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.
Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
We recently got Carissa Rose's fall lookbook and were drooling over this lovely dress (much better shot of it is in the lookbook, here). For those of you who don't know, Carissa Rose's items all offer sizing for bustier girls — so if you've ever had problems with dresses not fitting because your top half is so much bigger than your bottom half, this is the dress for you. We like the elbow-length sleeves and the banded waist, and would wear it to work with pearls, black tights, and perhaps a gray boyfriend cardigan. It's $165 at Carissa Rose. Lola Pencil Dress
Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail editor@corporette.com with “TPS” in the subject line.
(L-0)
Sales of note for 9.10.24
- Nordstrom – Summer Sale, save up to 60%
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Bergdorf Goodman – Save up to 40% on new markdowns
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lo & Sons – Warehouse sale, up to 70% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- White House Black Market – 30% off new arrivals
Some of our latest posts here at Corporette…
RSS Error: WP HTTP Error: cURL error 60: Issuer certificate is invalid.
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- What to say to friends and family who threaten to not vote?
- What boots do you expect to wear this fall and winter?
- What beauty treatments do you do on a regular basis to look polished?
- Can I skip the annual family event my workplace holds, even if I'm a manager?
- What small steps can I take today to get myself a little more “together” and not feel so frazzled all of the time?
- The oldest daughter is America's social safety net — change my mind…
- What have you lost your taste for as you've aged?
- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
Corporate Tool
The dress is lovely, but I wish it wasn’t above the knee. I know it is technically office appropriate, but when sitting at meetings, it can get a bit dicey.
Anon
It also looks too low cut for the office from the lookbook photo.
Anonymous Today
Where are you seeing the length? I clicked through to the website, but I seem to be missing it somehow.
A-non-lawyer
Has anyone read “How to Work a Room” or something similar? I just joined a networking organization that has happy hours and such, and I am not great at walking up to strangers and starting conversations. I’m ok once I start talking to someone, but it’s just the initial moments where it looks like everyone is engaged in their own conversations. I’m looking for all the help I can get!
anon
Stand amongst an already-formed group silently. If they don’t pause to greet you, wait a minute. When there’s a pause, say cheerfully “I’m sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m XXXX.” It’s never comfortable, exactly, but it always works.
R.S.
Good for you! Here’s what I do:
1) Go get a drink first. You can scan the room while waiting in line at the bar.
2) Look first for someone you already know. If you don’t see anyone you know –
3) Next, look for a group of two people who are alone, and who are not obviously having some sort of intimate conversation. Chances are, each of them is the only person the other one knows at that event, and they will welcome a third person joining them. Plus, it’s much easier to just walk up to two people and introduce yourself that it is to break into a group of five or six. However if all else fails –
4) A group of men will always welcome a confident, attractive woman walking right up and introducing herself. Once you’ve described your job or your industry and handed out your card, you’ll find conversation flows very easily. It’s not nearly as difficult as making conversation with strangers at singles or other social events.
Good luck!
Lyssa
On that note (the group of men), I’ve always found that works, . . . but, when I find myself in a group of men that I don’t know well/don’t have much in common with, I find that the topic almost always turns to football. More specifically, college football (this is probably at least somewhat a regional thing). I can’t do that; believe me, I’ve tried, and it might as well be nuclear physics to me (actually, I would find nuclear physics a lot more interesting). So, I find myself nodding politely, hoping someone changes the subject soon, but they don’t, they just get more and more into the conversation and I stand there feeling ridiculous about how I have nothing to add. Eventually I just tend to slink off, and the men don’t seem to notice.
How would you handle this? (I’m not a good subject-changer)
Anon1
Honestly (and take this with a grain of salt because I happen to love college football), if I were you I would learn something about college football on a rudimentary level.
There aren’t many women at my firm and the guys love to talk about sports. You can’t change what people want to talk about, so if you know that sports, football, art, whatever is always going to be a popular topic of conversation, it’s easiest to at least be conversant. That way you don’t have to stand there feeling ridiculous (this has happened to me when the men start talking about their hunting trips, so I feel you) and can chime in with stories of your own. In my experience, men in my office will appreciate that they can include me in the conversation and tend to take me more seriously, in general.
