Wednesday’s TPS Report: Dreamy Sweater Dress
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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
Sales of note for 2/14/25 (Happy Valentine's Day!):
- Nordstrom – Winter Sale, up to 60% off! 7850 new markdowns for women
- Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your full-price purchase — and extra 60% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + 15% off (readers love their suiting as well as their silky shirts like this one)
- Boden – 15% off new season styles
- Eloquii – 300+ styles $25 and up
- J.Crew – 40% of your purchase – prices as marked
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site and storewide + extra 50% off clearance
- Rothy's – Final Few: Up to 40% off last-chance styles
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Flash sale ending soon – markdowns starting from $15, extra 70% off all other markdowns (final sale)
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- My workload is vastly exceeding my capability — what should I do?
- Why is there generational resentment regarding housing? (See also)
- What colors should I wear with a deep green sweater dress?
- How do you celebrate milestone birthdays?
- How do you account for one-time expenses in your monthly budget?
- If I'm just starting to feel sick from the flu, do I want Tamilfu?
- when to toss old clothes of a different size
- a list of political actions to take right now
- ways to increase your intelligence
- what to wear when getting sworn in as a judge (congrats, reader!)
- how to break into teaching as a second career
I’m not sure this is business-y enough for my business-casual workplace.
The fact that it is in the “Yoga To/Fro” category is probably not helping its case.
I got one of their other sweater dresses–it had a shawl collar, so I think it looked more work-appropriate than this one–but the material seemed kind of cheap (so not so business-y). The medium was baggy and the small was too short, or at least too short for work, so it ended up being a no-go.
Was it by chance the Sochi dress? I just got it in the mail yesterday, and I had the exact same thoughts as you did about the fabric–kind of cheap-looking for the style of the dress. I also worry that the cotton/wool/no-spandex will stretch out easily, especially in the elbows. It does fit me really nicely, though, so I’m trying to decide whether or not I can get over the fabric…
Yes, it was the Sochi dress. I don’t know if it’s on sale now, but it seemed so overpriced for what the fabric turned out to be.
I used their Black Friday 20% off all dresses coupon. Even with that discount, I agree that the fabric was not nearly as nice as I was expecting it to be. Boo.
Too yoga-y for work? I wish someone would tell that to the woman here who wears Lululemon yoga pants on casual fridays. I wish I were kidding.
haha just because they cost more than 100 bucks and are black does not make them work appropriate.
I always wonder with sweater dresses, how do you keep them from being clingy/staticky? I have never gotten one for that reason.
I do have 2 athleta dresses I wear to work – they are jersey – one is a printed poly something, wrap dress for summer and the other is a printed “kimono” vneck/empire dress. I get the tall since I am 5.8 and otherwise they would be too short for work.
I think if you stick to mainly cotton, static cling isn’t too much of a problem.
You could also run a sheet of Bounce over your sweater dress
I wasn’t a fan of slips before, but since I tried one with a jersey dress I find them to be KEY to wear this type of stuff.
I’m not usually a wearer of spanx, but I think they’re almost required to look good in a sweater dress.
That was my concern. I can’t see wearing this without lots of, er, bulges.
Agreed! Sweater dresses often add a little bulk AND accentuate curves. If you are curvy, they seem to “play up” all that you want to downplay (at the office at least).
Pretty dress, but in this part of the country I have not seen anyone wearing a low neckline like this to work – would not want to be the first.
Hmmm I don’t find it low cut at all. Maybe it is because the model is not particularly “busty” so there is no cleavage. On someone else it might not be appropriate but on her it looks fine to me.
I agree with you, Anon. I don’t find this low cut at all. On top of that, I have seen women “in this part of the country” wearing much lower cut things to work (things I found inappropriate). I wouldn’t even think twice about the neckline on this dress if I saw someone wearing it to work (assuming that no cleavage is shown, like we see here with the model). That being said, I think the general feel of this dress might be a little too casual for most workplaces.
I don’t think it is low cut for the model’s build either. I also have seen much worse in the work place. What part of the country is the op from?
