Blast from the Past: July 29

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I was thinking, how I'm always amused to stumble on older pieces that we've featured here on Corporette® … sometimes they still look good, or I remember liking them. Other times, the styling or the featured piece of clothing is just… fug.

Anyway, I started thinking… it might be fun to share some previously featured pictures with you guys, and discuss — would you wear these items today? If so, how would you style them in 2025? If you've replaced items like this in your closet, what are you wearing instead of them?

First up, some of the things we featured on July 29 over the years…

What to Wear to Work on July 29

2009: Boden's Brondesbury Blazer

Ok: I actually love this one, although I'd love it more if this were a soft knit like a sweater jacket, and less because it was actually made of boiled wool. I feel like you don't see as many boiled wool blazers as there were back in 2009, and that is for the best — they were quite itchy and often unlined.

These days, I'd replace it with a sweater jacket…

(Hunting for a similar yellow jacket? Sezane has a nice one now.)

2010: Talbots Blazer

Huh… there seems to be a yellow jacket trend. Tis the season, I guess? I always feel like more saturated yellows like this Talbots blazer (and the Boden blazer from 2009) are great for mid- to late-summer, whereas paler, more pastel versions of yellow are best left in spring. Thoughts?

This blazer was marked down to $74 when we wrote about it, which strikes me as a price you're unlikely to see today at Talbots, but I just may not be trolling their sales enough.

2013: Elizabeth & James Embellished Blazer

This Elizabeth & James blazer was, at the time, noteworthy because it was a part of Neiman Marcus's then-sister site CUSP's big sale, with the blazer coming from $565 down to $254. Nice!

I remembered that the Elizabeth & James brand had preceded The Row, but it took a bit of Googling to find out that apparently the Olsen twins kept the brand as a high end one until around 2019, when they signed a licensing deal with Kohls to sell the clothes at a much (much) lower price point. That deal seems to have ended a few years ago, since I can't find any record of Kohls having the brand in stock since 2021. Still: keep the changed focus in mind if you happen to find Elizabeth & James stuff on resale sites like Poshmark.

(No, it isn't clear from my tiny picture or my copy what the embellishment was — it looks like a laser-cut pattern or eyelet? I feel like I'd have mentioned if there were beads or other bedazzled embellishments.)

2014: Vince's Chevron-Print Shell

Oof, I love this blouse. I am surprised that it's Vince, though — these days I think of Vince as being extremely well made but boring basics in neutral, solid colors. The print here reminds me more of recent collections from Akris.

Hunting in general for blouses in pretty prints? As of 2025, some of the reader-favorite brands include L'Agence, Equipment, Smythe, and Tucker NYC. On the more affordable side, check out NYDJ,* Halogen*, Loft,* and Kut from the Kloth. For plus sizes, check out Catherine Gee (and the asterisks)!

2015: Red Fleece's Windowpane Skirt

I knew without looking that this skirt would have been from Brooks Brothers' Red Fleece era, which was actually a pretty good era. They had fun with their preppy side but priced things more affordably than regular Brooks Brothers, and the pieces were all definitely, distinctively, preppy.

At the time, I acknowledged the holiday-party vibe to the skirt, but still thought you could get away with wearing it to work with a fairly sedate outfit, like a navy turtleneck and tights.

2016: Ann Taylor Pencil Skirt

Pencil skirts still reigned supreme in 2016 — I feel like it took an entire dang pandemic to swing the trend away from pencil skirts and other structured classics. (I also feel like they'll be back any day now, but what do I know.)

This pencil skirt from Ann Taylor is pretty, even if they aren't necessarily my colors.

2019: Rag & Bone's Blazer

I remember loving this Rag & Bone blazer when we first posted it back in 2019 — but something about the fit feels off to me, like it should be a $50 blazer instead of a $500 blazer. (Or maybe like it can't decide whether to be an oversized, boyfriend-like blazer or a more structured, classic blazer.)

Rag & Bone's Slade blazer has been a bestseller for years and years if you're on the hunt for something like a more structured sweater blazer (depending on the fabric).

2020: Randa's Tropical Blouse

In July 2020, there were still quite a few restrictions around travel thanks to the pandemic — so Elizabeth chose this tropical top from Randa to help her

bring a beachy vibe to my everyday life. Tiny umbrellas for drinks on the patio? Yup. Coconut-scented everything? Let’s do it. A palm-tree-printed blouse to wear to work? Why not?

If you really think about it, why NOT, indeed, even in 2025. I'm sure we said this often enough back then, but the top also would have made a great Zoom top.