ByKat Hours Updated
Comments 65 Comments

Bargain Friday’s TPS Report: Washable Silk Scoop Neck Cut-Out Top

· ·
Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. Simply. Chloe Dao Washable Silk Scoop Neck Cut-Out TopChloe Dao was one of our favorite contestants on Project Runway in seasons past — her clothes always struck us as beautiful yet wearable. She's designing a line for QVC and is keeping with that aesthetic, including this lovely silk cut-out top. We like the sleeves, the silk, the cut-outs and the bright colors (it's available in both orange and a deep teal). We'd wear it with a gray or navy pencil skirt for the office. It's $40.82 (was $56) at QVC.com. Simply. Chloe Dao Washable Silk Scoop Neck Cut-Out Top Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail editor@corporette.com with “TPS” in the subject line. (L-2)

Sales of note for 12.5

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

65 Comments

  1. Loved her on Project Runway! This is adorable… and I like that it’s a. under $50 and b. washable silk – which feels lovely and doesn’t require the dry cleaners! (My favorite skirt is washable silk… it feels oh so nice)

  2. PSA — I got this shirt in cherry blossom pink from BR

    http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=48302&vid=1&pid=746649&scid=746649142

    The fit and color are great, but I wore it to class a few nights ago to give a presentation, and when I sat down, I realized that I’d sweated through my shirt, and you could totally see! Ew! I was nervous for the presentation, but I really don’t feel like I saw sweating excessively. I think the color or the fabric just showed it more than others would. You could even see spots of it on my stomach.

    1. Should be “I was nervous for the presentation, but I really don’t feel like I WAS sweating excessively.”

    2. A-non-lawyer, do you think it would be ok to wear with an inner layer like a cami? Thanks for sharing your experience.

    3. I have this shirt too and wish I would have returned it but I guess I’m stuck with it now since I’ve worn it a few times and have no clue where the receipt is. It is way to thin and clingy. I now only use it as a layering piece under say a cardigan and MUST also wear a cami underneath that bc otherwise there’s clevage problems … I soooooo wish I would have returned it!

  6. Thread hijack: Where does a nice suiting dress (worn alone or with a cardigan) fall on the spectrum between business casual and business professional?

    For context: I’m starting a clerkship in a few months where I will be the only female in the office (judge is male, as are co-clerks). I will be the first female clerk this judge has had in 3 years, and I reached out to his last female clerk for wardrobe tips, but her memory was a bit fuzzy and she didn’t have too many pointers. The male clerks wear ties every day and usually wear jackets (at least to the office, then leave them off during the day). My goal is to look like I’m dressed at about the same level of formality as my male co-clerks, but I’d rather not wear a suit every day if I can avoid it. I already have several nice work dresses, and I’m wondering how people perceive suiting dresses, which brings me back to my original question — will I look underdressed in a dress/cardi combo next to my male co-clerks in ties?

    Thank you in advance for your input, I really value everyone’s advice!!

    1. Sorry to say it, but it sounds like you need to wear the suit every day. I’m sure your male co-clerks would also prefer to wear something more casual than ties and jackets every day, but that’s the way it is.

      1. I should have added – I think a suiting dress will be OK with a suit jacket, but not with a cardi. It doesn’t sound like the men can replace their jackets with a sweater, so neither should you.

        1. +1 This is exactly what I was thinking. The dress with the matching jacket will be fine, but I wouldn’t wear the dress with a cardigan.

        2. Agree — You can get away with an interesting (i.e. non-matching jacket) if they’re wearing sport coats (think tweed instead of a suit jacket), but I would err on the side of caution and wear suits.

    2. I agree with anonymous above. If your goal is to look the same as your male co-clerks, I think we’re talking full suit every day, and if you’re going to take off the jacket, no t-shirts or sleeveless things underneath. (I think nice t-shirt material would be fine if you don’t take off the jacket).

      Suiting dress (of drab coloring, not like the gorgeous orange dress posted above) with a suit jacket would be just as formal IMO, but definitely not with a cardi. (Exception: it might be ok to wear the cardi if your male co-clerks are wearing non-matching pants and jacket, that’s a medium formal thing for men, and then I think a nice cardi is ok).

