So, Boden.... Any good??

[WhoahThereCrazyHorse]

Just looking through the Autumn catalogue and for the first time there seem to be lots of things I like the look of. Not exactly cheap though!

Is it any good, or will I be sorely disappointed if I give it a try?

See, I never understand the Boden = frumpy because I'm 31 and have been wearing them for a few years. I actually find a lot of Boden clothes quite quirky in a good way, and just perfect for a smart casual work environments.

My favourites are their knee length cord skirts, the crinkle jersey shirts (I have one that's lasted for about 3 years and still looks great), Bistro crop trousers and most of their coats and jackets. The pure merino and pure cotton knitwear is good, other knitwear bobbles quite quickly.

The shirt dresses are usually good on me, and I have one jersey dress that fits really well. But being 5ft3 and a curvy size 10/12 means a lot dresses in general don't have the right proportions for me.

Oh thank goodness I'm not the only person who finds Boden dresses bizarrely high waisted.

Love their cotton tops and their skirts, though - I've been living in their denim skirts and breton tees this Summer. Their cashmere is nice as well, and the kids' stuff is brilliant. Excellent customer service and there almost always seem to be discount codes about.

It's weird. I'm 5 foot 2, and the waist on the petite stuff is too high, as is the waist on their normal sized clothes. You'd think they would be a little longer.

The t-bar shoes are lovely, NigellasGuest. The only thing putting me off buying them is that they'd be useless in rain so I don't think I'd get much use out of them.

I find Boden tweed to be good. I have my eye on this skirt in grey: www.boden.co.uk/en-GB/Womens-Skirts/WG551/Womens-British-Tweed-Mini.html

I must have the weird Boden body shape too, because I don't find the waists too high or the shoes too narrow. This is possibly a bad thing, because it means that almost everything I order fits me nicely and I hardly ever return any (despite telling DH that I simply must "over-order" in case the clothes don't suit ). As a consequence, I have an overflowing wardrobe of Boden dresses.

Most of their clothes are empire line so you don't see your mummy tummy- get it, ok?

I have very narrow feet- AA- and their shoes are still too wide.

Their petite dresses are in the main too short for me.

I hate the photos/ shots they use of women in London wearing dainty sling back heels etc and a winter coat. Most women I see are in converses, boots or something else more sensible for shopping, sightseeing or negotiating the escalators.

Ah, but empire lines make you look pregnant. If you're having a bad day and you're a bit bloated... that's really not a good look.

"Most of their clothes are empire line so you don't see your mummy tummy- get it, ok?"

More like some many of their clothes create a mummy tummy where there in fact is not one!

the cashmere certainly used to be fabulous i buy it on ebay

I don't think Johnny B wants mothers to look or feel attractive. I read in an article somewhere a while back that he only designed clothes which are 'modest'.

looks down at self in Boden top, thinks she looks quite attractive, thankyou

Do you work for Boden, leedy?

No! And as mentioned above, their dresses look dire on me.

Pinkfrocks, I agree with you about the women wearing the slingbacks and winter coats - that's not a realistic look unless you have a chauffeur to pick you up at a moment's notice.

There's nothing worse than seeing a great outfit in a magazine or catalogue and then realising you can't recreate it in your own life because an essential element such as the shoes just wouldn't be practical and that it would look entirely frumpy if you were to wear it with rain-resistant, warm, comfortable footwear.

Love the a line skirts.
Also the kids wear....lasts ages and washes well.
Haven't ordered a dress...I don't suit dresses but might try...

I'm just slouching about today. I am sitting on my sofa typing this and when I look down my bra is on full view courtesy of my Boden linen top!

I was wearing one of their jersey dresses one time (size 12) and was congratulated by a woman I met who I hadn't seen in a while and asked when I was due

I do however have some lovely items (including shoes, boots and bags) from Boden which I have had for a couple of years which I think still look good. The quality and choice has definitely gone down in the last two years or so though.

As others have stated I would hold off ordering until you find a discount code unless you really want to.

The kids' clothing is lovely btw.

I buy all my boden stuff off e bay :)

and their stock control is crap.
I had half an eye on a needlecord skirt- looks a bit Orla Kieley- and the wait now for more stock is 16 weeks- FFS- that's 4 months- the winter sales will be on then!!!!

are you reading BODEN

It's ok. It's over priced and the quality isn't always great.

I have fibroids which push my intestines up and make me look larger than I really am. I find it hard to look nice and not pregnant. I may try a skirt and top instead of a dress when there's a bigger discount as the dresses really do look daft and frumpy. Do you think this would work?

They're a bit of a yummy mummy uniform round here.

Too many boden mums and matching kids in the park, so I've avoided. The a-line skirt, boots and top look isn't me anyway.

Not keen on the adult clothes, very over priced for what they are and the fit is odd. Haven't bought post kids though, so about 8 years including both pregnancies. However, as someone else has said the kids clothes are very good quality. When I had my first a friend passed on about 5 years worth of clothes from her son and both my boys have used them when they reached the right ages. I brought some in a mega sale for a friend and her second is happily wearing them 2.5years later.

I have never sent anything back! Their dresses fit me (even though I am tall with a rather long torso; go figure:)) !

I like their jersey, it is thick enough not to show the outline of your underwear.

I liked the kids stuff but the adult stuff is so samey and around here everyone wears it. It's expensive too, to see three women off to work wearing the same dress.

I like their clothes, but then I have a short torso and am very pear shaped. I just think that different shops model their clothes on slightly different body shapes so that not all shops will suit all people. I rarely find anything in Zara that fits me for example, although I think their clothes look lovely on other people.