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Suit of the Week: Akris

woman wears tealish blue dress with matching blazer; blazer has a collar, pockets, and buttons to the neck

For busy working women, the suit is often the easiest outfit to throw on in the morning. In general, this feature is not about interview suits for women, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional. Also: we just updated our big roundup for the best women's suits of 2023!

Suits with dresses instead of skirts can be difficult to find — in the past few years they've been few and far between. Akris's current offerings at Nordstrom are positively bursting with suits with dresses, though — so if that's your preferred way of wearing suits (and you have $3500+ to drop on a suit), do check them out.

There were a lot of great options — the popped collar on this bright pink number called to me, as did the sleekness of this red option — but eventually this pictured tealish blue number won out.

I love the color of the skirt suit (because of course I do), but it's the details that really get me — the darts near the pockets, the matching buttons, the cupro lining — and the fact that beyond the lining it's 100% cashmere.

The to-the-neck collar is interesting, and also features prominently in Akris's current options — we haven't seen this look in a long while, so it'll be interesting to see if it trickles down to the mass market stores, especially the younger ones.

Gorgeous, gorgeous. I also think both pieces would be versatile as separates, also.

The blazer is $2990, and the dress is $1990, at Nordstrom.

As of 2024, if you're hunting for teal or blue-green suiting, look to Reiss, Emporio Armani, and Banana Republic Factory. Ann Taylor has a few options (“deep slate green” and green plaid). In plus sizes, check out the Moroccan blue suit at Eloquii.

Sales of note for 12.5

105 Comments

  1. Not that I have $4,980 to spend on a suit, but it’s almost sold out. Lucky sizes only.

    Gorgeous suit.

    1. Princess Charlene of Monaco wears Akris a lot. She is very tall and thin (former Olympic swimmer), so she might look good in anything though.

    1. Right?? Me too. I do have quite a bit of second hand Akris, but it’s hard to find something like this.

    2. I just saw their “stand collar virgin wool crepe jacket” in ink and it is possibly the most perfect jacket I’ve seen in my life.

      1. I saw the white Farid cotton and wool blend boot cut pants and a single tear rolled down my cheek.

  3. Does anyone else feel like they get sinus headaches or pressure when the weather gets colder? While I’ve had this happen before, it seems more obvious this year. First time was over Thanksgiving but was visiting my parents up north so I figured it was simply that it is much colder where they are. Got back to Virginia where was it about ten degrees warmer and did some steam treatments a few times and was good to go. But then same thing in Va. yesterday. I guess it has gotten colder here. Doesn’t feel especially cold, but I guess it is there was a bit of freezing rain when I was out earlier.

    While I know there’s tons of stuff going around, until today I legit had not left my home in five days – no office, errands, stores, nothing. The only thing that has changed is weather. Anyone else? Anything that works?

      1. +1

        Yeah, sinus headaches is pretty old fashioned terminology and usually wrong.

        You have sinus problems? See an ENT/allergiest/immunologist get it treated.

        You have headaches? You see a neurologist after taking care of any “sinus problems”.

        1. Sinus headaches may be an old fashioned term, but I do get headaches when the weather changes rapidly. I treat them with sudafed and tylenol.

    3. Colder weather often times comes with drier air, especially inside where the furnace is going. Could you be more sensitive to humidity levels & need a humidifier in your home?

    4. Do antihistamines help with your sinus headaches? If so, when was the last time you had your furnace and air ducts cleaned?

    5. I get headaches when the barometric pressure changes.

      VA is also known as the allergy capital of the U.S. for good reason. If it isn’t pollen, it’s mold.

    6. I get sinus trouble in cold weather. I also have migraines.

      If my part of my teeth, jaw, ears, above-nose and/or both eye sockets hurt – along with headache, my sinuses are inflamed. Nose drops are better than sprays. Ibuprofen helps me with the bone/tooth pain. Saline drop as well.

      Sinus migraines are generally one side of the face for me – half the jaw, one eye socket, one part of forehead, but sometimes it’s more like a lid of pain down to and including cheek bones. Often with nausea.

