Consume or Consumed

Boden Sample Sale in Pittsburgh on May 20th 2023!

2023-05-10T23:37:00.000-04:00

The Boden Sample Sale is coming back to Pittsburgh! It will be at the David L Lawrence Convention Center on May 20th from 10am-4pm. At this point, I feel like a bit of a Sample Sale expert! I try not to miss it and have shared my tips in prior posts. But if you are new to the sale, I am happy to answer questions. Flat pricing continues and is a bit higher than the last time I shared. Sometimes sale buyers get a special reusable tote with purchase! The last sale had giant nylon ones that say Boden on them.

NOTE: It seems like the communal fitting rooms are a thing of the past. They stopped having them to adhere to covid-19 related regulations and have stuck with the practice even after regulations were sunset. They do have mirrors set up around the space, but without the half-privacy of a communal fitting room, you will want to be even more considered in your choices of underpinnings.

Mini Boden Sample Sale Table featuring colorful clothing

I prefer to wear a base layer of tank top and leggings so that I can remain modest, as the event brings a crowd. Remember, all sales are final. You will want to try things on before buying and look things over carefully. In my own haste, I have bought many things over the years that I realized later had flaws. Holes, missing parts of a set, and even a few items with the word "SAMPLE" written on them, in permanent marker. Whoops!

Boden Sample Sale Handbags and Accessories table

SOME TIPS: My strategy is kind of lazy. I don't think it is necessary to go at opening, especially if you are mostly going for womenswear.

Boden Sample Sale Customers Shopping

Kid's stuff does get picked over faster, but there is almost always good stuff left over. The first shoppers always grab way more than they wind up buying. They take their big bags of clothes off to the side to consider and sort. Inevitably, they will weed out stuff and put back the things they decide to not get. So I always check the kids' tables a few times: when I arrive, after my first round of try-ons, and one last look before I check out.

Be mindful of website prices as they sometimes beat the sample sale ones. You can search an item from the SKU number on the tag. If it doesn't have a tag, you can try a Google Lens search to get an idea of what it sells for. I try to make sure whatever I buy is a good deal and sometimes for certain items, the website clearance prices are lower.

Recent Boden Sample Sale Price List

It helps to bring a big Ikea tote to contain the things you plan to try on, then I try them on, ideally twice. The mirrors are not super reliable (slanted and sometimes a little warped) so look in a few of them. If you have a friend, ask them to take a photo, since we know from Clueless/Cher those are more reliable.

Finally, go with realistic expectations and an open mind. The sale brings the chance to see items in person that I usually only would see in a catalog or on the website. I know I am more likely to try on things I wouldn't have given second thought otherwise. It is a fun event and Pittsburgh is lucky to be the farthest west of the locations where the sale travels. Happy Shopping!

Boden Vouchers Offer 30% Savings from Gilt City and Ruelala!

2022-03-28T14:22:00.007-04:00

Another round of Boden Vouchers are available from now until April 11th, 2022 on Gilt City:

$150 Credit for $110

$250 Credit for $180

$500 Credit for $350

Edited to update that the prices are a bit lower on the smaller dollar vouchers now. I guess they may not have been selling as well as they hoped? Also they are now available on RueLaLa also!

Once you get your voucher, you can use it like a gift card by shopping on the Boden website. In the past, when I use a voucher, unused portions are put into my bank of Boden account credit.

The value amounts to about 30% off if you go for the biggest option. In the past, Gilt has done buy more save more promotions which enabled up to $40 off a gilt city promotion. So a $250 voucher could be bought for $160. THAT would make for an even more amazing deal! These stack with Boden promotional codes (use v9h7 for 20% off right now!), so they aren't to be missed if you are a big fan of the brand!

Let me know if you have any questions. I feel like a voucher pro at this point!

Boden Vouchers on Gilt City!

2021-06-11T12:41:00.006-04:00

Another round of Boden Vouchers are available from now until June 18th on Gilt City:

$125 for $150 of credit or

$200 for $250 of credit

Go here to shop: https://bit.ly/359iard

The value amounts to about 20% off if you go for the bigger option. I am hoping perhaps in the next week Gilt might offer one of the buy more save more promotions which would enable a $250 voucher to be bought for $160. THAT would make for a very amazing deal! But in the past I have been able to bank credit from these vouchers and use them during even times of good Boden sales so they aren't to be missed if you are a big fan of the brand!

