Be the voice of reason: Boden Polperro Ottoman dress

I received my latest Boden catalog, which features some transitional items, like longer sleeved dresses. When I saw the Polperro Ottoman dress (in finds), I wanted it at once. It's similar in style to the Marisa dress, which I pounced on and purchased at full price back when Angie featured it a few years ago. I still love it and wear it, though it doesn't see quite as much use as my other (much more inexpensive) dresses. (Why? Maybe because I'm "saving" it since it's a nicer, more expensive dress? There is also a slight lining issue that I'm sure my tailor could fix. Note to self: Ask her about it.)

However, I am rather frugal, and my budget is not limitless. In order to get the look shown in the catalog (and in finds), I would not only have to purchase the $150 dress, but also the $45 belt! Talk some sense into me: Am I being unreasonable in my price expectations? Should I stalk it and hope my size is still there when a sale hits?

Boden

Polperro Ottoman Dress

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Boden

Marisa Dress

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5 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

I can see why you like it. Very, very nice. How sad would you be if it sold out? How mad at yourself would be if it didn’t sell out before it went on sale?

Cardiff girl

Boden often do some markdowns do you get this where you are?I m in the uk and they usually start with10%off marked prices and progress to 15 then 20%before any sales so I never buy on the 10%code but it might be different where you are as they are shipping further .

Christina F.

I think you can monitor to see if it goes on sale! Boden helpfully tells you if an item is low stock or just in stock, if you keep it in your cart.

As for saving Boden dresses for nicer times, it seems to me that the more you pay, the more you should wear it, to get the cost per wear down. I know that can be a hard mental hurdle to overcome, however.

Bijou

Becky, it really depends upon how much you love this dress and being honest with yourself, whether it goes on sale (with your size available), you will be upset that you paid full price vs missing out (the great dilemma).

This is a stunning and classic dress, so I can see that it would last you a long time. If you do buy it, make sure that you wear the beautiful dresses. Boden will make more beautiful dresses and you should enjoy the ones you own.

To me, something that I would be upset to miss out on and know will be useful in my wardrobe, or that I simply love and know I would feel a million bucks wearing, I pay full price for. This is something that I most often do with shoes because I have fussy feet and my feet are one of the most popular sizes. These items do go on sale and I don't beat myself up about it, well not too much. I accept that for me, it was worth full price to not miss out.

Kathie

You've gotten some great advice. I certainly won't dissuade you from buying it, because I'm contemplating three Boden dresses myself. I do find that Boden offers 10-20% discount coupons fairly often, so personally, I wait for those.

Wren Ponte Midi Dress

Jasmine Ottoman Dress

Mia Ottoman Dress

KMM

Active Member

Becky- Boden has a 20% promo code available now for full price items: AAAL96034D
Perhaps this will help with your decision!

Joyce B

Those are lovely dresses. I would also like to try Boden but I would need multiple sizes to get the size right and in addition to what you mentioned they don’t have free return shipping.

Thistle

Ask yourself a couple of questions:

1. How sad will you be if it goes out in your size? Sad enough you'll stalk it on eBay?
2. How often will you wear it? Once a month? One a quarter? Every week?
3. How does it fit with the rest of your fall capsule?
4. How long is the season you'll wear it?

I think this often tells you more than price alone.

Also, at least with Boden, the higher price point has been because of quality. Their dresses do seem to me well made, hold up, and are something you'll wear for several years rather than one season.

LaPed

Joyce B, it is pretty common for Boden to run free shipping + returns promos in the US, usually in combination with a % discount. Just check retailmenot.com or, if you receive the paper catalogues, they usually have the code printed on the cover. The 20% code KMM shared above also includes free shipping and returns. I'm not sure I've ever paid full price for Boden, though the quality is good enough that I might if I had to.

bj1111

Why do you need to get the belt?

Becky

JAileen, Bijou, and Thistle, you've posed some very good questions that need to be considered before making a decision. I have to balance frugality with pragmatism. I am learning that when I love something on sight, I should probably buy it if I can afford it, as so many items on offer just don't strike my fancy or aren't quite right for whatever reason.

Thistle, your question about the frequency of wears is sobering, though. I could see myself wearing this dress twice a month (at the most) for 6 months of the year, so maybe 12 wears per year. I tend to keep clothing for years -- until they are worn out or clearly dated. I imagine I would keep a dress like this for at least 5 years (maybe more). So, maybe 60 wears, for a full-price CPW (I'm including the cost of the belt) of approximately $3.25. I'm not really a number cruncher, but I think that's a number I could live with.

Christina, good point about making sure quality items get their proper wear. I am guilty of keeping nice items from frequent rotation just to keep them nice longer.

Cardiff girl and Kathie, thanks for the reminders that early sale prices do exist (usually before stock is depleted). And KMM, THANK YOU for that coupon code! A 20% discount would bring the CPW for the dress and belt down to $2.60. La Pedestrienne, thanks for confirming that it also includes free shipping.

Joyce, I have the advantage of owning the Marisa dress, which is a very similar cut, so I think I'd stick with the same size.

bj1111, part of why I love this look is the trim at the neckline being echoed in the belt. I wouldn't like the overall effect nearly so much without it. And I don't already own a similar belt that I could wear with it instead. At first, I thought the belt was included with the dress, but was sorry to see it wasn't!

Thanks for the info, LP.

Stagiaire Fash

That belt is not an exact match for the color. You could get a cheaper one that's a not-match in a different way and still look just as good.

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