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Updated: Nov 1, 2018 103 Comments · by

Thursday’s TPS Report: High-Waisted Pleated Skirt

Fashion· The Personal Shopper (TPS)· Wear to Work | · · · · · ·

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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. We're liking this bright, cheerful skirt from Calvin Klein. The key to wearing this sort of uber-feminine pieces for the office, we think, is to pair them with a structured top — a blazer, a wrapped cardigan, or even a crisp blouse. We'd look for a white or black top to compliment the skirt, but we might also experiment with navy (to compliment the orange) or even brown. The skirt is $69 at Bloomingdale's (which is having a sale right now, offering $25 off for every $250 you spend, through 5/16). Calvin Klein High-Waisted Pleated Skirt (L-3)

Sales of note for 9.10.24

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Comments

  1. dee

    I *think* i own this skirt in another pattern, and I like it very much. If you plan on buying, order at least one size down – i’m a 6, bought a 4, and had to get it taken in.

    • L

      I looked at this online and did not see the “pleats” mentioned in the description. Is it pleated? And if so, where?

      • Anonymous

        mine isn’t, it’s a straight A-line. also possible that i don’t have this exact skirt, but it looks like it and is the same price.

  2. AIMS

    I don’t think I work in the most conservative of places by any means, but I could never wear this to work. And it’s too work-like to ever want to wear in my off hours. Maybe if the print was on a shirt or even a blazer (paired with nice navy pants in summer?) . . .

    What’s funny is that I’ve probably worn more casual items on relatively quiet fridays, but I feel like because I’ve always stuck to dark colors or neutrals, no one has really minded or noticed. This would draw attention from accross the street! It is an interesting (and very memorable) skirt, it just strikes me as more of ‘ladies who lunch’ piece than traditional office wear (though I am sure this assessment would vary depending on where you are in the country).

    • Eponine

      I’m not sure I see the logic that it’s okay to wear this print as a blazer with navy pants, but not as a skirt with a navy blazer. Maybe it’s just outside your comfort zone to wear a pattern on bottom instead of on top? I don’t think there’s anything inappropriate about the skirt and if you like the pattern you should try it!

  3. B

    Cute skirt! I am loving the cheery colors lately! The only thing I dislike about it is the very visible seam in the back, but I’d be prepared to overlook it if they had the skirt in my size (which, sadly, they do not). Thanks to dee for sizing info.

  4. ceb

    I like this skirt, but I could only see wearing it on Fridays at my office. I love the bright colors, but it would be tricky to find shoes that work with it.

  5. Law-Less

    My first thought when I saw this skirt was “ick.” Literally, that’s what I said outloud! But then I started to read Kat’s styling suggestions, and I could see how this would work on someone who wears a lot of color (personally, black makes up about 80% of my wardrobe). I think that it could be a very nice option for summer at the office. This pick inspired me to think outside of my own wardrobe box a little bit, so I’m taking inspiration from this one!

    • dee

      if it helps, the skirt I got had a black and white pattern, which you may find more palatable…it’s not online, but I’m sure if you went to an actual store you’d find it.

  6. MelD

    These colors aren’t 100% my favorite, but I can see it working on a typical day in a FL office. I can’t see wearing it with a black/navy top though- they just seem too dark for the bright skirt. I have a few pink/coral sweaters that would work well with it, but they might be too much if you are not in a FL office.

  7. s-k-s

    So pretty! I love the idea of wearing it with a navy twinset and flesh-tone heels to tone it down.

  9. Grump

    Oh I love this – I’m a big fan of colour, especially when florals are involved!!! I would wear it with a white crew neck cardigan and nude courts for work.

  11. KH

    This was at my TJ Maxx a few weeks ago, along with the same style in a black/brown/white combo. I wish I hadn’t been in such a hurry that I didn’t try it on.

    • Delta Sierra

      TJ Maxx yesterday, bought a very nice DvF tote, clean lines, very well-made, fabric, originally $200, for $25, happy happy happy. Perfect for air travel. They also had a lot of nice Ralph Lauren clothes, and some not bad Calvin Klein.

      • A.

        Man, I am trying to stay out of TJ Maxx right now, and now I am so tempted to drop in and see what mine has!

    • L

      I can’t answer this without griping about the picture for a moment. Who is this geared towards? It’s a black, over-the-knee, skirt that does not seem like something people would wear out on the town or on the weekend and yet the presentation is obviously trying to make it as overtly sexy as possible! Why?