Let me know if you have any questions. I feel like a voucher pro at this point!

Spring outfit check in

2021-06-11T12:29:00.003-04:00

A family photo from Easter 2021. I am wearing Boden from Spring 2020 and a TWG cardigan that is over 10 years old. The girls are wearing jumpsuits from Carters I think and Boden sweaters.

I feel so out of the habit of dressing to see people who are not my inner circle. The idea of everything returning to some relative normal is of course appealing but also a little rattling. My pandemic body is softer from having stayed home so much and I am trying to be kind to myself about it. I know many were able to pick up routines for fitness but with full time work and full time remote school, the pace of my pandemic life never seemed to have the space.

What a weird, hard year this has been and in spite of it there have been some bright spots... my family has been lucky to be insulated from the most devastating aspects of the pandemic and I am so grateful for that and for how this year has yielded so much more time with my kids and spouse than we would have otherwise had.

BIG NEWS! Boden Vouchers Available on Gilt and Ruelala!

2020-11-10T19:29:00.001-05:00

Edited to add: Today I noticed I had a promotion in my Gilt account that gives money off tiered purchases. If I buy the middle price voucher, it deducts $30 so I can get $250 in credit for $135! I am not sure if all accounts have this promotion but you can check if you were on the fence about buying!

My secret to buying from my favorite retailer for professional clothes, day clothes, and clothes for my kids is the vouchers! Sometimes Boden sends them to customers, just because. And sometimes you can buy higher credit value for a lower dollar amount.

I began my history as a customer using these vouchers (bought on now-defunct websites like Plum District). More recently, the vouchers have been available on Gilt and Ruelala. Both just had a voucher deal with Boden in early September and it must have gone well because the deal is back!

It goes live tomorrow. You can access them on Gilt or Ruelala now!

This time around the dollar values are a little different than the deal in September:

"Up to 35% off merchandise credits:

$100 for $150 credit

$165 for $250 credit

$325 for $500 credit"

The buy-in is a little higher but the % off is similar. It stacks with discount/promotional codes since the voucher code goes into the gift certificate/voucher area at check out. And with the recent holiday drop, you can buy all the festive clothing to make for a joyful holiday season! I have my eyes on this festive Breton (I like to size up a little so I have room for Christmas cookies!) and already grabbed this Christmas tree shirt (where the tree is made out of bicycles!) for Chris. And I just love these tree appliqué dresses for the girls!

If you haven't shopped Boden before, you can click here and get 20% off with my referral link!

If you have shopped before, you can stack a discount in the promotions box. Promotions change with some regularity but at the time of this post, you can use m7p9 for 20% off the regular site or f4j6 for 15% off Boden preview.

While the vouchers have an expiration date, I have found that when I have needed to do returns, I get back the full value of the voucher vs the amount I spent. It makes for a good deal for sure! Happy Shopping!

Fall Clothes are my favorite

2020-11-05T22:42:00.003-05:00

It's pandemic fall and I'm barely leaving my house as the case counts in the US break records. But we did get out a few times and thus, wore some clothes. I am swamped with work and the kids' school but I desire to catalog these moments. Above was on Halloween when we went to an outdoor gathering for the girls' virtual dance classes with the Hope Academy.

Above, I am wearing a child's cloak (size L) from the Boden x Harry Potter line. Rosie is too (size S)! She didn't want to wear a costume but the prospect of matching helped. Emilia has one of these cloaks too! When we got the catalog she immediately fell in love. Then she read the books soon after. While they were not inexpensive for such a fanciful piece, I know from the Roald Dahl line that they will retain value on the resale market and the girls can age through them. I also rationalized it because I like them way better than the ones they sell at Universal Studios (where we will eventually go post-pandemic). They sold out so quickly that I didn't have a lot of time to think about it but I had a big account credit to spend, thanks to a Boden focus group I did. So... long story short, we have capes! `

The marital entity of Chris and I turned 10 about a month ago. We watched our wedding video as a family! It was so fun to revisit it and share with the girls. Here, I'm wearing a Boden dress I bought during the last sample sale I worked (December 2019).

Had we made it to a pumpkin farm, the girls would have worn these fall themed looks I think. Dress available still from Nordstrom here.

