Frugal Friday’s Workwear Report: Floral Mock-Neck Top
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
A printed mock-neck top can be a great piece for adding both warmth and visual interest to your fall and winter outfits. I love the print on this one from Ann Taylor, and the viscose/spandex blend makes it perfect for layering or balancing out looser-fitting bottoms.
In a more formal setting, I would wear this under a black sheath and blazer to make a suit seem a little more exciting. For something a bit more casual, I would choose a pleated skirt and a cardigan, or even a crewneck tied around my shoulders.
The top is $45.15, marked down from $64.50, at Ann Taylor and comes in sizes XXS-XXL and XXS-XLP.
Sales of note for 10/30
- Nordstrom – Extra 20% off clearance
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase + extra 15% off your $200+ purchase
- Brooklinen – Friends & Family – 20% off sitewide and 50% off select bundles
- J.Crew – 2700+ markdowns
- J.Crew Factory – Extra 50% off clearance
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 20% on suiting and dresses! Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Talbots – Enjoy 30% off your entire purchase
Does anyone who works in an office where you wear classic workwear have any good new finds to report? Especially on the shoe front? I have some rough looking shoes and need something also that works with navy.
What’s your budget? Sarah Flint is my go to, but it is not cheap.
I am at the fewer / better stage of life, so if I’m buying one thing, it is OK for it to be spendy if it is good.
These are my favorite: https://www.sarahflint.com/products/perfect-emma-cognac-calf
If you need something flatter, these are also great, but I find them slightly narrower than the Emma: https://www.sarahflint.com/products/rosie-taupe-suede
For a shoe that works well with lots of neutrals, whether navy, gray, cream, some olives, black… my fave is oxblood / cordovan, if that helps with the search.
Likewise. I have some jcrew oxblood flats that I like right now. I also have some tortoiseshell pumps from Sarah flint that are comfortable and always get compliments. TBH they are not as comfortable as the Ann Taylor tortoiseshell ones they replaced and cost like 5 times as much.
I haven’t bought any in a while, but AT shoes, at least back in the day, were so good for the price.
I just got the Mgemi una flat in oxblood for fall for this reason. It is very soft and easy to walk in but fair warning that it has zero support in it as it’s a sachetto style.
Leopard also looks good with all neutrals, similar to tortoiseshell.
+1 – I like Ann Mashburn buckle flats and block heels for this.
This is for a very particular aesthetic, but I like the Sam Edelman Elaina loafers. They are Mary Janes and very sturdy.
I think the Talbots shoes are higher quality than you’d expect. All of mine have lasted for at least a few years of heavy wear.
Does anyone else notice that belief systems and actions that are lauded in celebrities or public figures are often admonished in real life people? Celebrity activists are good people, regular folk activists are annoying and preachy, etc.
Nope
not really. Celebrity activism comes off as performative really easily.
I’m not sure I have seen the lauded or admonished reactions, but I have observed that people with means can take deep dives into weird things that regular folks can’t do due to constraints of time, money, or social capital.
if the person holding those two beliefs is vain but shallow, that’s consistent.
What inspired me to make this post was a work event where people were discussing Pam Anderson and her activism era, doing the whole go girl thing, then in the same breath complaining about needing to accomodate the v3gan attendee at the event and how they were so annoying. Took all my strength not to say something.
It is easy to admire ideals that do not require anything of you.
One hundred percent.
But vegans are wildly annoying so that’s fair
then why isn’t Pam Anderson annoying?
The point is that there’s a double standard. Why is Pamela Anderson’s vegan activism ok if you’re colleague’s isn’t? (I think the answer is that they’re personally impacted by the colleague and not by Pamela Anderson, but it’s still a double standard).
It’s not a double standard based on individual v. celebrity. Sometimes the manner in which someone goes about their advocacy is annoying. It’s typically not the simple fact that an individual engages in advocacy that is annoying, or the cause, it’s how they do it.
If Pamela Anderson threw blood on your leather shoes or sat next to you at a restaurant and said “how can you be happy eating carcass? That cow was someone’s mother!” you’d be annoyed at her, too, because it’s directed at you personally and makes you uncomfortable. But “Pamela Anderson donates 10m to animal welfare and urges America to rethink factory farming” doesn’t have that personal, emotional impact. It’s also easy to tune out, unlike your coworkers who are physically near you and eating at the same office potluck or whatever.
The college did not say anything about factory farming or animal agriculture, not one single word.
They were deemed annoying for simply existing, and perhaps having their very sad plate of hummus and vegetables in other people’s sightline.
