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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.![Banana Republic Seamed sheath dress](https://bananarepublic.gap.com/Asset_Archive/BRWeb/Assets/Product/746/746436/big/br746436-01vliv01.jpg)
Sales of note for 8.30.24
- Nordstrom – Summer Sale, save up to 60%
- Ann Taylor – 30% off full-price purchase; $99 jackets, dresses & shoes; extra 50% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything + extra 20% off
- Bergdorf Goodman – Final Days Designer Sale, up to 75% off; extra 20% off sale
- Boden – 20% off
- Brooks Brothers – Extra 25% off clearance
- Eloquii – Up to 60% off everything; extra 60% off all sale
- J.Crew – 40% off sitewide; extra 60% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – Extra 20% off orders $125+; extra 60% off clearance; 60%-70% off 100s of styles
- Lo & Sons – Summer sale, up to 50% off (ends 9/2)
- Madewell – Extra 40% off sale; extra 50% off select denim; 25% off fall essentials
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Rothy's – End of season sale, up to 50% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear in the big sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 25% off regular-price purchase; 70% off clearance
- White House Black Market – Up to 70% off sale
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And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
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- What small steps can I take today to get myself a little more “together” and not feel so frazzled all of the time?
- The oldest daughter is America's social safety net — change my mind…
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- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
AIMS
I like it!
SES
Great style….too bad it’s not made of natural fibers….
Chicago K
Great looking dress, I like it!
Shayna
Yes – although the almond looks closer to gray – or perhaps that’s just my browser? Anyone see the material in person?
Of course I’m always a fan of black :-)
AIMS
I am not sure why but my comments are either not getting posted or getting deleted. Hmm.
I like the dress a lot. Don’t really mind that it’s not natural fiber — would be too wrinkly/less formal in cotton or linen; don’t want a wool dress for summer.
I also like the way they styled it on the model — not for work, but makes me thing a shoe switch can easily take something like this from office appropriate to post-office outing really easily. Nice find!
Eva
Reading the reviews – be aware that you’ll probably need to go up about two sizes in order for this dress to be work appropriate.
Susan
What do y’all think about big jewelry like the necklace pictured here? I am trying to decide whether I can wear dangly earrings at the office and still look professional, let alone a long necklace that will probably hit my keyboard. Any thoughts on that? Even though my office is a pretty casual place, I’ve only worn stud earrings so far…
s-k-s
I think its a matter of having one statement piece in an otherwise conservative outfit. For the offices I’ve worked in, items like a large necklace or jewelry have been pretty common, especially if you have no court dates or big client meetings.
Legally Brunette
In my BigLaw firm, I don’t see anyone wearing dangly earrings but definitely see people wearing big statement jewelry. I have a great opera length necklace that I wear with smaller stud earrings.
anon
I agree in general — you have more leeway with necklaces/bracelets/pins, but I do occasionally wear longer extremely simple thin gold hoops to the office, and don’t think they are unprofessional.
Elle
I’m more adventurous in my bracelet and necklace choices than I am in earings. I wore longer earings (nothing crazy though) when I first started a few years ago but then noticed that no other professional woman at my firm who I would aspire to be wore big/long earings. So, now I stick to smaller earings (pearl studs, pearl drops, or small silver ones) and am more risky instead with bracelets and necklaces. For some reason, I think that longer earings (combined with proximity to face and hair) give more of a “party” vibe whereas a statement bracelet or necklace can be more a part of the professional “outfit” than a fun going-out accessory.
I also agree with s-k-s that one statement piece (clothes or jewelry) is plenty.
Cat
Good explanation, Elle – I agree. I don’t wear earrings that move to the office (and I don’t wear/see many statement bracelets, but I think that’s because many women find them irritating to deal with when they bang into your wrist when typing). Opera necklaces are common.
Delta Sierra
In a previous lifetime, I got interviewed on television now and then. I was repeatedly requested/warned not to wear dangly earrings, because the camera catches their movement every time you move your head, which they do want you to do, because it makes what you’re saying more vivid and alive. Same, I would think, for dangly earrings in meetings. Very distracting to people looking at you, distracts from the impact of what you’re saying, and no one needs that.
I love big clunky bracelets, but not at work, since they get in the way when I write.
DUJ
I don’t think this necklace is “big” at all. It’s very sleek. It’s perfectly work appropriate, as are pretty dangly earrings. Obviously shoulder-length hoops or chandeliers, or anything made out of plastic, is not work appropriate.