And finally, a Zoom look from last Friday for my digital media literacy class. I taught to black boxes so I couldn't even see if they grinned at my witchiness. I hope you and yours are well!

Boden x Gilt Voucher Deal is Back!

2020-08-30T21:47:00.006-04:00

Starting tonight, Gilt is offering a pretty decent deal on Boden account credit, also know as "vouchers." Boden sometimes mails/emails small dollar value vouchers ($10, $15, $20, or if you are really lucky, $25) to customers as a way to entice them to buy. They seem to do so at intervals during the year, like leading up to back-to-school, around the holidays, for Mother's Day, etc. They also occasionally send customers Birthday and Half Birthday vouchers. When you ask customer service how to get on the list for vouchers, they usually say you need to be a catalog subscriber and then after that, it is a random draw.

I've been able to buy a lot more Boden for my money thanks to these vouchers. They usually have expiration dates but I have found that if I return something, I am nearly always credited back the voucher amount as account credit to use on something else, with no expiration.

But one of the first ways I began shopping Boden was because I could buy account credit for lower than its value on websites like Gilt. In the current deal you can save up to 34% off (in addition to the 20% off and free shipping you can get with coupon: g3u7). The vouchers work like gift certificates so you can stack them with a coupon code since they go in separate boxes. This round of vouchers is available for purchase from August 30th until September 6th.

The voucher amounts for purchase are as follows:

Valid on Sale + Regular Price
Up to 34% Boden Credit:
Package 1: $125 credit for $85
Package 2: $175 credit for $115

Package 3: $250 credit for $165

My referral link for Boden is here if you haven't shopped them before. You will get a 20% off coupon and I will get a treat too. I am not sure what I will buy with mine but some of the new fall items look really lovely. Happy Shopping!

Back to School During a Global Pandemic Check in

2020-08-28T21:07:00.000-04:00

Wearing Winter Water Factory tunic, J. Jill Leggings, and Vionic shoes to the drive through zoofari this summer.

Girls are in Boden dresses, tea leggings, and native shoes.

I know I have been quiet in this space because my work and life have occupied a lot of my time but all is well here. It is as well as it can be amid a global pandemic lack a coordinated federal response, anyway. I am heading into my third week of what is my 10th academic year at my job! And I turned 40 in April!! Lots to celebrate even if celebrations look different right now...

I am teaching a new class that was inspired by public lectures I began giving about the history of journalism and the rise of fake news a few years ago. My university awarded me with an "Innovation in Education" grant to develop it into a stand alone course. It is really exciting to have a roster full of enthusiastic undergraduates, even though our class is fully remote. I am working on offering the public lectures and workshops in digital realms since I am not comfortable delivering them in person right now (strategizing grant funds to help... so if you see anything let me know!).

I also am trying to think through how to execute the archival research and work I proposed in a recently awarded grant from the National Air and Space Museum's Aviation Space Writers Foundation. We did sneak in a trip to DC right before lockdown and I was able to do some work then but it was pre-award and unrelated.

All of this is to say that I am busy. But we are doing really well. The girls will be remote learning for the first 9 weeks of school, at least. I am curious to see how "virtual" preschool will go. It seems... like it will be interesting (to put it politely!). They begin next week and that should be quite the trial by fire. But we have my family nearby and benefit from their childcare support (as long as we are able to stay relatively isolated from others, as my parents are in a vulnerable age bracket and my dad has some heart health concerns we need to be careful about).

Wearing a Boden dress, Spanx tights, and Chloe flats

Rosie is in Boden dress, Target boots, and a handmade sweater that was mine when I was her age

The above photo is pre-pandemic at my older's open ballet class. Soon after this, she was invited to join a special invitation only (and FREE!) bridge program that would have had her working directly with the local ballet theater company and then... just like every other opportunity that involved leaving one's home after mid-March, it just vanished from the realm of possibility. So many of us are grieving the small things even as we feel the weight of knowing that what we grieve is small compared to that of so many others. What an incredibly difficult time... I hope I can write more often just to catalog it in a way more organized than my social media chatter. If you are reading along still after all these years, I hope you are doing well too!

It's back! Boden credit for a discount on Gilt and RueLaLa

2019-11-07T15:08:00.002-05:00

I have been meaning to get back to blogging but it is always somehow the thing that gets pushed lower on my to do list. But all is well here. I am on my very first sabbatical from teaching as a tenured faculty member and I am trying my best to meet my ambitious writing goals while giving myself some room to relax.

