Splurge Monday’s Workwear Report: Waverly Sculpt Stretch Crepe Dress
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
This dress from The Fold comes in what the brand calls a “spring green” color, but I’d be pretty excited to wear it this fall. The geometric neckline has an effect that’s similar to a V-neck but with a little more flare.
I would add some chocolate brown accessories to make the color feel a little more autumnal, but this is a stand-alone piece that doesn’t need too much added to it.
The dress is $565 at The Fold and comes in U.S. sizes 0-12.
Sales of note for 9/11:
- Nordstrom – End of season clearance, up to 50% off
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase + extra 15% off when you spend $200
- Anthropologie – Extra 50% off sale! The reader favorite wide leg pants come down crazy low in some colors/fabrics, but they're down to lucky sizes
- Athleta – 30% off select styles (including my favorite sweatshirts as well as these reader favorite pants) + extra 30% off sale
- AYR – Archive sale, up to 60% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles – readers love these dresses, and their double-layer line of tees
- CVS – Epic beauty sale, $10 off when you spend $30
- Design Within Reach – the semiannual sale, 25% off everything! (readers love the Herman Miller Aeron and Sayl!)
- J.Crew – Up to 40% off select styles
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off all stores, plus an extra 10% off when you buy a pair of jeans
- Me & Em – Sale! Up to 60% off (new lines just added, exclusively online)
- M.M.LaFleur – Labor Day Sale Event, save sitewide! (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Nordstrom Rack – Extra 40% off select clearance
- Talbots – Buy one get 50% off everything
- Theory – End of season sale is on!
I have an older version of this dress (when it came to the knee vs. midi length) and it was perfect for headshots – formal but the neckline gives a nice amount of interest.
How do you think about dressing more authoritatively in a very casual office?
I work at a tech adjacent company . Everyone dresses in a range from pretty casual to business casual light. A dress like the one featured today would be too formal though.
I am also one of the few women leaders in my department. It’s not the type of office where anyone would ever say anything about how I’m dressed, but I want to look like the boss without looking out of place.
What do others in this position wear? More casual third pieces? Smart casual? For example I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of interesting but work appropriate dresses – and one has (small) polka dots!
I have this same challenge. I’ve been shopping for pants with some interest, like tailored but super wide-legged, with fitted tops and a third piece like a jardigan or cropped jacket. I think good shoes and some jewelry for a finished and deliberate look are helpful, too.
How about dressing more intentionally? Not sure anyone ever succeeds in giving off “authority” through their clothes.
I absolutely hate wearing jackets, but I think a jacket gives the authoritative look. I’m not great at clothing, so I cannot explain why. But a woman in particular wearing a jacket gives off more of that vibe than a woman in a dress or blouse only or who is wearing a sweater.
I won’t comment on the fact that men don’t seem to need a jacket to convey the same message; oh wait, I just did.
Part of me thinks this is in your head.
I don’t think this is in their head at all. When you go to conferences or big meetings the men are usually wearing slacks & button downs without a blazer but all the women are either wearing an interesting blazer of some type or an interesting dress that doesn’t need a blazer.
Fairly casual base topped with a cool blazer. Keep the accessories high end: Good shoes, interesting glasses, smart jewelry.
I think you have to be careful with the glasses. I can always tell who thinks “glasses with an edge” is a thing.
Maybe? I would choose glasses with an edge over drab, old fashioned safe choices in tech, unless they’re so outdated that it is its own fashion statement.
Where do you buy blazers or jackets from?
I think it just can’t be a cardigan. Needs to have some structure. I’m wearing like a linen tommy bahama jacket today which also works.
My uniform is trouser jeans, a blouse and a blazer or sometimes a blazer as a top and polished shoes. Hair done and lipstick. C-suite, also casual company.
+1 very similar. colored jeans get a lot of runway for me as well, especially white trouser jeans. And the blazers/jackets are more fun/interesting than formal environments would wear.
I also feel more polished since I started getting regular manicures – not required at all for any others, but it makes me feel a step up.
OP you can also make a more formal outfit more casual by layering on jewelry, if that is your style.
I love jewelry so definitely can do that.
This is actually what our CEO does wear – not too fancy a top but nice statement jewelry.
