Has Boden lost the plot?????

[HopeItHelps]

What's with their prices??? I'm not going to slag off their stuff, I mean, I don't buy a lot from them, certainly very little for myself. But I do think they make some fantastic great quality basics for kids. I find that if I really wanted to look my age (41) which I usually don't, all I have to do is put on a Boden dress... but I digress... What's with the prices of the Autum collection?? Are they for real???

Yes, it's the annual Bash Boden Bonanza.

Yes, the prints are yuck.
Yes the clothes are rarely "sexy".
Yes they are mid-upper High St prices. ( think Hobbs, LK Bennett, Mint Velevet for same price level)
Yes, they have plain basics which I like- trousers, short skirts, some knitwear, some tops.
Yes, I am 55 and too young for Whistles, Warehouse and Top Shop, and too young for Kaliko, CC and Alexon.

No, you don't have to buy it if it's not your style

whoops- too old for Whistles etc- senile as well.

But their models look like they're in the late twenties, some maybe 30's.

The models used for Phase Eight look in their twenties but I seriously doubt anyone under the age of 35 shops there.

of course the models look/are in their 20s.
why would they use women aged 45+????

I love Mini Boden for the dds - the quality is fab and being blessed with a gorgeous (and incredibly fussy) five year old tomboy I find some of the Boden Girl stuff refreshingly boyish and non-girly. (Mind you I prefer Zara and All Saints kids for edgy tomboy fashion!).

But I have come to loathe Boden for women. Apart from their cropped cashmere cardies (of which I have two and tend to find myself popping on nearly every day), all of their stuff is just so ageing! The prints are hideous, the cuts mumsy, the styles eye-wateringly dull. And yes, their stuff is hideously expensive, even the sale prices are a bit .

I haven't bought anything from Boden for years.

It's not for mothers (sexy, scared or otherwise) and definitely not for older women: as it's often skimpy across the boobs, cruelly short-waisted (terrible for still-flabby tummies and generally lumpy hips/waists/bums) too many waistbands are too low, and not many tops have sleeves that cover enough of the arm (not everyone is Michelle Obama). As my body ages and sags, there's less and less there I would ever contemplate.

I'd assumed it was aimed at people around 30ish who are thinking about having children (but not actually had them yet) and looking at a "life-style" they've heard of, and might be moving towards.

maxybrown 8964 will get you 25% off one item

ooh thanks

Lol, I probably made the style faux pas of the century then as I wore a Boden jersey dress to a high school reunion celebrating our 50ths a couple of weeks ago! I rarely buy their stuff, but bought the dress at a Boden house party, so could try it on. I got 25% off for introducing a friend, like Lauriefairycakes it showed my boobs off to full advantage, the size 10 was snug at my waist & glossed over hips. Years of dedicated aquaerobics attendance have negated bingo wings, so the cap sleeves weren't a problem. I felt good, so didn't notice if there was snickering.

But Edith if you have small boobs, are short waisted and prefer a below belly button waist on trousers, it's perfect! All 3 of the above suit me. The only issue I have is the no sleeves-upper arms my worst feature.

Amelia - they used to have a greater range of styles and cuts (and sleeves!) so it was possible for all kinds of shapes to shop from there. That is no longer the case, but presumably it is making sense to them to thus limit their potential customer base. Don't see it myself, though.

In fairness to them, the 'no sleeves' issue is one pretty much universal across the high street this summer. Even ranges aimed at larger sized women have an incredibly high proportion of sleeveless dresses. And, while it's entirely possible for large women to have beautifully toned upper arms because they exercise, some of us don't and haven't!

On age, I'd say they were, like Hobbs, aimed more at late 30s - 40s and even 50s than women of 30. Their review writers ages go right across the range from 20s to 60s, but probably the majority are 40s I'd say. Not that what suits you needs to be dictated just by your age nowadays but that's another discussion ...

I think my criticism of the autumn dresses is that there are too many short sleeves for winter- you'd always need a caridgan etc.

Also, they seem to have 3 styles of dresses only- the wrap, the shift, the shift with an empire line bodice.