Corporette.com

Updated: Feb 14, 2022 96 Comments · by

Underlayer Hall of Fame: Two-Way Camisole

Coffee Break | · ·

This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Dec. 2020 Update: Select colors of this camisole are included in the 2020 Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale. for as low as $17.


I've been seeing a ton of sheer and almost-sheer blouses lately, so I thought it might be a good time to remind everyone about this reader favorite camisole from Nordstrom.

(Aww, we were writing about it as long ago as our 2013 roundup for camisoles! Here's our more recent camisole roundup, as well as our really recently updated demi camisole roundup — demi camisoles can be a great option if you want a higher neckline but not a lot of fabric around your middle.)

The pictured camisole is seamless, has two neckline options (the V-neck pictured and a squared neck), is machine washable, and comes in a ton of colors every year in regular and plus sizes; there's also a “two-way tank” if you prefer wider straps.

The camis are $17–$29 at Nordstrom. Two-Way Camisole

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

2019 Update: We’re adding this two-way camisole to our Workwear Hall of Fame because it's been around for years and always gets rave reviews! 

Some of our other favorite camisoles include these:

collage of 4 great camisoles for work in a variety of neutral colors

Pictured above, our favorite camisoles for work: one / two / three / four (25+ different color combos in a 4 pack!)– don't forget about demi-camisoles too, such as this, this or this — or chemisettes!)

And don't forget demi-camisoles also!

Psst: Want more coverage but not the additional layer of a camisole? Check out demi-camisoles — as of 2024, favorites include Second Base, Halftee, or basic cropped camisoles — or chemisettes!

Sales of note for 9.30.24

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

About Kat

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

Comments

  1. Listen to your gut

    Related to a comment this morning about doctors being dismissive to women…It recently took me nine doctor’s appointments, NINE, to get a proper diagnosis on something. The doctor at appointment #8 couldn’t find anything wrong with me related to his specialty, but he believed me when I said something was off. He referred me to the doctor I saw at appointment #9 and she finally gave me a correct diagnosis and course of treatment. You know your body best. If you are able to go about your everyday activities but know in the back of your mind that something isn’t right, pursue it until you get the answers you need.

  2. Anon

    On the topic of camisoles, does anyone have a recommendation for a camisole with built in bra cups? I love camisoles but hate the double strap look with bra straps. TIA!

  3. Anonymous

    What’s the best “designer” swimwear if you need actual support and a bit of compression/smoothing? Would Somersault or Trina Turk qualify?

      • Ariadne

        +1 I have always bought those brands. I buy from bravissimo, and actually speak to a fitter over the phone who is usually super helpful— for example, I asked once about the height of the wires at the gore, as I am 5’4 and otherwise the wires would reach my chin;) The fitter actually measured the item over the phone, and helped me decide on a style that would work best. I usually order the bikini or tankini from bravissimo and buy a plain bottom swim skirt/ bottom locally at a department store.

    • Maudie Atkinson

      I was very disappointed with the Summersalt suits I tried last year. Returned all of them in part because there was no support. They felt very thin to me.
      Honestly, I had better luck with the cheap Cupshe suits from Am@zon.

      • anne-on

        +1. I wanted to love Summersalt (so cute!) but they were oddly thin and there was NO support, which I say as a small busted girl. I really don’t know how anyone who is well endowed or over the age of 22 wears them.

    • Anon

      I think the Vix one pieces (the bia? I think) are very flattering/supportive.

    • Ms B

      Not “designer”, but putting in another plug for Torrid. Real cups, real straps (and adjustable, at that), compression, full rear coverage (in most styles), and even flattering.

    • Anonymous

      A lot of Boden’s suits are very supportive and have good compression. I’m a 34F and I really like their wrap styles. They also have long on some styles!

      • Fishie

        Yes. So flattering!

        Their strapless suit is great – removable straps but really holds you in even without them. built like a longline bra.

  4. Rothy's

    Finally got my first pair! I love them, but I can’t decide whether to keep the sedate Mink (neutral gray/purple) or exchange for something fun (I have my eye on the bright orange Persimmon or leopard). Keeping two pairs is sadly not an option financially right now. Thoughts?!

    • Anonymous

      I have a few pairs of Rothys, and I wear the “fun” ones more often than the plain colors.

    • Anonymous

      I had a pair of black points for the last year and just got the leopard loafers. I’ve worn them every day since I got them.

