Reader N writes in with a question about warm pants…
I am based in Northern California, and have recently started having to travel for business. I am finding that the wool pants I buy around me are no match for winter in Philadelphia, Cincinnati and New York. I’m told that I should find lined wool pants for warmth, but can’t seem to find any. Are there other fabrics that would be warm enough? To add an additional wrinkle I am a size 18 , so I need to find someplace that carries extended sizes as well.
Welcome to the land of seasons! Out here, if the low temperatures don’t get you, the windchill factor will. We’re weirdly excited to share with you one of the best secrets we picked up from our undergrad years, which we spent in a city known for sub-zero temperatures: silk long johns. Wear these babies under regular pants or jeans and you’ll be comfortable (with a proper jacket) below 35 degrees or so — if it’s very cold (and windchill takes it subzero), we’d suggest wearing them with wool pants.
The amazing thing about silk long johns is a) they’re super thin, so they don’t add bulk to your pants; b) they’re silk, so they block the wind like nobody’s business, and c) when you’re inside, in a normal temperature, you don’t really notice they’re there — it isn’t like a cashmere or wool sweater that can feel suffocating. As a bonus, d), if you’re wearing unlined wool pants, they stop the pants from being itchy. Ok, and fine, e) the other great thing is that you can usually find the long johns, on sale for around $15, at your local Filene’s. (They also come in fun patterns, such as the one pictured above (available at WinterSilks for $24) but we recommend your basic black for a working wardrobe.)
We’re fans of the Winter Silks line (and we notice that they do carry a full range of sizes, including women’s, talls, and petites); silk long johns are also available through Land’s End.
Off topic note: Alas, because they’re silk, they can be a bit see-through — so they won’t be appropriate for your next Jammy Party.
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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
The color is really what drew us to this basic long-sleeved t-shirt — love that blue. We’d wear it beneath a gray suit, or perhaps with navy pants and a cardigan in a cream color — and we always think pearls go perfectly with boatnecks. Gap is having an online-only sale on regularly-priced merchandise through 1/24 (code: SPRING20), so it’s 20% off the marked price, which is $22. Available in XS – XXL, and in talls and petites. Gap Button detail boatneck T
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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! (More importantly, happy long weekend). For today’s TPS, we were actually torn between two items — this lovely sweater and this
off-season but simple shift dress. We ultimately decided that the sweater is what we really like — particularly for right now. We like the double satin edging, the bright pop of color, and the long length — perfect for adding a belt or wearing open over a shift dress. It’s $29.50 at Old Navy, available in 6 colors and sizes XS through XXL in regular petites, and talls. Women: Women’s Satin-Trim Cardigans – Bougainvillea Pink
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Oooh — some great sales already starting. For starters, www.endless.com
has 60% off designer shoes and some bags — check out the Bulga and Botkier collections. Similarly, Bare Necessities
seems to have started its Black Friday sale already — tons of basic t-shirts (like this
one) on sale, as well as shapewear.
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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
Banana Republic has a number of good specimens of that elusive beast, the long-sleeved dress. We like the sedate circle print on this, the knee-length skirt, and the flattering ruched waist. Obviously, a camisole will be a must (we’d suggest black); we’d probably accessorize the outfit with a simple pendant necklace and perhaps a cuff worn on top of one of the sleeves. It’s $125 and available in regular, petites, and talls in sizes XS-XL. Women: Circle-print wrap dress – Dark burgundy
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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
Let’s be honest here — unless you’re built like a model, if you wear a high-waisted pencil skirt you’re likely to be rocking the shapewear. Spiegel saves you a step by including a built-in “powerful mesh control slip” in the skirt, along with lace “grippers” so it doesn’t ride up. We saw a girl wearing this look about a week ago and it really did look amazing — we’d suggest wearing a short-sleeved blouse with it, or perhaps a simple black scoop-necked tee. It’s on sale for $29.99 (was $39) at Spiegel.com in sizes 2-18 in regular, petite and tall. Shape fx Two-Way Stretch Control Skirt
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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
Reader A wrote to us, raving about the quality of this season’s cardigans at Old Navy — she noted that there are many “normal, pretty things this season . . . some great classic pieces available, and many of them (particularly the cardigans) seemed well made.” She actually called out this sweater, but after checking Old Navy.com we had to draw your eyes to this lovely purple sweater — it’s a great way to add a pop of color to an otherwise drab wardrobe. We’d wear it with gray trousers and perhaps a white bodysuit blouse beneath it, and maybe add a black and yellow accent by way of an accessory — a brooch, a scarf, a necklace. Lovely. The cardigan is available in 8 colors, regular and tall, sizes XS to XXL, and it’s on sale — was $29.50, now $15. Women: Women’s Softest Cable-Knit Cardigans – Bougainvillea Pink
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Sure, we all know what basics professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.