Anonymous
Yes, if that’s what people are talking about you have to brush up on it be able to talk about it at a superficial level–or pick some related “hot topic” from the news (e.g., for sports, doping scandals come to mind) to bring in so that it’s still interesting to the rest of the group but doesn’t require you to be immersed in it. I would peruse Google news and pick 3-4 topics to familiarize yourself with if you know you are walking into this type of situation. At my old job, I realized after some time that I had isolated myself by not being interested in talking about baseball, morning, noon and night. Since I wasn’t hanging out to talk baseball, I was missing lots of other stuff too. Think of it as another professional skill to acquire. I no longer even have time to follow sports with kids, etc. but I listen to the sports highlights in the morning just so I’m ready.
A-non-lawyer
I also live in a region where everyone talks about college football alllll fall long (is this everywhere?). I don’t care for the actual game, so I try to pay attention to the news about the players. It seems like there is always something interesting — players getting arrested, drama with coaches, etc. Then I’ll bring that up when the conversation turns to Saturday’s game.
Anonymous
I love college football to such an extent that your situation is completely incomprehensible to me. So instead I’ll try to explain how I wish people who don’t like football would act when I’m discussing football with coworkers.
1. Don’t try to change the subject. Nothing is more annoying than having only a short lunch break in which to discuss the topic we love the most and having it derailed by someone who wants to discuss something else.
2. Don’t make tangential or ad hominem comments. No one wants to hear that you don’t like football, that you only like it because the players wear tight pants, that you think the local team’s mascot is funny, that you think cheerleading is sexist, that you can’t wait for basketball season, etc. It’s annoying.
3. Do ask genuine, but specific, questions if you don’t understand something. For example, ‘What are bowl games?’ ‘Why is it called the Rose Bowl?’ ‘What does a safety mean?’ ‘What does a linebacker do?’. This will allow you to participate in the discussion without sidetracking it.
4. If you don’t want to ask questions and learn more about the sport, instead ask questions that allow your coworkers to talk about themselves. ‘What team are you supporting?’ ‘Who is your team’s big rival?’ ‘How’d that rivalry start?’ ‘What do you think about the coach? (Bonus if you know the coach’s name)’? etc. People love to talk about themselves and their opinions and asking these questions will allow you to be a part of the conversation without the pressure to say much. Most college football fans can go on for hours about their opinion of the coach or how much the rival sucks. If you know your coworkers’ favorite teams, ask them specifically how the teams are doing.
5. If there’s a game watch, ask if you can attend too. You can drink beer and have fun even if you don’t understand the game. And maybe you’ll start to like it once you’ve actually participated in cheering for a team instead of just trying to understand it from an analytical standpoint.
6. Don’t worry about it so much. I’m sure you and your female friends talk about things that make your male coworkers slink off feeling ridiculous. I know we do at my office.
Ru
THANK YOU FOR THIS. I always intended to get into sports more so that I could join the work conversations and I just couldn’t do it. But I can definitely participate with these tools. THANK YOU!!!!!
Anon
I would be really hesitant to ask questions like the ones in #3 because I would feel like I would sound like I was saying, “Omg, I’m a girl so I don’t know anything about the basics of a popular game.”
I really like the other ideas, though. Do you think that commenting on general news stories concerning sports (like the doping scandals mentioned above) is too tangential when it relates to the sport that everyone is discussing?
Anon also
Huge Boston sports fan here. I would never suggest asking the questions in #3. In my opinion, you’d look pretty dumb. Honestly, my colleagues would probably laugh at you behind your back after you left the conversation. College football has a place here (no one cares how BC did unless you went to BC), but you better know how the Patriots and Red Sox did in my office. This is easy in Boston even if you didn’t watch the game. Just go on boston dot com and read up on the scores, the big plays, any injuries, etc. If you want to partipate then you can add to the conversation by saying, ‘Can you believe they missed the big field goal?’ or ‘It stinks that so-in-so is out for the season.’
