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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
Workwear sales of note for 12.7.23
Our favorites are in bold!
- Nordstrom – Holiday sale up to 50% off; up to 40% off selected designer styles
- Ann Taylor – 40% off your purchase & extra 15% off sweaters
- Banana Republic – 40% off your purchase; up to 40% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything & extra 20% off purchase; Gap Inc. cardmembers take extra 25% off
- ba&sh – Winter sale up to 50% off
- Bergdorf Goodman – Designer sale up to 40% off; extra 15% off sale; complimentary same-day delivery
- Brooklinen – 25% off best sellers, up to 40% off bundles!
- Club Monaco – 25% off almost everything
- J.Crew – 40% off your purchase with code; up to 50% off coats; up to 60% off present picks
- Loft – 40% off your purchase plus extra 15% off
- Lo & Sons – Up to 50% off plus extended return policy — reader favorites include this laptop tote, this backpack, and this crossbody
- Sephora – 20% off purchase with code; 30% off all Sephora Collection
- Summersalt – Up to 60% off select styles (this reader-favorite sweater blazer is 40% off)
- Talbots – 40% off your regular-price purchase; 50% off all sweaters, coats, shoes & accessories; readers love this cashmere boatneck and this cashmere cardigan, as well as their sweater blazers in general
- Theory – Extra 25% off everything; extra 10% off with Apple Pay
- Theory Outlet – Last-chance styles 70-80% off; extra 25% off sweaters; readers love this T-shirt
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And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
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- I canNOT figure out the proportions in this current season of fashion…
- How is everyone wearing scarves in 2023?
- What shoes are people wearing to work between boot and sandal season?
- What’s a good place for a relaxing solo escape?
- What are some of your go-to outfits that feel current?
- I need more activities that are social, easy to learn and don’t involve extreme running/jumping/etc.
Clerky
Beautiful color. Like most things at Nordstrom, I’m waiting for it to go on sale before I consider it.
Anonymous
Agreed. Once it’s on sale it will be mine.
Shayna
Agree on both counts — and I love the drape neckline! It’s flattering to almost all body types, and the color is gorgeous!
Shayna
But I doubt I will be wearing it to work… I have a wedding to go to this summer and this will be perfect!
jr
I also bought this and think it’s great.
Noelle
I tried this dress on at the store and thought the material was a little too thin and shiny for the office (or at least my office). It felt more like a nice dress to wear that I would wear to a daytime wedding in the summer than something I would throw a blazer over. Just my opinion.
J
I haven’t seen this in person, but that’s the thought I had when I looked at the pictures, too — looks like a perfect summer wedding dress.
I do think that it’s gorgeous, though, — just not something I could pull off in my moderately conservative law firm office.
legalicious07
ITA! Definitely not a work dress.
lulu
I bought this and wear it to work with a black blazer. My office is business casual and this is definitely appropriate here. Personally, I appreciate the lightweight fabric (it isn’t so lightweight that it wrinkles or clings) and don’t think it’s that shiny. I will also point out that if you aren’t completely flat chested like the model, there is only a little extra fabric at the neckline, which probably makes it more like a work dress than a wedding guest dress.
D
Does it wrinkle? It looks just like linen to me and that wrinkles horribly.
AIMS
It’s polyester, not linen.
legalicious07
That’s a good point. I am flat-chested, so I’d have that extra draping. But I suppose if you have the goods to make it look like more of a flat-fronted sheath then it could, with a cardi, become more work-appropriate.
AIMS
I had the same thought. Between the color & the overly drapey front, I would feel a little silly wearing this to work. I am not sure if a blazer, however serious, would salvage this for daytime at the office.
AIMS
It’s polyester. Definite no, now.
I did see this though. Priced much better for the polyester blend (matte jersey) & seems like it would be infinitely more work appropriate & functional. I think I may go for it. . . Can’t believe that even items I dislike manage to lead to purchases . . . sigh :)
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3036369?refsid=280099&refcat=0%7e2376776%7e2378685%7e2378689%7e2378710&SourceID=&SlotID=2&origin=related&cm_Sp=Related-Items-_-Product-_-Auto
Anon
Anyone know if this dress has ever gone on sale? I bought it, liked it, but returned it because I thought it was a bit out of my budget for what it is. I’d love to pick it up on sale though!
