The Boden sale summer 18, gift ideas and a brainteaser

I can’t imagine that many people are going to be sitting around reading blog posts this weekend – the sunshine is too glorious and so I’m not going to take up much of your time. There are just a few things I wanted to bring to your attention. First of all the Boden sale summer 18. There’s something interesting going on at Boden – the sale’s late, they haven’t been doing as much discounting recently and a lot of the sale stock has only been entered at 20%. It’s an interesting one and they’ve either had an outstanding sell-through this season or they’re trying to extract themselves from the discount spiral that they’ve been in over the last few years. Depending on which of these scenarios is true, there will either be an whopping clearance in a couple of weeks time… or there won’t.

If I were a gambling woman I’d say that there will be a steady stream of ‘further offers’ so unless there’s something that’s showing low stock that you can’t live without, if it isn’t reduced by at least 40% I’d hold on. This is what I ordered last weekend and apologies for not having any try on photos to show you but I haven’t managed to pin anyone down to take them.

Boden sale summer 18 – edit

I really like this rickrack dress which is 50% off but I’d been put off by some of the reviews that say it sticks out a bit at the front and back of the waist. It does but I don’t mind it – in my view it gives it some structure. I ordered it in the long and it just hits my knee. It’s cotton so it’s great to wear in this weather although just at the moment I’m wishing it wasn’t lined but that’s purely because it’s so very, very hot! It was completely out of stock yesterday but I can see that it’s back in again today. I’ve been wearing it with red shoes, red bag, yellow sandals, straw clutch, metallics and so on.

Rickrack dress in navy

It’s also available in white which would be lovely for holidays, it feels very Grecian.

Rickrack dress in white

I also ordered this dress which is 50% off but it just felt frumpy (apologies if you’ve bought it, it’s probably just me). Frumpy is always the risk with jersey which is a shame because it’s so easy to wear in summer but nine times out of ten it won’t do you any favours. I think it’s because it just hangs, it doesn’t have the structure of cotton or linen or the flow of silk or viscose. Only a ponte version of jersey has any form to it.

Jersey dress

So what else is my finger hovering over? Well I’ve already mentioned this skirt which has been featured heavily on Instagram and is now 50% off. If we were going on one of the French villa holidays that we used to enjoy where the nights are cooler I would snap this up. It would look great with espadrilles or wooden Swedish Hasbeen style sandals. In fact I’m surprised that Boden’s Hasbeen tributes aren’t in the sale… yet!

Maxi skirt(also available in plain mid-blue and blue pattern)

I’ve worn this blouse a lot and being pure silk, it’s great when it’s hot and also good for wearing with a jacket.

Silk blouse (also available in ivory, navy and mid-blue spot)

Now that we’ve had hot weather for a while, I’m finding that I’m digging out skirts to wear with t-shirts because dresses can be such a one trick pony. I’m very tempted to order this but I already have a navy ruffle skirt from Finery that I’m wearing a lot.

Broderie kick hem skirt

And these shoes – you won’t wear them every day but you will wear them every spring and summer. I have a similar pair of pink and orange shoes from Boden from about 4 years ago and whenever I wear them, people comment. They really lift neutral outfits or conservative cocktail frocks, they clash fabulously with red and they dress up jeans for the evening.

Pink and orange heels

And finally the swimwear, it’s often some of the best you can buy (just check the reviews) and there are some great reductions here. I always snap up swimwear bargains in the Boden sale and it’s great because their pieces mix and match so well throughout the years. I’ve just bought these bikini bottoms to go with some of my tankini tops. Remember if you’re long bodied but want to cover your tummy, tankinis often look better than a swimsuit because they break up the expanse of your body. They don’t look frumpy if you mix and match the pieces and add little details like this.

Bikini bottoms

And that’s as far as I’m going with the Boden sale, I suspect it will run for a while.

Gift ideas – for exam success perhaps…

I’ve been asked for ideas for graduation or exam gifts a few times recently. Not necessarily by parents but by aunts and godmothers who want a little special something for their protégés. I’ve been sent two things to review that would be perfect. First of all this watch.

Native watch in rose gold with tan strap (g)

I find that teens have an interesting relationship with watches, they quite like the idea of them but tend to rely on their phones for telling the time. I had a vintage family watch restored at some expense for the eldest’s 21st this year. He loves it but he worries about wearing it particularly because he has to walk through East London late at night to get home and he’s concerned that it might make him a target for mugging. I like to think that with shoulders his size he won’t be an obvious target but you never know.

So, a happy medium is a good idea and these Nordgreen watches are beautiful and well priced. They are made in Copenhagen and designed by Jacob Wagner who also designs for Bang and Olufsen so as you can imagine, simplicity is a fundamental. What else makes them stand out? The fact that you can easily change the leather strap for a different colour to suit whatever you are wearing. There is also a giving back programme after purchase which means that when you enter your serial number, the company will donate to a charity of your choice. The options are 2 months of clean water for a person in Central Africa, 2 months of education to a child in India or the preservation of 50 sqm of rainforest in Latin America. Mr MC liked mine so much that the boys bought one for him for Father’s Day and he seems to be wearing it more often than the precious one that I gave him when we got engaged!

Infinity watch in silver

I was also overjoyed when I was sent this bangle to add to my Claudia Bradby collection. As you know, I wear my ‘the world is your oyster’ necklace several times a week, it’s my talisman and has been ever since I left my job at the home fragrance company. Claudia has clearly noticed because she sent me the new matching bangle as a surprise and I can’t imagine a lovelier gift for a girl who is stepping out into the world, either going to uni, graduating or even getting married. Or maybe for a friend’s special birthday – 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100!

The world is your oyster bangle

Competition time

I don’t usually run competitions, particularly in this post GDPR world. They’ve always been a way of harvesting data and even now many don’t comply with data protection rules so I advise you to check carefully if you don’t want your details to be shared carelessly. Just to reassure you, Midlifechic is fully compliant in terms of emails, Disqus comments and also the Boutique – your details are protected and will never be shared with anyone.

There are no third parties involved with this, I’m running it just for a bit of fun and to thank everyone who supported my first tentative step into the garment business. If you ordered one of the t-shirts you should have received it by now (unless it’s part of a backorder that is waiting for a bag). Printed at the back of the neck you will see my new registered logo and brand name. If you’d like to take part, send me an email via the contact form telling me in a couple of sentences what you think it means and what I’m trying to say about my products. Please note I am not asking for a translation of Ça Va – you will only be able to see this hidden detail if you have a t-shirt in front of you.

There are a lot of you so I won’t be able to reply to the emails but I’ll read them all and I’ll publish the winner on here next week along with the explanation. And because I already have your address on the order, I’ll be able to send the winner a prize without requesting any data. Until then I just want to say thank you again to everyone who has ordered, left reviews or just sent supportive words over the last few weeks, you’ve played a big part in my decision making process.

Enter here

And with that I wish you a lovely weekend in the sunshine. I will be spending my time avoiding the patio… whose crazy idea was it to erect a glass screen to block the sea breeze?!