Frugal Friday’s Workwear Report: Intarsia Puff-Sleeve Sweater
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
How pretty is this puff-sleeved sweater from T Tahari? A short-sleeved sweater is a staple item for me in the summer, and this gorgeous citron yellow color will transition beautifully from summer to fall. Wear it with a black midi skirt now and add some tights and boots once the temperatures start to drop.
The sweater is $24.97 at Nordstrom Rack and comes in sizes XS-XL. It’s also available in black with a white flower.
Sales of note for 7/29:
- Nordstrom – The Anniversary Sale continues! Here's our big roundup of the best workwear, as well as everything we've selected thus far. Don't forget to check to see if their daily beauty deal is a good one for you –- e.g., 7/29 up to 40% off select lip products; 7/31 Bobbi Brown; 8/1 Jo Malone
- Ann Taylor – 50% off summer styles + 60% off clearance — readers love this blouse and I always love the variety of colors/textures for this jacket (it's a great separate)
- Banana Republic – 30% off your purchase (ends 7/31)
- The Fold – Up to 50% off, further markdowns + extra 10% off
- J.Crew – Up to 30% off
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off sitewide
- Me & Em – Sale! Up to 60% off (new lines just added, exclusively online)
- M.M.LaFleur – End of season sale! (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Nordstrom Rack – Clearance, new markdowns up to 75% off! 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 – 25% off your entire purchase
- Theory – End of season sale is on!
By any chance could someone post a gift link this article? I tried to get it on archive .org but no luck. TIA!
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/travel/botanical-gardens-us-cities.html?unlocked_article_code=1.1lA.3lrs.46d_4T1sXXph&smid=url-share
Here you go.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/travel/botanical-gardens-us-cities.html?unlocked_article_code=1.11A.7fit.8bWKT4_N_-w3&smid=nytcore-ios-share
Can anyone recommend a travel agent with whom they’ve had a good experience, particularly one who specializes in France? I’m going with a small group and we know we want to go to at least one wine region, but we’d like some guidance about where to go, where to stay, should we book tastings in advance, etc. Thank you!
Laura Dugan at Crafted Escapes
Not to hijack this, but would she or any other agent be able to help with a last minute vacation? I just want someone to plan a fun trip for me and my family and I have been just too busy to get to it. Flexible on where to go but don’t know who to turn to. Feels like a good job for someone who plans travel for a living to let me know of some last minute deal. Any other leads welcome!
I would think so! The blogger Carolina Charm has recommended agents for family trips (like a multi-stop Costa Rica itinerary). Laura does both families and couples but so far have only experience on a couples’ getaway to Provence.
I haven’t tried this and am not a Costco member, but a partner at my firm swears by their vacation packages.
allie.goes.places on insta
I have to wear this dress (link in comments) in mocha color in a wedding. any shoes/purse are ok. what color should i go with?
https://www.bloomingdales.com/shop/product/dress-the-population-audrina-plisse-maxi-gown?ID=5177803
I would probably look for shoes in a metallic bronze or gold.
I can recommend these: https://www.naturalizer.com/product/womens-vera-dress-sandal-3019511/dark-gold-leather-ec0215515
Maybe not the most fashion-y, but actually comfortable for heels and good if you need to walk on grass (as opposed to stilettos)
Most rewearable – metallic of your choice, whether silver or gold or copper would look best really depends on how the fabric looks IRL (looks like it leans warm?)
Fun contrast – icy pastel blue or lavender
yes! my first thought was gold but icy blue or lavender would be fun — you could also try a red if it’s more in the fall
If the goal is to harmonize, I wouldn’t do red or the like. I’m a color fan. But I’d keep the occasion in mind. Bride picked a neutral. I wouldn’t try not to be that one BM in photos.
Or possibly a mauve or rose for contrast
This is what I came to say. I think it would look great with this and depending on the shade, be very rewearable. My skin is by no means actually pink, but I’m a pale caucasian and have a pair of pale shell pink pumps that seem to work as a neutral shoe, nude for me but a little less dated than actual skin color nude for me. If I were OP I’d look for a rose/mauve/pink with a tone and saturation that paralleled the depth of my skin color.
I would do a gold or a champagne color.
if you’re looking to make do i actually think black would be fine with this (patent or satin) otherwise gold
Black with a different texture on the bag would be great. Maybe it’s time for a feathered evening bag…
Is there a website or service you can sign up for where you plug in a specific product (i.e., my expensive sunscreen/moisturizer) and it lets you know if any retailer (dermstore, sephora, etc) is having a sale?
I think the rakuten cashback browser extension does this if oyu search the product on one major retailer (at least it works with Azon)
Yes, it does. But it often alerts you to a cheaper price, and when you go to the link, it is for a much smaller size than the product you want. So it is hit or miss.
Have any of you looked into MTHFR genetic testing? We have a kid who has off-the-chart ADHD. No meds have ever really helped. We tried everything, starting with a regular pediatrician, who gave up and now a pediatric psychiatrist focusing on girls who have ADHD (and the doctor has ADHD herself). I really like her. We have tried everything, with only moderate relief (in that kiddo goes to a regular school and does well, does not have any conduct problems, but everything takes her much longer to do and everything just exhausts her and her peers have bullied her a lot over the years and she has gone through life as a loner who would love human connection but it’s always been beyond her outside of family and a few caring adults).
