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The shirtdress is a reliable 9-to-5 staple. However, the warmer weather has me thinking, “What would my favorite shirtdress look like if I sent it on vacation?” The answer is the Lauleh Dress from M.M.LaFleur.
This dress takes elements of a shirtdress, like a self-tie belt, and marries them with the attitude of a tunic. It has a looser fit, flattering V-neck, and elbow sleeves. The drapey, easy-care fabric makes it perfect for both business and leisure travel.
Add a pair of pumps or espadrilles depending on the occasion.
M.M.LaFleur’s Lauleh Dress is $375 and comes in “light saddle” or black. It’s available in sizes XS–XXL.
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
Amelia pond says
Love this dress so much! I wish I wanted to spend this much on work clothes at the moment.
Daily sunscreen says
If you put sunscreen on your kids every day, how would you remove it? Especially their face? Face wash?
For context we moved to Colorado Sprungs where it is super sunny almost every day, so we added sunscreen to our daily morning routine.
Anonymous says
Yup. I wash their little faces every night with cetaphil and a wash cloth in the bath. Besides they’re filthy anyway.
Anon says
We don’t really make an effort to remove it, honestly. But if we did, we’d use a wet wash cloth.
Anonymous says
This is one of the many reasons we do daily baths. (Bug spray and ticks are among the others.) Wash their face with a washcloth and baby shampoo in the bath.
A says
Just a wet washcloth on the nights we don’t do a bath.
CCLA says
Same. It’s mostly their face and arms, and tbh we don’t always even rub down the arms when it’s not summer and we’re using the lighter duty non-waterproof stuff. They wipe down their own faces every night after dinner, not sure how good of a job they do (they are 5 and 7). We have oil cleanser that we use when it’s serious full body summer water resistant sunscreen.
OOO says
My kid takes baths at night so that’s when we wash the sunscreen off.
Anon says
We don’t really make an effort to remove it. I think it rubs off after a while – that’s why you have to reapply regularly. Nothing bad has happened although my kid is pre-pubescent so not dealing with acne etc yet.
Anon says
Oil cleanser in a pump. I buy the KOSE Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil off of either amazon or Jolse. We all have sensitive skin and this gets it off without rubbing. My kid also loves that it goes on dry skin and he can watch it turn ‘milky’ as it washes away. I’ve converted my entire family to using it as it is so much easier/works better than scrubbing at your skin harshly on a daily basis.
Anon says
I attempt to wipe them off with a washcloth, but it’s more like a wrestling match while they giggle furiously. So really I just rely on baths.
Anon says
Had anyone taken a progesterone supplement the first trimester of pregnancy and had insomnia? How did you manage? I’m 10 weeks pregnant, and for reasons, my OB wants me to take progesterone for the rest of the first trimester. I took it for the first time last night and woke up at 4 am wide awake, which has never happened to me before (even while pregnant). Given the timing and how I felt when I woke up, I’m 99% sure this was from the progesterone. I also have bad insomnia when I’m on my period (can’t fall asleep v. waking up early), and this felt similar. I only have to take the progesterone until I’m through the first trimester, but I have a job, toddler, and vacation coming up, so any tips on how to manage would be helpful.
Anonymous says
I had to take progesterone while not pregnant and it made me incredibly tired.
Anonymous says
Same. Crippling exhaustion.
Anonymous says
It’s only two weeks! Ask if you can take it mornings instead
Anon says
Synthetic progestins make me feel agitated, headachy, and “wired but tired.” I’m fine with the progesterone they used to call bioidentical (I’m not sure what I’m supposed to call it now). Never tried either while pregnant.
Anon says
I think insomnia may just be pregnancy related, not due to progesterone supplementation. I’ve had 3 IVF pregnancies with progesterone injections for first trimester and was exhausted for all 3. Insomnia didn’t hit until second/third trimester.
Anon says
I did not take progesterone and had a lot of insomnia while pregnant. No good tips.
