Boden .. WTF?!?

[Giftwithpurchase]

I've just received the Boden Spring catalogue and it was bizarre reading - really cringe 'sound bites' on each page and full of extremely slim tall models who must be in their teens or early 20s max. Their instagram is also bizarre - all size 6/8 teenagers! I just don't get their marketing - why not appeal to their target audience (me, later 30s, size 12/14) .. it really doesn't inspire me to purchase anything! Any one else or am I just being picky??

I guess it depends on who's the largest customer base

@HedgehogB Hah, I thought the same when mine arrived today - all the models looked about 16, willowy and wide-eyed. I'm not sure that Boden customers look like that! I want to see women between 30-70 with a range of body sizes and colours. I put my copy straight into the recycling after I'd flicked through it too - I used to like some of their stuff but doesn't feel like they want me as a customer anymore.

The thing is, all the 25 year olds they’re aiming at today were probably forced into ‘hotchpotch’ t shirts and pink-check pull-on trousers as a child, and wouldn’t go near the brand now

i just used the ‘fabric’ filter on their women’s dress section. Only 2 in cotton. A few linen and then over a hundred in ‘jersey’, which has always been viscose at Boden.

no thanks

This would look great on my 59 year old post menopausal spare tyre. It would highlight it wonderfully!

The high neckline would make my boobs look huge, and the sleeves would show my scraggy arms.

I got mine too.

I'm mid 30s, so probably one of their younger customers.

I liked a lot of things in it. But then I remembered that after 2 kids my figure isn't what it used to be and it'd all look awful on me.

A few years back they did lovely flattering wrap dresses that pinched high on the waist and then flowed over my wobbly tummy

Also what's with all the huge puffy sleeves?!?!? I want to be able to comfortably wear a cardigan or jacket.

That said. I might give the rust denim jacket, red crochet cardi, and one of the linen dresses a go. But I suspect it'll all get returned like my last order.

Me too

I know, and I’m interested in this. If they are attempting a wholesale shift towards a younger demographic then it’s fair enough, but to be fair even women in their twenties are mostly a lot larger than these models . DSD is unusual she is 25, 5’11 and a size 6 (so very slim and actually just like the models in the latest mailing) but she doesn’t see Boden as relevant to her at all. I am not offended by what they are doing really… great photos and all that… I just think they are taking a massive risk. I’ll keep buying from them if they keep doing my sizes (weird big boobed 18 on top, 12 on the bottom!) and that suit/ fit me ; because I can mostly see past the shiny pics, but lots of people will be turned off; is my belief. Boden had cornered a market…. i am worried for them if they now want to push that away for the sake of being ‘relevant’ .

www.boden.co.uk/en-gb/printed-notch-neck-top-navy-flower-garden/sty-t1067-nvy

I just bought this in a size 10, I'm usually size 12 but it's quite flouncy. It's absolutely lovely on, goes well with a pair of high waisted flared jeans. To be fair, it was literally the only thing on the site I could find that I liked but still 🤷‍♀️ half price too.

I don't often even look at boden because I think it's just to expensive for what it is. I'm going to start getting weird catalogues from them now aren't I?

I always thought they were known for their kids clothes. Why would an adult be interested.

@Incapacitated what do you mean ? Because they are slim this is what they eat?
I agree re different age models but not all women in their late 30’s , early 40’s are overweight. I’m late 30’s and a size 6-8, I know lots of others and older the same size . It’s good to show different sizes models but there’s loads of comments on here assuming that everyone is overweight past their 20’s so models can’t reflect them..

No, I don’t think that’s the issue, my sisters are 52 and 54 and very slim, I’m a 14. My stepdaughter is 25, 5’11 and under 8 stone and she said her age group wouldn’t wear that stuff. It’s that the recent catalogue used 4 models all young tall and very slim indeed- no variety . If they’d had a range of ages and sizes it would have made more sense and been more relevant to Bodens actual customer base. They know my age as a long standing customer (49) so at the very least their market targeting was way off for the mailing. I find it highly unlikely 4 young women of that build would ever exist in a single room, anywhere. You would turn and look in the street ( as people do at DSD who, and I get this, has often been thin-shamed although she eats plenty). They were almost exactly the same height and weight! They did look lovely, but there was no way of seeing how the larger sizes would look.

Snap. I am 49 and wear the ponte ottoman dresses for work with boots, I have 5 or 6. Great and no ironing! But there’s nothing I like in the latest mailing. X

I went through a phase of buying a lot of boden (think I discovered it on mumsnet ) but haven’t bought anything from them since pre lockdown. I did have a flick through the new catalogue, but the few things I liked were ridiculously priced for what they were.