BigLaw Refugee
Yes, thank you for this – I have made a resolution to overcome my inability to discuss sports, and this will be very helpful.
Lynnet
I started watching pro football last year after getting into one too many of these conversations. I follow only my state’s team, but I watch most of their games. I’ve focused on the parts that I enjoy- watching sports involves eating yummy food (something I’m really good at), spending time with friends in a very laid back setting, and it gives me time to crochet and knit, two of my favorite hobbies. Also, once I started to understand what was happening, it became kind of fun to root for my team. I still can’t muster any interest if I’m not rooting for either team, though.
I’ve also found that even if the conversation is about another game that happened that weekend, it’s perfectly acceptable to talk about the game I watched. I’m not sure if it would be ok to talk about a pro game in a conversation about college football. I still haven’t worked out all of the cultural/social stuff surrounding football.
s-p-s
Actually, try approaching a group of three, or a single person, instead of a duo – we learned at my firm orientation that you might intrude on a conversation of two, whereas you will balance a group of three (or any other group where an odd number becomes an even number).
govvie girl
Two suggestions: Sounds cliche but Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is recommended just about everywhere for ways to improve your social comfort level. Another suggestion is to reference, in an appropriate segue, a satire show like SNL, Daily Show or Colbert Report. Those are pretty much gender-neutrally popular. If nothing else, comment on the venue, drinks, appetizers, etc.
C2
At this point it’s almost a given that the styling of these otherwise-lovely dresses will be abysmal, but that lookbook shot deserves a special mention. Wow.
AIMS
Oh my, but that’s hideous.
Lace tights, peep toe booties AND gloves????
m
WOW. Whoever styled that should look into another line of work.
Jay
For real. I also love the model’s pose. I often stroll around the office with that posture.
And….it may be my screen, but doesn’t the model look “chilly” in the picture? If this is supposed to be marketing to bustier women, I can’t imagine pointing out that the dress would show that particular feature that helps.
UnSub
Styling? What styling? Didn’t the model just put on every trending thing that they have in stock??
C2
Good point. She could wear that for Halloween and be Fall 2010.
dee
that is a great Halloween costume idea. I’m going to wear thigh-high socks, fancy shorts, a shoulder-padded jacket and open toed ankle booties.
S
Ohhh, I really dislike dresses that have a different fabric for the top and bottom. It just seems cheap to me, like those sweaters you see that have a faux-half button front shirt underneath them. I much prefer to go with a skirt and top, but this might just be my own personal pet peeve!
ES
At first I hated them but I’m starting to warm up to the idea. But I still think a top + skirt is more versatile. This one seems to use the same fabric top and bottom, just in different colors, so I like it more.
AIMS
I hate them 90% of the time, but occasionally it can be done really well, so I do not rule the idea out completely. I think it’s like anything else — it looks cheap when done cheaply, but use the right materials and include good construction, and it looks totally different.
Anonymous Today
Agreed. I have three dresses like this that really work for me. I’ve probably tried on about 50. So, a small percentage of them seem to work, but they work, I really like them.
Lyssa
I don’t hate it exactly, but it looks to me like it can’t make up its mind between being a skirt/top and a dress. It sort of reminds me of those bathing suits that were popular when I was a kid, where it’s a two piece, but the two pieces are connected at the sides.
S
Hilarious flashback! Thanks for that laugh.
Lyssa
Hey, don’t laugh. I looked adorable in those! I had one that was tye-dye purple and pink on top, and tye-dye blue and green on bottom, and the sides tied together. I was a cutie-pie! :)
Anon
I got a Land’s End dress with a knit top and a woven bottom, and the bottom part wrinkled like crazy – the dress looked awful by the end of the day. So it’s definitely something I’ll watch for in the future.
Kaylee
I agree. And it’s been done a lot over the past couple of years. I also find that if the elastic between the two fabrics is too tight, it looks maternity on me.
