Corporette.com

Updated: Apr 20, 2023 69 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Fleurette Coat

Coffee Break

This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

red cashmere blend coat

Yes, yes, I'm aware it's April. But: there are a TON of great coats in the Nordstrom spring sale. Like, a LOT of them. There are lots of lucky sizes, so I'd start there, but there are serious deals to be had!

One of the places I'd start if you want an “investment” coat is the brand Fleurette, which Nordstrom has carried for years — the styles are all really timeless.

This stand coat, for example, was $1,098 when new, but is now marked to $713 (some colors as low as $659). It's still a splurge, to be sure, but much less of one.

A few lucky-size-only options that stood out: blue Akris moto coat marked down 40% (size 4), tan Max Mara coat marked down 40% (size 6), and this great “blue volcano coat” (sizes 0 and 6).

Sales of note for 10.10.24

  • Nordstrom – Extra 25% off clearance (through 10/14); there's a lot from reader favorites like Boss, FARM Rio, Marc Fisher LTD, AGL, and more. Plus: free 2-day shipping, and cardmembers earn 6x points per dollar (3X the points on beauty).
  • Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off sale (ends 10/12)
  • Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything plus extra 25% off your $125+ purchase
  • Boden – 10% off new styles with code; free shipping over $75
  • Eloquii – Extra 50% off a lot of sale items, with code
  • J.Crew – 40% off sitewide
  • J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site, plus extra 25% off orders $150+
  • Lo & Sons – Fall Sale, up to 35% off
  • M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
  • Neiman Marcus – Sale on sale, up to 85% off
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – 50% off 2+ markdowns
  • Target – Circle week, deals on 1000s of items
  • White House Black Market – Buy one, get one – 50% off full price styles

About Kat

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

Comments

  1. Anon 2.0

    Does anyone use any sort of pedal or something to keep your feet “busy” under your desk? I am a fidgety person with a desk job and find myself bouncing my leg, foot etc. Looking for any recommendations on this. My legs are long so not sure if a pedal type thing would work as my knees might hit the desk. I have a private office with a kickplate on the desk so no one will be able to see it but I would like it to be reasonably quiet.

  2. Anonymous

    Wanna help me shop? I’m in need of some fun silvery statement earrings for date nights – budget is $100-$300. Currently have some long and too-stiff fake diamond ones from Nadri.

    • Anon

      This year has made me want a warm coat that is a designated spring coat — some sort of light blue or lilac or pink or even white. Any nominees? I saw a woman in a warm pink coat for Easter (while I looked like an angry goth in black tights, black wool coat, etc.). Warm clothes that look spring-ish or at least happy?

      • anon

        I also want this. Lilac, lavender, light blue, or periwinkle would be divine.

        • anon

          I have a J Crew Lady Day coat in periwinkle from YEARS ago. It’s only medium warm though despite the thinsulate. Not sure what colors they have right now.

      • Anonymous

        The J Crew lady day coat usually comes in fun colors. You may need to wait until next year to get one though.

      • Pep

        I remember my mom and grandma in beautiful spring coats at Easter services when I was a little girl: shades of yellow, blue, pink. I’ve had my eye open for the past couple of seasons for a reasonably priced light wool coat in pink, to no avail. Don’t want to drop a lot of money on it because it would likely only be worn a couple of times each early spring. Someday I’ll find it.

        • Anon

          Not this year — I would have worn it daily for months. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Cold and very rainy miserable spring where I live.

      • Pep

        The angry goth comment made me laugh – I specifically bought a winter wool coat in navy this year because I felt so out of place in black wool last Easter.

      • Runcible Spoon

        I bought a pink wool short coat from Talbots several years ago. I love breaking it out in the Spring!

      • Lydia

        ooh I keep almost buying these, but the reviews have me wary. Do you find weird poky little fibers are coming off and stabbing you in the legs (almost like fiberglass?)? Or are those reviews off base?

        • Glomarization, Esq.

          No poky fibers, but I did find that the stitching at the hems disintegrated after 2 or 3 washes. I’m really wary of buying Gap for anything for the office at this point.

  4. Anon

    It is indeed April, but my Fleurette peacoat has been a wonderful workhorse for me this month. :)

    • NYCer

      +1. I actually have this exact coat in the tan color. It is one of my favorites.

      • NYCer

        Just kidding! Not exactly the same (the buttons on mine are not exposed), but almost the same. :)

  5. anon

    The weather has been beautiful all week. This weekend it’s supposed to freeze again and be rainy/snowy. Bah. Spring in the Midwest is such a trip. I just want to be outside, working in my garden. I have done as much spring cleaning as I’m going to do.

    • Anon

      Solidarity from Indiana. It’s been what, three weeks now of beautiful weekdays and feeding weekends. My mom and I have tickets for a botanical garden Saturday and it’s going to be in the 40s! But spring came so early the flowers are peaking so we can’t really delay. Especially because next weekend looks crummy too. :(

      • Anonymous

        East coast, not midwest, but someone on our local Reddit did the math and it’s not my imagination, it actually HAS been raining way more on the weekends compared to during the week this year. It’s driving me insane, to the point I am going to try to take tomorrow off work to get yard chores done and work on Saturday when it’s raining yet again instead.