I agree with the manicures. TBH I think it just makes me feel better, I’m not sure how much other people notice.
Getting married in 40 days! Your best wedding day advice, tips, and tricks greatly appreciated!
We are doing a first look, anticipating 140-150 guests, and have a planner.
Stand up straighter than you think for pictures. Congrats!!
Remember what matters: Marrying the love of your life. The rest is just background noise.
Hold the bouquet lower than you think when taking photos. Your instinct will be to hold it near your waist, but it will look better in the pics if held lower.
+1, it depends somewhat on the size of the bouquet. Mine wound up being larger than I expected and I had to be reminded to lower it in every photo. Make sure the stems are either wrapped, or covered in some way so you don’t stain your dress!
About the logistics of the day – perspective. Something will go wrong, but odds are it’s only you and the planner that will actually know, and ideally only the planner!
If you need notes for your vows, write them on a pretty notecard. Don’t be holding your phones at the altar. While on the topic, assign someone to monitor your phone and also take alllll the good pics of you both, the scene, etc. for you. Like, pick the friend that always has the best posts – has an eye for lighting, framing, etc.
Aside from that… prioritize experiencing the reception with your new spouse! It’s all too easy to get tugged in different directions.
At some point, somebody is going to come to you with a cost you hadn’t anticipated but apparently need to anticipate (extra gratuities, a runner, suddenly realizing you need to rent extra heaters/fans/whatever). The cost will range but your immediate reaction will be ‘omg, I can’t believe we’re spending more money.’
When this happens, just laugh and yell ‘bingo!’ in your head. It will happen and it’s fine. Coincidentally – today is my anniversary and I’m still pretty thrilled that I got married to that dude. He’s my #1 supporter and the best teammate I could ask for.
Do a full walk through with your planner a few days early (not the day before) if possible – easier to fix issues with more than 24-hours notice. Hand off your phone and instruct your planner who your ‘fix it’ person is if you truly don’t want to be bothered day of. Have cash set aside for tips and make sure your planner gives those out so you don’t have to. Eat! I was starving at the end of the night since people kept interrupting us during dinner.
At one point, ideally at least 2 days before the wedding, make the decision to no longer care about any problems or anything going wrong or anyone’s logistical issues, and just get your head into the moment and enjoy the ride. I remember making that decision at 4 pm two days before my wedding – and having the absolute BEST time after that.
+100 Million.
Yup, this. Also, as someone with a rainy day wedding – it seemed like the worst at the time, but at the end of the day it didn’t matter. I got to marry the love of my life and we had an amazing time and the rain stopped just enough for us to get some gorgeous outdoor pictures. And apparently it’s good luck!
I love this dress and everything from The Fold, but I would feel overdressed in almost every work setting.
This dress is lovely and I wouldn’t hesitate to wear this to my office if it came in my size. I don’t find the length flattering on me though.
I love the cut but despise this color. And green is my favorite color! Just a tough shade.
I love this color but cannot wear it. It reminds me of Froot Loops which makes me smile.
+1
How do you get a good read on the weekend vibe at a SLAC? I have a kid who isn’t a partier. If there is nothing to do on weekends but study or drink a lot and the vibe tips to drinking a lot, she isn’t going to like it. At a huge school, she could find her crowd. She prefers a SLAC otherwise. Her friends are all at SEC schools and I went to a work hard / party harder college, so of no help at all. Maybe now that many colleges are > 60% women, the culture is just quieter?
Let her make her own choice, even if she hates it.
I went to a college I hated for financial reasons but am glad I had that experience. If somebody else in my life had picked my college, maybe it would have been better, but that’s not what being an autonomous human looks like.
And as a note – yes, there is less partying now than their used to be… but even at a top party school you find your group – whether the a cappella group or the club sport or the volunteer kids or the (shared identity) group. Nothing is certain.
IDK, even at small schools, there are always people who opt out of that scene.
Princeton Review usually talks about this.
Campus cultures are different, but in general I would expect that a huge school would be a harder fit and a harder place to find one’s crowd for a non-partier than a SLAC unless it’s truly just a party school. My SLAC was considered work hard, party hard back in the day, and parties were still more socially optional than at the huge schools I’m familiar with, and the vibe was a lot quieter.
