The Corporette Workwear Hall of Fame

Welcome to The Corporette Workwear Hall of Fame! I started this blog in 2008 -- and I've been fascinated to see how, every so often, a company gets such a rave response to a dress, bag, or blazer that they keep producing the item, year after year. There may be new colors or patterns, or slight adaptions like pockets or sleeves -- but in general it's the exact same product. These classic, best-selling styles are exactly the pieces you want to use to build your work wardrobe. We always mention the Hall of Famers in our biweekly Hunts (where we go on the Hunt for a classic workwear piece), but I thought it would be great to collect some of these heavy hitters into one easy place for readers to review the items. Thus: the Corporette Workwear Hall of Fame was born.

Workwear Hall of Fame: Julianne Flats

09/10/2018 by Kat 143 Comments

We’ve featured these reader-favorite, comfortable round-toe flats from Børn in a lot of our roundups over the years, including our recent roundup of cute flats for the office, but I don’t think we’ve ever done a Coffee Break just for them. We’re picturing the newer knit version (also available in black and gray), but they come in a ton of leather options; some even with flowers on the toes. They’re available at Zappos, Amazon, Nordstrom, and more — and they’re $80-$90 full price. Julianne Flats

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Filed Under: Coffee Break, Workwear Hall of Fame Tagged With: Under150

Workwear Hall of Fame: Felicia Flat

05/29/2018 by Kat 78 Comments

2018 Update: Gearing up for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2018? Early access starts July 12, 2018 and the sale opens to the public on July 20, 2018 — sign up for our newsletter to get our picks for workwear and beyond! (You can check out some of our more recent Nordstrom sale picks here!)

The below content is about the 2018 Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale.

We’ve featured uber popular Felicia flat in a number of our roundups — but I don’t think we’ve ever done a Coffee Break on it. If you haven’t seen the shoe in person: this thing has some serious padding. I like the little bow on the top, and it comes in so.many.different.colors and prints and fabrics that there’s something for everyone (if you’ve been wanting a weird specific color like light blue suede or black polka dot, take a look at the options). Right now you can find options as low as $39 during the Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale or lucky sizes as low as $29 at Amazon; Zappos also has a ton of options. (If you’re looking at one of the sale options, just a warning: they also come in little girl sizes, so make sure you’re looking at regular women’s sizes!) The shoe is $99-$119 on full price, with many available in sizes 4-13 and in three widths. Sam Edelman Felicia Flats

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

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Filed Under: Coffee Break, Workwear Hall of Fame Tagged With: NHYS, nhys 5-18, Under150

Workwear Hall of Fame: Dagne Dover

04/10/2018 by Kat 45 Comments

I was excited to see recently that Nordstrom now carries Dagne Dover, which has been a reader favorite for years for their sturdy, coated canvas totes. They have several fun, saturated colors like this “Palm green” or their classic cobalt “Dagne blue,” but they also have neutrals. By way of a mini Dagne Dover tote review: as a sturdy tote, it may also be a slightly heavy tote if you’re used to carrying nylon or other super lightweight options; it may also feel a bit stiff — but all of that may work better for your lifestyle than a lightweight, less durable option. In any event, the Signature Legend tote (pictured here) is $265 and big enough to fit sneakers as well as a laptop; the classic tote is a more slimmed-down version for $245. Pictured: Signature Legend Coated Canvas Tote

(Oooh: the Dagne Dover website now has card cases as well. Nice.)

Looking for other options? Check out our roundup of the best tote bags for work.

2018 Update: We’re adding this bag to our Workwear Hall of Fame because readers have loved this bag for years, and if you’re looking for a sturdy, large tote this is a great option. Dagne Dover’s website has the most options, but you can also find the brand at Nordstrom, and occasionally at Revolve.

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

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Filed Under: Workwear Hall of Fame

Workwear Hall of Fame: Pleat-Neck V-Neck Top

10/06/2017 by Kat 307 Comments

Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

Anne Klein has had this top in white and black for a while now (white is marked down to $29 today!) — it’s one of those great basics for layering under suits because it’s got a little bit of pleating at the neckline but is otherwise a simple, basic sleeveless top. The leopard print is fun, particularly coming on the heels of our discussion about your work outfit challenges — a number of people said they never know what to wear with red, and as Selina Meyer showed us, red and leopard look great together. If you’re not really an animal print person, this is very easy to tone down with a buttoned or belted cardigan on top, so only a bit of the leopard print peeks out (or, if you can get the Vs just right, you could also wear it with a V-neck sweater). The tops are $30-$40 at Nordstrom, Amazon (tons of colors and prints as low as $9!), Rue La La, and more. Anne Klein Pleat-Neck V-Neck Top

This top reminds me a bit of this affordable, popular knot-front top that comes in regular, petite, and plus sizes.

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Seen a great piece you’d like to recommend? Please e-mail [email protected]

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Filed Under: The Personal Shopper (TPS), Workwear Hall of Fame Tagged With: Under150

Workwear Hall of Fame: Zala Heels

08/29/2017 by Kat 171 Comments

I was perusing Bloomingdale’s best-selling shoes recently and thought, OH, hey, I know those. Indeed, we’ve featured these pointy-toed, block heeled pumps numerous times before in our hunts for comfortable black pumps and nude-for-you heels — but we’ve never done a Coffee Break just for them. Bloomingdale’s only has them in black and tan suede, but Zappos, Nordstrom, and Amazon have a ton of colors, including some on sale for as low as $62. I’m picturing the cherry patent ones from Zappos because they’re so purty — but there are TONS of colorful suedes, textured leathers, and even fancy embroidery/lace fabric-covered options. They’re $160 full price, available in sizes 5-11. Marc Fisher LTD Zala Pump

2018 Update: We’re adding these shoes to our Workwear Hall of Fame because they are still around, getting rave reviews, and coming out in new colors and fabrics. Nordstrom and Zappos have a ton of options, but Amazon often has the shoe as well.

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

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Filed Under: Coffee Break, Workwear Hall of Fame Tagged With: Under150

Workwear Hall of Fame: Non-Iron Tailored-Fit Dress Shirt

08/03/2017 by Kat 394 Comments

Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

This shirt from Brooks Brothers is a total classic and has been around forever. We’ve featured it before and it’s one of our Hall of Famers in our recent roundup of the best women’s dress shirts. If you haven’t bought one yet and you don’t object to the chemicals in non-iron shirts, then you truly must get it. The shirt comes in regular and petite sizes, and in both this version and a slightly less fitted dress shirt. We’re featuring it in black but it also comes in light blue, pale pink, and classic white in sizes 0–16. Non-Iron Tailored-Fit Dress Shirt

Here’s a plus-size option in white and blue pinstripe.

2017 Update: This classic no-iron shirt has been around for years, so we have added it to our Workwear Hall of Fame!

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Seen a great piece you’d like to recommend? Please e-mail [email protected]