I’m not LDS but I do think that this would be too low cut for LDS guidelines so it could be the OP is from a predominantly LDS region. Just a thought.
I also think the scarf makes it look more appropriate than it would be sans scarf – not cleavage bearing per se, but a lot of exposed chest nonetheless. It would definitely fly at my workplace, but I wouldn’t be comfortable in it personally (I also wouldn’t judge anyone else for wearing it, though :) ).
I am LDS, and this dress looks perfectly modest to me (at least the way it fits the model).
Well then I stand corrected! Thanks, anonawow. I thought tops/dresses needed to come up closer to collarbone level to be okay. What is the actual guideline?
Well, there’s no hard-and-fast guideline (like a certain number of inches from collarbone or something). The guideline is basically “be modest” and use your best judgment. I would say almost everything on here that is considered work appropriate is fine for me to wear. And I follow the same guidelines on the weekends too, like I don’t wear skirts above the knee or anything way too skin tight in clingy fabrics even if coverage is good. Also, nothing sleeveless, but cap sleeves are fine. No cleavage. Basically, if I’m going out in public I want to look nice and tailored, but never va-va-voom.
I don’t claim to speak for any other LDS person, but I’d say most moderate crewnecks are fine. If I can look down and see my own cleavage, even if others can’t from straight-on, I feel like I’ve got too much skin showing. But I’m not busty – some may have cleavage with a much higher neckline than me.
I bought a very very similar dress from Boden this fall – almost identical in cut, looks like – and while I didn’t think it looked low on the model, the wide scoop neck really does expose a lot of skin and during the day it can get a little lower, needs occasional adjusting. I like it with tights and boots/scarf for the weekend, but I wouldn’t wear it to work.
I posted about a Kate Middleton-ish dress a few days ago and wanted to add a link for anyone interested – it’s at Anthropologie, called the Network dress.
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?navAction=jump&id=20044731
When I went in last night to ask about it, they first said they didn’t have it yet but took time to call the other store here (in Toronto). Exactly as they were hanging up with the store and I was about to walk out disappointed, another salesgirl walked up and said she thought she had seen it in the back – and she went and pulled one out of the box for me. It’s pretty perfect, although it is more “just above the knee” than actually knee-length.
It’s more than I typically spend (having just transitioned from grad student to
a fancy professional), but I’m really happy with the dress – and the friend I went with is going back to get it in red, since she loved it too.
Ooh, that’s pretty gorgeous, thanks!! Can you talk about how it fits in the bust? I wouldn’t be wearing it to work so it could show a little, but I’m concerned it might be a lot..
I also bought the dress this past weekend. I have a small bust (size A) and will need to wear a tank under it for it to be work appropriate because the v-neck is fairly deep.
I tried it on really quickly, so I can’t say for sure – I wouldn’t wear it to work without a camisole under, but I’m not sure about outside work. I’m going to test it out again at home and can update you if you like!
I also got this one this weekend from NY&Co, which is similar but a little cheaper:
http://www.nyandcompany.com/nyco/browse/productDetailWithPicker.jsp?productId=prod2540065&categoryId=cat60070&FLCat=cat60036&productId=prod2540065&categoryId=cat60070&addFacet=1002%3Acat60070
I have a number of items from Athleta that I have been really happy with over the years. I’m kind of annoyed with them now though, because they’ve done away with their petite xtra-large sizes (although they have lots of xxsmall stuff). So I can’t replace things I’ve bought from them that have worn out. I guess they don’t want us short chubby girls out there exercising!
The price on this dress seems a little high- I could find something similar in quality and looks for half the price at Target or somewhere else. Plus this dress seems to have a childlike quality to it- not very work appropriate.
