Tuesday’s Workwear Report: Margeaux Blazer
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
I’ve attended several conferences and other industry events recently where I’ve seen lots of folks wearing this lovely lavender color. It wouldn't normally catch my eye, but the way I’m seeing it styled is making me eager to add it to my wardrobe.
One woman was wearing a blazer very similar to this linen number from J.Crew, and she had it paired with wide-leg navy trousers and a scarf that incorporated both colors. (It looked a little bit like this one from Chico’s!) A flawless look from top to bottom. I’m still not confident in my scarf-styling abilities, but I’ll get there someday.
The blazer is $228 at J.Crew and comes in sizes 00-24, 00P-12P, and 2T-20T. It also comes in four other colors.
Psst: Here are our tips on what to wear to conferences in 2026 — and if you're looking for more lightweight blazers, here was our last roundup…
Hunting for lightweight blazers for summer in linen and other fabrics? There are a lot of great options in linen, including J.Crew, Ann Taylor, J.Crew Factory, Boden, Quince, Aritzia, Brooks Brothers, and Hobbs. Along related lines, check out M.M.LaFleur's Breeze line.
Sales of note for 6/12:
- Another Tomorrow – Seasonal sale, 50% off select styles
- Ann Taylor – Last day 6/12: Extra 60% off sale! Readers love this blouse and I always love the variety of colors/textures for this jacket (it's a great separate)
- Athleta – 40% off tees, dresses, tanks, linen, and swim
- AYR – Ooh, good sale section — but lots on final sale. Readers love (LOVE) these comfy work pants and these jeans.
- Bare Necessities – Semi-annual sale, up to 60% off, plus get an additional 40% off clearance swim. Readers have sung the praises of these cooling pajamas and their bra-sized swimwear
- Boden – 15% off new women's wear styles with code
- Glossier – 20-25% off almost everything (including subscriptions!)
- J.Crew – 50% off tops, dresses, skirts and more
- J.Crew Factory – Extra 50% off clearance + extra 20% off 3+ styles
- Jenni Kayne – Semi-annual warehouse sale
- Loft – 50% off everything + free shipping
- M.M.LaFleur– This weekend only, 25% off jardigans (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Nordstrom – 6900+ new markdowns added – nice selection from Boss, Vince, Veronica Beard, Theory, Beyond Yoga, and Zella
- Nordstrom Rack – Clearance, new arrivals up to 75% off! 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 – Tons of markdowns, extra 60% off 2+, 50% off one
I’m still a bit grossed out by the soda thread this weekend. Who talks about people this way and what do you get out of it?
the word choice of ‘trashy’ is loaded, but questioning whether something that was once-commonplace is now seen as declasse is fair!
It’s a health choice, no question. I used to drink 3 diet cokes a day and now maybe have one root beer a week. That is purely for health reasons, not style reasons. But people still drink alcohol, eat late at night, or bungee jump without the same kind of judgement.
Right, I took it as more of a discussion of social norms and how they have (or have not) changed, not a personal attack. That’s interesting! It’s like a Seinfeld episode!
I recognize people drink less soda than they used to, and it’s not like I walk into work with a Big Gulp, but I still enjoy an afternoon Diet Coke and didn’t realize it was considered trashy by many.
You know what I truly think is trashy? Tattoos, vaping, and gambling.
I don’t do those things, but eat fast food 2-3 times a week. We all have our pleasures.
You know how many Diet Cokes I see in my office every day, from people at all levels? MANY. It’s just a drink, for crying out loud. Let people live.
Exactly! I can’t drink, have never smoked and work in a profession that often requires clearance, so no mj. My Diet Coke is the only vice I have left and they’d have to pry it from my cold, dead hand.
Same, but Diet Pepsi.
And if you haven’t had a Diet Mountain Dew over crushed ice, it is exquisite.
Absolutely. In my office, Diet Coke/Pepsi is the old lady drink (I am one) in a cybersecurity office full of loudly colored giant energy drinks.
I would posit that gambling gives the same dopamine hit as internet shopping does (ahem…)
I think it’s partly that there are so many alternative drinks right now, so people who shop at ritzy grocery stores are buying other colas.
Stigmatizing tattoos is some good old fashioned isms though.
I judge people who drink Ollie Pops because I know from experience that they are gross.
Ha! This made me laugh.
(To be clear, you should learn more about the history of tattoos and the history of looking down on them.)
Well, they are trashy even if you like them. Old money would never!
