Frugal Friday’s Workwear Report: Classic Button-Front Shirt
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
I ordered this classic button-up from Old Navy on a whim when I was refreshing my workout apparel during a recent sale. (P.S. If you’re in the market for activewear, these longline sports bras keep disappearing from my closet and magically appearing in my teenage daughter’s room, which feels like a pretty solid endorsement.)
I had pretty low expectations, but this 100% cotton shirt really knocked it out of the park. The fabric is so light and breezy, I know it will be great for the sweltering summer days ahead. It comes in nine colorways and Old Navy’s wide range of sizes, so there’s something for everyone.
The shirt, which is now on sale, starts at $14.99 and comes in sizes XS-3X, XST-XXLT, and XSP-XXLP.
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!
Ugh, in a meeting with some folks I’ve never met before. Some guy gives his usual professional intro whatever then says ‘in my free time I’m a proud gay dad and advocate for fertility access’. FERTILITY ACCESS this man just announced he feels entitled to rent wombs to a whole conference room. It’s too early in a Friday for this nonsense.
That’s a euphemism that is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
I think about this story a lot:
https://www.wired.com/story/the-baby-died-whose-fault-is-it-surrogate-pregnancy/
Both surrogates’ experiences are horrifying here. And this is in the US.
Do you have a gift link or a version that isn’t behind a paywall? That headline is terrifying.
is that what fertility access means? I would have interpreted the term slightly differently, but I don’t know specifically…
It’s too early on Friday for your made up pot stirring too and yet here we are.
Well technically he is because it’s not illegal. (Ahem, because it’s Friday and why not, the same way people feel entitled to take poorly considered left hand turns that inconvenience whole lanes of traffic.)
Uh, maybe it’s a left hand turn to get to their destination on the roads as designed? I really don’t get why people get so bent out of shape over this. It’s been mentioned here like five times in the last year.
That is just a really strange thing to announce to a group of professional colleagues.
I feel very conflicted about the notion. My son is gay and would like to have kids someday. And yet … the process to get there can be so fraught. The notion of being an advocate for “fertility access” really turns my stomach. We’re more than wombs, dudes. And yet I also believe gay couples should be able to have families, so.
The process to get there is not fraught. Gay men have kids all the time. They adopt, they foster, and they use surrogates. A thing straight couples and single women and single men also do. Making surrogacy a gay issue is homophobic.
Surrogacy is fraught, sorry you don’t understand why.
Yes, I am aware of all of that. I am specifically talking about surrogacy. I have some really mixed feelings about that.
I got reamed for a comment saying no woman is “entitled” to a vaginal birth. What I meant was no one is guaranteed a trauma-free birth (please come after me again). I will say the same thing about children for gay couples and couples with infertility: no one is guaranteed a child or a healthy child. (I have 2 disabled adult kids myself). If health or life choices make it impossible to have bio kids, it doesn’t make it someone else’s job to provide them. I’m sorry. Life is hard and we don’t always get what we want.
(Bad wording on my part, above. I’m not saying being gay is a life choice. But some gay people choose to have bio kids with people of the opposite sex; whether that’s ethical or not depends on the circumstances, if deception is involved, etc. I’m ready for the reaming, I deserve it this time).
Response to my own comment above is in mod – I shouldn’t have implied being gay is a life choice.
+ 1M to that last sentence
Yes. U.S. cursed infertiles know we aren’t guaranteed a child.
I also have mixed feelings about this guy’s comment. I know straight married couples who pursued surrogacy after expensive, invasive rounds of IVF failed or they suffered a stillbirth. In those situations the woman desperately wants to carry her own child, she’s suffered trauma while attempting it, and she understands what she’s asking of a surrogate. A gay man loudly proclaiming he deserves access to a woman’s body feels icky, even if I think surrogacy should be a legal option for him.
Yes, this is a better way of putting it.
Ugh, I hate that. It’s devastating to not be able to have a biological child when you want one (and I’m not in the “they can just adopt” camp – it’s not that simple). But nothing gives you a “right” to a woman’s biological capacity to gestate a baby.
