What is this Boden of which you speak?

[breakingHead]

I know it's a website that sells clothes and things, but how do all of mumsnet know about it?

It seems like everyone on here apart from me owns something from there. I'd never, ever heard of it before I joined mumsnet. What's the big secret?

Also a lot of people seem to shop at Fat Face and The White Stuff. I know those only because I've seen them but I didn't think people actually shopped there.

What is this? I thought everyone shopped at normal high street shops (Primark, River Island, Top Shop, New Look), or a supermarkets or at department stores? Is it a class thing? Is this because I was brought up in East London? What's the mystery?

Am aware my post is borderline hysterical.

I don't think it's a class thing either because I also shop in M&S, Next etc. I had bought from Boden before I had heard of Mumsnet. I have found though that internet shopping, discount forums and Mumsnet has widened my knowledge of different places to buy stuff instead of just the normal high street. Not very good for my credit card though.

I know about Boden from seeing advertisements and I have read articles about the company in newspapers. I don't really buy anything from there as it doesn't really float my boat.
White Stuff and Fat Face are just normal high street shops. Their clothes are around the same price as River Island and Topshop.

Boden are the people who fill my family's wardrobe with minimal effort and maximum effiency.Their clothing is good quality and reasonably priced.We avoid the lurid prints and stick to natural fibres and classic styles.Their delivery is rapid and customer service is outstanding. I love them!! .

I just had an email from Boden about Boden parties in my area, so I had a little look at where they were held and there is a google maps link with the addresses and let me say they weren't at little 3 bed semis on housing estates.

DD has loads of mini Boden and joles, but only because we live in a v v middle class area and the charity shops are full the stuff. It is good quality, I've even sold on some of the second hand things after DD has grown out of them, but it's too expensive for me new. I wouldn't buy it for myself either, but I know women for whom Boden is pretty much their everyday "uniform".

It's a clothes catalogue; a bit like Littlewoods. I don't have to use it because I live in a place with shops, but I assume it's useful if you're housebound.

The topic of boden seems fairly divisive

I assume it's useful if you're housebound."

I don't know why I find that amusing. Though Boden has a couple of actual shops I think.

I find it just plain middle of the road stuff,always good quality better than M&S certainly I buy cardigans/trousers from there and after a yr or so recycle onto e-bay where I always get a decent return £s wise.

OP I wondered the same things!!

Never heard of Boden before and always wondered why I've never seen their shop on high streets.

Just now above poster made me realised that it's a catalogue based .

I like it. I'm not frumpy. I haven't noticed a decline in quality.

I noticed a decline in quality a few years ago but I think they must have acted on the feedback and improved recently. I shop at Boden because it isn't a sea of black/navy/ grey ( although that seems to be changing much to my disgust) like most of the high street.

I only ever heard of Boden once I had dd and only then as it must have come up in conversation with other mums! I like the kids stuff as my dd (8yo) is fussy bordering on obsessive when it comes to comfort and generally their clothes are very comfy. I only buy anything when it is at least 40% off and free p&p also have sold on most of the Boden stuff once dd outgrown it.

I don't like any of the grown up stuff though.

Op have you heard of Verbaudet as well?

I read about Boden about 14 years ago and have been buying their stuff for years. Quality is definitely more variable than it use to be. Don't mind it being 'frumpy', I'm a professional in my 40s, not a model in her 20s.

I'm a professional in my 40's who shops as ASOS, Zara (lots and lots), Whistles, The Outnet and the like. I look at the Boden site and have never seen anything I like. I walk into White Stuff and Fat Face and literally turn round and walk out again. Not my style, any of it. I find it all incredibly frumpy and boring.

Another one who finds Boden prints and cuts frumpy.. I had heard of it before I'd looked at their stuff but assumed it was for middle aged women.

Ps not that I saying if you shop at boden you are frumpy! - you can buy simple staple pieces from most places and maybe the quality is great at boden but the prints are :/

They had excellent delivery and returns at a time most catalogues didn't, so were fab when children small and clothes shopping was a nightmare. Also much better quality than little woods and other catalogues I remember at the time (15 years ago!). I don't like the current prints, but they do still do good quality basics, and I don't think I would buy a coat anywhere else.

I got a Boden flyer in a magazine about 12 years ago. Before I'd heard of MN!!
I was pregnant around that time and have bought lots for DC over the years from there. At 10 and 11 now my DC will no longer wear stuff from there.
I've bought plenty for myself over the years but I avoid the 'fun' stuff. In more recent years, I've bought less and less. The quality is not what it was and the prices are high.

I don't get the Boden thing... It's either frumpy and dull or completely unwearable daft colours and patterns which cost a fortune. White stuff is nicer and not so over priced. I recently looked at the Boden website when the sale was on as everyone was raving about it and it was full of brightly patterned coats and very run of the mill knit wear. Having said that I do like mini Boden, the kids clothes are nice although still very over priced imo.

I have known about Boden for maybe 20 years. My old landlady had some of the original catalogues, when they were good quality, nice fabrics, straightforward clothes. For a while I bought/coveted a lot of stuff from them, but they have always been a bit pricey for me. More recently, I don't rate their quality or designs much.

I clothes-shop on line, becauseI live in the countryside, work on the outskirts of a city nowhere near interesting shops and have 2 small dc who hate shopping.

Oh, I do think they improved the quality (approx 4-5 years ago) because it was dreadful then; children's clothes made out of polyester fabric (instant bobbling) and cheaply made items with loose stitching also. But still not back to what it was 10+ years ago. Though it's not all poor quality by any means.

I think it's a budget thing rather than a class thing. I wouldn't consider their clothes because I simply couldn't afford it, although the quality is probably better than somewhere like Dorothy Perkins or H&M where I buy my clothes. I still consider myself "middle class" though (in outlook, if not in income .)

It's a funny thing - I completely get the 'middle class mum uniform' critique, and yet... I still keep coming back to them. For reasonable quality wardrobe staples, especially work wear, they seem to fill a gap in the market. And if you buy in clearance, the value is good.

But as I live in the North and laughed for ages about the hibiscus lady garden fanny mac thread, I like to think I wear mine ironically .

I've been buying Bits of Boden, more especially mini Boden on and off for at least 15 years. I do think the styles are still the same & the quality is not as good as it was back in the dark ages