ByKat Hours Updated
Comments 84 Comments

Suit of the Week: Ann Taylor

light blue pants suit

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.

You know, I don't think I would have realized that there really is a “blue suit season” had I not done such an early post about how much I loved my light blue suits and thought they were incredibly versatile. But every year, right as it starts to turn to spring, retailers come out with blue suits. (Much like they do with white blazers!) It always makes me happy in some weird way.

(I do update the original post with a mini-hunt every year, but haven't done it yet this year… stay tuned!)

This “cool azul” suit from Ann Taylor looks fabulous – I love that it's in their washable, wrinkle-resistant Double Knit fabric, and I'm always a fan of pintucks in pants like these have.

{related: what is the best Ann Taylor suiting line?}

The blazer is available in petite, tall, and regular sizes 00-18 for $189. They have a ton of matching pieces (high rise pants, straight pants, ankle pants, curvy pants, trouser pants), two dresses, as well as some complementary pieces like this gingham tweed jacket.

Note that some of the “cool azul” pieces on the site have very different color temperatures – the blazer pictured at top feels bright and light, whereas some feel like a dusty blue cornflower. (Toggle between the “tall” and “regular” version of this dress to see what I mean.) I think both are really versatile and pretty colors, but if the exact shade matters to you, do swing by a store to check it out.

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!

Sales of note for 12.5

84 Comments

  1. This color is gorgeous. AT has really been knocking it out of the park with suiting colors lately!

    1. It’s so pretty! I don’t think I’d wear it together, but as separates, heck yes.

  2. I love that suit color as pictured! But I don’t work in a place where I regularly need suits, so alas, I won’t be buying it.

    Inspired by the post about comfortable bras yesterday (and apologies in advance for the TMI): Has anyone else ever had an issue where bras irritate the skin around your b**bs and give you a rash or itchy welts? I’ve had this from time to time and not only is it supremely annoying, but it also makes my body image a lot worse because it’s pretty gross-looking. I put cortisone cream on them when they pop up (like what you use for mosquito bites) and got stronger stuff from my derm once when it really spread, but is there a way to prevent this, short of wearing sports bras/no bra all the time?

    2. Yes, and it’s a recent thing! I can’t figure out why it’s a problem now, when it’s never been one before. I don’t even think it’s an underwire thing.

      1. I don’t think it’s the detergent because I wash my sports bras and regular bras in the same laundry, but thanks for commenting! It’s helpful to see the responses here and know I’m not alone.

    4. I don’t get actual rashes as long as I avoid too much elastic (I suspect I have an allergy to latex or some trace chemical in rubber as I often get rashes from elastic and weird things like rubber boots and some bandaids). I do still have some itching under my arms where the underwire is (like in my armpits, not under my breasts). I’m quite large of chest, so all the wireless bras that are actually supportive seem to have so much elastic that I find them even more uncomfortable than the wired ones, unfortunately. I think my skin just doesn’t like anything tight, and that’s a problem when you really need support. I’d also love some better solutions.

      1. +1

        You could ask your doctor if you could be checked for a latex allergy. If you have an actual rash, and it isn’t clearly from the sweat/moisture/rubbing of the underwire, it is probably the latex in the elastic. You can probably do a search for bras without latex and try a couple and see if the rash goes away.

        Using steroid cream all the time is not great long-term of course, since the skin will thin over time.

    5. Don’t re-wear your bras before washing them for a while and see if that makes a difference.

    6. I have this. For me it’s an allergy to thiuram, which is in a lot of rubber and elastic and neoprene and swimwear. It doesn’t show up instantly. My allergy testing showed the response took a week. The more you get exposed the worse it gets. I now wear cotton bras (still with underwire) and haven’t had a problem. So long as cloth covers the elastic I’m good. I will replace though at the first sign of irritation. From the reading I’ve done, if it gets worse, sensitivity can start to be seen wearing socks and cloth athletic sneakers, so I want to avoid as much as possible. The fact steroids are helping shows you’ve got an allergy to at least one if not more bras somewhere.

