Splurge Monday’s Workwear Report: Petal Blur Floral Silk Button-Up Shirt
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
Great silk shirts are so hard to find these days, but I’ve had good luck with Vince’s offerings in the past, and this grey floral print is absolutely lovely. If you’re looking for effortless elegance, you’re in the right place.
I would wear this blouse with a navy suit for a killer business formal look or with a flowy skirt for something a little more casual.
The blouse is $468 at Nordstrom and comes in sizes XXS-XL. It also comes in a navy print.
Sales of note for 5/29:
- Nordstrom – The Half-Yearly Sale has started! See our roundup here. Good deals on Veronica Beard, Vince, Reiss (esp. coats), as well as Wit & Wisdom and NYDJ
- Ann Taylor – 25% off + 30% off sale items
- Bare Necessities – Up to 40% off, including tons of bra-sized swimwear (also, 10 panties for $10)
- Boden – 15% off new women's wear styles with code
- Express – $29 dresses and matching sets, and everything else buy 1 get 1 50% off
- J.Crew – 20% off $200, including new styles
- J.Crew Factory – Extra 50% off clearance + 40-60% off everything else
- Loft – $35 jeans (5/29 only) + 60% off sale tops and dresses
- M.M.LaFleur – Up to 70% off this weekend only! (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off)
- Nordstrom Rack – Clear the Rack! Nice selection of Vince, Veronica Beard, Reiss and Rag & Bone, a ton of affordable work basics from Calvin Klein and dresses from Maggy London, Eliza J, and Donna Morgan
- Talbots – $99 dresses and sandals
- Theory – 25% off sitewide (see our notes here)
You had me at silk and at floral. This is on the way to my mailbox. I can wear it with so many things already in my closet.
Make me an outfit for it and you will deserve a finders fee. I really struggle with making outfits when I pick one-off pieces.
I like icy blue-grays like this with black, dark gray, navy, and ivory. I’d wear this in fall and winter most likely, possibly under a lightweight cashmere vest as the 3rd piece.
I would wear this with crisp white denim in summer, or under a navy suit in winter. Probably would look great with a grey skirt, or paired with tomato red trousers. I see all kinds of options for this one.
I have ivory wide leg pants and a pale blue lady jacket (true confession, I need to see the jacket and shirt together).
With a grey pants suit.
With black pants or a black skirt.
I like Cat’s idea of the cashmere vest, but also under a v neck cashmere sweater.
With dark wash jeans.
I have a dark grey knife pleat skirt that I think will go with it as well.
Too pricey for my budget but sooo gorgeous.
I feel like I don’t understand moisturizers, particularly the hyaluronic acid ones. I feel like even if I apply to damp skin, they are pulling moisture out of my skin vs really making it seem moisturized. And in the morning, it’s just sitting on top of my skin and I wash it off.
I have oily skin, but it doesn’t seem as hydrated as when I was younger, especially in winter. Now that it’s warmer and more humid, it feels less parched, particularly on my lower face (forehead and nose are still oily). What am I doing wrong?
For parched skin on my face, I use argan oil. I don’t feel that hyaluronic acid moisturizes so much as it plumps.
I’ve not had this experience with hyaluronic acid; mine almost seems to soak in and vanish. Are you using a separate humectant and occlusive?
I think it is possible for humectants to pull moisture out of the skin, so it’s worth troubleshooting (I apply immediately after getting out of the shower so even the air is humid still). It is fine to switch to a different kind of product (I like Clinique’s Dramatically Different when my skin is actually dry and I’m not just trying to prevent it from becoming dry). Drinking enough water and taking a multivitamin also make a difference for me. If my skin doesn’t feel dry but does look dry, for me that’s more of an exfoliation issue.
It may seem counterintuitive to add more oil, but with oily skin I really like the Evening Primose Oil from Kiehls at night, and the light rose oil from Biossance during the day. Sephora will have travel sizes for you to try.
I mix in a really nice almond oil with my moisturizer (I can’t tolerate the feeling of straight oil on my skin.)
I haven’t had this experience at all. Maybe try some new ones? I have dry skins, but I like la roche posay
Hyaluronic acid in particular could be pulling moisture out of your skin technically. But it should be fine after a shower. I’m confused about the sitting on top of skin – its not asbsorbing in?
If moisturizer feels like it’s not absorbing, you may need to exfoliate. That used to happen to me, even though I had oily skin my face felt dry and tight, and yet only because the moisturizer didn’t absorb. You can use a washcloth or try a lotion that has retin A or some other compound that promotes cell turnover,
For me, I had to figure out a moisturizer that worked. I felt this way for a lot of products – or they’d mix badly with other stuff I had on my skin. Also, a lot of products with hyaluronic acid irritated my skin so I was un-moisturized for longer than I should have been.