AN
I have a similar one by DKNY that I love, but the banded waist on this one strikes me as a no-no for my short waisted figure!
Va Gal
Actually I’m really short-waisted, too, and I find that a wide banded waist can look pretty good. If the band hits at the right spot, it can look like my waist is lower than it is. Narrow Empire waists are what kill me.
Lyssa
so if you’ve ever had problems with dresses not fitting because your top half is so much bigger than your bottom half, this is the dress for you.
My problem is almost always the opposite, so this is certainly not for me! Are there any folks who cater this way for us flat-chested gals?
A-non-lawyer
I have the same problem but haven’t found a solution. BR’s button downs in smaller sizes typically look ok on someone who is flat chested, but I haven’t been able to find dresses that really fit well without a lot of padding.
AIMS
Have you tried theory shirts/dresses? they are always too snug in the chest for me, so I would think they may be right for someone smaller.
Also petite sizes tend to be cut smaller in the chest, but that doesn’t work for everyone as you can be 5’11 and flat chested. . .
SF Bay Associate
At least in my personal experience, Theory is an utter disaster for anyone with more prominent hips/pear shape. The tops and jackets fit my small bust *great*, but the bottoms are designed for the very slim hips – Theory is the go-to bottom for my more straight-figured asian friends.
I’m wearing a Classiques Entier (Nordstrom) dress today. It is the first brand that I’ve ever found where I can actually wear a dress without heavy tailoring because I need the size that fits my hips, and then have to take it way, way in on top. I’m an 2 on top and a 4 on bottom, and in Classiques, I can buy a 2 because there’s actually space for my hips! Praise to Legally Brunette for showing me the way.
Legally Brunette
Awwww, I’m happy to help out! I hope Nordstrom comes out with some winter CE dresses with half or 3/4 sleeves.
Ru
For my body, I find that most dresses (such as fitted sheaths) are too big on top, so I guess that means I’m short waisted? Is there anyway to alter the dresses without completely opening the seams and resewing it?
MelD
It probably means you are a pear shape. A tailor should be able to take a dress in on the sides or other seams. If there is a seam zipper they will have to rip the whole thing apart.
Ru
I’m more of a bottom-heavy hourglass shape (my sister is pear-shaped and our bodies look completely different). I have a sewing machine and I can sew but I was hoping to get away with an easy alteration. I thought about sewing the straps shorter as a quick fix, but that affects the arm holes, which I am not going to mess with. I’ll most likely have to open up the entire thing, take in the front darts a little and shorten the waist from the top of the dress and leave the skirt part as is (the dresses fit me perfectly as soon as I align the waist of the dress to my natural waist). Sounds like a pain.
UnSub
What do you call it if the waist on dresses are always lower than where my waist actually is? I can’t figure out if I’m long waisted or short waisted or just a freak of nature. The smallest part of me is actually several inches above my bellybutton (every time I’m told to measure at my waist and the drawing indicates bellybutton level, I’m lost). Additionally, I have to have most tops with straps altered because the straps are too long and if left alone I’d show way too much cleav. I’m 5’8 but all legs if that helps at all.
E3
Short waisted, definitely.
Samantha
Agreed. I am short waisted too and that describes me well. My smallest portion is just a little below my bustline.
Anonymous
You can have a high or low waist and a short or long torso. Sounds like you have a high natural waist.
anon-ny
I read on a blog somewhere the test for a short waist is to see how many hands you can get between your bottom rib and your hip bone – 1 hand is short waisted, 2 is normal and anymore than that is long waisted. This little test finally confirmed my long-held belief that I am short-waisted (5’9″ and all legs) and I also have the issue with straps on tops that you have.
L from Oz
Am both short and short-waisted, and finding tops that don’t show the world everything is terrible. (I live in fear of that ‘wear it with a tank top/camisole suggestion, because they’re harder to find than the original garment!)
M
The dress is nice but if it is only a knee length for office style. I would wear with black pumps*low heels, black tights, silk olive green scarf and pearl bracelet for elegant look.