Emily I
I’m wearing slender dangly earrings right now. I generally save my bulkier, flashier ones for nights and weekends, though I do have a chunky black pair that I think I can get away with at the office.
I think whether dangly earrings are appropriate depends on not only your office environment, but how you tend to wear your hair. I have chin-length hair that I never pull back, so most of the earring is hidden in my hair and only a little peaks out. To me, that makes the dangly earring thing a little more doable as opposed to someone who is wearing big earrings with hair pulled away so that more of the earring is exposed.
LLH
Keep in mind that if you wear glasses, larger earrings make a lot of distraction around your face. I’ve seen women wearing glasses, earrings and hair clips. Each item needs to be fairly sedate, or the combination can be a bit much.
Personally, I wear statement eye glasses, and keep my other jewelry extremely simple. Fortunately, I don’t need any hair accessories.
AN
Depends also on your outfits. I am one of the most conservative dressers in my biz casual office so I think that gives me more mileage w.r.t. jewellery.
That said, any ‘office’ earrings never go past 1 inch from the tip of my earlobe + they must be slender. If earrings are small enough to stay on the lobe (like pearl studs) then I’m ok if they’re large/wide.
s-k-s
The fabric looks like it will be very clingy … not sure I want every little lump to be hanging out there for everyone to see! For my body type, a little structure goes a long way.
MJ
It IS very clingy. I was so excited to see this in store, and it was like “HELLO UNDERWEAR”. Definitely order a size or two up, and if you are the kinda lady who sometimes has bra overflow (affectionately known as “overboob”) this is NOT the dress for you.
jcb
I tried it on in the store, too – it is so stretchy/clingy you could actually see my abs and belly button through the fabric. Really weird. I went up a couple of sizes and then it was less tight, but then the cut was off. It just didn’t work, sadly.
kmg
Very cute dress, but I have tried this on and it is FAR from work appropriate. Even sizing up, it was much too tight and too short for the office. This would be a fun going out dress for someone with no body fat or no curves, but for the rest of us, this is one to avoid. (Full disclosure, I am a 5’5”, curvy, size 4/6.)
Clerky
I haven’t tried this on but your comment is consistent with the reviews online — cute but way too tight for work.
goirishkj
Just out of curiousity, has anyone had this trouble with BR dresses generally? It could just be my body type–fairly muscular thighs, thank you rowing–but it seems that lately whenever I try on my “normal” dress size at BR the bottom half is REALLY tight. And I am a sucker for vanity sizing (yes, pathetic, I know, please don’t judge too harshly) and I hate going up sizes.
EN
I have also had this problem (and the muscular thighs problem too!) at BR lately, but primarily with their ponte knit-type dresses-like the one above. I tried on a black sheath dress in that material a few weeks ago in my normal size and it fit like a Herve Leger–NOT a good look for work! It was also quite short (I’m 5’8″). Not sure what is going on…
NEC
I have this problem with the pants. I too have muscular thighs (horseback riding) and the pants are always snug there and too big around the waist. Not all people are stick figures!
AIMS
Not that this is fun, but this sort of thing is generally easy to alter at a good tailor’s.
I had it done to a pair of pants recently & was surprised by how simple it was.
C. Z.
i’ve noticed this with a few Banana knit dresses lately. (I bought the “lady knit” sheath dress in my normal size, and it’s not work appropriate.) They seem to cling to everything and make you look far curvier than I’m comfortable with co-workers knowing about. Even wearing them to class feels strange to me; I would rather my professors not see me in them. It’s very frustrating, because in so many other ways they work.
Perhaps with a long, long boyfriend cardigan it would work?
RKS
I also bought the lady knit sheath dress and had to return it. Way too clingly and not work appropriate. Hello rear view, in my case. And I really, really wanted to like that dress.
guest
Same thing happened to me. I really wanted to like it too! I am thin and do not have large thighs or much of a but and have had great success with BR tall pants in the past. I got the same size in the dress and VERY tight in the butt/thigh area. I returned it for a size up, which I’m still waiting on, and am hopeful that will be enough to make it work appropriate. It not, it’s going back as well…
jojo
Yup. Really tight, really short.