  4. What are your interesting (more adult) stocking stuffers you are planning this year?

    I’m thinking about…

    rechargeable hand warmers (pair)
    Burt’s bees ultra conditioning lip balm
    some skin care…. a hand lotion or sun block?
    chocolates…
    dental floss

    What is your favorite basic pen…. that you keep 10 of everywhere because you like the way it writes? Nothing that smears/no gel pens etc…

    1. This is what DH is getting in his stocking:

      Travel-sized toiletries (we will be traveling over the holidays)
      iPhone charger with extra long cord
      Packable Blanket made by Don’t Die In The Woods
      Smartwool socks
      His favorite razors

    2. Pilot G2s and Pentel Energels are the best pens.

      I’d swap out hand warmers for phone chargers, unless you know that hand warmers will go over well.
      Other ideas: Chocolate oranges, vegetable peeler or egg timer or other small kitchen gizmo, hair clips, pretty hand towels.

    3. Extra Stanley Quencher straws
      Trader Joe’s Winter Wake Up tea
      Small flashlight
      Eneloop batteries and charger
      Mindfulness string games kit
      Hair curling headband kit
      Ski socks
      A good book
      Bookmark
      Fancy dog treats
      Novelty glass tree ornament suited the the recipient’s interests or an important occasion (for 2020 I found one that was a roll of toilet paper)
      Silk scrunchies
      Gift card for local independent coffeehouse
      Fancy tape measure
      Chip clips
      2 1/4 teaspoon yeast measure

    4. I did head lamps one year and they were a big hit. Another year I did mini jigsaw puzzles and thatvturned out to be a fun activity for Christmas Day.

      1. every year i get everyone chargers. can never have too many. socks or gloves. a scratch off card.

      1. Floss is in memory of my Mom.

        She always put a few practical “Mom” things in our stockings.
        Don’t forget to floss…
        And since we all get so much candy :), this balances it out!

    6. My all time favourite pen is an Ooly (with ink cartridges). I have a few so that I can keep them in all my bags/on both my desks.

      For stocking stuffers, I am getting tea, hair accessories and a notebook. My husband is getting sandalwood soap, a book, waterproof socks, and chocolate.

    7. No pen recs, I use a fountain pen or muji gels, but I love mild liner highlighters. And xl post its

      1. Muji gel pens forever! I’m in an MFA program and when we meet in person this is the most common pen I see.

      2. They’re also really great for labeling anything black, like the lids of spice jars.

  5. There was a thread earlier this week regarding gifting DNA tests. Well, apparently 23 and Me has now had a large data breach.

    1. I’m the self-described paranoid Anon who does not think there could be a company that I would trust with this data, because the protections are contractual, not legal nor constitutional, and any remedy for something like a data breach does not make me whole.

      I’m so changing my name from Anon to Cassandra.

      1. +1. I’m a privacy lawyer and there is no chance I would voluntarily get my DNA sequenced by a direct-to-consumer company. I see these things go wrong all the time.

    2. The breach happened and was reported awhile ago. They’re just now reporting that it affected more users/types of users than originally reported. So yeah, definitely confirms my resolve to never test my DNA, as interesting as the results might be.

  6. As corporate gift season is upon us, what have been some of your favorite non-monetary corporate gifts that you actually found useful?

    Mine was a hanging toiletry kit that I got from a consulting vendor. I use it all the time and have gifted the same one to friends. It wasn’t branded but I wouldn’t have minded if it was.

    2. This was university swag, so less “corporate” but still THE BEST: a gel/plush freezable eye mask. It’s filled with gel beads, and plush on one side. It lives in my freezer and is my go to when I have a headache or migraine, am stressed out, or just hot. Love that damn thing.

    3. I really really want the branded Yeti coffee tumbler that everyone who works for a partner org has. Make sure it’s a real Yeti and not a cheap fake.

      1. We have these and I love them so, so much. I did not get the Yeti hype before owning this cup. Was glad to be proven wrong. :)

        1. Same. I thought it was so dumb to spend this much money on a cup but then we went on a trip where everyone got their own Yeti in a different color (so we didn’t mix up each other’s cups) and suddenly I got the Yeti hype. I now own 3 :)

      2. Yes, the real Yeti is my #1 favorite, and I scoffed at them as retail goods. It’s a lot better than the other corporate tumblers around the house.

