Splurge Monday’s Workwear Report: Floral-Printed Wool Polo Sweater
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
My budget for knitwear is a little bit less than this Oscar de la Renta sweater requires, but how gorgeous is this floral-printed polo? The colors, the fit, it’s all perfect. I searched long and hard for something comparable in a more affordable price range, but I think this might be something I’ll be looking for in consignment shops in 5-10 years.
The sweater is $2,490 at Net-a-Porter and comes in sizes S-L.
Sales of note for 8/21:
- Ann Taylor – 25% off fresh fall styles! Also, there's an online-only warehouse sale — $20 tops, $25 sweaters, $30 pants, and $40
- CVS – Epic beauty sale, $10 off when you spend $30 (Walmart is having its “Beauty Event” as well right now!)
- The Fold – Up to 50% off, further markdowns
- J.Crew – Last chance summer styles on sale
- J.Crew Factory – 8/21 only: 50% off pants and shorts, and free shipping on all orders
- J.McLaughlin – Extra 40% off sale
- Lilysilk – Anniversary sale, save up to 70%
- Me & Em – Sale! Up to 60% off (new lines just added, exclusively online)
- M.M.LaFleur – Lots of new pieces added to 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
- Revolve – 20% off most beauty!
- Talbots – End of season clearance, extra 70% off markdown tops and extra 60% off other markdowns
- Theory – End of season sale is on!
Oh pretty. I’ll add this to my dream list.
Yes. But maybe a skirt option I can sit down in? ODLR’s customers don’t seem to wear stuff like that.
What’s really odd to me is that they edited the skirt so the back view doesn’t show the weird tail thing the actual linked skirt has.
Okay so I’m the director of Department X at a mid size company. The director of Department Y is not doing well at his job and the company hired a consultant to basically audit/review Department Y. Our departments work on some projects together, but day to day our work is different.
The consultant keeps asking me questions about the inner working of dept Y. I’ve been answering some questions and then just redirecting him when I don’t know, but the consultant is definitely asking me because I’m helpful and the people who should answer him aren’t.
How big a deal is this? Should I continue being helpful – that feels a bit like being a doormat. Department Y succeeding or failing doesn’t affect me. I already look fantastic compared to Director Y so that’s helpful.
I’d basically tell Consultant what you said here, if you haven’t already. Like, “if you need more info on how Y’s functions impact X’s work, I’m happy to help, but I don’t have significant insight on these operational questions, and A and B on Director Y’s team are the right source for that.”
Presumably someone more senior than you is paying the bill for consultant’s work, and will be listening to the recommendations from consultant. You continuing to help, to the extent you have capacity to do so, means that this is an opportunity to position your ideas of how Department Y should run or other related organizational changes you think would be beneficial. Of course, while continuing to do as you say – emphasizing that it is your perspective and you don’t know exactly the inner mechanics.
Have you been instructed to act as a resource to the consultant? If not, does your own manager know and believe this is a good use of your time?
A resource sure but not the main contact. My manager knows but I was debating whether to highlight to her how many questions he’s had – maybe I will do it in our next 1-on-1
Talk to your boss now. This is internal politics at the highest level and you don’t want to become collateral damage. Get insight from someone who knows what’s going on.
Oh I know exactly what’s going on from every direction. I’m not worried from a politics perspective. But I think I will bring it up to my boss before making changes. Half the time the help I= provide is posting in a public channel “hey so-and-so help the consultant” – so it is just playing traffic cop and redirecting consultant. But Director Y should be doing that.
On reflection, yeah, this is worth a big-picture convo with your manager before saying anything general to Consultant – if it turns out you really shouldn’t be spending time on this, I like my script above, but best to find out.
Yes, make sure your boss knows how heavily the consultant is leaning on you and is okay with that continuing (or not).
Is your concern more along the lines of “Am I picking up too much slack/less valuable work?” or more “Am I risking blowback by being the one to say the things everyone knows are bad in Dept Y?”
More “Am I picking up too much slack / less valuable work”. Everyone is very clear about how bad things are in Dept Y. I mainly think that if Dept Y isn’t providing the info consultant needs, that is just further evidence of the problems and I don’t want to paper over that.
Do you want anything in Department Y to change? If so, you should answer their questions.
If you don’t care, you could likely delegate their questions to someone on your team.
Maybe it’s what I’ve seen in too many PE companies, but everyone’s job is on the table when consultants come in. Align with your boss on expectations and then answer what you’re asked without too much more. You want to look helpful but not a contributor to the problems.
It’s not an overall consultant or a PE situation, it’s specific to Dept Y. Hmm maybe that’s why Director Y is not answering the consultants questions. That’s not making Director Y look any better
You sound very naïve.
Kick the can to someone else. There’s no ROI here.
ISO sports bra with *molded cups*. I have a bunch of sports tops from Athleta but they all have the removable cups, which I hate with the fire of 1,000 suns. They never stay put and also I have to unfold them after every wash!!! I prefer molded rather than just layered fabric, to avoid headlights. TIA!