My social media feeds are now sending me a lot of MTHFR / folate stuff. It all looks scientific and seems logical: we are all assembled differently, drugs metabolize differently in different people, etc., etc. We did the testing years ago, kiddo has two mutuations. Even after trying some supplements, nothing changed and I gave up on this as maybe the thing that would help. Now, after years, if it is ramping up again on my feed, is something new there? Or is it just a bunch of woo still (or maybe it works for some people, but it did not matter to us)?
I’d so much love to help my child that I’d use a healing crystal if it worked, but I know better. And while I feel that some boys “grow out of it,” I don’t think that it will be like that for my kid.
Has she alo been tested for a learning disability? ADHD can come with both above and below average IQs.
Also boys don’t ‘grow out’ of ADHD they just offload their executive functioning to wives.
FYI, you can have a learning disability and a high IQ at the same time.
That comment literally says that…
No, it implies that learning disability = low IQ.
Oh. Lord. You should be embarrassed.
There is a lot of time between the stage where some ADHD kids are bouncing around the school room and neither then nor anyone else in the room is able to learn in a chaotic environment and offloading the administrative center of their lives onto a wife.
IDK if the wife will help you keep a job, but executive functioning being offloaded to moms may explain why my professor friends and entry-level hiring friends are complaining about being contacted by people’s parents.
This sounds like something you’ve already pursued to a dead end.
Sort of. But was years ago. And pediatric care is in such short supply that who really knows anything beyond one data point of one child and one doctor (who I think is great). People make discoveries all the time, but in suburbia, I don’t know when that is. Time can change what was a dead end into something that isn’t.
But as a mom, you never give up.
Spouse has the MTHFR mutation, ADHD, and severe depression that is now under control. They’ve been taking L-methylfolate since before the generics were available (and that ish was EXPENSIVE). It’s helped but it was never a silver bullet, just a piece of the overall treatment.
Deplin was so expensive; I’m glad the generics are working just as well.
I’m sorry for your struggles and I think you need to just let her go to college already.
I don’t think the MTHFR test results really predict whether supplementing folinic acid or methylfolate will be beneficial or not. And it sounds like they were not beneficial!
But there are many far less controversial genetic issues that can be relevant to ADHD. My experience is that I was not diagnosed until adulthood with a genetic condition that contributes to ADHD phenotype by affecting neurotransmitter production, sleep quality, and mitochondrial function, despite signs showing up in labs my whole life. I tested positive on genetic testing and was able to go on the FDA approved treatment. I got the sense that there are too many rare genetic conditions out there for providers to keep track of, and doctors don’t know what they don’t know. So I think it is not unreasonable to see a genetics counselor for treatment resistant ADHD, especially when exhaustion is a factor.
There are also a lot of medical issues that can occur alongside ADHD. I used to recommend All Brains Belong for this, but heir resources have sort of spiraled over the years to the point that they’re now overwhelming (maybe hard to avoid when it’s ND physicians maintaining them). But they still have some useful information about how ND patients can be medically different.
My husband and his sister both have ADHD and are awful sleepers. In my anecdotal and unscientific opinion, I am so convinced there’s a correlation for at least some people there – I don’t know if it’s bad sleep causing ADHD or if it’s ADHD causing bad sleep.
I would seek another opinion, specifically around dyslexia. Dyslexia is often misdiagnosed as ADHD, because it looks like you can’t “focus” on anything that involves reading. But it’s not that you can’t focus; it’s that your brain gets exhausted by the effort of trying to read something your eyes don’t want to understand. You say everything takes longer — is that because she gets distracted? Or is it because she genuinely takes longer to understand what is in front of her?
Note that dyslexia also often includes difficulties with numbers, as well. Some kids have an easier time with math than reading, but definitely not all.
Oh, and if it is dyslexia, the treatments for it have come a long way since we were kids. Screen readers also really alleviate any impact in the workplace if it persists into adulthood.
This is a good point. I learned when actually tested that there are other kinds of eye tracking/visual-spatial difficulties that aren’t dyslexia but can also be accommodated so that reading isn’t as tiring.
I feel like reading is the one thing that has never been a problem. It’s more: fidgeting during 1.5 hour classes (what our middle schools do), no recess, switching between things on a self-directed basis (like when you have 6 hours to do laundry and put it away, the wash may go into the washer but the washer may not get started or the load may not get moved to the dryer, and you may never get around to eating lunch, so you are out of energy but need it, but also the neighbor’s cat is out and it is so friendly and cute). IDK if that makes sense, but we have done full neuropsych assessments for school at least twice and nothing deeper was uncovered for any specific learning disability.
My dad takes folate for MTHFR mutation. It’s not a silver bullet but takes the edge off.
The best ADHD treatment I’ve found is lots and lots of exercise, preferably cardio. 4, 5, 6, even 7x/week.