      3. Great idea. I love my Yetis and could always use more. Mugs are good too, although I prefer a Yeti.

      4. We get branded gifts quite a bit from other companies and I will not use 99.99% of all branded items (I’m just generally really adverse to company branded stuff, my company or vendors). However, we got Yeti coffee tumblers from one around 7 years ago and I kept and use that 2-3 times a week. Real Yeti.

    7. I once got a camp chair with the company logo. I got rid of the job but still have the chair.

      1. Maybe one of those cushions you bring to college football games? Or a picnic blanket with one side being water resistant so you can set it on damp grass.

      1. Outside counsel once sent a pack of sprays: sunscreen, after sun care, insect repellant, etc. Amazing.

        They also sent a lantern, which is really neat.

    10. I like food, personally. I’ll eat popcorn or cookies or whatever. I don’t want more junk, though.

      2. Food is also my preference. There’s a good chance I’ll eat it, and if I won’t I have no problem giving it away to friends, family, neighbors or even a food pantry (if non-perishable).

        Please no alcohol – I don’t drink at home and feel awkward about re-gifting it because I know so little about it. I don’t want to show up at someone’s house with a bottle of wine that’s widely known to be terrible (and I don’t trust my employer to give me decent wine!)

        My current boss does not do holiday gifts and I’m more than fine with it. But I’m grinchy about gifts in general – we don’t even do them within our family, except for kids.

      3. I’m in charge of gifting and we give locally made cheese and sausage boxes. Last year we gave fudge and seasoned pretzels; customers missed the cheese and sausage and we’re back to that.

        I’ve never had a cheese and sausage tray go unappreciated in our office as well.

        1. on the flip side, our insurance company gives our company a huge ham. It’s obnoxiously huge and becomes a chore to give it away. We finally landed on one employee who will use and likes it for her family gathering so she gets it now.

    11. A sturdy, large cotton tote bag (like the kind LL Bean sells) I received over a decade ago and is still in regular use in my house. Much better than nylon totes or thin grocery bags that I’ve also received.

    13. a Lands’ End north/south tote with a laptop sleeve and intelligent zippers… still use it all the time and think fondly of my former nonprofit since the initials are embroidered on it. (It was a really small office though so I don’t know if it counts as a corporate gift…)

    14. multi-USB charger
      umbrella (great for leaving in the office)
      USB coffee warmer thing

    15. External phone battery pack.
      Universal phone charging cord (has both lightning and micro USB).
      Purse mirror (clips itself closed).
      Wireless earbuds (I don’t use them because they don’t fit in my ears even with the smallest earpieces, but they are a great idea for most people).

    18. surprisingly, a throw blanket decorated with the m&m characters has gotten a lot of use in my house (friend worked for Mars at the time, I got to be her +1 since her husband didn’t like to attend events).

  7. This pick looks perfect for the person asking about the jacket Liz Cheney was wearing… if you can afford it!

    1. I thought the same thing! wouldn’t be surprised if Liz actually wears Akris!

      1. I would describe it by the collar – a “point collar jacket” seems to turns up similar search results.

    3. That was me! And I love dress+jacket=suit. And I love dark teal. And I am not spending $5K on a suit. But, yes, I love it.

  8. does anyone have any recipes for a caramel/butterscotch-type candy that is easy to make/you can make in the crockpot? thank you!

  9. Please help me out with an interview attire question.
    I am being flown out next week for a final interview. There will be snow on the ground. I have not worn boots since moving to the West coast after graduate school. Do people wear boots to interviews? I would wear shoes and hope for the best but there is a lunch offsite and I have no idea if we’ll be walking or taking cabs.
    Do some boots look better/more professional with skirt suits?

    1. Being boots and regular work shoes. If you have to walk in snow to get to the interview carry your shoes with you, bring a plastic bag to drop your boots in.

    2. if you’re inclined to invest in a pair since you’re planning to move to a colder climate, Aquatalia’s waterproof suede flat pointed/almond toe knee high boots would be my pick. I wear them with black tights and a black sheath with a tweed jacket as a dressy winter meeting look.

    3. Is this an academic interview? I did several interviews in snowy places that involved lots of walking, but I absolutely would not wear snow boots. You have to schlep all of your stuff around with you all day and you’ll be in and out of buildings multiple times a day, so it would be very impractical to change shoes. You want something sufficiently warm and waterproof to wear outside on plowed sidewalks (with a bit of fresh snow) but still fine inside. I just wore leather ankle boots and pants, and any leather shoes that cover your whole foot should be fine with pants. I think it’s a little harder to make the skirt suit work unless you have tall boots you like.

