The Hunt Archives - Corporette.com

The Hunt: Classic Sheath Dresses for Work

04/16/2018 by Kat 80 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.

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?

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

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The Hunt: Nude-For-You Pumps

04/03/2018 by Kat 45 Comments

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.

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

Hall of Famers (specific styles that have stood the test of time): Corso Como, Sam Edelman (multiple shades), Michael Michael Kors (multiple shades), Comfort Plus by Predictions, Salvatore Ferragamo, Rockport, AK Anne Klein, Marc Fisher LTD, Calvin Klein (multiple shades), Manolo Blahnik, Trotters (multiple shades)
Under $100: AK Anne Klein (beige), Michael Michael Kors, Alfani (multiple shades), Dirty Laundry (multiple shades), LifeStride, Naturalizer (multiple shades), 1.State, Steve Madden,
Darker browns: Naturalizer, Trotters, Nine West, Walking Cradles, AGL,
Darker than light beige but not brown: Naturalizer (LOTS of options), Nine West (“natural leather”), Calvin Klein (“caramel”), Alfani (“cognac”), Dirty Laundry (“cognac”), Tahari (“taupe grey”), Everlane (“cognac”), Ann Taylor (“brown toffee“), Jimmy Choo (“cacao brown suede”), Hispanitas (“nougat”),
Super light pink: AK Anne Klein, Michael Michael Kors, Stuart Weitzman, Tory Burch, Franco Sarto, Ann Taylor
Extended widths: (come in sizes like C, W, etc): Salvatore Ferragamo (B&C), Alfani (W), Dirty Laundry (W), LifeStride (N W), Rockport (W), Calvin Klein (W),
Extended sizes (4-13): Salvatore Ferragamo (4.5-12),
Comfort: Trotters, Naturalizer, Cole Haan, Taryn Rose, Salvatore Ferragamo (4.5-12), Linea Paolo, (don’t forget to check out our entire guide to comfortable heels)

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 Kat 73 Comments

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 Kat 12 Comments

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 Kat 35 Comments

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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The Best Winter Blazers to Wear To Work

11/29/2017 by Corporette Staff 22 Comments

Around this time of year, we typically feature stylish velvet blazers among our blazer picks for the best winter blazers to wear to work (including a beautiful blue one from Self Portrait that Kat shared a couple of weeks ago). Many are festive enough for weekday holiday office parties but still professional for workday wear — and versatile enough to pair with jeans on the weekends. We’re bringing you some more recommendations today, including some of our favorite velvet blazers on the market right now — as well as (in our roundup) a few options for tweed jackets if you want a more sedate alternative to velvet. Readers, how do you change up your blazers for work in wintertime? Do you like to wear them as toppers to sexier looks on the weekend? Do you like to wear them to “business attire” events around this time of year such as networking events through alumni or professional organizations, or even holiday office parties held on workdays?