Thursday’s Workwear Report: Knit Pique Blazer
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
You know you’ve spent too many years in business casual when you have designated sections of your closet for “formal” blazers and “fun” blazers. My fun blazer section was in need of a refresh, and I’ve been looking for something with a slightly unusual collar or texture, just to liven things up a bit. This knit pique blazer from Banana Republic Factory is a win on both fronts.
I’m thinking about grabbing it in navy to wear with denim on casual Fridays this fall, but it also comes in black, white, and pewter gray.
The blazer is $84 at Banana Republic Factory — with 20% off at checkout — and comes in sizes XXS-XXL and XXSP-XLP.
Sales of note for 8/10:
- Ann Mashburn – Seasonal sale, up to 50% off – we just included them in our updated Top 10 Brands for Comfortable Heels!
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase, $99 dresses, and extra 60% off clearance — readers love this blouse and I always love the variety of colors/textures for this jacket (it's a great separate)
- Anthropologie – Extra 40% off sale!
- Bare Minerals – Free shipping over $50! Love their Love thir OG Mineral Veil setting powder
- The Fold – Up to 50% off, further markdowns (new lines added)
- J.Crew – Up to 30% off
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off sitewide
- J.McLaughlin – Summer sale, up to 50% off
- Lilysilk – Anniversary sale, save up to 70%
- Madewell – Up to 30% off
- 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
- Saks Fifth Avenue – Up to $500 off your purchase! Great selection of Veronica Beard, L'Agence, Vince, and more.
- Talbots – Semi-annual red door sale, 50-60% off all markdowns, and free shipping on 150+.
- Theory – End of season sale is on! Love all the colors their best-selling sweater tee comes in, and some colors are on sale.
I’ve been having issues with my feet and tried PT. The exercises have not worked. My personal trainer has helped me with calf exercises that work well and has me doing more hip flexor stretches and told me to get back to the doctor.
I’m still struggling with walking down stairs. My doctor said to go to a podiatrist. I went and was told to go back to PT. I know this is a whole host of issues (high stress in my life, lack of exercise following running using shoes with too many miles which originally hurt the metatarsal area). I can see the blood flow isn’t good either as I’m starting to get blood pooling in my feet.
I’m in Hudson county, North Jersey. Can anyone recommend a good specialist for this type of problem?
I’ve had good experiences with supplementing benfotiamine and magnesium for nerve issues and recovery when stress was a factor. The explanation I was given was that stress and any kind of blood sugar issues use a ton of those nutrients but that they’re also needed for healing. If you already take a multi you may have that covered, but it made a big difference for me personally.
I don’t know orthopedists near you, but I wonder if that is the next specialist to see?
I would also go back to the primary care doctor about the blood pooling just in case it’s a separate issue.
I take the chewable high potency multivitamin from Trader Joe’s and 1200mg of EPA a day for my vitamin D. I know there are different forms of magnesium but not sure which to take! I’ll check out benfotiamine. Never heard of it. Thank you!
How is your blood pressure?
Short-term, I’d go to a running store and get zero-drop shoes like Hoka Stinsons (trail runners, so not completely mushy) and wear inside and out. Elevate your legs when sitting. Cut out excell salt. Avoid standing for too long, especially in hard surfaces.
Has your doctor mentioned adding compression socks?
And how old are you?
I switched shoes 3 times trying Saucony hurricanes, Altra that were zero drop and ASICS kayano.
I’m 46. I feel like the pooling is worse because I sit for too long.
Doctor didn’t mention compression socks. I was thinking to try that once the temperature drops a bit.
New Balance 880s with a prescription orthotic helped my feet. Wore them all. the. time.
Blood pressure is fine. If anything on the low side. Pulse was commented on as being low at 48 but easily explained by the running.
48 is pretty low for many runners – can be totally healthy, and can be normal but that sounds more like someone training for ultras than eg. a typical “I want to run a marathon for my 40th birthday” serious-but-recreational runner. Any chance you have smart watch data or some other sense of your baseline from when you were running a lot but before the blood pooling started?
