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I’ve often written about my love of sweater dresses — while they may not work in a business-formal workplace, they work pretty much anywhere else with the right accessories.
Here’s one I’ve been eyeing — this cozy, long-sleeved turtleneck dress is so easy to care for (machine wash and dry), and features a stretchy knit, dropped shoulders, and a longer length. Pair it with a shearling jacket for the weekends, or add an oversized blazer and wide belt for the office.
This Charles Henry sweater dress is $89 at Nordstrom and available in sizes XS–XL. It comes in cream and burgundy. Looking for more sizes? Check out this cinched-waist version from Old Navy, starting at $38. It comes in regular sizes up to 4X, as well as petite and tall sizes as well.
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 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Spring Mid-Season Sale: Up to 50% off 100s of styles
- Nordstrom: Free 2-day shipping for a limited time (eligible items)
- Talbots – Spring Sale: 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns; 30% off new T by Talbots
- Zappos – 29,000+ 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 – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off kids’ spring-to-summer styles
- Old Navy – 30% off your purchase; up to 75% off clearance
- Target – Car Seat Trade-In Event (ends 4/27); BOGO 25% off select skincare products; up to 40% off indoor furniture; up to 20% off laptops & printers
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Anon says
Cheers to the Corporette Moms who can wear a white sweater dress for more than 6 minutes. I salute you.
Cb says
I would definitely be covered in something in minutes. My work clothes live in a separate city to my kid, but I still manage to have stains on things.
EDAnon says
Ha! Right?
An.On. says
Ha, I thought I was so smart to put a burp cloth over my work shirt the other day to prevent spills, only to get to the office and realize I was still wearing the burp cloth. Didn’t see it until after I got back from getting coffee in the lunch room.
Cb says
Does anyone have Steiner school experience? I was chatting with a colleague and continuing my nosying about schools and he mentioned the local Steiner as a good option for my son, should we decide to move to work city. My kid goes to a hippy dippy Froebel nursery and I suspect the vibe is similar but I haven’t had any exposure to Steiner.
Anon. says
While I like their approach to learning, from my experience where I live, many families that are sending their kids to those schools tend to be anti-vaxxers (even pre-Covid), “homeopathy is good, school medicine is bad”, “healing with crystals and essential oils” – type of people. You can decide whether you are ok with that, but my husband and I were most definitely not.
Anon says
Agreed, I like the teaching philosophy but it’s definitely linked to the anti vax movement , at least in N. America. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/13/nyregion/measles-outbreak-new-york.html
Maybe it’s different in the UK.
Nugget says
For people who mentioned the nugget yesterday, what age do you think it’s good for?
CCLA says
2-5+. We’ve had ours since youngest was a baby, and she certainly used it earlier than 2 but that was mostly following big sis and I’m not sure she’d have done so at that age in the absence of an older sib. 5 yo still adores it and doesn’t seem to be losing interest. Somersaults, slides, jumps, forts galore.
Anon says
I agree. We got our first one when kids were 2 and 4, and they are now 4 and 6 and use it a lot (they’d use it even more if we had more space…the older they get, the wilder the antics!) My crawling baby also uses and enjoys it, so it’s nice for any age, but really shines once they can jump and climb. If/when we move to a bigger house we will for sure get a second one
Anon Lawyer says
My newly 2-year-old doesn’t use it for forts or climbing yet, but I’m glad I bought it early because we have it up in her room in couch configuration and it gives me somewhere comfortable to sit where I’m down with her but not always on the floor. And it’s great for reading with her.
MBRec says
We got it at 6 months and she’s almost 1 now and we use it every day. Right now it’s a crash pad in her room for crawling and learning to walk, we also use it to read books. Sometimes we build things with it for the adults who are bored. It’s really super versatile, and can be used for a long time.
Anonymous says
I have one with a 2yo and 4.5yo but I wish I had gotten it when my oldest was 1. Honestly even once they start crawling it’s good. My youngest was 1.5 when it arrived and it helped him do steps better.
