Suit of the Week: Boss

This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

gray suit with asymmetric button and hem

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 for women, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional. Also: we just updated our big roundup for the best women's suits of 2025!

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale opened yesterday to the highest tier of cardholders, and will open tomorrow to most cardholders (those of us who spend less than $5,000 a year at Nordstrom). I'm still working on my roundup, but I think this suit from Boss is lovely.

We all know I love a good asymmetric detail, and I love that the main suiting material is a wool and silk blend. I think this suit would be comfortable, wear well, and the jacket details are just interesting enough that it would be a workhorse for years.

If you've (maybe) heard me mention the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale before, you know how it works: new fall merchandise goes on sale for a limited time — so the price for the jacket during the sale is $365, but after the sale it will go back to $545. The pants are $199 in the sale, but will be $298 after the sale ends; they're available in sizes 0-18.

Sales of note for 7/29/25

  • Nordstrom – The Anniversary Sale is open for everyone — here's our roundup! (ends 8/3)
  • Ann Taylor – 50% off wear-now styles + $50 off dresses and shoes + extra 60% off sale
  • Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
  • Boden – 25% off Mini styles (no women's sales currently)
  • Eloquii – $19+ select styles + extra 45% off all sale
  • J.Crew – Up to 50% off summer styles + extra 50% off sale
  • J.Crew Factory – Extra 70% off clearance
  • M.M.LaFleur – 25% off all previous flash sale items! Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off.
  • Rothy's – Final Few: up to 50% off
  • Spanx – Free shipping on everything
  • Talbots – 25% off your entire purchase + extra 50% markdowns on top of that

96 Comments

  1. I’m trying to eat more mason jar salads — do I need a special product or should I just be saving pickle jars or something? I actually did buy something a while ago but the jars are small and the tops were in two pieces, so I’m wary of buying something again. Thanks!

    1. The two-piece tops are for actual canning. If you still have the jars and they are Ball brand, buy the gray one-piece plastic lids. Those don’t leak.

    2. I just pack salads in a pyrex container and put the dressing in a tiny glass jam jar, one of those single serve things I saved from somewhere. Mason jars look cool but I can’t eat straight from them easily and don’t always have access to another dish.

  2. Is there a nice way to push back on doctor’s offices “requiring” you to arrive 30 minutes to complete one form and then wait 29 minutes or more for your appointment? I’m a time stickler and am never late, but I can’t keep taking out so much wasted time from work. I sometimes get tricked for certain appointments where there may be a surgical prep component (so I assume they really do need that 30 minutes), but they’ve never once called me back early.

      1. That’s what I would normally do but they’re so intense about it – I’m talking repeated notices about how not arriving at the “arrival time” will lead to my appt getting canceled. Are they just lying? How can I tell?

        1. Call their bluff. They want that insurance money. They won’t not-see you if you’re present.

        2. They’re lying. You’ll be called back at the scheduled time. They’re trying to solve for the population that views a 9 am appointment as an invitation to arrive by 9:30.

    1. The 30 minutes isn’t for you to fill out the form. It’s for you to sit there waiting for the front desk to look over the form and call you up to give them your ID and insurance card and copay. They usually don’t bother to do this until the scheduled apointment time. Then you wait another 45 minutes to be called back into a room, and another 30 minutes in the room for the doctor to appear.

    2. My son’s pediatrician was like this and we changed practices because we had to be there 20 minutes early, and the dr would routinely show up 30 minutes late. I don’t have an extra hour in my day to sit around and it was a deal breaker.

    3. do you mean the start time for the appointment, or the actual time you see the doctor? I’ve always understood that the appointment time is when they want you in the waiting room, not when you see the practitioner. I think you can legitimately plan to arrive 5-10 min early, rather than 30 (so for a 9 AM appointment, arrive at 8:50, not 8:30). But even if the doctor habitually runs late, you can’t plan to actually arrive after the stated time and expect to be seen.

