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Wednesday’s TPS Report: Silk Charmeuse Herringbone Print Shirt Dress

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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. Silk Charmeuse Herringbone Print Shirt DressWe are loving this silk charmeuse herringbone dress from Brooks Brothers which, we think, shows how a shirt dress can be uber classic, feminine, and graceful. (As opposed to oh so many dresses out there right now that look like a man's shirt with a belt slopped around it.)  That print — that silk — that sash! (Although, we must admit, we are not digging the tights — are those brown?)  It's on sale at Brooks Brothers for $147; was $368 — available in lucky sizes 10, 12, and 14. Silk Charmeuse Herringbone Print Shirt Dress If you've recently seen a great work piece you'd like to recommend to the readers, please e-mail editor@corporette.com with “TPS” in the subject line. Unless you ask otherwise, we'll refer to you by your first initial. (L-2)

Sales of note for 12.5

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

40 Comments

  1. I like the concept of a shirtdress, but the sash in the front always bugs me on dresses. It just seems odd to have it lay there like that. Also, silk is beautiful but seems so “fancy” to wear to the office.

  2. I’ve been mulling over this dress for several months now. I can’t commit. Any personal reviews? I love wearing shirt dresses to the office, but the charmuese concerns me about being too shiny.

    1. I tried the dress on in the store. I love wearing dresses but this dress just didn’t do anything for my body. I’m slender (though not skinny) and don’t have many curves. The dress just hung on me and didn’t help create curves at all. If you have curves already, this dress could look great. It’s a beautiful fabric and looks pricey.

  3. Pet peeve = shirts (and shirt dresses) that don’t have buttons all the way to the top.

    I know everyone has a different preference on how high to button a shirt/shirt-dress, but it’d be nice to at least have the option of buttoning it higher than this top button. I’ve tried safety pinning above the end of the buttons on this type of shirt/shirt-dress and it just looks odd to me.

    3. I’ve noticed button down shirts lately seem especially bad about this (I’m looking at you, Banana Republic). I use fashion tape, though depending on the brand, it can be either great or completely worthless. I’ve also been meaning to see if I could get a tailor to make button hole for the extra button that comes with shirts, but haven’t gotten around to it–I assume it would be easy and fairly cheap, though.

  4. I think I got a cheap version of this shirt dress at Target about 9-10 years ago. It makes me a little less inclined to want to buy it now at 7x the price.

  5. I like the cut of the dress, but the pattern is making me a bit dizzy. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad in real life, i.e., not viewed on a computer screen.

    1. I think that’s right – if you check it out on the BB website (esp. in the zoom function) it doesn’t look nearly as dizzying.

  7. I like this, but it would look horrid on me (wrong shape). I would love seeing someone else in it though!

  9. I like the striped version a bit better, but neither version seems to work for petite women.

  10. I like both, but then I am a big dress wearer. not crazy about the tights, but if they are light-weight, they may be okay. My guess is you’d need them to make the dress multi-seasonal.

    Side note…interviewed a good candidate today that would have made lots of people on this blog howl and ding her immediately … lol.

    2. LOL… Black top, black trousers, pastel suede jacket (although she was over 50 – didn’t ask, but she graduated law school when I was finishing 7th grade – so that might get her an exemption on the suede jacket) and sparkly broach… oh visible tan hose with black flats….ROFL!!!

      Great candidate, though…..

      so no suit, no button up or white/neutral blouse, distracting jewelry, suede jacket….

      2. Hey, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching Jeopardy it’s that there are plenty of smart, successful women out there who don’t care much about clothes. They seem to do fine.

        1. v: thanks for saying this. IMO, not very classy, this loling and rofling at the expense of the perceived-to-be-unfashionable. And a private person, yet.

          We’re all in this together, people.

  11. Silk is great for the office – men wear it all the time (ties). Silk is comfortable in all weather and might even be washable. Charmeuse is fine. This dress might, however, be a little static-y. That is the trouble I have with some of my silks. They can be sprayed, but that can be a nuisance. For the office, I would dress this down with some non-dressy shoes. You can’t add a scarf if you have a tied belt.

      1. Wow! I just came on this website today to ask if anyone has any helpful tips for dealing with static cling…I rushed out of the house this am without realizing I had this problem.

        I am wearing a black cotton-type fabric shirt dress and wool tights (it’s Boston and it’s freezing!). I am wearing a slip too but somehow the skirt of the dress is still bunching and clinging (it’s a full skirt, ie, not narrow or a-line). Any help would be appreciated!!

        PS: triple bonus points if you can suggest a McGyver-type solution using common office products. : )

        1. A little fabric softner diluted with water, kept in a small spray bottle in my office works for me. If you have a drug store handing, they sell sprays for static cling. Another trick I have used is to go to the bathroom, put lotion on my hands (where it is almost rubbed in but not quite) and the get them wet, and rub them very lightly on the slip or lining . It isnt a perfect solution, but seems to help.

          1. I’ve used a dryer sheet in a pinch. If you rub the dryer sheet lightly on the tights/hose/slip/whatever it is that is sticking together, that helps. Easy to keep in a desk drawer.

  12. at the risk of starting that “frump” line over again, I had thought those “self belts” were to be replaced with a better leather belt asap, are matching fabric belts cool now?

    1. I would definitely replace it with a better leather belt. That said, I hate it when dresses come with cheap leather belts, I would rather the matching fabric belt than something that screams cheap.

      1. DVF wrap dresses always have the fabric self-tie. I like how it looks. Not that it’s an option to remove that kind of belt, but never even considered covering it with a leather belt. Huh!

    1. I’m pretty sure that it’s a bad idea to try to wash silk charmeuse (but haven’t tried)

    2. You could wash it without damaging the silk in cold water with a gentle detergent, but it’d wrinkle like crazy. I’d avoid it.

  14. This is really very pretty. I love dresses cut this way because I feel pretty and feminine yet still modest. Of course, I am a bit curvy so it works with my shape. Great find!

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