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As summer melts into early fall, I start to gravitate towards summery dresses in fall colors like this one from Whistles.
This simple, sleeveless dress is made a little more special by the twist-front neckline. The versatile midi-length will take you right into fall — just swap out your strappy heels or mules for booties and add a cozy cardigan or nubby wool jacket.
The Saoirse Twist Jersey Dress is $239 at Whistles and available in sizes 0-16. In addition to rust, it also comes in black.
Here’s another option in a bright orange-red (as well as both black and blue) on sale for $29.99 at Eloquii in sizes 14-32.
Looking for other washable workwear? See all of our recent recommendations for washable clothes for work, or check out our roundup of the best brands for washable workwear.
Sales of note for 9.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- 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
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Extra 40% off sale styles
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- Zappos – 26,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 40% off everything
- Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs
Anon says
What are some daily habits that you do every day, just for yourself?
OP says
ugh…daily and every day are redundant, I know…
Cb says
I read every day before bedtime. I drink a cup of tea in bed before getting up.
I also spend time outdoors 99% of days – but this is often in the service of transport (walking / cycling to school or the bus stop). I think if it were truly for me, it would be without this purpose, and just having a cup of tea while looking at the garden, or something.
Mary Moo Cow says
Reading a physical book before bedtime. I feel off if I don’t read. There are plenty more I would like to do, but reading is the only one I do consistently.
AwayEmily says
Same! I read on my kindle (amber night mode 4ever!) but same deal. I love the feeling of snuggling into my bed and reading, even if it’s only a few minutes.
Cb says
Definitely. I’m a library hold fan, but love snuggling down with my book. And my very lovely husband will put a bookmark in my book when I fall asleep.
Spirograph says
Same. I love paper books, but I read my Kindle in night mode in bed every night… propped up on my bed so I don’t even need hands to hold it and can just fall asleep when I get too tired to turn the page.
I also go for a little 5 min walk around my block every morning. If I have extra time, I’ll wind through the neighborhood a bit more, but once around is non-negotiable unless the weather is truly awful.
Anon says
Read and go outside every single day. I missed one day of reading in the last 2 years due to an emergency but haven’t missed any days outside. Having the stricter “rule” about it seems to help.
Anon says
I don’t think there’s anything I do every single day. I’m a huge reader (100+ books a year) but very much read in spurts. I will read a whole bunch of books on a vacation or a rainy long weekend with no plans and then not read for a week or so.
New Here says
A walk in the morning
Up drinking coffee before anyone else…that usually lasts about 10 minutes
Reading every night
GCA says
Read (15-30min at lunchtime), move (anything from 15min of stretching to a 10-mile run), and savor that first cup of coffee in the morning.
SC says
I read nearly every day, but there’s no rule or ritual to it–I just read when I happen to have some time available. That can be before I get up, before I start work, during lunch, between work and dinner, or at bedtime–but never all those times!
Every Sunday, I start the morning with some quiet time to reflect, journal, and then read. I sit in my sunroom, which is beautiful in the mornings. Sometimes, I’m able to do it before my son gets up, but if not, I’ll feed him breakfast, give him medicine, and let him play video games while I go back to it. (DH sleeps in on weekends because he’s the hero who gets out of bed at 6:15 am and makes breakfast Monday-Friday.)
An.On. says
I do my little games: NYT connections, NYT strands, and squaredle are my current go-tos, immediately upon waking, if possible, to get my day started.
Anon says
Oh yeah I said I don’t do anything every day but I forgot the NYT games. I do Wordle, Connections and Strands (usually at midnight because I’m a night owl) .
Anonymous says
Immediately after toddler bedtime is complete, I take 15 minutes to myself to read and eat chocolate. After that I hang out with my husband or maybe log back into work or catch up with a friend, but that 15 minutes is mine.
Waffles says
Additional skincare beyond basic cleanser and moisturizer.
