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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
This is a great basic for in-between weather because you can layer it with a cardigan or jacket, but you don't look like you forgot your outfit if you get hot and take it off. We like the variety of colors (the pink, the baby blue, but also a dark navy and a white), as well as the sizes (XXS through XXL are still left in most colors) — and then comes the price: was $29, now $19.99, take an additional 40% off at checkout with code SAVE40. NICE. Exclusively online at Ann Taylor Loft. Ruffled Trim Tee
Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail editor@corporette.com with “TPS” in the subject line.
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Sales of note for 10.10.24
- Nordstrom – Extra 25% off clearance (through 10/14); there's a lot from reader favorites like Boss, FARM Rio, Marc Fisher LTD, AGL, and more. Plus: free 2-day shipping, and cardmembers earn 6x points per dollar (3X the points on beauty).
- Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off sale (ends 10/12)
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything plus extra 25% off your $125+ purchase
- Boden – 10% off new styles with code; free shipping over $75
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off a lot of sale items, with code
- J.Crew – 40% off sitewide
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site, plus extra 25% off orders $150+
- Lo & Sons – Fall Sale, up to 35% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Neiman Marcus – Sale on sale, up to 85% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 50% off 2+ markdowns
- Target – Circle week, deals on 1000s of items
- White House Black Market – Buy one, get one – 50% off full price styles
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- What to say to friends and family who threaten to not vote?
- What boots do you expect to wear this fall and winter?
- What beauty treatments do you do on a regular basis to look polished?
- Can I skip the annual family event my workplace holds, even if I'm a manager?
- 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…
- What have you lost your taste for as you've aged?
- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
legalchef
I ordered this online, tried it on, and promptly returned it. The scoop was too low (and I think would look weird with a cami) and the shirt in general was baggy (even though I ordered my usual size).
Shayna
I tried this on in the store and found the neckline too low as well – and also though the ruffles looked more “twee” than interesting
legalchef
For me, the ruffles almost looked out of proportion for the shirt (too big) and were heavy, almost feeling and looking like a breast plate.
M
I have noticed that you have to be careful at AT and ATLOFT with the cut of their shirts — many are pretty low for work. Which is what they are designed for, I thought …
Elle 2
Somehow it seems that EVERYTHING is cut too low these days. I am always on a hunt for shirts or dresses that aren’t a high cut crewneck but also not a deep plunge or low revealing scoop. Goldilocks will continue her search..
Heather
I am getting so tired of ruffles, but this does look cute, I admit.
Legally Brunette
I went to AT Loft a few days ago and was disappointed that there were not any tops that were work appropriate – everything was way too low or embellished. Loft’s sizing is really weird too. Even their XS is way too big on me, and I’m not tiny.
surrounded by lawyers
Unless you’re fairly tall, it might be worth trying XS petite. My torso is fairly normal length, but this is the size for me in Loft due to the same problem you have had with their sizing. They also sometimes have XXS…
KateL
Ditto. I’d add the fabric seems to be thinner/lower quality and more of them have raw/unfinished edges or trim.
K
I have a similar problem. I’m 5’6″ and around 125 lbs with a long torso, so I’m relatively tall & thin but not super tiny. At AT and Loft, I often have to purchase an XS petite or order an XXS online to avoid swimming in their clothes, which is unfortunate.
rg
Wow…I’m glad to hear that I’m not alone in my experience of AT (and associated brands) clothing. I’m 5’1″ and about 95lbs. XXSP and 00P at AT are amongst the few things that occasionally fit me, but I often find them enormous on me…and I don’t consider myself stick thin, just petite. Ironically, I have a few pieces of AT suiting etc from a few years ago that still fit me quite well, and they are 2P. What’s up with their sizing?
MHU
Their sizing is nuts. I was there recently and fit an 8 in trousers and a 12 in a skirt. Bizarre.
