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Updated: Sep 11, 2024 115 Comments · by

Suit of the Week: Club Monaco

Suit of the Week

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woman wears olive suit with wide leg pants and white cropped tee (know your office)

For busy working women, the suit is often the easiest outfit to throw on in the morning. In general, this feature is not about interview suits for women, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional. Also: we just updated our big roundup for the best women's suits of 2024!

I tried to poke around today to stores a little outside of my usual picks for suits, and BOY are suits all over the place right now.

Oversized blazers, cropped blazers, double-breasted blazers… mini skirts, long flared skirts, wide legs, narrow legs… (I may have to do a post soon about “suits I wouldn't recommend for work,” because there were MANY.)

I DID like this relaxed olive suit from Club Monaco, though, although I'm a bit confused because they call the pant high rise but it's clearly several inches below the model's belly button. (Interesting question, I suppose — regardless of what pants are called, where do you like them to sit?) I do love the darts along the back of the pant, though.

As for how it's styled… as always, I would advise caution with a cropped top — know your office very well before you show midriff.

If olive isn't your jam, both pieces are available in basic black as well. I've always found olive to be a surprise neutral, though — it goes well with navy, gray, white, and you can have fun with the right pop of purple, pink, light blue, and even red.

The blazer is $328 and available in sizes XXS-XL, and the pants are $248 and available in sizes 00P-14.

Sales of note for 9.30.24

About Kat

Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

  1. Anon

    Where can I find a garment bag in a jiffy? I have access to all typical stores.

    I don’t need one of those heavy duty ones that transforms into checked luggage; I just need something nice-ish so that I don’t walk into the lobby of a luxury hotel with my clothes on a hanger. (Driving to a conference.) Thanks!

    • Winter

      Honestly, a dry cleaning bag would be perfectly acceptable if you don’t want to shop.

    • Anon

      Non-responsive answer: Put each individual item of clothing on a hanger in a plastic dry cleaning bag. Either starting with the flat base of your suitcase or a large duffel bag, line up the bottom edge of the first item with a lond side of the bag, smooth it along the bottom and up the other side and leave the rest of it laying out for the moment. Put the next item in similarly, except use the opposite long side of the bag such that the top part of this one is laying out the opposite side. Continue on, alternating sides. Then fold the item and their hangers over, into the bag, one by one, alternating sides. I’ve travelled with a BB Irish Linen suit this way and it required minimal intervention at my destination. Items made of material that doesn’t crease as easily or sharply as Irish linen should require no treatment, so long as they went into the bag nicely steamed or ironed.

    • Anonymous

      I would go to a men’s suiting store and ask discretly and nicely if you may purchase one of the ones they give with the suit.

      • Anon

        Yeah. Brooks brothers also has decent ones that they give you when you buy a blazer. If you were in northern Va I’d just give you the one living in the back seat of my car.

        • Anonymous

          J Crew also has a decent one – not as good as the BB one, but fine for what OP described.

  2. anon

    For those who have worked in a highly toxic work environment, how long did it take you to rest and recover? I left my highly toxic workplace 2 years ago, and still have nightmares now and again. Maybe monthly now. I was there 10 years and it was toxic the last 2. I am now in a very laid back role, and am surprised that I don’t feel recovered at this point.

    • Sunshine

      I’ve been gone from mine for 13 years. Probably twice per year, I can’t fall asleep or wake up in a sweat about something that happened during that job. Other than those events, I’d say I felt back to myself after about a year.

    • Anonymous

      I never really got nightmares or anything, but I still feel.something 15 years later every time my employment at a certain law firm comes up, like in interviews where the interviewer mentions it and then stares to confirm it was traumatizing by my initial physical response.

    • Anon

      I worked in a very toxic place for 1.5 years. I left that job 3.5 years ago. The first year, I was definitely reacting to things as though I had PTSD, enough that my new colleagues noticed and commented (one told me it seemed like I had escaped an abusive ex). The second year, it got better although I think my reactions were less outwardly noticeable. I think my third year out is when normal started feeling normal, if that makes sense.

      For me, mindfulness practices have been most helpful in moving on. Even simply telling myself that I am not my thoughts, and reminding myself of that whenever something from that time surfaces.

    • anon

      I’m almost two years out like you. I’ve noticed that the nightmares and thoughts get easier to push away with time. Still more frequent than the random I’m still in university and missed an exam nightmare, but definitely heading that way. I also recognize that one of my biggest triggers is when I run into people still at my old workplace.