Yesterday, Gilt and Ruelala brought back one of the things that brought me to Boden in the first place... the opportunity to purchase account credit (akin to a gift card!) for less than the sticker price. You can stack this with 25% off savings (with code LTK2) to really do well for yourself. Boden Summer Preview is also live and you can save 25% (code: TJ9K) on top of using the voucher there.

Either of these result in prices that you would expect to find at the end of December, and not well before Thanksgiving. Last check, Gilt was sold out of the highest amount ($110 for $175 in credit) but Ruelala still has all options in stock. Be sure to read the fine print (though Boden tends to be more lax about their policies in practice). Happy Shopping!

Boden Sample Sale in Pittsburgh!

2019-04-25T09:35:00.003-04:00

Save the date for a Boden Sample Sale in Pittsburgh (newly added to the calendar after the Hershey one fell through!) on Saturday, June 8th at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, downtown! From 10am-4pm. Register here for a $5 off coupon!

Boden Sample Sale Tote Bag

The last few sales have featured adorable and useful canvas bags as gifts with purchase! I use mine (shown above) all the time!! I'm not sure if this upcoming sale will have them but it was a great surprise and made the discounted purchases even more worthwhile.

I've written about the sale extensively before. It's very worthwhile for any Boden fans of their women's line. They often also have Baby Boden, Mini Boden, and Johnny B. They have a huge table of shoes and some accessories too. In the past they have had menswear though it has been years since the sale has featured much for men. My tips and tricks for the sale are included here and a price list is here. I am happy to answer any questions you may have about it. I will be helping to set up the sale the day prior and I will be there all day on Saturday so be sure to say hello if you go!

Red for Valentine's Day

2019-02-16T12:19:00.000-05:00

From December through February a nice red dress becomes my wardrobe workhorse. This is why I was excited especially to find a long lost Marc by Marc Jacobs "dress that got away." The particular dress shown above was called the Mareika Tulip dress, originally released in fall 2013. I bought this one in purple so I knew what size I would want to track down if I was ever able to locate the red version. The red Mareika sold out swiftly when it was first released and because I wait for sales, I never got one. So I was thrilled to track it down after all these years on eBay for a great price. I wore it on Christmas Eve and for teaching during the week of the Lunar New Year. I am also planning to wear it this weekend for Valentine's Day dinner with family. Since there are so many themed occasions when a bright red dress is handy, I am glad to add it to my wardrobe.

Eshakti + Amazon Custom

2019-02-16T11:49:00.000-05:00

Per my previous post, I wanted to share that Eshakti is now offering custom clothing via Amazon Custom! You can find their styles by searching for Eshakti FX. And for a limited time you can get 30% off your order with Promotional Code 30FXONAMAZON. This is only value through February 17th. Happy shopping!

eShakti FX Review

2018-12-10T14:59:00.000-05:00

Hello friends! I know I have been silent for too long but when eShakti reached out to me about reviewing their new website feature called, FX I couldn't resist. I promise to update on personal things and outfits, shortly! But in the meanwhile, I wanted to share some cool things that you can do with eShakti FX.

eShakti FX is a visual customization tool that allows customers to see what their specifications will look like when the dress is finished being manufactured. FX is offered on hundreds of styles on the website and it's fun to play around with the various options that they have available for viewing.

To test the FX feature, I selected a cute Penguin print shirt dress because quirky animal prints have long been favorites of mine. The shirt dress style is work appropriate (at least for my workplace which is fairly casual). And my girls will love the cute penguins, which will result in them asking to coordinate with me in their own penguin-themed clothing because we love the match. The final reason I chose this style is because I am from Pittsburgh where we root for the Penguins NHL hockey team and although I am not that engaged with sports culture at the moment, I do like a regionally coordinated theme!

The first thing I did was configure the dress to have different sleeve length options just to see how it looked. Both are very cute but penguins are wintery so a longer sleeve makes sense. I settled on 3/4 length so it would be versatile and allow for some bracelets to show.

Next, I wanted to test different hemlines. There was a mini skirt option (not pictured) that was a bit risqué for my own modest and work-friendly preferences but still very fun especially with a cute print. I loved the kind of 1940s inspired midi look but because I am only 5'3" I stuck with knee length. The style on the right is the one I plan to choose! I really enjoyed testing eShakti FX and hope it makes the customizable options for eShakti styles more easily visualized prior to purchase. Thank you to eShakti for the invitation to review and the chance to be compensated with a website credit.