  5. Friend Vent

    I know this has been asked here multiple times, but I just want to put it out as I am feeling very difficult today due to things going on in my life. I have a friend whom I got introduced at work about five years back. She has become kind of close friend and shares a lot with me. During those five years, she has made tremendous progress in her life and work. I have been struggling at every step. For example, I am trying to have a baby from last two years (and not even one positive pregnancy test). In these two years, she had a baby and back from maternity leave. I had horrible managers at work, ended up in a toxic environment and had to spend lot of time and energy to get to a better situation and barely made progress in my career when dealing with those things. She had opportunities land in her lap (and she made good use of them) and climbed the ladder. My sister is going through a messy divorce and a significant chunk of time and energy goes into supporting her. Her biggest complaint is her in-laws to visit her. Now, in this situation, there are multiple things that happen to me when I talk to her.

    First, I feel jealous because this person got everything that I wanted with ease, without much effort and I am going in circles and spending so much effort to make an inch of progress and feel stuck most of the time. This is something I recognize and with some effort let go. But every time she confesses about all the good things, my jealousy spikes and I have to work on it to get it down.

    Second, She calls me/texts me for everything like it is an emergency. Like her mother-in-law irritated her, her baby got eczema and how heartbroken she is about it, how there is some competitor at work she will have to deal with. She wants an outlet for her frustrations and I am the person who she calls.I am tired of this. I don’t want to know about any of this when I am dealing with much bigger messes myself.

    Third, she says all the good things are happening to her because she is “good”. She gives examples of sad life of her aunt (husband died of cancer, adult son got divorced and then became blind due to a head injury) to prove that because her aunt was bad to her and so she is suffering now.She says that if you think positive, those positive things happen to you and if negative things are happening to you, it is because of your negative attitude. Though she may not be saying to me that my life has been difficult because I am a bad person and did bad things, I cannot help but feel awful.

    Though intellectually I know I should ignore all these, every time there is some conversation with her, it takes a toll on me. I don’t initiate conversations any more with her, but she does. At this point, I just want this person to disappear from my life.

    • Anonymous

      Ok so woman up and do that? Hey Susie I’m super busy at the moment don’t have time for texting. And then don’t read her texts.

    • Anon

      That third thing is a massive issue and is likely the source of your frustration. You almost certainly have other people around you who have had easier lives than you’ve had, but it’s galling to hear that (expletive) from someone.

      I would push back on that rather firmly. “I am not going to listen to that” is actually enough.

      Also, do a slow fade on this friendship.

      • pugsnbourbon

        +1 about item #3. It sounds almost childish. The universe is random and does not follow a pattern based on some conceived morality or “goodness.”
        OP, I’m so sorry you’re going through a long stretch of tough times. Lean out of this friendship and look for other sources of support than this person, who doesn’t seem to have a lot of self-awareness.

    • Anonymous

      Can’t you just pull back even more? You don’t reach out to her but when she reaches out — can’t you just not respond to a text or two here and there? I feel like that’s what lets these kinds of “friendships” fade. When she doesn’t feel like she has your 24-7 attention, she’ll find someone else. If she asks why (people like this usually don’t), you can play the usual — oh it’s been busy; must’ve missed your text — card.

      And while you already know this — she’s been lucky. I’m not suggesting she hasn’t worked hard but she’s gotten some breaks that you haven’t gotten; some people once they get these breaks they can’t possibly admit it’s luck or the cards falling in the right place so it had to be something THEY DID that the other guy ISN’T doing. Pretty sure you’re not going about the wrong way to have a baby while she did it right — that’s just how the cards fell for now.

    • Anon

      1) This woman’s life is not being good AT you. You need to take control over how you view your life. Yes, things aren’t great in your life, but it’s not healthy to be jealous because things are going well in someone’s life. And remember, life happens in seasons. Just because things are going well with your friend or badly with your life doesn’t mean that will stay the same, or has always been that way. You clearly can’t be a good friend to her right now due to your own preoccupation with your issues, so I’d say bow out of the friendship it’s not doing you any favors. And as always – therapy
      2) That said, this woman sounds annoying and frankly terribly ignorant if she really thinks bad things only happen to people because they’re bad people, that is simply not true, and her implying that on you or others is awful. The only good point made is that old saying “life is what you make it” i.e. you can’t control what happens to you but you can control your reaction to it.
      3) A slow fade will be the quickest way out of this relationship. Dodge calls, reply to text or in person work stop bys noncommittally, stop telling her about your life and switch topics to something benign if you can’t avoid her. You being in each other’s lives is not doing either of you favors, neither of you are being angels with respect to this friendship.