I wonder how many people who are pro-surrogacy have read through a contract or seen the process go sideways. What is it like to sign away your autonomy and your health and ability to sue for recourse?
….I would hear that as he’s trying to expand infertility coverage options on the work health insurance plan, which mostly redounds to benefit women.
That’s also how I would interpret this statement.
It’s not really clear. Seems like an odd thing to announce in such a big meeting.
Right?
Depends on the meeting context, doesn’t it?
I don’t know I’d be offended by this. Is he saying he thinks surrogacy should be legal? Assuming he also wants it be safe and equitable why is this terrible? Fwiw my besties’ sister was a surrogate for her and her husband’s child and it was, in my eyes and theirs, a beautiful thing. Is “fertility access” about forcing women to have gay men’s babies? i feel like that’s a jump but please let me know where im ignorant here.
On the other hand, I’m extremely pro choice so if someone said, for instance, that they advocate for pro life causes I’d be disgusted. Those are the people that I feel are demanding access to our bodies.
To me it’s a lot like living organ donation. We can enthusiastically celebrate the people who take on the risks of donating a kidney on a voluntary basis (much like how your BFF’s sister volunteered for a loved one), while still preserving safeguards against wealthy people just straight up buying kidneys from poor strangers.
Pregnancy is also just so high risk that adequate safeguards are hard to put in place (it’s one thing to be able to afford a surrogate when everything goes well, but when things go wrong?).
Thank you. So, reading between the lines, is there something about “fertility access” that’s more like the rich buying a kidney than the person donating it?
Without a background in this phrase or movement it’s unclear to me why OP thought this man was “demanding access” to women’s bodies. Or is “fertility access” always about paid surrogacy and thereby to the OP’s eyes always exploitative? I’m
not totally understanding, because even if paid surrogacy is always exploitative, for the sake of argument, I’m not sure how that’s demanding access to women’s wombs generally. S*x work is often exploitative but it’s not necessarily demanding access so much as allowing someone to sell access. I’m persuaded by your analogy that it’s more like exploitative selling of organs than forced birth.
It’s because OP is overreacting.
I think it is weird to announce your opinions on reproductive issues in a meeting when you introduce yourself.
I would feel the same about most topics, honestly. And why do we signal parenthood like that? You can just say you like spending time with your family.
Never have I been compelled to introduce myself as “I’m a mom of a x year old and volunteer for xyz women’s org” in a first meeting.
If they want some personal intro, I will usually say that I like tending to my garden, do origami, do arts or crafts or play an instrument. More personal info might come in later meetings, but why can’t we keep it light when we just meet people?
Truly. No one needs to know so much about you.
Sorry – surrogacy aside, why is it necessary for him to announce his sex life to his co-workers? I don’t care what you do in the bedroom – please keep it out of the conference room for all of our sakes.
That’s insane. You get to talk about your husband but if he also has a husband it’s announcing his bedroom activities? This feels like extremely old fashioned homophobia.
Yikes if you’re seriously reducing orientation this way.
It seems bizzare to announce this in a meeting. I don’t take offense to what he said because it’s unclear what he meant (maybe he is against folks who want to enact laws that would prohibit him from ever using surrogacy because of his sexual orientation?) But my thought is that if you want to announce this in front of everyone, “you do you.”
An appreciation: little black cats. Elegant, chic, tidy. Stunning eyes. The best accessory for any home. Playful. Loving. Luxurious. Plush.
Yes.
Yes. Also, tuxedo cats. So elegant, regal, and always dressed for the occasion.
So mouthy and precious!
I have a tuxedo kitten. Highly recommend.
Yes! Any cat really lol
Yes. My neighborhood has a few different households with seal point cats that are just works of art to me.
All my cats have been different forest cat types (large, very fluffy), but I do think there’s something about a sleek short haired cat that really shows off their catness.
Siberian owner here too! I their fluffy pantaloons.
Totally agree. Wish I wasn’t so allergic :-(
Would love to add the excellence of the orange cat: audacious & bold.
With only a single brain cell bopping around the whole thing – adorable!
I’m here for this appreciation post.
Meanwhile, my Orange Lady fell into an open washing machine last night. She’s fine; there was a pile of towels to break her fall, but Cat Dad had to rescue the poor dear. This morning she was back to her antics and attempted to sit on the handles of my spin bike.