Winter Water Factory Wildcats OOTD

2018-05-23T08:30:00.000-04:00

Winter Water Factory Wildcats tunic dress

I have been wearing this Cheetah tunic (called Wildcats) from Winter Water Factory with a lot of frequency. It's a little short to wear as a dress so I pair it with leggings or capris for school pick up/drop off, zoo trips, casual dinners, and even a faculty meeting. It is a fairly bold print so it yields a lot of commentary but all of it has been positive. Winter Water Factory makes matching or coordinating prints in children's clothing styles but I haven't yet bought matching options for the girls. We do have matching pieces from them that I've worn for Mother's Day. I'm waiting for a good sale before I buy more because the items are pretty pricey at retail.

Chris bought me this piece for my birthday. It's a new-to-me style from this brand and I might try to snag some in other prints. I am wearing a medium and it runs generously. I have collected a decent amount of Winter Water Factory pieces at this point, thanks to clearance sales. Some prints have held up better than others. The dark colored pieces I have show significant wash wear and fade, pretty easily. I've learned not to stick them in the dryer and to spot clean and hand wash to launder. It's kind of high maintenance for cotton jersey but I am willing to do it for a good print.

I'm wearing J.Jill leggings, some Nordstrom Rack flats from a brand I can't recall, and a French Terry zip jacket from Caslon. Thanks for reading!

Date night OOTD

2018-05-07T08:30:00.000-04:00

By Malene Birger dress, Burberry bag, C-Label ankle strap wedges

I wore this old favorite By Malene Birger dress on a date with Chris. We went to Superior Motors which is Kevin Sousa's newest restaurant in Braddock. The food was really amazing and the space was very cool. I'm glad we checked it out. We went in celebration of my birthday, though we had gone to the Whitfield the night prior and Choolah on my birthday day (the night before that). So much going out! Anyway, I decided to wear this dress because it is incredibly delicate and I worry it won't last much longer. The silk chiffon is beautiful but not necessarily durable. And since it is another on that is about 10 years old, now seems like the time to enjoy it.

I don't know if that designer still releases lines but I always loved their aesthetic when I paid better attention to such things. I believe I bought this from Net-a-Porter or perhaps the Outnet. It was on a good sale, as usual. The Outnet may not have existed yet so it was probably Net-a-Porter. It has an open back so I usually pair it with a black cardigan because I am not about to go braless (even pre-motherhood). It's incredibly sheer and the slip it came with is still extremely revealing so I always pair it with one of my own slips. I'm sure it is outdated but I did get a few compliments from others in the restaurant.

Anthropologie Petalblush OOTD

2018-04-20T08:30:00.000-04:00

Anthropologie Petalblush dress, Spanx tights, Bass booties

This is another oldie but goodie in my opinion. Anthropologie's Petalblush sweater dress was from 2013 but five years later, it still yields a lot of compliments. I think it has aged pretty nicely. I wore it to teach on yet another chilly spring day.

My semester is winding down in theory but I'm swamped with on-campus events, an upcoming conference presentation, and a huge stack of papers to grade. Hoping to update more frequently when something lets up. But it seems unlikely that anything will be letting up any time soon...

Another Old Favorite: Marc by Marc Jacobs Paisley Dress

2018-04-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

Marc by Marc Jacobs dress, Tory Burch Caroline flats, Spanx tights

This outfit is another one that features a dress I've worn a bunch and for nearly 10 years! My only reservation about this particular dress, from Marc by Marc Jacobs, is the deepness of the keyhole neckline. I always want to pin it or wear a camisole to cover up a bit. It prevents me from wearing it to work. But I enjoy wearing it to dinners around town. I don't even know if the Marc by Marc Jacobs brand still exists or if it has been absorbed into a general Marc Jacobs line? For years the brand was my go-to for interesting day dresses in fun prints. I still have a few "ones that got away" that I'm trying to track down. I have the dress shown above in two available color ways. And when I see it come up for sale I almost always consider buying another to have as a backup. But it's been so very long since I've seen a dress that has induced an immediate "I NEED THIS!" level of enthusiasm. I probably need to do more window shopping and browse but don't have the time to spare.

