Wednesday’s Workwear Report: Knit Tweed Pull-On Pencil Skirt
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
We love to see a tweed for fall, and even more so when it’s not in a typically “autumnal” color.
This knit skirt from Misook is a beautiful mix of purples, blues, and black. Not quite what I would expect for a fall look, but gorgeous nonetheless. If you want to lean into the purple color, Misook seems to have a lot of it in this fall’s line, but I would probably stick with a basic black turtleneck with this one.
The skirt is $198 at Nordstrom and comes in sizes XS-XXL.
Target has a lower-priced skirt that's available in sizes S-3X for $36.99 on sale — and in many plaid options. (It has mixed reviews, though there's free returns.)
Sales of note for 10/9
- Ann Taylor – 40% off must-have styles, and 30% off your full price purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything + extra 25% off
- Boden – 10% off new womenswear styles with code
- The Fold – Up to 25% off with their Workwear Mix and Match offer
- J.Crew – 40% off sitewide
- J.Crew Factory – 40-70% off everything + extra 60% off clearance
- M.M.LaFleur – Fall style event! 25% off $500+, 30% off $750+ — try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
- Nordstrom – 1000+ new markdowns!
- Nordstrom Rack – UGG up to 40% off
- Soma -$25 off when you spend $110+, also get a free bra when you buy two
- Talbots – 30% off entire purchase, and free shipping on $150+
If you have dry or colored hair what is your favorite way to pamper it?
I started using Olaplex and it really does make a difference.
K18 treatments weekly
Olaplex products (shampoo, conditioner, bond smoother/oil mixed together in wet hair). I’ll also do an epres treatment once a month or so (should do it twice a month but I inevitably forget).
My hair is getting dryer as I age, and it took some trial and error to understand that dryness is not the same as damage. Olaplex and K18 did nothing for me, and protein conditioners and treatments made my hair noticeably worse – stiff and dry instead of soft and shiny. So now I’m all about adding moisture. I use Davines Momo shampoo and conditioner, and for styling I use Oribe Supershine cream. These are all spendy products, but I don’t use a ton, and they really work for me.
Curious. My gray hair is coarse and dry. It is maybe 5% of my hair and in streaks along the part / left hairline but 100% of my problems and maintenance and styling difficulties. The other 95% is fine and straight, so working at odds with each other.
Me too. I haven’t found good solutions.
I start with my shampoo since it seems better for my hair to cleanse it gently and condition lightly than to cleanse it harshly and try to compensate with rich conditioner. I can usually find something I like from the Everpure line.
Use a cowash, not shampoo. I love curlsmith (you do not need curly hair to use). Nexxus humectress caviar conditioner.
Nexxus Humectress conditioner from Costco or Amazon, every wash. Don’t rinse it all the way. Keep it off your neck/behind your ears though–it’s gloppy.
Color preserving shampoo and conditioner, very effective heat protectant (I blow dry every second or third day), and Oribe deep conditioner every couple of weeks.
Out of curiosity does anyone use the financial planners everyone talks about on Bogleheads? Have an intro call with Ferri today.
I have not, I just listen to his podcast and follow a lot of his advice. I suspect I’m a much lower earner than he deals with, since my career was in government, but I’m in a very comfortable retirement situation due to him (and a few others).
Try ChatGPT, particularly in “reasoning” mode – it’s better than the average financial planner. Obviously validate whatever it recommends or use it as a starting point for a conversation with a professional.
I would love to hear how the intro call went!
Yes. After reading and asking questions on Bogelheads, I finally reached out to a few Financial Advisors they recommended. I had my Portfolio Review with Rick Ferri last year. Super useful. I finally have all of my accounts organized, my investment plan is clear and simple, and I implemented it myself.
I prepared a lot of questions for my specific situation (how to decrease tax losses, inheritance and retirement planning), and appreciated that he touched on some things like estate planning/insurance. And it is really great that I can finally trust someone who isn’t trying to sell me stuff, and who is truly a fiduciary. Most are not.
