Tuesday’s Workwear Report: Fei Tie-Front Organic Cotton Dress
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
The moment the temperature gets above 60 degrees, I’m ready to break out all of the jersey dresses in my closet. They’re comfortable, washable, and easy to throw on and go about your business. This tie-front option from Modern Citizen would be fantastic to add to my collection. I love the shape and polish that the tie provides, and the midi length looks a bit more contemporary than some of the knee-length versions I have now.
This brown color is lovely, but it also comes in black, olive, “dusty blue,” and “dark maritime.”
The dress is $168 at Modern Citizen and comes in XS-1X and XSP-1XP.
Sales of note for 5/1:
- Ann Taylor – Friends of Ann Event, 40% off your purchase PLUS $50 off $200! Readers love this popover blouse, and their suiting is also in the sale.
- Boden – 15% off new styles with code
- Brooklinen – 25% off sitewide (ends 5/1) — we have and love these sateen sheets
- Evereve – All tops on sale
- Express – $39+ Summer Styles
- Hatch – $15 off one of our favorite alarm clocks with code LETMOMSLEEP15
- J.Crew – Up to 30% off wear-now styles
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything, and extra 60% off clearance
- Lands' End – 40% off sitewide – lots of ponte dresses come down under $25, and this packable raincoat in gingham is too cute
- Loft – 60% off florals and 50% off your purchase
- M.M.LaFleur – End of season sale. Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off.
- Nordstrom – 1500+ new women's markdowns
- Sephora – Hair deals daily – today 5/1 up to 50% off dae, Verb, PATTERN by Tracee Ellis Ross, and BaBylissPro products
- Talbots – 40% off one item and 30% off your entire purchase
- 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!
For those here without kids, what do you do for your parents for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day?
I don’t want to come off as an ungrateful child but I’m in my 30s – my dad’s expectations for what we do for Mother’s Day for my mom seem outsized given the fact that I am fully grown.
That’s probably because he loves his wife–that’s not a bad thing. I’m in my 40s, no kids, and I have brunch/lunch with her every mother’s day. My sister has kids and sometimes she hosts to avoid the drive, or we go to mom’s house.
Why would you being fully grown have anything to do with how you celebrate your mother?
Not OP, but to me, I think that children who live in the same house as their mother have a greater obligation to do something than an adult who lives thousands of miles away!
I agree with this, but if it’s within an hour’s drive, take the time to celebrate.
My dad BBQs for the family. I bring dessert and my sister brings a salad.
I give her flowers and chocolate and take her for brunch and a pedicure on a separate day.
DH’s mom isn’t local so we snail mail drawings and card from the kids and video chat in the afternoon and send her flowers and a brunch basket.
DH and the kids make me breakfast in bed and I sleep in or read/take a long bath why he chauffeurs to various activities or takes them for a hike.
I usually send a card. If I lived closer, I’d probably try to go see her.
I’m going home for brunch and staying the night before. It’s a huge deal and both my parents would be mad if I didn’t come back or tried to just call/send a card.
For my father? Nothing – if he wanted me to celebrate him as a father, he should have been a better father.
For my mother? I acknowledge it and usually happen to be in town that weekend anyway, but that’s because I’m home to support one of her big hobbies, which feels more important that weekend. I always check in if she wants to do something for it, but we’ve talked about how she’d rather receive flowers or acknowledgement at random times, which I do.
For most of my adult life, I sent a card and called. Now I live closer and we usually get together for a meal, either at my house or a sibling’s. I don’t think I’ve ever in my life given my mom a gift on mother’s day, we’re not a family that’s big on physical presents.
Card, small gift, and lunch or dinner out. Basically the same thing as when I was a kid, except the small gift is now purchased instead of handmade.
My favorite thing to do is walk through a greenhouse with her and then plant everything we bought right after. Some years it works out and some years I just call home. FWIW, I have kids and don’t give a crap about mother’s day for me. My Mom’e very favorite thing is to have the whole family at church so she can show off the grandkids to her friends.
I’ve been long distance from my parents since college but I send a card, call, and send a Clinique gift card, which she uses for Black Honey when it’s time for a gift with purchase. She doesn’t need more stuff, but little treats are OK. Dad does flowers so I may send flowers at the end of April because she likes them.
We used to do more but now the moms get annual NYT subscriptions and flowers sent to their houses. For Father’s Day, my dad normally picks out something specific under $200 that my mom has vetoed (for good reason as it is normally ugly or impractical to store) and he launders his tacky item through his children under the guise of father’s day.
We get together sometime over the weekend for lunch or dinner. We’ve never done gifts. My “gift” from my kids/husband is that I don’t have to think about food for the day – they are in charge of everything from meal planning, ingredient purchasing, prep, and clean up.
I send a card and flowers?
I’m not local and certainly not making a trip down to visit them.