Anonymous
That styling in the look book is hilarious! It’s like the stylist grabbed the most hideous version of every trend, threw it on with the dress, and then thought “Ohh, but it needs gloves, too!”
I actually like the dress though – can anyone comment on the brand’s quality? I usually don’t spend $165 for a stretch-cotton dress.
Anonymous Today
I have a few of their shirts and the quality is great. I’ve never tried any dresses, though, so I don’t know if the quality extends to the dresses, as well.
Parisienne
I don’t like the dress’s sleeve-length. Ot its hem-length. But most of all I would never wear it with a boyfriend sweater. I love my boyfriend sweater (LL Bean) but it only looks good over slim pants.
AD
Oh, I agree. As someone who is bigger on top than on the bottom (and with a short waist to boot), I’ve really struggled to find sweaters that don’t make me look like a cinder block when I wear them with dresses. Boyfriend sweaters are the worst because they completely obliterate my curves altogether.
Anonymous
What about a slim belt over the boyfriend sweater? Would that work?
RoadWarriorette
I guess I’m one of the few who really likes this dress! It’s interesting and elegant, and I love that you can choose between WE (Well Endowed) and RE (Regular). Agreed that the styling is *terrible* in that lookbook.
Anonymous Today
Just FYI, it’s actually Well Endowed (WE) and Really Endowed (RE). The Really Endowed dresses are actually for women with a larger bust. (This makes more sense if you look at the size chart.)
RoadWarriorette
Thank you for clarifying! That makes more sense.
Anonymous Today
You’re welcome! I would probably guess that RE was regular, too, if I hadn’t been familiar with the brand from having purchased their shirts.
Louise
I’ve heard really good things about this brand, but alas, my size is neither WE or RE, but YEFIB (Your Endowment Fund is Bankrupt).
Suze
@Louise, hahaha! Share the syndrome. My endowment fund isn’t spending north of $150 for a fairly pedestrian dress that comes in confusing sizes (note the *different* size charts for different garments…eeee).
Big Firm Lawyer
Gorgeous dress, but how would it fit on pear-shaped women? This is why I never wear dresses, actually. Pants are just so much easier in this situation
AE
I had been eyeing yesterday’s Coffee Beark necklace and this dress as well from Carissa Rose. Now that I know this has Kat’s endorsement I think I will buy it. I have bought from Carissa Rose before (a shirt and a shirtdress) and although it is pricey, the fit (for 36F bust and size 8/10 pants me) can’t be beat.
Anonymous Today
How did the dresses fit in comparison to the shirts? It sounds like I’m about a size smaller than you and I typically wear a MR in the shirts. However, on the size chart for dresses, my waist measurement seems to put me in an 8, but I’d need to go up to the 10RE to accomodate my bust measurement. How would you say the sizing runs on the dresses?
AE
I got an LR in items in the “Urban Fit” styles. I haven’t bought any items in the new numbered sizing Carissa has for her fall items yet. I suggest you email Carissa. She helped me pick the right size for the items I bought before.
M in Chicago
Does anyone have a recommendation for how to best wear a ponytail?
I see a lot of women that wear it low (just above the base of the neck) and the hair seems to come out at a right angle, and it looks really cute. Mine never seems to look right though. I always feel like I’m a 16 year-old cheerleader or something.
Do you have any tricks? Should I do something different with the hair near the top of my head in the front? (Sometimes it looks like folks have bobby pins or such creating a slight pouf…?)
My hair has a bit of natural wave. So maybe it’s just a style that is better with stick straight hair.
surrounded by lawyers
This is such a silly problem, but it has plagued me to no end! I totally empathize! I too have naturally wavy hair…but that is a kind way to put it in my case. It’s more like “straight in some places, extremely curly in others, frizzy all ’round!”
