Washable Workwear Wednesday: Natalie Ponte Dress
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Although Boden is known for its fun, bright prints, I’m actually drawn to their solid-colored tailored dresses. In the Before Times, I used to wear dresses nearly every day. In the After Times to come, I’m looking forward to refreshing my wardrobe with something like the Natalie Ponte Dress.
I like the stretchy fabric, flattering gathered waist, and smart cap sleeves. The Natalie — along with all of Boden’s lightweight ponte jersey fabric dresses — is also machine washable. It comes in three office-appropriate colors (black, maroon, and navy) that’ll pair well with a contrasting suit jacket for a more formal look or a fine-textured cardigan for something more casual.
The dress is on sale for $65 (marked down from $130) and currently available in sizes 2–6/18 (depending on the color), and petite, regular, and long fits. Natalie Ponte Dress
Sales of note for 1/16:
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Cashmere on sale; AllSaints, Free People, Nike, Tory Burch, and Vince up to 60%; beauty deals up to 25% off
- AllSaints – now up to 60% off (some of the best leather jackets!)
- Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your full-price purchase; extra 50% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles with code — readers love this blazer, these dresses, and their double-layer line of tees
- DeMellier – Sale now on, free shipping and returns — includes select options like Montreal, Vancouver, and Venice
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; extra 50% off all clearance, plus ELOQUII X kate spade new york collab just dropped
- Everlane – Sale of the year, up to 70% off — reader favorites include their scoop tee, Dream Pant, ReNew Transit backpack, silk blouses and oversized blazers! New markdowns just added
- Hannah Andersson – Up to 30% off all pajamas;
- J.Crew – Up to 40% off select styles; up to 50% off cashmere
- J.Crew Factory – 40-70% off everything
- L.K. Bennett – Archive sale, almost everything 70% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Tag sale for a limited time — jardigans and dresses $200, pants $150, tops $95, T-shirts $50
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Semi-Annual Red Door Sale – 50% off + extra 20% off, sale on sale, plus free shipping on $150+
And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
From Hoagies: Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching and counseling in order for them to develop optimally.” The Columbus Group, 1991, cited by Martha Morelock, “Giftedness: The View from Within”, in Understanding Our Gifted, January 1992
“Gifted” is not a synonym for “bright” or “high-achieving.” It is not the 90th percentile on an IQ test. It is asynchronous and advanced cognitive development, which is usually identified through a very high IQ test score. It is often accompanied by other traits such as intensity of focus, sensory issues, etc. Many gifted children underperform in mainstream classrooms because they are bored, disengaged, and/or bullied.
Anyone in NYC applying to private K and want to be anxious together? We only applied to 2 schools and honestly have a good zoned public so really this is not so high stakes, but, the suspense is distracting me regardless.
Late AND off the wall frivolous, but where would you go to get your ears pierced? Is Claire’s too gauche? I don’t want a cartilage piercing so I don’t need a tattoo parlor, but would try them if they’re more reputable/sanitary than the mall stores.
Would love to get some grounding here but please don’t laugh too much: my daughter, 2 and a few months, strikes me as exceptionally smart. She did not start speaking super early but is now incredibly verbal, can parrot words back almost immediately and seems to have a ridiculous memory. I am 90 percent sure this is me just being so over the moon in love with my kid, but part of me wonders if I should be offering her more learning opportunities because she’s gifted. You can’t really tell a kid is gifted at 2, can you? She is at home with a nanny (who is equally besotted with her, I would say) so I don’t have a daycare or preschool or anything to tell me she would enjoy more stimulation, etc.
First week at new daycare with our baby. Daycare sends home “expired” bottles of pumped milk at the end of the day. I have to pour these down the drain, right? Not worth the risk of feeding them to baby that night? It’s almost physically painful to trash them.
Another school question. DH and I both attended schools that are rated D or lower by Great Schools. I have a bachelor’s he has a JD. DH has always maintained it doesn’t really matter where you go to school as long as your parents are involved; I tend to agree. We purchased our home a year ago. DH had thirteen very specific criteria and after a year of looking, we lucked into buying a house that met all his criteria because an over-asking-price buyer reneged and we were able to get it for full price. Elementary school is ranked around top 200 in the state. So imagine my surprise yesterday when DH told me the neighboring school is #40, and he thinks we should move to that neighborhood so our kid can go to kindy there next year. This is bonkers, right? I pressed DH this morning on whether he was spitballing or whether he thinks this is actually important/actionable, and he admitted it seems silly but he’s considering buying a rental property in that neighborhood (we could afford that). I just don’t think this is smart or a good use of money. Am I being unreasonable? What are the advantages I’m missing?
I am actually wearing this dress right now and I have it in three colors. It has been really flattering throughout COVID weight fluctuations and it washes and holds its shape very well. I highly recommend!
Is it weird to say thank you for maternity leave? I just returned from four months off fully paid at my boutique litigation firm. They have no legal obligation to provide maternity leave – much less paid maternity leave – and I know it was a hardship to be down an attorney for that long. They are progressive, but I thought sending a short grateful email might be helpful to encourage them to keep the policy and/or talk to other firms about it. Weird?
Long post. Looking for advice on picking school for DD who will enter kindergarten in the fall. We’re in one of those areas in the Midwest where you’re always a stone’s throw away from a Catholic Church. We’re right in the middle of 3. For now, DH wants to try one of the parochial schools (may look at public schools in the future depending on DD’s needs).