      1. I think this is old fashioned. My providers in their 60s and up are doing this — they tell you your appointment time is 10:30 when they have no intention of seeing you before 11:00 on their end, then they see you at will and comfortably run either early or late with no consideration of your wait time. My younger providers run strictly on time according to the actual time they give you but sometimes do ask you to arrive early for paperwork or prep work for a procedure.

        I much prefer the honesty of asking you to arrive early to the deception that your appointment time is actually earlier than it is. Though the deception can help flex your own appointment if it needs to be longer than expected.

        1. unfortunately I’ve had doctors of all ages and professional stages do this. I think it also has to do with things beyond their control (billing/coding requirements, emergencies, insurance pressure to cram too many appointments into a less-than-reasonable interval, etc). Or if there’s control, it’s not at the level of the individual practitioner so much as the practice as a whole. I agree it’s super frustrating!
          But also, doesn’t the “appointment” encompass things like weight, height, blood pressure, nurse stuff that happens before the doctor? That’s not the same as e.g. paperwork. So I don’t think it’s unreasonable to allow 10-15 min for that (appointment at 9, you see doctor at 9:15 seems fine to me fwiw).

          1. +1

            Doctors don’t always know what is going to walk into their door. You may just be there for a routine visit, and then something complicated or concerning is brought up. Doctors are being forced to see more people in less time and sometimes life doesn’t work that way.

            That being said, I would never show up 30 minutes early for paperwork. I try to get there 10 minutes before or so.

    4. I had this problem with my PCP’s office. The scheduling reminder sets the appointment 10 minutes before the actual appointment time and also tells you to arrive 20 mins early. So if you’re a rule follower like I am, you’re showing up 20 mins early. Which is annoying enough, but also, I always make routine appointments for the first appointment of the day. Their instructions have me showing up 20 minutes before the office is even open.

      Now I’ll ask the scheduler when is the ACTUAL appointment time, and they always look super uncomfortable until I tell them the story of me waiting outside for 20 minutes before they opened!

      1. I’ve also showed up long before the doors were even unlocked and wondered what the point was. I also do “e-check-in” at a lot of these practices, which means I have no paperwork to fill out beyond a few electronic signatures at the front desk at most. So I’m not sitting around filling out forms… I’m just sitting around waiting.

    5. I just don’t do it. Don’t have a discussion about it just show up ten minutes early.

    6. Thanks all – I’ll start asking for the appointment time (MyChart often lists arrival time now) and stop playing the game.

    7. I show up on time. Depending on where you go, people get confused and are late. For example, I see a doctor at a big city medical center with complicated parking where it can take a good 20-30 minutes after you arrive per Google maps to actually get to the office.

    8. Make sure you know the individual practice’s policy. My busy derm’s office will charge you for an appointment if you aren’t present within 5 minutes of your appointment time (even though they regularly run late).

      The office staff at my primary is so mean. They will literally shame you if you aren’t there 15 min before the appointment time (it’s clear in their policy that they can cancel and charge but I have yet to see them do it). Last time I was 5 minutes before the appointment time (so 10 min “late” to the desired arrival time) and I explained to them that I had colon cancer and had an unanticipated bathroom stop take longer than I had wanted (which was true). Funny how that shut them up and how much nicer they were to me after the appointment when scheduling the next. I swear, that office hires absolute trolls. If I didn’t like my doctor there so much I would have switched ages ago.

  3. Getting married later this year and planning to go to Hawaii for our honeymoon in the winter to escape the frigid upper midwest. Would you go to Hawaii in February? Is it too rainy? Is it better to wait until later March or April? We’re planning to stay at our resort most of the time and visit Pearl Harbor. Neither of us are hikers, I don’t need to see a volcano. TIA!

    1. February is good! Avoids the peak season crowds and prices, and is not too rainy. But I’ll be that person and say if you don’t care about volcanoes or hiking and plan to spend most of the trip at your resort, I would suggest just going to Mexico or the Caribbean. It’s cheaper and much easier to reach from the Midwest, and there’s a much wider variety of luxury all-inclusive resorts. Hawaii is great and has many natural wonders but doesn’t really go in for the all-inclusive resort and if you what you care about is resort lounging and beaches, the Caribbean is a better fit.