Ponytails are supposed to be an easy, go-to look for anyone with hair long enough to wear them, but for me they were consistently ugly–think mop that wasn’t even cut evenly–until I committed a substantial amount of time and money into making my hair smoother, heavier and straighter. This meant a flat iron and several styling products. I’m just Type A enough that it’s worth it to me, but I totally get it if you don’t feel the same way.
If you go straight, even on some days, enjoy your newfound pony capabilities! You won’t have to worry nearly as much about its shape or how it hands. But if you don’t go straight, my one suggestion would be a braid. Even on my hair’s most naturally wild days, I can sort-of ponytail it by braiding, which disguises its unruliness.
I’ll emphasize that in my case the problem was a lack of consistency in my hair’s texture, not the texture itself. Anyone whose hair is about the same throughout has probably had much better success with ponytails.
M in CA
I think there was a post about this, followed by an animated discussion (IIRC) in the comments, a while back — around the time when “The Proposal” came out. :)
M in Chicago
Thanks, guys. I guess I’m going to stick with my messy bun or a twist and quit agonizing.
There’s only one Sandra! :)
rd
with a low pony, maybe try parting your hair to the side and pulling it back. i find that this look is more flattering, and that you can throw some bobby pins around the base of your neck to keep the unruly hairs (if you have any) intact. also, you can try the headband/pony combo, which adds interest and is also functional.
C2
For me, the trick to not looking like a cheerleader is to wear it low enough that it doesn’t swing when I walk. This is maybe the only fashion tip I’ve ever received from a pervy-comment-on-the-street, which began with “hey baby I love the way your ponytail bounces…” and really went downhill quickly.
Leaving the rest of that aside, it did really pinpoint my previously-abstract issue with ponytails — I feel a lot more professional in a ponytail that is demure and out of the way; higher ponytails make me feel young, girlish, and enthusiastic. Nothing wrong with any of those things, but it doesn’t suit my office style. My ponytails are now tightly-fastened about 2 inches above the nape of my neck, and do not flounce.
mille
I don’t actually know if this is office appropriate, but I do a low ponytail and do what my best friends’ mother called “the rubber band trick” and the “topsy-tail” tool from the early 1990’s did== you take the pony tail, flip it through itself and, to me, it looks polished. I’ll just let you look at the link. http://www.asseenontv.com/prod-pages/topsy_tail.html . The picture they use on the spiral notebook instruction manual is the one I do. I don’t use a topsy-tail tool– just pull it through with my fingers. It’s so hard to explain….but it hides the elastic and makes my curly thin hair stay better in the ponytail.
This is the most convoluted post I’ve ever posted. And I am sure the hairstyle is called something, but I don’t know what it is.
Anon
I am looking for some good basic turtlenecks for fall, for wear under jackets and sweaters. I am a size 16 in Misses’ sizes so brands that don’t go above a 12 won’t work. I also don’t want to spend a fortune and I don’t really want wool or wool-blends because those get too hot in my office, where we have someone who always sets the temperature at 75 degrees. I’m looking for pretty basic colors – black, brown, cream, dark red, etc. Any suggestions?
K
Try LL Bean or Lands’ End – big range of sizes and colors, high quality, and reasonable prices.
K
Here’s LL Bean’s version – http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/22350?from=SR&feat=sr
and Lands’ End – http://www.landsend.com/pp/ModernSolidLongSleeveCottonModalTurtleneck~199302_59.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::AH2&CM_MERCH=search-_-turtleneck&origin=search
hmm
Talbots has some out right now.
RR
Second. I have several and really like Talbots’ turtlenecks.
Anon
…”we have someone who always sets the temperature at 75 degrees”.
I think you stole my secretary! Only with her, its 78 degrees. Seriously, it is annoying not to be able to wear winter clothes in the winter because the thermostat nazi thinks it should feel like a day in June inside.
EE
I have the opposite problem. Our office windows are so drafty that you can actually feel a breeze coming off of them in the winter. So my office is about 62 degrees in the winter. I’ve learned to dress very warmly!
dee
J. Crew has some tissue-weight turtlenecks right now in a million colors: http://bit.ly/bboWPO
sizing is XS-XL, not sure if that would work for you.
