Splurge Monday’s Workwear Report: Sana Dress
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
It’s been a while since we’ve featured a Diane von Furstenberg dress around these parts, but this collared wrap dress really caught my eye. A fabulous basic like this can be a secret weapon that you keep in your closet for days when you need to be on your sartorial A-game, but don’t want to spend too much time thinking about it.
Add a great shoe and your favorite jewelry, and you’ll be ready for anything.
The dress is $378 at Bloomingdale’s and comes in sizes XXS-XL.
Sales of note for 5/8:
- Nordstrom – Savings event – up to 25% off! Good deals on Veronica Beard, Vince, Reiss (esp. coats), and Boss, as well as Wit & Wisdom and NYDJ
- Ann Taylor – Mother's Day Event: 40% off your purchase. Readers love this popover blouse, and their suiting is also in the sale.
- Boden – 15% off new styles with code
- Express – $39+ summer styles + 25% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off swim, dresses, and more
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything, and extra 50% off clearance
- Lands' End – 50% off sitewide — lots of ponte dresses come down under $25, and this packable raincoat in gingham is too cute
- Lo & Sons – Mother's Day Sale: Up to 40% off — reader favorites include this laptop tote, this backpack, and this crossbody
- Loft – 50% off your purchase + free shipping, plus 2 for $28 tanks and tees
- MAC – Enjoy 30% off lip products and receive a 4-piece Mother's Day gift with $90
- M.M.LaFleur – Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off.
- Ruti – Take $55 off your purchase with code 55ONUS
- Sephora – Free same-day delivery for Mother's Day with code
- Talbots – 50% off wear-now styles (5/8 only)
- The Outnet – Extra 30% off select styles, including Veronica Beard, Victoria Beckham, and Marni.
- 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!
this dress would be ankle length on an average person and it’s expensive and tricky to hem knit.
This reminds me of the modern version of the Issa dress that Kate Middleton wore for her engagement announcement ~15 years ago!
(Also, great example of how styles have evolved – hers being knee-length and worn with round-toe platform pump originally. Though… can’t say I recommend the featured shoes on the model, either.)
I immediately thought of that dress too! The model’s shoes are giving shower slides…
Although this model looks even taller than KM. I feel that the shape is accurate — I’m a pear and couldn’t make a DVF wrap dress work for me despite really wanting it to.
How do you politely at work ask why someone is added to a meeting. They work in a different department and are at the same level as me.
If you can’t ask directly, you probably just have to wait and see. If you can, something like “Hi! Why is X on this meeting thread? Let me know if you need me to add anyone if this is a broader meeting on the subject.”
Unless you think it’s an autofill error for someone else or you’re senior to the meeting organizer, you don’t. Not your meeting, so policing who joins is usually a bad look.
This. I don’t think you can ask without looking kind of petty.
Same. Wait until the meeting and you can probably figure it out then.
Are you presenting at the meeting? If so, request the context around including that person so you can tailor your materials to ensure they address the audience’s needs.
“hey, saw you added X to the meeting – can you give me any context so I can best prepare?”
This sounds good, thanks!
If it’s somone unexpectedly showing up from HR, usually a horrible harbinger of something.
“If Jan from accounting is coming, do I need to prepare any slides for that?”
We are headed to Banff in the fall; would welcome recommendations on places to stay and activities to plan. Any specific feedback on the Peaks Hotel and Suites extra welcome!
How often and how (dry clean, hand wash, delicate cycle) do you wash silk tops? I just noticed a silk shirt of mine has darkened from accumulated body oil and/or products.
Handwash, I use the soak detergent for silks/wools/bras. I’m incredibly sensitive to smells so I typically wash after every wear unless I’m wearing a layer underneath.
I typically hand wash after every wear.
Hand wash with Eucalan or top load machine wash in a lingerie bag, air dry, then steam press.
Posted too soon: I wash in one of these ways after every wear.
For machine washing: the perma press cycle spins at a lower RPM and thus doesn’t result in quite so many centrifuged-in wrinkles. I usually press while the fabric is still damp. Since wrinkles come out easily with pressing, I don’t usually bother with the perma press cycle and just wash my silk on regular with the rest of my laundry.
I wash silk every 2-3 wears. Just in the sink and hang dry. I personally don’t dryclean anything (the curse of studying Chemistry in college, I know too much, which just makes more labor for me.)
Delicate cycle in mesh bag, after almost every wear.
Dry clean every 2-3 wears and steam in between.
Dryclean a few times a year, but I wear undershirts under my silk tops.
How have you reacted to “low/no effort” family – family members who won’t make any effort to see you or ask how you’re doing but may sometimes swing by if it’s convenient for them or reach out if they want help with something? Picture the grandma who always has an excuse for why she can’t travel 15 minutes to see the grandkids or the father who can’t help in a tough situation because he “might” have plans that day with someone else. Doesn’t feel like it’s necessary to fully sever ties but there’s really nothing meaningful there…I already know I can’t/won’t try to force anything more meaningful.