    • Anon

      Once a year, I have a dream that I’m back at my BigLaw firm and people are shocked and I am back on the fast track to getting sacked again. FWIW, I was in over my head, so it is felt like (then and in my dreams) of drowning without water. I chalk it up to being a “them” problem for hiring someone clearly out of her depth and having a sink or swim ethos, but sinking even for six figures a year is not pleasant (and between high rent and high taxes and loans, I feel like I don’t even have a fancy bag to show for it; just the trauma).

    • anon

      I was in an abusive work environment for about 1.5 years. I was in therapy the whole time which really helped me work through what was happening, so my recovery was faster than it otherwise would have been, but it still took me 6 months to a year to feel like I’d moved past the majority of anger/resentment/self-doubt. But some stuff lingered and would come up in my new workplace, and it took me a long time to fully work through it. It rarely affects me now except for when something sets off a red flag for the same types of behaviors I endured, in particular, anything that feels like I’m being thrown under the bus or very literally set up to fail. I rarely think of my former co-workers except for with pity.

    • Anon

      It took me a solid five years to recover from a horribly toxic one year. (FWIW, my manager actually physically threatened me, so it was toxic by toxic standards.)

    • Anon

      I know this is late but I hope OP checks for comments still: I suffered from trauma as the result of a terrible boss for 3+ years; then did some EMDR (eye movement desensitization & reprocessing) therapy specifically on that boss and it helped immensely. I still have flare-ups of the trauma but I feel like I am okay with my life the majority of the time now as opposed to being in a deep hole of trauma pre-EMDR.

  3. Anonymous

    I need tangible gift ideas for my legal assistant,
    60s
    Kids are grown but newly a grandparent (long distance)
    Likes trinkets but I can’t figure out a theme – “stuff” all over her desk
    Cooks often

    Budget $50, I also give cash but she likes stuff to unwrap. Have given fancy spices, olive oils, dish towels, reusable containers, seasonal themed items, and chocolate the last 2 bdays.

    • Anon

      A cookbook (whatever she likes to do — bake, try new kinds of foods, etc) with either a specialty tool or speciality spice that goes with that cuisine.

    • Anonymous

      Autumn: maple leaf cookie cutter and luxury maple sirup

      Gourmet: white truffle, fancy dried French mushrooms or mushroom powder, very nice Modena balsamico, Italian sour cherries (amarena), French maroon glacee chestnuts, tuna in extra virgin olive oil, a spice grinder, lobster scissors, an English high tea three level serving dish, a Norwegian cheese slicer, Lindt chocolate or some real saffron.

    • Anon

      My go to gift for new grandparents is the book Becoming Grandma by Lesley Stahl.

    • Been There

      I love the Dior cuticle cream. Pricey but luxurious. Maybe throw in a gift certificate and that should give her something to unwrap.

    • NaoNao

      Oo maybe those “touch it and it glows long distance relationship” thingies she could mail to the grandkids? Uncommon Goods catalog has a few of these and they’re gimmicky but cute.

      You could also start her on a charm bracelet and then have a go-to gift option for the next 10 occasions!

  4. Cora

    Saw a tweet saying that Kamala wore $800 Tiffany earrings and that that is too expensive. . .

    1) This is a big event and 2) No one ever says this about the men’s fancy watches?

    • Anon

      To quote Samantha Jones, “if you’re not wearing something the kids can’t afford, how will they know to look up to you?”

      In all seriousness, I CANNOT care about the cost of a single thing Harris is wearing while she’s up against the raging, demented buffoon and wannabe strongman that is Trump.

    • Anon

      Yep. And young female reps (Cori Bush comes to mind) get denigrated for wearing budget clothing “not befitting the office.” Misogyny has no logic!

    • Anon

      Nope, totally fine. Dr. Jill has high-end taste and you don’t hear too much.

      • Anon

        Nancy Pelosi didn’t get reamed out for her pearl necklaces. I assume that they are real and they are the stuff of my dreams. And $$$.

        • O. Henry necklace

          And she wasn’t on stage against a fake billionaire

          Once I went to an MBA class reunion, worried that the guy (and his wife) who sold his company for $400 million would be there. You better believe I tried my best and brought my A game. Gives me confidence

    • anon

      First reaction, I wonder if they are sold out… price doesn’t seem too bad.

      • anon

        Yeah 800 for diamond earrings is not that ridiculous.. especiallly when you consider the cost of melanias wedding ring

        • Anonymous

          Please keep in mind Melania is not running for office and the poor woman cannot hide deep enough . Although I absolutely agree it’s time to stop judging women on basis that the men would not be judged on

    • Anon

      Seriously about #2. Gold costs what gold costs, but a Timex will tell the time better than a watch you have to wind. What’s next, an engagement ring too spendy?

    • Brontosaurus

      I mean it’s better than the post I just saw claiming she was wearing “earphone” earrings …

      • Anon

        Trump supporters cannot believe she was that well prepared and he did so badly, so it must be cheating.