    7. I wonder if you’re allergic to the rubber, or latex or whatever elastic materials are used.

  3. Any books you recommend for personal finance, particularly for retirement planning? Ideally one that covers investing, self-management. Debt isn’t an issue. Maybe it is too optimistic for such a book to have good advice that takes taxes into consideration?

    I think my style is along the lines of Bogleheads, but their Retirement book is like 15 years old. It would be great to have something more recent, as tax laws keep changing.

    FYI – I am single, eventually retiring alone, and am getting more anxious about trying to make sure I am able to take care of myself.

    2. Smart Women Finish Rich
      Listen to HerMoney podcast with Jean Chatzky–it’s fantastic.

      1. I do really like HerMoney! Thanks for the reminder. I have gotten out of the habit.

    4. great money reset – jill schlesinger. i am also a big fan of jill’s 2 podcasts. i also read and liked stacked by joe saul-sehy last year. and i will teach you to be rich by ramit sethi – his brand/strong personality isn’t always my cup of tea but for the most part i really agree with his philosophy (e.g. find your own “rich” life, whatever that means, use index funds and save the fee, and his rule of thumb is something like 50% fixed expenses, 15-20% investing, 10% savings and rest for spending)

  4. What are some wipeable table placemats you recommend, for a family with young kids?
    We bought a new dining table and to keep it clean are using a tablecloth and cloth placemats, but they get messy with spills real fast, and I have to keep spot cleaning or hand washing them.
    I need something that can wipe off, but doesn’t look too obviously plasticky – is that not realistic?

    1. I have an “easy clean” tablecloth from Crate and Barrel that looks like cloth but up close it’s a vinyl-like, wipeable surface. Looks like they also have easy clean placemats that might work for you. My only complaint about the table cloth is that you can’t put it in the washing machine, so might not be great if it’s regularly getting super dirty.

    2. We bought a clear sheet of plastic that we put over the table and put a table cloth on top of it so the obviously plasticky object is concealed. Only machine washable cloth things go on the table.

    3. When I was a kid my dad bought this huge collection of plastic placemats that were educational. They had, like, maps and geography and history and math on them. I loved them.

    4. when my siblings & I were in the messy eater years, my mom would literally take the tablecloth off the table for meals, and we just ate on top of the white plastic-topped felt pad table protector. Wiped up after the meal, tablecloth back on.

    6. Search for ‘oilcloth’ tablecloths on etsy. I found some lovely french provencal ones from a seller and we have a set for our outside dining table. It wipes clean or you can wash it (but I mostly just wipe it with a cloth or all purpose cleaning spray).

    7. For years I used wipeable table covers, but the wiping ended up being as much work as throwing cloth napkins/mats/tablecloths in the machine. In addition, the plastic coating never really felt clean to me after being used for a while. You can buy inexpensive, washable cloth placemats and napkins online at target or amazon.

    8. If you’re concerned about damaging wood, a custom cut piece of glass is easy to wipe. I find tablecloths and placemats hard to keep clean. Maybe my kids are extra gross.

    9. I buy the pottery barn cork placemats. I have multiple sets (Valentine’s Day, Christmas, stripes for year round). They wipe clean very well but I do take care not to leave water or food sitting on them for long.

  5. Blargh – I think my body hates alcohol. This is a new development, and not entirely an unwelcome one – been trying to cut back – but feeling lousy after a responsible night of drinking stinks.

    1. One drink is my max. I wish I could occasionally wild out with a second drink, but my body says the second drink really is wilding out.

    2. As soon as I turned 40 my body hated alcohol. Anything more than a glass of wine and I feel awful the next morning. I rarely drink now, which is probably better for me (health-wise and I have a family history of alcoholism.)

    4. My husband and I are in our 40s and have both pretty much stopped drinking over the last few years. For me it’s mostly due to side effects of a medication and trying to control a health condition, but he thinks that he just feels bad after even one drink.