Speaking of orange cats, I lived with one that really wanted to walk on the molding around doorways. I have no idea why he thought that was a possible thing to do!
He was a master of walking on the backs of dining table chairs though.
My orange lady is a regal, proper-looking cat, until she gets up to her shenanigans! I love her, though.
So chic. And cunning! Ours tricked his owners into feeding him two breakfasts this morning.
How transferable are management skills?
By education/training I’m a data scientist. But I’ve been in a management role for a few years and absolutely love it. It’s a great fit for my personality and skillset, and I’m a strong manager overall. My department has grown and multiple people have moved on to my team from other teams.
I work at a medium sized company, and at some point the only “promotion” for me would be to get a new job since I’m towards the top here. I think my management skills would apply to multiple industries, but its usually better for a manager to actual know the job too. Do I mainly look for other data science management roles? Would I be eligible for more strategic roles? Because I’m at a smaller company a lot of what I do is general business strategy, not 100% data focused.
Depends on how senior you are. At the csuite level, extremely. First level manager, not really.
One level below csuite
Do you think you’d like to be at another small company next, or move to a big one?
I think a bigger one for more growth opportunities.
I’m making a trip to the Mall of America this month while at a conference. I’ve never been. Two questions: 1. anything I should see/do? I hear it’s more than ‘just’ a mall! 2. I wear wide width shoes and would love to try on rather than just order/return online. Any stores there, or other spots in MSP, that have a lot of wide width in stock?
There’s a theme park and a tiny aquarium but otherwise it’s pretty much just a mall. It’s really not that exciting especially if you’re not there with kids.
Yeah, it’s really not worth a trip. It’s just a really big mall with the usual assortment of mall stores. If there are particular stores you’re interested in that aren’t in your area you might check to see if they’re there or elsewhere in MSP then I’d do that.
I went as a tween who enjoyed shopping, and even then remember thinking the amusement park was way more fun than the stores.
While I don’t believe I have a drinking problem, I would like to change my drinking habits. Most days, I don’t drink at all and when I do drink it’s mostly a beer or two at happy hour. However, maybe once a month or so I’ll go out on a weekend and have several drinks. I don’t necessarily love who I am after several drinks (nothing bad, but I don’t like being uninhibited). After more than a few drinks, I also sleep terribly and get truly awful “hangxiety”. So, I have realized that more than a few drinks is just not for me.
However, once I start feeling a little uninhibited, I have really bad self control and will so easily agree (or suggest!) another round. And so this is where I struggle.
I considered just stopping drinking all together, but I don’t really want to. It’s just so ingrained in my social life, first dates, etc.
Make a rule for yourself no more than two (or no more than three, whatever your number is) drinks and always always follow it.
To follow this rule you will have to go a bit against the grain – i.e. not having a drink at dinner with friends if you’re going to a bar after, or skipping a round etc. but it is so worth it.
+1. After you finish a drink tell yourself you need to wait 15 minute before ordering another. Give it a chance to kick in and make sure you’re not moving to the next drink on autopilot.
On dates get a high volume drink instead of something served up or on the rocks. When you’re feeling awkward you sip more.
This. Give yourself a hard stop at two.
If “plan to stop after 2” isn’t working for you, can you add something concrete instead of “stop”: Plan to go home after 2 (via Uber!); plan to drink a Pepsi lite after 2, plan to order XYZ NA cocktail after 2 (and the key is picking a specific NA thing on the menu that looks appealing before you order anything at all) etc?
try the app Reframe – it’s a good one for resetting your ideas around booze.
Do you think it would help to start or alternate with a favorite mocktail?
I used to have a similar issue, no amount of rules helped. The only thing that worked was deciding that I am more important than social cohesion. I value my own health above the comfort of others. Now I probably have 3 drinks a year total.
Check out some of the N/A options out there. There are some really good N/A beers out there that, other than a slight difference in mouth feel, are indistinguishable.
I figured out after plenty of trial and mostly error, that I do not possess the ability to moderate consistently, so I don’t drink. Among my friends who do, alternating with an N/A beer works well for them.