Old Money that served in the Navy did. You had shore leave and woke up with a tattoo. Everyone did, aparently.
Plenty of people served in the Navy without getting tattoos!
lol, no they did not
Maybe you just haven’t seen them :)
I tend to think that getting indignant and self-righteous because some stranger might have a slightly negative opinion about something you like is pretty trashy. As long as they’re not trying to stop you from doing anything, why care so much what they think?
Oh, I just went back to read it. I agree that trashy is a strong word, but I also like reading discussions like this. At this point in my life, I have accepted that I absolutely love a can of Diet Coke most afternoons. I also rarely drink alcohol and I am an avid runner. I am never going to win with everyone, so if it’s reading as “trashy” to my colleagues when I open a Diet Coke, I accept it. If it’s not the Diet Coke, it’ll be my hair or my tattoos or something else. I would like to think how I treat people says more about me than my afternoon vice.
People who are insecure about their own place in the world do this.
+1. There are a couple of posters here with a LOT of social anxiety about saying/doing/eating/drinking the wrong things.
I mean it’s fair. I’m a Diet Coke lover and totally unapologetic. Call me trashy. In fact, if that’s my trashiest habit I’m doing fine.
Things I think are trashy: yelling at your kids, bragging about your kids’ youth sports, not reading books, counting other people’s money, hard seltzer, vaping, weed in any form, pretending to be “old money,” using paper plates or plastic cutlery inside your own home, insisting on drinking caymus and not bothering to learn anything else about wine, bigotry, bragging about your white ethic heritage, talking about your digestive problems in social situations and naming your kid after yourself.
To be fair, people I love have done some of these things. I think the habits are trashy; that doesn’t make the person trash.
Haha, yes on not reading books and hard seltzer.
I save my outrage for things that are actually outrageous. Not slightly spicy word choices.
I consider trashy an unacceptable word to use about other people, not “slightly spicy.”
Well, hard disagree with you there.
That says a lot about you.
how does it compare to calling others gross?
I can’t imagine a scenario where I would use that word among professional women – I get that this is the internet but it’s still a website of professionals. Reminds me of the conversations here where a certain contingent of posters went to the mat insisting that calling a child a jerk isn’t name-calling because it’s “telling it like it is.”
i know a lot of people who drink diet coke. i do find it a bit odd when i see adults drinking something like mountain dew at 9am
Some of us having hard lives need something to help power through. Cocaine is expensive and can kill you quickly. Do the Dew!
LOL! But for real. I think we all know that soda isn’t the healthiest choice, but as far as vices go, it’s a pretty tame one! It is just not something I’d judge a person for!
I used to think that was weird but it’s really not that different from having coffee.
Breakfast soda gives me a headache but breakfast coffee does not. I just do unsweetened cold brew with whole milk (50/50)
It’s probably the same poster who was scandalized that a coworker drank soda during a morning meeting.
That’s wild. We put sodas and ice out for meetings where I work. I think we have coffee also, but it’s so particular that we expect that most people will hit the coffee shop they pass on the way in.
I don’t drink coffee and imagined that it was quite hard to make it consistently well (or get, in the time before Starbucks) and expensive, so I never tried to find a way to like it. There were always soda machines. I like a can in the morning (and prefer a can to a bottle). Over crushed ice in a large lidded cup with a stray is amazing.
I think I’m bougie because I will wipe a can before sipping out of it. But sip out of it I will.
I hate to think what you’d do if you got invited to a “classy or trashy” theme party.
From where my people are from, you can go from the trailer and back in three generations, if not faster.
Being kind is a choice though. Everyone gets to make it.
Honestly. Some people on this thread are just bad humans and seem to be proud of it.
Huh? How is this even responsive? This is basically a generational difference. Mine doesn’t get so easily offended.
Those were a bad look even when I was in college 20 years ago.
Ew. Not go?
I’m still drinking at least one fully leaded Coke a day, unlike all you diet soda losers.
I will agree that Coke is a superior mixer. But a soda with sugar makes me thirsty at this point in life. So I either need a LOT of ice or no sugar.
If you only wear contacts occasionally (like a few times a year), how often do you get new ones and where do you buy small quantities? (Also why do almost no ophthalmologists do contact fittings or whatever?)
Contact fittings are an optometrist thing. I buy small quantities through my optometrist’s office. I think they will sell as small as a 30-day supply.
Regular eye doctor. I always walk out with one free pair after each appointment, unless you have a really unusual prescription.
