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Updated: Apr 23, 2020 132 Comments · by

Thursday’s TPS Report: Shrunken Knit Blazer

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. Eight Sixty Shrunken Knit Blazer iconLooove the look of this shrunken knit blazer. It's a stretchy cotton/poly/spandex blend, so you know it's comfortable, but it adds a nice dose of professionalism to longer blouses (as pictured), as well as with A-line skirts (or, on the weekend, jeans). It's $98 at Nordstrom in “denim gray” and blackicon. Eight Sixty Shrunken Knit Blazer icon Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail editor@corporette.com with “TPS” in the subject line. (L-2)

Sales of note for 9.30.24

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

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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. AIMS

    I like the way this looks in the pic & the “denim gray” seems more gray than denim, thank goodness, but some of the reviews are giving me pause (cheap looking, not worth the price, etc.) . . . Has anyone actually ordered this/seen this in person?

  2. L

    I like this a lot. If it is not too “cheap looking” as per the reviews on the site, it would be a great jacket to throw on in the office.

  4. Mary

    Perhaps a stupid question: What is a shrunken blazer? (Or, if I am misreading, what is shrunken knit?) How is this different from a regular blazer except that it’s a bit shorter than a suit jacket? (Or a regular knit?)

    • anon

      I’m not totally sure. I’m guessing it’s more fitted, and maybe with 3/4 sleeves? That’s what I’ve picked up from the things I’ve looked at online. I haven’t tried on any in stores so I can’t say for certain.

    • Anon L

      I’ve gathered that “shrunken” means it literally looks as if someone “shrunk” it in the dryer. So everything about it is slightly tighter, shorter, and more fitted.

  6. stc

    So glad I’ve finally started my job and realized what a casual law office I work in (also, a casual town altogether-we moved so I hadn’t really figured this out). If you’d asked me two months okay if this was okay for work, I would have said no. But honestly, this would super cute at my work. Also, I would REALLY like my bar results now. Happy Thursday!!!

      • stc

        Yakima in Eastern/Central Washington. We moved from Seattle two months ago for my job and just love it so far. Small, friendly, lots of sun…an ironic sign that doesn’t mean to be ironic welcoming folks to the “Palm Springs of Washington.”

        • Jen L

          Good luck! They mail them out on Friday right? New York won’t even tell us a date. They say sometime in November, but a friend of mine who took it last summer was emailed her results in October. Needless to say, I’m a little on edge.

          • stc

            So horrible not to have a date! They mail them Friday but unless the mail is super speedy over here, I won’t find out until Monday when they post them. Good luck to you-hopefully its early in November!

          • i'm nobody

            i got my New York results the day before Thanksgiving, but that was almost 10 years ago.

          • Anon

            My friends who took the NY bar last summer actually got their results the first Thursday in November (the same day that TX results came out).

        • cbackson

          Just FYI, they *say* they mail them on Friday, but I got mine that Saturday in the mail, so I think they mail them earlier. Good luck!

  7. Cubicle Chic

    Great recommendation! I like the shrunken shape and it would be perfect for adding a little “professionalism” to some more casual blouses. I actually recently bought something similar from Zara (same blend of materials), and it is wonderfully comfortable.

  8. MM

    Gr… just to share another “ruffle” story. My go-to suit has recently developed a hole, so I need to replace it. And ideally this week, since I have client meetings all next week. I’m really busy, but I took the time to stop by BR yesterday. They had only *one* suit with both pieces in my size, so I picked it up, stood in line for *15 minutes* for the dressing rooms, and then got in to realize that — horror of horrors — there was a gauzy ruffle around the placket and bottom of the jacket. I just turned right out and walked right out of the dressing room without putting any of it on. I’m so angry.

    • MsZ

      MM – sorry you didn’t like it! I have that suit (navy, right?) and practice in a very conservative state – I feel it adds a bit of style and femininity without being too “too.” Maybe give it another shot? The ruffle isn’t quite noticeable when the jacket is on.

      • L

        Ditto. I have that suit too and really like it. I don’t notice the ruffle much, but feel like when it goes out of style I can have a tailor remove it.

        • eyes

          L – I have done just that with a jacket and a suit…I found that after a season’s worth of wear, the gauzy part starting looking ragged. It was an easy fix. Kudos to you!

