Washable Workwear Wednesday: Shimmer Thread Peplum Blazer
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I love everything about this blazer. I love how it’s so summery yet can still work for a more conservative environment. I love how there are several different elements — the colored threads, the peplum in the back, the three-quarter sleeves with the cut detail, the round neck — but it all somehow works together without looking crazy. I can’t tell from the photos, but since it’s called “shimmer thread,” I’m assuming that that there’s a muted sparkle to it as well, and I welcome it. I’m not usually a fan of fabric that has that element to it, but I think the way this is constructed and the fact that the other threads are a more sophisticated jewel tone will keep it from looking cheesy. It’s $49.90 at Zara in sizes XS–XL. Shimmer Thread Peplum Blazer
Nordstrom has a couple of options in plus 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.
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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?
It is kind of late in the day to be asking (so I may re-ask tomorrow)…but I’m curious if anyone adopts an official or unofficial summer work schedule that differs from their regular schedules. I work in the billable hour world and, provided I am available for scheduled meetings/conference calls (which are actually rare for me), don’t miss deadlines, and actually get my hours in, I have quite a bit of freedom on when to work. I’m considering some scheduled early out days each week where I make up the time later in the evening after my child goes to bed.
Any suggestions for floor coverings in a kids room with wall-to-wall carpet? We’re moving into a new rental and the bedrooms have carpet (not my favorite). I’d like to put something down in the kids room for the inevitable spills/accidents/etc that’s easy to clean and avoids needing to steam clean a carpet. Are foam tiles my best bet here?
+1 to Isabella Oliver if you can afford it, especially if you plan on having more than one kid. I bought mostly Gap and ON stuff for my first pregnancy and by my third, it was really not in good shape to wear to work any more, and I splurged on some Isabella Oliver stuff that made me feel like I looked a bit more put together. I typically would wear a maternity dress plus a non-maternity blazer. I think clingier than would otherwise be acceptable at the office is okay for maternity clothes.
I have recently purged my closet during a move, and now find myself with lots of sleeveless tops and no cardigans in good shape. Can anyone recommend a cheapie black cardigan that I can buy in multiples? I’m so tired of the morning search for a clean shoulder-coverer…
First time mom-to-be here (eek!) and trying to plan ahead. At what point did you start buying maternity clothes? Any advice on the best places to shop for professional maternity clothes? I’ll be bigger in the cooler months. Everything I look at is jersey, clingy, etc. and just not suitable for my office. Help much appreciated. Bonus if the clothes are built for tall women.
I’m sure I’m the gazillionth person to ask a variant on this question, but…aaauuughhh potty training! My 26-month-old has been talking a LOT about the potty for the past month. This morning she cried because we wouldn’t let her sit on the potty. She definitely knows when she is about to pee and poop (though does not seek out privacy for pooping) and is very verbal. We’d been tentatively planning on training her in July, when she’s 2.5, but I just realized it’s a long weekend and it’s supposed to be beautiful out, so…maybe we should do it now? It seems so early to me, but maybe that’s just because I sometimes still think she’s a newborn. I’ve read the “Oh Crap” book and I think we’ll just take that approach. I guess my question is…how do I know it’s time?
I feel naive asking this but I really have no idea– with a brand-new baby, how long can you leave her/him alone? Some examples- my bathroom is upstairs in my apt, the laundry room is in the basement of my apartment building. Can I run to the bathroom and leave her alone in the living room for 3 minutes? Run to the laundry room and leave her alone for 5 minutes? Is this just something you figure out once you actually have a kid?
Ladies, I’m a second time mom, but have a first time problem with my 18 month old – she’s decided that 4:30 am is the appropriate time to wake up. And I’m dying. I haven’t slept passed 5am in weeks (including mother’s day, but that’s another story). It’s still dark here up until close to 5:30 or so, so I don’t think it’s light. Suggestions? Same bedtime as usual (around 7:30/7:45), no other big changes. She’s had some stomach issues lately, but the wake ups preceded that. HELP!
I knew daycare was expensive and familiarized myself with the costs before getting pregnant – but I’m still having crazy sticker shock now that it’s going to be a reality. I live in Brooklyn (HCOL), and even home daycares in my low-SEC neighborhood are like $2k+ a month. We are relatively high income (HHI alike $190k), but carving an extra $2k out of our monthly budget is still going to be a struggle.
What I don’t understand – how do people who make lower incomes manage this?? What do they do? My husband earns about what we’ll pay a year in daycare, and it’s hard to justify him staying at work, but I know he won’t be happy as a stay-at-home dad (neither would I). Please just re-assure me that you got through these years! Maybe I should go into the daycare business…
Can anyone recommend a daycare (infant) on the Upper East Side? Most interested in anything from 50th to 86th and 1st to Park but I’m flexible.
