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Updated: Nov 1, 2018 73 Comments · by

Bargain Friday’s TPS Report: Washed Corduroy Blazer

Fashion· The Personal Shopper (TPS)· Wear to Work | · · ·

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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. Washed Corduroy BlazerCorduroy blazers can be a great staple for the colder months — they're warm and professional looking, but also a bit more laid back than your typical wool blazer. Today, I'm liking these stretch blazers from Victoria's Secret (available in sangria (pictured), nutmeg, and black, with lots of sizes still left). The blazer was $78, but is now marked to $49.99. (Enjoy free shipping on orders of $100+). Washed Corduroy Blazer 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 9.30.24

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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Comments

  1. RR

    Like the look of this, but there is no chance of me paying $50 for a blazer from VS. I just bought something very similar from Talbots for like $25, and I’m sure the quality will be better (even though Talbots quality is going downhill…) Love the look, but not the retailer on this one.

    Here’s the Talbots option: http://tinyurl.com/6b4btt6

    • meg

      How does the jacket fit? does it actually have shape? (that’s normally my problem with Talbots…)

      • VA Gal

        I actually have the Talbots blazer in the Azurine color. I bought a size smaller than my usual, but it has a very flattering shape to it. Talbots seems to be(slowly) getting the message on not making their jackets so boxy.

      • RR

        Yes, it does have shape. If you look at the jacket, the seaming is very flattering. It’s actually more narrow fitting than other Talbots jackets. Although, I’m starting to see more closely fitting jackets in general from them.

    • Ab

      Argh, so cute, but the gray is available only in limited sizes, and I don’t look good in pastels…

    • S

      Darn that it’s final sale. I’m so tempted but not familiar enough with their fit to risk (especially jackets, where I tend to really go back and forth between sizes). May be worth a ride out to their outlet though since they have a lot of great stuff listed. I think you’re right–the cuts look a lot closer than the boxy shapes I’ve seen in the past.

      • Jen L

        I just pulled the trigger on a pair of black velveteen pants that were final sale. I’ve never bought anything from Talbots, but for $25 I figured that I could risk it since I need new black pants so badly.

      • E

        I hate the final sale trend on Talbot’s and J Crew. I am stuck with a silver dress from J Crew that I thought would be perfect but it looked awful. Maybe I’ll get around to putting it on eBay one of these days . . .

  2. houda

    I know this sounds naive, but honestly I cannot make the difference between corduroy and Velvet.

    • Anon

      Corduroy is washable, and velvet is not.

      Both have a nap, where the fabric catches the light different depending on the direction the fabric has been rubbed. Finely made garments out of either fabric will make sure the nap of the fabric runs in the same direction throughout.

      Corduroy has a striped patterned worked into the fabric – the width of the stripe is known as the wale. You can have finely waled corduroy, where the width of the wale is small and wide wale corduroy, where the width of the wale is larger. Kind of like the difference between a fine knit sweater and a chunky knit sweater.

      Does that help?

      • houda

        a lot! thanks so much!
        I am thinking of buying a dark green velvet blazer. It looks like the one featured so I wanted to know why it was called velvet and not cord.

        • Anon

          There is also a fabric called velveteen. Velveteen is like velvet in that its a solidly plush fabric (no striping like the corduroy, and has a nap), but is typically made out of cotton (I think) so that it may be easier to clean.

          One thing to consider when buying velvet – I think it can be really difficult to clean, so be sure to see what the care instructions are. There may be some types of velvet that are just not washable or dry cleanable at all.

          • Anon

            Exactly. You don’t. You can sometime brush velvet to clean (with a soft cloth). So its something to look at if you are considering velvet. I think cleaning is typically an issue for the fancier velvets, as opposed to velveteen/cotton velvet.

            So – check before buying if its a concern.

      • Hel-lo

        Sometimes very fine wale corduroy is soft like velvet, and they can be easily mixed up that way. But there are still tiny stripes in the texture of the fabric (think chenille). Velvet doesn’t have stripes in its texture.

        Modern corduroys also tend to stretch a little, like modern denim tends to have some stretchiness to it, too.

        A costume designer once told me that corduroy is a cheap alternative to velvet when making costumes for like a Shakespeare play or something. So it’s not a naive question.

  3. chix pix

    Here’s another difference between velveteen (cotton velvet) and corduroy. Corduroy can be worn year-tound, whereas velvet (silk or rayon) and velveteen are typically only worn in November – December – January.

    I would not wear a corduroy blazer to work – in my setting it would be too casual. Just like you would not se a man wearing a corduroy jacket to work. I have a corduroy jacket which I will occasionally wear to work as outerwear, but not to leave on while at the desk.