What does she want to be doing on weekends? I went to a small school in a rural location and was part of outing club and would go camping and hiking. I was also in an engineering team and would work on those projects, or work in a lab on weekends. We also had a D1 sports team and would go to those games on weekends with the rest of the university.
I did go to parties as a way of being out with other people, not to get wasted. That’s just part of college.
I think at a SLAC it is doubly hard because many of them are so remote (Sewanee, some places in the NEUS), that if you aren’t from around there and don’t have a car, you can be a sad SOL kid until you can transfer to a place that hopefully you get right the second time.
I partied a LOT in college, but some people I met later went to remote SLACs with just terrifying levels of drinking. At a big school, you can at least see who is in and working (or in the non-social library floors with you) when everyone else is out drinking. Like the bible study and FCA kids all knew each other and were pretty close. I think it’s also hard to be a transfer student (socially).
The worst scene is a school where everyone goes home on weekends.
Agreed. But that doesn’t sound like a SLAC (at least the ones that pull from all over the US). In my state, it’s the schools that started as commuter campuses of a State U that now have some dorms, but starting as freshman, you have a roommate that leaves every weekend b/c her boyfriend is back in her hometown (which is <2 hours away). It's not like that at the main campus. But because kids are at a SLAC all the time but probably aren't working F or S night, what do you do? There is wide range between vomit on the stairs every Wednesday and just having a social activity you can go to on the fly to relax, have fun, and meet people.
Beautiful dress. I got an immediate Joan from Mad Men vibe from it, not in a bad way. All it needs is her pen pendant and a brooch. :-D
How are we wearing blouses now?
I don’t see collars now, just a rounded neckline, maybe with pleating (I see on my SM feed; hard to find IRL; it’s mainly too many ruffles for a work piece for my taste). I’d love any good links.
But what I am hating is that pictures are just showing a blouse and pants. Never any jackets (suggesting they may be harder to style, especially since jackets refuse to have full sleeves until winter) or third pieces.
What is a good current “relaxed business” vibe for styling? I can do a full casual look, but need to look more formal without wearing a full suit.
Should ask AI but I will ask you:
How do you tell a BigLaw client nicely that their insistence on trying to get discounts of 50% when they aren’t a high-volume client is not going to work and no one is going to want to do their work when they can chose work for other clients who pay market rates and actually keep a roof over our heads in terms of volume? The people are nice but there are cost managers insisting it is this way or the high way and if we can’t come to a third way, we will be choosing the highway.
I’d say something like “we value your business, but the attached rates are the lowest we’re able to accommodate for hourly work. If you’d be interested in alternative fee arrangements for specific projects, we can look at that.” That is, if you’re willing to do so!
(What Cat said)
In-house counsel at a big global company here. I hired my old firm for a specific issue and didn’t realize that our standard engagement letter asks for significant discounts. Had an honest conversation with the Biglaw partner in charge (also a former mentor of mine) and agreed that that much of a discount didn’t make sense for the volume of work we were anticipating. I had a chat with the person on my team who oversees external counsel and we agreed on a much lower discount + some credit on future work. Basically, talk to your client. Hopefully they aren’t idiots and can understand this. I will say it took a while because the downside of a big company is I need a million approvals for everything, but eventually everyone found a mutually beneficial arrangement and we have sent them more work since.
Getting a total knee replacement in two weeks, and I would greatly appreciate your best knee replacement surgery advice, tips, and tricks. (Off to hand in my surgeon-certified application to the DMV for a handicap parking tag, now that I am two weeks out from the surgery.)
This might be tmi, but get colace and take them~pain meds cause personal plumbing backups. It also helps eat fruit salad, esp with plums and berries. If someone can lend you one of those toilet seat lift things it will be useful.
Be assertive in asking for in-home pt for the 1st 2 weeks.
Long phone charging extension cords.
I have a cheap paperclip style gold tone necklace that I wear all the time. As a birthday gift to myself, I’d like to upgrade it with something in a similar style but higher quality. Does anyone have a recommendation for something ~$300? Is something in that price range actually worth the money? I know nothing about jewelry.
I’m looking for some interesting, yet work-appropriate, sweaters. Is Boden my best source for something like this? I am sick to death of black, navy, and camel. Any other ideas? Size 14/16. I know Talbots has color, but that brand has never fit me well.