MJ
I am 5’11, with toothpick legs, and a pretty normal sized (but short-waisted torso). I looked like I was trying on a petite or something. It was WAY WAY too small in my normal size. I even went up one more size and it was not appropriate. It was too short in store, which I expected, as sometimes I need talls (it’s the torso thing again). But it was REALLY REALLY too short–like Ally McBeal short. A definite no-no.
naijamodel
I’m 6’1. BR dresses are obscenely short these days. I honestly don’t know what happened. Sadly the talls don’t come small enough for me. I have really long legs (almost a 38 inseam), and I have had to let go of BR for work dresses and skirts.
KH
I don’t care for the grosgrain ribbon treatment on the back zipper. This looks like a dress that would be much improved with a hidden zipper in the side seam.
Delta Sierra
I wondered about the grosgrain-ribbon zipper business. I wish they’d include a back photo, especially since the listing makes a big deal of the zipper.
AIMS
Delta — There is a back photo. The zipper actually looks very clunky, not a good look for the office in my opinion.
Too bad. I really thought this dress had possibility.
E
So glad you brought this up! I’ve had total body image demoralization from BR dresses. It’s been especially bad because I have pants from there that are my favorite work pants. So weird. Too tight, too short, too revealing.
AN
BR has a few dresses that are really tight – they’re in a wool /lycra blend and you can see every muscle (or lack of them). Sizing up is no use. It’s not you….it’s them:)
cee
I tried this on but it was too short on me! I could order it in tall from their website but they don’t have size 0 in tall. Banana totally frustrates me because I’m only 5’8″ and their clothes are almost too short in lenght! But they don’t have adequate tall sizes- UGH!
Canadian
Ditto. I’m 5’8″ too and can never buy Banana suit pants, which I would love to do, so that I could have jacket+skirt+pants options.
summerer
I’m 5’7 with long legs and always find pants hard to buy. I recently bought BR suit pants – I just got the hem let down (a false hem I think its called?) and they fit great and the bottoms look completely normal. The lady at the store suggested it and we checked to make sure there was enough fabric. Maybe this is an option for you? Its worth considering!
Lipstick rec?
I ran out of lipstick today and want to run down to CVS to pick something up. Anyone recommend a specific brand/color for a warm complexion, kind of around the skin color of Halle Berry? Looking for something pinky/plum/or even bronzey, but definitely not red. THANKS! :)
Emily I
This isn’t CVS, but I just got my new bare escentuals lipstick in the mail yesterday and love it! It’s called “parfait” and is more in the nude family. I think it would be beautiful on a Halle Berry-type.
RKT
Oddly, the first thing that popped to mind is Revlon, as Halle Berry is one of their spokesmodels. And Revlon’s lipsticks are decent quality, I find. Unfortunately, they don’t make the line I loved anymore. =(
I have also had good luck with L’Oreal (the lipstick smells funny, though).
s in Chicago
I’m afraid I don’t have a specific recommendation. But I would suggest checking out the post from the other day about wearing red lipstick. There were some wonderful comments about which brands tend to be long wearing without being drying, etc.
For what it’s worth, I love Revlon’s Colorstay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick alone or on top of a stain as one that looks great and lasts.
AN
Bobbi Brown’s Cocoa Berry. I have Halle-tone skin and it’s a great pinky brown. Try BB’s Rum & Raisin or Slopes if you want deeper pink/berry shades.
Lipstick rec
Thank you all for the great ideas!
A.
I’m really not getting the natural-fibers complaints that are cropping up on so many items. Not everything has to be made of a “natural” fiber to be appropriate or worth spending money on. As I think has been said, ad nauseum, there are cheap, sloppy-looking synthetic fibers and crisp, polished synthetic fibers that are totally work-appropriate. And there are natural fibers that look terrible. I for one never wear 100 percent linen to work – it inevitably crumples and looks awful within a few hours. There are also matters like fit, proportion and line – it is far better to wear a synthetic-fiber garment that fits perfectly than a natural-fiber one that fits poorly, and frankly a lot of natural fibers lose shape with repeated wearings and cleanings. I would hate for young professional women reading the blog to panic and think “everything I buy has to be made of a natural fiber or I’ll look bad.” The fiber content of clothing is one part of the equation. Natural-fiber snobs are adhering to outdated ideas about clothing more than they are using common sense.
