Hello, here I am as promised with the first of my new season posts. Going forward I’m planning to look at specific categories – jeans will be one of the first because shapes are changing. I’m going to spend a day on my own in Manchester tomorrow doing a serious recce of the shops, but this week I thought I’d do a review of Boden autumn 2015, showing you my try on of the things I ordered from the new collection. For clarity, these are all items I’ve bought myself, I’m not working with Boden.

So, jeans. As I’ve mentioned a few times over the last few months, change is afoot. Whilst we were in Turkey a few different style sites declared that the skinny is officially dead. Now these were very fashion forward sites so I don’ t think we’ll see it filter through to the high street this season but it’s definitely something to bear in mind. I’m feeling a bit bored of both my relaxed skinnies and my boyfriend jeans so I thought I’d give Boden’s panelled mid-rise zip ankle skimmers a try. Patched jeans are everywhere for Autumn and these appealed to me because I like the symmetry and neatness of the patches. The lighting is a bit better in some of the other shots further down. They come up very tight – I know I’ve been drinking wine and cocktails on holiday but I’m only 3lbs over my usual weight and these only just fit. If you’re between sizes you definitely need to size up. Do I like them? I’m not sure – they’re on the pending pile whilst I think about them.

You’ll also notice a new breton, this is from the Johnnie B collection – I always prefer their boat neck t-shirts, they’re a better fabric than the women’s bretons in my opinion and have less cling, and of course with no VAT they’re cheaper. I’m keeping this as an easy weekend piece and in fact have worn it all day.

review of Boden panelled mid rise ankle skimmers

Now onto the shoes. I loved my dark grey leopard Jackie heels last year so much that I knew I had to give the snow leopard print a try. I decided to try the scallop points because I have too many pairs of heels and often by the end of the week I’m longing for something smart but flat to wear for work. I love these, I’m sad that I didn’t move quickly enough and buy them in orange as they’re all gone in my size. The snow leopards will also sell out fast so order some quickly if you like them. They come up true to size (although some reviews have said that a half size up is better for wide feet) and they have a cushioned sole so they’re as comfortable as a pointed shoe can possibly be.

review of Boden scallop points in snow leopard

 

review of Boden autumn 2015

A funny thing happened when I discarded them, Rosie, my little black cat went a little bit mad, rolling over them and sticking her paws into them…

review of Boden autumn 2015

…eventually she went to sleep cuddled up next to one. She’s never done this with a pair of shoes before but it could be a problem when I need to leave the house in them!

review of Boden autumn 2015

Anyway next up was the relaxed stitch coatigan which I thought would be a good piece for both work and home. We have a constant battle in the office over the air conditioning and I’m nearly always frozen. So, here it is on me – it’s a lovely piece but I don’t think it suits me, I can’t quite put my finger on why. I think it’s because I’m tall so I need items that cynch in at the waist to avoid looking too broad. So, it will work on you if you’re petite or column shaped but not if you’re tall and a semi hourglass shape like me.

review of Boden autumn 2015

It’s lovely quality though and I do wish it suited me.

review of Boden relaxed stitch coatigan

More shoes. By the end of a week spent mostly in pointy heels I’ve become desperate for flat shoes at the weekend. I’ve tried slip on trainers lots of times but something about them has always made me think of my granddad. Glitter is the answer…he wouldn’t have worn these…and they’re so comfortable…and they make me smile every time I look down. They’re great for where we live because there are lots of cobbled streets and today I was able to go into town with the boys without having to tiptoe along which made them happy. It’s one of the things that has always embarrassed them about their mum!

review of Boden slip on trainers glitter

Just in case you’re a new reader and you’re wondering what I’m standing on, it’s our well. We discovered it when we were extending the house a couple of years ago so we glazed over it. It causes endless excitement at parties especially because it has a tunnel that leads under the house to a much deeper well – great fun for men who have been drinking beer I find.

review of Boden autumn 2015

Moving on – the Alexa jumper. I love this. The quality of Boden’s wool and cashmere mix hasn’t felt as good for the past couple of seasons but it’s back. This feels and looks like cashmere, I love the tipping at the edges and it’s just the right shape. Navy, grey and camel are the 3 wardrobe essentials that flatter nearly everybody and this is a lovely warm camel without the green tinges that it sometimes has. It’s a workhorse piece, simple and understated – the sort of thing that I’ll turn to endlessly.

review of Boden Alexa jumper

And finally I’m going to give another mention to these Johnnie B pointelle t-shirts. I stock up on them at the beginning of the Autumn season every year. I wouldn’t wear them like this with jeans but they are what I turn to when I come home from work in the Winter along with a pair of joggers or some lovely pj trousers. You have to try them to understand, it’s like wearing a hug. I buy the age 16, they wash brilliantly and are much nicer than any other kind of pyjama top.

review of Boden autumn 2015

So, that’s my Boden shopping done for now. My absolute top picks are the snow leopard scallop points and the Alexa jumper – they made my heart beat faster which hasn’t happened for a while – well not with clothes anyway. Now moving on to a couple of other outfits of the week. firstly I thought I’d strike horror into the 50% of you who hate them by showing you that I’ve been wearing my faux leather culottes again. I still like them and they’re great for this weird weather we’ve been having.

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Next Parisian cuff shirt, sold out; TopShop faux leather culottes past season but current here; Jigsaw Milly shoes, Eternal Collection necklace past season

And this is a picture from last Saturday when we received the eldest’s student finance ‘award’ – yes I’m laughing hysterically at the thought that we are now beginning 9 consecutive years of supporting our sons financially through higher education. I went to all of the talks at school last year but didn’t really take it seriously – until we got the letter! Why I’m laughing I don’t know….

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White Stuff t-shirt; Next relaxed skinny jeans; Boden Alice heels; Eternal Collection Valentina Murano glass necklace.

I’ve been wearing this lovely new necklace that was sent to me by the lovely people at Eternal Collection a lot. Since I discovered them last year I’ve bought a few pieces that I wear regularly and I’m thrilled to be adding this Valentina Venetian Murano glass necklace to my collection. The beads are hand painted and it comes with a certificate of authenticity, it’s also very tactile and I find myself touching it a lot when I’m wearing it because the glass beads are such lovely shapes.

review of Eternal Collection

Along with lots of other gorgeous pieces it’s in the sale at the moment here and it is also available in green or blue plus there is a £5 welcome gift if you subscribe to the newsletter. I haven’t been paid for this post but I really do recommend Eternal Collection for the quality and variety of their jewellery and also their lovely packaging which makes them a great choice for gift giving.

review of Eternal Collection

So, I’m running out of time and must go and pay some attention to my neglected children who have been home alone all week. I do have lots to talk to you about though – thank you for all your lovely words about the bikini last week. I should clarify that the two readers who wrote to me to question my motives weren’t saying that I shouldn’t wear a bikini but were asking why I felt the need to post a photo on Instagram – they felt it was both inappropriate for someone of my age and unnecessary which is why I wanted to explain my reasons for doing it.

Next week I hope to have the time to share with you the conclusions that I came to about the work life balance issue whilst I was on holiday. (There is, indeed, some irony in the fact that I don’t have time to share them with you now)! I know that many of you are in the same boat as me and are watching with interest so yes, I do have some news. Until then, thank you for continuing to read and respond to my blog, it’s lovely to know that our merry band of midlifers is growing all the time. Have a good week.