Tweed Mini.  This tweed reminds me of my pink J. Crew Bella jacket (last worn here).  I love that delicious shade of pink so much that I am glad to see this for sale from Boden!  I would have to wait for a sale, but if a good price comes along, and the stocks are still available, I probably will bite on this one.

Easy Scoop Tunic.  Technically the length makes it more of a dress, but I think pairing this with leggings and boots makes more sense since it appears very casual.  Of course you could dress it up, but I really prefer it for days out tromping around in nature, because you know *taking things literally*.

Must Have Tunic.  I must have this tunic, it's true.  Again, tromp around in nature.  LOL.  I have deer in my backyard.  Maybe I can go frolic with them one day when out taking a walk.  Hmm.

So what say you?  Are you inspired by the offerings or are you in the mindset that things are a bit meh in Boden town?  I feel the above set of clothes, while beautiful, seem a bit blah overall.  Not that this stops me from ever enjoying what they have to offer, of course.  For what's it worth, I don't feel the same way about the knitwear, tops, and coats offerings.  There is quite a bit of amazing happening over there in those lines.

From the above picks, the only ones I truly want for fall are the Milano Dress, the Sophia Dress, the Amy Dress, and the Must Have Tunic.  Other things will likely fall into my bag when the season officially rolls out in July/August, but for now, that's it for me from the dresses, pants, skirts, and tunics.

Alrighty, hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!

Boden Weekly Review Roundup: Swishy Skirts and Sales.

Hi, all!  It's time for a swishy skirt sale kind of review roundup.  ;)

Have you been enjoying seeing what is left in the end of season sale at Boden this past week?  I am surprised by how little is left.  Clearly the Boden marketing team is doing the best job they can because there is very little left overall.  I see a few sizes here and there in most items being available, but in general a lot of sizes in a lot of colors have completely sold out.

HAVING said that, if you want a tip, I have one for you.  The past few nights I have made it my nightly pleasure to check on my shopping bag (I have two items left on my wishlist but must wait for the budget to allow purchase) and at around 8 pm eastern (that would be 1 am UK time), the stocks get replenished across the board.  All of a sudden there is a size 8 favourite jersey maxi where there hadn't been one an hour earlier.  I highly recommend that if you want to get one that "got away," watch for the popbacks starting around 8 pm eastern time.  Good luck!

I am glad that Boden is doing well, especially since it means that those of us that have a penchant for the unusual prints and conservative cuts will have more company (love company!), but it does have the unfortunate effect of reducing stocks in season so we can't have at it for cheap at the end of season.  Sigh.  LOL.  Popularity, Johnnie.  So hard.  ;)

Now here is a cautionary tale for Johnnie, though.  J. Crew got insanely popular, got really big for its britches, and in prior seasons overbought their items which meant that there were still 2010 items for sale in the clearance area of jcrew.com in 2012.  That's not likely to be good, right?  So keep the ego in check.  Humility is a hard lesson to be dealt.  (I should know.  I was 15 once.  Gawd.  What a horrible little girl I was, clearly out of my mind.  My dad just laughs.)

Speaking of sales and the lack of good prices and/or stocks, Poppy's Style wrote a great little article on why the moaning and complaining about it over at Boden's facebook page got on her nerves.  I tend to agree.  I understand the complaints, but really, Boden is aware of what is selling and what is not and is not going to massively discount an item (like the swishy jersey maxi skirt I am wearing below) if it is a best seller.  They aren't in the business of losing money, right?  However, if you want the Roma trousers, those are nicely discounted, they aren't selling well (likely because it was really warm this past six months, at least here in the States).  (A whole host of other items are also deeply discounted, you just have to search them out.)

There is no free shipping right now, so definitely only buy one item if you really wanted it and it came as a popback.  Otherwise, get all your items together in one basket so the $10 shipping charge is easier to swallow.  OR wait till the autumn 2012 line drops (July 20th, supposedly) and buy some sale items with the promo/free ship codes that are likely to also happen at the same time (I always seem to get one at the beginning of each season through the affiliate program).

