Happy Monday! For today’s splurge, we’re liking this sophisticated gray blazer from Michael Kors, with some really interesting detailing on the sleeves. We like a short-sleeve jacket for days where it’s ridiculously hot but you still need to cover your arms as well as look authoritative; they can also be great for in-between weather, because you can layer a long-sleeved tee beneath them. (On the down side, they do little to combat the industrial-strength air conditioners most offices use during the summer.) This particular jacket, made from wool, is actually on sale — was $1595, now $957 at Neiman Marcus (lucky sizes 6 and 8 only). Origami Jacket (L-0)This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!
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Workwear sales of note for 3.24.23:
- Ann Taylor – 40% off everything
- Athleta – 20% off shorts, swim, linen & more
- Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything; extra 15% off purchase
- Boden – Up to 50% off
- Brooks Brothers – Clearance styles to 70% off. Some pretty serious markdowns!
- Express – 40% off dresses & tops
- J.Crew – 25% off your purchase; up to 50% off special-occasion styles
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 15% off 3 styles; extra 20% off 4 styles; extra 50% off clearance
- Sephora – Up to 50% off select beauty
- Talbots – 25% off select styles; 25% off markdowns
Some of our latest posts here at Corporette…
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
- What are your favorite parts of a typical day?
- At what point in your life (age, income level, whatever) were you able to take an annual vacation?
- What shoes can I keep at the office to go for mid-day walks (that go with everything)?
- How do you release stress or trauma that’s stored in the body?
- What are the best “networking for women events” you’ve ever been to?
- I feel like we’re burning through any savings we acquire…
- I hate my job and make 30% of what DH makes – should I quit?
- What do you keep in your office?
Glamour
Great idea for stepping into summer…. glamalert.com/glambassador
xx
dee
beautiful! and completely out of my budget (esp. this week, when the only thing i can buy is underwear, specifically h&m men’s boxers suggested by the underwear thread).
also, while looking at the jacket, i found this dress (also michael kors): http://bit.ly/be8OAG
which is think is so, so beautiful – I wish I could afford it! (and it would look great with the jacket)
Chicago K
LOVE LOVE LOVE the dress!
Ru
GORGEOUS dress!!!!
3L
That dress is killer! So hot, and I agree it would look interesting with a light gray jacket.
KelliJ
Oh, Michael Kors! So beautiful and so out of my price range right now. Darn termites and car repairs!
Big C
this jacket is at The limited for $200. This was a stupid suggestion. Ugly and overpriced. Add uncomfortable and Corporette hit the trifecta.
Lawgirl
Co-sign, @BigC. I’m like wha?! Michael Kors makes some beautiful dresses, but I’m not impressed with this at all.
anon
maybe, but do you really have to say it so meanly?
Lucy
It’s not even a matter of mean.
It’s just a poorly expressed sentiment. Not clever and, all in all, rather trollish.
Blue
I can’t imagine spending almost $1,000 on any jacket, much less this one.
v
It’s pretty, but does anyone else think this is the kind of thing that would look killer on a certain type of woman (the kind who just has that fashionable air about her no matter what) and frumpy on the rest of us? I feel like I can’t make pieces with this kind of detailing work. Not that I can afford to, so you know.
J
Do you think short sleeve suits are appropriate for business attire workplaces? I found a cute one this weekend on sale, but didn’t get it because I didn’t think it was formal enough for a law firm. thoughts?
s-k-s
Depends on the firm, obviously – my firm is “suits” 4 days a week, but people definitely take some liberties. This would be completely kosher, so long as you didn’t have court or something equally formal.
LP
This would definitely be fine at my firm- paired with a pencil skirt and pumps, it would look very formal.
SUCL 3L
Maybe it’s just me, but short sleeved jackets have never screamed authoritative to me. Most of the people I’ve known to wear short sleeved jackets were college students and secretaries (no offense to the secretaries out there intended). To me, it just doesn’t say “I’m in charge”. I think a nice cardigan is better when you don’t want to wear a regular jacket.
s-k-s
I think its all in how you wear it, and the quality of the material and construction. Not something I would recommend for trial or super-formal occasions, but it is a nice way to mix up the “suit” dress code but still play by the rules.
divaliscious11
The jacket shouldn’t scream authoritative or I’m in charge… You can be buttoned to the brim in the most conservative suit ever, and if you don’t carry yourself as if you are in chaarge of your practice, no one will ever buy that your are….