    • Anon

      I don’t know – I’ve always considered corduroy a fall/winter fabric too. At least to the extent that I don’t really see it outside of those seasons. But, it’s also more of an everyday fabric that velvet, so you’ll just have more opportunity to wear corduroy than velvet.

      • Louise

        I’ve seen pastel corduroy in a very fine wale worn in the spring, and it is a nice look. As long as the drape is soft, not stiff, I think it can transition to warmer months.

        Velvet has a richness to it that seems more wintery, and much more formal, than corduroy.

    • AIMS

      I wouldn’t wear velvet in warm weather, but do you really think it would be inappropriate in February or early March?
      I have heard the Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day rule before, but it strikes me as very arbitrary. If something is okay on the 14th of the month, there’s no reason it should be inappropriate on the 15th, no?

      • anon

        I think its all climate/geographical. If you live in the north, where it is perfectly likely to be snowing in March, I don’t see why it would be “wrong” to wear it then. If you live in the south and it is 75 degrees, it would seem a little out of place.

    • NYC

      I just got a velveteen Gucci jacket at a consignment shop and am going to wear it as long as friggin’ possible. It’s gorgeous!

  4. fwiw

    Can I ask what you ladies think of the following Talbots coat I’m thinking of purchasing? Thanks!

  5. Audry's My Icon

    yeah, I have a overcoat that’s that length, and I wear it with pants. It doesn’t look weird.

    I would suggest checking out a full length mirror if you have any doubts.

  6. Healthcare Anon

    I don’t think VS makes quality pieces that can last. I bought several sweater dresses from them this past Christmas for myself and without washing yet, they have all started pilling after only two wears, max. Also, the sizes are odd. Some of their stuff is great but a skirt that I loved and featured on my blog looked terrible on. And several of the pieces had to be returned for turning me into Jessica Rabbit.

    • somewherecold

      That’s good to know about the dresses…I’ve been debating getting one of their sweater dresses.

      • operaghost

        Buyer beware – I bought one of their “sweaterdresses” recently and when it arrived I was horrified to discover that the super-thin material was basically see-thru! I’ve bought a few things from them because they always look cute in the catalog, but the quality is just not that great. It’s weird because I’ve always been happy with VS bras/underwear, and stuff from the PINK store.

    • Legally Brunette

      I remember Lawgirl writing about how she really liked those sweater dresses. Perhaps she can respond if she sees this and report on how they have held up.

    • fresh jd

      I am never a defender of VS quality, but I do have a cowlneck sweaterdress of theirs and I have no complaints about that one at all. It was definitely a “hit” among many misses I’ve experienced w/ VS over the years. Just another perspective.

      • Anon in DC

        I have a sweaterdress from there that I really like, as well. As far as the clothes go, I feel like I’ve had about 50% hits and 50% misses.

  8. chis

    Threadjack – I’m already looking ahead to law school graduation (how could I not be) this May. The regalia at our school is …. let’s say intense. Basically every part of the gown/tam that can be custom colored is, resulting in a really lovely combination. I’m already thinking I want to go with a cream-colored shoe, since they’re the only part that will show in most pictures with the gown on, but do you guys think I have to go solid/plain on the dress as well? I love this: http://www.anntaylor.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=29491&N=1200007&pCategoryId=3939&categoryId=180&Ns=CATEGORY_SEQ_180&loc=TN&defaultColor=Black&defaultSizeType=Regular but I might end up so many different colors it’ll make my head spin. Thoughts?

    • Anon

      That is a really great dress. I bet you could get a lot of wear from it over time.That said, I might go another route. Keep in mind that you will be taking a lot of pictures without the gown as well. I tend to favor solids for photos (but that’s probably just me).

    • Lola

      I think it’s fine to wear whatever dress you want. It will be under the gown anyway. And if you take the gown off, then you don’t have to worry about it clashing, because you won’t be wearing the gown.

      I think we had a cocktail reception afterward, and a lot of people took off their caps and gowns but left on their hoods (because that’s what we were most proud of!).

      But otherwise, don’t worry too much about it, and just be proud. :)

    • Cat

      Unless you’re planning on taking pictures with your gown unzipped but still on, does it matter whether your dress clashes — will it show at all? I have two sets of pics from graduation — fully gowned and just in the outfit I picked.

      Also, why cream shoes? Wouldn’t black work?

    • kz

      I went back and looked at my law school graduation pictures, and i can’t see what I’m wearing under the gown in any of them, so you could probably go with a pattern. It’s possible my parents took some casual pictures when my gown was unzipped that I don’t have, but for all my posed ones, you can’t see anything.

      For what it’s worth, I wore a solid colored dress that was the same color, but a much more muted shade, as my gown. But I really don’t remember what anyone else was wearing, so you could probably wear whatever you want. Mainly we were just all remarking on how ridiculous the hats were.