Shayna
Agree — there are some excellent synthetic fibers and some linen cotton blends that resemble a cheap shopping bag —
lawDJ
I think part of the reason those comments keep recurring is that it’s easier to order things online that are natural fibers because you have more of an idea of what you’re getting, and it’s consistent. The “good synthetics” have to be felt/touched/seen (in natural light and fluorescent!) to know whether they’re good. That’s a lot of complicated evaluations that simply can’t be easily done on most of the items featured on this site. And I completely agree that fit is super important, but “fit” is person-specific, so that’s another thing you can’t comment on generally (and be correct about most people even).
Ru
Agreed!
DUJ
Linen is supposed to wrinkle – it’s part of the look. So it doesn’t look awful wrinkled; it just looks like linen. However, that look may not be appropriate for many workplaces.
Ru
While I agree with you that linen is expected to wrinkle, I personally don’t find it a good look anywhere, except the beach, maybe.
RR
Agree. I took one look at this dress and just knew that would be the response of a lot of posters. (Actually, I was anticipating some refrain of the usual – not wool, not natural, too short (although it sounds like this one is), cap sleeves, not for “big women,” model not happy enough, model too happy, etc.). I am glad to know what people think. Personally, I don’t have the anti-synthetic fiber bias, but it’s good to know you are being judged. I own a couple Talbots suits in the matte jersey fabric. Not natural. Not wool. But I think they have beautiful draping and look fabulous on me. And I feel fabulous wearing them. And they last forever and dry clean well and hold up perfectly. So I wear them. Judge away.
RKS
I was the person who brought up the synthetic fibers on the cardigan. I wasn’t judging anyone who liked it or bought it, and I do not wear exclusively natural fibers. My point was simply this: on a $200+ piece of clothing, I would expect higher-quality fabric. After all, what’s going into that $200+ cost?? What am I paying for? At that price point for a cardigan, I would be hoping for silk, cashmere or some other high end fabric.
Emily
As a person who prefers natural fibers, it’s more about personal comfort and preference – synthetics (even very expensive, otherwise high quality synthetics) are more likely to pill or snag, don’t hold a hem as well (very important for me as a short girl!), and often don’t hold up to dry cleaning as well as wool or cotton blends, and are often much hotter and less breathable than natural fibers. That isn’t universally true, but it does make me hesitant to spend lots of money on a synthetic fabric. So fine, judge me a “snob” if you will.
But the prevalence of synthetic women’s suits also makes me mad, because men’s suits are almost universally wool (and dry cleaners are geared toward natural fibers) while lots of women’s suits are synthetic for no good reason. It feels fundamentally unfair that men get more consistently durable, wearable clothing, while I have to search hard to find suits that will last.
lawDJ
*COMPLETELY* agree on the suits comment. I really don’t get it at all. I’ve been having the hardest time buying the simplest thing: a black, a gray and a navy suit (pants and skirt) that are made of tropical wool.
DUJ
Such suits are widely available at Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic, J. Crew and Talbots, just to name a few stores, so I can’t imagine why you’re having a hard time.
lawDJ
DUJ – I’m 5’3″ so I need to buy petites, especially on the jacket.
Banana and Jcrew (and some Talbots and Ann Taylor) are all out because they are putting thread/sewing on the lapels of all their suits this season and I just abhor that with a passion. You only see this in men’s super casual suits if at all and in my personal opinion it cheapens the look of the suit. I don’t know what’s up with this “look” but even some of Brooks Brothers suits (in petites at least) have it. Maybe I’m being overly picky but I’m not about to drop $500 on a suit with that “detail.”
Talbots has a good range of colors in their seasonless wool suits but their cuts are way too boxy/matronly.
Loft doesn’t really carry wool suits (pants sometimes though) but the wool pants I bought from them were super itchy (I don’t usually have that problem with good wool).
Ann Taylor does have one great classic black wool suit this season and I just bought it, but no dark grey/navy.
Anyway perhaps I’m just super picky. But it’s not for lack of research that I haven’t found these suits.
Pendleton which someone posted on here about is the one place I haven’t ordered from. They look promising (and a tad less matronly than Talbots) but I haven’t been able to figure out my sizing there yet so I haven’t taken the plunge. If anyone has ordered from them I’d love to hear your thoughts.
lawDJ
But to revise my earlier post — it does look like Jcrew’s 3-button wool stretch navy jacket does NOT have the odious stitching I was mentioning (however, the 2-button DOES). And it’s on sale! I’ve just ordered the 3-piece. Hopefully I can also check off “charcoal/gray” from my attempt at completing my suit collection (assuming the sizing works).