Eponine
Yes, I think it’s fine in a hot climate. Probably this sort of thing depends on where your firm is located. It’d definitely be appropriate for summers in DC.
EM
I tried this suit on in navy. It was fabulous.
Michael Kors this season–the whole collection was a winner.
Shayna
Splurge doesn’t even begin to cover it! I love Michael Kors but can’t stand short sleeve jackets — too 80s for me (and as noted, not warm enough in air conditioned offices).
I do like the detail on the sleeves though… if it were about $900 less and on a shirt instead of a jacket I would buy it ;-)
lulu
Love it! Can’t afford it, but absolutely love it.
Personally, I love short sleeved jackets if worn as separates. I think they can create a very professional, high-end business casual look and are my go-to for when I need to look pulled together but don’t want to wear a suit.
Clerky
Can I ask why clothes like this are so expensive? Is the material and the quality of the workmanship really all that much better? Or is just the name brand?
I’m wearing a jacket today from Lafayette that was originally for $500. I bought it at Off Saks for $60. It is a very nice jacket, beautiful color and great fit, but there is no way I would have ever paid $500. I just don’t understand how some of these clothes can be sold at such exorbitant prices.
kandi
I think the combination of fit, quality and brand association is reflected in the price.
Eva
Yeah, but how would you weight those things? I’d say 90% brand association, which in my view is absurd.
Shayna
I would have to agree that the bulk of the pricing is in the brand association, but I would think that a small chunk is the materials/workmanship… lets face it, cashmere costs more than lambswool, which costs more than cotton… but 90% in brand association isn’t outrageous when you realize its a $2K piece of clothing!
dee
i highly disagree. 9 times out of 10, more expensive clothes fit and feel better than their cheaper counterparts. for instance, i have two taupe shift dresses – one theory, one banana republic. The theory one was about $300, the BR one $150. While the “style” is the same (wool-stretch sleeveless dress), the theory one fits much, much better – the fabric drapes better over my body, and I look much sleeker and stylish wearing it. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s an obvious difference. I just bought a bunch of spring dresses from the usual cast of designers (Tahari, Ann Taylor, BR, Theory), and the nicest one, by far (even my husband noticed) is the theory one.
I think the real question is not whether the more expensive item is nicer, it’s whether the additional niceness justifies the price (and in response to the comment below, you shouldn’t expect it to be 1:1 – jeans that cost 5x as much aren’t going to be 5x as nice. That’s like saying fabric that’s twice as nice should be twice as expensive – it makes no sense. It could be only a fraction more expensive, or 5 times more expensive). That’s a personal question, dependent on how much you love clothing and how much money you have to spend on clothes. if you can’t afford to spend $300 on a dress, it won’t matter how much nicer it is than the $150 version. Same if you wear clothes just to cover up – nothing wrong with that, and I wouldn’t expect you to shell out twice as much cash for a nicer dress.
Shayna
Of course what fits you (the theory brand) may make someone else look like a stuffed sausage or frumpy — while Banana Republic of J. Crew or Target might fit someone else fabulously… and if someone here looks fabulous in Target, please know that I’m jealous!
Legally Brunette
I agree with Shayna – although most of my expensive clothes fit better than the cheap ones, that isn’t always the case. I have a fabulous Ann Taylor Loft jacket that I get tons of compliments on. And Theory fits me terribly, makes me look lumpy and misshapen even though I’m quite thin. Theory works best on straight figures, IMHO. Banana fits me way better.
CJ in CA
I think probably 20% of the premium is quality, and 80% is brand, honestly. My Kohrs jeans are definitely better than my Old Navy jeans, but not 5x better.
Doesn’t it seem like you could have a jacket like this made by a dress maker/ tailor for about the same? Then it would be a perfect fit!
AIMS
I am a huge fan of custom made things. But it will not be a lot cheaper than what this costs, and if you expect to find someone of a really high caliber, it may be just as much, if not more.
I disagree that its 80% brand association when you get to something like this. I think that’s maybe true with low-end “designer” items like Juicy Couture, etc. — which are often terribly made, but for people buy for the perceived cache (which I do not get, personally) but people are not spending $1000 on a jacket (even on sale) just for the brand.
AIMS
It’s also the workmanship & the fact that these items are not generally produced to go into hundreds of stores for thousands of customers (hence, the higher price point for individual consumers — it’s cheaper to make 10,000 jackets than it is to make 1,000).