      Sorry the office is so formal, but in a way uniforms make things easy (past the initial investment). You might want to buy 3 or so 3-piece suits (by 3 piece I mean jacket, pants and skirt) in gray, black and navy as well as a few button downs and shells with sleeves. Remember you don’t have to buy all of this at once, the men will own at most 4 suits for the most part and they’ll swap out too, since you have pants and skirts you have more bang for your buck.

      1. Sigh — I was thinking this might be the case. Thank you both for your input, it’s very helpful! I hadn’t thought of it from the perspective that wearing a “uniform” makes it easy to get dressed, that’s a good point. Quick follow-up question – what about non-matching dress/jacket combos (e.g., black suit blazer over B&W print sheath dress)? I’m trying to think of ways I can get mileage out of what I already own.

        1. I absolutely think you can wear a contrasting blazer. The blazer is the key – it is so much more formal and authoritative than a cardi.

          I think you can also get away with a less formal-looking jacket rather than a “suit” jacket if you keep it on when your colleagues take theirs off – things like a contrasting linen/silk blend or cotton can be much more comfortable than wool but still adds authority. I’d be more inclined to do that and leave the jacket on, than to have a suit jacket that you feel constricted in, then take that off and look less formal than your colleagues (whose shirts will be long-sleeved).

          For outfits where you plan to take off the jacket, I would not wear less than a 3/4 sleeve, and a suity-looking, solid fabric for your dress. Keeping the jacket on, you can maybe get away with a more “fun” style of dress (not too crazy of course, but a softer fabric or pattern).

          1. This is very helpful — thanks! I’m tempted to print this and keep it in my closet as a go-to guide. It’s so much easier for guys to figure out “the rules” than it is for gals…

    3. I think you should have a jacket with you at all times – just keep one in the office. It’ll sounds like it’d be fine to wear a cardigan in the office, though. If the men can take their jackets off, you can wear a cardigan (during my clerkship we had to wear our jackets even in the hallways, and it sounds like you’re a notch less formal there). I probably would not wear bare arms, though, at least not for the first month or so until you get used to the place – stick to dresses that cover your shoulders and the tops of your arms if you want to be able to go without either cardigan or jacket in the office.

      1. Agreed. If the male clerk is wearing a jacket to the office and then taking it off (and presumably putting it back on when going to court), then you would probably be fine with dress and cardigan around the office (maybe even without provided that the dress has sleeves). But if you’re going to court, have some a jacket/blazer to wear.

    4. I’ll throw in my 2 cents. When I clerked I made sure I was in a full, formal suit when I was in the court room (my co-clerk and I actually did every other week in the court room so it was easy to plan) and when I was just in chambers I made sure whatever I was wearing could be made more formal by a jacket. If you invest in a couple of really good blazers/jackets that are versatile enough you can dress up most pants or dresses without being a fully matching “suit.” That being said, while my particular judge was more formal, the rest of the court was pretty casual so I had a bit of wiggle room. But I really only figured that out once I was working there. Plan on full suits and maybe a nice black jacket over a couple of conservative dresses to start before getting more creative. And no, the cardigan over the dress will probably not work. Good luck with the clerkship!

      1. Regarding the “investment” in good blazers/jackets: I find amazing deals on clearance racks and thrifty-er places like Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx, and Ross if all I’m looking for is a blazer. I’m always amazed at how affordable a jacket can be when you’re not trying to find all the corresponding separates. I have several wool blazers in basic colors (navy, brown, grey) that all cost well under $100. They’re beautifully made and are just the thing to bring sheath dresses or slacks up a notch.

    5. so i’m going to have to disagree w/ almost all of the commenters. i’m currently clerking in what sounds like the same office setting. i wear dresses and cardigans all the time to work. my female friends also sport the same look in different chambers. i think that as long as you select a cardigan that is well structured and crisp, it will be appropriate. most of mine are from jcrew (like this one: http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Shop_By_Category/sweaters/cotton/PRDOVR~85613/85613.jsp or this one: http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Shop_By_Category/sweaters/merino/PRDOVR~27925/27925.jsp).
      maybe if you’re still concerned, keep a neutral colored jacket in your office. once you start working, you will be able to feel out the situation better. good luck !!

    6. I work in an office that is suits only. All the men follow the rules. About 1/2 of the women don’t wear suits (and instead wear the suid dress/sweater type of thing) and, trust me, it is noticed. Several of my male colleagues have commented about it – none of them like wearing sutis either, and it really annoys them that the women seem to “get away with” not wearing suits. At least to start off with, wear suits every day (suit dress with jacket = perfectly acceptable). See if anyone else ever bends the rules. If they don’t, then you probably shouldn’t either.