I might use an oil cleanser to give myself a facial massage before going in with my regular foaming cleanser. Or use a scrub/mask on my t-zone. Or a sheet mask, if I have time.
Brands for tall 8yo says
For the mom yesterday who was looking for cute clothes for a tall 8 year old, you might see if any of these brands are available to you: wheat, name it, hust & claire, loud + proud, smafolk, maxomorra
I can personally only speak for the boys‘ clothes, but the quality is terrific. The aesthetic is a bit different from Boden, but they do have whimsical and cute dresses. The kids sizes also go up to 164 cm, which is like 5‘4.5″ I think.
girls' clothes says
thank you! hust & claire looks perfect, just need to figure out how to get it in the US.
The vertbaudet recommendation yesterday was on-point; hoping the clothes are big enough when they arrive :-) I also found few things she’ll like at Lands’ End and Nordstrom, where I hadn’t thought to look before. And Uniqlo might work once their fall collection comes in. If everything I bought fits (a big if!), we’ll be ok for fall – just need to track down a wool fairisle cardigan for my 8 year old who dresses like her 105 year old great grandmother did as a child.
test run says
Now I also have a cart full of vertbaudet baby clothes… this stuff is so cute!
Anon says
Very Baudet also has nice maternity clothes. They were having a sale in the summer and shipping was pretty reasonable. Now I’m off to check their baby clothes!
Anon says
last year we bid on a party at this local play place at our school auction. it was incredibly inexpensive for what i was getting and the money would be going to the school and i thought we could use it for a back to school party for all of the girls in my twins classes. well literally a week after i scheduled the party and sent the invite the place announced it is closing. i don’t really want to host 20 kids and their parents at my house, but i also feel badly canceling the gathering. we have a huge backyard, but it is 100 degrees where we currently live, so not an option right now. this is not their bday party or anything so i don’t really want to spend a lot of $ on some alternate venue. is it rude to postpone til it’s cooler and I can host people outside? do i suck it up and have 40 people over?
Anon says
If you have a huge backyard, then get some tarps, non-toxic dish soap, and sprinklers for slip and slides in that heat. They’ll have a blast and you can still keep it to a shorter time.
SC says
I don’t think it’s rude to say the party is postponed/ canceled due to the venue closing, but you hope to plan something in the future. That “something” can be at your house when it’s cooler, or it can be for their birthdays. I don’t think people expect you to shell out hundreds of dollars for a last-minute venue. And it’s 100 degrees where I am too–nobody wants to be outside.
Anon says
+1. Everyone will understand.
MomOfThree says
Agree
Anon says
Can you shift it to a meet up at a playground?
anon3 says
Yeah, unless you want to host a party, I’d just not do anything and say you’ll let everyone know if you can reschedule. Bummer that the venue is closing.. hosting 40 people at home with kids sounds TERRIBLE but thats just me.
AwayEmily says
YES absolutely cancel because the venue is closing. Not rude at all.
Anon says
100% ok to postpone in this situation. If you explain that the venue is going out of business then everyone will understand. Your guests may not have RSVP’d yes if they knew it would be a party at your house with 40 people, or in your backyard during a time of year when it is super hot.
Anonymous says
Not at all rude to cancel! If you do want to offer an alternative and the school playground is available prior to school opening, we’ve often done a meet up at the school playground and one year we all contributed to an ice cream cart that met us there.
Anon says
I think it’s fine to cancel, but this is a great idea. In my area you can get the shave ice truck for ~$100 which is significantly less than most kid party venues.
anon says
I think holding a back-to-school party on the school playground to which only the girls are invited is a little dubious, though…
Anonymous says
It’s already 20 kids plus parents but could just open it up to everyone. Though in some ways that makes it more awkward as they weren’t invited initially.
I’m a mom of twin boys who are friends with the girls in their class and invite the girls to their parties but they also know that sometimes people do all girls or all boys parties for cost/logistics reasons. It’s pretty common.