I send a card and I call. We’ll usually get together in person at some point in May or June for a joint mother’s/father’s day celebration. I did more for my mom earlier in my 20s/30s (flowers, gifts etc.) but honestly she’s been a pretty cruddy mom/grandma so I focus on my own family and save the money.
I get them very personalized gifts that are not ostentatious and spend time one on one with them. We are not a showy family, but more of a quality time family. My mom likes gardening, so we’re going to get coffee and walk around our local nursery together for a couple hours.
And not to be depressing, but if you’re in your 30s and she was in her 30s when she had you, your window for active activities for Mother’s Day, like hiking or walking around for a few hours, may close sooner than you would think.
60 is really not that old.
My dad’s first knee surgery, which didn’t go especially well, was at 64. That’s not that uncommon an age. I’m just saying don’t assume current mobility will last forever. I hope it does, though!
This.
I do have kids, but my mom is local and we have brunch with her.
What are your dad’s expectations? I don’t think expecting a family meal is over the top if you live within a 1-2 hour drive. If you live farther away, a card and flowers or food/drink seems sufficient.
My mother is a militant fundamentalist full of hate so I search to see if there is an obit yet.
My dad lives too far away for regular visits, but we call to chat and wish him a happy day.
Can someone catch me up on how grad schools and loans work in 2026? I had planned to work and go back at some point but now I am thinking that outside of 20K of loans, I’d have to either plan to self-fund with savings or pivot to the closest field where you could borrow more than that. Is there a good place to learn that still thinks that a graduate degree can be worthwhile and also isn’t trying to lend you money for school? And am I also right that loan forgiveness really won’t be a thing in the future? Happy to stay working or consider part-time (which is an awful lifestyle but a way to do it that doesn’t involve so much debt).
I worked full time and studied part time, getting the degree done in 3 years. It was stressful at times, but not unmanageable.
You don’t mention anything about the “why” you’re going to grad school. I’d only be OK assuming debt for it if I knew that coming out of grad school, I’d be earning a higher salary.
If you’re merely going to acquire the learning, but there’s no attendant salary increase, I’d definitely save up for it first, or cash flow as you go.
For some things, it’s kind of expected you have it as you progress (policy, for example) which is why I was fine to do it part time and cash flow it. There’s no immediate pay off, but it’s a box you need to eventually check.
Yes, working full time + part time grad school waa certainly not my favorite time in my life but it was doable
There’s no option to be fully funded?
I think it depends on the field now, but really limited to things like law school and medical school. Not getting a masters in nursing for being a nurse practitioner, but you can also do that part-time (but not nurse anesthetist, which has to be FT, for 3 years).
It’s often limited to PhD vs. masters, but I promise that funding is not limited to law school and med school.
Sometimes it’s limited to the best applicants.
I think generally OP should specify what broadly she’s hoping to go to grad school for!
I’m a professor and this is extremely field specific. As a general rule, you shouldn’t attend a PhD program unless it’s fully funded, and there are also lots of masters programs that offer funding, either for research or teaching assistantships. These are most common in research programs, but sometimes professional masters programs also offer funding for a small number of students, though this can sometimes happen in a somewhat random fashion, usually through personal connections with a professor who needs a student for a project or if there are extra TA spots that need to be filled. However, cutbacks in federal funding make all of these positions harder to come by and most programs that rely on research funding are reducing graduate admissions due to uncertainty over this. Students that would previously have been funded by federal grants are now getting TA funding and there’s less money for everyone.
My personal thought on grad school is unless it’s a professional program where you must go full time and/or prestige really matters AND you’re all but guaranteed a high paying job after: do not take out loans. Go part time and pay your way through.
Medical/dental/PA school, certain law and MBA programs (+the right post-grad plans) are worth it. Maybe a few others I’m not considering. Otherwise, it’s not worth it.
If it’s a PhD, don’t go unless it’s funded.
I/my friends have the following degrees and went part time: MPA, MHA, MPH, engineering, MSN/NP, education, plus random specialized MA/MS programs. Part time grad school was so common in my friend group that we joked that the late 20s are just spent cramming in grad school between attending weddings!
I agree.
I will add that taking out loans for medical/dental/PA, prestigious law and prestigious MBA are worth it if you graduate and end up in the relevant career. So I think you still want to be honest with yourself about how competitive you are, how healthy people in your family tend to be, and what your safety net/fall back plan looks like, since sometimes life derails plans and then you’re paying back the same loans but without the hoped for career.
I have a new job. Should I get the non-medical review life insurance through said new job? Late 30s, single, decent health if overweight, non-smoker. I have no dependents but very much want dependents.
You don’t mention anything with cost or coverage so not sure what you’re asking.