      1. This might sound crazy but given the political situation, I want to avoid going abroad (even if its just Mexico). We’re also going to stop in California for a few days on the way.
        For seeing other sights on O’ahu, would you recommend renting a car?

        1. Yes I’d recommend a car if you want to do much exploring. You can no doubt arrange tours to famous places like Pearl Harbor, but a car rental will quickly become more economical if you want to see more than 2 or 3 attractions. You’ll probably also want to drive to restaurants unless you stay in downtown Honolulu and are walking distance from many places. Your resort will likely only have a couple restaurants on site and resort food tends to be mediocre.

    2. If you’re planning on staying at your resort most of the time, I would choose something like an all-inclusive. You can find something closer and cheaper thatn Hawaii if you are traveling from the midwest.

      You mentioned Pearl Harbor, so I’m assuming you would be staying in/near Honolulu. There is also Diamond Head and the north shore to visit. I wouldn’t spend all that time/money to travel there and only see one attraction. I feel like Hawaii is more of an active destination.

    3. If you’re just going to stay at the resort, Hawaii is a LONG haul. Why not the USVI if you don’t want to leave the country??

    4. We went to Hawaii in February for our honeymoon and it was fantastic. Weather was great. I will tell you that we got married February 10 and it does affect our dinner reservations and doing anything fun on the weekend because many times it’s Valentine’s Day. It doesn’t bother me…..but giving you a heads up!

  4. How does everyone here see aging? I am in my mid 30s and for the last year or so I have been having a very hard time with getting older. I keep having thoughts such as the best years of my life are over, fear of looking old, not wanting my kids to get older, etc

    1. Man, I’m 59 and I have this on steroids (aside from the kids getting older part). I know I don’t look as good as I used to, but I think I still look ok, and I fear looking worse. I’m also in a situation where I might need a new job,. I feel I will be able to get one relatively easily, but I don’t love the idea of starting over now.

      All that is to say, it doesn’t get better but you learn to live with it.

      1. +1

        OP – I would think a little on what else is going on in your life right now. Is your anxiety worse for any reason? Has something happened recently that has changed things?

        Because honestly, I am becoming more and more relieved as each decade closes. In many ways, things get better.

        Get off the internet/social media etc… and get outside with your family as much as possible. And start volunteering if you have time for worrying. Use that time in a better way.

    2. The alternative to getting older is death. You can take your pick, but I’m okay with aging!

    3. I’m 39 and I feel lucky to get older and that it just keeps getting better. I also feel like each decade keeps getting better. I am stronger (physically and mentally) than I was in my twenties primarily because of yoga, weightlifting, hiking and meditation. A friend made a comment recently about us heading into our forties and I realized I don’t dread my forties, but look forward to getting stronger yet. I say yes or no more easily to things now because I trust myself.

    4. I’m trying to motivate it to set goals and get stuff done, because if not now then when? Of course one of those goals is to relax and enjoy life more.

    5. I just turned 43 on Sunday and I am so grateful to see this age. I’m grateful that my kids are out of the infant & toddler stages – turns out I really like elementary school kids! I don’t see my best years behind me, I feel like I’m aging like fine wine. I hope I’m here for decades more and continuing to live my best life.

    6. It’s a privilege to age. I’d like to continue to age healthily but after a couple of major health issues, I’m just happy to be here. Crow’s feet, wiry gray hairs, and all.

    7. I am LOVING aging. I turn 50 this year. You have to take care of yourself, sure — sleep and water, weightbearing exercise, preventative medicine. But I’m way, way more sure of myself and more comfortable in my skin and in my brain. And I’m braver about learning new things, trying things out, etc.

      Aging can offer certain kinds of freedom. Try to embrace what you can.