Anon says
I’m not a fan of single gender parties at this age (one of my daughter’s BFFs is a boy and in general it seems like boys and girls still play together a lot) but I don’t really think the location matters that much.
Anon says
I only kept it single sex bc each kid has 23 kids in their class. For their bday party last year we invited the whole class and this venue could not accommodate 46 kids plus their parents
Anon says
Yes with twins in separate classes it makes sense. And for people on tight budgets I suppose inviting all the girls in the class is nicer than inviting the half of the class your kid likes better, which could lead to hurt feelings. It just bothers me how early some of the gender stuff starts – we met multiple families in preschool who seemed to disapprove of their sons playing with girls, and it was just really sad to me because…they’re 4. Gender doesn’t matter at that age.
Anonymous says
One of my 3-yo’s PRESCHOOL classmates told her that girls can’t play with or be friends with boys. We’re in a very liberal and not-terribly-religious area. Kiddo was full of righteous anger when she came home that day. I wasn’t expecting this to start so early!
Anon says
I don’t think it’s dubious at all! Starting at 2nd grade, that’s kind of how things roll at our school.
anon says
For outside school events, totally. But an event on a school playground right before school starts (so presumably all the other kids will show up as it’s finishing) seems different to me. Maybe I’m just overthinking this, though! And I know at school wasn’t the OP’s original plan, just an idea that was thrown out there.
OP says
oh i would never do that on the school playground. in fact i would never host a party that was not open to all kids in the grade on the school playground
Red Shoes says
I don’t think it would be rude at all to explain what happened and say you hope to do a party in the fall!
Anon says
Will it be cool enough by Halloween? A Halloween party could be really fun.
Anonymous says
I would cancel due to the venue closing and invite everyone to meet up at the school playground for a quick early evening play date instead. Roll in with a cooler of like 100 popsicles. Done.
Babysitter gift says
Gifting question: we’ve had a babysitter 3 days per week this summer for our 2 young kids and she’s been great. I’ve been paying her cash weekly but want to give her something extra at the end. Should I just give more cash? Gift card? Physical gift?
Pogo says
money.
Mary Moo Cow says
I would say cash or a gift card with a heartfelt note or drawing from your kids.
Anon says
I’d do a thank you note from the kids (their own handprint or drawing or writing, depending on their capabilities), maybe a printed photo of her with the kids, and cash if you plan to give more than fifty. If you’re planning an amount less than fifty, I’d do a gift card to a favorite local place.
Anon says
I would give her cash.
MomOfThree says
My 16 yo niece sits for us and is amazing. When I asked her what she wanted as a bonus, she said she had no idea, we ended up giving her money. But when we quizzed her on what she would spend it on, she said Sephora or LLL. Maybe consider a gift card to something like that?
Anonymous says
Why is a gift card better than cash?
Anon says
I don’t think it’s “better” but some people are more comfortable giving or receiving a gift card vs cash. I’m in the bucket. As long as the gift card is to a store you know they like and have easy access to, it’s as easy to spend as cash.
AwayEmily says
Does anyone have (recently-purchased) trouser jeans they like? I was thinking about buying a pair for work…most of my work pants are horrendously out of date and this seems like a way of leaning into the wide-leg thing without looking sloppy.
Mary Moo Cow says
Yes, J. Crew Factory Denim trouser pants! I was skeptical of the wide leg, but I have embraced it! I bought a pair of JCF wide leg linen pants, too.
Anonymous says
I am a big fan of the Kut from the Kloth Meg wide-leg jean. It’s cut narrower at the top and flares in the leg like a trouser jean. Most styles are of the five-pocket variety but there are some with trouser pockets or porkchop pockets. There are ankle-length and full-length versions. I think the ankle-length looks sharper on me because there is less fabric to overwhelm my frame. The brand runs large so size down.