      • Seventh Sister

        Yeah, I don’t get the outrage. My parents aren’t super high-end jewelry people and my mom has a few pairs of earrings in that range.

  5. anon

    Does anyone have a good system (or even Excel format) for tracking your networking / biz dev activities? I’m a law firm partner in a specialist group, and I’ve been pretty passive about bringing in business and building my network, but I want to change that. For example, I’d like to track who I had lunch or coffee with and when, and maybe even any follow-ups or notes on things discussed. Or who I spoke to at an industry conference. Any tips welcome!

    • Wildkitten

      You need a CRM. I’ve never managed to use one for this purpose but I’d love to hear what others have done.

    • Ses

      I’ve used the free version of Hubspot CRM for this when I was consulting. It has a lot of features you so t use, but some are surprisingly helpful (having dashboards for meetings and notes, or uploading and organising a list of attendees provided by a conference.

  6. Anonymous Grouch

    I’m sorry but I thought the brown suit from Fisk on Netflix was supposed to be a joke, not something we would actually consider wearing!

    • Anonymous

      I’m sorry do you seriously think this is brown? I very much think it is a hideous green suit.

      • Anon

        It’s a reference to a TV show where the main character wears a similar suit in brown.

      • Anonymous Grouch

        Brownish Green? Maybe it’s my monitor. I acknowledge the color isn’t super-exactly-perfectly the same, but the cut and vibe are spot on.

      • Mpls

        It’s brown. Green side of khaki sure, but more brown than green. At least per my monitor and no colorblindness.

    • Anon

      I think the color we are all searching for is biliary. The color of bile. Like you see… in vomit.

  7. Anonymous

    I don’t always wear a suit, but when I do I wear a crop top underneath.

  8. Wildkitten

    Has anyone found a good method to learn languages lately? I need a structured class, not duolingo, but online classes are fine!

    • Anon

      Not a full solution, but listening to the news in a foreign language helps me better absorb the nuances of the language.

      • Anon

        Silly but true – watching Call My Agent and Emily in Paris (with the subtitles) has really helped with my French pronunciation. I learned Spanish and then Italian before French and the French pronunciation (or lack thereof) of vowels is so hard for me to master!

    • Anon

      My brother takes Spanish classes over Zoom with a Spanish teacher in Guatemala. It’s a win win. Very affordable, and his teacher is thrilled because it is much more than she is paid locally.

  9. Anon

    Currently using my laptop as a makeshift heating pad because perimenopause periods love to show up out of nowhere with a vengence. I’m not able to take birth control or have an IUD (long stories, trust me when I say I’ve tried and it’s not possible). Do HRT creams really help with this? Any other tips or tricks? These are the heaviest/worst periods I’ve had since middle school and they are getting to me!

    • Anon

      Hysterectomy. It was life-changing for me. I felt better and had less pain on NSAIDS only the day after surgery than I did beforehand.

        • Anon

          Not the OP but my hysterectomy is one of the best things I have ever done to improve my quality of life on a daily basis. I had fibroids. The cramps had become debilitating and my periods lasted weeks, only to stop for a few days and start back up again. The hysterectomy put an immediate end to years of just gritting my teeth and dealing with it. I honestly didn’t realize how bad it had gotten until it was gone.

          • Anon

            I always hear such extreme reviews of hysterectomy (best or worst thing ever done). I wonder if it’s one of those things where there isn’t enough research into women’s health to identify the right candidates.

          • Anon

            I had 2 massive fibroids and an abdominal myomectomy to remove them. I felt better so quickly that i could hardly believe how I had gotten used to such a crappy quality of life for five years prior.

        • Anon

          No, but the cramps were being cause by endometriosis and scarring such that my ovaries were adhered to the sides of my uterus, so having it all gone took care of the endo, the scarring, the cramps and improved my quality of life more than anything else in recent memory.

    • Anonymous

      Talk to a gynecologist. If you are no longer interested in conception, they have options like uterine ablation.

  10. Gail the Goldfish

    Suggestions for a casual blazer or lightweight jacket that’s a good neutral color that will go with most color tops and jeans this Fall? I do white denim in the Spring, but I’m struggling with a Fall equivalent.

  11. anoncat

    What’s on everyone’s fall bucket list? I want to host a Halloween game night to play Betrayal at House on the Hill. And buy all the seasonal snacks at Trader Joe’s.

    • Anon

      I have already gotten into the candy corn. Yes, I really do like it!. Also, I love to dress up and have a family party to attend. Have not yet looked at costumes but I am excited to choose one.

