Thursday’s Workwear Report: Belted Shirtdress
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
This shirtdress from Mango caught my eye when I was looking for some machine-washable dresses for summer. The medium blue color is almost a neutral, but not quite.
I would wear this to the office with a navy sweater over my shoulders and a pair of comfy flats.
The dress is on sale for $69.99 (marked down from $99.99) at Macy’s and comes in sizes XS-XL.
Sales of note for 4/24:
- Ann Taylor – Friends of Ann Event, 30% off your purchase PLUS $50 off $100! Readers love this popover blouse, and their suiting is also in the sale.
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Brooklinen – 25% off sitewide — we have and love these sateen sheets
- Evereve – Now through Sunday: up to 70% off! Markdowns include Alex Mill, Michael Stars, Sanctuary, Rails, Xirena, and Z-Supply
- Express – $39+ Summer Styles
- J.Crew – Friends & Family Event, 30% off your purchase! Good deals on blazers and boots
- J.Crew Factory – 40% off everything, extra 50% off clearance, and extra 20% off $125+
- Lands' End – 50% off full price styles and 60% off all clearance and sale – lots of ponte dresses come down under $25, and this packable raincoat in gingham is too cute
- Loft – Friends & Family event, 40% off entire purchase + extra 15% off + free shipping
- M.M.LaFleur – This weekend only, save 25% on dresses. Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off.
- Nordstrom – 1500+ new women's markdowns
- Sephora – Up to 50% off hair deals today only – includes Shark Beauty tools! (See our recent discussion on how to upgrade the Revlon brush.)
- Talbots – Friends & Family event, 30% off entire purchase – today only, free shipping, no minimum
- TOCCIN – Use code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off!
- Vivrelle – Looking to own less stuff but still try trends? Use code CORPORETTE for a free month, and borrow high-end designer clothes and bags!
Great pick. Didn’t know Macy’s has Mango. The other thing I have been getting there is cosmetics. You can easily search for products that are cruelty free or silicone free.
Macy’s carrying Mango is great – I need two new suits early next year, so will definitely check this out in the fall.
I don’t hate the look, it would be nice for church, but I would never wear something like this to the office (it feels like a costume somehow) and it’s too much fabric for actual summer event.
I think this is one of those things where your frame really comes into play. I’m tall and think this would work for a more casual work day. My BFF who is petite and short waisted would look a little too fundie-chic to pull this off.
totally agree! I would look like a frumpy extra from Mad Men in this, but someone with a different build would look crisp and fresh.
Exactly. This would be smashing on CJ Cregg.
I just bought a similar dress from Quince (Vintage Wash Tencel Button Front Dress) as an XL and hated it, the construction of the bust made it poor for plus sizes. Unfortunately, this looks very similar (but ties in the front instead of the back).
I bought this dress too and had the same issue. I’m not plus size but I do have a bust and it just fit really weirdly.
In general I think shirt dresses are fine in a non-business-formal office
I know I am in the minority because I love wearing shirt dresses to the office in the summer. This one, however, has way too much polyester for me. Seems like a recipe for clammy cling and pit sweat highlights.
Also take into account your office. This would be on the formal side for my office.
I like Mango’s clothing, but I find that their dresses and tops don’t work great if you have a bust.
Nuts, I was just about to comment that this waistline looks a little moveable because of the sash, so it might be forgiving for large busts — seamed waistlines are always too high for me because my chest takes up so much room. This is why I’ve nearly given up on dresses. Either the waist eats my bust or it hangs like a maternity dress.
I don’t see how this is costumey; what costume? This looks like something people wear?
I agree it’s not formal enough for my workplace but I think it’d be fine for plenty of workplaces.
The question regarding teenage dates yesterday afternoon was so interesting to me.
I am from Western Europe, so the teenage dating culture is a lot different than in the US, I think. My parents and the parents of my friends were much more liberal than what I’m seeing in the US.
My girlfriends and I all had boyfriends starting at about 14/15, and it was normal to go on 1:1 dates for ice cream, movies, to the park etc. Of course, group dates or hanging out as a clique also happened plenty. I had about 4 or 5 boyfriends between 14 and 18.