My rule for myself is 1 cocktail and then max 1-2 glasses of wine. I really like trying out new cocktails and seeing what interesting flavors they have, and saying “no cocktails” wasn’t working. But this does. I realized 2 cocktails is what was getting me in trouble (hangover, more drunk than I wanted to be, etc).
This is fine on first dates, parties etc. At a recent wedding I broke this slightly – 2 cocktails, but then maybe 1.5 glasses of wine. No shots with the rest of the bridal party etc. Zero hangover the next day.
Also it can help to go old school and commit to a glass of water or a coke zero or a seltzer between each drink. Some of the drinking is just to have something to do with your hands etc.
Have you tried a time cutoff rather than a number of drinks cutoff? I can still do the occasional Sunday funday and, aside from losing my entire Sunday, I don’t have the same bad sleep and hangxiety that I get from late night outings. I think it’s because Sunday involves lots of food at brunch and time to recover before I need to really sleep. For nighttime outings, I just can’t consume alcohol after ~8-9 pm if I want to sleep well. Cutting off booze that early means I’m not counting drinks or internally negotiating “just one more” but still has the effect of substantially curbing my consumption.
I guess it depends on at what point you start feeling a little uninhibited so that you won’t follow your own rules to stop drinking. If that is after two drinks, then I would only have one so that you never get to the “little uninhibited” point. If it is after three drinks, then stop at 2 and see if it is easier to hold yourself to your limit.
+1
If you start ignoring your own rules a couple drinks in, you simply can’t get a couple drinks in without expecting that you’re gonna drink more.
Quit Like A Woman was a very interesting read for me when I was exploring my relationship with alcohol. I would also gently push back and encourage at least a “dry month”. The social pressure aspect for me was very enlightening and it helped me realize when I was truly wanting a drink vs when I was doing it for other peoples comfort.
A GLP1 will make it incredibly easy for you to cut back or quit.
Honestly just bupropion probably would in this scenario (though it has a contraindication for binge drinking).
I’ve only ever used powder blush and know there’s a world of other blush types that I haven’t tried. What’s good for: easy application, natural look, and staying power for someone with combo skin that uses tinted mineral sunscreen as my base layer?
Nars “The Multiple” applies like a dream and looks very natural, but it isn’t the longest-lasting stuff in the world on my combo skin. Setting it with a tiny bit of powder helps.
Glossier Cloud Paint.
what career advice influencers do you follow for actually good advice? feels like i keep seeing women giving NGDGTCO advice and I check and she has like 100K followers.
The Cabro
Kelly Nolan
I started following @growthincubator recently – I really love how she breaks down the challenges of middle management.
Hmm I just watched a couple of the latest videos but it seemed passive aggressive. I do say a lot of the “if X were honest” things but in a nice way and it completely works.
I like the Haus Labs blush balm stick. I swipe it on and then blend with a brush.
Gift question- I would like to send my mom some fun makeup for Mother’s Day. I live a few states away, so will have to rely on shipping from the store, instead of making my own cute basket. I was thinking of buying a few things from Nordstrom, that way she can easily return or exchange items. Is there a better way?
I would love to get her a gift set from jones road, but they seem to only sell online and not sure how she could return or exchange.
Are there other gift sets that you have been happy with? She is in her early 70s, medium shade South Asian, and would like a natural, glowy look.
All of the women in my family use Jones Road, and I think my sister managed to find a mini kit last year for my mom with lots of shades in smaller pots. I know some commenters here don’t like it, but we’re fans.
In case anyone else can use this tip, I’ve been mixing a tiny drop of foundation with some BB cream. It is a best both both worlds situation. I get more coverage (and lasting coverage) than wearing just BB cream, but it still looks really soft and natural on my skin. Even in my mid-40s, I have combination skin and find it hard to make BB creams last for a full day, and this feels like a good compromise. Yay to not buying another new product that I will inevitably dislike!
What are your favorite BB creams? I think that would be a great product for me. My skin is on the drier side if that makes a difference.
How do y’all track your gym workouts? I do not want to track food at all, just weights/sets/reps, and cardio time/incline. iOS preferred.