    8. I’m 49, don’t dye my hair, have 2 kids. Work from home so I feel thoroughly unfashionable. Overweight (and barely losing on a GLP). The weight bothers me the most, followed by all those little aches and pains that feel more omnipresent now — I have this feeling like these are my last few years to really push to be in excellent physical shape or I’m going to start losing it (in the use it or lose it idea). I read somewhere that when you retire you should act like your job is to exercise as much as you can, and I think about that often. (Says the girl struggling to get 100 squats in various points across the day.)

      But yea, still feel like a girl in many respects too. I thought I’d be more adultish by now.

      1. I’m 36 and I don’t feel like a real adult sometimes. I see how the mom in Home Alone is dressed and it’s so far from my sloppy teenaged-aesthetic reality.

    9. Not wanting your kids to get older always strikes me as extremely dark. I love watching my kids become themselves. It’s the best part of parenting for me.

      Nothing is guaranteed. Life is short. What’s that quote: we’re here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that death should tremble to take us?

      I’m going to keep building relationships, having fun, and trying to look cute as long as I can. My fourties’ absolutely rock. I swear I haven’t even hit my stride yet.

      1. Also I might get a facelift soon. And I’m not going to gaf if anyone notices or judges.

      2. Yeah, it’s dark but a high school classmates lost her 3 year old to cancer so I really can’t fathom when people say things like they’re grieving seeing their kids growing up. Growing up is what’s *supposed* to happen, and not all kids do. It’s a privilege, even for young people. And yes, watching your kids become their full selves is just marvelous!

        1. Yes, this. One. Ephesus doesn’t three, a sister at 16 and a brother at 24. I will happily watch my kid get older.

    10. That sounds like a fairly miserable way to spend the next 50 years of your life.

      But I just went to an outdoor yoga class at lunch time with my 13 year old so I’m currently enjoying my 40s. It’s been years since I’ve wiped a bottom other than my own which is also great.

    11. I’m 48, and it has only recently started bothering me, probably because my parents are now really starting to slow down and I see my future. It does make me sad, and I worry about what caregiving may look like in my future, as my husband is 8 years older than me. But I am also looking forward to being an empty nester with him, and starting to think about what we will do with our time when he and eventually I retire. And you never know how much time you have. My husband had a stroke about a week after he turned 50 due to a previously undiagnosed and rare autoimmune condition. Luckily, he made a nearly complete recovery, but he’s had other problems related to his condition and the blood thinners it requires him to take. It’s made me truly appreciate physical good health more.

      I didn’t get married until I was 33, or have a child until I was 35, so definitely didn’t feel like life was over in my mid 30s – a lot was just getting started for me. I guess it depends on what you like about your life, but for me, a lot has been better in my 40s. I like my job more, I like being the parent of an older kid more, and we have a lot more disposable income that has allowed us to travel, do fun things, and just not be worried all the time about spending money. I have never been super attractive, so I don’t worry so much about losing my looks as I age; I am also lucky in that I still have very little gray hair (genetic). Another thing that has probably helped is getting more into running – I can physically run a lot farther now than I could when I was younger, even though my body is aging. All that to say – find things to look forward to! Try new things!

    12. Go watch the short film from Patagonia called North Shore Betty about a woman absolutely shredding on her mountain bike in her 70s. She only STARTED biking in her 40s.

    13. I’m 36, just had my one and done baby last year right before my birthday, and I feel young. I’m signing up for a whitewater kayaking clinic next year and I can’t wait to take my baby on adventures with me. Getting back into shape has taken longer than I expected but I feel like my life is ahead of me despite some chronic medical problems.

    14. I turned 40 this year and for the first time feel like I look… not old, but noticeably not youthful. I don’t have a lot of wrinkles, at least not that I can see, but my skin just looks… dull and tired. I’ve never worn any makeup, which may be a factor (I’ve heard it’s more important as you age? but when I tried foundation it just seems to emphasize the few fine lines I do have. So I dunno).