DUJ
Glad you found something :). I got some really nice, and non-itchy, tropical wool pants on clearance at Loft this weekend. Not sure if they were originally part of a suit or not, but you might check it out if the Loft by you is having a sale too.
SES
Totally agree. It’s more about the feel than the look…and linen is supposed to look wrinkled and casual, so it’s not a good fabric for structured garments. IMO fall is the time to buy suits: tropical wool separates are available from Talbots, Lands’ End, Brooks Bros, etc. They’re tough to find the rest of the year.
R
Vehemently agree. Natural fibers are better for your skin and better for the environment. Also, when someone criticizes a man’s suit for looking cheap, they are likely referring to either: (i) fit, or (ii) fabric.
As an aside, it just galls me that a place like Banana Republic would charge this much for a synthetic dress.
A.
“Natural fibers are better for your skin and better for the environment. ”
Evidence, please, or retract the statement.
Lee
This comment made me smile. Really, what would the world of internet commentary be without an abundance of unsubstantiated sweeping statements?
KH
Yes, cotton for one is horrible for the enviro, in terms of the chemicals used to grow it and soil depletion.
But then synthetics are often petroleum based and when I fly over the Gulf of Mx next week it will be in an aisle seat with a blindfold on (just kidding about the latter).
It seems there is no way to win on this one. Sad.
A.
Very true, Lee. Very true. :)
L
Really, this comment made you smile? Made me disgusted–who demands retractions?
D
Anything 90% wool or more gives me a rash. My personal comfort requires synthetics and I’d prefer not to be judged for it.
AIMS
It seems like there is a difference though between wool/cotton blends and wool or cotton period. I don’t always mind a blend. Sometimes, esp. for women’s clothing it’s good to have a bit of stretch in there (for fit) — a lot of times people do not make the distinction & complain about something that is essentially 98% wool and 2% spandex.
I agree about suits though — it’s becoming way too hard to find really simple things.
lawDJ
I think spandex/lycra/stretch is key, and I do prefer natural fibers otherwise.
eem
Totally agree on the comment about suits. If I am going to spend a lot of money on a suit, it had better not be made of polyester.
Heather
BR has been frustrating to me recently b/c things seem to be so tight. Otherwise, I like this dress.
s in Chicago
Any advice on getting a headshot done quickly? I have to speak for something and they need it for promos right away. I’m out of the office, and so I can’t have our go-to photog do (I’m in publishing).
Is this something I can have done at a mall picture place quickly? I don’t want to spend a lot of money since it will probably be for just this use. (And frankly, I don’t have time to get hair done, etc. the way I want for something that will stick around for awhile, not to mention it would mean going to someone unknown out here.)
A.
I would hit a mall portrait studio. You should be able to get something fairly quickly that looks decent. Most of them print digitally now so you should be able to walk out with the pictures rather than having to wait for them.
kmg
I recently needed a head shot for an article I had published and went to Sears Portrait Studio for lack of a better, quicker option. It was cheap and the picture was actually pretty good. They also gave me a disk with my picture right then.
divaliscious11
Try Picture Place or one of those type of places, you’ll have pics back in an hour
DUJ
Make sure you ask them for guidance on what specs they want the photo to meet – they may want a certain resolution, or a certain background, etc. Any department store photo place should be able to do it.
s in Chicago
Thanks guys ! Can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate the great suggestions. Wish me luck…
windupbird
I tried on this dress and it definitely highlights every problem area — with major VPL to boot. It frustrates me that BR can sell what amounts to very cheap looking dresses for $130. I’m also slightly frustrated with their summer collection — so wrinkly! where are the beautiful summer dresses?
SF Bay Associate
J.Crew just put its stretch wool suiting on promo – skirt was $120, now $96; pants $138, now $110; jacket was $238, now $190. And there’s an additional 20% off with code “summer” but it does NOT include shipping. I hate paying for shipping, but even with paying the exorbitant $20 in shipping, it’s still 33% off. I have the set in black and love it, and now debating the grey…
Anon
Really wish JCrew made suit skirts in tall sizes. I really like JCrew suiting but 22.5 inches is quite flashy on me (in flats, no less).
1L NYC
This is so exciting — I’ve been stalking this set recently. Is the wool something that can be worn in the summer?