Room doors at home could be closed even with the boyfriend over, but one of my parents was usually there. That being said, smaller apartments meant limited privacy in general. Also, my family didn’t like spontaneous visitors, so hanging out with friends of either gender at home was not happening without asking my parents first. With most of my high school girlfriends, things were very similar.
That being said, all my boyfriends respected boundaries, so the more s*xual stuff happened very gradually over time. I didn’t lose my virginity until almost 18, to a long time boyfriend that I had dated for 6 months or more before that event (and we were together for about 18 months). Birth control was readily available – I went on the pill at 16 and my parents gave me a pack of condoms at around 15/16 just to be sure. If an accident had happened, abortion services would have been somewhat readily available.
I guess I need to do things much differently with my son once he’s a teenager, given we live in the US.
Being oppressive and controlling doesn’t work, education does. There’s a reason religious and fundie folks have the highest rate of teenage pregnancy.
Education plus removing the opportunity works best.
And not coddling the men responsible (especially when statistically it’s a lot of the same 18+ guys especially in rural/small town, religious, and fundie circles).
+1. I commented yesterday that if you ban a teenager from being alone with boys she’ll just learn she has to lie to you. My friends who made the riskiest choices (hanging out with untrustworthy guys, putting themselves in unsafe situations, gardening unprotected) were the ones with overly conservative parents.
There’s a lot of variation even in the US. This all sounds pretty similar to how I grew up, except I wasn’t popular enough for boyfriends in high school so I didn’t really date until college. I think my parents probably would have wanted bedroom doors open while hanging out with a boy as a teen, especially a young teen like 13. But otherwise everything you wrote is similar to their attitiude.
This was my experience for the general dating vibe as a teen in the US (late 90s) also. However, whether or not your parents were forthcoming with birth control was very family-dependent.
+1 to the BC being family dependent, but I was also in a major city so Planned Parenthood was a popular option.
From what I’m seeing with my teens, there are more group hangs (mixed gender) and less pairing off and official dating. Lower pressure, but I think some of the excitement/charm of solo dates is missing which is kind of sad. It was also a marker of seriousness to ask someone out on a one on one date – that happened more frequently in 11th/12th grade.
It seems like a there is a lot less going out on dates and a lot more on-line conversation than there was when Gen X and older millennials (parents of current dating-age teens) were that age.
Seconding others–my experience in the US (and that of my friends) was quite similar to this. I think there was more of a “bedroom doors open” policy than you describe, but I think of that as sort of a tradeoff since we were living in bigger houses with more spatial privacy than you describe. Also, IIRC, yesterday’s post was talking about an 8th grader, and my observation has been that there’s a big inflection point between 8th and 9th grade, at least where kids are still in middle school in 8th and have started high school in 9th. The overall tone of the responses might have been quite different had the prompt specified a kid even one year older.
+1 to responses would have been different for an older kids. 13 is 7th or 8th grade. That’s awfully young for “real” dating.
As the mom of a boy, you need to teach him to keep his pants zipped.
What about consent and using contraception?
As the mom of two boys, you need to teach him (and everyone) about consent. “Keep your pants zipped” is not actually teaching anything.
I hope boys are more respectful these days in USA.
My parents were pretty chill but I had a serious relationship between ages 15-19, so I think they approached it differently than if I had been casually dating.
Re. the offhanded comment about abortion availability: why do people focus on teen pregnancy as the only possible undesirable outcome of teen hanky-panky, and treat abortion as an easy solution? I am as pro-choice as they come, but I have also seen teen girls suffer emotional trauma from engaging in intimate relations even when no pregnancy results. The trauma of having to end a pregnancy would be greater. And what about disease? Intimate relations have serious repercussions far beyond pregnancy, and only an adult brain is truly equipped to handle the risk assessment involved and to deal with the emotional fallout of a poor choice.
This.
If your first experience is coercive, imagine the rest of your life. Everything in this department has such a long tail.
