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Updated: Aug 28, 2023 67 Comments · by

Suit of the Week: Dolce & Gabbana

Suit of the Week

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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.

We are heading into the “holiday suiting” portion of the year, where there are a ton of velvet, sequin, and shiny jacquard options. (Don't worry, I'm collecting them all as updates to our guide on what to wear to a holiday office party — the “festive blazer” widget is particularly full.) So finding a classic, beautiful suit that's new on the market is a bit of a task. But WOW — this pink/gray pinstripe from Dolce & Gabbana is the stuff dreams are made of. First, I am suspicious of pinstripes in general, but particularly from the more bargain brands — getting the seaming right can be really difficult. Second, the pink pinstriped lines on this are stunning — a really lovely feminine take on a traditional menswear pattern. Finally, not only is there an awesome, matching classic sheath dress, but the matching pants are slim ankle pants, devoid of those weird details that limit wear (such as, say, a kick flare or sailor buttons). As you would expect, you'll pay for a D&G suit — prices range between $795 and $2295 for the pieces — but dang is it a lovely suit.

Looking for something similar but for less money? A lot of these plus-size pinstriped options at Lane Bryant are getting good reviews, and this pinstriped suit is on deep discount at Nordstrom Rack. (There are also verrrry lucky sizes left of this pinstriped Boss suit on deep discount.)

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Sales of note for 9.30.24

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

About Kat

Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

    • Anon

      I had a Max Mara blazer with this kind of colored pinstripe, several years ago, and I loved it. It just made it slightly unexpected.

      • Anonymous

        Interesting, maybe it’s a ‘need to see in person to appreciate’ thing. From the picture it looks garish to me.

        • Anon

          Basically, from anywhere in the room except for up close, it looks like a regular pinstriped fabric. It’s only when you’re up close that you’re like, oh! Pink! It’s just kind of fun. It’s like getting away with a tiny bit of subversion in a classic, super professional looking piece of work clothing.

          At least that’s how I felt about mine. The sleeves were also lined in red if you were inclined to roll them up, but I wasn’t. The fact that the red was in there was kind of fun too.

    • Irish Midori

      Ooh, I disagree, I think it’s lovely. Probably wouldn’t quite shell out that kind of $$ for something that’s a bit trendy, but on the other hand… I wouldn’t hesitate to wear it to court. The pink seems subtle to me.

      • Ellen

        Anyone with a long body and short legs also can have a body, especially where we have a big tuchus, b/c the pants will accentuate our short legs and tuchus. The only way we can cover this is with a big cardigan sweater, which we can start wearing, but you have to be sure the cardingan is long enough to get BELOW the tuchus, b/c the long body makes it difficult if your cardigan is not long enough and it does NOT fully go down below the tuchus, leaving it exposed to people who see the big rear end above the sweater line. FOOEY!

      • Anonymous

        Definitely. I don’t mind the fabric for the fit of the suit makes it look cheap

  2. Anonymous

    I’m a lawyer – Sr. Associate. I recently started dating a guy. We don’t have bf/gf labels yet, but have talked every day the last couple months (he travels a lot) and have kissed – no sx but I’d guess we’ll be ready the next time we see each other. He owns several small businesses as sort of a hands off owner. He just asked me to do a discrete project (my normal legal work – think, trademark registration, handbook review, corporate minute book) for one of his companies. He was clear that he’s willing to pay my firm my normal rate. I am inclined to refer him out to another lawyer because I don’t want to mix business and dating, and I also am wary of ethical rules about sx with clients. I truly believe he didn’t suggest it because he wants free legal advice now or down the road, I think he meant it that he respects my job and what I do and happens to have a need. Do I just refer him out? Do I take the work, but not have sx with him until after it’s done?

    • Anon

      Refer him to somebody else and tell him what you said here, that you understand he’s not asking you for free work but that it’s unethical (or at least in a grey area) so you can’t do it yourself.

    • Anonymous

      I’d refer him out. You guys aren’t official yet and haven’t banged – even though it’s been a couple of months this is still a potentially impermanent relationship. I had a similar situation where a guy I was dating but not official with and hadn’t gardened with was going to use my firm for some work for his company. I was so excited (I’m also an associate) to bring in the work and cleared conflicts etc. and then he ended up not being for me and I ended things and he never ended up signing the retainer. You just never know what’s going to happen in today’s dating world, so I think better to keep it far far away from your career.

      • Anonymous

        Also: you don’t want to deal with collections on this. There is just no upside.

    • Anonymous

      Take him on as a client, this way at least you have one thing for sure.

