Reader C wrote in to recommend this item, which seems like it fills a definite niche:
This cami bra is my new best friend. I have it in white and in black. It is perfect under wrap dresses and the like for work. Some people might prefer the “cami” to come up a little higher, but if I need to be that conservative I’m probably wearing a suit anyway. I had been looking for a product like this for years but the ones at Neiman’s were too lacy and crazy expensive. This one is perfect. No more cutting off perfectly good camis so they bottom line won’t show through. Packing for a trip just got easier too. (How many times have I packed the blouse or dress but forgotten the cami?) Incidentally, at least on me, a 34-D, the support and shaping of the bra is very good and the comfort is fine, though I probably could have done with a DD, which is not available.
Wow! The bra apparently features an underwire, so this is a full-on bra (and not, say, a “dickey” like I remember wearing as a teenager — Amazon has a few lace dickies
for sale; they may also be called “modesty panels
“) I do like this more modern cami bra, though, and can see how it would be welcomed by a lot of women in the summertime. This one is $32 at Target, and is available in white and black. Assets® by Sara Blakely ® Foundations Cami Bra
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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
Reader K writes in, noting “I had to let you know about this tank. I own it in four colors and wear it ALL the time. I don’t typically shop at EB, but this is one item that I will continue to buy over and over. I love this tank because it is the only one that I can wear to the office without showing cleavage! I have a short torso and only wear a B cup, but any other cami (especially the ones with a built-in bra-type thing) tends to just shove my chest up and out, which is clearly inappropriate for the office. The tank fits great and I wear it under almost everything since most things end up looking low-cut on me. It runs a little large, so I buy a size down. I also like that it is a smooth cotton, not ribbed, which would be too casual. This is a must have for anyone who has problems finding a cami / tank that doesn’t show cleavage.” Looks like it’s loved by many — it has 4.5 stars. It’s available in burgundy (pictured), black, chambray blue, navy, chocolate, ivory and white (in regulars, petites, and talls) and costs $19.50 unless you buy two or more (save $2.50 each). Shaped Fit Clean Finish Tank Top
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We were a bit flummoxed when we got this e-mail:
I am an attorney and I just recently bought a super cute camisole from JCrew to go with a new light summer suit. The problem is, I don’t know what to wear underneath it because it is a little sheer. I assume I will be wearing my suit jacket over the camisole the whole time, but I’m still a little nervous about just wearing it plain. I was looking at nude colored shaping camisoles, but I am really clueless when it comes to that stuff. Any ideas?
OK. Let’s assume the reader bought a darker color of the camisole, and not a flesh-colored one, and is still having second thoughts about how to wear it by itself. Here’s our $.02: There are many things this camisole is great for. Layering beneath a v-neck cardigan. Layering beneath a dress that is a little too low-cut. Layering beneath a — well, anything. It’s a nice fabric that will feel nice against your skin. We would even say that this camisole is great for a blazer that you’re going to keep buttoned up (although, lazy as we are, we prefer to wear a t-shirt beneath a blazer like that because anything with sleeves will help you keep it clean and odor-free between drycleanings). However — we have a problem envisioning a way to wear this as a blouse that wouldn’t make people in the hallway think, “Wait, did she forget to put on a top today?” Here are some general problems that we see with this that we would avoid, in general, for office wear:
- Sheer
- Spaghetti straps
- A back that is so low-cut it’s unclear if your bra will be peeking out of the top of it (let’s assume that the front is, or can be adjusted to be, high-cut enough)
On a summer day, without concern for the spaghetti straps, we might advise you to buy a second, identical camisole from J.Crew and wear it under the first to make it more opaque without adding too many competing straps. But for work? We think this piece works best as a layering piece for the office. But: that’s just our $.02. Readers, what do you say?
Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. We begin the week in splurge mode, with our most expensive suggestions, and wind our way to Friday, where a less expensive item of clothing might be just what you need to make it to the weekend.
Old Navy is having some great sales right now: the clearance section, for starters, is 50% off with code HALFOFF. (If you’re an outdoor runner, be sure to check out their fleece pullovers in the bargain section — great for layering.) In the non-clearance section, there are a number of great basics, both for work and for the weekend, such as these lovely camisoles. Regularly $8, they’re now $5 each if you buy two. We’ve spoken of their camisoles before, but briefly: they’re simple and thin for when you want something to wear under a button-down (lest the buttons gape), they’re great beneath sweaters when you want a slightly smoother line without the discomfort of a Spanx-like apparatus, and they’re great when you’re wearing a dress or shirt that is just a bit too low cut. We particularly like the blue shades for this last purpose — if you’re trying to raise the neckline of a blue dress you all too often have to resort to white (or purple or green or some other non-blue color) because it’s too hard to find something to match; we like that the Dark Night and Dark Sea Blue camisoles a) increase your chances of getting a match and b) even if it doesn’t match, it’ll look better than white. Women: Women’s Basic Camis – Dark Night
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