Walking Barefoot
Love this! The color seems more versatile than the fuchsia dress featured.
Clerky
I bought this dress and returned it. I do remember it going on sale last year, but it wasn’t a steep discount (something like $20 off). Others have posted their reviews on this dress if you use the search function. I love it on the model, but on me, it felt WAY too dressy for work (more of an evening dress) and it made my hips look too big.
Clerky
Oh, and note that the color is actually not a navy, but rather, a royal blue.
meg
I also bought-and-returned. I know people’s opinions differ, but this was more evening than work to me, but this might be because i’m quite curvy (hourglass) and this over-accentuated those curves; for work, i prefer structure.
ARinFL
I have been looking at this dress for months now. Let me know if you order it and how you like it!
AN
I’m curvy and the blue one would just highlight that fact – something I prefer to play down for work! Prefer the fuchsia dress as it’s straight skirt and draping would be more tasteful.
jcb
This one has been commented on a few times. I bought it in navy, think it’s flattering and great for the office.
ACE
I too have been considering this dress but am put off by it because of the idea that it might actually look royal blue rather than navy … I guess I have to go try it on in person, which I HATE doing. So, if you order please let us know what it’s “really” like
Anon
I think this is closer to navy than royal, personally. To me, royal is a bright pop of color whereas this dress is much deeper and more muted. It is a bit brighter than, say, JCrew’s navy, but it is not at all what I think of when I think of royal blue.
AbbyA
What a great pick, AIMS. I, too, am going to order it.
legalicious07
Love this dress! I can’t wait to have a salary where I can splurge on purchases like this!
3L
I found these cheapie similar dresses to the one in the subject post, can anyone speak to the quality of Newport News or Spiegel?
http://www.newport-news.com/shop/product_single.aspx?style_id=33308279&clear=1&index=2&gp_coll_id=0&gp_cat_id=7528&nav_cat_id=7534&category_id=10542&s_cmp=affiliate_newport_all
http://www.spiegel.com/shop/product_single.aspx?style_id=13999272&index=25&gp_coll_id=5001&gp_cat_id=5002&nav_cat_id=11211&category_id=11242&gp_shopss_id=300&s_cmp=affiliate_spiegel_all
s-k-s
It’s gorgeous, but I wish it came in more colors. I just can’t pull off that sort of purple/pink/fuschia color.
EG
Love!
ChiLaw
It would be great in my office as long as it went with a sweater/blazer. I love it.
ab68
I love this (and I generally love blouses cut in this drapey way, too), but how do you make it work with a blazer or sweater? Doesn’t it get all bunchy and look strange underneath? Any suggestions?
Shayna
I love drape necks… I recommend a cardigan left open if you can pull it off without a frump factor — adding a blazer is just too much going on
Cat
I agree it’s hard – works best with a relatively wide v-neck cardigan so that the detail of the “cowl” has room (and looks revealed intentionally, rather than stuffed in). Depending on how the colors worked in person, I think navy or gray.
L from Oz
I have a couple of cardigans (from Jigsaw in the UK, but they’re not unique) which have no buttons, but whose sides have a very slight drape on the sides and then hang straight down to about hip level – or higher, for the less short. I think something like that would work.
Mind you, this dress screams “wedding” rather than office to me, but more because my office is pretty informal than the reverse.
Shayna
Gray would be great — black may also work… I wouldn’t do another bright color though – you might end up looking like a pinata
Chicago K
I love this but agree that it looks a bit dressy for the office.
divaliscious11
This is really quite pretty, but I think I’d only wear it to work if I had some other occasion that I’d be attending, such as evening social event etc… I think it could be toned down with a cardigan during the day, and then a great evening dress for a social/networking event or dinner etc…
I have a shirt dress in a similar fabric/sheen that I wore once, but it was also the day my son was graduating from kindy, which is the only thing that kept me from feeling too party dressy!
Liz
That color is stunning.
Law-Less
Question….
I am a 3L and a Law Clerk at a firm which I hope will offer me a job after graduation. The office is a mid-size firm in a small(ish) city and the dress code is corporate causal, however, some of the employees dress MUCH more casual than corporate. I typically try to dress a little nicer, but lately I’ve been in a fashion slump. Although I have several suits, I would definitely be overdressed and my corporate casual uniform has lately consisted of some form of gray pants, a black shirt, and black shoes. Needless to say, it’s not an exciting look… I was wondering what others consider to be corporate casual? Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!
s-k-s
Can you just wear the bottom half of the suits? Generally, suit pants/skirts work fine on their own.