Anonymous says
I’ve been eyeing a pair from Alex Mill but haven’t pulled the trigger yet. If you find some you like pls report back! I’ve been cautious since buying a wide leg pair from Rag & Bone last year that looked amazing in the store but have lost some of their shape and now just look too big.
Anon says
Our first grade teacher just told parents the kid will have no homework this year except reading independently for 20 minutes a day. I’m thrilled! In K we had weekly worksheet packets that were a little annoying, but manageable especially since they weren’t due every day. We’d heard that homework ramps up significantly in first grade at our school, but apparently it’s teacher-dependent. Reading practice is the thing my kid needs most, and I don’t think worksheets have much educational benefit, so this seems like a best case scenario. And I’m so glad I can blame it on the teacher when I make my kid practice reading ;)
MomOfThree says
We had this as well and it’s ideal! I feel like they cram a lot of curriculum during the day, so homework probably isn’t needed, especially at this age.
Anonymous says
Love this! And it’s great to see teachers use evidence based practices. Reading for 20 minutes a day is basically the only homework that’s shown to be effective in the younger years. Everything else is busy work.
Anon says
This is so much better than what my kids had for first grade homework, which was worksheets they’d already done at least once in class.
AwayEmily says
Yes! We had no homework except reading in first and I loved it. In second the teacher started sending home periodic “optional” homework — basically, extra math worksheets that echoed what they were doing in class that we could complete with our kids if we wanted to. We did it about half the time, and I think it really helped in getting her excited about math (ie sharing the cool strategies they were using, etc).
Anon says
lucky! we start with HW next week in 1st grade and unfortunately in our case the teachers don’t have a choice. i’ve heard the HW is very dumb and an older kid already told my kiddos it’s boring so i anticipate fighting an uphill battle
Mary Moo Cow says
We had the same pleasant surprise last year! Teacher told us that the 1st grade team decided the kids worked hard enough during the school day. Kindergarten was the heaviest homework lift for us between kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade, but 3rd grade was a punch to the throat. We’re going in to 4th a little battle wary.
Anonymous says
Our district has a no home policy k-5, other than reading 20 min/night. It’s been good so far, but my oldest is pretty type A and a strong student. She did fine transitioning to 6th grade when the homework starts. Time will tell when my now 5th grader moves up ;).
Iron Infusions says
Has anyone here done iron infusions during pregnancy? How did your body tolerate them? (Assume that they appear medically necessary and food and supplemental options have been exhausted).
Anonymous says
I did, and I basically had no reaction, either in terms of side effects or intended effects. (Well, I went from being significantly anemic to only moderately anemic. My kid was a little vampire in utero.)
Former Junior Associate says
same! I was really curious whether I’d feel a big change in energy levels post-infusion and . . . nothing. I felt exactly the same, but was, you know, less at-risk for issues. To that point, I ultimately hemorrhaged during birth so it turned out to be really good that I’d done the infusions.
Iron Infusions says
Thank you both! I have my first infusion soon and didn’t know whether to expect to feel awful, great, or nothing after. This is really helpful.
Anon says
What type of sports/group activities have benefitted your mildly autistic kiddo? Kid is 4 years old.
anon says
My mildly autistic kid is 9. Since age 3 we’ve done dance, gymnastics, soccer, swim, volleyball, ice skating, hockey, sailing and horseback riding. All of them have been fun. None of them have “clicked”.
It really came down to whether the personality and knowledge of the instructor clicked with my kid – when the instructor was the right amount of personable + strict and gave feedback in a way the kid could take, and focused on skill development for my kid’s issues with core strength and proprioception, all the activities were good.
When the instructor gave non-literal instructions or was too indulgent or too unapproachable, the activity was a total waste of time.
So far we are sticking with horseback riding and swim team as the main activities, if that is helpful.
OP says
Thank you!
Anonymous says
My neurotypical kid has several mildly autistic friends who enjoy being part of musical ensembles. Some have also enjoyed private lessons but others can’t handle the one-on-one attention—it depends on the kid.