Lululemon Like a Cloud
Take your bras to a seamstress/tailor and get them sewn in!
This is something every woman with hands can do on their own!
Lucky sizes only, but I just got this Nike workout top and the cups are molded. FWIW, the advice to size up is correct, I’m a 36C, usually a M in workout tops, and the L fits well.
https://www.nordstrom.com/s/nike-dri-fit-swoosh-bra-racerback-tank/8943145?origin=category-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FActivewear%2FWomen%27s+Activewear%2FShirts+%26+Tanks&color=44444AHFPJ
Right there with you and no, I sure af don’t want to add finding a seamstress to my to-do list. Try some of the Anita options from Title Nine – you have to check the labels but they’re the best I’ve found for this. Target also has added more molded cup options in recent years.
I agree with you, but this is the kind of thing that I would think any dry cleaner could handle, not a specialist.
I would be laughed out of my dry cleaners.
Then you go to a weird dry cleaner.
But molded cup options are out there – why would we buy an expensive non-molded cup option only to add another $20-40 to get them sewn in when it’s not designed for that anyway? I wish people would just answer the question.
Why would you pay $20-40 to do something that requires absolutely zero skill? Just do it yourself.
I no longer remember the model names, but Panache makes these and are good sports bras in general
No suggestions, but want to confirm your annoyance. Why do sports, or any kind of bra manufactures do this?? If you don’t want padding, you are going to take the little pad out and throw it away. If you want padding, you don’t want to faff around with unfolding the little pads, etc. I cannot think of a situation where I might want padding sometimes but it others.
Related, I ordered a bunch of bras in the Nordstrom sale and returned all but one, and I’m not sure I’m keeping that one. I’m a 32DD, I need some support. Why on earth are underwire bras made where the cup is just a thin flimsy bit of fabric? I need at least a little support all the way around. The cups don’t need to be padded like a life jacket, but a thin layer of foam or even a thicker fabric would help. I also prefer nipple coverage – don’t need my colleagues to be able to tell if I’m cold by looking at my top.
It is because they are designed by people, most probably men, who don’t do the laundry. Anyone who does the laundry HATES the cup moving around.
I just got some Yvette front zip sports bras from Amazon and they meet your criteria. I’ve been very happy with them so far. I would be careful about the sizing though – the size it said I should get was definitely too small.
What’s everyone’s favorite shapewear these days? need something for some smoothing under a dress.
I live near Raleigh and have a rental house with a paver patio that keeps pumping out a crop of weeds even in a drought. I had been pulling them but took a vacation and then it was too hot and now it’s overwhelming. How do you all manage this? I had thought to just pull them out, but they came back (with friends). If I spray, they may die, but I will still have to pull out the dead weeds. It could be lovely, but it just looks like a hot mess.
I can’t quite picture what’s happening, but sometimes you need to replace them with a plant that will look right there (like something very low profile) so the space they’re taking advantage of is already occupied.
she means weeds are growing through the gaps between the paver stones on her patio, not an intentional garden bed situation.
That much I understood! Sometimes people plant creeping thyme or something low profile, but it may depend on the size of the gaps.
One of those paver flamethrower devices. We love ours.
The two chores my husband and teenagers fight over are powerwashing and paver flamethrower-ing. Both very immediately satisfying!
I heard about the flamethrowers, but thought it was something so straight out of Caddyshack that I’d melt the vinyl siding or burn down the stairs. It’s not a comical thing a la Jacka$s?
I’m not ashamed to say that I love a good powerwashing session. It’s so satisfying!
Not a chemical-free solution, but pull them out, then sprinkle Preen in the cracks to keep them from re-emerging. Repeat 2-3 times during the growing season.
+1
I used Preen for the first time this spring and was really impressed on how it tamped down weed germination.
It’s not a today solution, but a next year solution. You’ll apply it in early spring.
I try really hard to not use excessive chemicals, but I’ve used it this season in a couple of areas that had constant weed problems despite my best efforts and have been quite impressed.
Is this the type of patio that has a real base and polymeric sand between the pavers? If so, clear out the weeds, clean out the surface dirt between the pavers, and refresh the polymeric sand (follow the instructions and do it right). It’s work, but worth it.
If these are just pavers set on top of soil, you need to either plant something you actually want between the pavers, or accept that they will need weeded frequently.
OP here and I have no idea about sand (of any sort). The underlying soil is clay. IDK how it was originally built and don’t want to put a lot of time or money into it. The flamethrower is looking . . . cathartic.
There’s a flavor of weed killer that’s meant for pavement and will prevent germination for one year. Read the labels at Home Depot – it specifically says 365 days on the front. I think the container is silver.
I’m on a trip to New York visiting a friend and her husband. My plan was to stay with them three nights and then stay at a hotel four nights. When they found out I’d booked a hotel for the second leg, they said I should cancel and stay with them longer. I had originally booked the hotel so I don’t overstay my welcome and that it doesn’t get old having me here, but it is really nice getting to spend time with them and a hotel sounds lonely comparatively (though I’d also have more freedom to make plans with other friends guilt-free).