ArC
I second the recommendation for J. Crew tissue-weight turtlenecks. They also will have cashmere turtlenecks once it gets a little cooler. I’m a size 14/16 and their XL knits fit great.
Shukween
@M in CHI–
I too have wavy hair and that’s not a look I can ever get to look nice, polished and professional unless I have had my hair blown out straight. For me, it’s because my hair in the ‘pony portion’ kind of poufs out under the elastic and doesn’t look sleek.
surrounded by lawyers
This!
brown eyes
Threadjack and alert:
JNY has 40% off all dresses – today only, online.
I spied this one
http://www.jny.com/Audrey-Collar-Chemise-Herringbone/25446298,default,pd.html?cgid=25126439&itemNum=113&variantSizeClass=&variantColor=JJ9WYXX
and wondered if anyone has seen it it or tried it on? What’s the “hand” of the fabric? I have an hourglass shape so I cannot wear sheath dresses. Thoughts? Love the simple colors and, of course, the Audrey (really?) collar.
Happy dress shopping. Thanks.
Ms. Basil E. Frankweiler
May I ask what it is about your shape that makes you unable to wear sheath dresses?
brown eyes
Sure, Ms. Frankweiler (love that book that the name references) … my hourglass seems to have far too bulges and tightness as the hips go to the knees it seems…I always find sheath dresses tight that way.
Additionally, I think I “need” a defined waistline. I have tried to have the upper portions of sheaths taken in if I go larger to accommodate the lower portion, but that doesn’t seem to help the overall silhouette
This even applies when I go the untucked route with my uniform of jackets and skirts (although so varied and colorful, it’s what I wear, henece the “uniform”). I look in the mirror and hallways windows at the office, and decide, no, I need to tuck so as to have a waistline emphasized.
Do you have other thoughts/experiences? Do tell. And, do you have mixed-up files ;)
Ms. Basil E. Frankweiler
I’ve actually been picking up some sheath dresses to incorporate into my wardrobe. I’ve ordered these dresses and are waiting for them to arrive so I can see if they’re acceptable (Target’s clothing has a history of being a little short for work on me). But, since I face the same problem, I purchased a couple of belts of varying widths to do the Michelle and if, I don’t feel comfortable with that, for me it seems that putting a hip length jacket or cardigan over a dress provides enough definition for me. But to each his own. Here are some of the dresses I’ve ordered. Maybe you want to give some a shot, some have self-belts so instant definition. I’ll do feedback on the dresses when I get them.
http://bit.ly/aLm0S5
http://bit.ly/bYkQdV
http://bit.ly/dqzuiT
http://bit.ly/aFIEwF
http://bit.ly/bECKq6
rg
Threadjack!
Hi Corporettes, I’m relatively new here, but I’d like some workplace advice (or at least commiseration). As quick background, I work in a relatively laid back office within a very formal and traditional organization. In our office, though, we tend to be pretty friendly and comparably informal. Recently, a couple people left and there are two new people (New Guy A and New Guy B) who are in a similar position to mine. Our supervisor is often in meetings and unreachable, so he has taken to putting me in charge when he’s gone.
My problem is that New Guy A has the most bizarre office behavior that I’ve ever encountered, and I don’t exactly know how to handle it…especially since I’m technically not his superior. He just seems to have no sense at all of workplace etiquette (i.e. in terms of interrupting people etc, but it’s also just plain weird). It’s a little hard to explain what’s so bizarre about the way he does things…but one example is that yesterday I was going over a document with New Guy B. We were very obviously working on something. New Guy A turned around to face us (we have an open office space) and started waving his hand in the air to get attention. Assuming it was urgent, we stopped. At which point New Guy A told us something funny about a family member who’d just sent him email, and then turned around to say that’s all, go back to your job. Maybe I’m uptight, but that’s totally unprofessional and frankly plain rude. Interestingly, he has already once been reprimanded by our supervisor for doing the exact same thing!