Swishy Maxi Skirt.  Size US 6 Long.  (UK 10 Long.)  Love!  It came in the mail and I was immediately smitten.

I have recently drunk the maxi juice and now fully get the love of the maxi skirt and maxi dress, especially in summer.  Oddly enough the extra length and swishy fabric help keep me cooler than if I was wearing shorts or capris or shorter skirts.

I paired it with a halter top (from Inc., a Macy's brand) that I have had for years, my Target sunglasses, and a pair of embellished flip-flops from J. Crew.  I am also bringing it on an upcoming trip where I will pair it with a peasant top, so full on top and full on bottom.  It seems to work in an over-exaggerated boho style.  You can also roll the waistband (hello, Catholic school uniform, ah, memories!) to make it into a midi length skirt, too, if you so desire.

I sized down from my usual skirt size of US 8 Long because I knew the jersey fabric has more give.  I definitely think, though, if you have a larger waistline relative to your hip size, that you should size up or stay with your normal Boden skirt size (the waist is teeny, at 28 inches, this one fits nicely, but one inch down and it would be constricting).

This skirt sits RIGHT at my higher waist and ends just at the floor.  It is definitely long.  So if you have longer legs or are pretty tall, order the long.  If you have shorter legs but still tall, you may want to buy the regular.

There are also petite lengths, which I imagine is necessary, so I am glad to see that Boden didn't forget the smaller ladies.

I measure 42 inches from my natural (belly button) waist to the floor, so use that as your own guide.  This skirt is pretty close to 42 inches long.

From the back.  The swishy name comes from the almost fishtail effect on the bottom where the designers added extra fabric for a dramatic hemline.  I quite like it but had they added anymore and made it anymore of a fishtail, I would have to return it as it would make my hips look oversized.


Swishy Maxi Skirt.  The only color not on good sale is the navy (of course).  That actually costs more on sale compared to what I bought it for...it is now $70 instead of $66 (I think I got a 25% off, and the navy is now only 20% off).  The other colors are $58.10, which is a great price for a beautiful, very feminine skirt.  I cannot tell you if the navy will sell out at that price, but since it is only a four dollar difference, I will let you all make that call if that color is the one you have been eyeing.

Swishy Cotton Skirt.  Size US 6 Long.  (UK 10 Long.)  I have mixed feelings about this skirt.  I adore the print and I adore how the skirt fits me, but I am having the hardest time making this skirt work in my wardrobe, which I figure all of you should read about because you may face the same issues.

This skirt is high waisted (like the swishy maxi skirt, btw) and sits exactly at my navel.  Which is fine...BUT, unlike the swishy maxi skirt, this one is shorter so the balance of the proportions are off.  It also doesn't help that I have a relatively short torso compared to my lower half.  When I tucked the blouse above in, I looked like I had been given the wrong upper body as the skirt's pattern and larger skirt looked overwhelming compared to the tee. 

When I untucked the tee, the outfit looked better, but the tee needed something to balance it, so I added a thin belt, which I do like with the outfit, but the color is just a bit too obvious (too matchy with the skirt?).  The shoes help lengthen the leg, which is great, but the color is too much with the rest of the outfit, so I just said "sigh," and went on with my day.  My hubby really liked this ensemble, so there's that, but a part of me is left scratching my head wondering why this outfit?  Whatever.   Men are weird.

So I did this in picasa.  I do actually like the outfit more in monochrome, but I believe I will try a shorter scoopneck blouse with a pair of more neutral sandals next time.  I bet this skirt would look pretty nice with a tucked in turtleneck, a pair of knit tights and booties in the winter.  Hmm.  ;)

The pattern is quite lovely and quite retro.  The skirt is made well and fits nicely.  It has a narrow waist, this one measures around 29 or 30 inches, while the hips are nice and free (more than enough to fit my 40.5 inch hips).