I tend to agree — I think the Big Law moms/parents who are also engaged parents have had a unicorn set of circumstances. Some combination of the right practice group, significant unpaid or paid support, and even kid personalities. This is primarily a mom issue, because moms still are (by choice or default) the primary parent, but I also see this with dads to some extent. I can see it with my own husband and our daughter already — he’s significantly less engaged with our child due to work and it does affect their relationship.
I’ve been able to juggle it so far, but due to the type of law I do (not coasting, that statement ticked me off), having one fairly easy going preschooler and a reliable daycare, not because I’m some sort of amazing powerhouse of a working mom.
I also think that this is the nature of Big Law, and as long as there are people who are willing to keep the crazy schedule, it’s going to stay that way. The best one can expect is that the demands are kept at a minimum and there is enough work-backup to step in when there’s a family crisis.
BigLaw is very tough on moms but some are worse than others. When I worked at my last one, there were numerous female partners whose spouses also worked. They definitely had nannies/au pairs but I also think they genuinely made every effort to see their kids too. Lots of women leaving at 5:30 pm to have dinner with the kids, and then they logged on later. Several of them took at least a one week vacation in the summer and often two weeks. Of course, there is travel and trials and 20 hour days too, but it was good to see that at least some women were able to make it work. Personally I could never live that life long term which is why I left but — good for them, not for me.
Last night I was reading yesterday’s morning post on the main page and I was astounded at the attitude that BigLaw is no problem as long as you have enough au pairs and nannies to watch your kid(s), a supportive husband, and don’t have too many kids. That wasn’t my experience at all. Even with a flexible office, I found that it was impossible to be a parent when things got busy. I could manage well enough during standards times, but there are often months long periods in Biglaw when things are just crazy. Lots of 20 hours days. Lots of travel. I would be expected to be working at all times, and still wouldn’t get it all done. That just doesn’t work when you have kids. The examples that come to mind for me:
I left Biglaw after a three month stint of billing 250 hours months while pregnant and with a toddler. My toddler was a mess and acting out from me being gone so much. My husband was a wreck from dealing with the toddler’s behaviors. I was so sick and rundown. It was a breaking point.
I have a friend with a baby who is still in my old group who has been traveling out of the country for depos for 8 weeks so far this year. She has three more weeks of international travel coming up. Her parents come to watch her (now) toddler, but the toddler is acting out from being left by mom so frequently. She has a nanny and family help but is still looking for options outside of Biglaw. She can’t do it any more.
Another mother I worked with was sent to Switzerland for an undetermined time (which ended up being 4 weeks) with 6 hours of notice. She didn’t even get to say goodbye to her school aged kids before she left. Her husband had to scramble to figure it all out with zero notice.
I guess what I’m saying is that the women leaving Biglaw aren’t stupid and aren’t quitters. It’s not just that they haven’t found enough child care or don’t have a helpful husband. It’s not facetime requirements or a lack of part time schedules or reduced advancement opportunities. There are aspects of Biglaw that just aren’t compatible with being an engaged parent. I had a father who was absent for big chunks of my childhood due to work and I don’t want to be that parent. I refuse to blame women who make the decision to leave. I also don’t 100% blame Biglaw because sometimes sh!t just has to get done. It’s one thing to weather “busy” Biglaw when you don’t have kids (though it sucks), but so so much harder to do when you have kids.
Looking for Puddle Jumper advice, please. The pool opens this weekend and it will be high 80s in my neck of the woods, maybe even 90! My child is 31 months, but pretty small for her age. She is around 25 pounds. The minimum weight for Puddle Jumpers is 30 pounds. I’ve read reviews that they definitely don’t run small and are huge on smaller kids.
Is that the experience of those here?
Any good alternatives where my daughter can start to have some freedom in the water to gain confidence? We’ll always be right beside her. She does have an infant life jacket but it is pretty constricting. Thanks, everyone!
Forgive me if this is a silly question but I’m a first time mom who honestly doesn’t know – what is the etiquette around a crying baby in public places like a mall? DH and I were eating in a mall restaurant last weekend. The baby had a meltdown almost as soon as we’d ordered. We asked for the food to go but it took the restaurant 15-20 minutes to pack it up so I walked the baby around the mall where he would get calm for a minute or two and then cry again for a couple minutes. It was raining so we couldn’t walk outside. I could have taken the baby to the car but he liked the motion of walking. I know you have to remove crying babies from restaurants and theaters ASAP but does the same thing apply to malls or other public spaces where people have more freedom to move away from you?