If you only need to wear them a few times a year, you could just literally use that pair, just refresh out the contact solution periodically.
I buy the dailies kind and I only get a month’s worth at a time. They don’t expire for years so they last.
i have acuvue disposables. i only go through a box or so a year. i’m not sure i agree that no opthamologists do contact fitting, i don’t think that’s true. i do think they charge extra for it and it isn’t covered by insurance.
My family is reading about nitrate and nitrite in water. I have a legal-ish question. Can a state in the US set a different maximum than the EPA? Looks like EPA and every state is 10 ppm. Is this a … preemption thing? Where states can’t set a different (lower or higher) level? Or they can legally do this, just none have?
Also interested! I suspect most states aren’t interested in holding themselves to a higher standard without the electorate pressure to do so.
IDK but pls realize that a lot of us have our own wells. Not everyone is on public water.
Not relevant. I also have my own well but drink public water at work and have an interest.
Being on a well doesn’t make this irrelevant or protect you from contaminated water. It just means you are responsible for knowing about and managing the safety of your water for yourself.
I am also on a well in an area with recently discovered PFAS plumes in the groundwater. Thankfully we are upstream from the (current) known problem area. It seems inevitable that we will learn in coming years that our aquifer has also been contaminated with something this whole time. Public water is being run to the known PFAS area but not to my neighborhood. If we had public water available, we would hook up to it.
Do you have any recommendations for an independent water testing lab that does PFAS testing? We moved to a house with a well last year and did testing before we moved, but I need to do it annually and want to include PFAS testing because we’re in a state with lots of PFAS contamination.
I feel like every community has this and even in a rural area found someone to do it as it was a condition of sale when I sold my parents’ house.
The septic system (other / “downstream” side of the lot) was a whole other story and more $$$.
No, I don’t. Seems like something you would need to find in your area anyhow. Does your local health department have suggestions?
Dunno. But thanks for the reminder to take ascorbic acid.
I have no idea how this works. Is it something like minimum wage, where there is a federal limit and individual states can mandate something better than that but not worse?
Not a lawyer and not in the US, but normally states can set more restrictive (lower, in this case) values, as the federal guideline acts as a minimum requirement.
States can set stricter water contaminant limits than the EPA under the Safe Water Drinking Act.
I’m not sure what was happening legally, but my middle and high school had the drinking water shut off because of high levels of nitrates. All the water fountains were stopped up and we had to tell opposing schools who came for sports games not to fill their water bottles in the sink. I graduated nearly 20 years ago and I’ve heard that the school is only just now about to take a step to connect to a different and newly established water supply. This was in the poorest part of one of the richest counties in CA, FWIW.
I keep reading that dancing workouts are great for aging because it’s social and active. And I like the videos of people working out to “the songs we danced to in the clubs” in the 90s/2000s. But where do you find those kinds of classes – is there some hot new chain or franchise like CrossFit or Orangetheory? The only things that seem to be around me are Jazzercise and the occasional ballroom dance class. Not near a Crunch or super boutique gym.
Several of the gyms in my area offer dance classes that rotate through all kinds of music. Line dancing, oldies, EDM, hip-hop, you name it. These are gyms of all kinds, some are the fancy boutiques and others are just basic ones that have group classes. Maybe call around the gyms in your area?
Another thought – does your local library or parks service host exercise classes? They might offer something like this, or know of places that do.
Look for adult classes at a dance studio. I haven’t seen an adult hip-hop class yet, but I’m sure those exist. I have taken adult jazz, ballet, theatre dance, and tap. You could also try salsa or bachata.
Have you tried an actual dance studio?
The LesMills classes are very dance oriented (some of them). Gold’s Gym has them in my area and they attract a really wide range of ages and fitness level. My favorite is BodyAttack. I think they’re incredibly fun and a really good workout.
I’ve always worn basic ribbed tank tops in the summer. Now that I’ve gained a little weight in my belly area, I don’t love how they look anymore. I always liked the look because it was clean and sleek, and this is not it. I hate to give them up altogether. Can I save these by layering strategically? Or do I just need to let them go? *cries perimenopausal tears*
What do you mean by “layering strategically”? Do you mean wearing a shirt over the tank top? If so, that’s not going to give you the “clean and sleek” look that you’re habituated to.
I vote give them up temporarily and wear something else for this summer. Then revisit next summer when you might be more at peace with changes in your body, more open to wear tank tops in spite of, or more open to change to a different style.