I was just providing examples and speaking generally. It’s crap to characterize anyone as annoying for simply existing. The double standard you describe isn’t really something I’ve observed. Sounds like your coworkers suck.
Humus and a plate of vegetables is considered sad? That sounds like a great work meal to me. Maybe you haven’t eaten the food at my work events…
I have the opposite reaction personally. I’ve been to expensive, corporate planned events that barely accommodated my vegan/vegetarian colleagues. This at a biotech with lots of international hires. How much money do the event planners get and they had sad salads as the only option most of the time. My mom is dairy free/gluten free for medical reasons, so I’m fairly sympathetic to people having dietary needs.
This is a good article that explains why law firms collapse generally–essentially a death spiral after partner departures and remaining partners not wanting to be left holding the bag.
https://clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hub/magazine/issues/why-law-firms-collapse/why-law-firms-collapse/
For any Weil folks on here–get thee to LinkedIn. Headhunters are all there ready to help, Hotshot is offering free training, lots of support from the community, as this is a rough time.
For the person asking about Weil on the afternoon post yesterday, Matt Levine had a great segment at the beginning of his Money Stuff newsletter yesterday about how easy it is to create a death spiral in this situation.
David Lat’s substack also gets deep into this.
When I graduated from law school in the late 80s there was a lot of this kind of thing going on and it’s giving me flashbacks in a bad way. Several of my classmates accepted offers at firms that no longer existed by the time they graduated and bassed the Bar.
I started in the Big 4 in 2004 and there were still so many people shell-shocked after the closure of Arthur Anderson and all the previous mergers. It was a messy, messy time and things had barely stabilized before the financial crash hit. I’m getting flashbacks, I truly think the AI bubble is about to pop.
I was supposed to summer at Dewey the year they imploded! It all worked out eventually but it was a stressful time.
+1 – Was a junior associate at Brobeck when they went down.
I really dislike that a funeral home is using my contact information to send me funeral home spam. (Yes I can opt out of all emails, but that would include some practical updates that I wanted to receive. But whose idea was this in the first place?)
Is this like a chain funeral home owned by private equity? The only time I ever get communications from my family’s prefered funeral home is on the anniversary of deaths and an annual reminder to update plans.
If private equity is going into funeral homes that is just awful. The family-owned funeral homes I have had contact with have been just amazing people who are truly out there doing God’s work.
Hate to break it to you but yes they are getting into this industry, very heavily.
Ugh. This is why we can’t have nice things.
That’s so gross, I’m sorry. If I were in your shoes I might be inclined to call the funeral home and express my displeasure at their poor taste marketing practices.
First of all, I am really sorry for your recent loss (I assume).
But my dark humor side is wondering what kind of promotional emails they are sending you? Discounts on coffins or urns? Buy-1-get-1-for free funerals?
The gallows humor paths I can take for BOGO funeral deals…
LOL. “Gallows humor”. Nicely played, Walnut!
I think some companies go out of their way to make it look like unsubscribe from their emails is going to mean they can’t contact you about anything, ever (because they really, really don’t want you to unsubscribe from marketing, because someone’s annual review depends on making that line go up); but in practice, I have found that at most companies, the unsubscribe tag just removes you from most bulk emails. They do still send you 1:1 stuff. It’s harder if you want some bulk mailings but not others.
I’m ready to try it either way!
I am sorry that this this is happening to you. Surprise reminders of a loss when you are just checking email can be difficult.
I am having the same thing happen with a hospice facility that cared for my Mom. The people there were wonderful, but the onslaught of marketing and fundraising mails and texts since she passed have been a lot. I had to call to ask to be removed from their marketing list, but it hasn’t stopped. I get surprise texts while I am at work, asking me how the grieving is going, and multiple mailings weekly. It is annoying and I find it offensive, not to mention upsetting when I am trying to make it through the day.
I’m sorry for your loss. You absolutely should not be receiving marketing and fundraising emails or grief check ins from the company. I wish the people running these companies would take some cues from their on the ground workers who have souls.
I am forever angry at Chewy for sending me “we miss you!!” messages, refusing to acknowledge my many attempts to unsubscribe, when I canceled my auto delivery after my dog died. They emailed me surveys wanting to know what would entice me to come back, sent personalized USPS mailers TO MY DEAD DOG with 20% off coupons, and were all around just the biggest a-holes about removing me from their marketing.
If I’ve attempted to unsubscribe once, and they send me another email, I report it as spam, every time. Their IT and marketing department is definitely tracking that number, because if too many of their emails are marked as spam, they get blocked by the providers or kicked off their mailchimp/etc account.
Oh believe me, I did! Until I ended up just blocking their entire domain when they still didn’t stop, many dozens of messages later.