    5. Alcohol ruins my workout the following morning. I’ll only have a glass or two of wine if I’m not planning to workout the following morning. This has been true since I was about 35.

    6. Hi – I’m you several years from now. The middle of the night waking up business had me cut down to one glass of wine, and now rosacea has me down to drinking a toast for special occasions, and only then.

      Aging ain’t for the week. I’m white knuckling this nonsense sober!

      2. This – I can have one glass of red wine before the Rosacea comes out in full force. Two drinks seems to be my absolute limit, which is fine health wise but my 20-something self is appalled.

    7. Same! Just turned 35 and two drinks really makes me feel bad in the morning. Or even just one pint of >5% ABV beer if I drink it after like 8 PM. I’ve started bringing cans of Spindrift to parties so I can have a festive non-alc drink with friends.

    8. Sounds annoying, have you tried different kinds or is it alcohol/ethanol in itself?

      It’s not a universal thing, though. Maybe I’m used to a different alcohol culture (Europe), but I don’t know anybody who has suddenly have lower tolerance. Maybe a different preference between red or white, but not an ethanol aversion.

  6. I love broccoli and cauliflower. For decades. In 2023, they do not love me back. Is there anything other than “more Gas-X” for when Gas-X is not knocking through some awful abdominal gas? Yesterday, I had cauliflower for lunch and it wrecked my day. I just wanted to pop myself after my belly refused to deflate.

    1. Digestive enzymes half an hour before eating. Trienza brand is expensive but effective.

    2. Beano helps me. I get it from Costco. One at the beginning of the meal, one closer to the end.
      If the smell is also a problem (!!) you can try Devrom, which is essentially charcoal.

      I found that I have flares where the bloating/bloating with specific foods is worse for a period of weeks/months, then settles down again ?!?!!? I don’t know if my microbiome/GI bugs are just changing over time or what. I do take a probiotic daily, in case this will help. I also sense this is changing with age, as my hormones have been changing.

      I’m not willing to give up on these great veg yet, but my Doctor did give me a copy of the FODMAP diet. That’s my last resort….

      1. OP here — beans, oddly, are fine. It’s just the cruciferous veggies that are at war (format does not matter: boiled to mushy and smothered with cheese, lightly sauteed, mashed, in tacos, etc.). I love cruciferous veggies but I was so distended by this last undertaking (and eating half a box of Gas X), that I’m a bit gun shy and wanting a plan for next time. Hard to waddle gingerly while walking the dog. Today, all is better.

        1. It’s the same for me. Cruciferous veggies are the worst for me. Beans not bad… no worse than for most folks. Still worth trying Beano.

          I totally know what you are complaining about, as you sound like me when I was at my worst. I did avoid the clear triggers for a couple weeks when things were rough, then I slowly re-introduced the worst veg using the Beano (enzymes). You could try taking a break like that, and maybe also add a probiotic during this time. Try to change the flora growing in your gut, because your current mix is what is making all of the gas!

          GasX is actually a little less helpful when the gas is down low.

    3. Different foods for me, but I just don’t eat them as frequently as I’d like. It’s not worth it for me.

    4. Stop eating things that make you feel sick? I know that sounds flip, but I would personally find that intolerable.

    5. If you have noticed it is recently a lot worse, you could talk to your doctor about whether you may have SIBO.
      I also notice gas issues correlated to my cycle – ovulation triggers bad gas for me. But my bowels are generally irritable.

      1. +1 on the cycle, as I re-learned to my chagrin after months of chemo-induced menopause.

        OP, Gas-X works a lot better for me if I take it as a prophylactic before the meal, not once I feel the gas coming on.

    6. A vegetable is easier on your stomach the more it’s cooked and physically broken down. So riced cauliflower sauteed until golden brown is easier to digest than steamed cauliflower florets. Be aware of how much fiber is in the rest of your meal.