    • Anon

      I’d refer to someone in your firm and make clear to him that you can’t be involved but that you trust X person’s work. Indicate to your colleague that this is a friend referral so they don’t rock the boat too much.

    • Anonymous

      What is your firm’s policy on this? Ime some firms will allow you to represent,ie, your spouse’s business, and some won’t. Call your firm’s general counsel and ask. Definitely disclose the relationship when you run conflicts.

      Also – the rule is intended to prevent lawyers from using their position of trust to manipulate a client into sleeping with them. The situation you describe isn’t like that. But I guarantee your firm has a policy on this that is aimed to keep lawyers out of trouble with the bar, so you should figure out what the policy is and follow it. Also no you can’t just not sleep with him until you finish the work – you’re getting way too hung up in technicalities and missing the forest for the trees.

      • Ellen

        It works 2 ways. The cleint may also be trying to get some free legal advise from the OP, even tho the OP thinks he is willing to pay for it. If she ever starts gardening with him, then she is getting into a difficult area, b/c he can always hold the firm liabel for malpractice if she messes anything up, and the fact they are gardening will look bad for her, rather then for him. I would have the OP tell this guy that she wants to garden with him, but that it would be a personal conflict of interst for her to provide legal advise while haveing sex with him, and offer to provide someone in her firm who is NOT likely to start gardening with him. In this way, she can really test him out. If he signs a retatiner agreement with the firm and pays them money up front, then she can get the benefit from having brougght on a new cleint for the firm free of conflict of interest. If, on the other hand (and what I think may be the case), the guy backs away from the offer to prepay and sign on as a cleint, then it is clear he was trying to bamboozel her into sleeping with him and getting free sex and free legal advice BEFORE paying out a dollar. It just is NOT worth it to risk your professional license for the chance of getting a boyfreind and providing her with $ex. There are plenty of men willing to have $ex, if that is all she is looking for. Dad says men crave $ex from women willing to pull their panties off for them, so tell the OP NOT to fret. Other men will line up if they know she is available and willing. But I say to her keep her panties on until such time as he has signed a retainer agreement and has prepaid for the retainer.

    • Anonymous

      Check your jurisdiction’s ethical rules if you don’t plan to refer out or to another lawyer in your firm. Some jurisdiction’s expressly prohibit subject to certain conditions etc.

  3. Short torso / high waist

    Is anyone else here built with a very short torso and also a very high waist?

    I am finding that it is really challenging to find things that fit. I can order petite jackets sometimes, but for sweaters and dresses, the darts are often in the wrong place (or: they are wide where I am narrow, or vice versa). And with pants, the waist is often in the wrong place, so it is about 2″ too wide or hangs down so there is a droopy cr*tch effect (or also bad: camel toe). The change to high rise waists is NOT helping me.

    Tell me your tricks (beyond: all hail the shift dress)!

    • Anon

      I’m tall and have this issue so petites will not work for me. My solution for my entire life has been to wear separates rather than dresses and to wear more knitwear than woven fabrics. My biggest issue is usually mid rise pants. They don’t work for me at all. Even high waisted pants aren’t always high enough.

      When I was growing up my mom sewed dresses for me and she would always shorten the bodice and lengthen the skirt. I miss having custom made clothing in my life (but not enough to take up a sewing machine because sewing legit drives me crazy.)

    • Anon

      I am petite (5ft 3 inches), but have a long torso. I order everything in regular size. I have to shorten pants sometimes. If I order petite sizes, tops will be too short and pants will not have enough raise to sit properly at my waist and I get the droopy effect you are describing here.

    • Anon

      For me – petite tops, regular bottoms that 100% have to be tailored – I can often get away with seats that would be a little low because I have a little junk in the trunk.

      Also once I find a brand, I stick with it. I have long legs and a short torse, despite being 5″2, but petite pants often flood an inch above my ankles. Uniqlo dress pants have always fallen at the right length for me, and about 2 inches longer than regular petite pants. So you might have luck there. On dresses, I just buy petite midi dresses which often fall right at instead of below the knee.

    • Anon

      I’m 5’4” with a short waist and have this problem. To make it worse– I also have a small bust and wide hips. I have found that high waisted pants sometimes exacerbate this problem and accentuate how small I am up top, even when they hit at my actual waist. I normally buy petite sized tops and regular size bottoms. Dresses I can normally wear the petite size, especially with these longer dress lengths that are popular now, the petite length is not too short. I often have to size up though to accommodate my hips and have to take in the bust– so I normally buy sleeveless dresses that can be taken in. Dresses with sleeves can’t be taken in as easily.