Anon says
If you want to save the $250 I think regular couch cushions work just as well. We don’t have the nugget but have played with it at friends’ houses and my kid finds our couch at home just as fun, if not moreso, for fort-building and jumping.
Sf says
I bought it some my 5 year old would stop tearing my couch cushions apart.
My five year old builds forts, my 1 year old uses it to be cozy. It’s not necessary but they use it every day.
Anonymous says
Honestly, I’m glad we got the Nugget when our oldest was 4 and big enough to move the pieces around himself. It’s been really fun to see him using his imagination with it; he got into it right away and it was 100% independent play right off the bat.
I think if we introduced earlier, it would have been us adults showing the kids how to play with it or having it used as a sofa. Nothing wrong with either, but I think there is something magical about a toy “clicking” when it’s introduced.
We were lucky to get ours Christmas 2019(!) and it’s still in daily use with the 6YO and 2YO—fort building, built up ottoman for Lego building or stuffies, ramps for toy vehicles, used as a slide and crash pad on the (carpeted, basement rec room) stairs
Anon says
My older elementary school age kid has been asking for a pet. Her first choice would be a dog but she’s also suggested tortoises, birds, and fish as alternatives when I’ve expressed reservations about the expense and responsibilities of being a dog owner. I’m also a minimalist and neat freak and don’t like the idea of more stuff in our home much less the work of cleaning up after an animal. On the other hand, kid doesn’t ask for a lot, and I don’t want to say no without considering with an open mind. Are there pets you would suggest for our family? What pets do you think provide the most companionship with the least responsibilities/expense.
Anon says
IMHO, my “unicorn” pet in this situation would be a short-haired cat. While there will still be hair to clean up, it won’t be as bad as a long-haired cat. And a cat with the right personality can be a great companion (I have had cats that are very independent, but currently have a cat that follows us around and wants to snuggle all the time). I know not all people who have not had cats are “cat people” but cats generally treat strangers differently than “their” people. Plus, unlike dogs, at risk for getting blasted for this, you can leave a cat for a weekend without getting boarded. Plus, our vet says that dry cat food is the best for our cat’s teeth, so we just leave the dry food (and water) out all the time and let them eat as they go (so no specific feeding times).
AwayEmily says
Agreed. Cats are top-notch. I’d recommend getting an adult cat rather than a kitten. All the cats we’ve gotten have been foster cats (i.e. cats that nice people rescue from shelters), which has been wonderful because the fostering person can help pick out one that’s the right fit, personality-wise. One of them even let me “try out” two cats for a month to see which worked best.
Cb says
You could end up with a needy, noisy and expensive cat though. Maybe start with a goldfish?
Anon says
A goldfish is gonna die in, like, 2 months. Which is one way to teach a child about death, but really not a great pet.
Anonymous says
Goldfish are actually very hard to keep. They make a lot of ammonia and keeping them in those small bowls is basically torture. That’s why they are always dying.
Tortoises also should not be kept in tanks (they need a backyard enclosure in a warm climate if you really want one as a pet).
I would seriously consider a cat in your shoes OP. Just do some research first and don’t expect it to be no work. Some cats need a special diet so do need meal times (ie my cat who is not smart enough to drink enough water needs wet food) and cannot be left alone for the weekend. But most cats are pretty easy, and wonderful company for humans but and small. My 6 year old feeds and plays with our cat (I take care of the litter box and make sure she didn’t forget the feeding, and of course I’m in charge of the vet etc).
EDAnon says
We have a cat and she’s awesome! I highly recommend – we have someone check on her/the house while we are gone but with an automatic feeder and a big water dispenser, we can do short trips and she’s totally fine (unlike other pets).
Anonymous says
How about a hamster or gerbil?
I absolutely love our short haired cats and we just recently adopted a third, but they are not that low maintenance. They scratch things, puke/hairball, track litter all over the house, require frequent litter box cleanings, and when they get older, often have expensive health problems. Many vets will tell you dry food diet is bad–I don’t necessarily agree, and it does seem to help a lot with dental problems, just pointing out people have Opinions about feeding cats–and if yours needs or wants to eat wet food for any reason, you need a pet sitter to feed them 1-2x a day. One our cats has no teeth and pukes if he tries to do much dry food; he was also recently diabetic and required twice daily insulin injections before making a miraculous recovery. Some cats love to overeat so can’t be trusted to free feed. And they can live close to 20 years.