      1. It’s more of a leaving academia job (public sector but with a bunch of former academics). I think I will look for a pair of ankle boots to wear with a pantsuit. Thank you!

        1. Just make sure they have grippy not slippy soles and you should be fine. Good luck!

      2. Agree with this. In nyc I wore my blondo boots. They did a great job in the snow.

  10. Help me figure out stocking stuffers for my kids! Ages 13 (boy) and 9 (girl), and I feel like I’ve done it all before. Consumables are strongly preferred (but they are still working on Halloween candy, so I’m trying to go easy on the sweets). I haven’t bought anything yet but so far I’m thinking:
    – toiletries (Christmas scented deo for the boy and a bath bomb situation for the girl)
    – hot cocoa mix or fixings
    – gum
    – cozy socks from Old Navy – we get those every year
    – hand sanitizer from B&BW

    Both have more pens and lip balms than they can use.

    1. sugar free candy canes
      fun colored pencils/watercolors/art supplies
      small puzzle
      small book of Ad-libs
      mixed bag of nuts/dried fruit
      little stress release/fidget toy
      tiny rubiks cube
      Uno/other small game

      1. Not sugar free candy canes — they aren’t labeled well and if out of the package, someone with a body that can’t process sugar alcohols will eat it and that will be quickly catastrophic to their GI system. Please no.

          1. Her kids yes but any other people coming through your house, which is a lot in my house this time of year, especially over winter break. Sharing isn’t caring sometimes.

        2. I didn’t know that’s what happens. I’ve had some truly awful sugar free candy experiences that were thankfully at home. I thought it must be some sort of additive in sugar free stuff. As I’ve gotten older I’ve developed sensitivity to some foods. I wonder if it’s the same mechanism.

    2. I have boys (13 and 10). I have to think really hard on stocking stuffers because they get two stockings each – 1 for St. Nick’s day (today) and one on xmas. Here is what they got today (they both did not get everything on this list): flannel pj shorts; Uno; disco ball for phone; small jars of nutella; chocolate santas; Just Dance video game; snowman squishy fidget thing; flash cards relating to their interests (road signs for one; trees for another); apple tree seed kit; small Stanley tumbler; xmas ornaments.

      For xmas stockings, I have small card games; red vines; sleeves of holiday oreos; socks with gripper bottoms to wear around the house; new winter hats; bath bombs; pj pants.

    3. Start giving your kids small hand tools so that they have them to use now and take with them to college. Hammer, screw driver, pliers. One tool per holiday. .

      1. My parents did this and it was awesome! Later they added kitchen gadgets. At 20 I was not thrilled at the OXO salad tongs and pasta strainer in my stocking but like 20 years later I am still literally using the same ones.

    4. Flashlight, headlamp, nail polish, water bottle straw cover, earrings, hand warmers if they ski, I do headbands and scrunchies for my sporty daughter.

    5. Stockings have been my favorite ever since I was a kid! My 13 year old daughter is obsessed Stanley cups, field hockey and her Instax, so she’s getting new straws, a custom water bottle sticker with her name on it, sports headbands and Instax film. My 12 year old son loves eating new types of food, hockey and golf and is getting lightsaber chopsticks, Pokemon cards, hockey tape and fancy golf balls. I add in shower steamers, lip balm, slipper socks, and their absolute favorite candy that they don’t get very often (Baci and Sees) Think about what they already have that you can add on to and what they might need to replenish for their hobbies throughout the year.

    6. retro toys go over really well – slinky, silly putty, yo-yos, whoopee cushions
      weird candy, like pickle-flavored
      if they’re into fortnite, gift cards for the game are great
      washi tape

    7. My kids really like the hot chocolate snowman from trader Joe. It’s all the fixings for one mug, marshmallows included, fun to “make” and even if you still have Halloween candy, it’s just one cup of cocoa. TJ also has a giant candy cane that would be fun to include.

      Other things – some kind of magic trick toy, hand lotion or hand sanitizer, socks, deck of cards…

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