Boden’s latest catalogue

[boatyardblues]

The new Boden mini catalogue previewing some the autumn range hit my doormat this morning. I can’t decide if they are fighting for survival or trying to shake off unprofitable plebs like me who only buys the odd thing, but the pricing is bonkers. £95 for a merino jumper? £110 for the Eva midi dress (jersey). #nothankyou Johnny.

@TheWayTheLightFalls

They're in a bit of a Gap spiral imo, overpricing clothes and thereby priming people to await the sales/discount codes.

I find their kids' stuff really hard-wearing but I have to really love it to buy it full price. Adult clothes don't appeal.

Gap spiral nails it. They are pricing themselves out of many customers’ reach, even in the sales and other retailers do similar stuff better.

I find it very off-putting that their (women) models are always, always tall and willowy. They only ever have one shape of model and it's useless for me to know how the clothes look on curves. I don't expect them to have plus-size models (although as they sell they clothes they ought), but just someone with boobs and hips would help me know how the fabric will sit.

Yes, Johnnie Boden, Eton and Oxford educated and former member of the Bullingdon club. Friend of the Camerons. Tory donor.
Even if it doesn't do well, he'll have enough money salted away. I wouldn't buy the stuff.

I like Boden for quality, ease of ordering, customer services, basics eg t shirts. Oh and it sells on eBay very well. A huge proportion of my wardrobe came from there ( and DHs). But since online ordering has become easier and we've had more access to sustainable brands I've bought less from Boden. I have a £64 credit on my account for something I returned after a year ( again, a major plus point for me) and I've just used it to buy a shirt. And now I've read they donate to the tories I don't plan to buy from them again

I've never understood the mumsnet fascination with Boden. I find the clothes genuinely hideous.

@Housewife2010

I've been a Boden customer for over 20 years. I wish they had more realistic prices rather than inflating them and then having codes for money off. I wonder if anyone ever pays the listed price? I also really disagree with their practice of offering certain professions 25% off. It isn't fair on those of us who also work incredibly hard but don't get the discount .

Yes, it's very annoying isn't it. I emailed them to ask if being an essential worker in Ireland warranted a 25% off code. I am and I can prove I am but I never got a response to that email.

But it's not fair to offer 25% off to certain professions and not to others imo. it's a bit shit anyway which is why I never followed up.

@CallMeNutribullet

I've never understood the mumsnet fascination with Boden. I find the clothes genuinely hideous.

Wait til you're 51 and you find that their size 12 is just a tiny bit more generous than the average size 12! But not as big as a size 14! Which is still too big. I have ended up buying a load of their size 12 petite trousers and jeans because they fit. And they aren't patterned. They don't have big vaginas on them!

I've never understood the mumsnet fascination with Boden. I find the clothes genuinely hideous

What - all of them? Every single thing in their catalogue is hideous?

Funny to read the Gap comparison. Now that was a boring boring shop. I don't think I ever bought a single thing there. At least occasionally Boden clothes are nice even if they're over priced.

Agree that it'd be a lot less tedious if they just took 20% off the price of everything and did away with the codes bullshit.

How does that benefit them? It must or they wouldn't do it but I suppose people still look at the site because they have in the past got affordable things they liked, so it draws people to the site on the basis that WITH A CODE the site is in their price range. But then they buy some things withot a code?

I have quite a lot from Boden, but I do agree that have got themselves into a rut of teaching their customers to never pay full price. I find that as soon as I put anything in my basket, a 10% discount is applied, and if I leave it there long enough that goes up to 15 or 20%

@CallMeNutribullet

I've never understood the mumsnet fascination with Boden. I find the clothes genuinely hideous.

No strong feelings either way regarding Boden, but I've no idea how you can find their clothes 'genuinely hideous'. I'm no fan of some of their prints, but there's nothing hideous about plain t shirts, jeans and jumpers surely?

@MaMelon

I've never understood the mumsnet fascination with Boden. I find the clothes genuinely hideous

What - all of them? Every single thing in their catalogue is hideous?

Obviously they do simple and extremely overpriced basics but the entire aesthetic of big garish prints and stripes in primary colours, I personally find really ugly and dowdy.

I find the cuts of their basics to be quite dowdy and they're extremely overpriced.
I also find they still try to drag the theme of flowers and stripes in really bright colours into their basics.
Of course this is just my subjective opinion

I like Gap. My 'go to' shop for jeans.

I haven't got anything patterned from Boden, but I have bought things from there for others. Everything I bought from there has been good quality and well cut.

Genuinely hideous seems a bit OTT! They do some big patterns, they do some plains, they do colours, they do neutrals - fairly inoffensive (but definitely overpriced) stuff.

I don't need any clothes right now but this is the kind of outfit I'd see on boden and be tempted by

Just kinda wearable. I'm not trying to look like I follow fast fashion.

Love these jeans

here

and although I could probably see similar on asos for cheaper, if I were to order these in size 12 petite, they'd fit and I'd be spared the arduous process of returning items that don't fit. I have to do that later for my daughter it's so much fun, reverse shopping

Not boring enough for me, I'm afraid, but I can see the appeal @PearlyBird. I am too short in the leg for ankle grazers and prefer dark jeans, but they look great on the model.

I'm hardly a follower of fashion but I find a lot of their stuff dowdy these days - and I'm in my 50s.

Isn't a lot of what is fashionable now a bit dowdy?

I never buy the patterned stuff but find their cashmere good value and am wearing a long-sleeved collared jersey polo shirt with linen-cotton mix cropped trousers today.

An azure blue linen shirt has been my most-admired piece this season. Very simple, almost mannish.

I think I 'fit' their clothes though as I'm reasonably standard-shaped and live in the country, working from home. Their clothes never worked as well for me when I used to go into London for meetings. I always felt frumpish when I tried to wear them to offices. I rarely buy their skirts or dresses: usually just trousers and tops, occasionally shoes.

They don't have big vaginas on them!

I’m dying to know what the PP said to get this sentence. 🤣 I’m assuming it is an autocorrect.

It might be a reference to the Lucy & Yak Vulva dungarees.

Oh that refers to the worst stereotype about Boden, that their worst patterns sometimes look like vaginas!
They did produce some awful patterns though!

I tried to google Boden rainmac vulvas vagina and nothing came up. I think Boden must have had it removed! 😀