Thursday’s Workwear Report: Tie-Neck Sweater
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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
This tie-neck sweater from Wit & Wisdom looks like a cozy and cute option for fall, and it’s available in petites! A friend recently complained about the dearth of petite-sized tops available for officewear, so it’s been on my radar even more than usual. I like the cable-knit details on the sleeves, and the tie neck gives it a little something extra.
I would wear this with a midi skirt and boots on a chilly day.
The sweater is $84 at Nordstrom and comes in sizes XS-XL and XSP-XLP.
Sales of note for 10/23 (ALSO, friendly PSA – check any NAS or Amazon Prime Day purchases for the return policies…)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase + $50 off your $200+ purchase
- Brooklinen – Friends & Family – 20% off sitewide and 50% off select bundles
- J.Crew – Up to 40% off select fall styles. Also, donate any gently worn coat in one of their stores and get $25 off your next purchase of $125+.
- J.Crew Factory – 40% off new arrivals + extra 15% off orders of $100+
- M.M.LaFleur – 72 hours only, save 20% on jardigans (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Nordstrom – 5840+ new markdowns for women, up to 40% off
- Talbots – 50% off one regularly-priced item, 40% off everything else
- Theory – End of season sale is on with extra savings (new prices are marked)
I am not feeling very happy with my fall/winter work wardrobe. I want to create something of a uniform for myself that is very comfortable but still polished. Most days are at my desk and my workplace is on the business casual end. I would like to wear sneakers, pants with stretch (preferably faux buttons and zippers) in straight or bootcut styles, and a sweater or quarter zip on top that doesn’t look frumpy. Am I reaching for the stars here? Do you have any of these items that you like?
I just bought two of the Banana Republic cotton-silk crewneck sweaters. I think I’m going to get a ton of mileage out of them this winter. They look good with both denim and dress pants.
For sneakers, the Ecco Soft 7 in leather is my work-appropriate version.
I can’t help with pants, as I’m also searching!
In case it’s relevant — I bought the black and mauve sweaters. The port red is also gorgeous.
Quince cashmere sweaters are inexpensive and would serve your needs.
Also, Maeve Magic Fabric pants (from Anthro) are stretchy and comfortable.
True. I have 7 of their cashmere cardigans that I wear most days. I wear them buttoned up with an undershirt, or over a collared silk blouse, also with an undershirt, because I’m not willing to launder delicates that frequently.
FWIW I’ve found the quality of Quince cashmere to be terrible– horrible pilling after one or two wears without washing, doesn’t keep its shape if you push your sleeves up (even just to wash your hands!). They sent me a replacement after I left a fair but negative review, and the replacement was exactly as poor quality as the first one. They also removed my review.
TBH, I think this will look frumpy, or at least very boring, unless the sweater or pants are particularly interesting and your hair and other personal grooming is really well-done. Boring is fine, to be clear, but if that’s not your goal, I’d consider adding a third piece: a belt, collared shirt layered under the sweater, or a scarf, or swapping the sweater for a blazer + shirt combo.
+1. Especially with sneakers I can’t imagine how this will look polished.
Associates interviewing in person at midsize law firms- does anyone greet you in the beginning before your interview or see you off at the end? And specifically at the end of the interview- do you just leave after your interview is finished, or does someone from HR come out and tell you about next steps, etc?
At our mid-sized firm, an interviewing associate would meet the receptionist, who would summon the attorneys interviewing the candidate. The attorneys then interview the candidate, answer any questions about next steps, then escort the candidate to the door to depart.
IME – more in-house than firms now – typically the last interviewer walks you out. Sometimes there is confusion about whether they need to get you back to HR/some other contact, but typically that’s resolved by (1) the interviewer reaching out to HR/etc. or (2) if the drop off to HR happens, it’s usually just “OK, thanks for coming in!” No substantive update because they don’t know how the interview went yet. Basically, I wouldn’t assume a formal “closeout” of the interview with information that day.
In most mid-sized firms I’ve interviewed with, the receptionist will greet you and the last attorney to interview you will take you to the door. You don’t usually meet with HR.
In my current (large) firm, candidates meet with the “associate development coordinator” or whatever her job title is now (I feel like it’s always changing) at the beginning of the interview. I don’t think they also meet at the end.
This sweater also comes in a nice, dark charcoal grey. I think I may order. I think it would look pretty with a skirt *or* pants.
Intriguing! I’ve been looking for a good charcoal sweater.
So cute and not made of itchy wool! If I could pull off ruffles and bows I would definitely buy it.
I need some v comfy v versatile party shoes with a reasonable heel. Thinking silver but flexible. Suggestions?
Wirecutter had an article about comfortable heels yesterday. Not sure if the link will work but here it is:
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/most-comfortable-heels/
The Racer heel they review comes in silver.
Following! I also need a shoe like this
I would like to buy some jewelry to add a little something to my basic work pieces. I’m not looking for heirloom quality stuff — just a few stylish pieces that I can wear for the next 3-5 years. Any ideas of where to look? I don’t wear large, chunky jewelry, but I still want something that has some presence.