      Peppermint helps, either the capsules or tea. But if cruciferous veggies wreck your stomach you’re better off avoiding them.

    7. Look into the fodmap diet. I learned while trying to eat vegetarian with my son that I just cannot eat cauliflower anymore and layering it with lentils or chickpeas was the worst idea ever. The fodmap categories made sense of a lot of my food intolerances, and sadly it seems to be an effect of aging. I never followed the strict elimination part of the diet because I pretty instantly recognized my trouble categories. If you Google it, the first hits are from John’s Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic, etc.

  7. So I know we’ve moved on from the Super Bowl, but I just saw Justina Miles, the ASL interpreter for the Super Bowl show perform the half-time show while Rihanna was singing and I was so blown away by her movement (dancing and signing at the same time). Justina is awesome and she is only 20 years old! What an amazing way to “show” music to the deaf and the hearing communities. Lots of videos posted online.

    1. ASL is really cool because it’s a language where facial expression and how you physically express each sign matters as much as what the words mean. I agree, it was awesome!

      1. ASL is really cool because it’s a language where facial expression and how you physically express each sign matters as much as what the words mean. I agree, it was awesome!

    2. She brought more energy than Rihanna, that’s for sure. Yeah, pregnant, I know, but she looked bored by her own performance.

    1. I do not have a template, but my advice is to do them, even if the kids complain.

      Our blended family specialist recommended it, and we did them. My step-daughter hated it and made her hatred clear. Her dad explained that it was to make sure that whenever she was with us (she had a 2-2-5-5 schedule until she was 18 – don’t ask) she got time alone with her dad and the three of us had time together and she had a ride to all her activities: if we did not discuss all of that the day she arrived, it would not happen and she would miss activities because we would not be available to drive her.

      That was 10 through 14 years ago (all four years of her high school). It was painful because she was so unhappy. But now? She graduated from college on the other coast, lived there for a couple years and is about to graduate from a dual graduate degree program. And she is now Ms. Planner. When she comes to our town, we know in advance and she wants to plan which days with us. When we talk about visiting her or meeting in a third place, she knows her way around a calendar like nobody’s business.

      Will she ever recognize that the 2-2-5-5 schedule that underpinned the need to schedule so frequently was inappropriate for children past the age of roughly 10? Likely not. Will she ever recognize that she regularly uses the skills she learned in these meetings? Likely not. But she has the skills and uses them! Big win.

      The “agenda” — to the extent there was one — was scheduling (day-by-day who needs to drive you where; which days/times are dad and daughter and which are all three of us) and big wins (interesting book report, dad’s good day with a client etc) and then some discussion (not enough, IMO) about world events.

      Good luck!

    3. On this note, not for blended families, but we’ve been thinking about implementing a weekly family meeting too (DINKs, with two “big” jobs so it’s helpful to know that one person is in a trial the whole week or whatever). Other than work schedules, what does everyone else cover in these? Lack of communication has been a source of contention between us in the past.

  9. What are your top 3 snacks that you eat all the time?

    Mine are string cheese, airpopped popcorn, and an apple. (So boring, I know!)

    3. Honey crisp apple dipped in chocolate chips + peanut butter, low sugar Greek yogurt with crushed pecans mixed in, handful of salted almonds or cashews

    5. Based on frequency alone, string cheese, nuts (both stocked in office kitchen), apple.

    7. nuts, popcorn (cooked on the stove in olive oil), or something chocolate when I can’t help it!

    8. healthy- clementines, apples, almonds
      not so healthy- gummy candy is my downfall (Haribos mmmmmm)

        1. Cat and Vicky – if you ever find Albanese gummy bears, get them. They’re made in Indiana and they have absolutely no right to taste as good as they do. You can find them in different states but I’m not sure they’re everywhere.

    11. Airpopped popcorn, Lara bars, fruit of the day a.k.a. the snack my kid didn’t finish that’s not too gross from kiddo fingers…

Comments are closed.