Law-Less
Yes, in fact I am wearing the charcoal gray pants from my gray suit today!
Shayna
I have the same typical uniform… sometimes I mix it up with black pants with a gray shirt – ;-)
I have been getting ready for warmer weather though by getting a couple pencil skirts, and brighter colored short sleeve tops that I can wear under cardigans in the fall as well…
divaliscious11
Add some zest with your accessories. Find some funky pins, scarves etc… if you don’t go overboard, it will give a nice pick me up. I realized over half my wardrobe is black, but its the little things that make a difference.
Law-Less
Good suggestion with the accessories. When you say scarf, do you mean like a pashmina or a silk scarf?
Shayna
Be careful with scarves — silk ones can age you A LOT — and pashminas look more suited to a winter coat/sweater look
Anon
I think silk scarf. When I see someone wearing a pashmina in the office I assume it is only because their office is freezing cold that day :) (mostly b/c it is my last resort as well!)
divaliscious11
Both. I don’t mean a big square, (which remind me of old ladies) but I like a small square tied around the neck for a bit of color for example.
I will use a pashmina when appropriate. For example, a couple of Friday’s ago, I think I wore a dark denim (casual day) with a white colord shirt under a black cashmere crew with a grey boyfriend jacket and a dark red pashmina tied European style versus draped.
I also like funky pins. Today I have one a black skirt and top, but have a red/black/grey tweed flower pin to give a splash of color, like this one…
http://www1.talbots.com/online/browse/product_details.jsp?id=prdi23132&rootCategory=cat70018&catId=cat440042&sortKey=Default§ion=Outlet&conceptIdUnderSale=cat440042
I love Talbot’s accessories, but I almost always wait until they are on clearance… wishing I hadn’t clicked over here, but too late….
divaliscious11
Also try Etsy for some original, funky options…
Anonymous
Law-Less, that is exactly my (main) fashion problem (except I’m at a small firm in a big city). Finding the right balance between not being overdressed and conveying the “I’m a responsible, hard-working, talented professional who you should really hire” message is so HARD.
Law-Less
I’m glad you feel my pain! When I first started working there I was always overdressed. At that time, we could wear jeans five days a week should we so choose, but the dress code has since changed to business casual and I somehow slipped into this pattern of black shirts and gray pants. Hopefully just being aware of it will make me pick some of the more colorful things in my wardrobe to wear! Goodluck to you too!
Lucy
I think you can do a lot with less serious looking jackets as far as looking professional & not overdressed. Same with accessories. Even funkier shoes. Dresses are also good for this, though I would avoid anything too slinky-looking.
For instance — these jackets from anthropologie seem perfect for a more casual, but interesting & professional look (and there are more options like this in boutiques everywhere!)
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?subCategoryId=CLOTHES-COATS- JACKETS&id=013096&catId=CLOTHES-COATS&pushId=CLOTHES-COATS&popId=CLOTHES&sortProperties=&navCount=145&navAction=top&fromCategoryPage=true&selectedProductSize=&selectedProductSize1=&color=014&colorName=NEUTRAL&isSubcategory=true&isProduct=true&isBigImage=&templateType=
(would look really cute with black pants and a simple top underneath)
or for summer. . .
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?subCategoryId=CLOTHES-COATS-BLAZERS&id=013154&catId=CLOTHES-COATS&pushId=CLOTHES-COATS&popId=CLOTHES&sortProperties=&navCount=145&navAction=top&fromCategoryPage=true&selectedProductSize=&selectedProductSize1=&color=024&colorName=BEIGE&isSubcategory=true&isProduct=true&isBigImage=&templateType=
. . . anyway, those are my ideas — fun blazers & cute shoes!
Oh, and I disagree about scarves aging you! If you’re young-ish & you have cute scarves you wear creatively, you’ll look sophisticated, not old.
JD Chic
Loooooooove it! Adding this to my wish list along with the Trina Turk yellow Etiquette dress you posted a couple weeks ago.