Washable Workwear Wednesday: Linen-Blend Tie-Waist Paperbag Pencil Skirt

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As someone without much of defined waist, I’m a huge fan of paperbag-waisted skirts, and Ann Taylor gets this style right.

Along with the pleated paperbag waist, this below-the-knee pencil skirt features a tie waist, pockets, and a gorgeous “wild lotus” color that’s perfect for late spring. I hope the linen blend fabric will feature the breathability of linen without all the wrinkles. I’d pair it with a white suit jacket for work or a white tee for brunch.

The skirt is $89 and available in sizes 00–18 (but since it’s Ann Taylor, be on the lookout for sales).

Sales of note for 2/14/25 (Happy Valentine’s Day!):

(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)

  • Nordstrom – Winter Sale, up to 60% off! 7850 new markdowns for women
  • Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your full-price purchase — and extra 60% off sale
  • Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + 15% off (readers love their suiting as well as their silky shirts like this one)
  • Boden – 15% off new season styles
  • Eloquii – 300+ styles $25 and up
  • J.Crew – 40% of your purchase – prices as marked
  • J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site and storewide + extra 50% off clearance
  • Rothy’s – Final Few: Up to 40% off last-chance styles
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – Flash sale ending soon – markdowns starting from $15, extra 70% off all other markdowns (final sale)

And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interestworking mom questions asked by the commenters!

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Absolutely fuming. Someone talk me out of divorcing my husband who thinks his new marathon trailing hobby is a free pass to leave me at home with our 18 month old while he’s out running. Now he wants to spend $2k to fly to a remote city nowhere near where we live for the race. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize there is only one city on earth that hosts a marathon. Interestingly, the man has no interest in running a marathon in a nearby city, or in a place where I could even drive to and watch the stupid race.

My preschooler has been asking for milk in a thermos at school recently, I assume because another kid has it (the source of most of her food requests these days). What will keep it cold? I don’t really have room in her lunchbox for any kind of thermos because we use a bentgo that takes up most of the space.

Accidentally posted to the main s*te.

This is my 5yo’s first year at day camp. My husband has asked me three times in the last week if there’s a weekly or daily schedule available yet. Camp doesn’t start until the last week of June/first week of July.

I think it’s nuts to expect this at this point and my husband thinks I’ve picked a disorganized disaster of a camp.

Does anyone else have a camp schedule yet? Are they really behind? Is this something I should press them on?

Does anyone have a glider or rocker they can recommend for the postpartum/breastfeeding/sleepless nights period? No big stores near me so it would have to be something I can order online. Thanks in advance!

Any recommendations for a starter fishing pole for a 3 year old boy? Way too many online options. TIA!

Goody bag/favor ideas for a parent-thrown PK graduation? It’s 10 kids that have been together for 2 years, though school was closed March-October due to the pandemic. The school isn’t doing anything for graduation so a few of the parents (inc me) are throwing a party. We’re going more all-out than is entirely reasonable, more than half due to COVID and for many of the parents it’s their last PK kiddo. There is a stage, cap and gowns, a slideshow, etc. involved.

I’m in charge of goody bags/favors. I think I want to do water bottles with their names on them, fill them with candy/food (goldfish, blow pops, other non melt-y sorts of things), and maybe something else. We are also coordinating a class photo (which was not done at school this year due to COVID and will be sent to the families) and having an ice cream truck.

(1) what water bottle would you get? (a friend of mine has a cricut and will be doing the personalizing)
(2) any other goody bag / favor type ideas? There will also be balloons so maybe tie one to the water bottle?

Seriously, I know this is a little nuts but I’m 100% on board this party train so please don’t rain on the parade :)

I think I’m a smart person, but I’m really terrible at guesstimating things off the cuff. I guess I just can’t think quickly, especially since having a baby and now with the Covid brain fog on top of that. I was just on a call where someone said to me “guess how many ____?” I guessed 100,000. The answer was 583. He was *clearly* expecting me to give a much lower answer so he could “shock” me with the 500+ number. I actually want to die of embarrassment.

Do mosquito bands work? If yes, what kind do you recommend? I use DEET on myself, but my four year old has some sensory processing difficulties so doesn’t like anything on his skin. TIA for not saying “your kid needs to get over it.” If you have sensory avoidant/seeking kids, you understand.

How would you handle leave for a summer nanny? My daughter is going to kindergarten in the fall, and we are using a college student as a nanny from May to August. Should we provide her with sick leave or annual leave for those three months? We are paying her for the week of our vacation but that is based on our schedule. Should we offer her any additional time off? We have a fairly formal relationship with her (paying through a service, giving her pay stubs, etc.) FWIW she seems fantastic and there is a lot of competition for nannies in our area.

Does anyone else find the “nice” way teachers, specialists, social workers, et al, speak to you to be grating? It seems that a large majority of the ones I interact with have a cutesy style that – while I believe they think it’s being “nice” – is actually insufferably condescending. It’s like they can’t turn off their kid voice and treat adults the same as kids and it makes me want to scream. Please, please tell me I’m not the only one.

Does anyone have the Athleta Kinetic Backpack? Thoughts about it? I’m looking for something to be a toddler diaper back / day trip with a toddler / short hike with a toddler bag. That is gender neutral enough that my husband would be ok carrying it. And that also could be a carry-on bag for short plane trips with a toddler. This one seems pretty perfect because it has a laptop compartment and a strap to go over rolling luggage and also has water bottle pockets and is plain / sleek-ish looking.

Any suggestions for a book or other central resource ( one stop shop) for tips on conversations with toddlers/elementary schoolers on how to react in certain situations (eg getting lost, stranger approaches, etc)?

Has anyone had any luck working around COVID travel restrictions so that (fully vaxxed, already have a U.S. visa) relatives can visit from overseas? Having a baby in a couple of months and my MIL would LOVE to come help us out (and she is genuinely really helpful whereas my U.S. based mom is not). Guessing the best way is a two-week stopover in another country??