I ordered a few more fall dresses from Boden and was very pleased with two of them.
Hartland Dress
Squirrel Print!!
This one was my favorite. When I saw that they were making a corduroy dress in a squirrel print, I knew I had to have it! The fit is quite flattering and the print is adorable. The only thing I don’t love about it is again, the bodice. If I slouch even a tiny bit, it poofs out in the front and looks like the bodice is too big on me. If I stand up straight it is nice and fitted, but I am a total sloucher so I know during the day the dress is going to look funny on me. Despite this, I am keeping the dress and plan to wear it with grey tights and these boots.
I ended up getting this in the long length, but I don’t know if I actually needed it in long. I’m happy with the fit overall and will keep it with this longer length. The color is very pretty in person and I’m thinking I should pair it with a bright statement necklace. I had planned to wear it with black tights when the weather forces me to wear tights.
I had previously ordered this dress in a 6L in the green color which was too big in the bodice and the darts stuck out funny so I decided to try a 4L in the plum color since that’s what was in stock. Unfortunately the dart problem was solved, but I felt like I couldn’t breathe. For this reason (a pretty good one) the dress is going back. I still really love the fabric and cut of this dress but wish the 6L had worked out.
I had a 20% off code a few weeks ago, so decided to order a few things from Boden for October. I was really pleased with most of it and kept almost everything.
British Tweed Mini
I love this skirt for fall. The plaid fabric is nice and the colors are muted. I paired it with these naturalizer heels and a sweater from Loft last season. I ended up ordering this in a 6R because I wanted it to be around this length to wear with tights. (I normally go for long lengths at Boden which is one of the things I love about them!)
I am in love with this skirt, which is a good thing since I ordered it in 2 colors. Here I’m wearing the navy in a 6L (love the longer length, doesn’t really make it a “mini” though) with the printed top that has tiny little dachshund dogs on it size 6. Adorable!!
I actually wore this outfit to work today. I tried it on last night, loved it and put it out to wear the very next day.
And this is the sixties mini again in the Bright Coral color paired with the patterned jumper with tiny british soldiers on it. I love the sweater. It fits nicely and is so soft! I got the sweater in a size 8 because I wanted to be able to wear a button down shirt underneath for layering, but it fits nicely even without an extra layer. I can sometimes get a size 6 in sweaters so I think this one ran a tiny bit small.
This was the only item that (very regrettably) had to go back. The fabric was nice, the color was great, the swish of the skirt was fantastic, but the bodice just didn’t work for me. The darts stood out leaving puckers of fabric in an unattractive way and it just didn’t work for me. I have since decided to reorder it in the plum color in a size 4L with hopes that the top would fit better but I’m not sure if that will work. I ordered plum since they didn’t have the green in my size at the moment (it has since been restocked.) I really hope the plum one works out!
I was really excited for my October stitch fix since they had a featured blog post about the color mustard which is my all-time favorite color to wear. I had requested a mustard piece, a pair of colored pants, and a delicate silver necklace. (Also, I have reiterated time and time again, no more tank tops.)
Here’s what I got.
Nice fall colors
I see the lovely pop of mustard, with some stripes, ad leopard print and a eggplant color. So far I’m really loving the colors.
LA MADE – Kai Elbow Patch Striped Knit Shirt $48 + Mavi Gold – Nigel Tall Length Skinny Jean $138
A bit see-throughThese are actually olive color
The pants are so tight I’d categorize them as leggings. They were very ummm… inappropriate in the front region and I would have to wear a tunic length top to wear them out in public. The color was nice, and they technically fit, but I don’t really like skin tight pants and it was not a flattering look.
The top was a cute fit and I liked the curved hem, but the fabric was itchy and it was very sheer and see through. Both went back.
The colors were nice on this tank, but the fact that it is a tank is a point against it because I have a closet full of them that I don’t wear. Also the fabric was not soft and un-breathable. Definitely going back.
Three Dots – Aleisha Fit and Flare Dress $88
I had a hard time deciding about this one. On one hand, I loved the color and the soft knit. On the other hand, it had a lining that was super tight and clung to all my curves in a non-flattering way, which then made the top layer that was supposed to “flare” also cling. It had a very unfortunate effect and had it actually fit and flared, I think I might have kept it. For $88 I decided a knit dress that made me feel uncomfortable wasn’t worth it. When I was walking around, the lining layer kept riding up and I could tell this would be something very fussy to wear requiring constant readjusting. Went back.
And I saved the worst for last. This was the lovely mustard color I spotted and man was I disappointed. This item could have been almost anything else in this color and I probably would have kept it. But this? Awful. I’m not sure who this would look good on, maybe a woman with a larger bust and smaller hips? But it was definitely not made for a pear shape and makes me look 10x bigger on bottom and even smaller on top. Plus there is really no way to layer with this top. So sad to send back a mustard item when they finally sent one. But really? This for a pear shape who said no tanks? Sigh.
Overall Impression
I think I may finally be getting over my Stitch Fix obsession and actually cancelled my November Fix. I’ll still do one in December, but I haven’t been pleased with very many items they’ve been sending lately and feel I can do much better on my own by picking out things I like at other stores. Even Golden Tote has been a better bet for me lately. The surprise items there always seem to work for me and it isn’t really personalized at all. I think I’m expecting the stylists to pay more attention to what I’ve asked for and what I didn’t like, but I don’t think they have time to actually make it all that personalized at Stitch Fix. I didn’t even mention the fact that this fix was a week late and they lost the package for a while. I had to contact customer service 3 times in order to resolve it. So for November I’ll be skipping Stitch Fix, but maybe I’ll try again in December.
UPDATE:
One of the stylists over at Stitch Fix (Michelle) got a hold of me after the previous stylist (Carrie) had read my feedback on this fix and offered to waive the $20 styling fee if I was willing to give it another shot. I agreed to keep my November date and sent her a pretty detailed message about my body type, style preferences, and color preferences. She has volunteered to style my next fix since we now have an open channel of dialog. I hope the November fix works out much better, and it will be no risk since they offered to waive the $20 styling fee. Fingers crossed.
Here are a few more outfits I’ve been wearing to work lately.
Pixie Pants from Old Navy Mustard Sweater from Loft
I ended up really loving these pixie pants from Old Navy. I was super reluctant to try them because Old Navy pants don’t usually fit me well, but these are soft and stretchy and fit me like a glove! I ordered another pair in a plaid pattern online. Love these pants! The sweater is from Loft.
This is a fall look I’d been seeing in London and wanted to duplicate at home. The skirt is from Old Navy, but it looks like it’s sold out. The sweater is from Primark in London and the shoes are White Mountain.
This is the easy printed top from Boden which is currently on sale but almost sold out in this color, paired with straight leg jeans and these adorable flats by Nine West.
Last week I went through all of my Golden Tote items except the flannel shirt which I plan to wear when my new black flats when they arrive on Tuesday.
Peach Jacket
I paired the jacket with straight leg jeans, taupe heels, a grey tee, and a statement necklace. It is a nice soft jacket and gave me extra warmth in the office.
Mixed Media Sweatshirt
For the sweatshirt, I copied what I had seen on a blog where someone wore it over a chambray shirt with black jeans and boots. I pulled out my cute polka dot rain boots from Kate Spade to add a little extra interest.
Embroidered Top
For work I always need layers, so I added this grey jacket from Loft, and paired it with these cute Keds sneakers from Kate Spade.
Priddy Knit Pants
Here I was trying to go for the dressy/sporty look they had shown on the blog, but I may have missed the mark. I look more sloppy than sporty. These pants are super comfortable though!
