Boden sale - there's literally nothing I'd wear

[MandyFl0ss]

There's 70% off on the website and I also have £10 off voucher they've sent me. I've gone through every single item and haven't found a single thing I'd buy. The few semi-decent items are so short on the body, and I say this as a short person myself. But who over the age of 19 can wear such cropped items?? And now you have to spend a min of £50 to get free delivery.

Has anyone ordered knitwear from the new collection and if so, is it as short on the body as previously?

Why not just shop somewhere else?

I’m probably twice your age, strongly prefer fashion-forward dressing, shop almost exclusively online and have about 100 sites saved to my screen. Boden has never featured in my dressing life …

There are other places to buy clothes!

Cos I've got a voucher...

Are you 104?

Feel it, sometimes!

Can’t you buy a sweatshirt for a small child? Doesn’t have to be yours.

Here…

https://www.boden.co.uk/en-gb/dinosaur-print-boucl-t-shirt-rosemary-dinosaurs/sty-b2426-mos

You’d only have to add £6.80!

It's a shambles, isn't it? Quality and design have just fallen through the floor over the the years. I used to pick up a few plain, good quality items a year from them (a great plain black wool polo neck, some versatile workwear, some really well cut, flattering dresses) but other than their leggings, which I only buy when I get a tenner voucher and, apart from a year or two where the quality was shockingly bad and I returned them, are a good basic I cannot think of anything I would choose from them. I don't know who their patterns, in particular, are aimed at. Much prefer using Vinted, Uniqlo, Community Clothing etc in place of them now.

Was the Nigel Farage rally wives' chapter frock the tipping point? Possibly.

I used to buy all my work clothes from there. There is nothing remotely suitable for work on there now. The dresses are either too short, too low cut, or with stupid ruffles, frills and puffs or cut-outs. And the fabric is crappy quality and unflattering. I can’t imagine who is buying the stuff.

I have given up on Boden. I bought some fabulous items there in the past and still have quite a few (anything that still fits😬) but, like you OP, I can see nothing that I would wear. Not in the sale. And not in the 'not sale'!! I still have a hopeful browse now and then, but there's very little I would more than glance at.

I don’t hate Boden and I have had some nice things lately - always very plain and classic. The archives sale though is just horrific. The only things I like are the Chelsea boots and the parka coat - the boots are badly reviewed and the coat isn’t in my size, so my bank account is safe.

It is cheaper than it was in 2000.
That is the reason that the quality has declined

I used to buy so much from Boden. In about 2014 with 2 small kids I looked like I’d run blindfolded through the Boden stockroom most mornings, whether at home or at work. I used to so look forward to those parcels arriving. And the kids’ clothes were just gorgeous. I remember even in 2020 spending £500 on some great dresses and shoes in the Christmas sale.

Something has gone seriously wrong since then. The clothes are utterly unwearable, either for home or work. At home, no one wants frills all over their (acrylic) sweaters, at work no one wants to see their doctor on a ward round with strategic cut outs in an otherwise normal dress.

For work, I mostly now stick to Hobbs. Not very exciting but very well made and classic. Casual clothes are trickier, but between them Hush, Next, John Lewis, The Loft (when I’m in the US), Brora and Hobbs now do the job.

I don’t even bother checking Boden’s website any more, there’s no point.

I bought quite a lot from Boden in the past - they could be relied on for reasonable quality basics and plainer holiday clothes in 100% cotton. Anything I’ve bought in the last three years has been returned - quality and fabrics and designs have gone to the dogs. And the price increases are ridiculous.

Yep, same. I had the £10 birthday voucher and £8 in credit in my account from a kids dress I ordered ages ago, so I wanted to use up my 'free' £18!

It was very difficult to find anything I wanted. I ended up wjth a pencil skirt that I do really like but I know that I will hardly wear it!

To be fair, I think the men's stuff is still quite nice and decent quality but I too have no time for tiers/frills/rubbish fabrics/cropped Tshirts and jumpers.

I’ve just been on the website and looked at the 70% sale items, plus I have 20% off new stock.
There is literally nothing I want, well 1 pair of trousers that I wouldn’t mind but I don’t really actively want them
I used to buy so much from there

I have some lovely clothes from Boden in the past year or so. But then I rather like a ruffley skirt on occasion.

The archive sale is just odd, they must've found a container full of the rubbish that didn't sell in sales gone by and think they can pawn it off by giving it a fancy name. Call it what it is: a warehouse sale. When is saw the email
I thought they'd revived old styles, which I would pay full price for if they were decent quality.

I miss old Boden so much. In years gone by I'd have multiple tabs open trying to decide between different items because I wanted them all, now I'm lucky to find one thing. Decent quality well-made items with a clean silhouette seem to be a think of the past.

(Just adding my opinion too in the hope someone from Boden reads this!)

I used to spend easily £500 a year on Boden. But in the last 12 months, I've only bought a heavily discounted sundress from them in last year's sale, which in quality terms was very much not worth the £120 they originally wanted for it, but fine for knocking about in at 70% off.

I'm building up a stock now from Vinted of my Boden essentials like cropped Favourite Cardigans (I suspect Richmond trousers will be next to disappear) as they will clearly never sell them, or anything of a similar quality, ever again at any price.

Just had a look at the archive sale and everything is shot on the same two pale backgrounds so it's the dregs of recent sales. But worth a look if you need swimwear as my spring 2022 swimming costume from them was lovely and old-Boden quality.

To be fair I do see some lovely clothes on the website but nothing for me.
Maybe I am no longer the demographic?

People often comment that they buy the plain classics from their, but boden has become known for the wild prints and there's a love for that, not that I ever see it in the wild where I am. I haven't shopped there for years bu shall have a look and see what they're doing at the moment!

There's a very cute halterneck top and matching trousers in a black velvet. Not for me, but it looks nice.

I get sent those £10 vouchers all the time, despite never being a big spend customer, don’t think I’ve ever shopped without the voucher or another discount. I initially stocked up on the basic vests and have a couple of long sleeved tops, but struggle to find anything good on there these days.

Have a look at the jewellery and accessories section, you might find something you like or can give away as a present.

Oh and I should add, their marketing smacks of desperation with constant offers and discounts, I reckon they’re scrabbling to stay afloat.

@LabbyDabbyDoohDah I feel ya! I used to love it. Now the book arrives & it all leaves me cold!

What happened? I thought it was me but everything seems too old for me. I'm 43!

Me too. They really put a spring in my 65 year old legs.