        • MM

          I’m curious about that. I thought about it, but was worried it might be quite expensive? Thoughts or experience on this?

    • ceb

      Suprised that you are “so angry” over a ruffle you didn’t notice before you got in line. Did you not look at the item up close at any point during the “15 minutes” you waited for a dressing room?

      Don’t mean to be snide, but as a ruffle-enthusiast, I am losing patience with all the ruffle-bashing around here.

      • AIMS

        I’ve been caught off guard by ruffles more than once. In my own, entirely personal opinion, they rarely belong on business clothes & especially in the very odd places ruffles have been found lately (e.g., shoulder seams a la yesterday’s suit of the week), so I can see how one could miss the oddly placed ruffle when it is just so unexpected. . . . though I guess with its popularity, it shouldn’t be.

      • MM

        Nothing against ruffles in general — I do wear them, and was in fact wearing a ruffled cardigan the day I was there. It is more (a) not on a suit, and (b) the only suit in my size must be ruffled? I am tired of having so few non-ruffled options. I don’t want to be ruffled everyday.

        (And I truly did wait for 15 minutes. The only saving grace was that I wasn’t holding the suit the whole time, since the sales person had hung it in the back for us while we waited.)

      • ML

        I like ruffles, but do not ware them out of fear that they will compromise my professionalism – making me seem inconsequential or leading others not to take me seriously. Male others.

      • anon

        I did not take the OP’s post as being against all ruffles all of the time. But sometimes it is extraordinarily difficult to find just a basic, classic, conservative suit. Sometimes it seems like everything has a ruffle, or bow, or weird trim, or only comes in odd colors, etc. It is really frustrating. Especially when you consider that most men can go out and find something basic and conservative whenever they want, without much effort at all.

  9. MsZ

    Longtime lurker, relatively new poster here. How do you ladies style a shrunken blazer? I’m quite tall (over 6′) so I’ve spent most of my teen/adult life trying to avoid that shrunken look. But now that it’s trendy, it seems that most blazers for the average gal would look “shrunken” on me — making it easy for me to work this trend, if I knew how. Thanks for any tips!

    • naijamodel

      I’m 6’1, so I feel your pain :)
      I’ve worn blazers over longer tops (looser, unstructured sleeveless tops) with straight-leg pants and a statement necklace or bracelets.

      I’ve also worn them over knee-length pencil-skirts with a cute blouse and “statement” shoes. (careful with the fit of the skirt…if its extremely fitted you will be very constricted in your movements, lol)

      IMO, the key is to keep the top/shirt simple. I find that a “busy” top makes the outfit look cluttered.

    • j

      i’m 6’1 and wear blazers casually with a more tunic-like top, skinny jeans, and boots. My favorite, though, is blazers with dresses (like this: http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/96456#tab3). I don’t seek out shrunken blazers because they tend to make me feel like Chris Farley in Tommy Boy (“fat guy in a little coat…”), the longer, looser style looks better on my frame, at least.

    • i'm nobody

      i’m not as tall as you (5’10” and heels can take me up to 6’2″ or 6’3″) but in addition to the suggestions above, i also love a shrunken blazer with a more tailored tank or camisole, super-wide-leg trousers and heels.

    • S in Chicago

      I prefer them for more casual looks. On weekends, I like to pair a fitted 3/4 sleeve blazer on top with jeans and a long sleeve lightweight layering tee. And one of my favorite fall outfits right now is to wear a purple corduroy pencil skirt (got at GAP last year) with an oatmeal and gray-flecked cotton turtleneck, a shrunken black blazer, and opaque black tights with simple booties that blend into the tights. I really like having a bit more structure than a cardigan can provide.

      • MsZ

        Thanks everyone! I’ve been leaning towards the “boyfriend” style blazers as well but always end up feeling like a Talbots model (not that that isn’t a great look, I just don’t feel comfortable in it). I haven’t been able to figure out how to loosen it up. Thanks for the suggestions! Now that fall is officially here, it’s time to try them out!

  10. Amy

    I don’t love the shrunken blazer but I l ove the shirt underneath. Does anyone know where I can find that?

  11. pansy

    I think this “too small imitation blazer” is appropriate if you are (1) 13-17 year old and (2) stick thin. Otherwise, I really do not think this looks appropriate for anyone over the age of 26.