Anon says
Turtle, bird and fish are all lower maintenance than a cat so if she’s suggesting these things I would not get a cat. A turtle in particular is really low maintenance. We had one growing up and I’m pretty sure we would leave it alone for up to a week (maybe even two?) when we traveled. Also cats are the animals that cause the most allergies (dogs are second but twice as many people are allergic to cats as dogs) so if you get a cat, it may limit which friends can come over and play. No one is allergic to turtles.
If you want a dog, definitely get a house-broken adult dog. I would recommend a small breed since they’re easier to travel with and generally shed less. An adult dog is a fair amount of work, but it’s nothing like the work of having a puppy.
anon says
Beware the turtle lifespan! My brother got one when he was 8, he is now 40 and the turtle is also doing fine!
Anon says
Definitely a fish! Or, weird suggestion, but if you have the space backyard chickens are pretty low maintenance and have the bonus of not ever coming into the house. Otherwise I’d get a cat becuase I think animals that live in tanks like small mammals or reptiles are gross and smelly. At least the cat would be cuddly and do something.
Anonymous says
We have friends with chickens and they are not low maintenance at all! Plus that they are vulnerable to predators even in the suburbs.
Anon says
Some cities and HOAs ban chickens. You’d need to check your ordinances carefully.
Anonymous says
Having owned dogs, cats, fish, rabbits, and guinea pigs, I am here to tell you just to get a dog or a cat depending on whether you and your husband are dog people or cat people. Smaller animals are quite a bit of work and mess and don’t tend to be very good companions. They also tend to get sick and die unless you find a high-quality breeder. If you are dead set on a rodent, rats are actually some of the friendliest. Fish are terrible—it is hard for a younger kid to clean the bowl or tank and they always die.
If you want actual companionship in return for all the work and mess, your best bet is to adopt an adult dog or cat from a rescue that uses foster homes. It may take some time to find a match, but adopting from a foster home gives you the best chance of finding an animal whose personality and energy level will fit your household. If you are worried about mess, in my experience even a big fluffy shedding dog is less messy than a cat because of the hairballs, vomiting, shedding, scratching, and litter tracking.
Anon says
I’m not saying you shouldn’t get a pet but we have a perfectly nice cuddly small dog that is surprisingly tolerant of all kinds of torture my 6 yo subjects him to and she still asks for all kinds of animals, including another dog, and frequently says things like “when dog dies, can we get a cat?”. She doesn’t ask for many other things. I’m just saying that the requests won’t necessarily stop when you get a pet.
Anecdotally, when my family got a cat in our small apartment when I was growing up, it was basically no big deal. The mice we had before were a much bigger hassle and much smellier. The dog, on the other hand, that we got a few years later (who got along with the cat just fine) was kind of a disaster (no one walked her because kids are kids and parents had full time jobs, she destroyed things and she was probably pretty miserable).
Chickens and rabbits are pets that can kind of live outside and bunnies don’t really smell. Rabbits vary greatly in temperament and are popular balcony pets in the UK – you might try a UK reddit search. There are also things like ant and bee colonies.
Important: don’t forget to put aside a hundred or so a month for vet bills if you get anything bigger than a hamster. An average emergency vet bill is around $400. Dogs are stupid, so they need emergency more often (for eating things or running into things or jumping off things), but cats will develop age related chronic health conditions that tend to be treatable and last a decade. Dogs will develop these too but they don’t live as long.
And last note – if you live any place with wildlife, take that into account. I had a dog eaten by a mountain lion and a chicken eaten by raccoons (different states).
Anonymous says
Omg, domestic pet rabbits should absolutely never live outside. They are incredibly sensitive to changes in temperature, an easy target for predators, and, at least in the US, they have their very own pandemic moving across the country (google RHDV2). For more info: https://rabbit.org/indoor-living-is-best-for-rabbits/.