K
How weird – I’m a 0 or a 2 in their trousers, but cannot purchase a skirt there, since the regular sizes are too big and the petite sizes are too short.
I think they have some really cute stuff but everything is trial & error with their sizing.
ML
This is exciting news to me. I have never shopped at AT b/c they only go up to a sz. 14, and I am a 16. Now, though, I think I’ll go in and try on some 14’s!
hmm
I actually just e-mailed most of my favorite retailers (maybe formerly favorite?) to complain about this recent trend and informing them of the need for 1) short sleeved shells for under suit blazers and 2) higher necklines/more conservative stuff. I think that there is a disconnect between the design team and the real corporate america. We must inform them en masse that the things that Ally Mc Beal wore aren’t exactly what they wear in real offices.
Parisienne
The navy top looks great, but who would want the pink or baby blue? I think the combination of navy blue (kind of somber) and all those ruffles is kind of clever and fun, but in those baby colors it just looks silly to me.
Ballerina girl
I think the pink is cute.
Anonymous K
I think the pink is cute, too. I like that it looks slightly different in color than a lot of the other pink tops I have. The baby blue is OK to me, too. It’s not my color per se, but I wouldn’t think negatively of it if I saw it on someone else.
JessC
I kind of like all the colors. I have fair skin and dark blonde hair, so they’re all colors that would look good on me. IMO, the white and navy are the most classic and would be most likely to look best in a business environment. I like the pink, though it’s a tad bit too close to Pepto Bismol than I would want to wear to work. But I really like the light blue – to me, it’s not all that baby/pastel and a bit more aqua, which I think would look lovely as a pop of color under a jacket or cardigan.
Samantha
Looks great in the photo, I was about to order but after reading your comments re low neckline, I think I will try it out in store first. Also hesitating at the $8.95 shipping cost.
Anonymous K
Same here! It looks like a visit to Loft is called for during lunch or right after work!
Lawgirl
I was *just* getting ready to post the same thing! Shipping cost is ridic – $8.95 for a $42 purchase makes the 40% discount evaporate. I’ve pulled the trigger on some AT tops and later returned them. As enticing as the “sale” prices are, the clothes themselves are often flat out cheap/cheesy looking (and that’s BEFORE you wash them). Ha – just think I talked myself out of these. Matter of fact, I think a trip to TJ Maxx & Loehmann’s is in order.. :-)
ADS
You can almost always find at least a free shipping code for Ann Taylor and Loft if you search online. I’m on their e-mail list and I get coupon offers every other day.
Ru
“…but you don’t look like you forgot your outfit if you get hot and take it off.” – love the way this is expressed. It’s so difficult to find appropriate and flattering stand-alone tops.
zee
Agree with many of the low neckline comments. I ordered something that looked like more of a crew neck than a scoop neck in the styling on the website. it looked more like a very low scoop on me.
fresh jd
I’m heading over to the ATLoft sale for lunch, hope I find something good (or not, to save $!).
Gripe: I really wanted that teal CK dress in today’s Rue La La sale, and as I put my size into the shopping cart and hit checkout, it automatically sells out. These online sales drive me nuts, no time to think – just buy!
really
I think a lot of women on this website and in the world lately are suffering from the “Kardashin buy my clothes too small and wear them too tight syndrome.”
A t-shirt or blouse isn’t meant to be skin tight. A skirt isn’t required to have stretch so that when you stand in it there is no extra fabric. No, your pants don’t need to be skin tight to your butt at work.
I believe there is a loss of class with the tightness of clothing. I find it funny how a skirt 2 inches too short is highly inappropriate, yet the women talking about the XXS shirts when they’re clearly not an XXS or how they don’t like certain brands becuase they leave an extra inch or two in the waste area of a dress that shouldn’t be skin tight anyways is ok.
I suggest a lot of women look in the mirror and really, really evaluate whether the skin tight sweater you’re wearing over your padded pushup bra is actually the correct fit and office appropriate and your co-workers don’t notice the blatant attempt at sexuality without actually trying to portray sexuality while you sit at your chair and chastise the girl wearing a peep-toe pump as looking like a whore.