    • D

      I lived in that look when I was 17-22 and stick thin. I miss it. I think it is a great look, but agree that not everyone can wear it.

    • Louise

      I think the “shrunken” look is a bit too twee for me. It just looks like the model is wearing the wrong size.

      • Anon

        I think a lot of people on this site use the term ‘twee’ incorrectly.
        It does mean overly cutesy and sweet, but not in the way that a lot of people here use. ‘Twee’ would be a good descriptor of some of the overly-precious Anthropologie clothes, or maybe certain segments of hipster Brooklyn, but not this blazer, and not shrunken blazers generally, which if anything are simply just teen-y.

        • Louise

          No, that’s exactly what I meant. Overly cutesy and sweet, like a little girl in pigtails would wear it. But thanks for making me spell it out :-)

          • Anon

            I am such a nerd about this. Twee is cutesy & precious & sweet but in an ironic way. So not so much little girl in pigtails, but a 28 year old in them. :)

  12. Parisienne

    I bought a jacket with a gauzy ruffle around hem and sleeves. I cut the gauze off the hem but left it on the sleeves, and I like it a lot.

  14. Threadjack

    Cold weather Corporettes, The past two mornings have been a little bit frosty, meaning that fall is on its way. This will be my first winter back on the East Coast in a while and I was thinking I might give myself the gift of an electric blanket. Does anyone use one? Any recommendations? Any knowledge of whether some of those pesky safety concerns that I recall from my teen years have been put to rest …

    • Veronica

      I bought a cheapo electric blanket from Target three years ago and have been using it with no problems every winter – I don’t think there are safety concerns with them anymore unless you are either very old or very drunk and leave it on high for hours, since it can burn you over time if you are unconscious.

      • Ru

        Also, I think they’re not recommended for diabetics. There are usually some interesting warnings on the boxes. I discovered this *after* I bought one for my dad, who is diabetic (I’m genius, I know).

    • KateL

      Family members swear by an electric mattress pad – turn it on 10 minutes before bed and slide into a warm bed.

      • fresh jd

        Yup, I have one too, but got annoyed of the wires/box that goes at the foot of the bed under the mattress sheet. I might bring it back though for the winter.

      • sgb

        Yeah, we had an electric blanket for a number of years, and recently switched to an electric mattress pad, the mattress pad is much better. The heat just makes the sheets feel warm/hot. The blanket sometimes feels TOO hot TOO close to your skin.

        We bought ours at CostCo several years ago…

    • Anonymous

      There is some concern about using electric blankets and mattress pads while you’re pregnant. My OB advised against it, and the winter I was pregnant (and the next, when my kiddo was still pretty small) I didn’t use one. Since then, I have used my electric blanket almost every winter. I don’t think the EMFs emitted by the blankets are any worse for you than the computers we’re around all day long. If you’re cold and not planning on getting pregnant, get one!

      • hate the cold

        i became extremely frugal last winter (dunno why, wanted to spend more money on booze and clothes, i guess) so i refused to turn my heat on. i only survived because of electric blankets. i like to get one with dual controllers so that i can go to sleep on a really hot side and then, if it turns out to be too hot during the night, i slide over to the other side that’s set to like…3 or 4. perfect.

        my sister has the mattress pad and loves it but make sure you put it on the right way. she had the foot end at the head of her bed for a while. the head end doesn’t get as hot (or might not get hot at all) but the foot end certainly does. she had a hot head and cold feet until she figured it out.

        • Anon L

          “i became extremely frugal last winter (dunno why, wanted to spend more money on booze and clothes, i guess)” <— story of my life. I often jokingly tell people that I am "qualifiedly cheap," lol. =)

    • KW

      I recently got married and we upgraded to a king size bed, so I had to get a new electric blanket. I got it at Bed, Bath and Beyond and love it! Here’s the link:

      http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=127164.

      It automatically turns off after 10 hours, which is nice in case you forget. Plus, it wasn’t too expensive, and you can usually find 20% off coupons somewhere for BB&B.

      • Suze

        I have these BBB ones for my kids and they looove them. It doesn’t get *that* cold here (high 30’s/occasional 20s at night) and we basically don’t use heat at all – hubs has a ‘thing’ about it, so we huddle around the fireplace on cold nights and then dash to freezing bedrooms, but even tons of blankets weren’t keeping them warm enough. I was worried about safety, especially the slow burn/bake into some heat induced coma, but the well calibrated controls and auto shutoff reassured. I’m very happy with them and def recommend!