I also listen to the Bogleheads podcast which is done by Rick, and is very good.
Good luck with the call. Hope you get to work with him soon.
how much did you prepare beforehand for the intro call? not sure how many numbers i should have ready.
Looking for dinner recommendations in Orlando. I’ll be there with parts of my team (7-8 people) in early November and we want to do a team dinner. Nothing crazy expensive but something nice. We’re staying at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes and when I’m looking at restaurants on yelp lots mention “magical dining” which makes me think Disney.
The on site restaurant at the Ritz (highball and harvest) is very good. If you chose to go to a Disney property, the ones at the Swan and Dolphin are best but get very busy. My personal preferences are for Rosa Mexicano or BlueZoo.
Seconding this – Swan and Dolphin have restaurants that feel the most like restaurants, rather than full Disney Magic. If the team is going to need to buy Disney souvenirs for their family, I would go to Disney Springs – boathouse is great for low key. Or, alternatively, skip going out for dinner and just buy everyone late entry passes to the park and enjoy the kid free magic of Disney.
Magical Dining is a city-wide dining event that just ended in September where restaurants offer prix fixe meals and proceeds go to charity. https://www.magicaldining.com/
Nervous about wearing a knit tube skirt as a middle-aged woman with a pooch. I feel like it will highlight the junk in the frunk.
It’s what shapewear is for, whether for you that means tummy control panties or a full on boned shaper.
Does it really shape you though? I get how you can lift and push up boobs. But a tummy has to go somewhere (and that somewhere will be close to where it is)? I can see how it can smooth you out a bit and avoid lumps and bumps, but only to a point, I’d think. Yes? No?
Shapewear is not a new concept…
I think I’ve never believed it worked (or if it did, you couldn’t easily go to the bathroom in it or it would be massively uncomfortable). That it’s so expensive, made it a non-starter. I ordered something from Yummy Tummy once and I can’t tell that it shaped anything but the legs were perpetually rolling up and that was visible through my skirts. No thanks.
It can. I don’t bother with overpriced Spanx type stuff though. The ones I have right now are Rago and one with boning whose “brand” appears to be Nebility for actual shaping.
But you’re right that even “control top” hose or panties can smooth things out so there isn’t a separate visible pooch (avoid lumps and bumps).
Frankly this is a style I don’t wear any longer because I refuse to deal with shapewear.
I think shapewear improves my posture and my venous return, so I don’t try to avoid it.
Reminds me of when I wore L’Eggs Sheer Energy hose because light support hose was harder to get runs in and added a hint of warmth when the A/C was on blast in the summer. There were upsides (and it made me like half a size smaller and sleek).
I refuse to google venous return.
Veins return your blood to your heart for an oxygen refill.
It helps your circulation.
My shapewear is just my high waisted tights, which I already wear in winter to skip shaving my legs.
So, the first time I wore such a skirt, I was startled how many MEN (not women) who came up to me and told me how nice I looked that day. Including my boss.
It took me a little while to figure out that showing every curve of my rear, thigh and waist was a little much. I never wore that skirt to work again.
I really don’t want my boss looking and commenting about a$$.
What is the silliest way you’ve injured yourself as an adult? Husband is 31, fit and active. This morning he killed a bug with a fly swatter by bending over and swatting repeatedly and after that his back spasmed really bad. I feel so bad because I called him over to kill the bug. Should have just let it live….. Hah
Not my story but my BFF was having a trash movie night and there was a jump scare, she fell off the sofa and broke her hand when she tried to use it cushion the fall.
walking barefoot…i somehow did something to my foot, the whole thing got swollen and i ended up on crutches and in PT. while at PT i ran into a friend’s husband. we were both about to turn 40 and were like, i guess this is where you run into people you know as you age
My dog (who was a ~65lb juvenile at the time) ran straight at me while I was bent over to pick up a tennis ball. She didn’t know to swerve yet and plowed into me full force. I went down hard on one hand and broke a bone in my hand/wrist. Telling my colleagues I was in a cast/wrist brace because our puppy knocked me over was not my proudest moment.
