Splurge Monday’s Workwear Report: Short-Sleeve Belted Cotton A-Line Midi Dress
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.
Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
A few years ago, it was a struggle to find work-appropriate A-line looks, but I’m delighted to report this is no longer an issue. This short-sleeve dress from Carolina Herrera is one of the best I’ve seen this season. The built-in belt gives it a gorgeous shape, and the dark green color is going to be beautiful in any season.
I rarely wear heels, but I think this look calls for a truly fabulous shoe, like these tortoiseshell patent leather pumps from Stuart Weitzman. Add some gold jewelry and you’ve got a simple, chic look for any occasion.
The dress is $2,490 at Neiman Marcus and comes in sizes 0-20.
A few more affordable options are at Nordstrom, from Eliza J (0-16, $148), Halogen (XXS-XXL, $78.99 during the NAS), and Jessica London (plus sizes 16-28, $86).
Sales of note for 7/11:
- Nordstrom – Designer clearance, up to 60% off!
- Ann Taylor – Semi-annual sale, 60% off sale and 40% off everything — readers love this blouse and I always love the variety of colors/textures for this jacket (it's a great separate)
- Athleta – Extra 30% off semi-annual sale, up to 60% off reader favorites like Brookyn and Endless pants
- AYR – Ooh, good sale section — but lots on final sale. Readers love (LOVE) these comfy work pants and these jeans.
- Banana Republic – Summer sale up to 60% off sale styles + extra 20% off
- Brooks Brothers – Up to 40% off sitewide + 40% off 3+ items
- Cuyana – Archive sale, up to 60% off
- Evereve – Extra 30% off sale!
- The Fold – Up to 50% off, further markdowns
- Hobbs – Up to 50% off, extra 30% off sale
- J.Crew – 50% off select cashmere
- J.Crew Factory – 60% off clearance
- Lo & Sons – Summer sale, up to 50% off
- Lululemon – Summer sale!
- Margaux – Save up to 50% off, including archive sale
- Me & Em – Sale! Up to 50% off (new lines just added)
- M.M.LaFleur – 25% off jardigans (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Nordstrom Rack – Clear the rack, extra 25% off clearance! 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
- Strathberry – Up to 30% off select styles
- Talbots – 40% off your entire purchase + extra 15% off markdowns
Does anyone have a good stretching/mobility program to share? I’m good at getting my strength and cardio in but I never ever work on my mobility and flexibility and as I get older I notice it a lot in the form of tight shoulders and hamstrings, muscle cramps, etc.
What I’d love is a follow along video series or app that could take me through a series of stretching exercises every day for maybe 20 minutes that I don’t have to think about, just pop on the app or video and go. I would appreciate any ideas or recommendations!
Fitness Blender. I use a lot of their workout programs for strength/cardio and I believe they have some programs geared towards mobility, stretching, etc. They have a lot of free workout videos, but I also pay for their Plus option and it’s not that expensive. You can also buy a pass instead of a full year membership.
Yoga by Adrienne on youtube.
Also really like Yogini Melbourne, she’s a bit less chatty, more my vibe.
I’m a Peloton homer and like their stretching and mobility classes on the app (you don’t have to own their equipment). If you have a friend who has a full Peloton membership because they have a bike, tread, or row, they can give you either a 60-day free trial on the app or just add you as a user on their account and you can access the app for free, which I do for a friend.
Peloton has mobility, stretching, & morning/evening stretch classes.
Coach John Noel has some very basic ones as well as some more advanced ones (I only know the free tier social media content options).
Interview attire advice – am at the ‘meet the team’ phase of an interview process for a gig I really want. Law firm, generally more conservative attire.
Obviously, it’s scheduled for a day with high 90’s and I need something that works for ‘a couple blocks outside’ as well as conference room with ac. I’ve had a few meetings with this group – coincidentally all on very hot days – so my remaining options are:
White linen suit – wide legged pants, more casual blazer. Very comfortable but I’m afraid it’s too much white…
Suiting dress (black), tropical wool blazer for indoors only (camel)
I’d go with option 2. Can you uber the few blocks?