  15. surrounded by lawyers

    Random work-related thought: Ever heard the line “your lack of planning is not my emergency”? It’s so right on…but I just want to observe that the only person one would ever really want to say it to is the last person in the world one could *actually* say it to. Especially in the middle of dealing with an emergency…that resulted from their poor planning.

    • Anonymous

      Yes, I very often find the person that is most in need of that comment is the person I absolutely cannot say it to. I think it must be a universal problem :)

      • Anonymous

        If you are talking about the boss, I have to say that after I finally did say it, my stomach stopped hurting and my relationship with him improved. In this situation, he is the supervisor of all the attorneys, but I have a few cases with him. He is a terrible procrastinator and then dumps on me at the last minute. I decided I would tell him early on what part of a project I would do and when I would get it to him and what I need back from him if he needs more help from me. For your own health, do it!

        • Been there, done that...

          Agree with this advice. It’s hard to speak up, but it can really work. I worked for a partner who scared every one. He was an old, cantankerous guy whose normal volume was yelling. He would often come out of his office, yell at me to do something and dump a pile of files on my desk. When he wanted me to come to his office, he would yell out his door for me. One day I was out at lunch and he actually came to find me because he hadn’t gotten a response to all of his yelling. I told him that I didn’t care if his name was on the door, his behavior was unacceptable. If he wanted to speak with me, he would have to do it in a normal voice and use the telephone to call me. Guess what? It worked. He was always nice to me after that.

    • Ru

      That is a great saying. I’m going to try to incorporate this into my work ethic.

  16. divaliscious11

    It’s cute, but its seem like a look only the petite can pull off, ie… shrunken by choice, not by accident…..

  17. lawyergrrl

    I don’t consider myself hyper-sensitive on the issue of emaciated models (which is clearly a serious problem & an industry standard we all grapple with). But I cannot let this one pass: The model in this photo is way too thin. Her head seems ginormous and oversized relative to her body — her body is so undersized that her head appears it could have been photoshopped onto the image. Shrunken blazer? . . .Shrunken body! Maybe I’m having a critical moment, but to me: this model looks and is distorted.

    • AIMS

      I don’t know, I think the model looks fine. Many of my friends look like this & they are perfectly healthy & eat well, etc.
      But full confession, my head sometimes looks big in pictures so maybe I am just being defensive of us big head/small body folks :)

      • Anon

        So, who has an undistorted body? People have large heads, large foreheads, small hands, short necks, large eyes, small teeth, no waists, wide hips and no butts. That’s just PEOPLE.

        I think the model looks fine. People are born slim with round faces.

        Unless you know someone personally and very well at that, you have no idea if they are naturally thin, or unhealthily thin. Being critical of people’s bodies is really unnecessary – whether they are slim or fuller-figured.

    • D

      Your comment bothers me. You don’t know the model or her situation, so please don’t comment on her weight. You wouldn’t say she’s too fat, even if you thought so.

        • lawyergrrl

          Fascinating responses so far. Surely my intent is not to “bother” anyone — but the idea that we shouldn’t comment on the weight of a model who appears (to me) to be distorted — and I’m sticking to my term — is nonsense. As a person in the world, I’m entirely aware that people come in all packages. Yea for that. But when the fashion industry (or any industry for that matter) manipulates an image, that’s distortion. When a model appears unwell (and I say “appears” because I do understand that these things strike us all differently based on our own experiences), I think it’s entirely appropriate fodder for comment. I appreciated AIMS’ response (above), even though she disagreed with me. Your invitation for me (or anyone else) not to comment because you disagree is inappropriate and itself rather bothersome. Nothing in my tone was self-righteous. How ’bout you much?

          • D

            I happen to look like the model. To me, your comment indicated that you think my body is “distorted” – which bothered me. I think that goes further than disagreement, and is not inappropriate.

            And really? “How ’bout you much?” That’s not a self-righteous tone?

    • kellyn

      I think she looks ok. You sometimes never know peoples’ situations. I had a friend once ask me (about another friend) whether said very very skinny friend was a vegetarian or had an eating disorder. You never know.

      • kellyn

        Edit: not implying that all vegetarians look like they have eating disorders.