    • Fiona

      I love this dress! I might pick it up for a summer wedding I have to go to. Thanks for sharing!

    • somewherecold

      I don’t know what weather concerns you might have, but I was concerned about being too hot and having the gown bleed through onto my clothes underneath in case of rain (I think the bleeding of the color depends on the quality of the gown). I actually wore the same dress for both my undergrad and law school graduations (both in the northeast in May/June)–a black cotton jumper dress with a tank top underneath–and it worked very well.

    • JessC

      With the exception of the cheap/thin polyester gown I wore for my highschool gradution, I’ve never seen a graduation gown that showed what was underneath. So don’t worry about your gown matching or not matching the dress.

      True story – I wore shorts and a tank top under my grad gown. My graduation ceremony was May in central Florida OUTDOORS. There was no way in holy hell that I was going to sweat all over my nice dress. I changed into my dress after the ceremony and pictures.

      • Louise

        I wore shorts, a t-shirt and red Converse high-tops under my grad gown. It was hotter than the hubs of Hades and we had to walk miles to the stadium (my undergrad school was HUGE.) My mother is still appalled by the photos. I just look at them and think, “I was 22, fresh, dewy and full of promise. Who cares what I wore under my gown? Only the sheepskin in my hand mattered that day…”

    • Bets

      We had to rent our gowns for graduation at my alma mater, and the company collected them as we left the stadium afterward. One of my friends apparently didn’t read the fine print–he rolled out of bed late and arrived at the stadium wearing nothing but his gown, dress shoes, and a pair of yellow plaid boxers!

      • Kaye

        LOL – great story!
        If the ceremony is outside and it rains, gowns tend to bleed onto whatever you’re wearing. Therefore I’d stick with something cheap or black.

    • Anon

      Beautiful! I hope you don’t go to my school because I want to wear this to my graduation too!

  9. Amy

    Threadjack: One of our sketchy neighbors tends to leave things by our door/part of the hallway. She’s kind of weird to begin with. Leaves her door open all the time, has people hanging out in the hallway often, drags everything out of her place and leaves it out.
    How to deal? Latest is a series of plants which I almost tripped over. Is moving them back to her door enough of a hint? Too passive aggressive? Tired of her invading our space.

    • anon

      First, I would ask her nicely, in person, to stop doing it. If she doesn’t, contact the landlord (assuming you have one) and tell him/her that you are concerned about it being a tripping hazard, and let the landlord deal with it. Make sure to mention to the landlord that if someone slipped and fell, the landlord could have some liability for failing to keep the hallway clear.

    • kng

      This is nuts! I have the same problem with a neighbor across the hall from me, of course i’m kind of passive aggressive and have attempted to throw shoes that she left in the hallway and I tripped over down the garbage chute (my husband was there to stop me).
      I wish I had advice to offer, I haven’t done anything other than complain to my building’s management about how its hazardous and got no response from them and i live in a very nice and overly clean manhattan doorman building with more maintenance staff than i can keep track of. I think my neigbhors’ problem is a roommate squabble, as in they throw eachother’s things outside when the other is not home, but that doesn’t explain their leaving their apartment door ajar at 3am….

    • Jay

      That is bizarre. If the plants or other stuff are in your way, I’d first try asking her to move them. I wouldn’t move them myself–if you accidentally damage something it could get ugly. If after a day or two there’s no results or new stuff appears, tell your landlord. Sorry for this situation!

    • Kate

      Ask her to stop first — in person if possible. If your schedules don’t coincide, leave a signed, polite note.

    • Lola

      I’m afraid passive aggressive doesn’t usually help much, ladies.

      Sometimes we need to put on our big-girl pants and just say something that’s direct, even though it’s uncomfortable. Like ripping off the band-aid. Maybe she didn’t have any idea it bothered you, or didn’t know who was moving her stuff around in the hall.

      If things don’t change, then go to the landlord. What she’s doing is probably in violation of the lease. The landlord may be looking for a reason to get a new tenant anyway.

    • Laura

      Agree w/ the previous advice. I would also say to tread lightly/be very polite when you talk with her. Not to cast generalizations, but if someone’s general behavior is a bit off, it’s harder to judge how they’ll respond to what you consider a (very) reasonable request. Basically, she doesn’t sound like the type of neighbor you’d want to dislike you, so I’d be extra careful not to head down that path.

      Good luck!

    • Amy

      Thanks for all of the advice. The plants were moved last night (after being out there for a week) without my doing anything about it. Must put out a chair or something to “stake” our space.

  10. Lizadoo

    If anyone else is out there on a Friday night, can you advise me on Talbots petite sizing? I wear 0p and xsp in Ann Taylor… is Talbots PP equivalent? I only have one item from there and its a cardigan with a lot of stretch, so it’s a little hard to gauge.

    Thanks!

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