    • Anon

      Driving out to the countryside to look at the fall leaves, and getting a freshly made caramel apple.

    • Kate

      – Decorating for fall, inside and out.
      – Apple picking.
      – Pumpkin picking.
      – Go to a haunted house.
      – Autumn vibes movie marathon (e.g., Practical Magic).

  12. Anon

    Academic here, hoping someone in academia can provide some insight. Someone who is working closely with me on a large grant has been placed on an extended leave / audit by university that is now lasting months. Not allowed to speak with collaborators. Does anyone know what would trigger such audit and the timeline for such audits and likely outcome.

    • Anonymous

      Could be an ethics violation, which could involve misappropriation of grant funds. Pure speculation, but I’ve seen it.

      • anonshmanon

        that’s also where my mind went. Could be allegations of harassment/discrimination, misuse of funds, plagiarism or fake results, or undisclosed ties to a foreign government who isn’t on the Xmas card list.
        Nothing might come of it. Or the investigation finds some truth, but even then, it’s very unlikely that they will be fired. They might lose certain funding or privileges, which also could mean that they lose team members (and important expertise relevant to your grant proposal). Absent foal discipline actions, team members might choose to leave, and the group will likely need significant time to recover.
        This is all wild speculation of course…

        • Anon

          thanks. We actually already have a grant together and are running a large project (among many others) so obviously it is affecting me on a daily basis, which is why I was curious as to outcome and timeline.

          • anonshmanon

            if it is misconduct, there are various other ways that you could be affected. For scientific misconduct, it throws doubt on all the results from that person including joint publications. It raises questions about what others could have overlooked or covered up.
            If the PI loses grants or can no longer appropriately supervise students, they might turn to you for guidance or funding, to finish out their project.
            I know the not knowing how you should act is tough, OP!

        • Anon

          Agree with this list. If the process has already gone on this long, the allegations are probably serious, but it can take a long time to investigate a complicated cases, years in some situations. If they’re a PI on a grant with you and you have funding obligations that need to be fulfilled, someone should be able to tell you something about the how the university will work with you to meet those obligations, as grants go to the university, not the PI, so they’re on the hook for this. I’m actually a little surprised that hasn’t happened already. Ideally you’d contact the person running the investigation, but if you don’t know who that is, talk to your department chair and/or the director of research compliance. One of those people should be able to give you some guidance on whether you need to cut them out of your project completely.

    • Anon

      Could be financially related (misuse of funds); could be sexual harassment and/or bullying of students/junior faculty/staff. [Clearly I’m just thinking of things here, so I really don’t know.]

      Timelines are usually slow. Unless the university itself is in public hot water, then they usually take a really long time. It is very difficult to fully fire someone (depending on the position), so outcomes are more often punishments around working with students, accessing funding, etc.

    • Anon

      Hard not to be curious I’m sure, but I’d also guess that the less you know, the better. This sounds like something you should keep your distance from.

    • Nesprin

      Extended leave + months is something severe (either research misconduct, severe sexual harassment, something that raised title 9 issues, financial misconduct, undisclosed conflicts of interest or sketchy research ties etc). Outcome could be suspension, firing, demotion, PIP, or return to normal responsibilities, but it’s pretty unusual at a research university for someone to be put on leave for months and I suspect returning to normal responsibilities is the least likely outcome.

      It’s worth talking to your dept chair and/or head of research and/or grant officer about how to re-scope your grant and shift responsibilities, staff, and finances around to deal with this. (I’d also be running their name through pubpeer/retractionwatch or the local news to try to get a sense of what’s going on)

    • Anon

      That’s no good. Tough for someone to come back from that. Your grant program officer should be able to give you guidance on what it means for your ongoing projects.

  13. Anon

    So what are we doing about legwear this fall and winter with dresses and skirts for work. Opaque tights? Less opaque tights? Those thinner tights that are meant to look like pantyhose? Actual pantyhose?

    • Moose

      If I had to guess, in order of fashionableness 1.) Semi-sheer 2.) Opaque 3.) Skin-toned pantyhose. I don’t think there is anything wrong with opaque tights, but maybe it feels less of-the-moment and more classic/practical. I don’t think anyone is doing actual pantyhose much anymore, but could be wrong!

    • Anon

      I’m on Team Tights for winter legs. Probably with taller boots. No idea if that is current but it sounds cozier than actual pantyhose for cold weather. I’m picturing midi pleated skirts with knee high leather flat boots, midi sweater dresses with ankle boots, etc.

      • Anon

        I hope so because I’ve been wanting an excuse to pull out my vintage Pendleton skirts.

    • Anonymous

      Opaque tights, but I’m in Canada and it’s cold. I might feel differently if it was more of a fashion choice

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