My Boden Catalog Fantasies..

For a few years I'll have to admit I was enamored with this English Clothing Company Boden and its prolific catalogs that were sent to my house . I think I was having bouts of ennui after moving to the country as I had always lived an urban life . Twice a year in January and July I would order from the Boden catalogs when they had their big sales. The women's clothes are good quality and colorful with a bit of a sixties vibe and lots of bold, big prints. Now that I'm sewing again I mostly use their catalogs for inspiration and to get ideas for the girls' clothes. Their kids line is SO adorable and fun. I had catalogs all over the house : next to my bed, in the bathroom ( hah!), and out on the porch.

Contemplating things in the South of France..

 I loved how the models would answer random questions in the pages like, "What do you prefer, Nutella or peanut butter?" I suppose I wanted to be one of those lanky models jauntily splashing in a puddle wearing a pop art inspired raincoat, while one of those big red English buses go by with the driver waving, "Cheers!" A boden catalog life is one of frolicking on beaches in Spain and driving on the backs of handsome boys' mopeds in Italian towns with the wind blowing through your hair. Aahh... wouldn't I look lovely in one of those outfits laughing with my friends in a sidewalk cafe in St. Tropez with a glass of Pastis in front of me?

Shopping in a local market..Marrakech perhaps?

 And when that package finally arrived in the mail with it's polka dotted tissue paper, it's customs stamp from England  and witty directions on how to carefully open the package in case for some strange reason their clothes didn't look absolutely smashing on me and I might want to return them...which was actually quite often... I must have spent a small fortune on shipping costs.
Isn't it amazing the power clever marketing has over us? You see it's not so much the clothing really, which is cute but not THAT interesting. It's the promise of adventures that await if you BUY them.
Well I got a new catalog yesterday and here are some examples of what I mean...

We were invited for lunch...

and swimming on a handsome millionaire's yacht!

Here we have the required moped shot.

My own Boden Adventures.. maybe we can get in the catalog too! Maybe this catalog really works!

A Thai beach in Boden!

riding an elephant in Boden!

Goofing around in Boden!