Anon says
we are obviously consulting the professionals, but thought i’d ask here for any anecdotes about what helped your kiddo. we have an almost 6 year old (currently in K) who is doing great at school, etc. but has been in OT since age 3 for help with some fine and gross motor skills. we got the following note from her OT last week which made be burst into tears and I just want to know if anyone has a kid with similar struggles and what worked for them. She is a twin and I’ve posted before about our intense lengthy meltdowns and bedtime taking forever. We try to talk a lot about feelings at our house, but apparently aren’t getting it right. (changed my kid’s name of course – she was practicing putting on/taking off her dress with her OT). we have a full neuropsych eval in two weeks. Note from OT:
“It seemed as if Kate needed extra time to visually process the dress itself prior to using her muscles to turn it the correct way. It really confirms the amount of effort that Kate has to put into visually processing her environment, and how much energy she places into processing. I also realized from this interaction how much Kate hides her feelings. She and I had practiced putting the dress on 2x, and she thought I was going to ask her to do it again- which at this point she broke down crying. She and I processed through it… but it was quite unexpected and also showed how much effort she puts into making herself act a certain way to hide her feelings, and also gives even more explanation as to why when she gets home, she has meltdowns.”
Anonymous says
With kids who exhaust themselves by masking emotions because they are experiencing legitimate challenges getting through daily life, beyond a certain point I think talking about emotions becomes counterproductive. What really helps is continuing to work on the underlying issues, providing appropriate accommodations to make their lives easier, and allowing them downtime to decompress. What this note says to me is that the OT may not be fully realizing the extend of your daughter’s challenges and may need to pay closer attention and adjust her approach. For example, it seems that the OT only just now realized how challenging it was for her to put on the dress. Perhaps this task needs to be broken down further or more basic tasks need to be mastered first.
OP says
i guess i am asking for suggestions for accommodations that have worked for your kid? or anyone’s kid. the OT expected it to be challenging for her, but the OT did not expect her to breakdown because she has done other challenging tasks recently and mastered them (e.g. putting on socks and shoes) but without the emotional breakdown. this is the first time DD has broken down to someone outside of our family so even though I would tell the OT about it, that is not the same thing as seeing it for herself, and I’m glad DD felt safe enough to do so. she is in kindergarten and just brought home a perfect report card, but it is clearly taking A LOT out of her to keep it together at school and we want to try to figure out how to make that easier for her before it blows up, especially as first grade involves more sitting and HW
anon says
If she’s doing okay this year, that’s really great. She’ll be older and more able by next year. It’s incredible how much they grow and mature between K and 1. Really. If HW is a problem next year, I’d deal with that in 1st grade.
Anonymous says
Agreed. I think you’re borrowing trouble to worry about first grade now. It’s nearly six months away and that’s a lot of time for a kid this age.
Also first grade may not be a huge change. We heard a lot about how much more academically intense first grade was from parents in our district, but then it turned out to be basically the same as kindergarten. It depends a lot on the teacher.
Anonymous says
I agree! My almost 3rd grader is a totally different kid capability wise than in K. Fwiw she had wild, life-disrupting meltdowns in PK and K- and even most of 1st. She had a neuropsych finally and is 2E with adhd and a watch for autism.
FWIW her eval was delayed due to covid, both actually getting one and lots of teachers chalking her atypical behavior up to covid messing with lots of kids’ development.
In terms of where we are, she’s still my most difficult child to parent by a landslide, but she is maturing. She wants to be on our team and be successful. We are learning better what works.
Anon says
If your school is giving out “perfect report cards” in kindergarten, it sounds like a pressure cooker environment. Unless you just mean it says she tried hard and played well with others.
Anon says
I interpreted “perfect report card” to mean the teacher has zero concerns about the child’s academics or socio-emotional development. Not necessarily a pressure cooker environment.