I’m a doors-open sort of person, only because it sets an expectation, sort of like how I expect anything I type to be suitable to being published for attribution. I want my kid and any guest to act as if they could be subject to sudden observation and act accordingly: with kindness and mutual respect (including self-respect).
My kids (both girls) know that needing to immediately let me know they didn’t feed the dog is their safe phrase for an immediate rescue from any situation. We do have a dog (who is actually overfed).
I didn’t read the comment as «abortion is easy», but more like «I had agency and choice, even if the different types of contraception I had available should fail»
I don’t think people treat teen pregnancy as the only possible undesirable outcome. I do think it is, in most cases, one of the most impactful outcomes and one of the most easily avoided when teens have information, awareness, and access to birth control. And talking about teen pregnancy and birth control is essential to ensuring teens have information, awareness, and access.
+1
Are we unable to write “sex” here?
Some of us use work computers to view this site on quick breaks.
As the mom of a teen daughter, I don’t think I would trust a teen girl to be able to confidently stand up for herself until at least college, and maybe a year or two later than that for some girls. As a result, I limited opportunities for her to find herself in that situation as much as possible while she was in high school.
I highly recommend the writings of Lisa Damour to all parents of teens. Her take on this topic focuses on teaching kids to identify and stand up for what it is they really want, and to respect others’ wishes as well. On a practical level, I just don’t think kids are developmentally capable of putting such adult thinking into practice until at least their late teens, so I focused on teaching my child these values while also protecting her until her decision-making capacity matured.
In the 2000s ish, my experience was that dating was moderately common, but mostly casual in high school – like asking someone to go to a dance with you (!) instead of just with-the-friendgroup, or being in a relationship for a few months. There were a few students in long term, multi year, intense relationships, and tbh that felt a little off to me even as a kid and I’m not sure I would want my highschooler in that position. But also highly regional – I had friends in college who came from highschools where half the girls were pregnant or married by graduation, and they had a pretty different experience.
Generally, in my cultural world, the expectation was “you really aren’t ready for sex in high school”, with a “but if you are in a dangerous situation, we’ll always help you” – so parents proactively arranging birth control would have been unusual (honestly, similar vibe to underage drinking – the message was “we expect you not to do this; but if you ever need a ride home, we’re there” more than “We’re picking up a keg for you because we know you’re gonna drink and would rather you do it safely at home”.
But all this varies a lot across the US!
I think that really is the best way – strong discouragement, but a relationship where they know they can count on you to help them even if they “broke the rules” or otherwise did something you don’t approve of.
I didn’t date much in high school, but what you describe is very similar to how most people I knew dated in high school ~15 years ago.
BC with parents’ knowledge was pretty common but not ubiquitous. Only 1 girl at my high school got pregnant and she got an abortion. Given that I didn’t know of any other teen pregnancies, BC was clearly commonly used. And our health teachers were very, very vocal about not having unprotected sex – one was like look, you’re young which means you’re fertile. If you have unprotected sex, you’re going to get pregnant. You also probably don’t understand your cycle well enough yet to do NFP, so please just use BC.
I’d say *most* parents did not allow couples to be in the bedroom with the door closed, but honestly the idea of fooling around with family in the house is wild to me. I’m gay and wasn’t out in high school – it would have been VERY easy for me to be having s3x but why would I do that with my parents down the hall? Though, no one had to worry about pregnancy so I guess it’s lower risk.
We had larger party coed sleepovers. Some parents (shockingly, mine) were cool with this, and some of my friends had to lie about whose house we were at.
Teens can obtain condoms without parents’ consent. I wouldn’t assume every parent was handing out birth control just because kids weren’t getting pregnant.
We had “abstinence-based” sex ed (sex is BAD and if you have sex you’re BAD and no one will MARRY YOU, also condoms don’t really work). Perhaps unsurprisingly we had several pregnancies.
My 7yo got herself a “boyfriend” this school year. Her desk is next to his.
She told me he’s her boyfriend, but that he doesn’t have a girlfriend. Mmmm kayyyy…
I’ve been tasked with arranging a play date, which I haven’t gotten around to.
In the US, there is a ton of diversity. In my experience, my white friends with liberal parents had households like yours.
