Wednesday’s TPS Report: Ellen Tracy Stretch Wool Skirt
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2025 Update: The Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale has begun — here's our 2025 roundup! If you prefer images, you can also scroll through our favorites here. Sign up for our newsletter to stay on top of all the great sales!

The below content is about the 2009 Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale.
Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. We begin the week in splurge mode, with our most expensive suggestions, and wind our way to Friday, where a less expensive item of clothing might be just what you need to make it to the weekend.
Nordstrom's half-yearly sale has begun, and there are some great pieces to be had at great prices (although it does seem like a lot of sizes are under-represented).
For today's TPS, we're liking this beautiful, ladylike, comfortable skirt from Ellen Tracy — how perfect to tuck in silk blouses (or wear with a bodysuit); we'd also wear it with a cropped blazer or perhaps a wrap if we were cold.
Was $248, now $147 with the sale at Nordstrom's. Ellen Tracy Stretch Wool Skirt
Some of our favorite work skirts of 2025 include classic pencil skirts like those from J.Crew,* Ann Taylor, Black Halo, Calvin Klein, Theory, and this Amazon seller); if you want one with a slight flare check out this Anthropologie skirt. (Also: readers love these slip shorts for comfort with bare legs!)
Sales of note for 8/14:
- Ann Mashburn – Seasonal sale, up to 50% off – we just included them in our updated Top 10 Brands for Comfortable Heels!
- Ann Taylor – 25% off all suiting! Also, extra 60% off clearance — readers love this blouse and I always love the variety of colors/textures for this jacket (it's a great separate)
- Anthropologie – Extra 40% off sale!
- The Fold – Up to 50% off, further markdowns (new lines added)
- J.Crew – Up to 30% off
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off sitewide, extra 60% off clearance
- J.McLaughlin – Summer sale, up to 50% off
- Lilysilk – Anniversary sale, save up to 70%
- Me & Em – Sale! Up to 60% off (new lines just added, exclusively online)
- M.M.LaFleur – 20% off pants (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Nordstrom Rack – Clearance, new markdowns up to 75% off! Nice selection of Vince, Veronica Beard, Reiss and Rag & Bone, a ton of affordable work dresses from Calvin Klein, Maggy London, Eliza J, and Donna Morgan
- Saks Fifth Avenue – Take 25% off one item (ends Mon)! Great selection of Veronica Beard, L'Agence, Vince, and more.
- Talbots – End of season clearance, 60% off all markdowns. $24.99 pants and jeans
- Theory – End of season sale is on! Love all the colors their best-selling sweater tee comes in, and some colors are on sale.
- Tory Burch – Private sale, ends 8/19!
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:

I will take one in black, one in navy, and to be bold, one in a deep dark rich eggplantish purple. Oh wait. Drat. Black only. Us long-waisted types love this skirt…..