If it’s a meet the team thing and theyre walking to lunch OP would make a very bad impression ubering
Op here – it’s not only walking to the office (which I could 100% uber) but it would be a walk with potential coworkers/managers so I’m making sure I’m ready for a walk.
How about black suiting dress (I’m assuming it’s sleeveless or at least short sleeve?) with the white linen blazer? I would totally remove the jacket for the 2-block walk.
Op here, The proportions don’t work – the dress is tailored and the blazer is relaxed so somehow it looks like a lab coat….
That was my plan but when I tried it on it didn’t work…
How about the white linen pants with camel blazer? Maybe a black shell underneath? Again, you could remove blazer while walking with the team, I don’t think anyone would bat an eye.
Maybe not the exactly right answer: if you have a good shot at getting this job, and the level of dress is normally conservative anyway, why not get a new beige linen suit for the interview?
I’d get something new that feels right too. Completely agree with this suggestion.
Can’t you rewear something you already wore, with a change of accessories? No one cares if you rewear, and that’s assuming they even notice. I love camel and black together but it won’t look suitish.
White linen has too many pitfalls – potential for stains or unexpectedly see-through depending on the light.
I accidentally PC’d myself into missing something very obvious. My friend is super into wine culture, last month we went out to get drinks, she got a mocktail with me (in my brain I was like oh maybe she’s finally tackling her bad relationship with alcohol, maybe I’m a good influence, I won’t comment on it.) Nope just pregnant, hahaha.
Honestly, you never know :-D I did something similar in my mid-30s, tackled my relationship, and everyone thought I might be pregnant!
I’m in my mid-30s and wasn’t drinking for a few days because of some IBS issues – it could be anything really, and mocktails are becoming more popular!
Dumb problem of the day – I lost the belt to a robe. But it’s a Turkish towel fabric, very lightweight, so I don’t think a regular terry robe sash will fit. Wwyd? I am not crafty or handy at all. I’m sure there’s some $2 fix here that I’m just not seeing?
Cording trim by the yard from Michaels? Cordage from Home Depot by the foot? Woven rope belt? Karate white belt obtained from Facebook marketplace? All wild ideas, not sure any appeal to you!
maybe braided cord or a simple macrame belt? Something like this https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/808526199/braided-cotton-rope-cord-tie-up-belt-in?ls=a&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=macrame+belt&ref=sc_gallery-1-4&plkey=EuA4UTLajETTt2iZfANVbQmWHD98%3ALT877a7b3e00b93825c66bf8d10a70706b3d87e664
Wide grosgrain ribbon in a coordinating shade. If you’re not handy at all, cut they ends with pinking shears, but if you can hem the ends they’ll last longer. Or use Stop Fraying (it’s like a glue) to finish the ends.
I’d use it as an excuse to get a new robe. They get ratty pretty fast.
My husband has depression manifesting as extreme negativity and irritability towards us and extreme sadness about life circumstances within himself. He is not currently on medication but doesn’t have high hopes for improvement based on past experience. I’m pushing for it anyway and I think he will try it again. His irritability is ruining my day every day, in part because it reminds me of the toxic household I grew up in and that I swore I would never be part of again. I cannot and will not tolerate walking on eggshells, explosions over stupid things, and the like. It’s my bright line, and I’ve told him a million times over the years that a warm, happy household is my priority number one (and to readers, it’s ok if that’s not YOUR priority number one). I now grieve for what we used to have. My question is this – how do I enforce this boundary/need without increasing the shame of someone who is at risk of thinking we’ll be better off without him? I obviously can’t say “you’re ruining our marriage and household,” and I know that depression is very, very real and not something he can just flip a switch on. I already get out of the house and do my own thing as much as is practical, so I can no longer avoid addressing the source. How do I do this?
Oh, I meant to add that if I ever say anything specific, like “it’s not ok to snap at me for ___” he’ll say “I know” (genuinely) but that’s the end of the conversation. I have to drag anything else out of him and I’m too exhausted to keep doing that.
have you tried couples therapy? Seems like a third party might help you guys figure out how to talk about and work with this dynamic.
