Splurge Monday’s Workwear Report: The City Layered Blazer
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
This wool blazer from Favorite Daughter is just a gorgeous specimen. I love the button placement and the notched lapels, but the selling point for me is really the cotton-cashmere cuff accents that give the look of layering without the warmth or bulk.
I would wear this with some comfy athleisure pants for a travel day when I wanted to look pulled-together or with dark trousers for a great business casual look.
The blazer is $348 and comes in sizes XXS-XXL.
Sales of note for 9/11:
- Nordstrom – End of season clearance, up to 50% off
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase + extra 15% off when you spend $200
- Anthropologie – Extra 50% off sale! The reader favorite wide leg pants come down crazy low in some colors/fabrics, but they're down to lucky sizes
- Athleta – 30% off select styles (including my favorite sweatshirts as well as these reader favorite pants) + extra 30% off sale
- AYR – Archive sale, up to 60% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles – readers love these dresses, and their double-layer line of tees
- CVS – Epic beauty sale, $10 off when you spend $30
- Design Within Reach – the semiannual sale, 25% off everything! (readers love the Herman Miller Aeron and Sayl!)
- J.Crew – Up to 40% off select styles
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off all stores, plus an extra 10% off when you buy a pair of jeans
- Me & Em – Sale! Up to 60% off (new lines just added, exclusively online)
- M.M.LaFleur – Labor Day Sale Event, save sitewide! (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Nordstrom Rack – Extra 40% off select clearance
- Talbots – Buy one get 50% off everything
- Theory – End of season sale is on!
Thanks to everyone who explained why belts aren’t always worn (reminded by looking at the outfit on this model.) It’s still jarring, but at least I no longer consider it an error.
What’s the reason?
If you were building a work wardrobe from scratch, what are the absolute basics you would buy? Assume business casual, no need to wear a full suit every day but some blazers are needed.
I would start with plain black pants that fit well, at least two different cuts. Once I find those, a pair of grey or blue in one of the cuts would be the next step. After that, find shoes that work with those pants. Only then would I turn my attention to tops.
I would think in terms of outfits and core colors, rather than gather individual items. I’d start with a week’s worth in colors that coordinate: 1 suit, 2 pairs pants in different cuts / colors, 2 toppers (1 blazer, 1 cardigan, lady jacket, bomber, etc) and 5 tops that go with all the items (shirts, blouses, shells, elevated t-shirts — whatever you wear). Flats or heels that go with all.
It’s work to buy these items in colors and proportions that go together well, but if I were starting from scratch, this would get a good foundation for a new wardrobe.
100% this, and I would also throw in a dress in your neutral color.
Best advice I got when starting out was pick either black or navy and build around that with clothing and accessories. I am also an unrepentant fan of sweater sets. I am a business casual/suit wearer for work. What I might have per season, for example: one black suit, one gray suit, two more pair of pants, one black twinset, one twinset in another color that works with black or gray, a couple of nice merino wool sweaters ,and three tops – two blouses and one nice tee. I use twinset shells with suits. I can get any number of permutations out of this.
Caveat: I consider work clothing to be a uniform and care not about “expressing my personality” at work. I’m more interested in expressing power, which is what suits my role. Also, I have switched to black-based wardrobe for cool weather and navy-based for warm weather. Consider what your work role and what your clothing needs to convey. Without knowing that it’s hard to give you particulars.
I’ve always like The Vivienne Files blog for capsule/coordinated wardrobe inspo.
I always look at pics like this with a sense of wonder and envy – I can’t imagine wearing a shirt, a sweater, and still getting my arms into the sleeves of a blazer. I’ve been cursed with my grandmother’s size 14 arms grafted onto my size 10 torso.
Thanks to this blog, I have discovered cotton collar dickeys that allow me at least an appearance of a layered look with sweaters.
I can’t imagine wearing this many layers and not being a sweaty mess by 10 am!
Do you have any particular dickeys to recommend?
Anyone have a loose powder that works for ‘baking’ your makeup? I really loved the Hourglass loose powder but it’s pricey; however, the Sephora brand has a really off-putting smell to it.
I’ve heard about the Huda Beauty easy bake powder, but is there a drugstore one that works better? Maybelline FitMe or Elf maybe?