I bought this dress in Target today for $21:
http://www.target.com/Merona-Cable-Sweater-Dress-Violet/dp/B003S2ARB4/ref=br_1_8?ie=UTF8&id=Merona%20Cable%20Sweater%20Dress%20Violet&node=1104830&searchSize=30&searchView=grid5&searchPage=1&sr=1-8&qid=1291222613&rh=sleeve_type%3A3%2F4|style_name%3ASweater%20Dress&searchBinNameList=style_name%2Csleeve_type%2Ccollar_style-bin%2Clifestyle-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&searchRank=salesrank&frombrowse=1
I bought this dress a few weeks ago as well, but it still hasn’t been shipped so I can’t report back. The reviews are uniformly good so I’m crossing my fingers. My one worry is that it will be too short. I like my dresses to hit me at the knee.
I also bought it. I’m 5’10 with long legs for my body, and it hits right above the knees for me. It’s a great dress for the price. I liked the one they had last season better (it had more of an A-line feel), but I’ll probably buy this one in again in a different color.
I bought this dress too. It fits great and I love it. I’m 5’5″ and it’s a good length on me – at the knee/covers my kneecap.
Thanks! That’s very helpful, Samantha.
I love this. Very appropriate for some days where I work. Noy for days when I’m in loads of meetings, but days when I am stuck at the desk, absolutely
Thoughts on wearing an animal print accessory to work? I’m thinking of a scarf or shoes. I never thought I would get into the look but animal print seems to be everywhere these days. I work in Big Law in DC.
As do I. I say absolutely, yes–just one item per outfit. (I.e. don’t do the zebra scarf with the lepoard flats and the giraffe bag and the snake watchband.)
Yeah, the other day I saw someone wearing a leopard faux fur jacket with a leopard scarf, carrying a zebra bag. Too much.
I think that’s completely fine. I wear leopard print shoes all the time to my Big Law job. I even think of them as a neutral, go-with-anything shoe.
I used to work somewhere that had a dresscode that specifically stated no animal prints. Therefore, I have it engrained in my head that animal prints to work are a no-no. Although, at my current worplace, I see animal prints occassionally. I still can’t get past it.
Definitely go for it. I love leopard print. Stick to one print and one item at a time. If you’re still feeling a bit uncertain about, stick to a smallish item (shoes, scarf, or bracelet/cuff as opposed to a whole blouse or skirt).
I have leopard print shoes that always get rave reviews when I wear them.
I wear sweater dresses to work but I wear them over fitted dress pants that have a fairly straight cut to them. Lots of compliments and I feel it is more professional than tights or leggings. I also only do this with sweater dresses that would be far too short to wear as a dress so they look more like a regular sweater anyway.
I just bought a lovely sweater dress, similar to one I’d gotten a few weeks ago but in different colors, but stupidly didn’t try it on and found when I got it home that it’s much shorter than the first one. I guess I’ll try it over pants – thanks for the suggestion!
Same here — Nasty, cold, and sideways raining in DC. Funny, on those days, I reach for pants, definitely not dress/tights/boots. LOL. This dress looks ok, but I’ve found that buying sweater dresses online is hard. You need to “feel” the texture, weight, and see how it clings/hangs on you. I’ve found it pretty hard to find sweater dresses that are flattering on me. I prefer cashmere/cotton/wool blends over acrylic.. Got a haul coming from Victoria’s Secret (hush! LOL). Including this one: http://bit.ly/ea7xix We shall see.
I always do a skirt when it’s raining because then I can wear boots & a coat be mostly dry when I get to work. I have never mastered the tuck pants into boots without becoming a wrinkled mess. Love jeans tucked into boots when I’m on my own time & it rains though!
Hi AIMS, you’re right — I’m a car commuter and even just walking across the parking lot to my office, the hems of my long, bootcut pants got pretty soggy. LOL. I’d be a wet mess if I was in NYC.
Oh, how I wish I knew how to drive & didn’t live in NYC whenever it rains like mad on my way to work!
Be careful what you wish for. I’m in LA. Enjoy public transpo or even better, walking. Even in the rain.
Can you tell I had a tough commute today?
Ooh, love the dress you linked to. I’m hesitant about the neckline/cleavage though – do post a review once you get it!
Oh, wow, I love that VS dress! Any idea how the sizes run on their dresses? I’m right between sizes.