What works for me now is that during the day, I use the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream. I apply this to a dry face along with the Ordinary 10% Azaleic Acid. I then let it soak in while I brush my teeth (so at least 2 full minutes) and then do my makeup. At night, I like using Cicaplast Baume B5+. The + one is a cream and is an occlusive and a moisturizer and a magical fix it all for me.
At night I use the Trader Joes hyaluronic acid serum then apply regular moisturizer a few minutes later.
Are you drinking enough water? When I’m dehydrated my skin is both flaky and oily.
This is a surprisingly common problem with hyaluronic acid.
Right—there aren’t enough benefits of using it to tempt me.
OP—you don’t have to use this product.
I have combination skin and live in the desert. The cerave daily moisturizing lotion is my ride-or-die. I think the combination of ceramides + hyaluronic acid is what makes it work. The neutrogena hydrogel line might also be a good fit for you.
I think I will love this dress as a work piece. I love the seaming. I have some questions, especially since this brand is new to me and altering it with the seaming would likely not work.
1. I’m a flat-chested pear, somewhat of an 8 or 10. This shape seems forgiving though if the top half fits. Order both and return (are their returns generally OK? Or is it like if the package arrives when you have a work trip, you are out of time already)? Or go with the 10?
2. Anyone else concerned about the metallic elements that may make it not a good fit for a work dress?
3. It doesn’t look that long on the model, but I’m 5-4. Is this a brand for tall people and I will likely need to hem to avoid sister wife vibes?
https://www.meandem.com/us/stripe-tweed-midi-dress-black-multi
it’s gorgeous and not in my price range. With regards to the shape, I’d just be prepared for the possibility that any amount of boobage with this low cut front will not be work appropriate. The fabric itself is though. And due to fabric/pattern, I wouldn’t worry about sister wife concerns either.
it is a zipper top – so you can be 100% covered if you want.
The model is listed at 5’7 so mentally drop the hem by a couple inches to get your result. Like you this would likely hit me at the wrong place – like, ankle length vs midi. However, this fabric does not look like the type that will hem well, so I’d skip, though think it’s lovely!
In my experience of seeing my 5’10 boss wear Me&Em everything is geared towards women who are at least 5’9 and the cut is very slim/sporty. I have a slight tummy and this type of knit fabric would be awful on my figure but ymmv.
I posted below, but yes, I wear tons from this brand and would describe myself as tall, slim, sporty.
I have this in red. It’s a knockout amazing dress. I think the top should work for a lot of people because the zipper provides flexibility, it runs a bit big, it’s also long – I’m 5’10” and it hits me perfectly at midi length. Very well made and follows their size charts exactly.
To those of you who think children should be welcome everywhere do you really mean everywhere?
I go to a lot of 21+ metal concerts with moshpits and intoxicated adults which are fairly dangerous.
As long as people are clothed do you think children should be welcome? How about liability would injuries be on the parents?
Lol, really?
Going to be in DC this week for work, and have free days on Friday/Saturday before going home. I’m planning to hit the National Gallery of Art, and the Sculpture Garden. On Saturday I was thinking of doing brunch in Dupont circle and walking around afterwards – any great bookstores/shops/spas I should try?
In my 40s, and I could use some slightly more ‘polished’ weekend clothes and figure IRL try ons may be easier than mail/return cycle. My small town doesn’t have the popular mom athleisure brands (Varley/Vuori/Marine Layer) – any others I should think of?
I am going to DC next week for work and will arrive Sunday morning, and I was about to post something similar! Will be following the responses.
For those of you who have lost weight in the past and then lost weight now with a GLP-1, do you feel any difference in energy or other physical symptoms? I’ve been hearing people comment about reduced inflammation and stuff like that but not sure how they’re measuring it. It seems like any weight loss might make your body feel better but people seem to really feel great on these medications.
Not me, my SIL, but she has an autoimmune disease and has noticed real improvements in her condition on the GLP-1 that she hadn’t experienced from natural weigh loss previously.
Honestly I only really lose weight if I feel awesome. If I diet and exercise and feel like absolute garbage the entire time, a few pounds might budge at most, but quickly I’ll plateau even when I’m weighing food and counting steps. If I eat even less or exercise more, I stop being able to function (from being too weak to get up or from blacking out), so I can’t just force it.
So far research supports the idea that GLP1s reduce inflammation in a lot of actual autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases (looking at markers like cytokines and CRP as well as tracking flare ups), but metabolic syndrome is also an inflammatory state and I think it’s a vicious cycle. So any effective way of losing visceral fat will lower inflammation caused by lots of visceral fat, but improving insulin sensitivity the way GLP1s do will lower inflammation before the fat is even lost?
You’ve articulated something that I’d noticed in myself, but hadn’t fully understood. There have been times in my life when weight loss was pretty easy. There have been other times when I’ve pulled out all the stops, only for it to barely budge. Probably not surprisingly, it has corresponded with stress levels and some other factors outside my control (but definitely caused inflammation).