      But I’ve never felt like the best years of my life are over or not wanted my kid to get older. My child is still in elementary school so maybe I’ll be singing a different tune when she’s a teen or grown up and out of the house, but I really did not enjoy the toddler years and since age 4 have enjoyed each year markedly more than the last. I did love having a baby (I had an easy one who slept a lot) but also didn’t find it hard to say goodbye to that stage. The bigger kid years are wonderful. Big kids can do so much more than babies and toddlers, are so much fun to talk to, and can really share your interests or expose you to their own. In the last year or so, my daughter and I have traveled to three continents (including Africa, which I would not have wanted to take her to when she was really little), gone horseback riding and ziplining, gotten massages and pedicures together, seen half a dozen Broadway touring productions, sampled every afternoon tea service in our city, watched the Wicked movie probably 20 times, hosted large groups of girls for slumber parties, and so many more things that have brought me so much joy.

  5. Is match.com worth it? I’m mid-30s, been single for basically forever, and want to find a great guy to settle down with and start a family. I’ve been on the apps on and off and it just seems like the same guys on all the apps but nobody wants to commit.

    1. Join them all. Ten years ago (a lifetime in dating app time, I know), I was very much dating to look for a husband, and I was on all the apps. For me, I went on lots of first dates and quickly ruled out guys based on, well, anything – my thinking was, “Am I butterflies-in-my-tummy excited enough about this guy that I’d want to wake up next to him every day for forever?” If I didn’t get that feeling, next! I did meet my husband on Tinder (and that’s the only app he was on, and only for a couple weeks), so there’s hope! And I still feel excited that we’re together :)

      As for the guys you’re seeing, be glad guys don’t want to commit up front – they’re telling you plainly who they are. Better than playing games!

    2. Well, it’s where I met my husband when I was in your shoes, so I’d say yes. But this was about 7 years ago now.

    3. I say go for it! I think when it comes to dating if you feel called to join a certain app or website, why not try it? If it doesn’t work out you can always delete your profile. Best of luck!

    4. Yes, try it and the other ones too! I found my husband on eharmony about 12 years ago. Not sure if that one is still good but can’t hurt to try! Keep an open mind and try to have fun. I was single for so long too. I tried to think of first dates as just an opportunity to meet someone new, have a night out, get out of my comfort zone. Good luck!!

    5. totally agree with everyone else, if you’re going to try one try them all. if you can make a fake profile as a man on each site first to see what the competition looks like; that should help you assess how to tailor your message.

    6. i don’t know what your demographic is but i think match is old and outdated. Hinge, bumble, jdate or similar if you’re looking to target a specific demographic. yes lots of people are on multiple sights and sure some people don’t want to commit but stay away from hyperbolic statements. you only need one! signed, 4 years happily in (i’m 50) with a man i met on hinge.

    7. I met my fiancé on Bumble but I had a ton of horrible dates for years! It was very disappointing and difficult to stay motivated at times. My friends have also had good luck with Hinge, Bumble and Tinder was hit or miss. I do know someone who found their spouse on EHarmony though! It’s all hit or miss but worth a shot!

  6. I have this suit in the blue slub color it came in last season (almost exact same as this, just navy instead of gray) and LOVE it. It’s gorgeous. I did wear my larger size in the pants, which tracks with Boss sizing.

  7. I saw this comment in this morning’s discussion about phone use in teens, and it really rang true for me:

    > +1 I can see the adverse impacts smart phones have on me, a 37 year old adult. (I type on my phone, while browsing the internet when I have something much more urgent and important to do.) I can’t imagine what this would have done to my brain as a teenager.

    I’m curious how many of us feel like our own phone and internet usage is affecting us negatively. Not looking for broad societal takes or takes about kids. You, as an adult – what is your personal experience?

    1. I’m an attorney, so I am physically attached to my phone, but if I could figure out a way to get rid of it and still be a productive mid-40s partner with kids who are all over the place schedule-wise, I absolutely would. I hate that everyone expects me to have a phone and app access now. I love being able to put it away on the weekends and when traveling. I wish it never became a thing.

      1. This is how I feel. I literally cannot get into my office’s parking garage or login to my work computer without my phone. I miss the days of accidentally forgetting it at home and thinking, “oops! oh well,” instead of it wrecking my whole day. I do screen time limits and have basically no fun apps on my phone anymore, but I still feel like I want to scroll all the time. The worst part is hanging out with friends or family members who have it worse than I do and are just constantly on the phone when we’re together – it reduces the quality of our time together so much.