Also not sure how old she is but it’s common for ADHD symptoms to increase in luteal phase. Sometimes just knowing it will get better in a week is a silver lining.
Another thread you can sometimes pull is sleep quality / potential sleep disorder.
I have three children with ADD combined. The treatment plans are all different.
Eldest (15 year old girl) also has ASD. Jornay works well for her.
Middle (13 year old boy) also has AsD. Vyvanse works well for him.
Youngest (10 year old girl). Intuiv works well for her.
I run my kids daily, I’m on top of their diet and they get 10 hours of sleep a night. My youngest has sleep apnea and the ENT sorted that out. Highly recommend starting with diet, exercise and sleep followed by medicine.
My kids have 1200mg EPA daily as a supplement. It helps.
WSJ published an article about naked dressing. I think this trend has been around for awhile, particularly with celebrities. I have not seen this in the wild, but I don’t live in a fashion forward city either. https://www.wsj.com/style/fashion/naked-dressing-hailey-bieber-madonna-d2a1d94b?st=eeW1WH&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
This reminds me of the poster who discussed how being able wear whatever you want to work is not empowering. That was an iconic post.
I want to read that prior post. Can you link to it?
https://corporette.com/are-patent-leather-shoes-an-option-for-a-conservative-office/#comment-160267
I *love* this poster’s energy. Bring back this vibe!
So iconic, and so well put, that I saved it. With thanks to 2010’s “Amy”, if you are still here, I think I love you, because you absolutely nailed it…
Amy
08/05/2010 AT 3:00 PM
News flash: dressing however you want at work is not “empowering.” Women’s magazines love to say this so they can encourage you to spend lots of money on things and they can get more advertising dollars. Then women wear things to work that are not appropriate, they experience negative consequences and career stagnation, and they can’t figure out why. Why can’t I wear my bright-red platform patent-leather peep-toe stilettos and still be taken seriously? I have seen many, many commenters on this blog put forth the idea that as long as your work is great, even as a lower-level employee, you can wear more or less anything you want to work. That is really, really incorrect. You know what is really “empowering” at work? Actually having power. Having not only a voice, but having people listen to you and do what you’re suggesting. Having a say into important decisions. Being able to run your own show. Directing, managing and encouraging people who will move up in their careers. Providing people with jobs so they can make a living and support their families. That is empowering. Being able to wear whatever shoes you want to work? Who cares? That kind of fake empowerment has been sold to women over and over by the media. I don’t know whether I’m more disgusted that the media keeps doing it, or that women keep falling for it. I would wear a chicken costume to work if I thought it would get me promoted faster. I don’t give a rat’s ass about what some editor from Vogue thinks about my shoes; I care what my boss thinks, because she’s the one who has power over my career. Not my friends, not my husband, not the salesgirl in Nordstrom’s. I am really discouraged when I see young women equating “wearing what I want to work” with being empowered and successful. They. Are. Not. The. Same. Thing. At all. Want to do something that makes a difference? If patent leather or peep toes are not appropriate for your office, put them away. Get some acceptable shoes, work your ass off, and get promoted. Move into management. From there you will be able to influence corporate culture a lot more than if you remain a junior-level employee, slaving away at dead-end assignments, albeit with super-cute shoes. I’d rather sit in the C-suite in “boring” shoes that don’t “show my personality” than wear the cutest shoes ever and go to work every day pushing paper in a cubicle, where no one pays attention to my shoes because I don’t matter.
This is gold.
+1
Such a good comment. I miss this site in the 2010s.
Wow – memory unlocked! I want to copy that and send it to my daughters today.
Semi-related funny story – my husband and I had a rare no-kids night and decided to go out to a local brewery. Nothing fancy, but I thought “why not,” and broke out a skimpy lace cami, push up bra, and my 3 sparkly hoop earrings (thinking of this week’s ear piercing discussions!).
Who happens to be in the parking lot, but my boss?
For that reason, I have a whole lot of pool wardrobes. I am only likely to see clients / rival lawyers / etc. when I am with my kids at the pool or in transit to / fro. So I have whole get-ups of swim shorts and skorts, swim tees, and bikini tops so I don’t have to worry about the waxing situation, tummy situation, or if any bits pop out. I also can care a lot less about sunscreen, which is great. But it takes a whole plastic bin in the off season. It is much more of a sporty-spice look than elegant swan, but I do have some simple one-pieces that I wear on vacation in the evening and maybe have a drink in while lounging.
Honestly, I would have gone straight home.
Fortunately, I had grabbed a jacket in case of over-zealous air conditioning, but I spent the whole time chatting with him trying to close it just enough that the goods wouldn’t be too obvious and hoping he didn’t wonder why I was wearing a jacket while standing in the 85 degree parking lot.
My husband insisted that boss thinks I’m a bad a** (he’ has said this), so he wouldn’t care. Not sure why these would be related, heh.
I am forever wanting to ban all shades of nude leggings for women and bike shorts for men. It just makes for a stressful half mile while they get close enough on my run to see that they are in fact not winnie the poo-ing it at 6am.
What is it with Wachtell lawyers hooking up in the park lately?