Food for thought.
Blonde Lawyer
I generally agree that a lot of clothes are too tight but if something is going under my suit jacket I want it to be tight. A baggy t-shirt looks silly under a jacket in my opinion.
wiaw
There is a difference between skin tight and proper fit. I don’t think anyone here was suggesting that they want their clothes to be skin-tight… they just want them to fit. Unfortunately for women who are on the lower end of the size range, stores with vanity sizing cease to cater to them anymore.
Also, who wants to look like they are playing dress-up in their mother’s clothes (which can be the look when women wear clothing that is too lose, especially for those who are younger)?
I wear clothing that skims my body but doesn’t hug every curve. 1-2 extra inches in my clothing could make my pants saggy in the bottom or the arm length too long and could make me look sloppy.
A woman who is covered up, in nice quality fabrics and materials that FIT her well, without being too tight or too lose, is the essence of a tailored and sophisticated woman.
ceb
I’m curious why you “think a lot of women on this website” wear clothing that is too small and too tight?
9999999
Maybe it’s because 80% of the comments that criticize something start with “it doesn’t define my waist” or “need to cinch that with a belt” or “too baggy in the hips”
And I think the OP was referencing women in general now adays, not targeting you on this website.
Anonymous K
Then why did she start with, “I think a lot of women on this website…”?
78lol
Why are you always so snarky on this website to everyone?
Anonymous K
My issue with the extra room in the waist is that I have an hourglass shape, so if something isn’t nipped at the waist, it falls straight from my chest and looks shapeless and bad.
Perhaps it’s the city I’m in, but I rarely see women in too-tight-for-work clothing. I see skirts that are shorter than I would wear and tops that are more low cut than I would wear, but too tight is not something I see often.
I think the reason women here say they are wearing XXS is that AT sizes are different than other brands. I think they are pointing out that they have to wear an XXS in AT when they clearly are not typically an XXS.
And I think the Kardashians usually look good, but certainly not professional! I’m guessing the average corporette out there doesn’t look to them for work-appropriate fashion inspiration.
I know this is nit-picking, but I don’t see anything wrong with a woman wearing a padded bra if she feels she looks better with one on and that clothes look better on her with one on. To me, it’s not all that different from shapewear. I don’t wear either, but I can see why another woman might want to.
flybegone
If you think the kardashians look good then you don’t get the poster’s comments about the “too tight” clothing.
I tend to agree that there are a lot of tight sweater dresses come fall and noticeable push up bras.
Anonymous K
Nope, fly, I totally got it! Perhaps you didn’t fully read my post, since I explicitly stated that their style is obviously not professional.
78lol
Snarky!! Geese lady, get a life.
ML
I don’t think Anon K is being snarky at all. If anyone is, I would have to vote for “really.”
Louise
Wow, that was harsh. It seems to me that when women here write that they had to move down to a smaller size, they are surprised. They have a firm idea of what size is appropriate for their body and when the manufacturer labels the clothing in an inconsistent way, women are expressing frustration with that.
I haven’t read any comments here about push-up bras or “skin-tight in the butt” pants. If anything, many Corporetters lament that shirts they find in stores are too low-cut and pants pull unflatteringly across the hips and so they don’t buy them.
With very few exceptions, no one posts links to sites where you can see what we look like or how our clothes actually fit. I’m baffled why you think we, your fellow commenters, are wearing our clothes too tight and sexy?
Your anger seems misplaced; do you need a hug?