        Oh, foot in mouth. Tastes great. :(

    • Anon

      This issue comes up so often in comments here that I’m tempted just to make a macro with this response. When you comment on a model’s body, you are not body-snarking a regular person (frankly, with photoshop, it is likely not even her actual body). You are commenting instead on the choices that stores etc make to present certain body types as ideal. If all of a sudden, all models were obese, and young girls everywhere were gaining weight and giving themselves diabetes in an effort to meet that standard, I’d say “hey, let’s try to have more healthy-looking models for young girls to emulate.” In the actual world, it is fair to say the same about too-skinny models.

      • Anon

        My problem is that people think it is okay to comment on models being “too skinny” at all. This girl looks like me (with different hair) – I’m tall, I’m quite thin. I’m sorry if that bothers you – do you want to take it up with my parents, since they gave me those genes?

        People.Have.Different.Body.Types.

        I have no problem with anyone saying that they wished the fashion industry engaged a more diverse array of body types for advertisements. Me too! But I have a big problem with people getting up in arms about skinny women and how they must be ill. Like women of all other shapes and sizes, some of us are just fine, and some of us probably have disordered eating/habits/image. I’ve known 5-11, 110 lb women with super high metabolisms who can’t put on extra weight despite drinking daily weight-gain shakes, and 5-11, 200 lb women with eating disorders. You can’t tell from a photo.

        • Anon

          Not all skinny women must be ill (FWIW, I’m tall and thin too, though thank god I don’t have a BMI of 15.3 like the “high metabolism” woman you identify — I’m right above 18.5, where “underweight” starts), BUT … I have a friend who is a pediatrician specializing in adolescent eating disorders, and believe me, the excessive and exclusive focus on thinness in models and actresses poses real health concerns for many young girls. If you’d prefer people to say — hey, let’s only feature excessively thin women in proportion to their actual presence in the population (what? 1%), that’s cool with me. I think that would work. But we are nowhere close to that.

        • Anonie

          Precisely.

          And pray tell – what makes models not “regular people”? How do you know its not her actual body and is photoshop? Your prejudice is showing, no matter how much you try to cover it up with “concern”.

          Just because you don’t have that body-type does not mean its not real or regular people don’t have it.

          And again, I think you all know these comments would not be generally acceptable if they were directed at plus-size or fuller figured women or their images.

        • anonymous

          Wow bitch!! Chill out. You are overly sensitive, must like someone who is insecure. Chill out, I’d kill to be too skinny.

          Not the OP, but you need to stop complaining “woah is me, I’m thin”

        • anonymous

          I think you are a complete and utter disgusting, ignorant person.

          1. I bet you are not that healthy. At least your attitute implies otherwise. Pent up anger, frustration, complaining, etc.

          2. I KNOW Nordstrom photoshops their catalog and website, my cousin actually does work for them.

          3. The OP is entitled to her opinion.

          4. Most models are not healthy. Have you met any? Been to fashion week and seen them? I’m betting most of you have not.

        • Cat

          @anonymouses at 12:43 and 12:47 — please leave. Even though I personally do not like to get into these issues in the comments here, I can appreciate that people were being generally respectful in tone until we reached you two (if you aren’t actually the same commenter).

          • anon - chi

            Ditto. It is one thing to disagree with someone’s analysis, or even their opinion. It is quite another to resort to name calling in response to what looks like a perfectly respectable and polite post – even if you disagree with it.

          • Anon

            +1!

            I was SHOCKED to read the “b-word” up there. Yikes.

            Anonymous(es), there are plenty of places on the interwebs for you to use such hateful language. Please go to one of those instead.

    • fresh jd

      I think she looks fine. I am surprised that this is the photo that would disturb someone. I’ve seen far worse. This one didn’t strike me as abnormal at all.

      • an0n

        yeah…it seems to me like her head size is probably due to how she’s standing. i actually looked at the picture and thought she was a cute model (and this after looking through fashion week pictures from portland all morning and staring at REALLY skinny girls).

        cameras do weird things to people. seriously. gizmodo had a post about it yesterday.

      • jcb

        agree – I actually consciously thought that she was a cute model, has kind of a baby face. I don’t think she looks “distorted” at all.

      • Anonymous K

        I agree. I actually didn’t think twice about her weight. After reading the initial comment that started the discussion and looking more closely at the model, I actually think she looks slightly fuller than your “average” model, especially in the hips and thighs.

