Do you think Boden is frumpy?

[perceptionreality]

I always thought so....then this year I've caught myself liking one or two of their shoes

Is this a sign I am getting old????

It is useful; can be frumpy.

No, I think some of their things are frumpy, and some will look frumpy on some people but not that everything they do is frumpy. Like everything else, you have to choose carefully, IMO.

Mind you, I'm probably a lot older than you!

I'm 32. I quite like some of their sandals in silver. Or the patent wedges.

I don't think that the clothes themselves are frumpy, but because the target audience is women aged 35-40+ they often end up looking frumpy.

Take this t-shirt, in the picture on a slim, tanned and toned woman in her early 20s it looks anything but frumpy.

Put that t-shirt with this skirt though, on a size 16 woman in her late 40s and it can look very frumpy.

But then, I've seen plenty of mid thirties, slim women wearing Boden and looking fab. So who knows?

God moon that doesn't sound nice. Boden clothes ok unless you put them on a size 16 so of course they become frumpy then. Sheesh.

No, I didn't really mean that. But most people interchange frumpy with mumsy, and the target audience for Boden tend to be mums and older than say, 30 (?) women.
So if the people that wear them are older than the fashionable youth and are more likely to be bigger then it separates the brand from more youthful brands, making it appear more frumpy. Same as M&S. Plenty of people look fabulous in M&S things, but when you think of them they are seen as more frumpy than Dorothy Perkins or TopShop.

Usually I only buy for my children (with decent discount). I can't afford the adult clothes full priced anyway. But I had a look over there as the sale is on.

I am careful what I buy,and def do not buy as much as I used to.
I only buy plain stuff in the main now,no 'fun' stuff,and I find their skirts frumpier than other stuff,IFYSWIM

I have a couple of dresses and skirts, am 41, size, and don't think I'm frumpy .

Can't find anything this year though.

Some bits are ok and I do quite like the odd pair of shoes but it can easily veer into mumsy.

oh yes, unless you're very tall and slim, it looks frumpy on me and IMO looks frumpy on all but a few of the many who wear it!

It's like many labels - there's some good and some not so good. It does seem to attract a lot of conversation/criticism though. I have several plainish items which I have bought with a discount code and think they are great.

Most of the patterned stuff, the jeans and the tunics are frumpy. The plain things like capri pants, Roma leggings, white shirts etc are good quality basics and can look either fantastic or frumpy depending on how they are styled and who is wearing them

There are some OK prim blouses on the preview site, though I'm cautious about anything in a bright colour - their dyes are damn garish.

Part of the problem is that their styles are child-like rather than grown-up (giant flowers, little-girl oilskin macs, etc), which marks the wearer out as part of the demographic. And I know this is off-topic, but I'm irritated by the way the gormless women in the catalogue are only ever seen 'playing' - sticking their tongues out, running about with puppies, decorating cakes etc. - never doing anything like striding towards an office - unlike the blokes.

And like Georgina I wouldn't touch anything they have prefixed with 'fun' with a shitty stick.

Didn't Jonnie make a really unpleasant comment somewhere that mothers aren't supposed to be sexy or something? That in itself has put me off a bit tbh!

I think they can be frumpy and have become more so in recent years.
Some of the patterns particularly look very aging.

A few weeks ago The Sunday Times Style Magazine had a brief preview of the new Boden collection (only a few items) and very stylish it was too.
So here's hoping.

I'm older than the target range and have no taste in clothes according to my DC Even I think it's frumpy.

He did perception.

But I've had the odd thing like a charcoal grey cardigan, the downtown heels from last summer and leopard print clutch which are fab.

And despite not being tall [gasp] I still look ok in them and most decidedly not frumpy.

I'd never buy a print from there or jeans though. Although do have a nice jersey sundress from there from last year which has survived my summer wardrobe clear out.

Its like every label though - some bits are good and some bits not so good.

IMO Boden is very "safe", some pieces scream Boden and everywhere in certain locations/schools so sometimes a bit of a uniform.
But, as previous posters have already said, pieces can be lovely worn the right way and I think the quality tends to be good ESP the footwear.

I had a pair of jeans. They looked fabulous, long straight legs that made me look really slim. Until they split right across the arse. So I bought the M&S straight leg jeans to try. Half the price and still gorgeous a year later.

What is it with Boden? People covet it and yet love to hate it. Some of it looks lovely and we want it but we would never do anything so crass as to actually want to follow a popular brand?

If I like it I'll wear it. Preferably if I got it in the sale.

I think the thing is, no one can do spectacularly, eye-wateringly frumpy quite like Boden - if you wanted to you could spend £££££ at boden and look like Queen Frumpington of Frumpland.

But, I still like them because they occasionally do something great, really interesting designs, quirky, nice colours, and also some great basics. I have had some plain cardies, jeans, sunglasses, and especially their pjs that have been great and not frumpy. But IMO you want to avoid a head-to-toe Boden look, and the more garish and shapeless things.

I think I people love to hate them because of the arse-achingly smug catalogue and because it's fun squealing in horror at some of the really grim prints and "sassy"/"fun" etc (bleurgh) concepts. I actually love it when the catalogue comes and I can read it in the bath thinking "Oh johnnie what next" and "Ouch! My eyes!" and occasionally "ooh! Nice coat!" and then share the worst horrors on mumsnet and have a laugh. So they do a fine service IMO :)

Does nothing for me at all...but then my style is very different.

Boring as hell for me...sorry Boden Lovers >_

I love their coats

I don't get the fuss about them at all, think they are very frumpy or mumsy and crazily (?) over priced. Even during sale