Also, since I last posted I had a birthday which means this blog is also kind of having a birthday. I believe I began writing it 10 years ago in April. So Happy Birthday to Consume or Consumed!

Old Clothes: Book Print Dress

2018-04-03T08:30:00.000-04:00

Tommy Hilfiger Book Print Dress, Cece Cardigan, Ferragamo flats

My favorite clothes are all so old at this point. Is it bizarre to wear the same things for nearly a decade? To be fair, there were years when I couldn't wear a lot of this stuff due to pregnancy, breastfeeding, and body shape changes. But you would think I'd be tired of looking at the same things.

I can't recall the last time I saw a dress that provoked a strong reaction of "I NEED THIS!" in me. I don't have as much time to browse so perhaps it's a matter of not knowing what is out there that's up my alley? I guess a few of my Boden dresses generated some measure of excitement. But not on the same scale that this dress did. I wore this to teach and got several compliments. I'm glad it's still in the rotation.

It's going to warm up soon enough. I might venture outside at work for photos if I can find my old point and shoot!

Chinese New Year OOTD

2018-03-16T14:52:00.000-04:00

Tibi Dress, Cece cardigan, Chie Mihara shoes (similar), Spanx tights

I wore this many-years-old Tibi dress to a Chinese New Year celebration last month. I bought the dress a long time ago on eBay but never really had many occasions to wear it. It's just a bit too short for work but I can't seem to edit it out of my closet. This seemed like a fine occasion to wear it with leggings over tights.

The girls wore matching Tea Collection dresses from the China destination line released a few years ago. I tracked them down in a Buy Sell Trade group where I've been having lots of success finding sister matches and rehoming a lot of things that they have outgrown.

Tea Collection China dresses

We all had so much fun at the festival which is held annually at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill. There were many performances, crafts, and vendors selling foods and goods. I'm excited to go back next year!

Old Favorite: Chloé Van Gogh Dress OOTD

2018-03-05T08:30:00.000-05:00

Chloé Van Gogh dress, Resort 2008 with Spanx tights, Aqua cashmere cardigan (similar in cotton here), Eileen Fisher Hall flats

Remember when I used to buy a lot of designer clothes (that were either massively on sale or gently used and cheap on eBay)? Me too! I still have a lot of them because they are too beautiful to purge from my wardrobe and not worth the time and effort to sell. Every now and then I will dig one out and see if/how it fits. This Chloé number (called the Van Gogh dress from Resort 2008) is one such dress. It has an interesting bubble hem and a graphic print that looks like doodles of colorful clouds. I used to wear it with a belt (last seen in the Chloe dress here) or just swinging on its own. I wore it to campus last week for the first time in ages. I paired it with a cardigan to give it some structure.

Deer Season: Boden Must Have Tunic OOTD

2018-02-28T08:30:00.000-05:00

Boden Must Have Tunic in Black Deer print

I first purchased one of Boden's Must Have Tunics a few years back but returned it because it seemed overpriced for something that was too short to be work-wearable. You can read my first review here. A few years later when I was pregnant with Rosie, a bunch of the tunics were on clearance so I grabbed them in sizes larger than I typically wear and in long-length with the intention of wearing as maternity dresses (as shown). I wore them constantly! I also learned, pregnant belly or not, that the long lengths make them proper dresses on me, rather than mere tunics. Even better, the scoop is just deep enough to enable breastfeeding if that is a concern (but not so deep as to render it work inappropriate).

Boden Must Have Tunic Deer Print Dress

I've been wearing the style ever since I learned the long length trick. Who knew someone only 5'3 would need L?! My newest Must Have tunic is shown above in an all over deer print. This one is still available on the website along with some other print and color options. The prices vary but mine seems to be holding steady price wise. I got a better deal on it after Thanksgiving. If you are curious about fit, the garment measurements under the size guide are very accurate in my experience. I am wearing a 10 L here, which is long enough to be work-friendly and loose enough that it doesn't make me feel exposed. I paired it with black tights, a jacket from Anthropologie, and suede booties.

Boden's Marion Tunic Swans OOTD

2018-02-20T08:30:00.000-05:00

Boden Marion Jersey Tunic, Bass booties, Spanx tights

I bought my first Marion tunic last spring when Boden had a variety of seasonally appropriate prints. I liked it enough to order another for fall when Boden sent me a $15 voucher. I stacked the voucher with a % off code.

