Wednesday’s Workwear Report: Edina Tie-Front Slit-Neck Dress
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
A friend recently bemoaned the lack of good workwear options for petites these days. She used to have good luck with Of Mercer (RIP) and was looking for something comparable. Although it’s not exactly the same, the dresses from Modern Citizen have a similar “young, competent professional” vibe.
I really like the tie detail of this midi-length dress, and the neckline is perfectly work-appropriate. Grab it in black or navy if you like a neutral, but it also comes in a lovely mulberry color.
The dress is $168 at Modern Citizen and comes in petite and regular sizes XS-1X.
Sales of note for 7/19:
- Nordstrom – The Anniversary Sale has started! Here's our big roundup of the best workwear, as well as everything we've selected thus far.
- Ann Taylor – Semi-annual sale, 60% off sale and 40% off everything — readers love this blouse and I always love the variety of colors/textures for this jacket (it's a great separate)
- Banana Republic – Summer sale up to 60% off sale styles + extra 20% off
- The Fold – Up to 50% off, further markdowns
- J.Crew – 50% off select cashmere
- J.Crew Factory – 60% off clearance
- Lo & Sons – Summer sale, up to 50% off
- Lululemon – Summer sale!
- Me & Em – Sale! Up to 60% off (new lines just added)
- M.M.LaFleur – 25% off jardigans (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Nordstrom Rack – Clear the rack, extra 25% off clearance! Nice selection of Vince, Veronica Beard, Reiss and Rag & Bone, a ton of affordable work dresses from Calvin Klein, Maggy London, Eliza J, and Donna Morgan
- Talbots – Red Door Sale! Prices start at $15
- Theory – End of season sale is on!
Would you replace your 7-year old fridge if the ice maker keeps breaking and you ..love.. ice? Paid someone to come out to fix it (partial fix, partial replacement) and $350 later it broke a week later. Trying to figure out what a reasonable person would do here.
It’s a Samsung and I’ve since learned that they have their issues… maybe the life span of this fridge is approaching it’s end anyways.
I would just buy an ice machine and then when the rest of the fridge dies, go for one without an icemaker. They are so temperamental!
I would fully look at a pebble ice maker if you’re a huge ice fan. A good friend got a countertop one and swears its the only thing getting her through a summer pregnancy!
Do you need to run a water line to these?
I think this is the answer if manual ice making doesn’t keep up with your ice needs, OP. I wouldn’t want to resign myself to buying a new fridge every 7 years because of a feature that’s easy enough to separate out.
Sadly, no space for it on the current countertops. We’re also contemplating a full kitchen reno in 1-2 years (just got concept drawings done) so I’m reluctant to buy something new for current kitchen given new kitchen will give us so much more space and potentially allow for a bigger refrigerator altogether.
I should have added the fridge has had other issues – none that have caused us to truly evaluate buying a new one quite yet, but the ice…ugh. I hate Samsung. I knew better and bought it anyway.
I was going to say if you need an excuse because there’s other issues, this is a good one. But if you’re doing a full renovation soon anyway, I’d hold off and just get big cube trays in the meantime.
Add an under-counter, built-in ice maker to your reno plans. I got lucky and found a new scratch-and-dent (internal dent) on FBMP, and it is one of the highlights of my new kitchen. Chick-fil-A ice all day!
Sadly I think a 7yr old fridge is likely at the end of it’s natural life span. I refuse to ever buy a Samsung again after too many catastrophic failures at 4-6 years of use. I’d go with the ‘dumbest’ highest rated fridge you can find.
Absolutely not. I would just make ice in cube trays. Like I do. I don’t think our ice maker every worked, to be honest.
I can’t believe this is even a question. I know we are a wasteful society but this seems crazy to me.
Same. I intentionally did not hook up the ice maker in our fridge when we purchased it 15 years ago because I know ice makers are prone to failure. I have an embarrassingly large collection of ice cube trays in different styles and shapes. Very happy with this setup.
To further clarify: we left the icemaker out completely and sent it out with our recycling. More freezer space for nicer ice and completely eliminated that potential point of failure. Also no worry about ick building up in the water lines since they were never hooked up and are not used.
I also removed my ice maker in favor of added freezer storage and just make ice when I need it.
Yeah, my fridge doesn’t even have an ice maker and somehow I survive with regular ice cube trays.
Agree.
There can be problems about mould with plumbed in ice makers so wouldn’t use one even it worked. I’d make my own fun shaped ice cubes/stars/pineapples.
