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The Hunt: Cute Flats for the Office

06/05/2018 by 62 Comments

cute flats for the officeSure, we all know what wardrobe essentials for work professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.

This isn’t a typical Hunt for us — I started doing a roundup of classic pointy toe flats, but then decided to branch out — so each category includes several options. Readers, how often do you wear flats to work? Are they a commuting shoe for you or an all-day shoe? Have you bought any comfortable, cute flats for the office lately?

Looking for comfortable heels for work? Don’t miss our Guide to Comfortable Heels for a roundup of readers’ favorite brands!

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The Hunt: Classic Sheath Dresses for Work

04/16/2018 by 81 Comments

classic sheath dresses for workSure, we all know what wardrobe essentials for work professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.

For spring and summer, classic dresses for work are often the easiest thing to throw on — particularly if you keep a blazer and cardigan and a pair or two of classic pumps or comfortable heels at the office, you can almost create a work uniform from the sheath dress. (In fact, in our four-week work outfit challenge we dared you to try wearing the same sheath dress four different ways during the four weeks!) Particularly for summer, note that slipshorts are a reader favorite for comfortable layering under sheath dresses; if you want something to suck you in a bit more you may want to check out shaping shorts like these from Spanx. (If your office is extremely conservative, do check out our guide to pantyhose — and keep in mind that going sleeveless may be controversial in your office, so keep a cardigan or blazer close at hand if you’re new.)

Pictured above: some of our Hall of Famers! Clockwise from the largest: one / two / three. 

We’ve rounded up a ton of options below (including ones in a wide range of sizes, sheath dresses with pockets or sleeves, and more!) but I’d love to hear from you — what are your favorite dresses to wear to work in 2018? Do you feel like black dresses are classic — or is the color too heavy for warmer weather? Does your summer work uniform include a ton of dresses — and which are your favorites? 

classic sheath dresses for work in 2018

 

Hall of Famers: one / two / three / four / five

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The Hunt: Nude-For-You Pumps

04/03/2018 by 46 Comments

Sure, we all know what wardrobe essentials for work professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.

Tis the season, ladies — to do a nude-for-you pump roundup! As we’ve noted before, a shoe that is a close match for your natural leg tone is a great way to elongate your leg and make it look like it goes for miles — of course you can always just wear a beige, tan, or brown shoe as a neutral as well (regardless of whether it matches your skin tone).  We’ve rounded up something for everyone, hopefully — affordable nude-for-you pumps, dark brown pumps, light beige pumps, medium brown pumps, and some super light pink pumps for the pasty-legged among us (including me!). Readers, are you in the market for a new nude-for-you pump? Which ones did you wear into the ground last year?

Some Hall of Famers, pictured above (clockwise): one / two / three / four

Psst: looking for nude flats? Check this roundup.

nude-for-you pumps 2018

Hall of Famers, pictured above, top row: one / two / three / four // bottom row: one / two / three / four

For our featured nude-for-you pumps this year, read on after the jump…

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The Hunt for Jardigans: Jacket/Cardigans for Everyone

03/20/2018 by 73 Comments

best jardigans for workSure, we all know what wardrobe essentials for work professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.

I don’t know if the phrase “jardigan” was around before MM.LaFleur’s best-selling jacket/cardigan hybrid, but I do feel like they have not only made the phrase more common but in many ways set the bar for what to expect from a jacket/cardigan hybrid in terms of comfort, quality, and style. (At top, the two MM.LF jardigans: the shorter Sant Ambroeus, and the longer Woolf jardigan, both $195 and available in sizes XS–3X. Here’s our last discussion on the Sant Ambroeus.) Still, $195 is a lot to pay even for MM.LF’s beloved jardigan, so I constantly see readers searching for dupes or sharing notes on what was similar. So let’s go on a hunt today for jardigans, ladies, aka sweater blazers, knit blazers, and more… Which are your favorites? Where did you get your favorite jardigans for work, and how do you wear them?

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The Hunt: The Best Sleeveless Tops, Shells, and Blouses for Work

02/21/2018 by 12 Comments

These are our favorite sleeveless tops, blouses and shells to wear to work—whether layered under a blazer/cardi or by themselves. Bonus: most are under $50! Note that these make GREAT components of an interview outfit or interview look!Sure, we all know what wardrobe essentials for work professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.

Sleeveless tops are a basic in every woman’s work wardrobe — but which ones are the best? These are some of the best-selling styles we’ve mentioned in the past, all rounded up in one place — I’d love to hear your favorites that aren’t included here. As I’ve noted in the past, these aren’t necessarily my favorite tops to wear under blazers or other dry-clean-only clothes — call me a weirdo, but I like to have sleeves (even short sleeves) to better separate my body from the clothes that need expensive cleaning. (You may want to check out our post on the best tees for layering if that sounds more like your speed.) That said… a sleeveless top is much better for layering and creating clean lines beneath cardigans and blazers. I like that all of these tops cover the bra strap entirely; they also have pretty high arm holes and relatively high necklines — they’re very different from camisoles we’ve featured in the past. (As we’ve cautioned in the past, know your office — sleeveless looks aren’t always considered professional or conservative enough by themselves; only layered beneath things.)

Readers,  which are your favorite sleeveless tops for work — and how do you wear them? What’s  your preferred price range (most of these are under $50!) — and where do you buy your sleeveless tops? 

See our roundup, after the jump…

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The Hunt: Warm Winter Pants

12/14/2017 by 35 Comments
warm women's dress pants for the officeSure, we all know what wardrobe essentials for work professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.

It’s been a while since we went on a hunt for warm women’s dress pants for the office, so I thought we’d take a look today. I’m breaking out this Hunt a bit differently than our usual roundup to talk about the pros and cons of the different fabrics in general, but I’d love to hear from you — what are your favorite pants to wear to work in the winter? (Or is it FLEECE TIGHTS all the way?) What fabrics do you like best, what do you wear beneath unlined pants, and where are your favorite places to find them? Can you wear velvet/corduroy at your office, or do you prefer to stick to wool? What are your thoughts on cropped pants in winter weights? (And what shoes do you wear with them — booties?) See our roundup below of the different kinds of warm winter pants to wear to work…

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