    • Anon

      The third point sounds like an issue with her, but the others sound like an issue with you. If you think someone else “gets everything with ease,” then you are not understanding that everyone has different struggles at different points in life, some of which are not visible and not shared with you. Jealousy is toxic and can ruin a friendship. Also, why would your friend assume that your sister’s divorce is a huge, major stressor for you? It’s not your divorce and if it’s impacting you that strongly, maybe it’s time to take a step back.

      I would recommend seeing a therapist to discuss some of your challenges – infertility is really stressful and you deserve to have an appropriate outlet to deal with your emotions around that. Otherwise, if you don’t want to be friends with this woman, then don’t be, but she hasn’t done anything wrong based on what you’ve written (other than sketchy comments about why good things happen to people – something you could push back on in a conversation with her instead of writing about it on the Internet). Good luck; I know it’s easier said than done to deal with friendships like this and your own emotions about them.

    • Anon

      This is not a person you need to be friends with. You need to put on your big girl panties and end the friendship. Be very clear about it once, and then stop answering texts.

      That said, based on your writing before paragraph 3, there are also lessons for you to learn here. No matter who you are friends with, they are going to have issues that are different than your issues. I was in a situation where my child had cancer and an acquaintance was freaking out, to me, because her child had to have his tonsils out. I had to remind myself that in her world, this was a big deal, and if I weren’t going through what I was, I would probably be worried about a tonsillectomy too. But I also know there were people worse off than me. There were kids in the hospital who were sicker than my kid. There were and still are people in my circle who were never able to have kids. I’m not sure how to compare all these things, and I shouldn’t try to.

      Comparison is the thief of joy. You will never be happy with your life if you live it in comparison to someone else’s.

    • Anonymous

      On the 3rd point, there are just some people in life who really strongly feel that they can control outcomes and generally, it is comforting to people like that to think that bad things are happening to certain people (like her aunt) because certain people did bad things. It is really hard for someone with that mindset to step out of herself and recognize that luck/circumstance plays a bigger role at times. I remember something from one of the Malcolm Gladwell books about Bill Gates acknowledging that he was given huge opportunities which allowed him to be successful–like growing up in a wealthier school district with active parents who pushed for a student computer lab (which got funded) and who pushed to allow students unsupervised, after-hours access to the lab (which probably wouldn’t have happened in another neighborhood). I think the commentary was that it is very American to believe that all success stories are stories of the individual, but the reality is that there are so many variable to each situation. Her variables happen to be lining up for her right now, but in a few years, perhaps your variables will line up. The tables always turn with time. Maybe just pull back from her a bit, which will give you a chance to shift your perspective. Also, to be honest, i have found that when i am stressed/angry (which happens with infertility issues), I tend to want to direct that anger AT someone. Right now, she might be a good target for some of your frustration. Better to step back, shift your perspective a little bit, and maybe come back to this friendship after a small break.

    • Friend Vent

      Thank you so much you all..Even though I “know” all the things I should be doing, it is difficult to maintain that awareness all the time (especially when having a difficult day) . Your experiences and advice reminded I am not the only one who is having a difficult time and helped me recenter and see things in the right perspective.

  6. Deviated septum

    I’ve had one forever but recently have been having sinus issues that won’t let up. Apparently sinus surgery involves breaking your nose bones (I guess it’s not all cartilege?), straightening it out internally, and maybe de-gunking?

    I understand that this is essentially what happens with a nose job.

    With sinus surgery, do you necessarily get a new nose? I understand that the whole area swells and drains for a while, so you don’t know what you’ll look like for a while. But am I going to look different after?

    FWIW, I’d love to have a lump that made me really asymetrical straightened out (which maybe is the deviated septum itself???) but I really do not want a new nose in the classic sense. It’s a bit of a honker, but one that while a bit much when puberty hit, actually works with my usual RBF. I am a bit long in the tooth for a cute new nose.

    • azcpa

      While you can have cosmetic adjustments at the same time as correcting a deviated septum, the primary benefits are internal. Unless external changes are desired, you will look the same once it heals (barring some straightening if the adjustment is MAJOR).

    • Walnut

      The Frugal Girl posted a bunch of before and afters of her nasal surgery. Might be worth perusing?