This looks cheap and nasty. But, oh wait – it’s actually pretty expensive. And I can see the model’s tummy bulge – despite the fact she probably subsits on ice cube and tic tacs. Bleugh.
I think it’s the end of her tights.
Either way, I second your bleugh!
:)
Anyone ever try Athleta’s workout pants? I’m intrigued, but haven’t. Also — wasn’t there discussion about some Benefit white pencil that was great for brightening eyes? I’m full of questions today!
Thanks –
Yes, love, love, love their work out pants. Very high quality.
I just got several pairs of pants and tights for running from Athleta. They have been great so far. A bit pricy, but they were one of the few places where I was able to find running tights in petite sizes.
And they are doing free shipping/free returns on orders over $50 right now.
Since we’re on the subject of sweater dresses . . . . I wouldn’t wear the one here for work, but what do y’all think about this one? I am thinking of getting it in navy. Is it too casual? Or okay for a rainy Friday?
http://canvas.landsend.com/pp/SweaterDress~216076_-1.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::GRC&CM_MERCH=IDX_00017__0000002209&origin=index
Looks ok to me (we are biz casual here). I think your judgment is right to go with the navy–I think light heather gray on top is too reminiscent of a sweatshirt for work, even on Friday.
It would definitely be OK for my business casual office, as well. You actually have me wanting to buy it!
I like it on the model. I think it might not be as flattering on someone with wider hips (such as myself).
I like it in the navy as well, although it looks a little severe on top to me — I think it’s calling for some sort of statement necklace (lots of colors could look great, I think — everything from plain silver to red, yellow, some greens or purples…) to add texture / interest.
The grey has been sitting in my cart for a couple of weeks now, but I haven’t pulled the trigger because I’m on a grad student’s budget. I think it could come across as a bit casual, depending on your office, but not inappropriately so, and is just so lovely and warm looking that it’s probably worth while. Plus, lands end is good about returns. Please let us know how it goes, if you buy it!
Thanks, everyone!
I pulled the plug & got it in navy (agree that gray, although lovely, is a bit too casual for work)
For anyone interested in this or anything else from Canvas —
Promo code SAVE40 & Pin 9019 gets you free shipping & 40% off.
My total with tax came to just $62!
@So — maybe now you pull the trigger? I will post back when I get it.
Work holiday party fast approaching. General consensus is cocktail attire. Anyone seen any great dresses lately that are on the longer side (just below knee ideally, and I’m tall), high neckline, and some sort of sleeve (cap fine, just not sleeveless)?
I’d take a look at Talbots. With a bit of tailoring to reduce boxiness, they usually have lots of pretty with-sleeves options during holiday.
You may not have time to order something since the party is fast approaching, but I love this dress from Boden:
http://www.bodenusa.com/en-US/Womens-Dresses/Knee-Length-Dresses/WH230/Womens-Piccadilly-Dress.html?NavGroupID=4
It seems to hit just-below-the-knee and does come in a long length.
Like this a lot! Thanks Suggestion!
I’ve actually had luck at dress barn for these kinds of things. I add “younger” accessories to round it out. Usually I’m only going to wear the dress on one or two occasions so I want something cheap too.
another question on dresses: does anyone have a suggestion on where to find simple non-wool dresses with sleeves for fairly cheap (like $50 or under)? I feel like everything I see in stores is way more than I want to pay ($100+), or wool sweater dresses, which just make me itch. I’m thinking something like this, except in something other than wool: http://www.bodenusa.com/en-US/Womens-Dresses/Knee-Length-Dresses/WH220/Womens-Easy-Knitted-Dress.html?NavGroupID=4
I want somehting to wear on the weekends without paying a ton. i thought i could find something at target, but I didn’t really have a whole lot of luck. (if only boden was cheaper, I’d probably buy every dress on their website. alas)
You might find a good deal scouring the racks at Marshalls or Nordstrom Rack. I know a lot of people here love Lands End, but I didn’t like the dress that I bought from there.
are you on the boden email list? They are constantly having deals for 10-25% off with free shipping and sometimes with free returns too. Still expensive, but it does make it a bit more palatable.
for what it’s worth, I bought a very similar Boden dress this fall and didn’t find the wool itchy at all. It’s a good fabric blend, still really warm. It’s similar to this one but with some gathers rather than the knot in the front
http://www.bodenusa.com/en-US/Womens-Dresses/Knee-Length-Dresses/WH212/Womens-Wool-Jersey-Dress.html?NavGroupID=4
oh, also – mine has a built-in slip. Don’t know whether this one does but all 3 of my Boden dresses do.
