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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
J.Crew's merino sweater is a great basic for the office which is (slightly) on sale today. We like to wear it with a crisp blouse beneath it, or perhaps a fun camisole in a contrasting color. It's $49 at Jcrew.com. Merino v-neck sweater
If you've recently seen a great work piece you'd like to recommend to the readers, please e-mail editor@corporette.com with “TPS” in the subject line. Unless you ask otherwise, we'll refer to you by your first initial.
Sales of note for 9.16.24
- Nordstrom – Summer Sale, save up to 60%
- Ann Taylor – Extra 30% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off sale
- J.Crew – 30% off wear-now styles
- J.Crew Factory – (ends 9/16 PM): 40% off everything + extra 70% off sale with code
- Lo & Sons – Warehouse sale, up to 70% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Extra 25% off all tops + markdowns
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- White House Black Market – 40% off select styles
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CorporateTool
Just a warning– I love J. Crew, but their merino sweaters are VERY sheer. At the least you’ll need a tank or shell underneath, and they don’t look great with a button-down for the same reason.
y
I was gonna say that as soon as I saw this!!! I have a couple of them, gorgeous, and feels great–but I usually put a cami underneath, which isn’t always comfortable because this is pretty fitted to begin with.
Pam
Maybe that’s why this model is so slouchy? I can’t get past the poor posture to evaluate the sweater.
Mama JD
Thanks for the warning about the sheerness. The fun camisole that Corporette mentioned should work.
DND
I agree with Pam– when are these companies going to realize that this type of image isn’t going to sell their clothing? I don’t want to look like the model in that photo/ad. Either she’s too mal-nourished to stand up straight or her right arm is excessively heavy. It’s very unattractive; I feel sad for her; and I can’t believe that this image is supposed to be selling that sweater.
Anne Vohl
This picture does not depict an office look for a lawyer or anyone else who works in a law office. There’s nothing wrong with the sweater per se, but what about the pants with belt loops partially hanging out and so forth. Nor does the ratty looking scarf belong in an office unless it is winter and the heating systyem has failed! This looks like a cool outfit for a football game on a warmish fall afternoon.
MJ
I am allergic to wool. I wish folks would quit with merino and have more cashmere. Luckily, JCrew is with me on this one!
Sharon
I think the suggestion in a previous thread to try to find pictures that aren’t on models is a good one. I also like the suggestion of having readers show how they might style a given item through Polyvore.
I appreciate Corporette’s efforts and enjoy this blog. I think part of what is sometimes difficult is that I don’t have a clear sense of what the desired end style is. Sometimes the advice about what’s appropriate for the office is straight out of 1980’s Molloy Dress for Success, when women were told to look like mini-men with no sense of personal style or femininity (no nail polish ever! nude hose only! no slingbacks! no hoop earrings!). And then other times the clothing or shoes that are posted are either super-fashionista or only appropriate for a super casual office (like this sweater above, which I’d wear with houndstooth pants on a fall day in a business casual setting). I feel like the style of this blog ricochets between the two extremes. I mean this in a positive, constructive way, and maybe I’m alone in this, but it’s hard for me to know what C thinks the “end game” should look like. Am I alone in this? I do appreciate C’s efforts!
v
Well, part of it, Sharon, is that the readers are in all those different kind of offices. Personally, my office is casual enough that this sweater would be fine for any day, and I really only need a couple of suits. If this blog went over to super conservative, business formal, I wouldn’t be that interested in reading, and I’m sure plenty of readers are on the other end of the spectrum from me.
anon
I don’t think it’s Corporette’s job to provide us some kind of recipe — this blog throws out a lot of ideas, and you can try whichever ones appeal to you, and get a sense as to what other people also think is appropriate and appealing. I don’t think it should matter what C thinks the “end game” should look like” — that’s going to depend on each person’s individual style, and what works for someone else may not work for you.
Sharon
What might help is discussing situations where a given outfit might be appropriate — in marketing terms, a “need state.” This general type of sweater, properly styled, might be fabulous with great fall boots and some gold chunky jewelry in a stylish business casual office, or an off-site conference. Maybe C or the readers could talk about how they’d style something and for what occasions? That might get us out of the polarization of this-is-awful vs this-is-great? Just a thought.