    • i'm nobody

      i don’t say this to get into the scuffle–i think there is no place in this blog, which is supposedly a forum for intelligent professional women–for any kind of bodysnarking, model or not.

      but that aside, the fact is, a lot of women struggle with eating and body image disorders, and many have histories of disordered eating/behavior. Criticism, by our peers, of another woman’s body (too fat, too thin, too anything), mentioning numbers, comparing diets, etc. can be triggering.

      this blog is a long way from heavily moderated, and there are benefits to that. there are also downsides. if you want to enlighten the conversation here, i encourage you to read the commenting policy over at jezebel[dot]com. they put things better than i have.

      • lawyergrrl

        Since I started this kerfluffle, I will weigh in (ha) one more time. Mine was not a snark directed at the individual model. My comment reflected my initial & sharp impression of this image. For whatever reason, I had a strong reaction to it — and I shared it. I do not regard it is as inappropriate to comment on representations that, in my opinion, can be harmful to women. You may disagree about today’s model. You may think she looks great or healthy or cute &/or a million other things. That’s fine. Truly I found it super interesting that most people that posted didn’t have the same reaction I did. That’s the point of posting, to take the temperature on a reaction like mine this morning & see if it was just a hyper-critical moment, or if others feel the same. But I didn’t attack the model personally or her mother, her first born, or anyone here who may resemble her (talk about get over yourself). And the super-snarks that followed my post seem inappropriate and totally surprising (to me, anyway). Don’t agree? Feel free to comment. But I wouldn’t tell someone not to post simply because I disagree about an inherently subjective topic. Wowza. Just another $.02 from this lawyergrrl!

    • KZ

      I now just assume all pictures in catalogs, magazines, and online shopping have been photoshopped unless proven otherwise.

      i don’t think her head looks too big, but it does look like a strange angle. which makes me think photoshop.

    • sittininla

      This comment was spot on, please, it is well known that there is a huge problem with eating disorders and unhealthy body image in the modeling community. (Ever watch project runway extras and see the models fainting every fashion show because they are so weak?)

      • MelD

        I think part of the issue in shows like PR is that it’s filmed to look like they walk out onto the runway immediately when really there can be several hours between the dressing and the runway/judging. They may also be in dresses that don’t allow for them to move much or sit, so I can easily see how one might faint. I get lightheaded pretty easily if I have to stand still for any long period, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with whether I’ve eaten enough.

  18. dee

    Threadjack:

    I just bought a sleeveless sheath dress that I loooove. My favorite part about it is the waistline, which is very flattering on my shape. It is especially flattering in profile. Unfortunately, the dress is sleeveless and so requires a cardigan, which all but covers up the flattering-ness of the dress (even if i leave it open, because you still can’t see the side/back of the waist). Does anyone have any shoulder-covering options that won’t cover up my waist?

    I already tried a turtleneck underneath and it looked odd. It was yellow though so that may have contributed to the oddness. The problem I have with shirts underneath dresses is that I’m already busty, so adding more bulk right there doesn’t help. But if you have suggestions for super-thin turtlenecks I am all ears.

    • surrounded by lawyers

      J. Crew makes tissue-weight turtlenecks which have worked well in layering for me.

      Another option would be something like a shrug, though depending on your office it might be hard to make it look as professional as you’d want. I guess it would have to be a very conservative cut and color, and work well with the dress to look weekday rather than party.

      • AIMS

        Gap had great tissue thin turtle necks last year. Jcrew are nice, too.
        I think you should def. try with a solid, dark color — not yellow — to see if that makes a difference. I also do non-turtlenecks under sleeveless dresses. I like American Apparel shirts (very thin & unobtrusive); & I also got some nice, thin long sleeve tees at AT Loft this past weekend for about $12 that might work for this sort of thing.

      • dee

        I was thinking about a shrug but had the same thoughts – would seem more “party” than “office” and possibly also a little too juniors dept. The turteneck I tried was a J. crew tissue-thin, but I think the problem was more the fact that it was yellow. I’m going to try a black one and see how it goes.

        • surrounded by lawyers

          A neutral color, like taupe or buff pink, is also an option–depending on the color(s) of the dress. If black seems too heavy/intense, or if you just want more than one way to wear it, as anon-ny suggests.