Legally Brunette
Thanks – I just bought the wool gabardine skirt, crepe wool skirt, and the stretch wool pencil skirt using the SUMMER code. Total came to $257. Anyone have thoughts on any of these skirts and how they differ from each other? I figured I would get all three to try them on and see what I liked best and then return the other two.
SF Bay Associate
I have the gab and the stretch suits (skirt, pants, jacket). I love them both, but they are different. The gab is a heavier fabric, both in weight and drape. I also like the wider waistband on the skirt which seems to flatter me a bit better. It also seems to travel better and resist wrinkles better due to the heavier weight. The gab fabric seems more traditional suit-y, more formal, to me and is usually my first pick when I go to court. But if that one isn’t pressed, I’m happy to grab the stretch too.
The stretch is very lightweight, smoother, and has a nice sheen (but isn’t shiny). The stretch strikes me as “fancier” in the sense that of the two, the stretch suiting is what I grab if I want to dress up a bit or go out after work. The lightweightedness and the stretch also make it pretty comfortable, and likely more comfortable in warmer weather. It does seem more readily wrinkled though.
Legally Brunette
Very helpful, thanks!
1L NYC
Just bought the stretch wool skirt + top in grey! Hope it fits.
EN
I have the light blue wool crepe pencil skirt (and suit/jacket) and I really like the material for summer…very lightweight. But the material is thinner so it’s a little less structured and formal than the others I think…
RR
I posted this the other day, but Talbots stretch wool suiting is on pretty deep discount too. I just bought 3 suits (gray, brown, and a “putty” color) for about $150 each (pants + jacket). Tis the season for suit sales!
Clerky
I’ve given up on Talbots. Bought three things online in the last month and will return all three. It’s really too bad because the clothes seem like good quality, but the fit is horrible IMHO.
L
I had the same experience. I bought 4 dresses–ALL had to be returned. I’m not tiny (5’6″/130) and bought the XS–each one was about 2 sizes two big and seriously boxy. Such a disappointment b/c they had the right idea.
RR
I see a lot of people saying that. They still work really well for me. It’s the only brand I can just order and know it’s going to be perfect most of the time. I think it’s just a person by person thing, so for the other people like me – Talbots is having a great sale. :)
Eponine
Me too. Talbots fits my body shape perfectly. I guess I am rather stocky, so I can see why it looks boxy on some women.
lawyergrrl
Hi — Does anyone else find it annoying that when you access a link it takes you away from corporette (No!) instead of opening a separate, pop-up window? Kat, is it possible to change the default way it operates so that it’s always easier to return back to corporette?! Thanks!
L
eem
Press the control key and then click the link.
Cat
oh, good tip. This has been mildly annoying me as well.
DUJ
Right click, open link in new window (or new tab).
Ru
You can change this in your browser’s Internet Options settings so that if you click on a link, it will automatically open a new window or tab.
AIMS
I find it more annoying when I write something that gets deleted or doesn’t post, or when the site just plain won’t open :)
Kat
I know I just cleared a few of your things out of spam — I don’t check that very regularly. It’s the one-word answers that get sent to spam — or it seems like if there are MANY links in a post that also gets automatically sent to spam. I’ll have to update my commenting policy to at least warn people about that.
Has the site not opened recently? I remember it was having problems on 5/8 or so — everything was giving me a 404 error — but please send me a head’s up if that happens again just so I can sick (syc? sic?) my tech guy on it.
Kat
whenever i have the option in my posts I set them to open in a new window (which in my browsers settings means a new tab). I don’t think there’s anything that I can do about links that come in comments — although I second the right-click “Open in New Tab” option — that’s kind of how I shop these days, too, instead of having to return to some general shopping page and set up my search again.
lawyergrrl
Thanks, I’ll try it — but it doesn’t seem to happen from all sites, so I’d assumed it was a site-default setting. Thanks!
LM
Or right mouse click and click “open link in new tab” (if you are surfing one-handed).
DUJ
When one enters a link one can make it open in the same window or in a new window or tab. If you don’t tell it to open in a new window or tab, it will always default to opening in the same one.
75
I wear my BR clothes more frequently than any others. This is a nice basic dress and I like it. But to me it looks like a dress for the under 5’5″ people or the truly petite – which I am not. That straight shot from shoulder to hem and then the long stretch of legs could be very unattractive. I think in general dresses are the exception at work, so when we do wear them, maybe they should be exceptional!