Mel
I think there’s going to be polarization regardless, just because women reading this blog come from different types of offices. What works well in an ultra-conservative office might come off as dowdy in a more fashion forward, colorful office, while an outfit that’s perfect for the latter office may gain you the wrong type of attention in the former. There are some pieces that will transition from one environment to the other, but many will not.
Sam
By a stroke of “sheer” luck, I’m wearing this very sweater today and I have to say it actually is not “sheer.” I have this sweater in black and emerald green. Although I agree that some J. Crew wool sweaters historically have been a little on the thin side, these are not so. They look good and fit nicely (long and not as low-cut as other J. Crew v-necks). I’m wearing the black one today with a black camisole (because the wool bothers me a little) and a short suit jacket with jeans. Very fun, very professional and a great price. I recommend the buy.
CorporateTool
I should clarify, by “sheer” I meant thin (sorry, early AM posts, coffee hadn’t kicked in). I found that my undergarments were visible (not by color, but the outline) even in larger sizes.
MEG
How is the quality? Does it pill at all?
Kathryn
I like merino–if you’re not allergic to it :)–better than cashmere for the office because it isn’t quite as warm or as sexy/kittenish. It also fits more smoothly under a jacket.
That said, I adore cashmere.
@Sharon–I agree–I love it when commenters give links to accessories, and a style board here would be great. The stylists for these photos are not helping to sell me their wares.
mkm
Love this sweater. I have it in blue and black, and want it in sage and ivory. Which brings me to a question: is it a “style rut” to rely on a lot of the same theme, such as the long-sleeve v-neck sweater? I’ve been trying to branch out, but from time to time, I question whether it’s such a bad thing after all. Thoughts?
anon
I think that if you have an item that you know looks good on you, then absolutely wear that style more often than other styles. Why not? You may not want to wear it every day, though that’s not really so bad either — it’s “your” style, and if you want to own it, go ahead. Trying out every latest trend may not make the best impression at the office.
L abroad
Thanks for this – I’ve been wondering the same thing. I don’t necessarily want to look like I’m wearing a uniform, but there are things which definitely work on me and other items which don’t, so branching out seems slightly pointless. Particularly in a year like this, when (at least in my current location) there’s a few clear styles that both suit me and of which I’m particularly fond, so I’d like to stock up but have been avoiding doing so due to a fear of being viewed strangely.
I also commute by bike (as does everyone else round here), and outfits which look good and are practical enough for this are hard enough to put together without orginality being a criteria! Maybe I’ll learn to cycle in skirts and killer heels, but I’m not there yet. Luckily my job isn’t all that formal that often, so I get the bus when I’m seriously dressed up.
Um, back on topic – styling in the picture is very odd. It also seems self-defeating. There’s so many v-neck woollen garments out there, you’d think someone would twig that dodgy styling could be lethal in a tight market!
And echoing dr below – how low is the neckline? I’m the exact opposite of flat chested, and it’s almost impossible to find camisoles that come high enough. Higher v-necks are my personal holy grail…
Anonymous
I second the vote for a higher v-neck sweater. I don’t like wearing 2 layers all the time, it can be hot and it requires buying 2 items instead of one, which seems like a bit of a scam. Corporette — or anyone — any ideas for long-sleeved tops/sweaters that can be worn by themselves and still look office-appropriate??
Anonymous
I’ve found that the camis at express (the ones with the built in shelf-bras) are higher than the ones i have from other places like gap & banana & they seem to hold up in terms of shape and all that for longer too…
dr
Is it really that low of a neckline? Could it be worn alone in warmer climates? I have several of Talbots thinner vnecks from last year and they were just great for that reason.
Keep the chin up, Corporette…in an ethics/risk management workshop all day today, they kept saying how much attorneys “like to argue.” :)
J
I just bought this in several colors, and I’m wearing it in a lilac color right now. I’m not wearing a base layer, and you can’t see the outline of my seemless nude colored bra. On me, it’s not too low cut for the office, but it’s certainly pretty much as low as I would go, so you may wan tto try on before you buy because these things fit everyone differently.
It’s an absolutely perfect basic piece for the office, IMHO.
They have the same style in a great argyle, too, although it is inexplicably considerably more expensive.
SM
I totally disagree with DND and others. I love this picture, and using a beautiful model with a great figure definitely sells this sweater to me (although, I would get it in cashmere instead). Of course I would wear such a sweater with wool slacks and pearls, or something more conservative.
I don’t understand how using a heavier woman sells clothes. Clothes always look better on thinner people.