HEY HEY HEY it’s Leap Day!! Which means Spring, which means color. And no one does color quite like Boden. But between the British sizing and online ordering….I often find myself with an online Boden cart full of pretty little things…but….I don’t pull the trigger.
I figure I’m not alone. So. A month or so ago I asked our FB crowd which pieces at Boden peaked their curiosity? Which items were haunting their shopping carts? Once I had a list, I….ordered. BAM. Below are the items readers wanted to know about, as well as a few additional items that caught my eye.
The Dresses
Let’s just start right in the with good stuff, shall we? The one area that Boden just KILLS IT on the regular is the Ponte dress. Boden’s Ponte dresses skim nicely over the body, and are thick enough to hide lumps and bumps. But they’re stretchy, so you can move. Like, really and seriously MOVE. Pick up your kids, hail a taxi, play basketball – you get the idea. I’m so freaking on board with Ponte, and Boden has the prettiest colors and the most flattering shapes. Here are my favs:
The Prettiest Office Shift
Easily my top pick for an Office-to-Date Night or even an Office-to-Playdate situation. Also? This shape, drape and fabric only gets better with curvier girls.
Outfit Details
dress: Auralia Ottoman Dress, $138 (size 2 petite – my normal dress size in designer is 2, at fast fashion – like Banana Republic, for example – I’m typically a 0 or XS. This dress fit a *tiny* bit on the tight side, but not enough to go up a size.)
sandals: Old Dolce Vita – but found the nude version at 6pm
Gwen (my nanny) said it best: I look appropriately dressed for a funeral.
But there’s hope here. There’s hope. This dress is Ponte, so insanely comfortable and POCKETS YES, so let’s just see if we can take it up a bit….
Right??? I always have this problem with Boden dresses – even the petite sizes tend to run a bit long.
Outfit Details
dress: Boden Seam Detail Tunic Dress, $108 (size 2 regular. I should’ve gotten the petite, but I suspect I’d still end up hemming it shorter. I like an indecent hemline.)
shoes: Vince Claire Pumps (the mushroom suede is on sale)
The One That Makes Me Look Pregnant
It might be the ruching, it might be the stripes. It might be a little of both. As you can see from the side, there was too much dress. If I pulled it down, the dress hit really low and looked strange from the front, but if I messed around to get it perfectly shaped in the front, this is what happened in the back:
Also, I like a good eye full of boobs as much as the next gal, but this neckline was low, even for me. Any movement revealed my mastectomy scar (aka “nipple” for you regular mamas).
Outfit Details
dress: Boden Scoop Neck Ruched Dress, $108 (size 2 – petite wasn’t available when I first ordered it, but it is now. I suspect I would’ve been much happier with a petite size)
shoes: Superga (more comfy than converse)
The Oxford Shirts
A few readers wanted me to try on some of Boden’s button-down shirts. I get why – it’s confusing. They have both girl fit and boy fit shirts. Here’s the scoop:
The Girl Fit Shirt
Boden makes a pretty fantastic button-down. Slightly sheer, but not too bad, and I love how the shoulders are *almost* fitted. Gives it a slouchy appearance without overwhelming. My one beef is that the sleeves are too short. Personally, I hate when sleeves fit perfectly – I prefer them a little bit on the long side. I’m wearing a petite here, so I suspect I’d have less of a sleeve problem with regular sizing.
Outfit Details
shirt: Boden Girl Fit Shirt, $84
jeans: old Rag and Bone in surf wash – this is the closest wash I’ve found
shoes: Vince Claire Pumps (the mushroom suede is on sale)
The Boy Fit Shirt
Apparently, Boden thinks boys are tall and skinny with short arms.
Outfit Details
shirt: Boden Boy Fit Shirt, $88 (2Petite)
jeans: old Rag and Bone in surf wash – this is the closest wash I’ve found
shoes: Vince Claire Pumps (the mushroom suede is on sale)
The Sweaters
I love the clear, bright colors and the drape. Boden does both of these things so freaking well. (Also, the shoes aren’t bad. They’re nicely padded and not overly stiff. They do need to be broken in, however.)
The Relaxed V-Neck In Cotton
Outfit Details
- sweater: Boden Everyday Relaxed V Sweater, $74
- jeans: old Rag and Bone in surf wash – this is the closest wash I’ve found
- shoes: Boden Strappy T-Bar (on major sale)
Boden Cashmere Vs. Equipment Cashmere
Boden’s Relaxed V-Neck sweater in cashmere is thick, insanely soft, and hasn’t yet pilled. (It will eventually. I swear, all sweaters do.)