      1. Totally agree. Except that since it’s just going to be you, 3 male clerks, and likely the assistant (the only one who might be a woman) I would not take queues from what she’s wearing. Just because you can get away with it (no one will tell you to your face you shouldn’t do it), doesn’t mean you should.

        1. I second that- female attorneys trying to get away with less is one of my pet peeves, actually. I’m a trial court level clerk, and I wear either a suit, or sometimes a nice dress with a suit blazer, every day, and try to make sure I look extra nice if I know I’m going to be in court. But at Monday morning motion call, all of the male attorneys, without fail, are suited up (makes it easy to spot male clients and pro ses), but a lot of the women attorneys can’t even be bothered with a jacket or sweater. They don’t look lawyerly.

          The way I see it, if you want to get treated as professionally as the men, you need to make the same efforts to look the part. And thank goodness, at least we don’t have to wear ties and can punch things up with jewelry and color.

    7. I clerked last year and wore a suit every single day that the Judge was in the office. A cardigan is definitely not going to cut it. It gets REALLY boring quickly, but not much can be done.

    8. I think these comments just show that you can’t make an across-the-board rule about this. Every court is different, every judge is different. Maybe start out wearing suits, and proceed from there.

  7. Question about the blouse-I just graduated from law school (go bar studying and procrastination with Corporette!).t I really like this blouse-but I’m worried about not looking conservative enough. I’m moving to a smaller town to work in a firm in September and I’m wondering if this blouse would be okay. I’m small chested, so it’s not likely to be revealing, but I do wonder if the cut-outs will be a little too liberal…hmm…I guess I should really wait until I start and see what other folks wear….

    1. agree with your hesitation…love the blouse but would likely save for weekends. There’s nothing boldly inappropriate about it, just simply not conservative, if that’s the professional statement you’re trying to make.

    2. It all depends on where they fall on your body… If they’re fairly high up then you should be ok – but if it doesn’t feel right, then it isn’t.

    3. Professional clothing does not have to be conservative. More colorful and unique pieces are completely appropriate so long as you style them correctly. For an office setting, a shirt like this should be worn with a structured suit.

      1. I mean, it does have to be conservative, if the holes show a lot of chest it is not professional.

  8. CM-thanks for confirming my gut…it’s just not that much fun to be on a “if I can’t wear it to work, I shouldn’t buy it” right now. Sigh. Back to property, ugh. Happy Friday!

  9. I LOVE these tops — but I’ve never bought anything from QVC. Can anyone speak to this?

    1. QVC quality varies pretty widely, depending on the line. I’ve definitely had more good experiences than bad, though. Anyone bought anything from this particular line?

      1. I’m also curious about the sizing. They look fairly blousy… any tips?

        1. I went on the QVC website and was perusing the Chloe Dao line and based on comments in the garment description and user comments, it seems that maybe the tops run a little big? They are saying for this line a small = size 6-8 which is what I would usually consider a medium (my size)

          Seems people who are ordering the line and commenting on the QVC site are overall very pleased. I ended up ordering this cardigan in ivory and green (not sure which one I’ll keep, worried about the ivory being too see through, but you never know) in a small, based on user feedback.

          http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.item.A86871.desc.Simply-Chloe-Dao-Ruffle-Front-Placket-CardiganSweater

        2. I bought this shirt in the green. It is pretty blousy, but if I wear it tucked into a skirt it does not poof.

          The material is shinier in person than I would have expected but fairly well made.

    1. Wow… Part of me wants to like it for being different and interesting… but it just looks like a piece of luggage that unzips for extra space!

    3. Yeah, a lot of the Elizabeth and James and The Row stuff is just strange.

      This is weird because I don’t get who it’s supposed to appeal to. I often wear weird and quirky things on the weekends, but I feel like this is too conservative for my weekend wear from the front, but not conservative enough for the office from the back.

      Also, oddly, even with the zipper in the back, the top doesn’t look nicely fitted in the front shots.

      1. Well, it is made by the Olson twins (Mary-Kate and Ashley)… which I think probably sums up the weird part, although I believe it was the New York Times that gave them a glowing review as businesswomen a couple years ago – and praised their fashion lines.