My husband has no ideas (other than he’s shocked this guy has a job), and a friend suggests pulling him aside privately and explaining to him which of his behaviors are specifically distracting. Any other thoughts? Or any other hilarious examples of bizarre behavior that’s totally inappropriate at work (or really in any situation) so that I can at least feel less like I’ve landed in some parallel universe?
Blonde Lawyer
Sounds like the person may be social, with ADD, and no boundaries. I am guilty of often stopping in to chat with my coworkers (interupting them). It is compunded by the fact that we have an open workspace, I’m social and pass them on the way to the printer, the water cooler, etc. I usually am oblivious to the fact that I am interupting them – or that they care that I am interupting them. Some people think everyone welcomes a break for a funny story.
Maybe say something like “I try to leave by x every day so I really need to avoid interuptions while working.” Or – I’m too busy to chat right now. If you want an overarching way to end it say “working in an open space can be really distracting if everyone stops to chat all the time. I like to chat but I can’t this often. Feel free to interupt for something truly urgent though.”
Anonymous
My honest opinion is that you should not mention this to him unless it causes a direct problem for you. His supervisor is obviously already aware of the issue and bringing it up could only lead to interpersonal conflict.
naijamodel
I kinda agree with this… I think it will cause you unnecessary conflict. I can empathize, but it isn’t worth it.
At my part-time gig I am driven insane by this lady who NEVER STOPS TALKING. Literally. If she is in the office, words are coming out of her mouth. She will have a conversation with a person 2 doors down, and it sucks because she also talks to herself constantly so you can find yourself trapped in a convo because you thought she asked you something and you looked up or responded. She even comes up behind my desk sometimes to “look for something in the supply cabinet” AKA peer at what I’m doing and harass me.
I really want to tell her to not interrupt me but I’ve noticed everyone ignores her, so I know it will not go down well.
N
Agree on this.
Sitting in an office landscape can be difficult; we’ve got a couple of quiet rooms, with computers, available if there needs to be dialogue/small that shouldn’t be interrupted by others, and they’re lifesavers at times.
govvie girl
We totally have a Chatty Carl in our office, also. He’ll park himself by my cubemate who works with him and just chat for eons, about the one thing that he is interested in (job-related), it seems, in life, and about how he’ll make everything better, and what does “the boss” want. He says “the boss” repeatedly, like dropping his title, rather than “the boss” ‘s name. He’s eccentric in other ways, too, and I just think many of these folks literally don’t pick up social cues. Maybe it’s up to us to nicely let them know, or help them out in this way.
mille
I believe he will learn to be more appropriate as he learns the flow of your office. I wouldn’t mention it to him, just learn to ignore him.
I’ve never worked in an open office and imagine it’s a very hard way to work. If there are no physical boundaries, it’s harder to set up personal boundaries. I also (as you can tell by some of my posts) overshare, which I’ve learned to tone down a lot.
I have a theory that I may have very mild aspergers syndrome, or just never learned proper social interaction as a kid, because I’ve never been good at reading other people’s body language or interacting socially all that comfortably. Social cues aren’t that clear to me. I’ve been able to recognize some of my flaws and work around them, but it takes a lot of trial and error.
Electrologist
Any recommendations on a good electrologist in Philadelphia? Strongly prefer someone in the city, not the burbs, and someone who can do both galvanic as well as the blend method. Not interested in laser removal, just electrolysis.
Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks.
Susan RoAne
To A-non-lawyer who asked if anyone read How To Work a Room®:
Well, I read it often….as I wrote it. I speak to law firms, professionals, even the military officers and can tell you the advice about going up to 2 people is not the most helpful. You’re better off going up- to a group of 3-4 people who already look like they are having a good time. They will generally be more open to another person.Two people can be tricky as you don’t know if their conversation is private.
For more, visit http://www.howtoworkaroom.com for free articles and a free chapter of the book. The book is a great resource. You can read it or listen to it. The most imp. tip is always to RSVP and show up. The possibilities are endless but if you aren’t at the event, you miss opportunities.