Yes. It’s usually very cheap.
is anything included at no cost? The couple of places I’ve worked, somewhere like 1-2x your base salary was a ‘free’ employee benefit. Given my spouse is healthy and working at a high enough salary to support himself if I passed, we have enough savings to pay off the house if we had to, no dependents, and no other debt, have never felt the need to purchase more.
I’ve never bought life insurance. I have no dependents and don’t plan for any. I’m now married but DH can support himself financially without my income. I never considered paying into a policy worth it because my untimely death would not have an economic impact on anyone.
I don’t worry about my death but do care about lingering disability. I get what is free and supplement with 30-year fixed cost term life at 10x salary and the biggest disability policy. At some point, you can easily become uninsurable, which will limit your ability to have your own business or consult, etc.
I thought it was partly about becoming a dependent, not just having one? You get a devastating diagnosis, your partner needs to provide a ton of caretaking, you both spend a fortune on healthcare and accommodations, and then you die with a pile of hospital bills. Dying can have an economic impact of its own basically!
1. You don’t get the money until/unless you die, so if you become, say, a lifelong quadriplegic, it might not help.
2. #1 is not entirely true, because in certain cases you can sell your life insurance policy to a third party company, but it won’t be worth nearly as much as the face value.
3. Since I’m an actuary, not a lawyer, I might be wrong, but I thought medical debt doesn’t usually transfer to your surviving spouse?
If you have a spouse or a kid, yes because it’s usually cheap. Without these, I do not see the point in getting anything extra. You can always get it later if you do get married.
Not necessarily on getting it later. Most places I’ve worked, you buy in when you start or you have to do a medical evaluation. But it’s also been free or very cheap.
If you have no dependents, I wouldn’t get it, personally. The point of life insurance is to provide for your dependents when you’re dead.
Ask HR if sign up is open at a later time. Past jobs have required a decision at hire and then you cannot add it later, but my current one ties life insurance to open enrollment season and reasons.
If you have the option to sign up later without a medical exam, I would not bother with anything other than the free level now. Without dependents, you aren’t really insuring against anything.
That said, I am tempted to get my very healthy 21 YO a policy now so she can take it over at today’s rates should she have dependents down the road.
Out of curiosity if you have a newer iPhone do you have a screen protector you like? I got tempered glass ones because I read those were best but the glass protectors themselves always shatter and break so it feels like I’m using a busted iPhone.
better the protector shatters than your actual screen!
yeah, I think this is the protector serving its intended purpose!
I use the tempered glass ones, and they last well. The fact that yours always shatter and break might indicate your phone is getting rougher handling, so I’d recommend a tougher phone case, if you don’t already have a heavy duty one. And then changing the glass whenever it breaks/shatters so you have the feel of a pristine phone.
I’ve never used a screen protector (I really don’t like them) and I’ve never cracked a screen despite dropping my phone constantly. A good case should protect from normal dropping.
Same here. I keep my phones for 3-5 years and then pass them onto my kids until they aren’t supported, and I’ve never needed a screen protecter.
Same. People in my life really like them though, and they like the ones that somehow you wipe on. Verizon does them in their stores.
Why don’t you just peel off the broken screen protector when it breaks and replace it? They usually sell in packs of two and for my last two iPhones I think I’ve replaced the tempered glass protector once midway through the life (once for a weird bubble thing that emerged and once for a chip on the edge).
Umm you just pop it off and put a new one on, that’s how they work.
If you wore contacts as a kid/teen, what age did you start? My 10 year old wants them but I’m not sure she’s ready for the responsibility. However, she refuses to wear her glasses, which she needs, so I’m close to caving on this. I didn’t start until I was about 12, so I guess that’s not that far off?
11, but at that time, dailies and monthlies weren’t a thing – you got contacts that were expected to last you a full year. While you want your kid to be careful with their things, the downside of an ‘oops’ is a lot smaller now!
Yes, that’s a good point! But it also makes them more expensive, right? Dailies are a lot more expensive than just glasses.
Depends on your insurance, I’d expect. Mine covers one vision benefit (either contacts or glasses) per year.
Of course, and you need a backup pair of glasses. But no one has ever chosen contacts for the financial benefits.
I started at 14, but that’s when my vision got bad enough to really need them. I certainly could have handled wearing them earlier, and with daily disposable lenses, there’s way less care to worry about than back then. I don’t know that all 10 year olds could handle it, but I could have. Is your daughter a responsible type or one who doesn’t pay attention to details? And how much responsibility are you willing to take for her if she doesn’t? You can always try it and only let her wear them a limited number of hours or days at first, though that might just set up fights.
I started in 8th grade so 11-12? I was a very responsible kid though.
I was 12. It was 1988. I was a fairly responsible kid. My vision was not good. If you wear them, you know the level of responsibility needed.
My 10 year old isn’t ready but she doesn’t refuse to wear her glasses. She still makes her dad wash her retainer and occasionally brush her teeth (I refuse).
