Washable Workwear Wednesday: Swing Dress
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This is highly rated (even if it doesn’t look super-flattering online) and readers have been really singing its praises. I can see it being a great dress if you’re coming back to work from maternity leave and want a more casual look (especially if you want pockets), or if you’re dealing with weight gain, or if you’re in your second or third trimester — because it’ll definitely fit a baby bump. This can also be a really easy layerable dress, and you could add a scarf and sleek pumps to make it a little bit dressier, or wear it with knee-high flat books and a longer cardigan for a more casual look. It’s machine wash cold, line dry, and it’s only $48 at Nordstrom. Soprano Swing Dress
Here’s a plus-size option.
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.
(L-all)
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?
What did you all do about post-partum hair loss? I’m 4 months PP and my hair is driving me up the wall!! I used to have the BEST hair and now it’s limp, and dull, and falling out all over the place. Even when I have the time and energy to blow dry it, it ends up falling flat within a few hours. I’ve taken to just pinning my bangs (I have “swoopy” bangs that used to go across my forehead, but now just kind of look piecey and messy all the time) and pulling my hair back in a bun or hair claw.
Do I need to just resign myself to having bad hair now, or is there something I can do to help it? Will my thick, shiny hair ever come back? Sorry if this sounds so shallow, but I get so depressed every time I look in the mirror (in addition to the fact that none of my clothes fit and my skin appears to have regressed to my teenage years).
This seems to be a really common problem both here and on the main s i t e (thinking most recently about the woman who resented her husband for eating cheese and crackers when he got home when she was cooking dinner)– the question of how do you balance expectations and emotional labor so you can avoid resentment.
Well, I mentioned yesterday that I was going to have to solo parent for three days in a row and was dreading it. I was (not proud to admit this) just going to stay home with my daughter on MLK day because my husband doesn’t have as flexible as a schedule, etc. and then kind of resent him for it. Then I decided I was being insane, and asked him to stay home that day, and so he is! At first he was hesitant but then I think he realized he had no valid excuse to say no. Wahoo! I feel so much better having asked for what I wanted, rather than just assuming that I had to do it and then resenting him for it. Just wanted to share.
Any suggestions for a photographer for maternity photos in the DC area? Thanks!
We have MLK day off and the kids are spending the day at grandma’s. We’ve decided we need a day to be together, not do chores, and not stare at screens. We’d also like to get out of our heads a bit (do something experiential more than intellectual/analytical). Any ideas? We’re in Northern Virginia and prefer not to go into DC if possible. (Parking, traffic, etc.) The weather is supposed to be gross. We took the kids to Monkey Joe’s (bounce house palace) recently and have been saying wish there was a Monkey Joe’s for grown ups. My husband suggested laser tag but not sure if that’s a thing anymore and if it’s any fun with just two people. We’ve been to Udvar Hazy many times and I’d prefer just to take the boys at some point (I’ve seen enough Korean War era fighter jets to last me awhile). We’re members at Mount Vernon but we just went at Christmastime. Ugh. There has to be something to do.
Two questions this mild morning (in New England, anyway):
1. My three year old daughter has a speech delay. She is in the process of going through the full evaluation now, but we have had her speak with two speech pathologists and they both agree that there is an issue. She speaks very quickly and can be tough to understand. It wasn’t until one of her teachers pointed it out that I realized how much I ask my daughter to repeat herself. Does anyone have any good resources so that I can begin to educate myself on this issue?
2. Perhaps related to 1, my daughter is TOUGH right now. I feel like I am joining the chorus of moms on this board yelling, “help me with my 3 year old!” My son was not nearly this tough! I think it is the usual 3 year old stuff (saying no, tantrums, trouble separating, and oh the drama) but I feel ill-equipped to handle this stage with her. Is 1-2-3 Magic worth the read? Any other suggestions? How to Talk so Kids Will Listen is already in my repertoire and feels like too many words for her when we are in those tough places.
Nap drama: Our 20 month old was the best sleeper….until I messed it up. He was taking two naps a day (~3.5 hours) and as a result, he wasn’t falling asleep until 9 or 9:30pm and was waking up at 7:30am (perfect!). So I decided we should drop a nap to get to a more normal bedtime. Now he only naps for 2 hours most days and falls asleep at 8:30 (I put him down at 7:30), but is waking up at 6am?!?!? He is sleeping so much less, and it’s miserable for all of us. Anyone have any advice? I’m desperate!!!
Thanks again to everyone who commented yesterday. I’m sad that it seems several of you are in similar situations.
At the risk of sounding like I’m defending him, he’s not a horrible person — and does take resposibility for things around the house and with the toddler, even though it feels like that’s usually when he’s specifically asked, so almost all the emotional labor is on me. But he’s highly critical, and I’m a people pleaser and we’re both stressed, exhausted and possibly depressed.
We didn’t “talk” last night — barely even talked without air quotes — I was too tired, he got home late, and toddler was in peak toddler mood by the time he got home. But I’m thinking about all the things that people said — asking him if he wants a divorce, since he’s not acting like this is the life he wants, and if not, then how we need to work on things — seeing a therapist, working on communication, shariing the emotional labor. I hate confrontation, but as one poster said later in the day, it feels like he’s acting like he’s a bomb waiting to go off, so it needs to be done.
Thanks again, this is such a great community.
We are planning to move in the near future to a house/town home in the Chicago suburbs. We have a 5 month old baby girl so hopefully the move will happen before she starts walking.
For those of you in the Chicago area, how do you check the ratings of elementary schools? Do you just google the name of the school? Is Illinois Great Schools a reliable source for checking the quality of schools? Any other tips we should know when choosing the area?
I know it is a long time before she goes to school, but our condo is small and we need more space. We will probably have a nanny and family help until the age of 2 at least and then we will do daycare. Which makes me wonder if this is the right time to purchase a house…
To those of you who moved after kids, when did you make the move?
Wow, my 16 year old self (circa 1996) wants this whole look (boots and choker too) so badly. I would wear it with my lipliner that’s 4 shades darker than my lip color and 3 pairs of earrings, plus a cartilage hoop.
Dear male co-worker who is only slightly senior to me,
I have two graduate degrees and am not your secretary. If you want a conference room booked or a document printed, do it yourself. When I politely suggest that you should have our assistant do it, I am not being a b!tch or refusing to be a team player.
Pregnancy migraines – help!
I have always had hormone-related migraines, but was told (mostly by my mom) they’d go away in pregnancy. Well, they’re worse if anything.
I spent the last three days with a low-grade migraine, which flared into one of the worst I’ve had in months yesterday. I had to leave early from work and felt like a failure (despite the fact I’d worked 7 hours straight already, which I reminded myself is practically a full day for some people).
Midwife said I should do caffeine + tylenol, and even advil is ok til 20weeks. She obviously has never had a migraine if she thinks that does anything, but ok.
help??? I’m already trying to stay extra hydrated and avoid triggers like low blood sugar, getting overheated, etc.
Yesterday was seemingly unavoidable though – a lunch meeting where lunch was delayed past when my I would have liked to have eaten, no water (?!?! I could have killed the admin – all she had delivered was soda) and an overheated room due to terrible HVAC in our building. My husband said I should have just said, “I need to step out to get some air” which seems so much easier said than done? Plus for the last hour of the meeting I was presenting/running the meeting, so that definitely wasn’t an option.
Lovely shape but I’m not sure about the ribbing?
Gave myself my first heparin injection (in the work bathroom, fairly sure that was a bit unsanitary) and it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I’ve done it before but for an actual clot rather an preventative, and the preventative dose is much easier.