My dog broke my nose, but it was 100% my fault. I was getting him hyped up for his walk – totally unnecessary and purely for my own enjoyment, he was always excited for walks! – and when I bent down to put on his leash, he stood up and hit me square in the nose with the top of head. I saw stars and had to sit down for a bit, much to pup’s confusion.
My worst was throwing my back out while coughing. The cough wasn’t even that intense!
Many, many years ago, my husband snapped a tendon in his finger taking his sock off. He was standing up, reached back to hook a finger in the sock, and lost his balance. The nurses at the ER were very amused.
I’m positive I injured my thumb from putting on tight pants back in the day. It persisted for about a year.
Riding a bike with son, took right hand off the handlebars to waive to a neighbor, other hand pressed what turned out to be the front wheel brake, and I slow-motion flipped over handle bar. I had a heck of a bruise on my thigh from the handlebar impact, but mostly my ego was damaged, ha!
Oh no. If I was your neighbor I would feel implicated in this. Haha
Oh I did this move at Christmas. There was a car behind me, and I took off my hand to signal and somehow ended up over the handle bars. Luckily they were quite far back and going slowly but….
I destroyed my plantar running through the airport (concrete floors) in my socks for a plane. The stupid thing was, if I had taken the 60 seconds to put my shoes back on after security, I’d have been faster!
I stepped on my dog while I was carrying large Christmas decorations (he and I weigh the same; he was not broken) and panicked and fell onto my knee cap. Got some xrays. Insurance tried to make it a workers comp issue, like “was this work related” when my complaint was “stepped on dog”.
My baby daughter moved an arm and gave me a corneal blister. I saw stars.
I jumped excitedly when my son hit a walkoff in the mom’s coach little league game – and pulled a muscle in my back.
Age 32. Hadn’t done laundry in way too long. Threw out my back by picking up a too-heavy laundry basket. Not my finest moment!
There’s an absolutely hilarious fitness/mobility guy on Instagram who does reels highlighting how messed up it is that we’ve normalized “sneezing in your 30s is the fast track to injury.” I always feel attacked but in a funny away.
Yes, I was putting on shoes, bent over, sneezed, and caused whiplash.
PSA of you harm yourself in a dumb way please just tell your friends. If you refuse they will think it’s DV.
Depends on your friend group I guess.
See my story above about a large, enthusiastic juvenile puppy. I had bruises all up and down my thighs/legs from her running and sliding into me on our wood floors before she got better at stopping. At my yearly physical that year both my GP and OBGyn very kindly asked if everything was ok at home. They were relieved and amused when I told them it was actually my Bernese who hadn’t yet realized how to stop on wood floors without sliding into us/furniture/walls.
They make traction booties for dogs on ice and my dog could use them on my HW floors. He gets enraged by his enemies and skids around the house tracking them from window to window. Every day.
They make toe grips for dogs so they don’t slip on hard floors!
When I was heavily into martial arts I was always showing up with a various bruises, and I always had finger marks around my wrists from grappling. My friends knew what was up, but they were pretty suspicious when I occasionally showed up at the ER with a broken nose or finger.
This happened to me, too, when I did Taekwondo in a club. Bruises, grip marks, etc.
Once, while sparring with another women (same weight/height), I let down my guard and was kicked in the face. Had a black eye for 2 weeks.
My husband/then boyfriend was so uncomfortable to go with me anywhere during that time, because people would just gloom at him angrily at the bakery, in the post office…
But the good thing was that my boss asked me outright in our 1:1 whether I needed help.
I got gently pulled aside by the EU equivalent of TSA once, and asked if I was traveling freely, did I need help? Didn’t realize until I stopped by a bathroom that my cheap pendant necklace had entirely surrendered to the heat wave and dyed my neck an impressive “healing strangulation bruises” shade of green
I’m sorry that happened to you, but thanks for the laugh. That’s hilarious!