      I gripe because I can’t tell if the skirt is actually skin-tight (and made of elastic) or if just looks like that because the model is bent over and sticking out her tush. But, if it’s not skin tight and made of elastic, I think it would work in an office environment.

      • Anon

        I agree that it needs to not be skin tight/made of elastic. Also, I like high waisted skirts (I’m wearing one today) but this one looks a little too high waisted to be work appropriate (stopping just below bust = a little too much boob highlighting for my taste).

      • Delta Sierra

        I agree that it needs to not be skin tight/made of elastic. Also, I like high waisted skirts (I’m wearing one today) but this one looks a little too high waisted to be work appropriate (stopping just below bust = a little too much boob highlighting for my taste).

    • anon - chi

      Agree with L. My first thought was that it’s too sexy, but I think my reaction is really more about how the model is posed. Because it’s super high-waisted, I would go for it if you aren’t very busty but steer clear if you are, due to the aforementioned “boob-highlighting” effect. :-)

  14. zee

    Off-topic (sorry) – what shoes do I wear with a navy suit? Rookie question, I know, but I’m trying to expand my wardrobe beyond black and grey – big step for me.

    • anon

      I have a navy suit and I never wear it. Wish I’d just bought black. Everything else in my closet is based around black and gray, I figure, why bother complicating things?

    • Eponine

      I wear gray or brown. If it’s not a very dark navy, black is fine too (the rule about not wearing black and navy together is because it can make you look like you thought the navy was actually black). Cordovan is also nice, and if you’re not going for a formal look, bright yellow shoes go great with navy.

  15. KH

    Saw this today and it reminded me of the recent (and recurring) discussions about wrap dresses. This woman decided to wear the same DVF wrap dress 28 days in a row to demonstrate it’s versatility. This is clearly made easier by the fact that hers is solid black, but still – might be some stying tips to be gleaned.

    http://thedvfexperiment.blogspot.com/

    • bluebook

      I thought this would be a great idea but as I’m looking at the site, it looks like she’s wearing the exact same outfit (black dress, no jewelry, black shoes) most of the time. Is it just me?

      • MelD

        I expected a lot more from it. It didn’t seem like she put too much effort into the styling. I was expecting her to pair it with different cardigans, blazers, camis, and accessories to give it a completely different look each time. It just looks like she did nothing with it and wore it the same way every day, with the occasional scarf/shoe switch out.

        • AIMS

          I thought the same, but I think that wasn’t the point. The point was more that the dress can work in any setting, not that she can style the dress 30 different ways and it would look different each time.
          It made me really want to get a black DVF wrap dress now!!

          • Delta Sierra

            AIMS – good point, about different settings, I hadn’t thought of that.

  16. anon

    Interesting fact about Kat’s twitter note on the BR dress sale yesterday — I had ordered a dress from them a couple days ago. Yesterday went to the site to look at it again. It was definitely NOT there. Just now I noticed Kat’s thing about the BR dress sale that ended yesterday where all dresses were $98. Go back to the BR site today and look up my dress. It’s back up. Obviously they took it down so people couldn’t buy it when “all” dresses went on sale! (There’s no way ALL sizes of the dress were sold out within one day.) I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at stores trying a tactic like this, but I am.

    • KZ

      yea, this happened to me a couple of weeks ago and I was so surprised. It’s so sneaky! I can’t believe I’d never realized it before.

    • RR

      They’ve done that before. People just assumed that they were sold out, but I had suspicions. It’s incredibly shady.

    • anonymous

      Happened to me too. I was planning to buy something with the 40% Wed coupon and couldn’t find the item on a Wednesday. Thought it was sold out/discontinued. Then it reappeared. On Thursday. Grrrrrrrr.

      • kjf

        I buy much of my casual stuff from Coldwater Creek. I find that they frequently remove stuff from their site during sales. I saw a disclaimer in a print catalog once about “rotating their inventory” or something like that. Made me chuckle a bit because we all know what they are doing.

    • Clerky

      I have been SO disappointed by Banana over the last year. All my clothes used to be from there, but their quality is just awful now. I remember the days when BR was a huge step up from Gap. Now I feel like both stores carry clothing that’s pretty much the same quality.

      • MJ

        So totally agree. I had some clothes in storage and found a pair of pants from BR from two years ago with tags on (woo-hoo! shop the closet!). They didn’t fit me because I had gained some chub. Anyway, they fit me now and look great. Ironic bc I had just been to BR the week before and tried on ALL their pants and hated every fit they had. I am SO OVER BR!!!