I have very religious parents, so closed door time a boyfriend in my house would be unthinkable.
Folks who responded to my post about burnout recently, thank you! I’m almost out of the woods, and that feeling is now carrying me through! I triaged down, got some good work news, and things are looking up! (And I wound up taking a sick day due to a migraine, which was probably my body telling me that I overdid it.)
My nieces are 9 and 11 (will be 3rd and 6th grade this fall). I get them a weekend every month. I am 40, single, no kids. They are starting to get bored at my house. Their parents don’t allow devices/screens. Historically we used to do science center, jump house, etc. type outings once per weekend, cook, they’d color, read, play games. I’d like to find something other than shopping, which is all the older one wants to do lately, and I need something they can do/use at my house to entertain themselves. (They are also awake a lot more hours now!) What can I buy/have around the house? Preferably something they don’t have to “play with their sister” or even me.
What about craft kits or art supplies? I’m thinking bracelet making, beading, crocheting, introductory sewing, etc. If they’re not into lego kits there are fun miniatures kits to build – if you have a local hobby shop I’d stop in there. I’d also ask their parents if you can do a movie night one weekend night, you’re giving them a weekend off from parenting so it seems reasonable to ask them to allow some screens so you have a bit of downtime.
Last Thanksgiving I made refrigerator cookie dough in multiple colors. My kids and niece (7, 8, 11) shaped the cookies, we baked cookies, and we ate cookies.
I would ask the parents about watching a movie occasionally unless I knew it was an absolute no go.
What about a longer term project where they do a little bit each time they visit? A big puzzle? Patchwork quilt? Building something?
i like the idea of a longer term project, depending on what they are into, either like a multi-step craft project, a multi-step lego building project, or science project or something. there are also a bunch of single player logic games, murdle jr. etc.
Baking, craft kits, reading. For outings, try hiking or look for family-friendly one-day volunteer opportunities. Our church has several of these each year.
Would the parents be opposed to a movie night? I’m pretty anti-screens, but them hanging with a fun aunt is exactly the type of setting where I’d want them to have a fun age-appropriate movie (or even TV) night together.
This doesn’t help when you are sitting around the house, but I would start taking them to see the performing arts. It doesn’t have to be expensive. In our midsize city, kids are free at the symphony so you could all three go for well under $30. Universities have all sorts of free concerts and dance shows and low-cost theatre and opera productions. Community theatre tickets in our area are less than $20 for adults and cheaper for kids. Etc.
Have them each make 4-5 suggestions (with the parameters you state here, like no shopping) and then put them in a bowl. Pick something & you all have to do it.
Other ideas: baking, scrapbooking, board/card games. You can buy a deck of cards & a few card games (Phase 10, Uno Reverse, etc.) to have on hand.
Make something interesting and hands-on for dinner–like assemble-your-own sushi or top-your-own pizza. Then go out to a movie (that is allowed, I assume) or maybe a kid-friendly theater show. Give them each $20 to knock themselves out on concessions.
Paint toenails at home. Learn (with them, if necessary) to knit or crochet. When it warms up, go hiking to an interesting destination–at that age, swimming or ice cream might be necessary motivation.
Go to museums or to fun art classes and stuff out of the house, then crafts and board games at the house. It’s also OK to let them be bored.
With the caveat that I don’t have kids.
I hope they’re allowed to do a movie night with you because everyone thinks that’s fun. The blogger pbfingers yesterday did a roundup of good movies for kids. She also has reviews on stuff her kids like as part of gift guides.
For things to do alone or not with the sibling, I think that books and craft projects are probably the best options. Otherwise, most kids enjoy doing stuff in the kitchen and going places (trampoline place, pet store to see the animals, zoo, walking or scootering the neighborhood looking for a certain type of item, ice cream shop, etc.). I think that getting out of the house is a big thing for most people, including kids. The public library in my town does a lot of stuff for kids on Saturdays. I think Home Depot and Lowes offer little classes for kids to learn to build stuff on Saturdays.
I’d be bored if I sat at someone else’s house all day without entertainment, no matter how much I liked the host!
