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Tuesday’s TPS Report: Classiques Entier ‘Mouline’ Cardigan

Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

OK — We genuinely love this cardigan from Nordstrom's in-house line, Classiques Entier. We love the wide, open weave on the front, and the thin ribbing on the sides; we also love that it will look just as great with jeans as it will with trousers.

We'd accessorize with a long pendant necklace (perhaps one of Tiffany's key necklaces), or perhaps a series of 2 or 3 layered necklaces — or even just simple pearls. It's $168 at Nordstrom, in black and purple, in sizes XS to XL. Classiques Entier ‘Mouline' Cardigan

Some of our favorite classic cardigans for the office as of 2024 include those below — definitely check Talbots and J.Crew Factory if you're looking for plus sizes, and Quince is always a nice affordable option. Veronica Beard and Brooks Brothers both keep a bunch of options in stock.

woman wears 100% cotton twinset cardigan and shell; she is wearing navy with black
Brooks Brothers
woman wears cashmere cardigan
Talbots
woman wears pale blue cashmere cardigan with matching pale blue cashmere shell; it's a twinset
Veronica Beard
green cotton twinset cardigan and shell with a Blackwatch plaid skirt
J.Crew Factory

Sales of note for 12.5

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

27 Comments

  1. This is very pretty but something that I would need to try on before buying. I’m not sure if the lack of any sort of fastener on this cardigan would make the whole thing seem baggy. Beautiful color though.

  2. I love it, but agree with lawdiva — I’d have to try it on. It might make me look too stocky or something.

  3. Random question — I just started working in big law and noticed that many women here wear button down shirts tucked into their pants. On me, the tucked in shirt looks strange. Does anyone else have this problem, where untucked shirts just look better? I can’t understand why this is because I’m relatively thin, about a size 4/6, pear shape, with a mostly flat stomach. It “should” look ok on me but it doesn’t. Advice appreciated.

    1. It might be the cut (fitted vs not).

      Or — this is something I’ve noticed for myself, personally — sometimes when you don’t wear clothes a certain way (e.g., tucking your shirt in), doing it suddenly just looks weird to your eye. But it doesn’t actually look weird — you just have to get used to it. I don’t know if I am explaining it right but as an example — in H.S., I wore a lot of eyeliner & thought I looked awful and weird w/o some under my eye. Then I stopped, and now I like the way I look w/o excess eyeliner much better. Maybe it’s just a matter of percerption?? (Ask a trusted friend what she thinks).

      1. AIMS — I totally agree with you on the perception point, but my husband agrees that it doesn’t look right on me either (even though he is super complimentary about me otherwise!). The fitted v. not is something I should look into more.

        Zee — that’s what I am doing right now too.

        1. Trust your husband then! Sometimes perception is not the issue :)
          You might check out shorter shirts, too. I find that longer shirts on me tend to create a pouch effect when tucked in. You can always just stick to shells & thin sweaters (I do, because I just find them more comfortable), but if you’re determined to get a few button downs to tuck in, go to a store with a wide selection of fits and try on a whole bunch. You’ll probably find a cut that works well!

    2. The hard thing about being in a new work environment is knowing what to wear and when to wear it. If tucked in button down shirts are not you, they just aren’t. You can look professional dressed in crewneck shirts or sweaters, cardigans, turtlenecks and the like. The goal is to feel good in your clothes. You’ll walk taller, smile more and have greater confidence.

    3. I can’t wear them either. I have a longer torso and the proportions just look off when I try to tuck in a button-down. It makes my legs look really short and my torso look too long. On the opposite end, if you are short waisted, tucking in a button down will accentuate that. I can tuck form-fitting sweaters/shells into skirts that fall at my true waist. However, even pants with a mid or high rise tend to be a bit low on me and tucking anything in looks ridiculous.

        1. Here’s a good explanation:
          http://www.stylephyle.com/experts/long.html
          I am extremely short-waisted. If I tuck in my shirts, I look like one of those old men who wears their pants up around their chest. The tucked-in look just doesn’t work for everyone. I solve it by buying shirts that are shorter and look good untucked. I hate seeing women in untucked button-downs that hit them at mid-thigh. It’s not a good look for anyone. Buy shorter shirts, they are out there.