    • AIMS

      This happens a lot. I first noticed with BB over the holidays.
      It’s very shady. I would much rather they just say “these items are for sale, these items are not.”

      • Eponine

        Seriously. I went to ATL last weekend and all t-shirts were on sale, except for one style (naturally, the style I wanted). They had no problem differentiating between the sale and non -sale ones. I’d have been annoyed if I went to the store looking for a particular shirt and couldn’t find it because they were hiding it so they didn’t have to put it on sale.

  17. 75

    A skirt like the one shown – I have been a “lady who lunches” and am now an attorney (who somethimes “lunches”) – I could not and would not wear it anywhere – anytime – in any color combo. But I do think it is a cute pattern and colorway for a swimsuit and coverup wrap. Even Calvin makes some mistakes (athough few!)

  18. Anonymous

    For crying out loud, it should be “complement” with an E, NOT “compliment”

    • Anon

      Hey, relax – maybe the black or white top is there to tell the skirt how pretty and floral it looks…

      :)

      I think we all make spelling/grammar errors from time to time.

    • Anon

      Great color. The texture kind of reminds me of the stuff I used to line my kitchen cabinets/drawers.

      • Eponine

        When I saw your comment I couldn’t figure out what you meant, and then I clicked through to the skirt and was like, oh, yeah. The fabric totally looks drawer liners. Which is a shame, because if I hadn’t thought of it I’d have loved the skirt, but now it’s all I can think of.

        I think it would probably look fine in person, though. I very much doubt it feels or hangs like drawer liners. And it’s a great color.

    • Law-Less

      I think the skirt is really cute! Not a big fan of the jacket, though. Just too much going on…

    • AIMS

      I really like this. I actually saw this online the other day and really thought about getting it. It’s a great color (not for everyone, but as a skirt, assuming you wear it with tights, esp., it will be fine on most b/c it won’t be right next to your face either way)
      I also like the detailing on the side.
      I think it would look terrible as the suit but alone it’s lovely (and I say this as someone who is not normally a fan of bright colored skirts/blazers)

    • bluebook

      The color would look AWESOME on a redhead. I’m thinking Brie Vandikamp (however you spell it) from Desperate Housewives.

    • Clerky

      Thanks for the feedback! Yes, hate the jacket with it and I would never buy that, but the skirt looks cute. Alas, I really don’t have money to spend on anything right now, but fingers crossed that the skirt will eventually go on sale.

      • s-k-s

        If there is a nordstrom’s rack in your area, there is a high chance this skirt will end up there. I get most of my classiques and semantiks stuff there.

    • jcb

      Oh, I really like it. I might get it, too. Can anyone tell me about CE sizing? Compared to BR, for example?

      • Clerky

        CE sizing is about the same as BR, I believe, but I don’t usually buy BR botoms. Look at the CE sizing charts, I find that they are usually pretty accurate. I’m usually a size 4 in most skirts and with the CE brand, I’m a size 6 in their regular pencil skirts and a size 4 in their high waisted pencil skirts.

    • Anonymous

      This reminded me – for the person who asked the other day how this green Talbots dress http://www1.talbots.com/online/browse/product_details.jsp?id=prdi24401&cmp=dfc-googleproduct was in person, I received the smaller size and it looks much better. I still wouldn’t describe it as tailored, but I like the way it looks with the belt – even my husband agreed when he saw me trying it on.

      I’m not sure why some thought the neckline was bad for larger-chested women – I definitely fit into that category and I didn’t see any problems at all.

      • guest

        Just goes to show you have to try thing on! I thought it was adorable but never would have ordered because pleats + belt sounds *horrible* for larger-chested women. But if it somehow works … I may just have to find my way to Talbots.

  20. Eponine

    I think that bright, big patterns plus pleats is going to look awful on most women. I love the colors, though.

  21. claire

    hey ladies -thread hijack – I was wondering if any of you have tips on how to become a morning person. I am sitting here, supposed to be studying for finals, but I find that every afternoon I just have no will power or motivation to study. As it gets later, my energy grows. This generally happens regardless of whether I get up early or not or how much sleep I got the night before. I just focus better at nighttime. I realize that when I get a real job I will be expected to work during normal office hours. Anyone else have this issue, and do you have any tips for resolving it?