RKS
FWIW — I am 5’5 give or take, and BR dresses are pushing short on me. IMO, that’s absurd … I am just a hair taller than petite, and the “regular” dresses are va-va-voom short on me? Yikes.
Anonymous
I agree–the regular dresses are too short to be work appropriate on me. I’m about 5’5. I have good luck ordering the tall sizes, though.
LegallyBlonde
Quick question about petites:
There is a pair of pants on final sale at Ann Taylor that I love. However, only the petites are available in my size. The inseam in the petites is fine–I only wear flats, so a 30 inch inseam works. Is the inseam the only difference between petite and regular pants at AT?
Thanks!
red
Beside the inseam differences, Ann Taylor petite items are generally 1/2 to 1 inch smaller in each of the measurements. The size charts there have seemed fairly accurate in my experience, though.
DUJ
In my experience, yes, inseam is the only difference. However I can’t say that this is true for all of their styles.
lawDJ
It’s not, the location of the hips and the crotch-seam (I don’t know what it’s called: the distance between the button in the front of the pants to the same location in the back of the pants) is smaller in Petites. Petites also allegedly run 1 size smaller (so if you order a 6 regularly you’d be an 8 in petites), but I’m not sure that that is actually true.
Unless they’re final sale I would order them and see how they fit. You might also try calling the 800 number, sometimes they will find the right size at a store in the US and ship it to you.
Abby
They definitely run 1-size smaller (which is consistent with the size chart) and have a shorter rise.
Delta Sierra
If the pants are truly cut for petites, they have a shorter crotch-depth – from your waist to the chair-seat, when you sit down. Dunno if AT does this or not, but they should.
LegallyBlonde
Thanks for letting me know. I seem to be abnormally proportioned there anyway and have to be careful about normal pants having too short a crotch-depth (never knew what it was called!) so I think I will sadly pass :(. Thanks all!
LegallyBlonde
Sorry if this posts twice–my first one did not show up.
Quick question about petites:
There is a pair of pants on final sale at Ann Taylor that I love. However, only the petites are available in my size. The inseam in the petites works fine for me. Is the inseam the only difference between petite and regular pants at AT?
Thanks!
lawDJ
(I don’t understand why my comments go into moderation so often, here it is another attempt)
It’s not, the location of the hips and the rise is smaller in Petites. Petites also allegedly run 1 size smaller (so if you order a 6 regularly you’d be an 8 in petites), but I’m not sure that that is actually true.
Unless they’re final sale I would order them and see how they fit. You might also try calling the 800 number, sometimes they will find the right size at a store in the US and ship it to you.
Kat
sorry about that — any discussion of “petites” was hampered (or “attitude,” for that matter) because the word “tit” is part of the word, which was in my “words I’d like to know about before they go in the comments section” list. I’ve changed the discussion settings appropriately — hopefully that will stop a lot of the moderation problems…
Kaye
That’s hillarious!
Ru
Ah, the joys of dealing with computers that will do EXACTLY what you tell them.
Ariella
All right, ladies, here’s a question for you. I’ve been looking for a cute pair of oxford pumps for some time. I prefer a heel _under_ 3″ (2.5″ is my preferred heel height). Any ideas? I can’t seem to find anything that’s both cute and not going to kill my feet after a few hours.
Anonymous
Speaking of dresses – anyone have any tips to make it easier to zip or unzip a back zipper on a dress without an extra pair of hands? I think it’s the zipping up more than the unzipping that I have difficulty with.
Sad to say, whenever my husband isn’t around I find myself twisting into all sorts of contortions to get into or out of dresses, and I’m hoping to bring some work dresses on an upcoming business trip.
lawDJ
I usually just arch my back to zip up as much as possible with my arm down, then continue to arch with my arm over and behind my head as I zip up. There must be a Youtube video of this :o) I’m not the most flexible person (though regular yoga, when I do it, helps me be able to do this more easily!) but I generally have no trouble with good zippers.
In fact, I let my husband zip up a dress for me mostly to be cute and he ended up ruining it by catching the zipper on the rather silk :(
anon
there are these things you can buy, never bought one myself, but it’s essentially a zipper-helper on a stick, and you hook it onto the zipper before putting the dress all the way on, then pull it up to zip it up. Or I heard you can make one of these yourself using a paperclip and a stick of some sort, but I’m not quite that adventurous.