Why are Boden clothes so annoying and do people who wear them want it to be recognised?

[plumandolive]

Don't they say everything about the people who wear it? Their lifestyle? And the fact that they recognise each other?
But some of the none hotchy potchy stuff I admit is nice...
as long as it isn't obviously Boden

I love mini-boden. I buy big in the sales so she gets loads of wear. Not sure it says anything about me or DD other than we like cute, comfy, well made clothes.

My Ds (3 years) was in boden tartan trousers, an old white vest and his Indiana Jones hat the other day, with a lot of black smudges on his face. We were in Ireland and I heard someone say 'Look at that little tinker kid'. Think we were beyond the Padstow radar. I always wanted to be a tinker (my great auntie was one) so was most amused.

NomdePlume lol- exactly- my 7 yr old dd wouldn't wear the flowery stuff, or the little cardies, even tho' I really do like them- let alone teenagers.
Not enough black- actually- no black!
The idea of stripey tights and smocky tops are quite sweet on 4 yr olds, but I can't imagine anyone but a special type of 13 yr old wearing Boden... those "fun" trousers? What?

I think the world in their catalogue is miffing too-
Calista- pudding or starter?... Starter
Dictina- always packs... vibrator

Or maybe I'm just jealous

Plum, pmsl over vibrator comment. I hate those cutesy bits too in the catalogues about the models - they are so smug. You get too many bloody catalogues through too the post, and a gazillion email promotions. I bought a top there once, all the buttons came off straight away.

per una, boden, is there anything you do like?

i love the quality for DD, (DS wont go near the stuff he is into sports gear now)
her boden tops last at least 2 years,wash really well and then best of all i can flog em on ebay woooo hooo,which reminds me ive got a bin bag of the stuff to sell must get it sorted.

i do only buy in the sales tho.

Well- since you mention it memoo- I think I put earlier.... Fat Face, white Stuff, Toast jigsaw some of monsoon....

I know... this thread spun from the other... which was because I was irrationally overcomne on my way through PU to get tights.....
but 'tis only in jest.

My next thread to surly get the mumsnetters going is what percentage of people who wear Boden send their kids to private schools... only joking, wouldn't dare

The new Next ad campaign is hilarious. It really makes you realise the truism of gorgeous people looking good in a bin bag. When you first glance at the pictures you think they are quite nice then you realise that it is just that the model is really fit. block her head out with your hand and it looks rubbesh. Not as bad as the 'fayreground' M&S advert which is just arrogant in its awfulness; Twiggy et al and even the really gorgeous undies girl look grimbo in the outfits.

I wear Boden and dd is in private school.

I'm not ashamed.

My Boden bits (double-layer tops and Henleys mostly, don't think they're particularly distinctive, they're just nice, good quality tops that suit my body shape - can't STAND the hotchpotch stuff!) are all from eBay, DD's Boden bits are bought in the pre-sale - I buy from there for her because I'm fed up with the wall to wall pink in most other shops for 3 yr old girls.

Private school costs less than the nursery she was in and the wrap-around care fits around my working hours.

But hey, judge away, I also have a few items from Per Una in my wardrobe...

I bought some Boden and was actually quite disappointed long term - the hemming around the neckline and sleeves frayed very badly after repeated washing.

I have cheap crappy Tesco clothing that still looks really good after being worn to death and washed over and over, so rather annoying to spend all that money and not have it last as long.

So what clothes is it safe to wear to escape your judgement plumandolive?

Do you think fatface, whitestuff and toast say nothing about you??

Isn't there some formula somewhere for pinpointing your socail group an dlifestyle by the shops you shop in.

and I don't think it just applies to Boden.

I wear Boden, some per una(more than I realised!) general MandS, fatface, white stuff, primark, Tesco (a LOT!) New Look, warehouse, principles, hobbs, kookai, oasis, lk bennett

Never really Next, jigsaw (used to) or Monsoon. Not because I dislike the social class it applies to (whatever it is) but because I never really see much in there I like.

Plum...you need to get over this....

so what? What's it got to do with you what people wear? Snobbishness about hotchpotch? get lost.

i like boden stuff. especially the littel girls and the boys stuff. but, only some of the ladies stuff. it tends to be very good quality, though not always, and it tends to wear very well, again , not always.

DD loves mini boden, the catalogue arrived just before her birthday and she went though it circling what she liked - she's 8! I like the odd piece to mix in with her supermarket chic.

Boden is only aspirational if that is the thought or intention, for some it may be dressing cheap...it really depends upon who you are. I am a little too short for Boden, I think you have to be quite make up less and tall, see my own interpretation!!
I think it's quite understated and although I would recognise it, not exactly as I think Hobbs and other brands can be the same, I still like it and think nothing less of whmever wears it.
The middle class berating on here is tiresome and dull.

Well flame me if you like but I love Boden stuff. Don't give a shit if people recognise it. Most of it I buy in the sale as it's piss cheap. It fits me really well, I love the colours and if that makes me a twat go judge.

I think the fact that you're judging me based on what I wear says more negative stuff about you than me by the way...

Actually I've been thinking, 'why does boden cause so much sneering when it's only clothes?'

I think it's the catalogue. It does try to sell a lifestyle much more than say the Next or MandS catelogue, where the pictures are just of women (albeit very attractive ones) in the clothes.

Boden has all that frolicking on the beach, walking your dog in the rain, sailing with friends, curling up on your giant sofa images, with thier happy familes with carefree children, like kids should be, in an old fasioned chilhood type way, and great mates who love the same outdoorsy activites as you and know what is important in life, and the models who share snippets of thier own lovely lives and words of wisdom and originalty about the specialness of thier lives.

It makes you want to both order than brown cord pintuck skirt and vomit over the catalgue at the smae time.

On this basis I can see whre plum is coming from.

But we have to remind ourselves:

it's just clothes
it's just clothes
it's just clothes.....

I think most of the online/catalogue retailers at this price point are selling a lifestyle. Fat face and White Stuff may not be as recognisable as Boden - but I guess people are buying it because they like the beachy outdoorsy look of the catalogue. Nothing wrong with that.

I love Boden - there is nothing more depressing then seeing all the colourful stuff on the high street and on line and then seeing that everyone walking past you in the high street is wearing denim on the bottom half and black/grey on top.

i like the childrens clothes.

not as bad a s NEXT who splash their name over all thier clothes

on the outside

I honestly don't understand. Boden is just another shop - I had no idea there was any of this attitude until I started reading threads on MN like this! DD has a coat - DS has some trousers and a couple of tops. The adult stuff not really my style - a bit too laydee for moi. Tis you who have been suckered by Boden for bequeathing so much bloody status on it!

I order some stuff, I find the sizing a bit odd tbh, often far too big but not reliably so.

Dd has the current spotty/Tombliboo coat. I saw a colleague at the weekend who had seen dd first and she said "I saw the coat and thought, I bet she's got a nice mummy."