    • Anon

      I know a few people who have had surgery to fix deviated septums and none of them got a “new” nose from the outside.

    • National_Anthem

      My boyfriend got this surgery and his nose doesn’t have any noticeable visible difference afterwards (although it definitely helped with his snoring!!).

    • Anon

      At least in my circle “deviated septum” was a euphemism for also getting a little cosmetic work done. You can def get a lump smoothed. Note that if it’s not medical you may be billed very slightly separately for that bc your insurance won’t cover it.

    • Anonymous

      I recently had sinus surgery (the works–opening and draining of all the sinuses and deviated septum) and it did not require any bones to be broken and there was no change to my face at all. Everything was done internally and the swelling went done after a few days

  7. Anon

    For those of you that have received designations like “Super Lawyers” do you put it in your firm bio or email signature? I understand that it’s a glorified popularity contest but I never requested to be nominated so I was flattered to get it. My clients are consumers not businesses so I think they are impressed by that kind of stuff. A lot of my competitors include it in their profiles. That said, I also want the respect of the defense bar too and I don’t want people rolling their eyes at it. I have it in my firm bio but not my email signature. I also don’t use the fancy badges, just a line under my honors that includes it. What does everyone else do?

    • Anon

      I put it in my bio because that is very normal in my area of practice. I don’t but it in my signature and I would roll my eyes if I saw it in someones signature.

    • Ms B

      I have mine in the bio on my firm site, in my CV, and on Avvo and LinkedIn, but not in my signature, although I do have a hyperlink to my LinkedIn profile in my signature because I have more info there than in my firm bio. I sometimes include awards of that type in my bio in a seminar packet, especially if it will be attended more by client prospects than other attorneys.

    • Anon

      I’m gonna pile on and say I hate that stuff in people’s auto-signatures. It actually makes me think less of a person that they need to be so braggy.

  8. I want all the crackers

    What healthy non-cracker snacks do you keep in your snack drawer? Those that say they dont have a snack drawer can move long thank you

    • Vicky Austin

      Those veggie crisp things?

      I also like dried cranberries. Better than raisins imho.

    • Mpls

      Honey cinnamon coated almonds. Its the in-house brand for my local grocery store chain.

    • anon

      Idk if this counts as a cracker, but skinny pop popcorn mini cakes (kinda like tiny rice cakes but with popcorn rather than puffed rice). Also sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

    • Anon

      Trader Joe’s trail mixes. I like the protein from the nuts.

      Chocolate. Yes, in my world, it’s a health food.

    • Anonymous

      Apples and peanut butter, other fruit I bring in at the beginning of the week. I also keep yogurt and cheese in the fridge in the office. (and I admit sometimes spicy pine nut brittle….it’s so good haha.)

        • Anonymous

          It’s from a shop in Santa Fe, New Mexico called Senor Murphy. It is red chile pinon brittle (sometimes they make it with chocolate too). I think it can be ordered online. It is so, so good haha. Not healthy, definitely candy, but delicious.

    • Anonymous

      Nuts. Walnuts, pecans, peanuts, almonds. Homemade trail mix with the above plus raisins and the darkest chocolate chips I can find.

    • Aggie

      Plain instant oatmeal, freeze dried strawberries,raw cashews, wasabi peas, thai chili almonds and peanut butter.

    • Anonymous

      Mini Kind bars, single-serve nut and trail mix packets, those LaraBar truffle things.

    • Anonymous

      I keep my snacks in a plastic tub instead of a drawer because a mouse once got into my co-worker’s snack drawer.

    • Anonymous

      I would like to keep mini kind bars, pistachios, wasabi edamame and trail mix. I dont keep those things though because I will just eat them until they are gone. I do keep chocolate protein powder and PB2, and then I always have a few things in the freezer (Amy’s meal, TJ vegetable dish, steamable bag of veg). I also bring in broth and a side salad almost everyday, which I store in the fridge.

    • Anon

      Almonds, the individual serving size bags. I realize this is wasteful in terms of packaging compared to one big bag, but unfortunately I am the kind of person who needs some control on serving size.

    • Anonymous

      I keep Rx bars in my snack drawer and have one between 3 and 4 pretty much every day. They’re not so tasty that I feel compelled to eat them when I’m not hungry but they do hit the spot and give me an energy boost to push through a few more hours of work in the evening.