+1. Keep a pitcher of water in the fridge, pre-freeze part of your water bottle overnight, and use an ice cube tray for other beverages. Buy a bag from the gas station when you’re hosting a party. Having an instant, endless supply of ice is not a necessity.
I love ice and use several trays a day. I hate ice makers.
We had this happen with a somewhat newer fridge (they replaced it the first time while still under warranty, but it broke again not long after and could never be fixed for more than a few months at a time). We limped along for several years until it finally started leaking from the water dispenser, too, and we finally got a new one, and it is a major relief! We don’t even use a ton of ice, but it is just really nice to have. We tried a countertop ice maker but it was a pain to keep filled and clean, then it broke quickly, too. If you’re a big ice user and you can afford it, I recommend getting a new one.
My stupid fridge has broken a thousand ways but not the ice maker! I tend to put water bottles in the freezer with just a few inches to freeze my own, I like really cold water. But I’d just get an ice machine if I actually liked chewing on ice. Or there was a NYT article a year ago or so about some lady who did asmr content with a zillion ice trays, I don’t recall name.
This is a perfect opportunity to get a countertop clear ice maker. My cold beverage connoisseur coworkers are obsessed with these.
Ice makers just aren’t sanitary or functional. I’m team ice cube tray
Our ice maker is temperamental, and we bought an ice maker. We had space for it to have its own little stand next to our refrigerator.
An ice-loving family member solved a broken ice maker by buying those big bags of ice at the grocery store 2x per month. Bonus was that they preferred that ice shape. I would do that or use ice cube trays rather than throw out the entire appliance, especially if you’re thinking about a kitchen reno in the next couple of years, which might better align with the fridge’s lifespan vs just the ice maker.
+1
I intentionally have basic fridges. There are nice metal ice cube trays you can buy.
Portland, Oregon top tips, please! Best place or area to stay in the city with kids that is central and won’t require a car? Where to eat and things to do? Have about a week in August to plan for and you ladies have never let me down with your amazing ideas and recommendations for other locations. Thanks so much!
Powell’s Books
While I admittedly wasn’t there for very long, Portland is one of the few cities I’ve visited that i have zero desire to return to. Lots of homelessness, etc. a week seems like a long time
Same. I think it has a reasonable cost of living to move there but it’s not a place I’d vacation. For a last minute summer trip, I’d find a cabin somewhere lake, woods, beach.
Drive to Bend!
Definitely try Voodoo Donuts with kids.
Get outside the city one day and go to the coast! You could tour the Tillamook creamery while you’re out there too. You’d have to rent a car though.
I leave tomorrow and could use suggestions, as well. I’ve been looking at an article on this site a lot, though:
https://destinationlesstravel.com
I will report back if I find anything great while there, but I am going to meet up with family the first part and it now looks like I may be working a lot along the way, so the extension may not involve as much exploring as I. had hoped
OMSI science museum is fun for kids. If you do have a car, another option Multnomah Falls. Not that far away.
It’s been a few years but downtown does have some rough characters.
Not a fashion question but why do songs seem to be sung in standard American English accents? Even if the singer is from elsewhere that speaks English (American or non-US)? Adele isn’t British sounding when she sings. Is that on purpose? IDK why sung English sounds so standardized and spoken English varies widely with accents.
I’ve read a lot of non-English speakers sing phonetically. I think it’s about the market being broader for English than almost any other language.
Often American English, but not always! Old movies have the “Transatlantic accent,” for example (though that’s film not music). There’s actually an amazing article about a linguist analyzing the pop punk accent, which is sort of British, even though it originates in California (think of Green Day). I’ll link it in a follow up comment.
here’s a linguistic take: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/i-made-a-linguistics-professor-listen-to-a-blink-182-song-and-analyze-the-accent
Come for the work wear, stay for the linguistics.
I’d really recommend you like take a deep dive into English accents, there are quite a few linguistics experts with YouTube channels that explain this sort of stuff. I don’t have the tact or knowledge to explain it well, but the variety of English accents are a much newer ‘invention’ (or creation of class distinctions) than you would think and aren’t very natural.
This stuff is really interesting! I understand that what we consider the standard British accent is actually more recent than the US. In other words, during the American Revolution, King George would have spoken in a way that sounded much closer to a standard American accent!
(For interesting language stuff in general, I really like the podcast Lexicon Valley, particularly when John McWhorter is hosting.)
Yes, I think it’s a pattern generally that colonies can conserve older forms of language and often culture since they end up isolated from changes happening back wherever they came from.
A simple non-academic answer for a former singer and foreign language teacher that took linguistics classes forever ago: A lot of English accent variants are due to variations in vowel sounds. When you sing, the vowel sound differences are neutralized somewhat as syllables are drawn out or, alternatively, quickly passed through, so the differences aren’t as pronounced.
