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Updated: Aug 29, 2023 115 Comments · by

Suit of the Week: Marot x J.Crew

Suit of the Week

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woman wears navy suit with three buttons

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.

J.Crew has a limited edition collaboration with French designer Marie Marot, and I like the looks of it. I can't remember seeing a three-button blazer hardly anywhere recently (and I just did a big update on our roundup of the best suits for women). Otherwise it looks like it's cut very classically, and I like the wide leg pants with it.

The blazer is available in sizes 00-16 (in J.Crew's signature “Italian city wool” for $348; the pants are $248. Marot specializes in button-front blouses, so check those out at J.Crew if you're on the hunt and don't feel like paying for shipping from France.)

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{related: the best suits for women in 2024}

Sales of note for 9.30.24

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

Comments

  1. Anon

    Oy. Let the season of ambiguous dress codes begin.

    Just received an invitation for a holiday party for husband’s work, and spouses are “highly encouraged” to attend. There was no dress code on the invitation and it didn’t give enough context clues to figure it out, so I asked DH to ask.

    Him: “Formal. I’m wearing a suit.”

    Me: “Formal? You’re sure? Formal means tuxedos and long gowns; semi-formal means suits and knee length dresses – do they really mean formal?”

    Him: “Ok, fine, semi-formal. I’d recommend a long gown, but you could probably get away with a short one.”

    I trust my husband about thismuch on his interpretation/discussion of all this. What would you wear? Bonus points for pics/links!

  2. Gift recs repost

    Reposting as I was late this morning…
    I’m starting to think about what to get my admin assistant for a holiday gift. I can totally go generic (edible gift basket), but I do know she’s very into running. We do have one of those independent specialty running stores in town that sells shoes and clothing. Would a gift certificate to that be appropriate? Or is it too risky that it’s not going to be what she uses? Looking for something in the $200-400 range.

      • BB

        Not really. More of an office cultural thing than any legal thing. My team tends to give “real” gifts.

      • OP

        Thanks for reminding me to check! There was nothing on there when I reposted originally so I thought I’d missed the boat!

    • Anonymous

      Cash. Stop being silly. Or get her the running store gift card like everyone already told you.

      • KL

        Can we knock it off with the “stop being silly” crap? OP is asking a legit question and she said above that she didn’t see other comments on her AM post when she checked.

  3. Anon

    I love this suit but hate the styling. I’m team flats but those ain’t it. The pants are also dragging in the back, which is a big no for me.

    • Anon

      I feel like if the pants were cropped to just above the ankle, they’d work with pointy-toe flats.

        • Anon

          Last go-round I hemmed my wide leg pants to about 1/2 inch above the ground in the back, wearing the shoes I preferred with those pants, then I stuck with those shoes when wearing them. I still think that’s the right length.

          I don’t like the “flood” look.

  4. Daily meditation calendar?

    Reposting from morning thread as I posted too late:

    Does anyone have a favourite page a day calendar with meditations? I did an origami a day the past two years and loved it but am a bit over it at this point, would love to get a daily meditation at my desk to start my day in a meaningful way . But most ones I see are some kind of pseudo-self care or witticisms or proverbs, not looking for that, I would like specifically meditation prompts. Also, no religious ones please.

    • Anon

      Not exactly what you’re looking for, but in case no better option turns up, I really like Ani Trime’s Little Book of Affirmations. It’s set up with 52 affirmations and you’re supposed to meditate on each of them for a week. The book instructs you to connect it with your breath. Each affirmation is broken into two lines and you’re supposed to do the top line on the inhale, bottom line on exhale. I enjoy it and find the affirmations to be nice.

  5. combat boots help

    I recently picked up some blondo combat boots that I love, but have no idea how to style/wear them. I’ve worn them with leggings and a tunic length top but have no idea what jeans I should wear with these boots. Any help would be great! I need new jeans anyway!

    • Anonymous

      Ankle-length straight-leg jeans over the boots. The jeans should be long enough that they don’t creep up over the top of the boot shaft when you sit down, but short enough that they don’t break or puddle when you stand up.

