Tuesday’s Workwear Report: Nikko Heirloom Cardigan
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
It’s hard for me to think about sweaters when the thermometer is above 80 degrees, but I’ve seen SO many cute options for the fall. This cardigan from Cinq à Sept is a little fancier than the back-of-the-chair cardigan that I keep in my office for temperature-related emergencies, but I love it. The embellished design feels fun, but not too over-the-top.
Pair with your favorite trousers for a lovely business casual look.
The sweater is $395 at Bloomingdale’s and comes in sizes XXS-XL.
Sales of note for 7/29:
- Nordstrom – The Anniversary Sale continues! Here's our big roundup of the best workwear, as well as everything we've selected thus far. Don't forget to check to see if their daily beauty deal is a good one for you –- e.g., 7/29 up to 40% off select lip products; 7/31 Bobbi Brown; 8/1 Jo Malone
- Ann Taylor – 50% off summer styles + 60% off clearance — readers love this blouse and I always love the variety of colors/textures for this jacket (it's a great separate)
- Banana Republic – 30% off your purchase (ends 7/31)
- The Fold – Up to 50% off, further markdowns + extra 10% off
- J.Crew – Up to 30% off
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off sitewide
- Me & Em – Sale! Up to 60% off (new lines just added, exclusively online)
- M.M.LaFleur – End of season sale! (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Nordstrom Rack – Clearance, new markdowns up to 75% off! Nice selection of Vince, Veronica Beard, Reiss and Rag & Bone, a ton of affordable work dresses from Calvin Klein, Maggy London, Eliza J, and Donna Morgan
- Talbots – 25% off your entire purchase
- Theory – End of season sale is on!
For a small bathroom, if you are putting up wallpaper, do you also add framed pictures? I guess I’m interested in if there is a rule of a hard no or an it depends. I can tell when I’ve done a bad job but FAFO can be an expensive way to learn what not to do and I’d rather not put holes in wallpaper because it’s expensive to remove and expensive to replace. I miss renting. Then I’d never bother even though I hate the rental all-vanilla scheme.
Depends. What’s the wallpaper? The fussier the paper, the higher the degree of difficulty with art.
Up to you! And the wallpaper. Also, you can just put up the wallpaper now and add pictures later if you want. I’m not an interior designer, but I would think if your wallpaper is plainer, then you can have a more detailed picture and if your wallpaper is crazy (in a good way), you would want a simpler picture.
Back when it was common to hang pictures over wallpaper, it was also customary to use picture rails, so there were no holes in the wallpaper.
This is the answer! We had (original) picture rails in our old house and it was so nice not to have to punch a nail in the wall every time I wanted to change things up. I could never quite figure out how to camouflage the hanging wires, but I convinced myself that in an old house it was part of the charm.
No, but that’s because I don’t want bathroom bacteria on my photos.
I feel if it’s photos, it’s easy to make a copy for the bathroom so it’s essentially disposable.
You could poster putty a print on the wall for test purposes. Pick something with similar busy-ness to the picture you have in mind, even if it is a completely bonkers print otherwise.
We have busy wallpaper from the previous owners and I’m gravitating towards very large matting – it creates some visual space. Pigeons and big ben in the hall, and black and white woodcuts of English folktales in the bedroom, some truly bold choices.
I like the very large mat on busy wallpaper vibe.
I’m fashion challenged. Commenters here introduced me to JoLynne Shane’s blog. Today she has a post about where denim trends are shifting, which I found useful.
https://jolynneshane.com/fall-2026-denim-trends.html
Yes! I started reading her recently, I think based on a rec here. It’s helpful to see influencers with bodies closer to mine, and her detail around proportions and fit have been insightful.
Like nesting fail anon at 9:04 below, I am excited for lower rise jeans coming back! I have kept some pairs from before 2010 and the lower rise (including one pair that’s actually low rise) look so much better on my body type and are more comfortable to me.
They look better on me, too. My favorite rise is when it’s slightly higher in back and dips just a tad in front. So comfortable without exposing anything.
I am also challenged, and her blog has been super helpful to decode various trends and fits and why they work (or don’t).
Also, I have to say that I like that all of the jeans in this post look, dare I say, normal? Like full-length denim in darker washes? Thank you Lord.
Finally, some trends that align with my preferences!