        • jcb

          I got a great tissue-thin black one from the Gap, though it was last year. I’d second trying out other neutrals like gray or taupe as well for softer contrast with the dress.

    • anon-ny

      tissue-thin turtlenecks work well under sheath dresses and I think button-ups so as well but I don’t have the bustiness issue. I suggest trying a variety of long-sleeve shirts in different colors to see what works best. You may find a few good ones that change the look of the dress and get more use out of it.

    • tally

      Am I the only one who thinks that it is acceptable to wear a sleeveless sheath dress at the office? I am wearing one today and have received compliments from co-workers and judges alike. Now I’m worried that I should run home to get a cardigan!

      • surrounded by lawyers

        I had assumed the OP wanted to wear something with it simply because it’s getting colder.

      • Elle 2

        I think it depends on where you work. Bare arms is against the written dress code at my particular office, but it may be perfectly acceptable at yours!

      • E Anon

        Can’t say whether you’re the only one, but I can say that I don’t find sleeveless items on their own to be office appropriate in the biz casual office where I work, even though I think our dress code is silent on the issue.

      • SF Bay Associate

        Sleeveless (if otherwise modest neckline and “backline”) are fine in my office. I just get cold.

      • Eponine

        It’d be fine at my office, so long as you didn’t have a big meeting, but I’d freeze.

    • Anon L

      Depending on your firms official/ unofficial dress code, you could always try a larger lightweight scarf that would cover your shoulders some?

    • Anonymous

      A tissueweight turtleneck underneath might look odd to you because you’re not used to it, but objectively look great. Ask people who see you in person for feedback. I personally really like this look.

      I have a couple tissueweight turtles from Target, I think Merona brand. They’ve held up well for a few years.

    • Anon

      Over the years, I’ve found a few shrugs that solve this exact issue. Granted, I’ve had to search high and low for shrugs that skate the nice-enough-for-work-but-not-cocktail-party-esque line.

      Since the current trends are not conducive to this particular look, I would check out your local nicer consignment stores to see if they have anything to fit the bill.

  19. cardiganista

    Threadjack – sorry. Does anyone own the J. Crew wool crepe suit in charcoal? I saw someone posting on that suit in “cool dusk” which is apparently a blue-grey light colour. It’s also available in dark charcoal, which is too dark for me. I want just a medium dark grey…but worried that the charcoal is going to be blue-toned as it appears in the website picture.

    Any insight would be great!

    • Eleanor

      I have the wool crepe two-button blazer, Durham pants, and pencil skirt in the charcoal. It’s definitely a gray suit; it does have blue undertones, but no one would ever say it was blue. It’s not as blue as it looks in the pictures on the j.crew website. However, I have noticed that it looks odd when I wear medium or bright blue shirts underneath it. Somehow that brings out all the blue in the suit and it’s too much. It looks better with bright pink, red, or orange. I actually used this as my interview suit for a while (until I switched to navy), and I really like it.

      That said, I like the navy suit better, because it’s the super 120’s fabric, which feels more structured, while the wool crepe is softer (I don’t mean softer to the touch; the wool crepe has a slightly bumpy texture). I guess the structure just gives me more confidence. I realize you didn’t ask about fabrics, though, so maybe this won’t make a difference to you at all.

      So basically, if you just want a medium-gray suit, I think this is a good choice.

      • cardiganista

        Thanks! I do like wool crepe as a fabric – I just like its feel. I’m thinking of a super 120’s suit too but just wanted to know that the wool crepe is actually a medium grey suit and i’m not getting something weirdly coloured I won’t like.

        • Eleanor

          In that case, go for it!

          Really, the amount of j.crew clothing I own is embarrassing.

  20. DC

    Any one know when Nordstroms has sales? I mean, is it pretty often and should I wait to buy if something is not on sale or is it just every few months and I should probably go ahead and buy something at regular price since I really like it and it’s in my size? Thanks!

  21. mcarter

    Love this blazer. I looked the past two weeks for one with no luck at all, and found one yesterday at thrift store! I’m really small, so I actually got a little boys size in black for about a dollar. (found that hint on a blog) I’m going to shorten the sleeves with my sewing machine, maybe find some cooler buttons than the plastic ones on it now. Not recommending it for work, but it’s definitely fun for something casual!

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