I sense as a woman with low blood pressure is that gravity explains the pooling, especially in hot weather (everything dilates to help cool you, veins aren’t under pressure like arteries, so everything just collects at the lowest point). Elevate your feet. Get a stool for under your desk or a box or something. Avoid excess salt because you will just retail fluid. I also avoid standing and if I’m up, I need to be moving. The muscles in your leg counteract the pooling of you are actively using them. Not if you just stand.
I was having ankle issues and my doctor recommended reformer Pilates. It made a huge difference. I might give that a try. You do a fair number of feet stretches and work outs, but it won’t be as intense as running.
Hello from New Jersey as well! I’m sorry this is happening, it sounds frustrating. I don’t have a particular specialist to recommend, but some of what you have overlaps with what I have, so I wanted to ask: Do you have, or have you been screened for, POTS? I was recently diagnosed, and it was the answer to a lot of the questions about my body that no one could answer. I hope you find the specialist you need, I know this can be terribly frustrating. Thinking of you!
I agree it’s helpful to know if we have POTS, but we still need answers (what is causing the POTS!).
If you want an orthopaedic surgeon, try Dr. Stuart Levine. Podiatrists often aren’t the right people for this; their training is too specific.
I’m a mid-level manager in big tech that is under a lot of stress from low stock price, AI, saaspocalyse, etc. The truth is my household is basically at FIRE as long as we move out of VHCOL, which we will if we lose our jobs in tech. I don’t need another promotion. I think I’m done with career progression, just not done done with actually working. I want to stack my cheese for a little longer. So I want to change my mindset about this job. I want to have fun with it. How do I do that?
start re-invigorating your network, using it as an opportunity to learn and explore. If your company allows for any kind of professional development, take adavantage of it.
I’m a bit older but in a similar situation. My new mindset is that I’m doing my employer a favor by being there. Sure, they could replace me, but it would be a pain for them to do it quickly and the role can’t sit unfilled for regulatory reasons. I WFH full time and I take full advantage of that – lunchtime swims in the pool, chores during breaks in the day so evenings are relaxing. I also tryto give my direct reports more career development, which gives me personal satisfaction. I wouldn’t call it fun, exactly, but these changes are keeping me going a few more years.
Find your identity in things other than work. Hobbies, volunteering, exercise, whatever you like. If you may FIRE, knowing how to exist without work being the central focus of your time will be valuable.
When at the office, meet the expectations but don’t push yourself to go beyond that. Build relationships with those around you and focus your extra energy on making a pleasant environment around you.
What does any of this gobbledygook even mean? Stack my cheese? Explore English. Read a real book.
You are a pill, Anonymous. But yes, I’ve never heard the term “stack my cheese” and also give it the side eye.
Can you consider moving to a lower stress, possibly lower paying job (I think they call this coast FIRE)? I’m in a similar situation. My current job is incredibly stressful, but I still love my field of work. I’ve started exploring downshifting to other positions that will be less stressful but let me do the portions of my job I actually enjoy.
+1 coast FIRE (= you’re not financially ready to stop working completely but you no longer need to save aggressively for retirement, so you can get by on a much lower salary) is where I’m at, and it’s really great. I would encourage you to explore leaned out options as an intermediate step.
I use the suggestion I got here to view weird work situations like an anthropologist observing a phenomena. Distant, just observing, not impacted
Since we’re doing medical complaints, I have one. My left shoulder has been killing me for weeks. But it also goes away sometimes for days at a time. I went on a week long trip and it didn’t bother me once. OTC meds help.
Have you tried PT already? I’d be wondering if I needed a more ergonomic set up at work or at home (or even while sleeping) if it went away when traveling.
My friend has this. For her it’s a menopause thing. She went to PT and then decided she was going to swim 3x a week instead. The swimming helped her and eventually it just disappeared one day.
I am 43. I will consider PT and swimming. Or at least going back to the gym again.
Might want to get a diagnosis so you know what you are dealing with. I have had frozen shoulder for two years and it is just starting to resolve. PT helped immensely, but the final 10% was pretty painful. Both the ortho and the PT said it is a menopause thing.
Go to a sports doctor. They will have a better referral network than a GP and the PT they recommend is more likely to actually be helpful.
+1 It felt funny to me going to a sports doctor when I am not at all sporty or athletic, but they had the right connections.
For some reason a good PT is many times better than an okay one.
Probably 1-2 PT sessions would fix this. It sounds minor, they can help ID the issue and give you tips to manage.