OtterMom says
For the poster that wanted a getaway location driving distance of both Pittsburgh and Virginia, some additional options (though, I will +1 the Omni.
– Hershey Hotel (Hershey, PA)
– Homestead Resort (Hot Springs, VA – but a direct drive south of Pittsburgh)
Anonymous says
Thank you!
Anonymous says
This is a weird home decorating question, but here goes: we just bought a house with a partially finished basement, which currently just has naked light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. I’d like to get some better light fixtures to make it brighter and less, er, creepy. Any suggestions?
anon says
Not sure from this description what your ceiling is, but FYI if you are trying to update basement ceiling tiles, google Stratford Vinyl Ceiling Tile – White. You leave in the old tiles and put those under them. Really easy cheap upgrade for basements with drop ceilings!
Cb says
I’d just get some fun colourful paper lampshades from IKEA or Cost Plus, especially if it’s going to be a bit more of a play space.
Anon says
Cheap easy and fast: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-Spin-Light-7-in-LED-Flush-Mount-Ceiling-Light-with-Pull-Chain-830-Lumens-11-5-Watts-4000K-Bright-White-No-Bulbs-54484145/205763057
More work but more light (but so thin – Costco sometimes has similar): https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-1-ft-x-4-ft-50-Watt-Dimmable-White-Integrated-LED-Edge-Lit-Flat-Panel-Flush-Mount-Light-with-Color-Changing-CCT-FP1X4-4WY-WH-HD/304258311
Anonymous says
You probably need to add a lot more light, possibly from multiple fixtures, to fully illuminate the space. Lots of light is the key to making windowless rooms more appealing. A single fixture that will hold multiple bulbs is a start, but adding more recessed lights in dark corners may also be necessary.
An.On. says
Use floor lamps for better ambiance? We had the same problem, but husband is electrician and put in a bunch of panels himself and it’s great now (still need to clean up from the install, but oh well). Would highly recommend installation of fixtures as a permanent solution. If partially finished, is the ceiling open? Should be a relatively easy thing to put in can lights or similar, if so. Also, more lights (not just stronger lights) help to make things less creepy, especially in basements. You want to avoid those weird shadow gaps.
Anon says
Is it normal for preschool age kids to fly off the handle all the time when something doesn’t work for them immediately? My almost 4 year old has zero frustration tolerance and has started just absolutely losing it when she tries something and it doesn’t work the first time. Recent examples including spreading her blanket on her bed, putting on her coat, putting a Lego where she wanted it to go and building something with pipe cleaners. Each time she tried a couple more times, growing increasingly agitated, and then lost it. I googled and Janet Lansbury says that if your kid is doing this it means you’re putting too much pressure on them or helping too much. I don’t think we’re doing either of these things – we obviously don’t care if she can spread her blanket out herself and are happy to redirect to a different activity if an art project or something like that is frustrating her, and we sometimes offer to help but immediately back off when she says no (which she always does). This is my problem with Janet Lanbsury…it’s always the parents’ fault, not the fact that you may just have a kid with a naturally low frustration tolerance. Anyone have a kid like this and have any advice? Or just reassurance it will eventually get better?
Anon says
This is normal. I still have lots of moments like this with my 4 and 6 year olds. Sometimes it can be general life “stress”/worry, tiredness, school transitions, etc and the activity at hand is just the final straw. I’m reading a book right now that talks about how kids’ brains mature/integrate to have self-control between 5 and 7, and for spirited kids it can take a year or so more.
Anonymous says
This sounds 100% normal. She will get better at managing her emotions for sure.
anon says
I think it is common. As for more concrete strategies, try Practical Research Parenting podcast, PRP006: Emotional Regulation, Helicopter Parenting, and Sleep (see the 13 min mark about floor puzzle). It discusses the difference between helping fix the problem and teaching them ways to figure it outself. My understanding is that the goal is using modeling, suggestions, etc. so that the child can get to the point one day that they will get frustrated with a project, realize it, and figure out for themselves that they can take a break and come back to it later. Suggest coping strategies/provide tools they can use independently, rather than fixing problem for them. She emphasizes that this is not a one-and-done issue; it will take modeling over years to get them to use the strategies alone. I also sometimes think Lansbury is good on changing your outlook on something and what NOT to do, but lacks in giving concrete tips on what TO do in the moment.