School A – 10 minutes from house and in district (so there’s bus service). Also near DS’s daycare. School where I grew up so we know some families. The catch is my sister’s boyfriend’s son would be in the same class. Sister and her bf both went through high profile divorces that was the scandal of the area. Sister and I are cordial but not close though her kids occasionally babysit. Even though we aren’t close I could see her picking up DD in case of emergency or if one of her high schoolers were babysitting (no other local family to help). But I’m reluctant to feel attached to her drama (it’s part of why we stopped going to church prepandemic anyway). And her boyfriend’s son is neurotypical and DD is not. Kind of don’t want to deal with the constant comparisons. But am I discounting the benefit of having someone who could occasionally pick up kid? I don’t know. DH understands but would prefer this school if it weren’t for the associated drama.
School B is also 10 minutes away. We don’t know any families there.
School C is 15 minutes away and another family on our street goes there. It is in a ritzy area of town that can be hard for outsiders but we do know a number of families with older kids in that school.
Any thoughts appreciated. I don’t want to let my feelings get in the way but I also don’t want to run into my sister for the next decade at school and feel lumped in with her divorce drama (that she brought on herself).
Semi-regular primal scream due to the frustrations of extended crisis parenting.
One kiddo had a stuffy nose. I decided to keep kiddo home to see if it turned into anything else. Nope, need a COVID test to be allowed back into school. And oh, because I have a kid with a pending test, I had to pull the other kids from daycare. Spouse is an essential worker who is out of town on an extended work trip (extra extended because of COVID…) Can’t have our ONE support person in the house because… Pending COVID test.
Because it was so last minute, I still have time sensitive work to do. And that’s the story of how I’m sitting at the table attempting to pull together a document that’s due at 12:30 with a 2 year old who is in their birthday suit (and totally resistant to any other outfit) screaming ‘PLAY DOHHHH’ after I JUST set up coloring/stickers for her. Bless the baby who is laughing at the ‘floor show’ of her older sister screaming and the oldest kid who is happily watching a movie. This is hard. Today I’m not loving any of it.
Has anyone done Glacier National Park with toddlers/preschoolers? Did you feel like there was enough stuff you could see from the car or on short, easy hikes? I’m thinking ahead to summer vacation and trying to keep expectations low by assuming not much will have changed on the Covid front, so an outdoors area where we can stay in a private cabin seems like the safest option. But we’re definitely not “throw the kids in carriers and hike 10 miles” people and I wonder if we’ll feel like we’re missing out by being limited by what 3 year olds can do.
What would you personally consider to be unacceptably high reproductive risk for a genetic condition? 1/100, 1/500, 1/1000….etc.?
My partner and I will need to use donor sperm to conceive. Due to our specific case (CMV status, RH factor, and other considerations) our options for donors are limited in number, and COVID seems to have affected availability further. One new donor popped up at our bank this week, who meets all of our specific case needs but also our “wants” too. He has expanded carrier screening of almost 300 genetic conditions, and is a carrier of classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Though this is a disorder that is screened for immediately after birth and treatable, it is severe and can affect growth, future fertility of child, and requires life-long care. It does not limit the lifespan or cause profound physical disability or affect intellectual development, but it is serious and gives me pause.
In Canada, where we are located, our doc has indicated there is no carrier screening company, nor health institution, that offers testing of the specific gene in question for our situation. We would have to pursue this by sending a sample abroad at exorbitant out of pocket cost. The carrier screening the donor had in the States is not offered to Canadians. So we are blind regarding my own carrier status for this. In the general population about 1/60 people are carriers, and I am not part of an ethnic group with higher incidences. This leaves us a ~1/240 chance our child would be affected with CAH if we used the donor who is a carrier. This strikes me as relatively low risk, and I have a genetic counselling appointment booked for Friday, but am wondering what the Hive thinks of that number and if anyone has dealt with similar considerations in their journey to conceive.
It’s interesting because of course most couples who conceive naturally do not get carrier screening, so would not even know about such a risk even if one did exist. And not all donors get expanded screening either – many are not even tested for this condition and so again we would not know about such a risk even if it existed. But now that we know I am having trouble wrapping my head around handling the information.
My 2+3 month old son still sleeps on his crib in a wearable blanket and no pillow. He sleeps fine all through the night and has for years. I plan to keep him on the crib as long as possible on the advice of friends. Any benefit to adding a pillow or other blanket? If so, is there a specific toddler brand pillow that is popular? Thanks!
Cute dress. Non-dress-related question — what are your favorite Very Warm Outdoor leggings? I have a pair of LL Bean Primaloft ones, and they are amazing for outdoor days in the winter (hikes, etc). I went to order a second pair and they are sold out. Any similar pairs people can recommend?
Last week was really stressful for me. Work was crazy. I was solo-parenting outside of daycare hours. DH was exposed to COVID (we are symptom free and awaiting test results while quarantining). All the events in the news.
I was hoping this week I would be feeling better, but I’m having a really hard time letting go of all that stress and feeling recharged.
Does anyone have meditations or maybe some journal prompts that they find helpful in this situation? Or anything else for that matter.
Exercise is only helping for a couple hours, and then I go right back to feeling like garbage. In the beforetimes, I would take an afternoon to myself and get a massage or my nails done. At home spa days aren’t really cutting it because I’m still surrounded by the source of my stress.