I bent over to kiss my toddler and whoops, 3 ruptured disks. Obviously this had been in the offing and that bend was the final straw.
Injured my shoulder getting in the car and lifting my purse across the console and into the passenger seat.
Rotator cuff issues from carrying a big purse. That’s why I only admire giant shoulder bags from afar now, and stick with my small crossbody.
Yes, I’m team cross-body only because I refuse to deal with the pain that comes from big purses on my shoulder.
Once we were packing for a trip and I leaned on my hard-sided suitcase to close it. Somehow the corner of the suitcase dug into my side just right and I swear it cracked a rib. It hurt so bad and I spent the whole trip moving around all hunched up like an old lady!
This will out me to those who know, but in law school, during spring finals, with a very full backpack, ran across Commonwealth Avenue in a brick crosswalk. Turns out bricks were missing. I broke my L ankle and landed on my right kneecap, fracturing that too. Didn’t help that I had on a very full backpack that slammed me forward. I literally crawled out of the crosswalk (oncoming traffic had started barreling toward me), and promptly went into shock from the pain. A very kind friend saw me and called an ambulance. I had to do PT all summer before my summer internship, and to this day, cannot bend onto my broken kneecap on hard floors. Proud to say I took my M&A final the next day and aced it! Living in a 4th floor walkup was awful. I also had to show up to my summer internship in another city a few days later and act like I was fine. I was not fine.
I bent down to pick up a kid’s empty backpack and threw my back out for a month. I was 36 at the time.
I broke my leg in 11 places doing a backflip in a bouncy castle at a 4 year old’s birthday party.
ahhhh that’s painful just to read
Ripped my thumb tendon playing tug of war with the dog. Couldn’t use my dominant hand for 2 months.
There my back out making my bed, a week after I turned 45.
My husband vacuumed the floor and hit his head on the corner of a wall-mounted shelf. Had to get stitches at the Urgent Care on a Saturday night.
He jokes that he shouldn’t be doing chores now because it’s too dangerous and expensive (after the $500 bill came in).
I’m not a huge wine drinker (or drinker generally), but has anyone has wine from Kyle MacLaughlin’s winery? The website is delightful (discovered because I read the comments on gofugyourself dot com; I am not a bot or a shill). Needed something to smile about this morning and I found it there :)
Whoever made the aspirational photo montage clearly had a blast
That website was delightful! I miss the days of stumbleupon – feels like the internet has gotten so much smaller (and correspondingly less whimsical) these days.
Okay, I just googled this, and the bear is everything
I haven’t tried the wine but I follow him on IG and he’s delightful. I’ve loved him since the OG Twin Peaks days. Agent Cooper was my first ever crush.
Are apps advertising in the comments?? Caught up on recent comments yesterday and found myself subscribing to Dressika and Waterminder (mostly kidding but I do wonder).
My guess was that Dressika was a genuine comment since color theory is a recurring topic here.
I don’t recall whether there’s ever been an “ads welcome” thread before for any entrepreneurs who already comment here.
I desperately want to try Dressika (because I want all of the answers) but I’m generally anti-app, so I’m struggling.
Just here to say how desperately I want to give Argentina’s leader Javier Milei a shave and a haircut. That is all.
He looks like he is cosplaying Michael Landon.
Is anyone else getting an “Invalid SSL certificate Error code 526” error when they go to http://www.corporette.com? I tried the “Contact Corporette” link below but that resulted in a new error: “This site can’t be reached corporette-wt5s.wp1.site’s server IP address could not be found.” Is it my user error? I can only get to the blog by going through a search engine and searching for corporette blog and clicking a result link.
Are you forgetting the “s” in https?
You can type corporette.com directly into your address bar. It looks like the www may be the problem.