    • Anon

      For an idea other than jeans–wear with a very tailored plaid skirt. Punk, but tailored, dressed-up punk.

    • NYNY

      I like combat boots with jeans that show them, which could mean rolled or cropped. I’ve never liked skinny jeans on me, but they are punk rock authentic if you’re into them. I usually wear mine with wide leg cropped jeans or kick flares. They’re also great with above-the knee skirts, or for a Gen X classic, black tights under ripped jorts.

  6. Anonymous

    My partner and I are getting ready to put our house on the market (we have to move for his job). Anyone have home staging tips to share? Thanks!

    • anon

      Keep it simple. Have just enough furniture in each space that it shows the function of the space. Remove any “extra” furniture, and remove your personal and decorative items. Try going through some pictures on Zillow to see how they’re staged, and notice what works and what doesn’t work.

      • Anonymous

        What do you do with a family photo wall? We have a nice coordinated gallery wall of family photos on what would otherwise be a big blank wall full of nail holes from the gallery wall. Do you just take down the gallery wall, patch the holes, and have a blank wall?

        • Anon

          Yes.

          Potential buyers want to imagine the house is theirs. Your family photos may be beautiful to you and to those who love you, but they don’t help a stranger imagine themselves in your home.

          Plus, I wouldn’t really want a stranger to see tons of photos of any kids in my family.

      • Anon

        And that shaggy cow print from Target that is in every single staged house in my city. Live, Laugh, Love!

        • Anon

          Along with the gray, plank “wood” flooring in all the flipped houses . . .

    • Anon

      Many of us are allergic to artificial fragrances so please don’t use those stinky reed sticks at all and go easy on the candles even if they aren’t lit.

      I found dusting the light fittings and bulbs so the illumination is a bright as possible helped.

      • Anon

        Also, if there is any fragrance, then I’m assuming that you’re hiding a bad odor (the unexpected dead squirrel in the wall, something musty, etc.).

    • pugsnbourbon

      Check with your realtor and see what they suggest. Ours provided free staging. If you can swing it, a fresh coat of paint makes a huge difference.

    • Anon

      If you have any large furniture you plan on selling before moving. I’d get on that asap. I recently moved. Selling a large hutch and similar type of pieces I knew we wouldn’t move really helped in our staged photos to help the rooms look larger. The only downside, is that large pieces take longer to sell on second hand market because of their size.

    • Leatty

      Are you willing to hire someone to do it? Or does your realtor include it (ours did and it made a huge difference)?

      If you’re doing it yourself, declutter everything. Then declutter more. Now once more. Keep only the essential furniture in each room; if walls are polarizing colors paint them neutral; remove all family photos, diplomas, and kids art; pack away off-season clothing so your closet looks bigger; bins, baskets, and trays are your friend – visually they trick your eyes into thinking they are one thing rather than a million things; pack a ton of your stuff in boxes so it isn’t visible.

      • Senior Attorney

        In this market I think it would totally be worth the money to hire a pro.

    • JM

      Also tidy up the closets and pantry, so it looks like they actually hold a good amount of stuff vs being packed to the gills. We put the artwork, books, holiday decorations, extraneous furniture in a POD but you may have other offsite storage.

    • Anonymous

      I’m extra but my house sold for 75k over appraisal (the buyer had to get private loan). So this is either the biggest pain in the neck or the easiest 75 k I ever made.

      I did what I called believable staging. You want to pack up whatever you can now. Your dining room cabinets should only have the prettiest china. Open all the window coverings, eliminate all clutter. Keep it spotless. Don’t set the dining room table but plop some supermarket flowers in a vase and polish the wood. Make the beds with big fluffy white duvets and sheets. Bleach it all and iron pillowcases if you have to. Fluffy white towels in every bathroom. No medical devices or pet stuff anywhere . Only cute, coordinated kids toys if you have kids. (Seriously my sons actual favorite teddy bear was stashed for a more photo ready stuffy). Nothing on the kitchen countertops. I had only high end clothes in a coordinated color pallet hanging in my closet as if I was chic women with a capsule wardrobe. I put high end designer soap next to each sink and fancy shampoo and soap in our showers.