    4. Is it where the pants lie on you? Do you have the same problem with shirts tucked into skirts? Can you wear them with a v-neck sweater, tank or belt over to improve the look?

      1. I second this – the waistline placement seems to be key. I really only like tucked-in with my higher pencil skirts. Anything that sits below my waist looks bad with a tucked-in shirt, unless I have something over it that hides where the pant/skirt meets the shirt.

    5. I’m relatively slender, too, and I can’t pull this look off either. I actually think that it looks great on other people, so it’s not perception.

      I am extremely short-waisted (to whoever asked, I consider short waisted to mean that I am shorter-than-average between my chest and natural waist – not sure if this is the exact technical description or not), so that’s my problem.

      1. I think of the torso as the area between the chest and hips. For a short-waisted woman, the natural waist tends to be closer to the chest and can end up creating an empire-waist look when a shirt is tucked into pants or a skirt. With a long torso, pants don’t tend to have a high enough rise to reach the natural waist, so there is a very long distance between the chest and where the pants start. It’s also difficult to find shirts long enough to stay tucked in if you have a long torso but aren’t tall enough to fit into “tall” clothing.

        1. I have a long torso, and I love the way shirts look when they’re tucked in on me. I feel like it makes me look skinnier.

          The only problem is that some shirts aren’t long enough and come untucked. It seems like the style now-a-days is to have a slightly longer shirt, so I’m loving that.

        2. Another short torso here — the tuck-in is the worst because not only does it emphasize my stubby torso, it also makes my chest look saggy because the waistline of my skirt/pants is so nearby. I am a fan of low-rise pants, long shells, and cardigans.

          1. It seems like AT/Loft got rid of higher rise pants entirely in favor of this “modern” cut that seems to fall 2″ below my belly button. I end up having the dreaded back gap, even with shirts that are pretty long. Sigh.

    6. Anon I have the same issue.
      I am a size 4/6 and I am 5ft 2″ and have a very flat stomach.
      However I just look my best when wearing my shirts untucked especially if I am wearing a V-neck on top of it so it does not look bulky at the belt line.
      My advice, take a picture or have a friend do so for you: a profile picture would show you exactly the bulk I am talking about

  4. I think people mostly tuck in button downs where I work, which doesn’t work on me. I avoid the problem by wearing shells/no-button blouses, etc.

  5. I’d love to tuck shirts in, but have a long torso and shirts come untucked pretty quickly. Maybe this is Anon’s problem? You also have to make sure your pants look good on their own, not just when they’re covered up by a shirt at the top.

    I bought a bodysuit button-down from Chadwick’s, and really like the look. And (of course) it actually stays tucked in!

  7. I am extremely short-waisted and anything tucked in looks awful on me. This includes skirts. If you really want to try a button-down shirt, put something over it. I’ve spent much of this fall in cardigans and usually tuck my shirt in under it. Since the cardigan isn’t tucked in, it resolves the short-waisted issue.

  8. Dress shirts ALWAYS come untucked when I pair them with slacks =(. For now, I tuck my dress shirts into higher-waisted skirts, and I am looking into those blouse-bodysuit contraptions. =)

  9. I wanted to give a shout out for whomever recommended Casual Power — I got the book from Amazon for a few bucks, and it is incredibly helpful in figuring out what “business casual” actually means in the workplace. Not sure if I agree with everything that it said (ie: no short sleeved shirts/blouses ever) but some other tips were pretty enlightening.

  11. Im shortwaisted – that means if I “divide” my body horizontally at my natural waistline (that’s where you get an indentation when you bend sideways), the top half is shorter than the bottom half. I look awful with tucked in shirts (never mind what kind of skirt/pants I wear). So I just buy fitted shirts that hit at my hipbone or just below. They look very pulled-together & polished – BUT a good fit is the key.

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