Washable Workwear Wednesday: Melanie Jersey Midi Dress
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I can always count on Boden to add some fun and color to my summer wardrobe.
This relaxed and comfy jersey dress comes in seven bold prints (and two wardrobe workhorse solids). This midi dress features a wide waistband, hidden side-seam pockets, and a flattering boatneck neckline. Just add a cardigan to combat the office A/C.
Boden’s Melanie Jersey Midi Dress is $125 and comes in sizes 0 to 20/22. It also comes in petites and long sizes.
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 6/4/25
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Lots of markdowns on AGL (50%!), Weitzman, Tumi, Frank & Eileen, Zella, Natori, Cole Haan, Boss, Theory, Reiss (coats), Vince, Eileen Fisher, Spanx, and Frame (denim and silk blouses)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off dresses, jackets & shoes + extra 30% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 25% off
- Eloquii – $19+ up select styles
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off women’s dresses + up to extra 50% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 50-60% off summer styles + up to 60% off everything + extra 60% off clearance
- M.M.LaFleur – Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
- Spanx – Free shipping on everything
- Talbots – BOGO 50% off everything, includes all markdowns
my 7 year old finishes first grade today and has been in a MOOD all week. this morning i received a lecture on how i need to be more patient about her big feelings, but she doesn’t need to tell me what they are. if this is 7, i’m a bit petrified for 14.
For those that have recommended summer swim teams for kids, how do you fit it in with working parents / camps? All of the swim teams here practice during the day. Is this something that only is an option with a nanny or SAHP?
I feel like I ask this every year, but I need inspiration. Can we gather ideas for dinners at the pool? During summer swim team season we are at the pool from 5pm-7:45pm 4-5 nights a week so we pack and eat dinner there. I’d like the food to be easy to transport, easy to eat, and not too messy but also give them energy for practice.
(Sometimes they’ll have an additional snack/small meal when they get home, but bedtime is 8:30p, so I’d like it if they aren’t too hungry when they get home.)
So far my ideas:
-Pasta (pasta salad or pasta and sauce in a Thermos)
-snack dinner (I think this week I’ll do breakfast themed, with yogurt, boiled eggs, and sausage.)
– dumplings and edamame
-Quesadillas
-Ramen (dressed up with veggies and a protein)
-Chicken drumsticks
-Hot dogs or sausages in buns, wrapped in foil to keep warm.
-sesame noodle salad w/ chicken and cucumbers
-Sandwiches (what’s you’re favorite packable sandwich?)
I also always pack fruit, cut up veggies, and a bag of popcorn or chips.
Would love to hear what other folks have found works well for pool side dinners!
Small win today. Almost everyday, when I drop my sweet, intense, almost-4.5-year old off, before we get out of the car, he argues that we need to finish the song, and when I turn whatever song he wanted off, he does a grunt or yell in frustration.
Today, I mentioned “Hey we’re not going to finish the song, but that’s okay, we can listen to whatever song at pickup, and we don’t have to yell!” and he…was absolutely fine and it just made my morning a touch more pleasant/joyous. I’m sure I picked up that tactic from reading here, so thank you all.
My 15-year-old has braces and recently got this thing screwed into the roof of his mouth. He’s had it for several weeks now and is having a very hard time adjusting. The pain is gone, but eating has become a huge chore because part of his palate is semi-blocked. This is a big problem because he has had eating issues (ADHD, sensory issues, lots going on here) and he has worked hard over the past year+ to gain weight for medical reasons. He’s already lost a couple of pounds since getting the mouth-roof thing, and I’m concerned. His weight had finally gotten to the point where he was at least back on the growth chart in the 10th percentile. It was very bad in 2023 through mid-2024. I am not exaggerating when I say it was traumatic for all of us.
DH and I are trying hard to find things he’ll eat, and he’s balking at nearly everything that isn’t soft. He can’t eat meat at all. Even something like cereal is too much. What do I feed my very picky teen who now has another feeding obstacle to overcome?
Is it an overreaction to call the ortho and tell them this isn’t working and we need to figure out something else? Call the dietician? Not sure what she can do; I feel like that’s a resource we’ve maxed out already.
i posted yesterday asking for advice whether to stay or go at a pool play date my 7 year old twins were invited to. turns out another boy is also invited who does not mesh well with my kids. if i knew this other kid was invited as well, i would’ve just declined the invitation. it is ok at a birthday party or something, but not in a small group of 4 kids, but i already said yes and my kids are already excited about it.