The Marion style seems to be a regular offering from the brand who releases it in a variety of prints as well as some solids. The style is breastfeeding friendly and pregnancy friendly due to its stretchy shape and fit. The v-neck of the tunic is a bit deep for Boden and might warrant layering a tank underneath. The gathers at the waist are effective camouflage for those who feel modest about snug clothing at their midsection.

I am wearing it above in a size 12L which is great in length to make it more dress and less tunic. But it's a bit too big otherwise. It's hard to tell from the photo but it's a bit baggier than I would prefer. Still, I didn't want it to cling so big is always preferable to small for me. It's on a great sale now and the pink swans print is 70% off. Code 9k9e works for free shipping at no minimum price. I wore this for teaching and for an event at E's school. I layered a cardigan for added modesty on campus and a trench for E's school. Thanks for reading!

J. Jill OOTD

2018-02-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

J. Jill Gingham Rayon Twill Shirtdress, Spanx tights, Sam Edelman booties

Over the last few years I have had a harder time finding styles that I like in stores and from my former go-to brands. I just don't like many of the recent trends. But I still wanted to shop for new clothes. To do so, I decided to expand my shopping horizon.

I wound up checking out J. Jill because someone recommended that I try their cropped and ankle length leggings. Due to their high waist, they worked really well for me during my pregnancy with Rosie. I became so attached to them that I wound up grabbing a few pairs in smaller sizes for postpartum. Those leggings were my foray into J. Jill. Over the last few months I have also found a number of cute dresses in their sale section.

I am not sure if I am yet in their target demographic, age-wise. From their own website, they aim to attract a baby boomer customer base. But I find the fabrics to be of good quality and the styles to be appealing while remaining professional and modest.

The above pictured dress is one of the items I bought from them last fall. I already had a checked shirt dress very similar to this from Old Navy but the fabric was starting to show wear. It definitely was becoming too shabby for work. I was happy to grab this Gingham Rayon-Twill Shirtdress during a very good sale (I paid less than it is selling for right now). It has side pockets and a buttonless placket. It is nursing friendly though not as easily pumping friendly. The fabric is substantial without being stiff. I'm wearing it with Sam Edelman booties and Spanx tights.

First day of the Spring Term OOTD: Boden Carina Dress

2018-01-24T08:30:00.000-05:00

Boden Carina Dress

I started back to work from holiday break three Mondays ago. So my semester is already underway. Pitt always returns earlier than most. But we finish in late April which is nice. For the first day of classes I decided to wear a dress Chris had given me for Christmas: Boden's Carina dress. Since I see a lot of the same students, semester to semester, I like to wear something new if I have a new item available. For better or worse, I get a lot of comments in evals and in person regarding my teaching outfits. So I know it's something they notice.

I picked this dress for it's vibrant winter (ok, it's really fall but fall is over so I'm calling it winter!) floral print. It was on a great sale because I don't buy things unless they are. You can still find it on pop back here. It has a back zip and no pockets which is good because pockets would almost certainly bunch up in this fabric. This fabric is a very thick cotton canvas which means it won't run the risk of clinging to every curve and bump. But it's kind of stiff. I took a size 10R. The dress is not lined but it doesn't need it due to the fabric composition. I haven't washed it yet so I don't know how it will wear but so far it's a great addition to my work wardrobe. I paired it with Spanx tights and Sam Edelman booties. I brought a black cardigan with me in case the classrooms and hallways were cold.

If you haven't checked out Boden yet, you can get 20% off full price items and free shipping through my referral link.

Hello Darkness, My Old Blog

2018-01-20T13:44:00.001-05:00

Photos by my friend Erin.

It's been so long. Wow having two kiddos and a career and a life to balance and a house to restore/renovate are NO JOKE! Major props to the people who make it look easy and still carve out space for their own interests and hobbies. I know this is a season of life that is short but I miss blogging so I am going to try to get back into the occasional habit of posting an outfit or two.

Wearing an old favorite MBMJ dress. The girls are in Boden.

It's a lot easier to snap kid outfit pics that my own. They're kids so they're cute and everything looks good on them. But all is well. AND I GOT TENURE!!!! So I need to update my bio. Not sure if anyone still checks in here but hello, if you do!!