Around that age and got LASIK in my 30s.
I was 9.
was 16, and I was barely responsible enough then! But now that there are dailies, I think a lot of the responsibility goes away, because you can supervise putting them in / taking them out and make sure she has a backup pair in her bag along with backup glasses for while she’s at school. For me, the irresponsibility was things like not washing hands first, losing the contacts (which adds up with monthlies!), or sleeping in them. 16 year olds are resistant to the sort of supervision I described above, so you might actually have a shot at creating good habits in a 10 year old if you’re willing to put in the time for supervising for a couple months.
10 seems young to me, but glasses refusal is a problem.
I didn’t start contacts until 13-14. That’s when my kid started, too.
I think it was 12. I was immediately pretty responsible with them. I never slept in them, and used to get so annoyed that doctors assumed that was the case. I strongly prefer contacts to glasses, so I get where your daughter is coming from. I had the 2 week ones from the start, and still mainly use those.
I had great eyes as a kid, but the presbyopia has been wicked since age 45. I don’t have any other eye problems needing correction. Is there anything surgical that can fix this or will life being an increasing series of progressive readers? I have an Tx version now after getting past 1.75 on drugstore progressives.
I think there is a surgery for this!
My mom swears her eye vitamins made a big difference for her. Personally I just take a 45+ multivitamin and hope that’s covering me.
My DH has been trying these multifocal contact lenses. Concept is not easy to explain well, so recommend web searching for it. Might work for you?
I switched from regular contacts to multifocal about six months ago. They took a bit to get used to, but it’s been a relatively easy switch. OP, might be worth looking into. Presbyopia IS an eye issue, and it seems like you need some correction! It’s not a moral failing.
Now that the weather is better, I am out walking frequently, but often alone and in somewhat isolated spaces. I would like to take some type of small personal safety device. I used to have one that would let out an ear-piercing sound if activated, but I’ve lost it. I’m thinking something to wear on a lanyard around my neck or carry in my pocket. Any recommendations? Should I do mace? Mace plus noise? Appreciate any advice.
Go somewhere else?
For me, the right combination would be noise-maker + self-defense device. Mace is complicated because: wind. I’d look into one of those kitty/brass knuckle keychains or something similar, and potentially invest in some self-defense classes so you are confident you can help yourself, should you need to do so.
I will just warn you that the sound only options will not lead to help coming to your aid. People will assume it’s a car, bike, or house alarm. If you are using them to scare someone off in an isolated area, they may work for that purpose, just not the summoning help purpose.
I wouldn’t put anything around your neck unless there’s a safety breakaway — you may end up strangled in a struggle.
Ultimately, your most effective strategies are route selection, awareness, and a pocket knife or well practiced fist you’re willing to jam into someone’s testicles.
mace and be comfortable using it.
There were some posts yesterday about bloating being the reason why clothes fit differently even without corresponding weight loss. Isn’t bloating water, which would be measurable on the scale? Or is bloating air???
Is there a quick way to reduce bloating? I need to get into an outfit this weekend that is a bit tight.
If you have until Saturday I’d cut way back on salt, processed food, and eat as clean as possible until then along with as much low impact exercise as you can fit it.
Bloating is primarily farts for me.
It can be either and is often both. Other comments are correct: Cut back on salt and processed foods. Don’t overdo it with the caffeine. If you do have some, maybe favor green tea because it has a bunch of qualities that can help with this. Most importantly: Drink plenty of water.
I would limit both salt and sugar, hydrate a lot, and only eat foods that I find easily digestible and that doesn’t slow down my digestion.
Easily digested is key. Don’t suddenly go crazy with high fiber things. Pasta and a plain, low fiber breakfast cereal like Crispix or corn flakes. Your body won’t hold onto extra water to help digest it. Get and drink some lemon & ginger tea to get rid of excess water.
Has anyone here systematically exercised their CCPA or other privacy rights to reduce the amount of data companies have on you? How did you go about it? (And yes, I’m in California and actually have CCPA rights!)
I feel like work has turned me into a boring person. I am so mentally depleted at the end of the day that even reading a book feels like too much on most days. Then weekend rolls around, and I have to push myself to do anything fun. My kids are older, and in theory, I should have more time and energy for hobbies. I’m very tired of living like this. (Already on an SSRI for anxiety.) Any thoughts or ideas? I do work out 3-4 days a week.
Are you in peri / have you ruled out all the normal medical stuff associated with exhaustion?
Yes, I’m in peri. I hate it here.
I am in exactly the same boat except I don’t work out. I joined a gym and did classes for a few months but then got out of the habit and dropped it. Hope to see some other replies but commiseration! My only hobby right now is taking baths lol!
What hobby lit your fire as a kid? I know a couple women who started dance or music classes in their 50s and seem thrilled.