Great British Style

All clothing via Boden:  COAT  |  PANTS  |  SHIRT  |  SHOES  |  BAG I’ve received the Boden catalogue for many years, and while I have always loved what I saw in print, I never actually owned any of their pieces until last spring.  I was invited to preview their fall collection here in New York and when I saw the quality of the fabrics and design of the pieces in person, I was… gobsmacked?  Yes, I think that’s the proper term.  Straight-up gobsmacked. As evidence of my newfound ebullience for the charming British brand, I ordered two sweaters, a pair of pants, a dress and a skirt within seven minutes of getting home that evening.  Because I’m a responsible adult and just wanted to dip my toe in. In my defense, the fall preview event in New York that evening was a full-on redcoat ambush.  These tricky Brits know how idiot Americans (most definitely including yours truly) go crazy for anything stereotypically British, so those cheeky monkeys laid it on thick.  London phone booths, vintage quippy war posters, iconic tube stop signs, cricket paraphernalia… even crumpets for crying out loud.  To make it worse, Dickens and Austen paperbacks were casually strewn around in front of me like a dusting of Sudafed capsules on a meth addict’s birthday cake (yes, I’m watching Breaking Bad right now).  It was mawkish and disgusting.  I loved it so much. But come on, I’ve been to England a million times!  I don’t fall for that crap anymore!  False.  I absolutely still do.  Slap a Winston Churchill quote on basically anything and there’s an 87% chance I’ll go cross-eyed and buy it. The evening ended with Kate Middleton showing me how she does her hair while Prince Harry performed a dramatic reading of the closing scene of A Tale of Two Cities.  It was incredible. (Ok, that part only happened in my mind.) Nevertheless, after the dizzying display of amazing clothing intertwined with the most delicious arrangement of British bits ‘n bobs, I ask you, would any self-respecting anglophile not go home and rabidly order five articles of clothing that are both seasonally inappropriate and totally unnecessary additions to his or her closet?  I think not. In the months since, I’ve honestly worn all of the pieces I ordered from Boden like crazy.  Needless to say, it was a no-brainer when they asked me to work with them in London last month on their autumn/winter collection.  I’m excited that the fall pieces are finally here in all their glory, including the above ensemble (one of my all-time favorites) which we shot in Notting Hill. To me, Boden epitomizes classic, effortless, British style.  And, in context of the country that gave us Newton’s Laws, Maggie Smith, queueing as an art form, the Spice Girls, Colin Firth, dry humor and the United States of America (particular thanks for this one) that’s really saying something. Shop my favorite Boden pieces below (I’m having a tough time resisting this sweater and this jacket) and remember to use the discount code “LDN5” for an exclusive 10% off and free shipping/free returns! JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content. __________________________________________ @MARYORTON ON INSTAGRAM… This post was sponsored by Boden.  All product selections, styling and opinions are my own.