Months of physical mail got “return to sender, no such person at this address” until finally “ADDRESSEE IS DEAD” seemed to get through to someone on their end.
I’m sorry that happened to you. Way back then, Chewy actually handled this correctly for me (and sent me flowers; I don’t think they do that anymore), but Purina has been shameless.
I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. The funeral home we used put sponsored links into my dad’s obituary on their website years after he died (ie, send flowers through XYZ flower company). So very gross, undignified, and not what he would have wanted. I had to ask them to take down the obituary.
Ladies, very insensitive question, please give me grace on how I word this. I am having major software and hardware issues. My company IT staffers are in and out of my office daily all this week and looks like next couple weeks, too. They sit in my chair for 1-3 hours/day, borrow my laptop, unplug things, etc. Two of the staffers smell very bad. One general BO the other just very – musty? Moldy? I nearly got nauseaus at one point yesterday and had to step outside briefly. One left my chair sweaty and clearly doesn’t wash under his nails, so it also grosses me out to touch all my equipment after. I appreciate their hard work and do not want to shame them, and also want to figure out a discreet way to have it smell better in here after / clean. I have a small office – desk, chair, 3-4’ then the door. Have been using Lysol wipes this week but not as effective on my fabric chair. I live in a mid size city with 2-day online delivery and target / walmart close by. I am not typically a germaphobe but this is really bugging me. How can I mitigate this – preferably without adding a strong fragrance that bothers others in the hall?
I’d use the ‘zero odor’ spray for the soft furniture and the wipes below for the desk. And stop letting them use your laptop – can’t they remote in?
https://www.cloroxpro.com/products/clorox-healthcare/hydrogen-peroxide-cleaner-disinfectants/
1-3 hours a day for weeks?? Girl! Ask for a replacement or loaner laptop while they figure it out somewhere other than in your office. That’s seriously disruptive to getting your day job done otherwise.
+1.
+1 this is the answer
They need to leave your workspace to you and cant expect to be there for hours.
Get a book or notebook and say you are going to read/work/think there, can they please work on it elsewhere?
Ask them to either remote in or take your laptop back to their own station. Don’t give them your chair. Like, stay in your chair and roll out of their way so they can try a quick fix, but then tell them to take the device with them so you can [read your document][take a call][whatever it is you are able to do without the laptop].
But also: that’s an absurd amount of time for them to troubleshoot issues. Do they not have a loaner laptop you can use so you can remain productive while they solve the problem?
I’ve never worked anywhere particularly fancy and IT Has always remoted in except for like literal hardware issues where the monitor isn’t connecting
Reach out to their supervisor (or HR, or your EAP contact) and remain factual. “Two of the IT staffers have personal hygiene issues that are not compatible with the office. While I appreciate their hard work, please do not assign them in-person to my support ticket until this is addressed.”
Ouch.
You will be put on a “slow roll” IT list. Do not recommend. Depending on your company, you could also be reported to HR for being a d&ck.
Or the staffers will be told this is not acceptable and will either quit in a pique or be fired for their inability to meet our basic dress code standards (“clean” is an expectation listed in our employee handbook for precisely this situation).
This has happened twice in my own office and in both instances the staffers’ colleagues were glad that others spoke up. They couldn’t stand to be around the stench all day, either.
That you know this is a clear indication it wasn’t handled properly.
do not do this.
I assure you their boss KNOWS they smell. They are presumably still employed because they have unique skills, have accommodations, or both. You saying something is just going to be the dick move.
How does one even have “major software and hardware issues” that require multiple weeks of people working in your space?
I would try to give the guys grace, I’m assuming there might be some ND or something else at play. Agree with the others that you need your office to yourself and a loaner laptop. If they are in your office, try sipping a cup of minty tea? I’d also leave out some white vinegar overnight to get rid of any lingering smells.
No.
This. Not making g coworkers nauseated is an essential function of this job. Requiring coworkers to sniff mint is not a reasonable accommodation.
Perhaps stop being so precious?
Make sure your office is adequately ventilated, and get a charcoal air filter.
Once you’ve sprayed down the chair with something effective, put a cover on it.
This question does not pass the sniff test.
OdoBan, which you can get online or form HD, is very effective. It was the only thing that worked after a terrible odor event at my house. Vinegar did not have any effect, and I tried it in every format-I misted, I steamed, I placed gallons of it around the room. Also, a small plug-in air filter can help. If you order one from Amazon, don’t just plug it in and go. Open up the filter, remove the plastic covering and then go. I would get them a different chair. Roll yours out of the way and roll this one in. Say it’s adjusted to your specifications or something.
