Wednesday’s Workwear Report: Classic Linen Single-Button Blazer
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
My never-ending quest for a blazer that doesn’t make me feel like I’m cosplaying as a doctor or Miami Vice extra continues. This year I’m going to try a linen fabric, like this one from Talbots.
My office has been skewing pretty casual in recent years, so I’d try this out with some dark denim to see if I can pull it off. If not, expect to hear more from me as I try to figure this out!
The blazer is $189-$209 at Talbots and comes in sizes 2-18, 0P-16P, 14-24, and 14P-22P. Right now, you can get 40% off one item and 30% off everything else!
Sales of note for 5/15:
- Nordstrom – 3800+ items in “new markdowns” — I kind of wonder if they've started marking down stuff for their Half-Yearly sale that usually starts the week before Memorial Day. Good deals on Veronica Beard, Vince, Reiss (esp. coats), as well as Wit & Wisdom and NYDJ
- Alexis Bittar – Vault sale! 100s of re-issued archival styles up to 70% off, plus 25% off all full-price styles too
- Ann Taylor – Extra 40% off sale
- Boden – Up to 50% off with new styles added
- J.Crew – 40% off your purchase and 50% off dresses
- J.Crew Factory – Extra 50% off clearance + extra 20% off orders over $125
- Lands' End – Up to 60% off sitewide + extra 60% off sale and clearance
- Loft – 50% off your purchase, and 5/15 only: take 60% off the LOFT Versa collection
- Mango – Weekend exclusive, 30% off everything, and free shipping with $260+
- M.M.LaFleur – Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
- Supergoop – 20% off sitewide + free Glow Stick (also, free shipping with $50+)
- Talbots – Extra 40% +15% off all markdowns, plus Summer Fridays One Day Sale (5/15), $19.50 pocket tees and $29.50 relaxed chino shorts.
- Theory – 25% off sitewide
- TOCCIN – 30% off select items with code! (You can't stack codes, but on full price items try 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!
I want to move away from using my phone as a step counter so I’m not incentivized to carry it everywhere (and therefore look at it all the time) but am not sure the best replacement. I just started a new role that has me more sedentary and I need the metrics to incentivize me to take the stairs or go for a post-work walk despite the heat.
I don’t think I want a smart watch (see e.g. screen time concerns) though I can be convinced :) I am not super interested in other metrics, and am not a super athlete, just trying to fit some movement in. I WILL NOT use sleep tracker. I tried that it was one of the people for whom it disrupted sleep. I am subscription skeptical at this point.
What do you like? Fitbit? Oura ring? Smart watch? Old school pedometer you can point me to?
I have a garmin watch and really like it – I’m really committed to getting 450 active minutes a week (and more intense exercise counts as double). But the Lazy Genius recommended a bright yellow basic pedometer on a recent episode.
I had a Fitbit and it was a disaster. First it wouldn’t reboot and I had to send it back for replacement. Less than a year later it again wouldn’t communicate with my phone and was essentially a rock. Would not recommend.
Can you use your phone for a couple of known-distance walks – like, along the trail you use, or a certain number of city blocks – and then make a note of the steps accordingly? Like, if you want to take 4,000 steps, you then know you need to walk out-and-back to X intersection or landmark, or do Y number of loops around the park, or whatever.
Very happy with my Garmin Venu 3s. Does all the fitness stuff, but looks pretty elegant.
Garmin smart watch. I just fiddled with the settings (no “move alerts” and no notifications from apps I don’t want notifications from). I like that I can target steps or “intensity minutes” and find the body battery pretty accurate. No subscription. Switched out the band for something non-silicone so that it’s actually comfortable.
I’ve had various versions of Fitbits for 14 years and they’re fine for what I want, which is pretty similar to you. I don’t love that they got bought by Google, but I don’t think it outweighs the cost of switching all my data and the fact that they have the devices that work best for what I want. I have very small wrists, so I want a small band, not a big watch, and I hate wearing rings. Unlike the person above, I’ve had basically no issues with them, though they do eventually die so I think I’ve had three- the early ones weren’t as waterproof as they are now and I think that killed one, and maybe I broke the wristband of another in a way that wasn’t fixable? But they’ve held up pretty well overall- my current one is 6 years old and still going strong.
I’m another person who has had good luck with Fitbits over the past decade and a half. I’m in a medical clinical trial that uses Fitbits to measure movement so currently have one that is provided by that program. It’s a super basic model.
There is no way I’d add ugly jewelry to my look for this, just take your phone.
I got my mil an Omron pedometer. It just counts steps and resets at midnight. The battery needs to be replaced a few times a year and I bought a bulk pack at Costco so we always have them. She just sticks it in her pocket when she’s getting dressed every morning and when she takes it out at night she writes down how many steps she has. It’s basically to make sure that she keeps moving, she doesn’t have a particular goal or set amount. Very low tech.
I have an apple watch for movement, but I have all of the apps turned off and notifications turned off so it just functions as a watch/movement counter. I do use it to measure sleep. I wish the battery life were better and I can’t imagine how bad it would be if the notifications were turned on.
I used an old-school pedometer last time my work did a step challenge – just a $10 one from Amazon.
As a continuation of my post yesterday on retirement, one of the first things I am doing is spending a week at a Spa just outside San Diego. Will have a day before and after free time, anyone local have suggestions for something good to do for a few hours?
The zoo or the wild animal park!
I have this blazer in half a dozen colors. It’s a workhorse for me.
Any ladies with widespread (east-west) b r e a s t s have a bra they love to bring the girls in, in line with the body?
I recommend checking out the sub A Bra That Fits on R*ddit. I think they also have a Facebook page. Use the calculator to make sure you’re wearing the correct size bra. There is also a wiki with info about different shapes and suggestions about which brands work best.