Sure — everyone who lives in a cold climate knows that you’ve got to have a warm winter coat. But which winter coat is best? For our $.02, it’s knee-length, which covers both your skirts but doesn’t overwhelm you if you’re petite, and is slightly bigger than the size you normally wear, so you can fit your suit jackets beneath it. Also, we’ve always heard that a wool/cashmere blend is much warmer than a pure cashmere blend. You should try to get it dry-cleaned once a season (too much more and it will look worn too soon), and hope to have it last at least 3 winters. Although funnel necks seem to be in this season, we’re in favor of the traditional “walking coat” for the your basic (but preferably one that does have the option to fasten all the way up to your neck, so you don’t need to rely on scarves to keep you warm). These are the best winter coats we can find online, but we really suggest going to the store to check them out — the wool should feel soft, not scratchy, and that’s something best compared in person; furthermore, the intangibles (such as inside pockets and a fun printed lining) aren’t often featured online).
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For our money, this is a great looking coat. We wish it were made of a more lux fabric, though — a wool/nylon blend can sometimes be itchy. Larry Levine Coat, A-Line Wool Walker, available at Macys.com — was $290, now $216. |
We really like this one from Jones New York, as well — originally $340, it’s marked to $238 at JNY.com.
Everyday Wool Coat |
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The J.Crew coats are classic ones, also; they come in a ton of colors and have the option for thinsulate. Double-cloth lady day coat, available at Jcrew.com for $318 with thinsulate (and available in talls and petites). |
| The belted coat is another way to go, although not our preference — the belt can sometimes rumple the jacket, or make the overall effect look a bit like a bathrobe. If you don’t mind those caveats, though, then we like the asymmetrical zip on this one, and particularly love the wool/cashmere blend. Now $319, was $470 at Overstock.com. Cole Haan Wool Cashmere Asymmetrical Zip Belted Coat
(Be sure to check out the Cole Haan sale at RueLaLa.com today, as well!) |
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This is a great example of this season’s funnel-neck craze — we like the fitted look with the belt here (caveats noted above). Burberry Wool/Cashmere Coat, available at Saks.com for $795. |
This is another great example of the funnel-neck trend, but one that seems a bit more conservative — the length is also very wearable, and the shape isn’t too flared or dress-like. Like it. This one is the major splurge of the bunch: Fleurette Cashmere & Wool Coat , available at Nordstrom’s for $1425. |
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Our current winter coat is a Via Spiga wool/cashmere blend walking coat that we got at Macy’s about two years ago; it was originally priced around $500; we particularly like the colorful silky lining, which makes it very easy to find quickly in a coat closet. Readers, what do you look for in a winter coat?
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For busy working women, the suit is often the easiest outfit to throw on in the morning. In general, this feature is not about interview suits, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional.
Great wool suit from Ann Taylor, which — for some reason — is available online only. Particularly, we love the color, called “clover melange” — it’s a great basic to wear with white, black, or navy, but also purple or teal (as pictured, actually); we’d also try it with yellow. We also love a good wool with a bit of stretch. The jacket (Wool Classic Jacket) is $230, the skirt (Wool Stretch Faux Sarong Skirt) is $110, and the pants (Signature Wool Cuffed Trousers) are $130; the jacket and pants are available in regular, petites, and tall sizes 00-18; the skirt is available in regular and petite sizes 0-16.
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For busy working women, the suit is often the easiest outfit to throw on in the morning. In general, this feature is not about interview suits, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional.
Reader E wrote to us to suggest this lovely purple tweed suit, and it sparked our interest because it is available in regular, petites, and tall, which we don’t see very often. We like the two pieces together, but we like that they would both look nice on their own, as well — the jacket would look lovely, open, with a long-sleeved turtleneck beneath it and trousers; the skit would look great with very high heels and a navy sweater. Our suggester, E, also asked what kind of shirt we’d wear beneath it — we would advise either a thin short-sleeved scoopneck tee, or a turtleneck or other long-sleeved tee. (Either way, we’d cut down on drycleaning costs by putting a barrier between us and the jacket.) The jacket (Exploded Herringbone Stand Collar Jacket) is $238-$248, and the skirt (Exploded Herringbone Metro Skirt) is $138 at Pendleton-USA.com.
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