Went to the ER yesterday thinking I had appendicitis. Turns out I have a large ovarian cyst instead. Now I’m waiting to find out what, if anything, can be done about it. Guys … I have had so many surgeries on my reproductive organs already. I really do not want another one. But let me tell you, the pain was very real. Is anyone willing to share their treatment plans? Size-wise, it’s a candidate for removal.
Had one removed as part of a robotic myomectomy. Incisions were minor.
Also had one that then burst. It was SOOOO PAINFUL. I thought it was appendicitis but it was the wrong side. Then, it just went away. But validating that the pain is REAL.
Hysterectomy/ oophrectomy was the best thing I ever did. Between the cysts and the endometriosis, it was way more trouble than it was worth. Good riddance.
We could really use more research on who is likely to have an amazing experience (many women!) and who will regret this a lot (also a lot of women!).
I’ve got PCOS so ovarian cysts are a regular occurence. I’m on continuous birth control to manage the cysts as removing your ovaries is very much a last resort.
I’m sorry, the pain is real and I was previously at the ER at least 1-2x/yr because the urgent care near me doesn’t have an ultrasound machine to rule out torsion. I joked that after my appendectomy at least now I know for sure it’s ‘just’ my cysts.
There are surgical interventions that don’t remove the ovaries though.
I had a decent-sized (10-12cm) cyst removed a few years ago and had a bisalp at the same time. The ovary itself also had to be removed – doc said it was “pretty much all cyst.” It was a straightforward laparoscopic procedure; the first couple days of recovery sucked but things improved quickly.
Re: above – the original plan was to leave ovaries intact; I still have the one.
I’ve had 8 of these. They are super, super painful. I’ve never needed surgery for one, even one that was larger than my bladder. They subside. You’ll be counseled to take it easy and let it reabsorb.
Oh wow. I would have been so afraid of a rupture.
I’ve had this jacket in red for a couple of years, and I love it. It’s held up well with frequent wearings.
Good to hear! I thought it was a great pick and have ordered it in Pewter Gray, which in the picture sure looks more beige than gray. With the automatically applied discount it was $67.20.
I was going to ask if my computer’s color settings were just way off or if the pewter grey is actually a light tan/beige.
Anyone work remote and get dressed up? I’m in year 4 of fully remote and suddenly I enjoy getting dressed up for work. It was nice to decompress and be comfortable and I appreciated the rest. I literally wore sweatpants/loungewear 90% of the tim during the first 3 years. But now I’m in year 4, I find myself getting fully dressed up, hair, makeup, outfit, shoes, and loving the energy it gives me. Maybe I’m ready to go back in office? Maybe I’m just recovered from in-office burnout before going remote. Not sure. Anyone else have this happen?
I never wore sweatpants/loungewear but I always got dressed and put make up on. It just never occurred to me not to. I need to feel like I’m going to work. I think its good for adults to get dressed up on a regular basis.
Hasn’t happened to me yet but I never stay in the night’s pajamas and didn’t from day 1 of the pandemic. I’ll be wearing sweats or athletic shorts but they’ll be fresh, clean ones and I’ll always have brushed hair and teeth by the time I sit down. I didn’t realize how uncomfortable I was until I got to wear comfortable clothes to work again. I had normalized the discomfort of underwire bras, structured pants, etc. when my body type and health conditions mean that I’m so much more comfortable in loose items.
Petty complaint. The facilities in my building washes the main door of the building every single day at noon. It causes such a disruption for those trying to come/go for lunch. It’s also just very performative to clean something during peak traffic. I know this isn’t a scheduling thing, he doesn’t have a whole lot to do most days and he spends 1:30-4 most days sitting in the supply closet on my floor watching videos on his phone.
I know it’s a pita, but it’s also sort of funny. Clearly he has a supervisor who nagged him about not washing the door enough, so he’s decided to bring peak petty to his job.
I was recently promoted so that I now manage managers. I have 5 direct reports and they each manage 3-4 staff. This is my first time managing managers . . . does anyone have any recommended readings that can help me navigate this? I know that at least one of these managers is not well liked and her team has complained about her in the past so I want to address that, of course. But I also want to respect chain of command and hear her side of the story. Any overall advice, or book recommendations, is welcome!