Also, a lot of professional singers say different sounds to get a clearer note/tone than the spoken word would require. I think The Wizard and I is a great example if you know it, when Elphaba sings “with meeeeee” — it’s not a hard “eeeeee” if you listen closely. It’s more of an “ehhhhhhh”. I suspect some of that comes in to play, too.
Singers aim for pure vowel sounds. Regional accents in both Britain and the US distort their vowels.
I’m from a part of the USA with very “pure” vowel sounds, and I think a lot of old rock songs sound like they have more of a country twangy accent, even if it’s British vocalists. I assume it’s just a genre convention.
I am a Beatlemaniac. Before the Beatles and the British Invasion in the 1960s, rock and roll was dominated by Americans. The Beatles and the rest of their British contemporaries grew up idolizing American singers and trying to sound like them. John Lennon wanted to sound like Elvis. Paul McCartney developed an astonishingly accurate Little Richard impression. They also loved Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison (with whom they toured), Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, and of course Buddy Holly. The Beatles then established the vocal trend for several decades of British popular music. Now, as a Beatlemaniac, I can absolutely hear where the Beatles let their native Scouse accents show a bit more (for example, Paul on Here, There, and Everywhere, John on I’ve Got a Feeling). It is not so much that British singers are trying to sound American; rather, they are trying to sound like they fit within a tradition that ultimately started in America.
Side question – does anyone have a fridge they love? I don’t remember what brand ours is but the deli drawer keeps breaking. It’s 12 years old so maybe time for a new one.
Is this a joke? Now we are replacing a fridge for a broken deli drawer?
Yeah that’s a bit much. I LOVE my LG fridge, I have indeed broke the deli drawer and it was a whopping $42 to get a replacement and took 3 days for the local appliance place to order it.
My mother wants to replace hers because of a slightly chipped side near the hinge.
Champagne tastes, tap water budget, so it isn’t a rich people thing.
I have a Dacor. Love it!! We put up with an old refrigerator for so many years.Now we ask ourselves why.. Was so dumb.
+1 to new appliances. Instead of a full renovation, I got Cafe Line appliances that are very pretty, had our cabinets deep cleaned and replaced the pulls, changed our light fixtures and wallpapered. It’s a whole new room at a fraction of the cost that we love.
You probably know this, but I have replaced broken deli drawers on eBay. I replaced a handful of deli drawers on our old fridge before adding a built-in Sub-zero as part of a kitchen reno.
Please be gentle; I know not everyone cares about how they look. Thats fine, im not saying
anyone should.
I’m beyond frustrated with my looks. My hair is extremely well considered, and fairly high maintenance, and I think it looks great. My teeth are pretty white and straight and I don’t want veneers. I get tasteful Botox in what I think is the right places. I’ve done micro dermabrasion and my med spa isn’t pushing anything in particular as a next step. Im good about skin care. I dress well , I think I know my colors and I’m sure I know my shape. I recently lost 30 pounds of Covid weight and I’m good about diet and strength training even though running is my jam. I’m just not loving the overall picture and I cannot for the life of me to determine what the problem is. I’m surrounded by women my age (mid forties) who are much prettier than me so I know it’s possible. My husband says because its a wealthy area “most of these girls were the prettiest girl in high school, they married rich men.” I recognize there is some truth to that but he forgets I was reasonably pretty in high school too! I am able to afford significant cosmetic improvements but I’m stuck.
Is there such thing as a professional who can help pinpoint where I can and should improve?im looking for real big picture improvements, not say buffing my fingernails until they’re slightly shiny. I’ve tried ai and it lead me in an annoying circle. Maybe an image consultant? Is that a thing? I feel like a teenager again trying to figure this out.
This is kind of an insane suggestion but can you hang out with ugly people? I mean that’s a strong word but like, not polished, not fancy, people who don’t care about their looks so much?
I’m sure professionals exist but given that you already describe investing significant time and effort into your appearance and that you aren’t identifying one specific thing that is making you unhappy, this sounds like lining up for a circus ride you can never get off. Why not try volunteering or an outdoor hobby or something that doesn’t allow time for ruminating on it? Fixations happen but they can go away. I’m not sure it’ll make you happy to chase down the illusion of a perfect appearance.
What jumps out at me reading your post is that you didn’t actually mention anything specific that you dislike about your appearance. Gently, is this more of a self-esteem issue? Just harsh self-criticism and too much mental energy comparing yourself to others? I don’t mean that to sound flippant or like it’s easy to just stop doing, to be clear, but if that is the case it would be better in the long run to address the root cause.