        1. Don’t even get me started on how two-factor authentication keeps you running for your phone all the time.

      2. Also an attorney, and switched to separate work and personal cell phones. If you haven’t done it, I recommend it as the ability to leave the work cell phone in the kitchen or living room in the evening is a more than you would expect improvement on my life.

    2. It absolutely has detrimental effects on my attention in particular, my memory, my sense of connectedness to the present, and to my mood. I miss my teenage and college years when I didn’t have a phone. The dopamine hit I get from getting updates is real, and doom scrolling does not really help me feel better when I am stressed out. If I could find a way to disconnect from it – I am connected for work reasons – I would, but the poll right now is really strong. I would love to hear other ideas for digital detoxes when moving to a Homestead in a rural county is not an option.

    3. It’s so negative. Concentration is destroyed, distraction is high, can’t memorize anything, get stuck in every toxic thread here. I’m working to stop.

    4. For me it’s the temptation to not give my full attention to what I’m ostensibly supposed to be doing, whether that’s watching a movie for fun or checking work email. I’m not a heavy social media user but I’ve noticed that single use devices like my kindle make it much easier to stay focused on reading for a significant length of time and your question made me consider that my very great pleasure in cycling is enhanced by being out of reach of distraction; I’m out of reach of devices and I have some of my best insights and ideas out on my bike.

    5. I was the OP and I agree with all of this, honestly. But I now need my phone for so many things.

      I took the kids to an amusement park over the weekend and you had to have an e-ticket. They got rid of the gate attendants. I think maybe you could buy it at home in advance and then print it and bring it, but only if you knew in advance. Otherwise, it’s on your phone. So is the park map.

      This is somewhere my kid is going to be allowed to go alone (with friends) and it’s so annoying that she “needs” a smart phone or to rely on her friend (so, someone’s kid has to have one!) to go to the damn amusement park.

      I need mine to pay for street parking because the stupid meters don’t take real money anymore.

      1. Yup. I hate it. And it doesn’t feel like I have much choice in the matter if I want to, you know, be part of society.

        1. It’s like saying you won’t use electricity or plumbing. This is where the world is now.

    6. This is a tiny thing I’ve noticed: my tolerance for less than 100% engaging books is gone. If a story isn’t holding my attention, I go straight to the phone, where in times past I would have just read on and finished the book.

      1. Same and it disturbs me. Even worse, I’ve missed my phone during what should be quality time with my family. It’s pathetic and I will not let my kid go down this route while he’s still young.

      2. This is so, so common. I have a family member who is an editor and he was telling us this weekend how books are changing because of our society’s shortened attention spans. Horrifying.

  8. How do you deal with just being over working? I was super burned out at my old job so I switched to a lower paid lower stress job. Now I’m kind of bored with the work but also there’s nothing else I’m excited to do, work wise. Im casually browsing job listings to see if there’s something that inspires me and they all just sound terrible. I’m mid career and probably have 15+ more years of work ahead of me.

      1. +1. I also read ~150 books a year, many of them primarily during business hours (I wfh). I guess that’s considered a hobby.

    1. I leaned hard into the FIRE lifestyle, cut my expenses heavily, and am now at a place where I really could quit any time I wanted, but if I want to travel heavily in retirement, I can keep working. Feeling like I’m working to provide myself with luxuries rather than feeling like I’m working to provide myself with necessities makes work a lot more fun.

    2. I’m 45 and very over the never-ending stress of the professional world. I look at job listings, and honestly? None of it sounds particularly appealing. I would be happy to continue working but would honestly prefer a lower-level job. Unfortunately, these are my prime earning years, so I soldier on and hope to take a big step back at some point.

    1. I honestly do not see how this is anywhere near a midi skirt, but that said, it is just like The Skirt.

    2. I don’t think the V in the front was part of THE SKIRT but otherwise very similar.

Comments are closed.