There’s certainly no requirement to sit in the house all day – of course everyone is going to be bored! There’s a whole wide world of things to do. Off the top of my head – art class, climbing gym, children’s or adult museum, find-the-best-pastry/pizza/burger in your city scavenger hunt, swimming, surfing, mountain biking, theater, opera, and so much more.
You’re a good aunt and there are some good suggestions on this thread. I just wanted to say IMO the parents are being unreasonable by expecting you to take them one weekend every month and not even allowing you to watch a movie together. I understand not wanting their kids on personal devices but an occasional family movie night is really not harmful and virtually every parent I know relaxes screentime rules when they’re getting free family babysitting.
i agree with this.
How about longer artistic crafts – write and illustrate a book that you can have bound in hardcover; have them produce a puppet show or play they do with toys and you can film it on your phone; make friendship bracelets. Get a couple of big batches of used lego pieces and have them build stuff.
For outside activities, depending on your space: fairy gardens, make a clubhouse, build a bat box (or birdhouse).
What’s your favorite kind of cutting board? I hate all of mine, which are a mix of plastic from IKEA and wood from 20+ years ago.
I like Epicurean brand dishwasher-safe paper boards. I’ve had them last several years.
I like the Epicurean paper composite boards
This; they’re worth the expense. Mine has lasted ages, and I pop it in the dishwasher daily.
A really big one, of whatever material you prefer. It makes a huge difference in how often I cut myself if there’s plenty of room (I have terrible depth perception and am pretty klutzy in general). I personally find big wood ones to be too heavy and awkward to use in my small kitchen and go for plastic, which I otherwise try to avoid, but if you have more space and are less clumsy, then that might not be an issue for you.
If you were me, where would you live? Background: I’m in Philly, am early 30s, single and dating. Monthly take home is about $4800. No debt and minimal fixed expenses. I work in the office 5 days a week, but travel a decent amount for work (and fun). Proximity to the highways/bridges is key for my hobbies. I have an active social life, which is mostly centered in Center City, but more and more of my friends are moving to South Philly (or the burbs). I also love hosting, but being in an apartment I’m very aware of keeping the volume down. Being in a walkable area with access to public transit is crucial, but both options have that. Both options also have in unit laundry, dishwashers, decent storage, and private outdoor space. Both are also between 900 and 1,000 sq ft.
Option A: stay in my current apartment. It’s 1 BR in Washington Square. Rent is $1800 and utilities (including Wi-Fi) are a flat rate of $150. Large apartment building with secure packages and a small apartment gym. I park on-site for $350. 10 min walk to work, great access to public transit. I rent from a condo owner, owner is hands off and communicative but can be slow to get things fixed. I’ve been in Philly for 8 years and have always lived in or very close to CC. Apartment is quiet. I do like the peace of mind of being in a building/garage parking when I travel. I cannot have a pet.
Option B: 3 BR/1.5 BA row home in South Philly. Rent is $1550, no utilities included, I’d street park here. Would be a ~30 min commute (mix of walking and transit; Theres no direct route on transit). Work would fully cover the cost of my commute. A friend currently rents here and is moving out and vouches for the landlord and management company. Landlord allows tenants to paint/make small cosmetic changes. Near buses/subway, further from regional rail. Radiator heat and window units for AC (could get expensive). Side street, quiet block but right by fun restaurants and bars. Unfinished basement for storage and home gym (I have some equipment but would get more). I certainly don’t need a 3 bed, but 2 bedrooms are small but would work for guest room, office (not that I need one now!). Pets are allowed, so I’d foster (and probably eventually adopt) a cat.
On paper, I think it makes sense to stay put. It’s just so convenient, albeit more expensive. But, I’m starting to mentally feel like I’m outgrowing apartment life. The flexibility of a guest room, ability to get a pet, and paint would be nice. I’d love a partner and eventually kids, both places could easily accommodate a partner and even a baby in a bassinet, but the 3 BR does give more flexibility.
I’d stay put. The $250 savings is eaten up by bills and the commute.