Cat
Louise, my thoughts exactly. Especially the point about how we frequently pass on items because they are too low-cut or prone to pulling / being too tight in certain areas. @really, I think you’re ranting to the choir here…
CJ
Totally agree, that was very angry and un-provoked. I’m definitely not an xxs or xs and only infrequently a small but to point out a specific size was pretty bitter and jealous-sounding.
really
There’s a gorgeous girl in my office with a great body, but really if she wears one more pair of pants that look like they’re painted on her butt or boobs I just want to scream at her, “we get it, your pretty, buy clothes that fit you”
And I notice it at every law office lately. The 20 something female associates who feel the need to somehow portray their femininity while also conforming leaves a lot of ladies in brooks brothers shirts that are just too tight. If you need to safety pin your boob area on your shirt shut, we can see that peice of metal hanging on for dear life, and your shirt it just too tight. It doesn’t have to be victorias secret tight on you honey.
Buy a dress that fits with more style and sexiness if you want to be sexy. No need to buy the mermaid style stretch tight skirt to accomplish that. A gal in our office dresses in 50’s style sheaths that are not skin tight or short, completely stands out from the rest of the associates, and looks classy and shows she has her own style all while owning her feminity.
It jus bothers the heck out of me that women these days will probably think that girl’s clothes are inappropriate wile wearing a skin tight argyle sweater or pin the boobs shut shirt.
argh my eyes
Oh I so agree! My current boss wears semi sheer work shirts that ALWAYS gape at her bust – so much so that I know her entire lingerie wardrobe. *vomit*
argh my eyes
Did I say I work in the Middle East? That makes it especially distasteful I think given cultural norms out here.
agreed
I think another problem I notice among my peer group is failure to admit you are a certain size at certain stores…folks wearing a four because they want to wear a four, but having it fit not so great…I swear I just want to take tags off after I buy stuff and forget what size it was.
Anonymous
I noticed that the spandex suiting seems to be meant to fit skin tight. The pants suits that are “old-lady” with a cotton/poly blend fit at the waist and then hang down, touching the butt and do not hug the legs. It seems almost impossible to find pants for court. The choices are 1) old lady, 2) modern butt-hugging, or 3) modern too big so there is a weird ripple wave going down the back of my legs. Ugh.
Anonymous
And as far as t-shirts go, when I buy shirts that fit my shoulders, they are too tight everywhere else. It is the cut and style, not the taste of the women!
legalchef
Just a vent: I spilled coffee all over my desk. And the floor. And the chair. And myself.
Luckily it was just on my lap, and luckily I am wearing dark jeans today (yes, I know, jeans to work is not good, but it’s Friday and I’m sick). I dabbed off the coffee and “rinsed” with water as well as I could, but I can still see it :(
anon
This happened to me recently. All over my pants (also dark jeans on a Friday), the desk, the floor, various and assorted papers, etc. Just when I thought I had gotten it all, I looked up and realized it was also all over the wall. Nice. So you are not alone :) FWIW, my jeans were fine once I washed them.
JJ
I did this earlier this week – all of the research I had on my desk is now covered in coffee stains. Luckily I was wearing a dark shirt and I was able to button up my cardigan while the water I used to wash out the spots dried….
You are so not alone.
Ru
I raise you 1 coworker who photographed my coffee disaster. Damn prevalance of iphones……..
dee
similar story: my heel got “snagged” on my chair mat on the way back to my desk and i tripped and spilled water everywhere. it’s only water and none of it got on my keyboard, so I am grateful it wasn’t much worse.
Anonymous
This is irrelevant to this post but I don’t know where else to ask: Will there be any more weekly round ups? I love those. Even if I try to read all the papers and blogs you always find something I don’t know about. Please keep doing it!
Elysian
On related note to the ongoing “women wear their work clothes too tight”, is there any way this wonderful wonderful site could include more pictures of REAL people rather than fashion models? Sometimes these models are not the best work-appropriate wear role-models. Maybe a regular “best dressed public figure” feature? Just a thought. Keep up the good work!
ML
That sounds like a good idea! You know, I thought I had a hideously ugly body until I joined a gym and saw all the naked locker room ladies… turns out I’m just another variation of “normal.” :)