      They will open your fridge and cabinets. I had drinks (bottle of champagne, Perrier, Diet Coke) and snacks lined up like it was a hotel minibar.

      • Anon

        This is brilliant and I would 100% fall for buying a house, believing that I would be living in a catalogue at the end of it.

        • Anon

          This is brilliant and I would 100% fall for buying a house, believing that I would be living in a catalogue at the end of it.

      • Anonymous

        Oh also: you need to sell your ‘hood. We were walking distance to a farmers market and park that does outdoor concerts so I put calendars for those on an otherwise decluttered bulletin board and hung a sturdy but pretty straw basket by the back door. Maybe I’m crazy but I think I want to quit my job and do this.

    • AIMS

      Not home staging per se, but make sure your cabinets/closets are neat. People will often want to look inside! Something well organized is a big selling point.

      There is a broker who sells a lot of apartments in my building and she is always bringing in an orchid or two (silk, fake but you can get a real one at Whole Foods/TJ’s for about $20).

    • Anonymous

      *Take all the screens off your windows (leave them in the garage) and have someone come through and wash all the windows.
      *Get rid of all your stuff. When you think you’ve decluttered enough, declutter more. Just get a storage unit and throw everything there. Empty as many closets and cabinets as humanly possible. People will open every door and look everywhere, including your closet and the garage and the attic.
      *Take down anything personal.
      *Repaint your walls (not the trim) in a neutral color – something like White Dove, or Revere Pewter, or Agreeable Gray.
      *If you can, see if you can resurface your bathtub so it looks sparkly and clean.

    • Anon

      Take down personal photos. Pare down your color scheme to neutrals or carefully coordinated colors. Clear clutter and remove functional but not strictly necessary furniture (like end tables if you already have a coffee table) to make the room look bigger.

    • Pompom

      Get “rid of” about 1/2 your stuff (storage, a cube, garage) and clear all surfaces as much as possible. The more simple and generic the better, clean and bright will help. Remove as many window dressings (drapes, not blinds) as you can, and if you can, roll up and store as many area rugs as possible.

    • little baker mouse

      If your realtor doesn’t provide staging services, and you can afford it, go ahead and hire a stager. They will have access to all kinds of things (furniture, artwork, accessories), and a good stager knows what works. They will ask you to remove all personal items, and you’ll probably have to put things in storage. I personally feel safer if I don’t have tons of personal items lying around while the house is on the market.

      When we sold a tiny condo, we repainted the entire unit (including the bathroom), removed all the window treatments (more light), and the realtor kept fresh flowers in a vase on the dining table.

      Also, something to think about – things sometimes walk away and disappear during open houses. If you love something, and don’t want to see it, um, walk away, remove it!

  7. Anonymous

    Love this suit in theory. Would you all wear this for a jury trial in the SEUS in the next couple of months? I always feel like dressing for jury trials is so hard, and is even harder now post-C.

    • Anon

      I would wear this for a jury trial, for sure. Obviously with a shirt under it. I’m in the mid-south.

      • Anon

        God, I’ve gotten so used to models not wearing shirts under suit jackets I didn’t even notice at first.

  8. ALT

    I’m moving into a client-facing role rather than an internal one and I feel like I need to step up my wardrobe and appearance to be more polished. I am planning on doing a workwear refresh since it’s about time for that anyway, but any tips or tricks on looking more polished and put together would be appreciated!

    • anon

      Consistent, well-groomed hairstyle. Blazers rather than swackets. Real shoes. Understated but nice jewelry.

    • Anon

      Audit your wardrobe and check what is in good condition: no marks, pilling, fading, loose threads etc so you can repair or replace items.
      Clean your jewellery. Polish and repair shoes.

