Delurked, I knew you'd laugh at the layer bit.
But seriously -- I wear it as a housedress/ weekend dress/ travel dress/ okay to go to a meeting dress. The all-cotton makes it so comfortable. I like what Sal said. It's useful to have a dress that looks smart but not ostentatious.
Brooklyn, re sizing -- I order from UK, too, here in Canada, and go by UK sizing. These were my first Boden orders, and as you saw, I had a few misses, but also a few hits. I'm okay with that -- it will cost me a bit to return but then I'll know better for next time. If you have concerns you can look at the garment measurements. That definitely helps -- they differ from garment to garment. Overall it seems I take one size for fit and flare and a different size for some of the straighter dresses.
My shoulders are wide and square but not thick from front to back. I find Phoebe completely fine in that area. I think you will, too. But if you're taller than me (and I think you are) you might want tall. On me, it feels fine in the regular, but I really liked the tall length of the Penny and imagine if I were taller I'd order tall every time.