Anon says
I myself put the word “perfect,” but meaning she got a 3/3 on all areas. Def not at all a pressure cooker environment . In fact my kid did not realize that what she brought home was a report card
anon says
Hi anon! I don’t think you are not “getting it right,” first of all! Restraint collapse is real, especially for kids that are struggling to hold it all together. My son, same age, was in OT for motor planning delays, etc., and now has an ADHD diagnosis. I still remember the guilty feeling as we were intitially learning about all this that I’d really gotten it wrong with him — he refused to participate in multiple activities, including soccer. Then, figuring out that soccer was literally just too much for him (the particular group had all the recipe for challenge for him – multiple coaches, balls flying everywhere, a sport we didn’t have him practice extensively before starting etc. A motor planning nightmare!). But, we adjusted! And you are too! It sounds like our kiddos have different main challenges, but you’re doing great. A few suggestions – do you have a 504 plan or IEP? Our DS has one, and the main accomodations are that he gets some breaks during the day, and then his teacher sends a daily report home. She may not need the daily report, but having some breaks may be great for her to have an outlet. FWIW, DS is now to the point with school and his teacher that she gives him a notebook with a pass in it and he goes down to the office 2-3x/day when he needs to/is done with whatever he’s focusing on (prior, it was more set times). He just goes for about 5-10 minutes, plays legos and talks to the secretary. But, this seems to be enough that he’s enjoying school. That said, he still will get tired and have a hard time when he gets home or to aftercare. Another thing that has helped is encouraging his interests, while not exactly typical. He loves spending time alone on his projects, and doesn’t do any after school formal activities (his after care is 3x/week and not very structured/strict). Some days, he really just needs a lot of time to either be alone or snuggle after school. He often sits on my lap during dinner, asks for help getting on PJs, etc. Maybe I’m too lax with him, but I do feel like there are days where I can just tell he’s used up every ounce of effort to be good at school. Your daughter is showing so much resiliency! You’ve got this.
Anon says
Do you have other kids at home? This sounds nice in theory but not in practice since she also has a twin sister who also wants mommy. I’m glad it works for your son, but idk what i think of this idea of kids leaving their class throughout the day, but whatever works!
anon says
Hi anon! Yes, I do, and about to have a 3rd LO. We aren’t sitting around cuddling all evening after school, but certainly he can sit on my lap when we read a book or something before bed, and right when he gets home he can go work on his project alone while we make dinner, so kindly it DOES work in practice. And, breaks in an ADHD kiddo’s day weren’t just my idea, but something his teacher and others recommended. See the CDC. It’s a common accomodation. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/school-success.html
Anon says
Seconding Anon @ 1:37 and 3:17. My 9 year old son needed/took these breaks in his classroom up until second grade. They were a total gift to him, and helped him calm down. He is now in 3rd, and no longer needs these breaks, but they were a gift. Regarding breaks during the day, they are well supported, and honestly, it’s harder for a dysregulated child to learn, so I found my son was much better equipped for harder skills when he had a chance to get away during the day.
I also have twin 4 year olds, and my boy twin has the motor planning delays. I also…just help him get dressed when he needs it. He’s getting lots of outside support from an OT and being challenged at school, so I just try to be a safe place for him to land. In addition, he’s doing karate and swimming to help the processing delays (but he doesn’t know that, he just thinks he gets to do cool classes).
Finally, I hear you on the “needs mommy” thing — I have four kids (12, 9, and twins). The 10 minute miracle is a life saver. Really it is. Both of my boys need it, and it works a lot.
AwayEmily says
First: it sounds like you are doing great. You’re getting her outside help, you’re asking for advice, etc.
Second: just because it is hard does not mean you are doing something wrong. Sometimes things just ARE hard. My kid has different struggles from yours, but when he has a meltdown and I find myself spiraling about whether I am doing everything “right,” I try to ask myself two things: (1) Is he making progress — are things better now than they were six months ago? (2) Am I showing him, in many ways, that I love and accept him unconditionally?
If both of these are yes, then I think you AND your kid may be doing better than you think. Progress is not linear and it’s not struggle-free. And if one or both is NOT yes, then you’re already on the right path to figuring out how to change things. Good luck, and your daughters are clearly very lucky to have you.
Anon says
what a great answer :)
anon says
This is great advice. And as a parent with a neurodiverse kid, it’s absolutely spot-on. Not every problem can be solved in the moment. Progress happens, but it’s often much much slower than we’d like it to be! I look at where we are at now, compared to just a couple of years ago, and I can’t believe how different it is.
anon says
Hi OP, I wouldn’t give too much credit to the OT’s note about talking about emotions or hiding feelings. She’s 6 yo, was likely tired after a long day of school, and was being asked to do a hard thing again and again. If anything, this should be a message to the OT that she needs to integrate more play into her session (make it a fun game) or mix it up and not do the same repetitively hard thing so many times in a row.