Vodka in a spray bottle is very effective for removing odors from fabric. Alcohol wipes for disinfecting surfaces (which is not a bad idea anyway now that wee are in flu season).
Anyone dressing up for Halloween for like a party or parade or something? What are you going as? I’m excited to dress up like a flapper, I found the cutest dress.
I think you’ll be super cute! My child is trick-or-treating as a pirate and I suggested I go as a parrot – but that suggestion was treated as insane. I’m going as a witch.
Aww parrot and pirate would be really cute!
Nothing here, but there was a group of superheroes working out at my gym this morning and it was delightfully silly.
Hand foot and mouth disease
What?
As a costume? I’m intrigued, but not coming up with how this plays out.
I’m not dressing up this year but the other night (at McDonald’s, of all places) I saw somebody dressed up like a “devilled egg” — she had white pants, a top that looked like a fried egg, and devil horns and pitchfork. Very cute.
I’m not dressed up today, but I am going to dress up as Carrie’s mom for the office party. I’m the same age as the mom in the new remake (lol) and I have frumpy clothes anyway…
I have a skeleton suit and some sparkly skeleton earrings that I wear. If I feel fancy, I’m going to do some skeleton face make up. My kid is a wizard. My husband is Slash from Guns’N’Roses, which is hilarious because his hair is very very short in real life and for this occasion he wears a crazy wig.
I’m not really a Halloween Person, but to take my kid trick or treating, I have a headband with subtle cat ears made of lace and a faux fur jacket I just got that I want an excuse to wear.
Years ago when I was working in misdemeanor arraignment court, on the morning of November 1 we had somebody in custody who was still sporting her kitty ears headband and drawn-on cat whiskers from the Halloween party the night before.
I’m on the board of our local farmers market, and I volunteer almost every week. We’re doing trick or treating with the vendors. I’m dressing as my cat, a Siamese adjacent breed.
So front desk at the physician practice this a.m. were all in costume. I think I was the first patient of the day. The guy was so, so excited to be dressed as one of the men in black. He’s like loudly “What can I, Will Smith, help you with this morning?” I had a mammogram scheduled—turns out I was in the wrong floor. I busted out laughing (was used to going there for my allergist l). He looked like he wanted to crawl through the floor.
I am going as Justin Bieber from Coachella.
I’ll be Anna from Frozen, going with a little Elsa, then either a black cat or cheerleader, and a big banana (15 year running costume there)
I am the poster who had been asking about a dental implant. I went forward with the extraction of the tooth with resorption about a month ago as I was told it couldn’t be treated. For some reason I’m not healing well so have had daily pain and also the medication really messed up my stomach and they think I may now have an ulcer or gastritis so I can barely eat. On top of that I’m struggling with the mental aspects of having a missing tooth. I’m in therapy already for anxiety and OCD so I suppose this was to be expected but it is a struggle. Any tips from someone who has been through a rough patch like this would be appreciated.
I’m so sorry you’re facing complications. Get the endoscopy if that’s what they’re recommending to check out the stomach. Make sure you don’t end up malnourished even if that means a meal replacement formula or multivitamin; there’s not much that deficiencies can’t make worse, but healing in particular can be affected if we’re not getting enough protein or micronutrients (and as you know anxiety can be worse if we’re deficient too). Healthcare can be negligent about this, so you may have to advocate for yourself (therapist can usually help!).
Teeth are not everything they could be; sometimes the implants are an upgrade, but I know that’s a long way off from now.
I replied to your earlier post with my own implant story, and I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. Did your dentist give you a prescription for a bottle of topical disinfectant for the area? I can’t remember what it’s called but you dab it on with a q-tip.
I meant to say oral surgeon, not dentist.
Thank you! No. He has not been the most helpful. I did take antibiotics in the first week.
I’m so sorry. I urge you to go back to the surgeon. I had an infection get into my bone from the tooth so after removal I still had osteonecrosis (bone death in the jaw) and so much pain requiring so much advil that I ended up in the ER with an ulcer. I had to go on strong antibiotics for 6 weeks to prevent sepsis. You should be pain free so do not take no for an answer!
What’s everyone reading/recommending these days?
I just finished “You Wanna Be On Top?” a memoir from a cycle 9 contestant on America’s Next Top Model, and it’s just making me want to re-watch the season with this fresh in the back of my head, I remember almost nothing about that season except the hideous hair they gave the eventual winner (who appears to still be completely gorgeous based on her instagram). It’s a fun read for anyone who watched back in the day.
The Dungeon Crawler series. I am not into gaming at all, but these books are fun.