A long time ago, somebody put it to me this way – If somebody comes up and kicks you in the shins, how would you react? It hurts physically, but also – what did you do so that this person kicked you in the shins? Is it something on purpose or a weird accident or what? Is this them or did you deserve it?
Okay, now what if a 5 year old kicks you in the shins. It hurts the same physically, but you’re not going to worry too much about it because – they’re 5. Like, sometimes 5 year olds do weird things.
Some people are just 5 year olds. That’s how I deal – I don’t think too deeply because it’s who they are.
To me it depends a lot what our history is. (Am I only alive today because this person took care of me? Or have they always been pretty peripheral?) If they were essential at some point and aren’t actively damaging now, to me that’s still a meaningful connection.
I think you just stop initiating. And when the person does reach out – when it’s convenient for them or they want help with something – you get to decide if you want them to swing by or help them at that time. This is who they are. Don’t be angry or hurt about it because it’s not about you. It’s about them. But you don’t need to put forth effort here. Sometimes I think the Let Them theory applies and sometimes I don’t. It sounds like it applies here. Let them be who they are and you can respond accordingly as it works for you when they do appear. The hardest part, I think, is reminding myself emotionally that their lack of invovlement isn’t about me and being hurt or insulted or rejected doesn’t accomplish anything.
I wouldn’t put forth any effort, but that’s very different from severing ties. Just ride the wave.
But remember you do not need to drop everything and accomodate them when they do appear. If you want to see them or help them when they appear and it works for your schedule, do that. If you don’t or it’s a bad time for you, decline in your most cheerful voice and say maybe next time!
My brother is/was like this. After years of twisting myself in knots trying to see him only to have him ignore my texts trying to plan or for him to leave 30 minutes after we finally managed to meet up I decided to drop the rope. I haven’t reached out to him in more than a year and I haven’t heard from him. Like you I didn’t feel the need for a full severing of ties and the door is open if he ever wants to reach out, but I’ve stopped putting any effort into the relationship until he does.
I had a big work deadline about a week ago that took a ton out of me. I took some time off Friday and purposely kept my weekend open to rest and recoup. By last night, I felt OK-enough but definitely not fully recovered. This morning, I was greeted by a new problem to solve, and I still need to get caught up on all the projects that didn’t get much attention while I was working toward this other deadline. I have accepted that this is part of the nature of my job, but it is exhausting. I feel like I’m not handling this as well as I used to earlier in my career. Is there ever any real cure for burnout? It sure doesn’t feel like it.
It’s time to buy a new mattress. Any recommendations or tips for the buying process? I’m feeling overwhelmed by the process and afraid I’ll invest in one and then not like it.
I’m a fan of the hotel mattresses. My favorite (we have guest rooms too) is the Westin Heavenly bed, and you can buy direct or through Pottery Barn. We also have the Four Seasons bed but it’s a little less plush so I moved it to the guest room and moved the Heavenly to ours. Our guests always rave regardless.
Yes, I don’t know OP’s timeframe, but I just checked tags on the mattresses I liked when traveling. Naturally my favorite was a stratospherically expensive luxury brand mattress in an AirBnB, but I was at least able to figure out what its components were and find a similarly constructed mattress at a lower price point.
Our Westin Heavenly was absolutely terrible. It was fine at first but never seemed like anything special, and it wore out very quickly. It probably should have been replaced after 1-2 years because it was in such bad shape but we couldn’t justify the cost and kept it longer than we should have. We finally replaced it and it’s been life-changing. Before this we always had good luck with Sealy so that’s what we replaced it with and so far we’re really happy.
You’d think that a hotel mattress would at least last a while!
I’ve never been comfortable on a hotel mattress in a hotel room (including the ones other people like), so I figure I’m just a statistical outlier.
I hate all the mattresses I’ve tried that are the kind that can roll up and be shipped in a box. They just have no support and I feel like I fall off the edge of the bed when I sit on them. Memory foam topper is fine, but I need a mattress with actual support in it. Innersprings are just superior for me.
i just bought one at matttress firm. they have a trial period, you can return it if you’re unhappy for some not crazy amount of money.
For a married couple where the younger woman is the higher earner, if the man retires early and takes social security at 62, my understanding is that he takes it based on his earnings. Does he ever get to claim higher benefits based on her? Like if she dies without starting SS, can he claim higher survivor benefits based on her?
I understand that the basic math is always wait until 70 to claim, especially if you expect to live past your early 80s. But there are so many other scenarios to think through.
pillow recommendations. both DH and my visiting father in the past 48 hours have complained that our pillows are too thin. anyone have any suggestions?