    • bluebook

      I successfully trained myself to working well in the morning with lots of practice. Notice I didn’t say I changed into a morning person :) Basically though, you need to get up at the same time in the morning every day, for at least 2-3 weeks, and go to sleep early enough to get 8 hours of sleep. Start with baby steps (getting up one hour early, etc.) and do some exercise before you start to work. Also, if you don’t do it already, shower in the morning. All that stuff helped me, as well as a cup of joe :)

      • claire

        It’s interesting that you mention showering in the morning…I have always showered at night (in part because I do not blowdry my long hair) and I think of shower time as a way to unwind and relax before bed.

        Definitely second you on the “cup” (read: gallon :) ) of coffee though.

      • RR

        Ditto all of this. I am a natural morning person, but I get up at 5, exercise, shower, eat breakfast, drink coffee, and then wake up husband and kids by 6 or 6:30. But I go to bed before 10 every night – often by 9ish.

    • Eponine

      I think this is very typical for a lawyer (I’m assuming you’re a law student?), and at least on the east coast, will not be as much of a problem as you anticipate. 9:30-10 is a pretty typical start time, and there are a lot of afternoon coffee breaks and late nights. Of course if you want to actually have a life, it would be good to learn how to be productive in the afternoon, but then again if your workload is controlled by a boss who’s also more motivated at night, being productive in the afternoon might not save you from working late.

      I think that Lifehacker did a post on how to get up earlier not too long ago, but I can’t seem to find it now.

      • anon

        This is totally true. I’m on the east coast and I need to train myself how to become a night person. I absolutely hate how everyone comes in at like 10, 10:30 in the morning, wastes half the day, then expects you to stay all night and if you don’t, say that you’re a slacker (behind your back). This just doesn’t work for me.

        • claire

          So funny! I spent a semester working full time for a firm in Boston and everyone came in at 8 or 9, skipped lunch and was out no later than 6pm nearly every night (unless there was a major project; the latest anyone other than me was there was 8pm and BOY did she whine about it).

          Maybe we can trade jobs…..when I get one?

          Also – can anyone think of an appropriate way to ask about this issue in a job interview? “What’s the work culture like here” might not be specific enough to get the down and dirty on what the busiest hours are. Outright stating that you have a preference one way or the other could backfire.

          • Eponine

            Ask the interviewer to describe a typical day in the office. Most people will mention what time they get in.

    • Louise

      I find that I need almost a full hour between waking up and being able to face other people. At first, I hated getting up earlier to give myself that buffer time, but now I like it. I read the paper, drink some coffee, solve a sudoku or two and wake up slowly.

      After that, I appear to be rather chipper and rarin’ to go. But I’m not really a morning person for that first hour.

      • Night Owl

        I’d love to be ready to face the world in an hour! For me, it’s 2-2.5 before I feel human (yes, to be at work at 9, I need to get up around 6. crazy.) Fortunately, I can use that time for yoga, coffee, showering and commuting. I would so love to be able to wake up faster. Tips?

        • Eponine

          Me too, although I find that walking outside helps me wake up a lot faster. You could try that instead of yoga maybe?

          • MelD

            I tend to switch off between yoga/walking and find that yoga gives me more energy throughout the day. I think poses where your head is below your heart like downward dog/forward fold are supposed to be great for energy levels.

            I really have no tips on how to wake up faster. I consider myself a morning person, but I have no appetite for at least 30-45 minutes after I wake up. Usually I take a shower, eat breakfast and am out the door in 75 minutes. Anything less than that and I’m still a little grumpy and tend to forget stuff.

    • guest

      In a sense, it might be about mindset. I am normally a big ‘evening’ person. I often have a hard time really kicking it in at work until 4:00 p.m. No kidding. Not good for the social life. But I got busy at work a while back and started this new habit out of necessity, which I’ve continued out of efficiency, that seems to be working well for me. First thing I do when I get up in the morning is log in and check my work email and do something small — send emails, revise a short memo — then shower and get ready. I find that by starting out in this mind-set, I am thinking about work while getting ready and commuting, and ready to then get to it as soon as I get to work and boot up. Now, this admittedly completely ruins any chance at a “leisurely morning,” but I find that it totally pays off when my day’s work is done at 7:00 instead of midnight. (Like today! Heading home! Yay!)

  22. housecounsel

    Got the Talbot’s green dress in the mail yesterday – haven’t tried on yet. Who else bought it?

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