    • Blueberries

      Over the years, some of my favorites have been: whole wheat fig bars, bags of nuts, bags of dried fruit, boxes of chocolate soy milk, can of soup, Kind bars, apples, pumpkin seeds, good chocolate, and sparkling water.

  9. NAZ

    Interview fashion question because I’m clueless- is it ever acceptable to wear nude heels with a black suit? Skirt suit, not pants. I have an interview soon and realized late in the day that my black heels are a little too big to wear comfortably. Am I able to get away with nude heels, given I can walk comfortably in them? Or do I need to bite the bullet and run out and buy some black heels? I know they’re a staple and I’ll be buying some for my closet soon, just didn’t realize the ones I have don’t fit well enough to walk comfortably, and I’m not a big fan of having to break in new shoes right before an interview.

    • Anonymous

      I wear nude-for-me heels with black all the time. If you want to wear the black shoes, try adding a pad under the ball of your foot.

    • Ellen

      I think it’s fine if you can pull it off. Dad thinks I buy to many clothes so I have lateley cut down for the environment. I realy want a nice pair of nude heels, tho. I think men think I look cute with them, as I had a pair when I graduated law school.

    • anon

      get a pair of black heels that fit well enough to walk comfortably…you want to look your best and they are a staple that you will wear again

      • Anonymous

        Agree with this. Unless you know that you’ll be walking around during or after your interview (like to lunch or something). If it’s just around the office, I expect you’ll be okay without much wearing in. Also, how soon is soon? You can get a bunch of black heels to try on with Zappos 1 or 2 day shipping.

    • azcpa

      Assuming the nude heels are classic and appropriate (not sky high or patent) I’d probably wear them, rather than try and find black heels at the last minute. Of course, I also interview in flats, so YMMV.

    • Anonymous

      Nude shoes aren’t super standard but will be fine if you don’t have another option. It is a far greater crime to limp at your interview trying to break in new shoes while doing it.

    • Anon

      I actually like the look of lighter shoes with all black in the warmer months. It kind of breaks up and lightens the black. I don’t wear nude-for-me (first of all, it would be a ghostly shade of pink-gray, and second, I think nude shoes are kind of dated) so I do this with a light tan color, but I think it looks really good.

      • turtletorney

        I’ve seen recently that people think nude is dated & I am wondering… what should be replacing it? I’m due to update my work shoe collection but with what??

  10. Anon

    How do you create space with friends who want more than you want to give? A friend of mine thinks we are closer than we are. I really do care about her, but I would prefer to see her maybe every couple of months, and she clearly wants to get together closer to weekly. What makes it especially frustrating is that the less available I am, the more pressure she puts on, suggesting alternate plans and times and dates and it just makes me not want to talk to her at all! For those of you who read Captain Awkward, the “escalator” column about someone who constantly escalates interactions reminded me of her a LOT.

    Dealing with these interactions makes me annoyed and tired. If someone did this to me, I would take a step back and give them space and let THEM be the next one to reach out. But it’s like she won’t take no for an answer. And sadly, the more she pushes, the less I want to see her. Every interaction feels fraught and takes more emotional labor than I want to expend.

    What should I do?

    • Skipper

      I think you have to use your words. I’d lead with “Clothilde, I really like you and like seeing you, but I really can’t meet up as often as you’d like. It’s really frustrating to me when I have to decline plans and you keep trying to make alternative ones.”

    • Anon

      What are you saying when you turn down plans? If you’re acting like you have a conflict or something and she suggest alternate times for that reason, stop doing that. Just say hey, I’m really busy and just don’t have time to hang out so often, maybe we could hang out in two months? She can’t read your mind.

    • Anon

      I just stop being available. I remind myself that no is a complete answer. They may get upset about it, but with the one friend, if I had said “I want to be less-close friends” directly, then it would have led to her demanding a sit down where we would get together and go over in great detail all the ways I had disappointed, offended, and saddened her, which is why I wanted to be less-close friends in the first place! She eventually took the hint and found other people to torture.

  11. Elegant Giraffe

    I am posting late in the day and this may not get seen by many…but I have spent the last six weeks negotiating salary and finally got a positive response today that was significantly higher than what I anticipated receiving. At one point two weeks ago, I was told I would receive no bump at all…so to claw my way into a 17% raise is HUGE (especially working in public education)! So much of my confidence came from this board. THANK YOU!!!

Back to Top

About

Work with Corporette®

Serious Stuff

work fashion blog press mentions