Meetings with plastic surgeons sounds like your next step, tbh.
What do you mean when you say the other women are ‘prettier’ – nicer clothing? hair more ‘done’? Better makeup? More fit?
Is there a particular part of your face that bothers you or that ages you? I’m your age (44) and at 40 I had a rhinoplasty, under eye microneedling, along with a series of lasers to get rid of sun damage. It made a big difference – I’d never liked my nose and as my face thinned/drooped it was more noticeable. I also do botox every 6ish months, started sofwave and microneedling and that leads to the overall quality of my skin.
Therapy.
+1
If this were me my first step would be a baby step – I’d have my colors done and then hire a stylist. And I would also try to remind myself that comparison is the thief of joy.
It sounds like you have a lot of thought put into various parts of your overall look, but perhaps they are not cohesive with each other. I would start by finding a good, in-person stylist who can help you analyze your whole picture and provide suggestions for making everything work together more smoothly.
I also don’t know what you are seeing that is bothering you. I know that you strength train and run, but have you worked in a targeted way on posture? Most people have at least a little forward neck posture they can work on with PT, gentle soft tissue mobilization manual therapy, and some daily stretches. Posture improvements can make a huge difference with things like face/neck appearance and how clothes fall. Somewhat to my surprise I’ve also seen runners who have overlooked their walking gait (pigeon toed or cow-splayed), but I doubt that’s coming up in photos.
I worked with a body coach once who helped me with posture exercises (farmers walks and stuff like that.) It helped my walk (visually) tremendously.
Thanks for understanding what I mean! I don’t want to proliferate people’s insecurities, but it felt like working on this had a lot of benefits beyond appearance too (feeling calm and grounded while breathing more comfortably in my case!).
Agree. I feel like I have a lot more body confidence after doing classical pilates for a few years. Nothing overall changed about my body comp but how I carry myself has improved a lot.
True! I have to consciously walk heel/toe and one foot in front of the other. But also a professional will be able to help pinpoint uneven gait and posture.
You’re putting a lot of time into clothes and grooming, and this is still vague. So, questions:
What conveys “pretty” to you? Are you looking at these women’s facial features, body shape, outfits? Do they carry themselves in a way that communicates confidence?
Do your best to break down what it is that you’re seeing in specific women whom you view as being “prettier” than you. Get REALLY specific. Then get super honest with yourself about whether those things you’re seeing are something you can ever replicate. If it’s just how they wear clothes, you can work on that. But if it’s more than that, you may need to accept yourself and the fact that they don’t have whatever flaws you perceive in yourself.
For example, one of my “prettier” friends has an even and smooth skin tone, an outdoor lifestyle, and lean legs, resulting in a look that I will never, ever, be able to replicate because a) I’m not built that way, b) I dislike an outdoor lifestyle and won’t try to create one and c) my skin tone on my legs has always been uneven, veering reddish, and shows bug bites and bruises so easily. It’s been that way since I was a kid, and it’s not going to change as I get older. I need to accept this.
+1 to noticing the details in other womens’ appearance and styling. Talk to a dermatologist about a prescription retinoid and laser treatments. If you don’t already wear daily SPF on your face, neck, and chest start now.
But is there any chance you’re hanging onto old cosmetic and clothing styles that don’t look as good on Current You? If you’re wearing the same makeup products and applying them the same way you did 10 years ago it’s time for an update. Are your clothes meant to flatter a younger woman? Or a woman in 2015? If you’re wearing what made you feel pretty and stylish a decade ago those clothes will have the opposite effect today.
Agree this sounds like self esteem more than anything else. In your shoes, I’d buy some new clothes and take a girls trip. Laughter and connecting with yourself as a person who’s got more going on than her (good) looks cures a lot. As does a great outfit. Oh and put on some lipstick too.
Some years are just ugly years for no good reason. If I were you, I’d keep doing what you’re doing, make sure you’re hydrating and getting good fats in, and be very watchful of everyone around you. You might get some inspiration and the benefit of time to make your next step.
I widened my palate in my late 30s and it did wonders for my face shape. I think a homeoblock helps with cheekbones, but I did the palate expander/invisalign instead.
How did you decide to widen your palate? I have tiny mouth (due to a medical condition) and which I should widen my palate (as is recommended by my medical providers) the thought of two ugly years is just too much for me to handle and the sensation of the metal in bone gives me heebie jeebies.
Are you sure this isn’t a husband problem not a style problem? I feel like the only reasonable husband answer here is you’re prettier than X, Y, Z neighbor.
