Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Boden Weekly Review Roundup: Short and Sweet.

Pardon the pun, but I am doing a review of the Printed shorts, so I couldn't help myself.  LOL.

This is also a short post, so let's call that sweet too.  :)

As a reminder, if you would like to see something on me, closer, click on the photo which will take you to a larger image.  If you would like to see it on a blogger friend, please click on the link I provided to their blog post. If you would like to check stock availability in sizes and colors, please click on the Boden stock photo.

These are all sale items, as I have not yet received any autumn items.  They should start shipping soon, so be expecting the reviews in the near future from me and other lovers of Boden.  ;)  Because these are sale items, the 10% off promo that is at the site now does not apply, BUT the free ship/returns will apply.  (Yay!)  The link to that coupon is at my sidebar.

Let's get the ball rolling:

I bought the printed shorts because I figured a pair of neutral colored and polka-dotted pair of longer-inseamed shorts would be a good thing for my wardrobe.  And overall it is a definite like, but not love.  I would NOT have bought these full priced.  I am happy to keep them at the sale price, but at FP, it would have been a return.

I bought them in a size 8 long, and they fit exactly right, with a longer inseam of 7 inches (instead of the 5 on the regular).  Since I have a really long inseam length (around 34 inches), I have to buy a size up on shorter shorts (with J. Crew's 3 inch inseams, I will buy a size 10)...so having the long option is awesome.  I wish all companies did this.

Here is what bugs about this pair of shorts, though.  I don't care for how the waistband sits or was made.  The waist is essentially right below my navel, making it a fairly high waist, and while I don't mind that on skirts, it bothers me on shorts because that means when I sit the button hits my belly button, which can be really irritating.  The waistband itself seems a bit flimsy, with the button closure seeming kind of cheap.  I don't care about buttons usually, but here I think a hook and eye closure would have been better.

I dressed them up for dinner.  Since I knew it was about three gazillion degrees outside, I knew that there was no way I was going near a pair of pants.  Or a real jacket for that matter.  LOL. 

Jacket: J. Crew from last year, size 6.  Tank:  J. Crew from last year, size medium (have shrunk it in the dryer to fit--love the color, btw).  Shoes: Joley Peep Toe Flats from J. Crew Spring 2009, size 9.5.  Awesome exact match for the tank.  Necklace:  The very famous Bee Glass Bead necklace from J. Crew Fall 2008.  This is the same one that Emma Pillsbury wore in one of the first episodes of Glee.  Like my frog closure necklace from Fall 2007, this necklace is never leaving my jewelry box.

Printed Shorts
Printed Shorts. Also comes in brighter colors, including blue and green.

Other Blog Reviews:

Relaxed Tunic
Relaxed Tunic. Fiona models it for us, and she thinks it would be a great “night out” look. I agree. :) Plus, check out her older Boden yummy goodies (like the blue/white floral skirt).

Swishy Viscose Skirt
Swishy Viscose Skirt. As seen on Suburban Mom at this blog post. Love it!

Written Reviews: 

Ruffle Notch Neck Tee
Ruffle Notch Neck Top. Louise (of the fab blog Running on Anthro) e-mailed me a review of this top. She says: I ordered the lilac & the pink for £8 each (down from £27) having never given them a second glance at full price and they are so pretty! The tops are 100% viscose and described as a lightweight drapey jersey. Some reviews said they were too thin but I don't agree with that, you can't see my bra through either of the colours and they are intended to be a summer top. The ruffle neckline is lovely fresh out of the packet, I'm hoping they hold up after a few washses but I'll probably put them on a delicate cycle the first few times. The main thing with these is to size down - I ordered a UK6 in both (and yes I've tried them on over my bump!) and they are exactly the same size as the Textured Jersey Tees that I have in a UK8. I laid them out one on top of the other so the Ruffle tops definitely run big. If you like a more fitted style size down, if you prefer a little room stick with your normal Boden top size. The colour IRL is also a true representation of what you see online, the pink is not a coral colour as some reviewers have described, it is a true bright pink and the lilac is incredibly pretty. I can't wait to wear it with my purple daisy print a-line skirt from S/S10! At the sale price I can't recommend them highly enough and the menthe colour is worth a look also. THANK YOU, Louise!

Breton Top
Breton Top. Louise also e-mailed me a review of this top in the navy/white colorway…she says: I know you've have reviews on a few of the Breton Top colourways but I'll just add that I ordered the white and navy for £15 and was initially worried when I opened the bag that it would be too thin and see-through and go straight back. However once on it's exactly the same fit as the top portion of the Stripy Tunic (that I was actually wearing yesterday when these all arrived!) and it wasn't see-through and it's a keeper! Ordered my usual UK8 and I can see me reaching for this a lot with jeans and a long red beaded necklace. It's definitely a spring top, the long sleeves and 100% cotton material would be way too hot on a true summers day. Again I haven't washed it yet but I normally wash all my new Boden items on a delicate wash the first few times. I'd say these are true to size and the little vents either side of the bottom hem allow for a little movement, plus a flash of the cute red braiding!

Notch Neck Shift
Notch Neck Shift Dress. Lauren PhD e-mailed me and let me know a bit more about why she loves this dress so (as I agree wholeheartedly with—two of them are in my closet): I LOVE this dress. I am pear-shaped, 6 on top and 8 on bottom in Boden sizes. I ordered the 6 in this dress and it fit perfectly. I also ordered the long length even though I'm only 5'4" and it hit just where I wanted it - at the bottom of the knee, perfect for work. I don't know if it's the tailoring of the dress or what, but it makes me look like I lost at least five pounds, if not more. It even made my tummy issue invisible. I literally gasped when I looked at myself in the mirror. Every woman should have a dress that makes her feel like this. One word of warning for others: I am a 34B and the top fit like a glove, so anyone with a bigger chest would have to size up.

Thanks, all.  You have a fab night.  We are off to see the last Harry Potter.  Love Hermione.  :)