In your shoes I’d go with the larger place. More space to host guests, a home gym, and a pet would be big net positives to my quality of life.
It’s close, but I think I would move if I were you. As far as money goes, you are paying $2300 all in (rent, utilities, parking) at your current place. I’m not sure what utilities would be at the new spot, but it sounds like you would be around $2000 all in and probably somewhat less. It also sounds like you like the South Philly set up more.
+1 It sounds like you want to move, and to get a cat! However, be sure that the street parking will work for you — I’ve had bad experiences with that.
As someone who lives in Philly, I say go for the rowhome. A house on a quiet street will feel much more residential and
grown up. Having a basement for storage and the ability to get a cat (!!!!!) is life changing imo. And like you said, your friends are moving to South Philly.
I’d get a roommate and move to B. On your salary that is so much going to rent. A is the nicer option, but too expensive.
Is the house in East Passyunk, near all the action? If so, I would *maybe* consider it simply so you could get a dog (but if you travel a lot, I would not get a dog, unless you have local family who can take the dog while you’re away), but otherwise I would not leave Center City at your stage of life. I know people like South Philly but personally I think it’s kind of depressing. The houses are ugly, it’s not walkable to CC and honestly doesn’t feel that safe to me because it seems so dead at night. Being in CC (especially Wash West, which is where I used to live and one of my favorite neighborhoods) is so awesome in so many ways.
In your current 1-BR setup, can you get a comfy pull-out sofa for guests?
Philly person here. I’d go with option B. It sounds like you need a change, and it sounds like you can afford the 3br house (and could have a roommate if you need some cashflow).
Option A.
the frustration of South Philly street parking may send you running to a garage after a few months, so I wouldn’t be quick to count on $350 monthly savings from that.
Since your friend lives there, can you get more details on average utility bills?
Super low-stakes question: Does anyone make good calzones or stromboli, and can you point me to a recipe that works for you?
I do not have a specific recipe to share, but definitely buy your dough at a pizza shop. Easy and perfect every single time!
Sally’s Baking Addiction has one.
What’s the best place to get dress pants for work that are good for a curvy figure? Ideally less than $200.
Ann Taylor has a curvy fit option.
+1 I’ve been happy with my Ann Taylor curvy fit pants.
I’m the “idk” commenter in response to the did you marry the right person thread yesterday. I just saw that someone asked what makes my husband the best I found after a ton of dating. I found it to be a really useful exercise – thank you for asking that, sometimes I need the reminder to think about the good. Maybe we can have a husband appreciation thread?
He cooks – he’s a great cook actually, he cleans up after himself more or less, he just does stuff around the house without asking what I need, he doesn’t view himself as my helper and me as in charge of all things housing.
He is understanding and supportive of my crazy biglaw schedule. He never makes me feel bad about working late or having to cancel things at the last minute or needing to go out of town because of work. He looks for ways to make my life easier when I’m in a crazy work time – even just making coffee or getting my breakfast ready in the morning is a huge help. He’ll ask what he can do to help too, but he doesn’t just ask, he does.
He’s the designated person to be contacted if LO needs to be picked up from daycare because he’s sick or injured (they still call me first but they eventually call him). He will rearrange his schedule to stay home with a sick baby. He doesn’t make me feel bad when I can’t.
He always checks with me before making scheduling commitments. He has gotten really good at using the shared calendar and he will look at it before asking me if we have a conflict.
I just had a major fight with my DH yesterday, so maybe I should try this exercise too. To be completely honest, I’m devastated by the fight we had last night, almost as though I have a hangover today, which is a new experience for me. We have young child and haven’t been very kind to one another recently. So, things I appreciate about him:
– My DH also cooks, which is a huge help to me. I’m the primary breadwinner with limited time to engage in cooking.
– He is a truly incredible father to our child. Not a single semblance of a complaint on that front.
– He gets along really well with my family, which is important to me.
– He does a fair number of the chores around the house, including those I don’t enjoy doing.
– He is generally a good planner, albeit when it comes to only small things in our life, but I value it.
– He has a strong work ethic.
– We’re aligned politically.
– He is smart.