        • Anonymous

          A few years ago, I read about a study that said this is usually what happens in high-population areas and it’s largely due to the pollution created by commuters.

  6. Anonymous

    I’ve only caught portions of conversations about Beef – is it worth watching despite the scandal?

    • Anon

      I just watched the first 2 episodes with my husband last night. He suggested it. I was hesitant about watching it with the news about the actor.

      I think it’s ok if you just need something light and brainless to watch while you do something else.

      • Senior Attorney

        Ugh I didn’t think it was light at all. It gave me the willies and I couldn’t get past Episode 2.

    • Anonie

      Not familiar with any scandal (about to google it and nervous ha). But I can say that my husband and I thought the show was EXCELLENT. Well acted, well written, and so thought-provoking.

      • Anonie

        In mod but I thought it was excellent. Definitely deserving of the strong critic reviews. Still need to google whatever you are referring to regarding controversy.

    • Anonymous

      I LOVED it. Seriously one of the best series I’ve watched in a long time. It starts kind of slow (give it a few episodes since it’s laying the groundwork) and then moves in a bunch of twists and turns. I think whether you’ll enjoy it depends if you are a fan of farce. A lot of substructure plot where there is an impossibility that occurs that puts the characters in absurd positions and that sort of thing.

  7. Anom

    Therapy. How do you even start to find a therapist? I’m in Westchester (nyc burbs). I’m 46 and think I’m going thru midlife crisis – feeling inadequate at work, losing patience with my kids, just moved to burbs so I have no friends nearby. At least my marriage is strong and we aren’t experiencing financial hardship. But otherwise your standard perimenopausal midlife crisis for a white professional class woman… and I’d like to work through this with a professional not bore my husband and remaining friends whining.

    • Senior Attorney

      The Psychology Today dot com web site has a good therapist finder function. That’s where I found my current guy, with whom I am really happy.

      • Anon

        This is what my own therapist suggested when I asked for recommendations for my husband, who was looking. I found mine by asking friends.

      • anon

        +2 this is how I found mine as well, very happy with him. He doesn’t take insurance but there are also some there that do.

    • Elle

      Your insurance should have a website when you can find providers covered by your insurance. I tend to start there. I liked in person sessions so you can filter by how far they are from your office or home and also their area of specialty. From there I came up with a list of about 10 potential therapists, I went to each of their websites and got a feel for them (ie would I like this person if I met them at my kids soccer practice). I had introductory phone calls with 3 which I believe were free and from there I chose one. I hope that helps!

    • anon

      I hear you. Since you live in a popular area, hopefully others will suggest specific people. Word of mouth with your friends can be best, if you are comfortable.

      Meanwhile, since perimenopause could be making this worse, make sure you have a yearly physical with your gyn/PCP. Think hard about whether you are sleeping well/enough and if not, work on that. If you can try to find some way to start doing yoga… a break from life/family, you may meet an occasional other person in a class… it can truly improve your stress level/mood/well-being as well as fitness… it was one of the best things I started during my perimenopausal midlife crisis. Get outside every day that you can….

    • Anonymous

      I told my obgyn I was considering therapy, and he recommended my person as someone he knew other people used and who took insurance.

    • Anokha

      Do you have access to Lyra through work? It’s a bit hit or miss, but you can find providers with immediate availability.

  8. Elle

    I was told that I was next in line for my bosses job if anything changed. Since then we hired a really hard charging guy who is gunning for promotion. This week it was announced that there was a shake up and it seems that my boss may move up. At the same time another job at the firm in my old line of work just opened up. My best case scenario is that I move into my bosses job, my second best is that I move into this other team, and third would be to stay in my current role. I’m worried that if I do express interest in the other role, they will give me that and move hard charging guy into my bosses role, but I also worry that if I don’t raise my hand for that role I may get nothing. What would you do?

      • Elle

        My boss was the one who told me I was in the succession plan to replace him.

        • anon

          Talk to your boss first. Find out what is going to happen. Be ready to remind him of his prior statement to you. And sell yourself for what you really want.

          If he hedges at all, start reaching out about the other job. Hedge your bets.

        • Cat

          then I would start there! Assuming you have a good relationship – “hey, a little while back we talked about your existing role as a promotion opportunity for me. With your plans to move to X role, I wanted to revisit that since I remain 100% interested!”

  9. Anon

    Any advice on finding the right line as a manager between being appropriately supportive of an employee with mental health struggles and needing dragged into being an amateur therapist? I have a direct report (herself a manager) who has told me that she is experiencing severe anxiety. This came up as a result of a performance concern being raised. I want to be supportive, but as a manager – we’re not friends and don’t have a personal relationship. She’s made a formal request that we discuss her mental well-being in every 1:1, and it literally consumes half the meeting. This feels unreasonable to me, but I don’t know where the right balance is.