Anonymous says
Uh yes this is totally normal in our household with our 4.5 year old girl. I have really backed off on offering to help unless it’s really a “grownup job”. But I need to build extra time into our days so she can spend 15 mins buttoning her cardigan or making her bed. Definitely still have meltdowns.
Anonymous says
This.
Offering to help tells them ‘I don’t think you can do this’ at a time when they really really want to be able to do the thing. Wait for them to ask for help. Or if you need to help (zip coat because running late for school) then give a reason (I’m going to zip up your coat because we are running late. You can do it tomorrow.)
It’s also normal for them to experience frustration. You want your kids to be able to cope with a range of emotions and not fix it for them. It’s exhausting being a little person with lots of gross and fine motor skills to perfect all day long.
Vacation with baby says
What are good tips for to taking two day trip with a 5 month old? We are in ca so were thinking sonoma or monterey/carmel. Is a hotel or is an airbnb better? or should I just try to book a resort where everything is self contained? Any advice appreciated, it will be our first attempt at this with a baby.
Anon says
Either resort or air bnb, it might be nice to have a balcony/separate room (depending on weather) or even just a room with a nice jet bath in the bathroom so that after baby’s early bedtime you and your partner can relax together without worrying about waking baby. (One time we got a hotel room with a bed, couch, room for pack n play- put kids to sleep, then had take out French fries from the restaurant below and a glass of wine in the bathroom relaxing in the hot tub. It was enough to feel like vacation for us, and totally worth a two day trip.) Bring a sound machine! My two cents- maybe go with hotel room because 5 mo is kind of sweet spot where you don’t really need to cook for them or have a bunch of toys yet, so an air bnb kitchen/space isn’t as much of a perk! Enjoy how portable they are now.
Anon says
Hotel vs Airbnb is a personal choice. I prefer hotel, even with (maybe especially with?) kids. 5 months is a good age for travel! They’re old enough that you’re in a routine and hopefully getting some sleep but young enough that they’re portable and don’t have their own opinions yet :)
Sf says
I prefer having two spaces (like bedroom and sitting area/balcony or airbnb that’s not a studio). It’s nice to put the baby down and still be able to have a conversation/not eat dinner in the bedroom. Depending on your comfort level, audio only monitors or FaceTime work while you’re at a nearby restaurant or bar.
I also like the slumberpod because it provides a black out option. I didn’t have it for my first, my second isn’t wild about it but I find it very helpful for travel.
strollerstrike says
I much prefer a set up with two rooms, be it hotel or AirBnB, so that we can hang out in peace at night, maybe watch TV while the baby sleeps. We made the mistake at our first trip of booking a one room hotel room and it was so annoying to basically be sitting in the dark quietly past eight at night because our son was sleeping.
At your baby’s age though you might still get away with putting the baby in its travel crib in the bathroom with the door open for circulation.
Anon says
My daughter slept in hotel bathrooms in a PNP until she was 2.5 and we only stopped because the pandemic caused us to stop traveling. She’s never been able to sleep well in the same room as us, so having her own space was preferable and she didn’t view it as an insult or anything. They do make tents that go over a PNP so that could be an option if you want to be in one room but have the lights on, but we preferred having a completely separate space because she’s pretty sensitive to both light and sound. Hotel rooms and Airbnbs also often aren’t that dark (even when they advertise blackout curtains they usually aren’t as good as what we have at home), so we even when we had a suite, we often put her in the bathroom to get her away from the windows. Caveat is that if you’re crossing a lot of time zones and you stick them in a windowless room, you’ll have to wake them up and make sure they get lots of sunlight outside so their biological clock can reset.