Many of these higher end items are also made in places like Italy, France, U.K., as opposed to say China. This has, unfortunately, started to change. I have a very hard time paying hundreds of dollars for something made in China, in my experience it is just not worth it. Yet, I have clothese made in England that have lasted years and years (seriously, some I have taken from my mother — still look amazing, and they’ve been around nearly as long as I have).
EM
My thoughts exactly. I don’t remember where the MK suit was made, but all the Lafayette I have seen is made in China. Also, the suit is wool–most lower priced suits, even those in the $500 range, are made of rayon or polyester these days. I also seem to think the lining is silk, which is something that you never see on a cheaper garment.
Delta Sierra
AIMS, yes, bigger manufacturing runs = lower price for the same goods. Basic economy of scale.
It ought to be that higher price means better wages for the workers, but as you say, hard to know, these days. It also ought to mean better fabric, the dye really is dyefast, no colour dropout. And that it stands up to cleaning better. Holds its shape with wear.
However, last couple of years, seems like a real crapshoot. Extra annoying that that comes on top of the advent of internet shopping, when it can be difficult to tell from the photos, which are so often desperately inadequate. Grumble grumble.
AIMS
Delta, the relative crapshoot of it all is one of the reasons I generally avoid internet shopping, and when I do indulge, it’s only from places with excellent return policies.
One way I try to gauge quality vs price though (that seems to work more often than not) is to see where something is made. Hint: online, when it’s made in China it either doesn’t say anything about origin or it says ‘imported’ (and yes, I know the quality of goods made in China has improved, but I still won’t pay $500+ for a bag made there).
And I agree that higher prices should mean higher wages for workers, but alas it isn’t always true unless you’re buying Hermes.
Louise
This discussion inspires me to try on some much higher-end and more expensive clothes to see for myself how the cut and fit might be superior. Thanks!
dee
proceed with caution! once you get used to expensive clothes, it’s hard to go back…
Lucy
This is esp the case with shoes & bags!
RoadWarriorette
I have also wondered this. Thanks for asking.
I also think this jacket is beautiful, but never could afford it.
Where I live (Austin) this would work for most work situations. Of course, I am not a lawyer and therefore do not go to court. And we are fairly casual, especially compared to Dallas. :)
Justine
I don’t like where the buttons are placed… unless you have the perfect body it could easily gape. Plus its totally out of my price range
jcb
Really pretty! Great pick.
Juno
Goodness! The model’s arms are only as wide as her ponytail Not that I’m hatin’ (well, not too much)
dee
they’re also oddly turned-out. do people normally walk around with their arms turned so you can see the inside of their elbows?
Lawgirl
Yes, I thought her face looked emaciated when I first saw the picture, and now that you’ve pointed out her arms, I definitely think she could use a sandwich. Poor girl. I hate the modeling industry and the culture of dangerously thin models that it creates.
Anon
I can’t figure out whether her face is thin or her neck is wide – either way, they appear to be the same width and it is a strange effect!
KZ
i’m hoping this is a result of bad photoshopping, but who knows.
jojo
there are other blogs out there if you want to bodysnark
Delta Sierra
jojo – I agree.
Anon
Can a long-sleeved tee under a short-sleeved jacket really be work-appropriate? I’m having trouble picturing it.
Shayna
Sounds too casual/punk-ish to be work appropriate. Actually if you’re over 20, possibly not age appropriate regardless of location
LawLady7
Nope.
L
Depends on where you work. I wore this as a biz-casual look at BigLaw a couple of years ago and it looked good.
L from Oz
It’s a pretty common look where I live, and I saw it around quite a lot in Australia too. I know I wore it quite a lot this winter, because it wa brutally cold and I didn’t always want to wear all wool all the time.
75
The jacket is beautiful and classic, but the only way to wear if would be with a matching skirt as a skirt suit. I can’t see it with pants or with a different skirt.
AIMS
Have you seen the matching skirt? I would not wear that to work. I think classic, black pencil skirt in a nice lightweight wool fabric would look lovely.
dee
thread hijack/PSA: I am wearing a pair of Donna Karan “the nudes” pantyhose today for the first time and the little stinkers ripped. There’s a huge run along the edge of my foot (big hole by my toe). for $20, i thought i’d get at least 5-6 wears out of them. back to CK hose for me.
dee
and the control top kind of sucks. i do like the fact that there’s no waistband, though.
housecounsel
I cannot stand short-sleeved jackets – reminds me of men in short-sleeved dress shirts with ties. I have one from Banana – looks quite similar to this one – but I don’t feel good in it at all.