        1. Yeah, I know it’s the Olsen twins. I actually like a lot of their stuff, though. There was a top from The Row that I was lusting after when the line first came out and I have a few Elizabeth and James tops. They generally fit in really well with my quirkier weekend wear.

          And their business sense is amazing. I actually have been following them for a while.

    6. Looks like someone was thinking about the way they pin clothes to be photographed and tried it out IRL.

    7. well, the Olson twins are really small, maybe they wore some boyfriend’s shirt and were inspired to run a zipper up the back to take it in instead of clips or sewing it … that’s how it feels to me anyway.

    1. I guess that’s why they describe the zipper thing as “allowing a roomier silhouette.” Now we have a new, fashionable option for dealing with ‘food babies’!

  12. I tried on the Target shapewear pieces last weekend. You definitely need to go a size up, and the key to putting on and taking the clothes off easily is to do it one piece at a time. First the bike shorts, then the skirt. First the slip, then the dress. The clothes are comfortable, but the skirt was really shapeless so I passed. I like the dress though; I might go back and get it if I need a dress this summer.

    1. I just bought the skirt and loved the shape. Just shows you how different everyone’s body is.

      1. I should add that the quality IS exactly what you might expect from target – but for $20, it makes a great casual wear skirt, IMO

  13. These Chloe Dao tops look like they have incredible potential, but I really need to hear word from others before I’d take the leap.

  14. I get microderms every two months or so and LOVE the results. When I went in for one before work this morning, my derm suggested a chemical peel next time. She said it would be really light.

    Have any of you done this? I’m kind of worried that it might be painful or leave my face a peeling red mess. On the other hand, if it works even better than the microderms….

    I’m a huge chicken–make that a huge, vain chicken. :)

    1. Vanity, thy name is ME! I used to do microderms, graduated to peels a few years ago and love them. The peel stings like h*ll for about 3 mins (your derm should give you a little fan for those minutes), you probably will be red (like a sunburn or heavy workout red) for a day, and you *might* peel a bit for a few days afterward (nothing a good moisturizer can’t handle). The results are baby smooth, creamy porcelain complexion and definite minimizing of ‘laugh lines’ and crow’s feet – plus (don’t know if this affects you) it’s one of the few things that seems to even tone down my superannoying rosacea – seems counterintuitive, but it works). Do it!

    2. The analogy that was used in describing chemical peels at the place I go is, for a regular peel, think the “sheets on a bed,” the medium peel is the “mattress,” and the deep peel is the “box spring.” A medium and deep peel sometimes require antibiotics in case of infection and recovery time is longer. I would get a medium or deep peel done at a doctor’s office, not a medispa.

      I usually have a chemical peel (salicylic or glycolic acid) and then get microderm afterwards during the same appointment. The first time I had it done, my skin felt a little dry/ tight and there was some light peeling but nothing too noticeable. I have really oily skin and some adult acne so this worked out pretty well – I had very “glowy” skin for about a week to two weeks afterwards.

      I’ve now had it done 6 times (peel and microderm in one appointment) and my skin still peels a little bit, but only for one day and then it’s more or less back to normal. I don’t use liquid foundation for a couple days because you see some peeling patches. I use a higher spf (usually 55 instead of my regular 30) and my mineral pressed powder foundation from MAC.

      They’ll give you a little fan to hold close to your face (there is a burning sensation because, well, they’re putting acid on your face) and based on who you see and your skin type, they’ll neutralize it after a few minutes (it should not be more than 5 mins is what I’ve been told) with a water-soaked cotton ball/ round.

      I have combination/ oily skin depending on the season, am mixed race, and am 29. My brother has recently started skin resurfacing for his acne scarring (the first of 5-6 treatment sessions) and I will be looking into that once I get the low down from him on results. Hope this helps.

    3. I have done a glycolic acid peel and LOVED the results. I have mild rosacea and had talked to my derm about options for perking up my complexion. She recommended the glycolic peel and it really perked up my skin. No stinging, pain or peeling. I have not done microderms, so can’t compare there. I schedule my peel on the day she works late and am fine for work the next day.

  15. Thank you so much for the honest feedback and advice. I feel a lot better about this now and just took the plunge. My derm appointment is on a Saturday in a couple of weeks.

    Hoping my experience will be similar. Hearing that it turned out so well even with microderm in the same appointment or rosacea-prone skin makes me feel a whole lot better. Thanks again!!

Comments are closed.