Is anyone using mouth things made by a dentist for snoring? Husband has an 18″ neck and is a snorer and scores high on every screening test for obstructive sleep apnea, but refuses to even discuss a CPAP. Apparently the dental things are something that might work (not maybe as good as CPAP, but something better than nothing). How do I go about finding a dentist that does this? Sleep doctor appointment is about 9 months from now
I do use one, and it works well. However, all of the dentists I am aware of require a prescription to make the appliance. If you google mandibular advancement device you can find some prescription level (FDA approved) appliances that often have a link to an online telehealth doctor who can do the screening for you. I’ve done this when my insurance has required yet another sleep study and all the things to replace a worn-out device. The online ones are mold-at-home type devices that don’t last as long as a good dentist provided one, but they do work.
No advice on that, but there is an approved implantable device for sleep apnea called Inspire if you need another option.
Shouldn’t he be the one finding a dentist that does this?
Our regular dentist is happy to offer anything and everything we are willing to throw money at. Unfortunately, the dental mouth thing did not work for my spouse. A more supportive pillow has helped significantly, though.
He’s sleeping. She’s the one up all night and desperate for a solution and a good night’s sleep.
To each their own, I suppose. I’m more inclined to tell my spouse about an issue, and both request that they deal with it as well as expect they will follow through. My children get treated like children, but my spouse does not.
Ha! “Should be” is a phrase that I’ve thrown out the window as emotionally useless to me. I live in a “be the change you want to see in the world” world.
I’m a little horrified by the nine month wait!
I recently bought the Corduroy Midi Skirt from BR, but am not sure how to style it. (Link in the comments to it). I’m on the cusp of autumn here and excited to wear it, but unsure about mixing corduroy with knits. I got the golden oak (brown) color.
Here’s the skirt: https://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=8176970120004
I’m no help, because I think I have PTSD from trying to make front slits like that work.
^^This. Slits like that DO NOT WORK if you work in an office and need to sit in front of others (like conference rooms).
Also, I am boycotting BR because they stopped carrying Talls above Size 12. That is very thin for a very tall person.
Assuming you can deal with the front slit, I wouldn’t hesitate to pair it with a nice chunky sweater.
Boden has a few cute cord skirts this season too. They have a lot of corduroy everything, and I love them for it!
the slit is in the front and back!! that’s rough. i’d just take it back, you can’t wear that to work.
Oh no, I did not catch that. It just looks silly, then. Can you imagine a gust of wind? It would be like flaps at the car wash!
Chunky sweater (cowl neck would be extra cozy) and tall boots. Tucked-in long sleeved t-shirt and Mary Jane flats. Cable knit sweater and sneakers, or tank top and flannel worn open over it, plus boots or sneakers.
I see everyone’s horror about the front slit, but I think the skirt is really cute and gives 70s fall.
When I sat for the bar years ago, I remember there were mental health screening questions that seemed pretty invasive, so I am guessing a lot of people put off needed counseling so they wouldn’t have to answer. IDK if that is the case now, but was reminded of it today (sadly, but a high-conflict divorce situation where counseling would be beneficial but it’s not happening since that could be discovered by the ex).
I’m not sure in the bar exam example how this is remotely relevant to whether someone is minimally competent to practice law (and tons of active alcoholics and drug addicts work jobs of all sorts every day, including legal ones). It’s not likely to help people get the help they need though.
I had a baby during law school, and I was very careful with my answers on the PPD screenings because I didn’t want to have to disclose anything on the character and fitness form.
Some jurisdictions have since backed off on those questions. I recently visited a law school in another state, and there were flyers in the bathroom stalls saying “did you know that if you go to the student counseling center you don’t have to disclose it on your bar application?”
I put off mental health care waaaaay to long for this reason.
Anyone considering lying on a Bar application or similar should keep in mind that HIPAA prohibits the healthcare provider from even disclosing that you were a patient there, much less that you were treated for a mental health issue. Not thath I am advocating lying, but ya’ know, if you wanted to, it is an option with a pretty low chance of being caught.
Replying to own comment-this probably should not be an option in the custody situation. A subpoena is usually an exception.