I know my 6 yo wouldn’t have been okay putting on the same dress 3x in a row, and she was never in OT. She would have been annoyed/frustrated and ready to move onto something new. Goodness, my 10 yo still breaks down sometimes about having to tie her shoes or a lump in her socks. Not unusual.
Anon says
Yeah, I’m not sure I understand why this is a problem. 6 year olds cry when they get frustrated, it’s completely normal. Mostly they lose it at home but at this age it’s not super unusual for kids to cry at school or with a trusted caregiver. All of this sounds like something my same age kid would do, and she is neurotypical (as far as we know) and not in OT.
anon says
I was your daughter in this scenario–not exactly the same motor skills challenges, but the part where everything takes more effort than normal, and that eventually leads to a meltdown.
Throughout the school years, my mom kept evenings very quiet and homey: occasional playdates were usually at our own house, my only weekly extracurricular was the same for 12 years. Almost evening I went straight home, watched or helped make dinner, and read books either for pleasure or homework. I know many families would not like this lifestyle, but it worked well for us.
We also talked about emotions a lot, and crying was nbd. I think it’s very possible to talk a lot to process things without amplifying the emotions. I still like to work through things by talking to my mom when I’m stressed out. I also started art therapy for emotions at around age 7 or 8–the main benefit was having the therapist advocate for my needs, but it also became a safe space.
It sounds like you are doing a lot of the right things, and acting consciously from a place of love and caring. She’ll be okay, and so will you.
Anonymous says
-Similar here. Only extracurricular was swimming in the fall and skating in the winter.
-Dinner during the week was simple easy to eat kid friendly meals like mac and cheese with chopped veggies on the side or tacos or breakfast for dinner.
– Clothes was similar each day – t-shirt/sweatshirt, leggings, pull on sneakers
– All bathrooms stocked with toothpaste and toothbrush and facecloth so didn’t have to go to a particular bathroom.
Anon says
Thank you for this. Did you have siblings? We have a nanny who gets my kids from school and they unfortunately have more activities than i would like though but all of these are fun activities. Speech 2x per week for half hour, dance once a week, soccer once a week, OT once a week for this kid and other kid has a different therapy type appointment. And Sunday school for 2.5 hours, though not every week. Maybe in the fall i have her choose dance or soccer. She is a more sedentary type of kid and feel like she needs some activity that encourages movement
Anonymous says
Taking a walk around the block with the nanny might be a better option for movement. Could Nanny walk them home instead?
Dance and soccer are both learning activities where you need to pay attention and behave in a certain way (listen to instructor, take your turn etc). I would drop both for sure. Or keep one and move it to Saturday for an hour max so it’s not on the same day as kindergarten.
I’d also differentiate the idea of movement/activity from a structured learning environment in an activity class where you have to listen to the teacher and follow the rules which takes a lot of executive functioning energy vs running around on the playground.
Anon says
+1. These are a lot of activities in general, and a LOT where you have to listen/follow rules, and a lot of transition to get to all these activities. I would say the benefit of having a nanny is having the freedom to let them just…go to a playground for an hour or two after school. Eat dinner outside. My NT child who is a lot older and is very active and social doesn’t do this much in a week.
Anonymous says
Cut Sunday school out this weekend. My goodness why on earth is it 2.5 hours?!? And they are each in therapy three days a week. That’s a lot! Can speech be just once? Or during school?
Anon says
Yeah we decided on in-school speech therapy for my 6 year old even though she gets a lot less therapy there (20 minutes twice a month) than she would get if we paid for private therapy. IMO you have to balance the therapy needs with the child’s need to be a normal kid with activities and time for play dates.
Anon says
A lot of families view Sunday school as less optional than other activities and would rather drop other stuff first, which I respect.
That said, my kid had majorrrr issues with Sunday school and life got infinitely better when we finally gave up fighting her and let her drop out. In her case it was specifically a problem with Sunday school and not an issue with being overwhelmed by activities in general. But I do think the school-like environment of Sunday school can be tough for many kids who exhibit ADHD-like behaviors.