      Also– a long third piece (drapey cardigan/blazer) can help balance out my proportions with high waisted pants. You should also try pull-on pants where the waist isn’t as much of a problem.

      • Anonymous

        OP here: this is exactly my shape (and my problems). I am also generously-hipped and -thighed, so high-waisted pants make me look extremely like those old Weeble toys. I am liking big bulky cropped sweaters (because they look normal on me) and help balance out the hemispheres. And I’d be all in on petite midi-dresses but am holding at 1 summer and 1 winter so that my closet isn’t a full dive into 2019 fashion that will look bad next year. But I am so tempted!

        [And at 5-4 and mostly leg, non-midi petite dresses can often be too short.]

        • Anon

          I’m the poster above– I actually don’t like super bulky sweaters because I think they make me look so much bigger. I used to do fitted sweaters + pencil skirts + boots in the winter, but now that I wear more pants, I think it’s harder to find a silhouette that looks okay. For work I generally do– fit and flare dress, pencil skirt + top tucked in + long cardigan, slim pants + drapey top (can’t be too bulky and needs to hit in a certain way to not accentuate hips). Casual I do– dresses with adjustable straps for summer, top + bulky cardigan + high waisted jeans, or drapey sweater + high waisted jeans, etc. Brands I like– J Crew Cameron Pants, Brass Ponte Pants, Ann Taylor Dress, Everlane and Brass everything else.

  4. Anon

    I love the shape and length of this jacket and imaginary me who doesn’t work in a casual side of business casual office is wearing it right now.

  5. Anonymous

    What are your favorite pajama pants? My Soma ones fit well (XL short) but everything else seems to roll down while I sleep.

    • Anon

      I’m late to the party on this, but I really like J.Crew’s Dreamy pjs. They have a wide, gently elastic waist AND a tie, so that should help your problem.

    • Anon

      The soma ones you probably already have. Cool nights tall length XXL. I could wear a smaller size but I like them flowy.

    • MagicUnicorn

      Gap lounge pants, the mostly cotton ones with a bit of spandex for shape. The have a stretchy waist with a soft stretchy drawstring. They are almost always sold out of my size so I stock up and hoard them whenever I can find them.

  6. Anon

    Would you rather go to a Christmas party on a Saturday night, say, 4-8 or a Sunday afternoon open house from 2-5?

    I’ve hosted it both ways over the years and I can’t decide what to do this year, but I need to make up my mind asap!

    Saturday night: feels more special, alcohol, less time to prepare, some guests may have difficulty in the dark (I invite a million people, young and old)

    Sunday: may feel like an errand?, no alcohol, more time to prepare, no need to go out after dark

    • anon

      I have a kid, and it would probably be easier for me to go Sunday–even if the kid weren’t invited, it would be easier to drop him off at my in-laws for a few hours. Assuming I could make the Saturday night party work, though, I’d be more excited about the Saturday night party!

    • Anon

      I think it depends on the vibe you are going for. I’m at a point in my life where the Saturday night party is way more appealing – both to host and attend. However, almost none of the people in attendance have to take into consideration child care or night driving. Figure out what type of event you want and which will allow the people you care about most to make it.

    • Anon

      I’d do Sunday 4 to 7 – before bedtimes but after a lot of “Sunday daytime” activities are over. As it’s early evening, it feels more appropriate to at least have wine and beer. And your food offerings can be less “lunchy”.

    • CHS

      I’d consider Saturday night to be more 7-11pm, not 4-8pm. That’s late afternoon to me. That being said, I love all the options, they’re just very different.

    • Flats Only

      Why no alcohol on Sunday? I wouldn’t expect my guests to be binge drinking on Sunday afternoon, but would certainly have beer / wine / seasonal hot toddy type of thing. From a guest perspective Sunday sounds more casual and like less of a dress up and get a sitter type of event.

      • Anon

        +1 Honestly either one sounds good to me, they’re going to have different vibes but I’m sure be equally lovely. That said, I’d still like some spiked egg nog on a Sunday afternoon.

    • Suburban

      I LOVE a good Saturday night party! So if it’s a similar vibe, go Saturday night!

      That said, I was invited to a post-holiday Sunday afternoon party (with kids) at the home of my child’s friend from daycare and they specifically said “please wear sweatpants, it’s not fancy” and it just wonderful.

      • rosie

        Oh tell me more about this. We were thinking of hosting this kind of thing, probably sometime in December, but I’m having trouble thinking through what it would look like. We’d probably do mid-morning brunch actually, because of nap schedule (and would invite daycare families + friends w/out kids + neighbors we’ve been meaning to try to hang out with). Writing that out, I think mimosa bar, but not sure what food to offer.