Still at book 4–and I keep pestering my husband with questions (he’s read all of the ones currently out.)
I’m on book 7! My main weekend plans involve fall leaf cleanup followed by a binge read with a mug of hot cider.
Old. Catching up on Lincoln in the Bardo now that it’s an opera.
Recently I really enjoyed Stitched by Eli McCann. Light but fun. Also Emily St. John Mandel’s latest, Exit Party, really knocked my socks off.
Since I met my deductible earlier this fall, I am now trying to get some overdue physical therapy still in this year. Pelvic floor therapy is on the list as I have some slight issues with urinary urgency in my mid-40s – so my ob/gyn willingly referred me to pelvic floor therapy.
Due to the utter shortage of providers where I live (smallish Midwest town), the wait time for an evaluation appointment with the closest provider (30 min drive one-way) is 8 months.
Due to sheer luck with my provider’s wait list online portal this morning, I managed to get into an evaluation appointment next week Friday.
But: I might get my period any day now, or next week. Hard to say when, thanks to perimenopause.
How bad is it to have a pelvic floor assessment while on your period? I truly don’t want to wait months for the next appointment, and doing the evaluation next week means I might be able to squeeze in a few sessions between now and the end of the year, which will be lots of $$$ saved.
They have seen it all, and they use gloves. Maybe bring some baby wipes to clean up before/after, though they will likely have some too. I feel like of all people pelvic floor PTs should understand the logic not wanting to postpone 8 months / not wanting to pay more out of pocket.
Get the care! A physical therapist who does pelvic floor therapy should be used to periods and using gloves for all patients.
I ordered a pair of the Madewell Freja Glove ballet flats in red and they are gorgeous, buttery leather, beautiful. Sadly, my heels slip out the back, not a lot but just enough to be an issue. Is this something a cobbler could fix in a shoe like this or do I just need to return them? The red is now sold out in all sizes.
I bought little adhesive pads on Amazon that stick to the inside of your shoe. No more heel blisters!!! They may take up just enough space or give enough grip to make it work. Just search for heel grip.
Based on my experience, nothing fixes this and you need to return. I’m sorry. I get it.
The stick-on heel pads never work for me—I’ve even tried doubling them up when I’m determined to wear the shoe. Doesn’t work.
And if the shoes are buttery soft, that leather will likely expand. If the shoes are already loose when they’re brand-new, they will just get worse.
I need to get some supportive shoes that are business professional, as I’m representing my company at a big industry event in the winter. Outfits will be either a suit, or conservative dress.
Due to plantar fasciitis, all my existing shoe options (pointy flats, heels) are not supportive enough.
I’m intrigued by the idea of loafers with the suit, but won’t loafers look odd with a dress?
Color-wise, black, brown or navy, or maybe oxblood or olive if I feel adventurous. Basically, conservative.
I think it depends on the dress and your frame. I wear loafers with dresses, but I don’t have a “sleek” style, for lack of a better term.
Anybody come across decent work dresses for a business professional look recently?
I need to get 2-3 for a big event that I get to attend after many years of working from home. Bonus points if it’s a common brand that I can get at a Nordstrom/Macy’s, or any big malls, and even more of a bonus if under $400 per dress.
Should I be concerned that my 8 year old daughter is still wearing boots I bought her in fall 2023?? In fairness, they’re tight now and I think they were big then, but still. I’ve never heard of a kid whose feet grow this slowly! She’s very tall, too!
Oops, meant for the moms page
When I was that age I wore shoes WAY longer than I should have because my mom would always make snarky comments when she’d have to take me anywhere or spend any money on me. So I just learned to live with the discomfort and didn’t ask until I was in too much pain to function.
i’ve noticed the same thing with my younger child — he stayed at a size 2 in shoes for the longest time.
Does she just really like them? My kid won’t tell me when shoes get tight if they are favorites. Can you measure her feet and just order the same ones in the correct size?
Yes, it is very normal for your kid’s growth rate to slow down and eventually stop. As they get older, they can often wear clothing for more seasons than they did when they were doubling in size on the regular.
That said, if the boots are tight this year, please get her bigger ones. Like another response said, I grew up with a mother who was resentful of the cost involved in clothing me. I would force too-small items to work so I wouldn’t trigger her grousing, and much of my middle school years involved not insignificant amounts of physical pain from too-small shoes and too-tight jeans waistbands.
I basically haven’t grown since middle school. I’m 4’10 and size 4 women’s shoes. Yes, I can wear kid’s shoes (on the rare occasions the styles are office appropriate). Nothing medically wrong, no diagnosis, I was always just at around the 5% curve on the growth chart.