Does keeping the hotel make sense? What would you do in my shoes? We are 30 for reference and have been friends 4 years.
Fish and guests….
I’d keep the hotel. They’re being nice to offer to extend your stay, you be nice by saying you want to {something} – experience that neighborhood, be closer to XYZ things you want to do, whatever. End the stay on a high note of wanting more.
+1. Maybe your hotel is “nonrefundable” at this last minute.
+1. Even with my very best friends I simply need my own space after 3 days. I’d emphasize that the hotel gives you access to a neighborhood you want to explore, it’s a treat to yourself, etc. etc.
+2. Especially in NYC I doubt their place is big enough for you to have much privacy.
+1 million
I really hate sharing my space so I’d stay in a hotel the whole time, lol.
Hotel.
If it was one extra night I might take them up, but four extra nights (more than twice your original stay)? That’s too much to impose on people I want to stay friendly with, even if the offer is sincere.
Do they have a guest room or are you staying on the couch? [And before everyone comes for me, I had a 2 bed apt with one room used as a guest room when I was married and early 30s in NYC. This was before wfh was really a thing, so it wasn’t an office.] If you have your own room (that isn’t also, say, one of their offices), I think it would be fine to stay longer. If you are sleeping in their office or in the living room, I would say the hotel is nonrefundable and go stay at the hotel.
Anyone have experience with Halara? I like the idea of bra or shelf bra tops and dresses, and they have several. Their wrap skirts are also intriguing me, not sure if I want built in shorts at work but may try.
It’s thin plasticky junk. Kudos to them on their social media presence and referral program though because every other influencer seems to loooove them.
Soma sometimes has summer dresses with built in bras. I tried them last summer and they are decent quality.
Question about another online retailer – anyone have any experience with OGLmove, or whatever it’s called? OGL something.
I have had some lifestyle drift with my eating and activity that has made me gain more weight than I’d like. what are your favorite ways to get a little more incidental activity (I moved to a car dependent city a few years ago which is part of this) I already work out, it’s more changes around the margins of my life that are stacking up. and I’m trying to pay a lot of attention on the food side to like what do I actually love vs what have I just fallen into consuming as a habit. appreciate any things that have been helpful for you to get a little more activity or consume a little less.
Low or no carb snacks between meals. No liquid calories except a couple drinks on the weekend. Meals should be 75% protein and vegetables. Don’t keep junk food in your house but do keep healthy no-prep items (nuts, seeds, fruit, precut veggies). I used to do these things naturally but it’s easy to slide into bad habits over the years.
Switch to making a cup of tea instead of grabbing a snack
Pay attention to portion sizes
Park further away
Take stairs
Be less efficient with walking (i.e., take the longer route, even if it is just to the printer and back)
Moms of teens, I am struggling. My kid is great. He has also taken on SO MUCH, to the point that I’m seriously concerned about burnout. He also puts a ton of pressure on himself to be the best in everything he does. While I realize this is a “good” problem to have, I know I’m overly sensitive to his desire to perform because I was that kid, too, and then crashed and burned pretty hard in college when I couldn’t keep it up anymore. Any advice I have for him is not being taken well, and I’ve been told, gently, by my DH that I need to back off and let him learn his own limits. It is SO much easier said than done. I think it bothers me more than it should because I’ve had to do so much work in adulthood to unlearn the desire to be impressive, so seeing him go down the same path (with even more intensity) is triggering the crap out of me. What’s a former high-achiever to do when parenting a teen? Because any lessons I’ve tried to impart about balance and mental health are undone the second he walks into school every day.
Back off, not everyone melts down.
Being his safety net means you are there to catch him when he falls, not to prevent the fall in the first place.
Unless he’s taken on so much that he’s losing sleep over keeping up with all of it, let him be. I had a LOT going on in HS but found the activities stimulating, not a drain on energy. Like, being in the musical was a lot of time, but it was also fun because my friends were also participating.
Well, he has lost sleep trying to keep up with it, which is why I’m concerned! I’ve been trying to help him figure out some time management strategies so he’s not up quite as late doing homework, and have been told that he does not need my assistance.
I think you have your answer – you need to back off and not extrapolate your experience to his. The lives of teenagers today bear almost no resemblance to those of the past.
Is he actually struggling or is it just you?
Teens are HARD.
I could see the burnout and feel the stress vibrating through the air. Doing the driving to get from permit to daytime license was unpleasant (so: signed kid up for more lessons with driving school for my mental health).
Our solution was to let kid to away to a program for the summer that kid applied to and want to go to. It was really life-changing to go without a net and to get back to being parents only in the relationship. I think that there will be rocky times ahead, but it sort of kept us in separate lanes and kid got to flex the executive function muscle a bit more. Kiddo has already declined to do one activity that was a goal back in may as not compatible with larger goals and I just remarked OK vs dwelling on it one bit. Your life, your choices; mom just writes the check and loves you (as a teen).