Try JCPenney’s – they always have sales. I don’t think I’ve ever purchased any dress at full price from there.
The solution I have for rainy days and pants is I have a long raincoat. Works very well.
I can’t figure out how to make a sweater dress look professional. At all. Business casual, sure. But generally sweater dresses fall into the same category as jeans for me. I’m not a lawyer and I work in a B.C. office, so I might wear this to work, but not on a day I’d ever have meetings.
It is very likely that the sweater dresses I have tried on are cheap, but I have found that you need the perfect bod for a sweater dress. Am I wrong?
I read a lot of talk about wearing tights on this website. Are adult women really doing that? I haven’t seen anyone. How do you pull that look off without looking like a child?
I really think it does depend on the specific sweater dress. I would say I have a “regular” (so far-from-perfect) body and I’ve found that some sweater dresses look horrible on me (I just can’t get on board with Spanx on me) and some look great.
As far as tights, nearly every adult woman I see in D.C. wears them throughout the fall/winter/early spring. I’m not sure why you see the look as childish.
Well, either a perfect bod or good foundation garments. I find that the addition of a silky slip helps the sweater dress to not cling to my thighs and hips (problem areas). There are others on this site who will swear by Spanx with sweater dresses.
Maybe you just have a different definition of “tights” than most do. My little girls wear these cable knit white sweatery tights all fall/winter that I would never wear as an adult in a million years. I (and all adult women I know) wear tights that are more like really thick black/brown/grey hose, the likes of which you would be unlikely to see on a child.
I think when people are referring to tights, they’re referring to what you describe as thick hose. As a sidenote, I work right near a college campus and just witnessed a very unfortunate case of a girl confusing leggings and tights (i.e. the outfit required leggings, as in full-on pants, and what she had on were tights at best, possibly even hose.)
Every single woman I know wears tights all winter long. Unless you live in a hot climate, I can’t imagine how you haven’t seen them.
I used to have these white tights with red hearts on them when I was little. I adored them!
In general, I have found that dark colors hide the less-than-perfect aspects of my bod. Thicker knits help, too, as do styles that have more room around problem areas. I have a good waist, but large rear end, so nipped in waist styles look okay on me as long as the skirt isn’t too body-hugging.
I can’t tell just by feel whether the fabric content and weave will work, I have to try them all on. Something that looks like a wreck on a hanger may be just right on you, but not on me. So hard to tell from catalogs and web sites!
Oh yes, I was not envisioning the “thick hose” but more like the “sweatery tights” little ones wear. Silly me! Now I realize, of course, I have seen women wear tights.
Women wear sweater tights, too :). Perfect on a cold day. Hue makes really nice ones.
But not usually the white cable knit ones, or the pink striped ones with interspersed hearts very popular in my girls’ preschool!
The model looks pooch-y which means that this dress would need some serious undergarments.
I’m in my mid forties and recently rocked a short-ish knit dress with color blocking in burgundy, brown and black, worn with black tights and burgundy suede mary-jane-style heels. I am not a NY-er, but was in Manhattan at a client meeting (client is very casual) and got at least a dozen compliments on it, no joke.
Sounds really great! The combination of colors would be stylish and hip.
Hey all,
I don’t work for Theory or for this sample sale company, but I just went earlier today, and there was lots of selection and not too many people — click on the name to see directions, but it is at 261 W. 36th Street if you are in New York. I bought a lovely black dress there, but there is a LOT of suiting, including some from this season.
Huh. I’ve never really tried sweater dresses, but it does look comfy. And warm.