The length is great, I like having skirts that fit at or below the knee, they are surprisingly hard to find when you are my height, so companies like Boden having longs in skirts is fabulous.

From the back.  The hemline is a contrast color and is put on nicely, and does not look "crafty," like so many Boden pieces (especially in the past) have looked.


Swishy Cotton Skirt.  The only color really left in any abundance is the color I am modeling.  I don't get it, but then again, I love the yellow/green everyday summer dress and that one is still available while the other colors have sold out.


Fab Jersey Tunic.  Once again, Egyptomaniac looks so GOOD in Boden.  She is such an enabler, I tell you.  ;)

Holiday Maxi Dress.  ShOpeRach looks divine in this in the blue print.  The link to this item is missing in the affiliate program, so click on the name of the item to go directly to the item page.  :)

Printed Cotton Skirt. Leslie looks beautiful in this skirt, paired with the navy it is perfection, but I do love her idea of wearing a top in one of the colors in the skirt. :)  (Like above with the holiday maxi dress, my link is missing in the affiliate program, so click on the name of the skirt to go directly to the item page.)

Okay all that's it for tonight.  :)  Have fun (sale) shopping!

Boden: Alfresco Top Styled and a Review.

Hey, all! I am so glad that I found a moment or two to write a post tonight.

I was planning on creating the Boden Weekly Review Roundup, which had I published it tonight, it would have only been one day late, but based on how tired I am (family commitments are wonderful, but definitely wearing me out), I doubt it would happen tonight, so I will say instead, "tomorrow?" :)

Anyhow, if you are a big Boden fan, and you ordered from the Summer Preview, you should have started receiving the items in the mail in the past week or so. Most of what I ordered was for the kids (and they love it all, even Angus gave a "coo"), but there are a few Momma items interspersed. I received the Alfresco top on Monday and immediately tried it on. Like the plait trim top (reviewed here and here), it was love. I knew I would wear it right away, and had my chance yesterday (we had CW's dance class, with me bringing all 3 kids, I needed super comfy, flexible pieces).

Alfresco Top.  Size 6 Petite.  I decided to keep my comments brief, but I added some info about the fit in the photo.

I also added info about the rest of the outfit.

All in all, I felt good, comfortable, and the top's print was pretty enough for me to feel like I had "tried."

From the side...I see the empire waistband hits where it should, and the cap sleeve hits at a decent place on my arm.

I love the fabric, just thick enough and stretchy enough to make my post-baby belly a little smaller looking.  The print helps with that, too.

Had I been super concerned over my belly (which I am not, I don't mind if people know this comes from having just had a little one), I could have gone one size up, but five months from now I may have regretted that decision (I overbought larger sized tops with CW and couldn't wear them a year later).

From the back.  The petite hits me at the low hip, I think it is your call on which you would prefer...do you want a regular top (and have a fairly short torso)?  Buy the petite.  If you are interested in a tunic (or have a fairly long torso), order the regular.  If you are a petite woman (say under 5'3") and you have a short torso, you could buy the regular version and possibly even wear it as a minidress.

The print, although a hotchpotch, is not as in your face as previous hotchpotch items from Boden.  I adore the mix of citron yellow, grey, white, and charcoal.

It was just chilly enough for me to throw on a cardigan.  I also needed my Thierry Lasry sunglasses for the brightness (not complaining, LOVE the sun!).



Alfresco Top.  The color I chose is on backorder in many sizes, but the other colors are proving less popular.

Alfresco Top Styled. by dinagideon featuring knit pants

Above is the polyvore.  I am slowly getting back into that other passion of mine.  :)

BTW, if you are interested in the Alfresco top (or any other items from Boden), you can use the below link, along with the code WCM1 (on the shopping bag page) for 15% off and free ship and returns.


Okay, that's it! If you have been kind enough to leave me a comment lately, I have read them, and do plan to comment back. Soon! :)