    I simultaneously have a direct report who has cancer and when I check in with her, the conversation is always focused on how we can support her from a work perspective – but the discussions with my report with anxiety always seem to become a 20-minute recitation of her struggles. This doesn’t feel like the right role for a manager to me but when I try to draw a boundary and focus on how this impacts work, she complains that I’m unsupportive.

      • Anon

        We do, but they haven’t had practical advice, unfortunately.

        I’ve tried to just support this the way that I would any other medical issue, but it feels like I’m being asked to provide the support a friend would, rather than a manager.

        • anon

          Have you asked her yet if she has let her doctor know about her anxiety and looked into any of the in network therapist options in your health plan? Just be very matter of fact about it, and say she should take advantage of all of her available resources. Reassure her that her problems are quite common, and you want to be sure she gets the best strategies for succeeding.

          Unfortunately, if you keep doing what you are doing…..

          • Anon

            She already has a therapist and I’ve also referred her to our EAP and our confidential employee support group program. It honestly feels like whatever treatment she’s getting isn’t working given how much she seems to need to talk about this, but obviously I’m not an expert…

          • anon

            I would not ask anything about her medical plan or steps and rinse repeat about whatever resources are available to her, EAP, HR, etc. Then take back your meeting.

        • BBanon

          What is this “formal request that we discuss her mental well-being” and why is it being honored? That sounds like a job for a doctor or therapist, not a manager. Has this been approved by HR?

          I think you have to push back on her saying you’re unsupportive and explain to her directly that her health is hers to manage and not something you personally can address in the workplace. Explain specifically that you need to go back to focusing on whatever (deliverables, methods, productivity strategies, reviewing and assigning work, etc.) and it doesn’t make sense for her to vent to you or tell you about her health. You can support her if she has questions or proposals about her work. Explain that discussing her mental health is out of your purview, medical conditions are managed outside of the workplace through an employee assistance program (if you have one) and HR if she needs to request accommodations or take leave. It can’t be an accommodation that you act as an untrained therapist … and you actually should not be privy to her health problems (unless complying with official accommodations) as you are supposed to consider the quality of the work without any biases due to what may be going on in anyone’s personal life. Push her towards professional resources for anxiety that aren’t you, explain that you don’t have professional medical training and it would be irresponsible for you to try to manage her condition.

    • Anonymous

      If your HR won’t help go to legal. “No Sheila it is not appropriate for us to discuss your mental health. If you need an accommodation here is the process to request one.”

    • Anon

      Do you have an EAP you could call? Sometimes they’re helpful in navigating these conversations with your employees (and you can also refer your employee to the EAP).

      Also linking Ask A Manager for a similar question: https://www.askamanager.org/2021/05/my-employee-is-overwhelmingly-emotionally-needy.html and two: https://www.askamanager.org/2021/10/my-employee-vents-to-me-about-her-job-and-personal-life-and-wants-constant-reassurance.html

      However, I need to say that as a manager, I would push back that you’re not supportive to your employee. You support her work and her ability to be at work, and you care about her as a person, but you’re not in a position to solve her anxiety. She may continue to think that you’re unsupportive – but you (and I!) know that your’e not.

    • Anonymous

      Is there a way to maybe make the mental health check-ins a separate meeting from the regular 1:1, and YOU set the agenda and determine frequency? Lean on HR to see what that agenda should and shouldn’t be or if perhaps these meetings should be between the three of you or the two of them (followed by HR with you)? It doesn’t seem fair that the employee monopolizes the focus of project check-ins, and blurring the line between projects and mental/emotional fitness seems like it ups the chance of a health concern being used as an excuse not to perform. The mental/emotional check-in seems like it should be focused on whether accommodations are needed and the type–which is why I think HR needs to get involved ASAP. I had a coworker with severe anxiety that I worked with closely (think teapot development and teapot marketing). She had a frank discussion with me about work practice and communication preferences, such as giving opportunities for her to think and come back (so less pressure in the moment at meetings), preferred meeting style (she preferred frequent check-ins vs. topic-focused), and communication practices like preferring email over slack or phone calls and needing downtime at offsite meetings. Other than a time when she let me know she had switched medications and would be minimizing talking (she was slurring a bit), that was the limit of impact on day-to-day accommodation and topics discussed. I’m assuming the same conversations took place with our shared boss. Your employee’s needs and accommodations may look quite different. But that’s a discussion for her to sort through with HR.

      HR and you need to set the tone here not only for her but you. What she is doing isn’t professional and increases the risk of you being pulled into a lawsuit at some point if she stops working or slacks off and needs to be/gets canned.

    • Anon

      I have anxiety and have used FMLA leave for it, and I’m much less ambitious than most here, don’t earn much money or manage anyone, and normally am very team “stick it to the man(ager).” With that context, your employee is being incredibly unreasonable. You are not her doctor and should not be discussing her mental well-being except as it impacts her ability to do the job, let alone devoting half of a weekly one on one meeting to it. Even if you wanted to (and I completely understand why you don’t) it seems like it could be opening your company up to legal liability. You need to get HR/legal involved.

Back to Top

About

Work with Corporette®

Serious Stuff

work fashion blog press mentions