This would be harder if he’d tried everything, but right now this sounds under managed. If the meds really don’t work, he can and should still be in therapy at a minimum, surely?
I also always think it’s appropriate to get a more thorough medical work up if first line treatment for a psych diagnosis failed; there are just too many easily missed medical conditions that can cause depression symptoms that will resist treatment until the underlying condition is addressed. But it’s also reasonable to try another med that works differently.
This sounds like couples counseling or counseling for you. And I don’t say that flippantly. It sounds like you’re very clear on what you need but not clear on how (eg, you know your boundary, but short of leaving, how do you maintain it?). That’s a question of gathering scripts and strategies.
+1
It can help to know how to find this kind of counseling. Near me, therapists with scripts and strategies occasionally offer “skills workshops” that can help you find someone you want to continue with.
Yeah. I usually have no tolerance for bright red lines or warm happy households at the expense of reality, but the OP message sounded very clear and I have respect for what was written. Her own therapy for doing her part and making her plans should be useful here.
Im sorry. I feel like a dinosaur. I know depression is real. But at some point don’t grown ups have to not act like jerks to their loved ones? Like I get that he can’t be cheerful but really we can’t expect people with depression to be pleasant or even neutral for extended periods of time? I feel like I’d have an easier time understanding him not getting out of bed than walking around “exploding” on you. Truly, we’re supposed to believe he can’t control his horrible behavior at all? It sounds more like he’s a jerk than a depressed man.
I know you come from a place of sometimes we all are grumpy and need to suck it up so why can’t he, but when you get into clinical depression, it’s really not comparable. You wouldn’t tell a deaf person that they just need to listen more attentively.
This was my husband. Awareness of an issue but no action taken to resolve issues, or not taking actions to resolve seriously. We did couples counseling which did not help. I couldn’t take the home environment any more, especially for my kids, so I had to divorce him. Living like that for many years, the damage was already done to our kids (manifesting in anxiety and depression for both of them). Divorce was the last thing I wanted to do, but at least I am now walking on eggshells anymore or tense up when something upsets him.
I would assume they just inherited his genes.
Yes, that is a possibility, but I am sure the environment did not help.
I’ve been looking online for swimsuits, and really like the ones I am seeing from Modlily. I’m suspicious of how inexpensive they are, however, and the fact that I can’t tell where they are made or coming from. Any IRL experience?
All my go to summer recipes are out due to cyclospora. What healthy, summery things are you making now?
🙃
Are people actually abstaining from fresh produce because of this? I’m not a huge fruit and veggie eater but I eat more in the summer and am not doing anything differently other than washing things a bit more carefully.
Of course we are. Why ruin a summer with something that hospitalized people?
I’m a little in denial. I’m also hoping it’s irrelevant to farmer’s market produce. I have a relevant immune deficiency though.
I like minestrone type soups in summer (tomato and carrot based vegetable broth, tons of cooked summer squash and green beans, optional lima beans, lots of parsley and parmesan; I’ll eat the leftovers cold).
Costco has a big bag of grilled vegetables that is easy to reheat in the oven (though they’re overpriced given how much of the mix is red onion, so you may want to just make your own).
Chinese cuisine often cooks vegetables that western cuisine might eat raw (like celery, cucumbers, and radish). They’re still crunchy and bright and summery to me.
How did you learn to decline work when you weren’t asked, but assigned? Sr. litigation associate, my preferred specialty area has plenty of work for me and has assured me I won’t face repercussions for saying no to other work. I believe them. When I’m asked if I have time, I say no. But lots of partners just assign work and don’t ask me first. How do I decline it? Chat gpt says offer to help them find someone to do it but that feels even harder. I don’t have a junior who reports to me. Anyone have an email script or two that would work?
You tell them you don’t have capacity to do X task until X date (so far out that they find someone else). If they get really pushy then give a high level list of what you’re already working on and then they will back off.
Curious about the responses from people in work similar to yours. I know in my line of work there is no “saying no” to Executive assignments.