Anon says
This might be a lot for a kid who is struggling with motor planning and who just in K. I have the 9 year old mentioned above, and he really only began participating in sports in the last year. He really needs downtime after school to decompress. Even just the transition to go from school to the activities then back to home is a lot to do every day.
Anon says
That sounds like a lot, especially since both dance and soccer are primarily teacher-led. My kid has three activities per week but one of them (art) is very self-directed and another (ninja) is a mix of teacher-led activities and free play. And two of the three activities are on the weekend.
OP says
speech is needed bc she has a major tongue thrust that is not just a speech issue, but also causing dental issues. she does not qualify for in school speech, so the only option is out of school. i think for the fall we will either do soccer or dance. there are only 2 more sunday schools this session and it is very important to our family AND she loves going. the two left are more party types.
the other complication is she has a twin sister who doesn’t have the same challenges. it is very hard to know which kid to prioritize
Anon says
Private speech therapists have a financial incentive to overstate how badly a kid needs speech therapy, and if she doesn’t qualify for in-school speech I would personally be questioning how necessary this is. Doing it twice a week seems particularly excessive if she doesn’t even qualify for school services. All the kids I know with noticeable speech issues qualify for and receive in-school speech. Do you have a pediatrician or a teacher or someone with knowledge and no financial stake in the matter who’s telling you she needs speech therapy?
Anonymous says
Well, ya got choices. Just make sure you understand that knowing you think she’s overwhelmed you’re choosing not to change anything in her routine.
Anonymous says
Is there a reason you can’t drop dance and soccer? Like is she begging to go? At a minimum move them off weekdays and drop unless it’s a source of stress for her to drop them.
anon at 2:25 says
My older sister also had big feelings too, although the age gap made a difference (twins must be hard!). We both loved reading from a very young age, and she also mixed in a lot of art projects. The whole family hung out together a lot, which was probably more fun for me than her.
She was definitely more physically active than me. She played a school sport every season and often went for bike rides or long trampoline sessions in the evening. I think she used lots of carpools and I suppose I sometimes sat in the bleachers zoning out.
anonnie says
I think I’ve commented on your posts before, my daughter is almost 7 and sounds very similar. Are you taking care of yourself too? I know my mental health tends to ride or die right along with hers,my anxiety spirals after a bad few days or an extreme tantrum, especially if it was in public. An anti-depressant has helped tremendously. It also helps me to really look at her as the amazing kid she is, and not a diagnosis, if that makes sense.
I 2nd what others say about downtime, she always wants screen time and it’s just the worst possible thing for her. I think what helps is if I can start playing with magnets, or coloring and then she’ll want in too and I can leave her to be. Audiobooks on a blue tooth have been great as well. We also don’t wear pjs, and have a limited wardrobe for school, and limit to 1 activity at a time.
I also wonder if this OT is right for her, she’s been working with you all since 3 and this breakdown was “quite unexpected?” Is she listening to you at all? or reading your kid correctly?
AwayEmily says
Does anyone have recommendations for a basic black pant? High-waisted, straight leg, stretchy-ish, ankle-length, not wrinkle-prone. I’m fine with either real waist or pull-on as long as it can be worn with tucked-in shirts. My current go-to is the Old Navy “Extra High-Waisted Stevie Straight Ankle Pants” and they are great but get stretched out by the end of the day.
Chl says
Kate pants from jcrew in 4 season stretch
Mary Moo Cow says
The Ruby or Kallie pant from J.Crew Factory. (Not what you asked, but, I found the Nic & Zoe Wonderstretch pant really stretched out over a few months of wear, are line dry only, and I could never iron the wrinkles completely away.)
Anon says
+1 I had the same problem with Nic & Zoe pants
Anon says
If you want to go spurge, The Fold makes an amazing crepe straight leg pant with an elastic back waistband. It’s covered in fabric so not obvious even if you tuck your top in.
NYCer says
I am not OP, but thanks for this recommendation. I have also been on the hunt for some new basic work pants, and these look great.