No. I love him but he’s brutally honest by nature and I’ve gotten upset with him when he’s not. I’m not jealous and he was completely neutral throughout my weight journey. Basically he knows my looks are important to me even if he doesn’t care. I want to do this for me.
Stop it. This is not a “husband problem” and they’re allowed to have honest conversations without him shutting her down with “not a problem, you’re the best, moving on.”
I mean, yes, but if I were venting to my husband about feeling low in the presence of my neighbors, I would expect him to say “you’re always the prettiest to me” not “it’s true, Marcy’s hot, but she has been that way since high school”. And I would do the same for him, even if our neighbor was objectively the most handsome man ever.
This isn’t vague venting though. She’s actually seeking an answer to something that bothers her. And having been around people who have been gorgeous their whole lives, I know better than to compare myself to them, but I still like to dissect what I can emulate. It wouldn’t threaten me if my husband said the second sentence.
That’s great for you. But my husband wasn’t replying to a comment about the looks of a particular person; we were speaking in generalities. I would never bother him if a particular neighbor made me feel insecure and demand to know if he thought she was prettier. That puts him in such a bad position. Besides even if he thinks she’s objectively prettier he’s not going to throw away or emote relationship and life so who cares?
He doesn’t dismiss my insecurities through platitudes; he helps me evaluate whether my thoughts are reasonable. He acknowledged that on average, the women in our town look amazing, especially compared to the women we grew up with. I think these women are doing a lot to maintain and enhance their looks; as am I, already. He thinks is it’s possible they’re doing less than I think they are. Obviously, it depends on the person. Thats the only reason I bring up other women.
What does prettier mean though? I’ve definitely thought people were prettier than me but it usually meant that they dressed better, had more polished hair, that I wanted to lose weight etc. Which of these does it mean to you?
Is this a class thing? I don’t come from an UMC background but make an UMC living that also puts me in touch with some of the very wealthy. There is no way I will ever look like one of the women who has every defect smoothed away for them. I just have to be grateful we are in an economically solid place and not even start with the comparisons.
Tennis players: I have a question for you. Which ball pockets on the undershirts of skorts do you like better? The ones where you drop the ball in or the upside down ones where you have to roll the ball up under an elastic lip?
Good pockets are so hard to find.
i just put them in the leg of the short. the pockets are too small and awkward.
Y’all please let me scream into the void.
Two months ago I notice a big global issue in my field, I bring it to my boss’s attention and write a one pager. He never acknowledges the email and at a meeting he says ‘thanks very interesting.’ Fast forward to today my boss brings up the global issue and demands a one pager asap, so I take a whopping 4 minutes to track down the one pager I wrote 2 months ago and send him the file link. Boss replies he ‘wants something thought through not AI’ so I screenshot the edit history to prove not AI, I just had this prepared. Radio silence. He will not respond ever and will likely give me the silent treatment for 2-5 days before talking to me again and pretending nothing ever happened. Ugh.
That dude sucks, polish up your resume!
maybe you did this? I would have forwarded him the original email and attachment and said “by way of response to your ask on Topic X, here’s what I pulled together previously. The analysis remains current. Please let me know if you’d like a deeper dive on any of this.”
If you just replied to today’s note with the link and no context, I can see why it gave the impression of quick and dirty even though it wasn’t!
The devil doesn’t need an advocate but that seems to be the only thing you ever post here.
Has anyone done a “garage glow up” recently with learnings/tips to share? We are upgrading our basic two car garage with insulation and drywall, concrete coated or epoxy floors, and storage. We’ll end up renting a Pod for a few weeks to store the contents of our garage, and will also get a dumpster so we can trash some of the stuff as we unload it. For storage, we will do some kind of mudroom/locker situation near the door to our house, pegboard type storage to put the wall space to work, a workbench, and some overhead storage for plastic bins.
Any tips / lessons learned would be greatly appreciated!
i know sometimes there are posts about what people leave in their offices. I just added a large towel for a day when i absolutely can’t spill lunch or coffee on my clothes….
Ha! On days like this I eat over the counter with a BIG LEAN forward.
I get it but would suggest a large cloth napkin, perhaps two.
I eat lunch at my desk, and when I had an office with a coat closet I kept an apron in it. Covered me up so no lunch spills got on my clothes. I once wore the apron to keep clean while setting out catering (I’m an EA) and my boss got a huge kick out of it and started calling me Betty Crocker. I loved that job and miss that boss a lot.
I routinely eat lunch with a napkin fashioned as a bib.
I used to keep an extra top at the office when I was there every day. Extra pair of underwear too!