Yeah, that’s what I mean. I’m just bummed. I know basic tanks aren’t high fashion, but it was the easiest thing to throw on with a pair of linen shorts.
I gave these up when my weight changed. Sorry. Time to update your style for the body you have and your age. I still wear shorts and tops! Just ones that fit differently. (And yes, even after I started my GLP and got my former weight back.)
I am now beginning to understand why a lot of women change to more flowy styles as they get older. Even if I lose the weight (questionable), I can’t deny that my overall shape is changing. It’s been a hard adjustment. While I’ve never been one to wear form-fitting clothing, I have always gone for trimmer, simpler pieces. And that’s just not working for me anymore.
Talbots, I know, is not necessarily one’s first thought on “sleek”, but I find this top in a dark color to be very forgiving and as close to sleek as I am capable of being in
a cotton tank style top.
https://www.talbots.com/bateau-neck-tank—solids/P241013732.html?cgid=apparel-tees-and-knits-sleeveless&dwvar_P241013732_color=BLUE%20JAY&dwvar_P241013732_sizeType=MS
They’re really just not a great look no matter what your size is. I’d move on.
+1
Love my ribbed tanks, although I mainly wear them as PJs these days and opt for looser tees for public wearing. I currently like both loose, flowy knit tops that are long enough to tuck in and have some neckline interest, and boxier tees in a sturdy cotton fabric that aren’t so cropped that they show skin.
Just wear a t-shirt?
This may be the right answer, but it is hard to find the right shirt. Especially if you are short and have 40″ hips: then you are in a men’s large, which is a giant rectangle of fabric on a short woman and never looks good (so, ahem, I have taken to gently altering a tee I like and it makes a world of difference. I can also rock some youth XLs because I am more shaped like a husky kid than a guy who is often 6″ taller than me.
Try the Rag & Bone slub tee.
I have 47″ hips and find that women’s tees fit and feel so much nicer than basic men’s tees. The proportions of the armholes, neckline, and hemline are better for my body and the finishing details are nicer than a multi-pack of men’s Hanes or FOTL, too.
I like GAP or Banana Republic and wear between a L and XL depending on how much ease a top has. It is a mindset adjustment if you are used to snug ribbed tanks, but once you get used to a different silhouette you may realize that wearing tight clothes with too little fabric just makes you look like a sausage stuffed into a tight casing. Snug clothes don’t automatically make you look slim.
I agree but will note that there are never enough tees for women (and tees for this 50ish woman, who is not shaped like the lithe not-short people that some women’s tees are cut for). For my college, I like to have a tee from the school for the various events I go to locally, but it is so hard to find one that looks good on me and doesn’t just represent.
I have 47″ hips; that is also not lithe and I find options that fit me just fine. It’s not that hard. If men’s clothing in the wrong size doesn’t fit you, stop wearing it. Literally just try clothes that are your actual size rather than ones made for a different size and shape.
OMG stop overthinking. Yes you can wear a t-shirt. Buy women’s tops if you don’t like how men’s fit.
If you stop shopping in the boys and mens sections, you are more likely to find clothes that fit you better.
I bought a honeylove tank based on some influencer who swore she wore them like regular tank tops. You could also do a bodysuit from one of the shapewear lines.
I’d swap to the open weave knit short sleeve sweaters that are in style now. I’m wearing one today by Varley but I’ve seen them everywhere from Loft to Old Navy. Same (mostly) sleek silhouette, but the knit supplies a bit more heft so the top skims rather than clings.
A friend used to swear that there were 6 different kinds of Coke or something like that – can, bottled, Mexican, McDonalds fountain, etc. does one rank higher/lower on the trashy scale? If you’re going to treat yourself which will it be? Fwiw I think Red Bull/energy drinks are trashier but I’ve primarily seen teens drinking those.
If you aren’t drinking diet, the ones with real cane sugar are really much better. IIRC that the Mexican versions still use real sugar.
I just discovered sprecher colas (cherry cola and root beer specifically) and love them
It’s not really just that some stranger might have a slightly negative opinion about something that you like. It’s the use of the term trashy, which is loaded, and the OOP was not only expressing the opinion but inviting others to join in the shaming and judgment. “I think soda is too sugary and bad for your health” is a slightly negative opinion. Trashy is a value judgment that extends to the person. An opinion kept to one’s self is one thing, an opinion shared and an invitation to pile-on is another thing entirely.
Agreed. The OP this weekend was acting in extremely bad taste on her group chat.