What’s the neckline of an outfit you have in mind? Otherwise stick to earrings. Bracelets get too fussy.
Me, I get the most mileage out of gold rope chains. I have a 2 mm 15 inch, and a 6 mm 30 inch that I sometimes pair with a 30 inch pearl necklace.
I agree with the other commenter. Earrings first. I like bracelets, and necklaces are hardest. I have a 16″ delicate gold chain I wear, but I get the least mileage out of necklaces bc my shirts have all different necklines.
That’s the challenge for me. I feel like I can wear shorter necklaces (< 24") in the summer when I am wearing more open necklines. And for winter when I'm cold, I need a longer necklace (and like that I can put a 24" one over my head vs fiddling with a clasp). If you wear necklaces, please post your tips. I have two necklaces from Jet Set Candy that I love in theory but cannot wear (especially the paper clip link charm holder one — it always looks off balance). Maybe the problem is me.
Paper clip chains look weird on me, too, as does any chain that needs to lay flat.
I prefer mine shorter and higher on the neck, that way it isn’t playing too oddly with my neckline. Re clasps, I get magnet clasps for my shorter chains.
Look at Mejuri for nicer jewelry that’s not ridiculously expensive.
My favorite jewelry comes from museum gift shops.
Find a good bench jeweler where you live and start there. Mine specializes in antique and vintage and that’s always more bang for the buck.
Do you like your robot vacuum? If so, which one do you have? This is not for me, and robot vac vs. no robot vac is not the question; she’s asked for it very specifically, she is hard to buy for, and she’s getting it. Budget is $500. Amazon reviews are making me crazy.
Favorite semi-opaque tights that come in control top options? I’m thinking like 40 denier range.
I like Calzedonia’s tights, they have lots of options and have sales frequently. I just re-purchased 3 pairs of black denier 20 (w/o control top) with a buy 2 get 1 free sale. They last a reasonably long time for tights if you are careful with rings and nails.
I have a cotton/merino sweater that is too large and too long (lucky-ish find on clearance). If I wash it, might it shrink a bit (but in a uniform way)? Or are there other tricks to slightly shrinking something on purpose? I have also thought of spritzing with water and putting it into the dryer and checking every 5 minutes or so.
this will not work. it will not shrink uniformly. slouchy can be in if properly styled or sell it on poshmark. and in the kindest way if it doesn’t fit it isn’t a lucky find.
Haha, seconding that this will not work. I just did this (wrongly) over the weekend. And I am definitely old enough to know better.
For people currently in graduate / professional school, how are you managing paying for school now? It is just making up the gap with private loans, maybe with getting a co-signer? I was thinking about going for an other degree and that I could borrow what I haven’t saved or gotten a scholarship for, but now I am not sure how feasible that is. Would be looking at state schools and while tuition is low, cost of living can be high (or high for a FT student).
I went at night FT (program geared to working mid-career professionals) and paid cash as I went. No freaking way was I going to take out loans, had enough of sticker shock for undergrad.
I’m going to be in Boston for a few days next week and have an open day Saturday. Staying near Boston Commons and don’t plan to have a car. I’d love recommendations for restaurants, cafes, shops, and attractions worth seeing. My husband really wants to have seafood, so I’d love the scoop on what’s worth it and what to skip. I haven’t been to Boston since the late 1980s, so I have zero context. TIA!
Enjoy, the weather looks gorgeous next week! You’re close to pretty much everything there. Unfortunately some of the most interesting food in Boston isn’t in the city center, and it’s really not a ‘foodie’ city so maybe adjust expectations accordingly. For seafood Saltie Girl, Atlantic Fish Co. are reliable but $$. Neptune’s in the North End is amazing but doesn’t take reservations so the wait times are long. I love Mama Maria’s if you like Italian. There are a bunch of Tatte and Flour Locations near there, I prefer Flour over Tatte but both are good.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is my top suggestion if you like art, otherwise the Freedom trail is a great option as it’s self guided/pop-in pop-out.
Facing down another year of paltry COL raise, a ‘meets expectations’ rating (while my wider department got slashed and burned and I did the work of multiple people), and was just turned down for an internal promotion. Overall it’s worth staying where I am as the job market is so dire but I’m just feeling so beaten down.
Advice? Commiseration? Share your stories of woe! (sorry Shots! Shots! Shots! but my 45 year old system can’t handle you any longer).
I wouldn’t waste my energy getting worked up by the status quo. That’s not a real problem. If you got a performance is bad and about to be fired, that’s a real problem. A middle of the road, normal review where you have a job? Just accept it. If you’re more ambitious than this company, start making a plan.
What do you do to treat yourself when you are going through a tough and stressful time that includes being extremely busy, not wanting to spend a lot of unnecessary money, and and wanting to eat reasonably healthy (for me this includes little to no caffeine)?
Nail polish or lipstick. The classics.
Spending more money on buying ebooks or tv shows so that I have instant access.
Clothes shopping honestly.
More practically things like a cleaning person, meal kit or just general grocery delivery, sending laundry out