But. If you’re looking at a $200-ish price, would you be better off with Boden’s cashmere, or Equipment’s? There are some key differences. Here’s another look at the Boden (I lightened it to show the drape):
It’s delicious, there’s no doubt. Now here’s Equipment’s Asher sweater:
Ok – ignore the wrinkles. And the pilling. (I sleep in this sometimes.) Look instead at the sleeves, neckline, and overall length. Equipment sweaters have longer arms, a longer body, and a wider (and lower) v-neckline. This may not be a great choice for a conservative office (Boden wins that one), but I prefer the slouchier fit of Equipment’s cashmere sweater.
And I always half-tuck.
Boden’s half-tucked:
So Boden’s black cashmere sweater is….OK. It’s just OK. However, I had bought two of these sweaters – one in black, one in mushroom, and have found myself reaching for the mushroom time and again. For some reason, the lighter color looks much better:
Maybe the more conservative fit is balanced by the casual, heathered color? I’m reaching here, but don’t you agree?
(Also, Pax is fantastic. OMG I love that kid.)
Outfit Details
sweaters: Boden Relaxed Cashmere V-Neck Sweater (size 2, in black and mushroom) OR Equipment’s Asher v-neck sweater (size xs)
jeans: old Rag and Bone in surf wash – this is the closest wash I’ve found
shoes: Vince Claire Pumps (the mushroom suede is on sale)
bra: Kimchee Blue bralette (on sale for $20)
The T-Shirts
I’m a big tshirt girl. And Boden’s tees are good. They’re the Goldilocks of tshirts: thick, but not too thick, sheer, but not too sheer, soft, and just drapey enough. Here’s what I tried:
The Baseball Tee Readers Wanted To See
This is Boden’s baseball tee. I appreciate the pretty colors, and the fact that they aren’t all two-toned (like a typical baseball tee, though a few two-tones are available). My only beef is that Boden calls this a “relaxed fit”. Uh, no. Not at all. For a relaxed fit, I’d size up. Oh, and the arms run shortish. But in general, this tee would layer well, and still look cute when you pull off your sweatshirt.
Outfit Details
tee: Boden Lightweight Baseball Tee, $38 (size 2)
jeans: old Rag and Bone in surf wash – this is the closest wash I’ve found
shoes: Converse
A Perfect Black Tee
I know, me and all my black stuffs. BUT. This black v-neck is indeed perfect. Nice and low, thick enough to smooth over bumps, and not overly clingy. The sizing almost doesn’t matter. Here’s the size 2:
And here’s the size 4:
You can see a bit more length in the size 4:
Outfit Details
tee: Boden Lightweight Deep V, $28 (size 2 and 4)
jeans: old Rag and Bone in surf wash – this is the closest wash I’ve found
shoes: Vince Claire Pumps (the mushroom suede is on sale)
Sad Stripes
I didn’t love this one. The pics look OK, but in real life the stripes + dolman sleeves were just overwhelming. (And in the shape of a frowny face, which is just never good.)
The Happiest Stripes
This was one of my very favs. I love the style of tee to be a bit fitted, and Boden nailed the whole thing – the fit, the neckline, the length, the colors. It’s seriously perfection.
ps. comes in a longer length for tall girls (I’m only 5’2″)
Outfit Details
tee: Boden Short Sleeve Breton, $34 (size 2) – or the longer length
jeans: old Rag and Bone in surf wash – this is the closest wash I’ve found
shoes: Boden Strappy T-Bar (on major sale)
Drapy, Happy Stripes
Now THIS is what I’d call ‘relaxed fit’. So comfy and cute. I adore this top.
Cardigans: A Necessary Evil?
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: nothing wrecks a good outfit faster than a cardigan. But MAN, I’m ready for striped tees, even if it IS early March. So: If we take a v-neck cashmere cardigan and crop it….does that make it better?
Boden Supersoft Seam Tee, $38 (size 2) | Boden Cashmere Crop V-Neck Cardigan, $138 (size 2)
Lastly, THIS SKIRT
I often have trouble finding pencil skirts that fit. The waist/hips/butt/something is always off. But this one? It fit like a glove – even at my waist! Compared to Banana Republic or similar, I’d say Boden pencil skirts run small.
But they’re so pretty (especially at the waist – check out the detail below)…..
Boden Supersoft Seam Tee, $38 (size 2) | Boden Modern Pencil, $88 (size 2 petite)
And thus concludes my shopping “trip” to Boden. Thoughts? Your favs? And I’d love to hear what you guys thought about the cashmere sweater compare, and the cropped cardigan shape. And please do share if you have a favorite Boden style below. Feel free to check out other women’s fashion trends!
Happy March!
ps. The bright lips are Bite Beauty Pigment Pencil in Zinfandel, which was recently restocked. So freaking flattering on so many skin tones. Really.