    • Anon

      We go to a Saturday afternoon party every year that is always really nice– a lot of people have young kids, so the time works for them. It also allows people to stop in before going to another party that evening.

      I have also hosted a Sunday brunch party that went over well.

    • Anon

      I just have a question re: why no alcohol on Sunday? I think you could still have a festive wine/cocktail on a Sunday afternoon if that timing works better.

      • Anon

        My friends would drink The Most alcohol on Sunday Afternoon and love you for it.

      • LaurenB

        I can see that people may naturally drink less on a Sunday bc they have to go to work the next day, but I too don’t get the “no alcohol on Sunday” comment. Is this a blue-laws thing, because certainly we all realize that you don’t have to buy alcohol the day you consume it.

    • Anonymous

      Do you want to provide a meal? Saturday from 4-8 pm signals that you’re providing dinner/heavy apps. Sunday from 2-5 does not; I’d expect light snacks and a festive drink. Of course you never HAVE to provide anything but if you’re not going to have food on Saturday then I think you should specify that; and if you don’t want alcohol on a Sunday afternoon you should probably tell people (because I would totally bring a bottle of prosecco).

    • Anon

      OP here. Sorry about the alcohol confusion. It’s not that there isn’t any, just that it’s not consumed. This isn’t really a party hardy crowd. While these guests will drink 2-3 glasses of wine each at a Saturday evening party, they just don’t drink much on Sunday afternoons. Historically, we’ve gone through maybe 2-3 bottles of white wine and maybe a dozen beers or so on Sunday afternoons, but many, many more bottles in the evening.

      And I always have too much food whenever I entertain anybody for anything, but especially for Christmas :)

    • Anonymous

      Why would there be no alcohol on Sunday? I always do a Sunday afternoon Christmas thing and people put away copious amount of beer/wine/mulled wine.

    • The original Scarlett

      Personally, if I’m voting, I’d much rather go to a Saturday night party and I’d be way more excited about it – an excuse to dress up and get holiday glam, whereas Sundays I just want to be a slug and enjoy a leisurely day.

  7. Anon

    I’m looking for a financial planner for some very basic questions about potential early retirement. Like social security, do my husband and I each collect our own or do we only get one? Healthcare options, safe withdrawal rate, what we can do tax-wise. I’m not all that interested in someone hawking investment products. How do you find such a person? I’m in the Bay Area if you have specific recs (prefer east bay but I also realize this doesn’t need to be done face to face.)

    • Anonymous

      If you’re open to doing a little reading, the Social Security Administration has a good website for basic information on its benefits, though it does seem geared towards retiring at 62+. Still it could be useful to review this info/log in to your personal account to get some ideas before meeting with someone in person. https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/

    • Coach Laura

      The Oblivious Investor (Blog) has a Social Security section that is helpful as a first resource. There were some changes about filing against your spouse’s benefit that he reviews, basically if you are not already of retirement age, you can no longer do some beneficial options that were previously available. He’s also written a book. He says this about getting advice: “If you’re looking for such services, I would suggest searching for a fee-only financial advisor. (The Garrett Planning Network and NAPFA are often good places to start a search.)” Fee-only advisors won’t try to sell you things in exchange for info and at a fixed-fee they might be a good bet. But learn somethings yourself first.

      The SSA actually has some helpful website info too, unlike some governmental websites that are not usable or helpful.

      There is another book that I’ve read with good reviews – Getting what’s yours. It is kind of long and wordy but useful if you’re retiring soon. Otherwise, the two ideas above would be a better overview before you talk to someone.

    • anon

      “Asked how she feels about representing the district in which Trump’s golf club sits, Briskman chuckled.
      “That feels great,” she said, laughing. “It’s just interesting, the irony is fantastic. The reason my photograph was taken is because I was cycling in my community. And his golf course happens to be in my community. It’s just awesome, I love the irony, I think it’s great.” ”
      Well done to her! I hope she meets with a lot of success and brings about good change for the people she’s serving.

  9. Anonymous

    What’s the best eyelash curler if you have long but stick straight lashes?

    • C2

      I know you’re looking for a specific recommendation, but I found the best luck with searching for one that matched my eye shape so I could curl all the lashes in one go vs repositioning it. I have similar lashes – long and they stick straight out without curling. Mascara will help them hold curl but if I don’t pre-curl, it will not curl them at all. Mine is several years old (I clean it and change the pad semi-regularly) and Sephora store brand.

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