      For me, an interesting blazer makes me feel professional and polished, but you might prefer the ease of a dress so you don’t have to worry about putting together an outfit. Some people prefer a ‘third pieces’ like a vest, scarf or statement jewellery to feel put together. Think about what you like.

    • Anon

      Everything you buy should fit you at key places, and then you tailor the rest. This is how you look polished.

      Jackets – fit in the shoulders, tailor the waist
      Blouses – fit in the bust or don’t buy
      Pants – fit the hips, always tailor the length
      Dresses and skirts should be knee or below knee length

  9. gift card help

    I’d like to get a gift card for my 13-year-old niece for Christmas. Where do teenagers spend money these days? I haven’t seen her much in the last few years and don’t know her interests. If it matters, her parents are very wealthy, and she goes to a Country-Day-type school in a large city in the SEUS.

    • Anon

      My niblings like Target and Amazon gift cards because there’s a lot of choice

      • Anonymous

        I have a daugher the same age, and agree Target and Amazon are the safest. As a parent I also appreciate Barnes & Noble gift cards. Wealthy tween girls in SoCal love shopping at lululemon, but not sure if this is true everywhere.

        • Anon

          Oh good point about Lululemon. My nieces would love that, but it needs to be $100 or more in that case.

    • NYCer

      I would probably ask her parent who is your sibling if they recommend anywhere specific. 13 can be a tricky age…strong preferences!

      • gift card help

        Neither parent is my sibling, and we’re not close to the parent who is a family member.

      • Anon

        Neither parent is my sibling, and we’re not close to the parent who is a family member.

      • Anonymous

        I have a teen and don’t think this would get used unless there is a specific item she is saving for. A rich kid probably already has all the gadgets she wants, and a gift card has to be quite large to buy anything other than an Apple Pencil. My teen does not spend money at the App Store.

      • Anon

        this is an odd suggestion to me. A gift card won’t really cover anything there, and just about everything the Apple store sells is something a 13 year old’s parents likely want some say in (AirPods really being the only exception, but they can easily be purchased at Target/Amazon). Plus a lot of people who have Apple phones, watches, computers, don’t even buy their phones through Apple.

    • LaurenB

      The teenagers I know are all happy with Starbucks gift cards (or perhaps if there is a local equivalent).

    • NYNY

      Do you have a texting relationship with your niece? By the time mine are 11-12, I start asking them directly via text what they like. I’ve recently sent gift cards to tweens & teens in my family for Puma, Tilly’s, American Eagle, and Doc Marten.

    • Anonymous

      Lululemon
      Starbucks
      the nearest boba tea shop (SO MUCH BOBA)
      the nearest indie bookstore
      Francesca’s

      Source: mother of a 12 year old girl

  10. Leatty

    Refinishing v. painting cabinets – anyone want to weigh in? We have a single 36″ cabinet in our bathroom that we want to make white (currently dark wood). The cabinet itself is in good condition, as are the doors, so we just want to change the color. The quotes we’ve gotten to refinish the cabinets seems high ($1500), so I’m questioning whether we can get away with just painting them

    Thoughts?

    • Anon

      You can just paint but painting or refinishing them on your own isn’t a hard DIY. Have painted my kitchen cabinets twice.

    • brokentoe

      Paint it yourself. Benjamin Moore makes a paint specifically developed for painting cabinetry that goes on like a dream. Plan on priming and at least two coats of paint.

      • Anon

        Definitely prime and sand off as much of any current varnish type finish as you can.

  11. Anon

    I’m looking for a leather crossbody that is on the larger side. I want to be able to store a full size bottle of water in it (like a Swell bottle). Any recs?

  12. Anon

    If anyone is still reading (maybe I’ll try again in the morning)

    I have a deep gray/charcoal EF holiday skirt, A-line, bias cut, the most beautiful silk velvet – woven, not stretch.

    What would you pair with this to make a cozy holiday outfit? Not office party as above, but at-home nice meal entertaining kind of thing.

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