What would happen if the production and styling of something like Lands End was swapped with another or Ayr or VB or something else we can’t get enough of? I feel like some fashion challenges come from things not existing in my life as they are in an ad and some things in the ad never being styled to their potential. Like I can buy scarves but on me they struggle to be chic things (but I think they are chic things actually).
I am so happy that mid-rises are going to be easier to find again. I like high rises … when I’m standing. I have literally gotten stomachaches from sitting too long in high rise pants, and yes, they are the correct size!
Whoops, nesting fail. That’s supposed to be under the denim post.
If Lands End styled its catalogue like VB or AYR it would be even more disappointing than it already is. At least now they are relatively honest about the dumpy cut of the clothes. If they clothespinned everything to look like it fit they would have even more returns.
I think the fabrics and cuts of Lands End are hard to elevate with styling. But you can always check social media for how people are styling things.
Wasn’t there an effort about 10-15 years ago to make LE more stylish? They brought in Gloria Steinem to model some things that were made to look more fashionable and there was a big boycott by the conservative school uniform crowd and LE quickly buckled to the pressure and got rid of the whole idea. I actually stopped buying anything from them at that point but it’s been done and was not successful. Although this year I think they’ve tried to make some new inroads with their swim stuff and I think it’s been a better reception so far.
I have absolutely zero motivation to workout. I have not done cardio in a year. I have gained 10+ lbs. I have solved it by buying new clothes. I don’t love my shape at the moment but it’s not motivating me to move or eat differently/less. I’m not interested in a GLP – I’m at a healthy BMI, I don’t think this is a food noise issue, simply a lifestyle change as I work much longer hours lately and never get out. My schedule is unpredictable- sometimes I am at work before 6a and sometimes working until 2a. I use this as an excuse not to do anything. I’m approaching 40 and I hear this gets harder with age. But that also isn’t motivating. Anyone successfully get out of a slump like this, without meds?
Fix the work issue first
This. You can’t work out when you are working 24/7. Also, the lack of sleep causes weight gain.
Unfortunately, and I’m speaking to myself here, it’s usually not a matter of motivation. It’s making time in your schedule to do it anyway. Which is way easier said than done when you’re working long hours, but lifestyle is a killer. Would it help to reframe exercise as something you’re doing for yourself to support the rest of your life? I don’t think you need to go crazy with this. Even 30 minutes of brisk walking is really good for cardiovascular health and stress relief.
I am working on exactly this. My HIIT gym closed a few years ago and I just never found anything decent to replace it. I recently found a potential alternative gym and started going to the 6:00 am class before work a couple times per week. I *must* be in a regular routine of going to a workout class if I’m going to make progress, apparently. The hardest part is getting back into the routine, and now that I have for about 8 weeks, it’s already easier. When it’s just me on my own, I flail, make any excuse, procrastinate, and don’t try hard. But I will go to a class no matter what, if I schedule it. I refuse to get charged for not working out. And then the positive feedback motivates me to keep going. I hate that it’s more expensive and creates scheduling challenges, but it’s much better for me than being stuck in the rut of beating myself up for not working out well on my own. I’m also almost 40 and have been trying to motivate myself by thinking about the long term – what do I want my late 50s, 60s, and 70s to look like?
what is your job?
It sucks, but you just gotta do it
I think it’s not just an excuse. An unpredictable schedule with very long hours is really hard on your body. I think a workout would add stress.
Can you get motivated about step counts? Walking is gentle and can improve sleep.
This doesn’t work for me, but can you sign up for something with fixed date, so you have to train? Like a race, a dance academy with an end of year recital, a martial arts class where you need to test into a new belt in six months?
Or, make easy, but annoying changes in your routine, like only taking the stairs in your office, parking far away so you have to walk, getting out of the subway a stop earlier…
Try taking a walk in the morning or at lunch. It’s enjoyable and will make you feel better.
I’m going to ask questions around the rest of your non-work life — how is it going? Are you able to keep up with house stuff, clutter, laundry, decent eating, medical appointments, seeing friends, life admin — and it’s only the workouts that are taking a hit? Or are the workouts one area among many? If it’s the second one, and your unpredictable work schedule is doing a number on your non-work life in general, this could be a know-yourself situation: do you do better going hard with solving for change in one area of your life (working out), or do you do better with making small, gradual changes in simple areas, and then spread those changes out to the next step?
Anyone use a silent keyboard? If yes, which one?
Any recommendations for a platform-style sofa bed? I don’t like the one we have from Room and Board so we want to go a different direction this time. It’s for an office that will very occasionally host overnight guests.