Just a vent or looking for commiseration that I won’t share in real life. I have been about the same weight on a petite frame my entire life. But once I turned 42 last year, my body decided that I needed to pack on some extra weight, which is noticeable and visible on my frame, and makes my staple clothing hard to wear. I have made a really concerted effort to lose at least some of this weight since January — primarily by cutting out drinking and eating largely plant based and exercising more often. It has not always been easy, but I really wanted to lose some vanity pounds before pool season. My weight has…not budged. At all. I’m carrying the extra pounds in my mid section and butt, and it’s still stubbornly there. I have my first pool outing this weekend, and I’m frustrated that I really, really made an effort this year and I don’t feel any more confidence after my efforts. I also don’t feel … better. Like, I’m supposed to have glowing skin from all my green tea and water, and it’s not! I still wake up at night, even after cutting out wine. I’m usually pretty kind to myself (I have a strong body that exercises and does cool stuff at work, in my community, and at home), but I’m allowing myself to feel disappointed today that I’m not really happy with how I look right now :/
My cousin is getting married in Napa next year. My Grandma just told me the wedding is kid-free. I’d leave him in the UK and just go with my dad but my grandma is desperate to see him and he’s not met his Californian cousins. My husband likely won’t come, so it’ll be just me, my dad, and my son. What do I do with him on the day?
Care.com? Babysitter at the venue? He’ll be 9, so it’ll be an easy gig of room service dinner, movie, bedtime.
We’re attending my cousin’s Indian wedding this weekend, held at a barn surrounded by a garden/nature area. The ceremony starts at 2 pm, followed by a cocktail hour and then a reception at 6:30 pm. The venue is about 30 minutes from the hotel, and most guests will stay there all day, though we’ll have our car if we want to return to the hotel in between.
The weather looks good—70s and no rain. What should I bring to keep my 4.5-year-old son entertained between the ceremony and reception? I was thinking bubbles and pull-back cars, and I’d bring extras for the other young boys in the family (at least five around the same age) to avoid any issues. The bride and groom might have activities planned for kids, but I want to be prepared just in case.
I’m also wondering about our plan for the ceremony. Since Indian weddings can be long and aren’t always quiet, I was thinking my husband could step out with our son if he gets restless. But now I’m wondering if I should just attend the ceremony alone and have my husband and son join us for the reception later. I’ll check with other family members who have small kids, but what do you think is the best plan for the day?
How would you handle this situation? We have friends that live around the corner. All of our kids play so well together. This spring 3 of our kids are on the same sports team. Both of the dads are assistant coaches. My husband recently quit coaching due to how the two kids of the other family were speaking to adults, including coaches, umpires, and general self-promotion of the kids. Our first game since my husband quit is tonight. My husband wants to tell them fairly outright that their kids don’t behave well. He had asked the kids to stop talking like they were and there was no change in behavior. I just can’t figure out the right way to address this issue without losing a friendship.
What’s your range for the value of wedding gifts these days? A friend from grad school is getting married for the first time in NYC this summer. It’s been a while since I went to a non-family wedding and I no longer have an idea of how much is appropriate. For context, her salary is probably about 2-3 times mine.
Would it be crazy to do a quick trip to Disney the week before school starts? We’ve got a 6 year old and a 1 year old. We have a week without childcare at the end of August. I could mostly chill with the baby at the pool and DH could take the older kid on rides. We haven’t been to Disney since the older one was 3.
We have a 2.5 yo, and a babysitter who does daycare pickup, dinner and bath two days a week when I’m at the office. Babysitter is a college student- she’s nice, high energy and DD seems to like her. Yesterday, they were playing “jump off the couch into babysitter’s arms” and she fell on her head. She has a big, ugly bump and there was some crying, but she seems alright, we didn’t take her to the hospital or anything. DH is angry/shaken and wondering if we need to let the babysitter go.
I’m not thrilled that she was playing jump off the couch- I spent a lot of time telling DD not to do that, for that exact reason- but also land on the side of accidents happen, everything turned out ok. And candidly, it was really hard to find a decent babysitter and I’m not really looking forward to finding another. How would you react here?
I’m not sure what I’m looking for – advice, venting, just acknowledgment that it’s normal. Anyways, everyday this week when I drop my 21-month old daughter off at daycare, she had been clinging to my leg when I get ready to leave and starts crying when it’s time for me to leave. Her teacher picks her up and holds her when I leave, trying to calm her down. Her teacher says that my daughter is fine once I leave, which I totally believe. It’s just a really crappy way to start the day. (She has done this on and off in the past, but never for this many days in a row except for when she switched classrooms)
Another swimming thread – what are the best ways to make sure your kids are super strong swimmers? I see so much conflicting information out there: don’t use life jackets, do use them; Infant Self Rescue saves lives, ISR causes trauma and doesn’t work; start kids in lessons young, don’t start too young. You get the idea. We want our kid to be a very strong swimmer because our lifestyle includes time on the ocean, in whitewater, and in mountain lakes. Obviously there are lots of other factors that go into their safety as well, many of which were discussed yesterday, but being an ultra-confident swimmer is huge. And of course, another important thing – being an ultra-confident swimmer simply opens doors to lots of fun activities! Fun is hugely important to us. Is there any really high-quality evidence on how you get to that point? We are already doing Parent and Me swim lessons and the swim school is pushing them to continue as part of their instructional program, but it’s hard to know how structured you really need to be when you’re starting with a baby or if we even need to be doing this at all. For now, we want to get in the pool with the baby for fun regardless of whether it will help future swimming ability, but it’s my understanding that at least some parents are moving ahead with more formal lessons as early as 1 year old.