Yes, it is quite different from prior weight loss for me. My energy level is much higher, like it took 15 years off. I’m also down as much as I’ve lost before but more fat is gone so I’m skinnier than with prior efforts too.
It is incredible how actually being able to use calories for their intended purpose (burning for energy) increases felt energy. It’s the most intuitive thing in the world, but still!
Well I never could just make my body do that outside of a GLP1.
I can’t say if it’s directly related to the GLP1 or not, but in mentally freer. The maintenance phase of this 90 lb loss is nearly effortless. I’d lost 75, 45 and the. 50 lbs in three different WW stints in my late 20s and mid 30s. Those efforts were all consuming, and not just eating – constantly measuring every calorie exercised, trying to “maximize the burn”. Now, I’ve never been a better version of myself. I think I feel better over all – peak energy, etc – because I have the mental space to do so. And if I want to miss my 7am Saturday workout because my body is telling me I’m tired and I should prioritize sleep… then I do! And that choice doesn’t create some deficit of points that I now need to log and stare at for the remainder of the week.
I’m not sure if that answers your question, but this PCOS sufferer at 41 years old has never been in a better mental or physical place.
I was using Supergoop Matte Screen and liked it but can’t afford it anymore. Any recommendations for a less pricey alternative mineral sunscreen with some tint?
YMMV, but I never found a tinted sunscreen I liked off the shelf, so I just started mixing in a tiny bit of my foundation with my sunscreen, and tada, it works great. So many tinted sunscreens have an orangey tint that doesn’t play nicely with my cooler toned skin.
I would cut your budget elsewhere (like one less Starbucks a month, the delta between the original and dupes isn’t a lot) and continue to buy the thing that works. Trader Joe’s allegedly makes a dupe I tried but it was awful and a waste of money. Sometimes you’ll save the most just getting the thing that works instead of experimenting with multiple things that do not.
+1. Most dupes are … not.
I need a new washer/dryer set. It needs to be front load due to the configuration of our laundry room. I have no other constraints and a large budget. What do you have/love? what did you have/hate?
Our dryer broke so we need to replace things in a fairly quick timeframe.
I just started wegovy. I never thought I would do this, but after hearing many success stories and realizing I’m not capable of doing this on my own, I’m ready. Besides some intense fatigue, almost like jet lag, that hits late afternoon, I haven’t noticed any negative side effects.
Those of you that have been on it for a while, how long did it take before you started noticing a difference in your appetite and weight? Is there anything you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
I haven’t told many people in my life for various reasons. Some I think would be genuinely shocked. Some I know are also struggling with their weight but won’t or can’t take a GLP-1. And some will likely judge and I just don’t feel like having that conversation. I figure I’ll bring it up if and when it works and it comes to that. How did you handle telling people, and/or did you?
I don’t tell anyone. It’s no one’s business. I don’t even feel guilty when someone compliments my weight loss or ask if I lost weight. When truly pressed I say “oh I hadnt noticed. It must be all the running, I’ve been doing.” These drugs are amazing and widely available. I don’t feel like I’m gatekeeping by not talking about it. I’ve been on the receiving end of many rants from friends that are BIG mad anyone takes them for “vanity.” Shrug. Nothing is more boring to me than talking about one’s diet or health. I change the subject.
No advice, but I’m strongly considering it. People would be shocked, but I’ve had zero success losing weight on my own. Did you get a script from your regular doc, or go through one of the online options?
most people i know proudly proclaim it (like when you compliment something and they say, “I bought it at TJ Maxx for 25 cents!) like they’re sharing a secret. I do know some people who have lost a lot of weight and i assume are taking it but haven’t. I think the regular rules of sharing information fit here (some people say they’re pregnant when the stick turns blue, some people wait, some people literally never say anything) whatever you are comfortable with mixed in with who are you speaking to…
Met up with some college friends for a long weekend. One of my friends who grew up with significant wealth and privilege is in a ton of debt. She married a guy who I think she wanted to be like her father—extremely successful, extroverted, huge network—and he’s nothing like that, so her lifestyle has kind of gone down a notch, but in order to keep up with the Joneses they’ve gone into a lot of debt. They live in a very expensive suburb where certain costs are expected (everyone wears certain brands, all the kids go to certain colleges). They’re on that hamster wheel and they won’t be getting off. It made me realize how many people are either in debt or have access to more wealth than I could fathom, or both, and there is no point in trying to discern the difference between the two.
Agree no point. I am working hard on not wondering or worrying about things that don’t impact me. This is one of those things. It’s easier to get yourself wrapped up in it but as you said, who knows what people’s real circumstances (and even those who are super wealthy, are they happier for it, really who can tell). worry about your finances and make decisions you are comfortable with and try not to waste energy on others.