A lot of states have backed off this. However, I will say–I have helped two friends who engaged plaintiff-side attorneys for employment, and then the attorneys went completely MIA except to string these friends along. One magically surfaced when the friend threatened to file a bar complaint for lack of response. The other we still barely could get ahold of them. It was not good. Those mental health questions are not dispositive of how someone would practice, but they can serve a protective function to the general public. I thought they were very invasive, and fortunately, the states I’m licensed in no longer ask those questions.
Does anyone know how wide or narrow these brands run in the toe box: Sarah Flint, Aquitalia, MGemi? I need something wider in that area than Ferragamo or SW. And a well-constructed shoe. My older feet are getting killed in shoes that worked for my feet pre-pandemic. I think they’ve spread a bit and aged a bit and will spend for comfort now. Just striking out at various places. I also don’t need a wide width, oddly enough.
Paul Green is the answer.
M. Gemi runs narrow, especially around the ball of the toe. I wear a B/medium width pretty much across the board and couldn’t stretch my M. Gemi’s enough to make them comfortable. Sad, because they were lovely shoes.
+1 – MGemi’s run narrow in the toe box.
Sarah Flint is also narrow. I would look at Attilio Giusto Lembruni (AGL). Also look at Naturalizer, Maryland Square shoes, and Van Eli. My best friend has wide feet and this is where she shops. Some of the brands above carry shoes that are frump city–you have to be selective.
If you have a Nordstrom near you, highly suggest you go there–they will have wides in store that are nicer.
how do i not lose my air pods or air pods case? with my first set i lost an air pod, now i can’t find the case. if i buy another set i do not want to lose them. i used the find my feature but it isnt working. where do you keep your case so taht doesnt happen
Same pocket in my bag, always. That said my ADHD partner is on his 4th pair. Can not seem to put them back.
i am usually a very organized person and dont lose things. what inevitably happens is i get back from a walk and the kids come in, or im changing clothes or whatever and the case ends up somewhere… i dont bring my keys when i go on a walk, or when im cooking, which are other times i use them, so idk that attaching to my keys would help
You could get a separate key ring and attach them to a separate Tile/other tracker.
Alternatively – what do you wear them outside the house for? Could you make your routine “Case always lives here, plugged in” and not take the case with you for walks, workouts, etc (doesn’t work if you eg. want to use them for a lunchtime walk at work though)
I have solved this problem by buying more airpods. One lives by the front door for when I go on walks, one lives by my treadmill, one in my gym bag, one at my desk for work. Call this the ADHD tax. It’s the moving between activities that results in not having them when I need them.
I’m a big carabineer girl. I’ve got my wallet and keys and earbuds all one carabineer. Is it a bit bulky? Yes. Is it worth it to not lose things? Yes.
If I’m at home, my case is on my nightstand or in my pocket. If I’m using my AirPods outside of my house, the case is in my pocket. If I’m not using them and I’m out of the house, it is in my purse.
I am not allowed to deviate from these practices anymore after some close calls.
+1. I also do not travel with airpods. I am also seeing WAY more corded headphones/over the ear models in the office.
Mine live by default in a specific pocket in my bag. When in use, the case is either in my pocket or on the end table next to the sofa. Or on the charger. I never set the airpods down outside of the case, and I always put the case back in one of its logical homes.
This is my habit generally, though. My car keys have A Spot, same as my eyeglasses, my shoes, my phone, etc. If this isn’t how you operate, this method is not likely to work for you unless you train yourself to make it a habit.
I have a brightly colored rubbery outer case with a small carabineer. On its own the slippery white case disappears too easily.
Pro tip: you can buy a single refurbished air pod. I have a silicone case for the case that has a mini carabiner on it, which I keep attached to a strap inside my purse.
Buy a cheap, ugly knock-off set. You’ll never lose them ;)
Right? I desperately want a new takeaway coffee mug but I am apparently stuck with my current one for life. I’d give a nice one a week before I leave it in a classroom or on the train. I feel like the university I work for should clean the bottles and mugs left places and sell them off for charity.
Lol there is something to this.