Washable Workwear Wednesday: Circle Cardigan
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I’ve mentioned this sweater a few times, but: have I mentioned that it’s one of my FAVORITE things that I bought recently? It’s ridiculously soft and cozy, holds its shape, and — huzzah! — is machine washable. I love the bamboo knit so much I got my aunt a waterfall cardigan and my brother a pillow for the holidays. Nordstrom keeps showing this cardigan with leggings, and the waterfall cardigan with lingerie, but both are more than appropriate to wear to work for a casual day. (I just went through several pages of reviews to make sure I’m not crazy, since Nordstrom literally has this in the “robes” section, but no, a lot of other women mention wearing it to work as well. Regarding the complaints about the arms running small, I found it true to size, and I’ve never considered my arms particularly svelte.) The sweaters do have a nubby texture, but it doesn’t strike me as schlubby at all — and thus far it’s held up better than other cashmere and other sweaters that pill like mad. This cardigan is $115, available at Nordstrom and Amazon. (Nordstrom also has it in plus sizes.) Barefoot Dreams® ‘Circle’ Cardigan
(To discuss: what is your favorite sweater material to wear around the house with the kids? I bought a ton of cashmere last year on sale and am finding that my littlest seems to make a beeline for me as soon as his hands are gross and I’ve got cashmere on. If I’m not wearing this cardigan I often opt for sweatshirts on the weekends, but I have yet to find a brand or style that I really like.)
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 5/14/25
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Beauty Deals up to 25% off (ends 5/17)
- Ann Taylor – Suit Yourself! 30% off suiting (ends 5/16) + 25% off your full price purchase (ends 5/18) + extra 60% off sale (ends 5/14)
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 25% off
- Eloquii – Up to 60% off everything + extra 60% off sale + $1 shipping on all orders
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off long-weekend styles + 50% off select swim and coverups
- J.Crew Factory – Extra 50% off clearance + extra 15% off $100+ + extra 20% off $125+
- M.M.LaFleur – Lots of twill suiting on sale! Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 40% off all markdowns (ends 5/18) + 30% off dresses, skirts, accessories, and shoes
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?
Kat – in terms of sweatshirts try the brand American Giant. I’m not affiliated with them in any way but I really love their hoodies.
You read my mind, Kat! I just tried the Barefoot Dreams Circle cardigan on yesterday at Nordstrom and have been looking for reviews to justify the price….It is so cozy and love the pockets and slightly more tailored fit than the drape version. I am due any day now and might have to pull the trigger just to get me through the thought of sleepless nights and never-ending (but lovely) nursing sessions. thank you.
Wow, I thought I knew first trimester fatigue from my first pregnancy. But battling it while also dealing with a toddler who isn’t sleeping well because he’s sick is a whole new ballgame. How on earth did people manage to get through a second pregnancy with all the exhaustion that comes from parenting your first child?? Every day so far has been a struggle, and although I know enough to know that the fatigue will let up a bit, I also know there’s other difficult stuff to come yet as well.
Did anyone have sleep issues around six months? Baby finally rolling over so unswaddled the arms, but I think he also just wakes up a lot these days – several times a night. He was previously sleeping through the night. I feel like he’s a little past Magic Merlin? He weighs 19 lbs and is definitely capable of STTN… Is this a sleep regression? He wakes up crying like he’s uncomfortable. I don’t think our presence is soothing so Ferber seems like a funny method. Agh.
WHINE ALERT
This always hits me mid-January– I feel doomed to the rat race forever. I love my job and am not cut out to stay at home, but I have literally been crying leaving my toddler this week. And crying because I feel like my spouse is totally cool with all family administrative labor (bills, calls to customer service, scheduling, planning) falling on my shoulders and gets indignant if I don’t handle something quickly enough/ to his liking. And I have zero energy, emotional or otherwise, to even start a conversation about it. I’ve been battling a cold virus for going on three weeks. Have taken sick days, worked from home, and still can barely open my eyes. I feel like I’m going about the world through a shield of corn syrup. I know this will all get brighter, but right now there isn’t anything good on TV, and my husband quit eating carbs for his new year’s resolution, so the dinners he was making have evaporated and most nights I just go to bed hungry because I don’t have the energy to plan/prep/cook something just for me. I’m a walking ball of resentment and trouble and I know it, and as a result I’m just not saying anything about any of this to anyone and crying a lot. FUN TIMES.
Looking for advice from those who used a night nurse. I have a three week old and was planning on a long maternity leave, but I just got a job offer that might require me to jump back into the workforce in a matter of weeks. I’m currently a wreck from sleep deprivation and don’t think I could function at a demanding new job without a better night’s rest. Does anyone have experience using a night nurse? Was it helpful even if you were breast feeding?
On a more general note, I’m totally terrified of starting a new job with a newborn, and worried I’m not up to the challenge. But I don’t feel as if I can pass up this opportunity–it’s a highly respected white collar boutique that almost never hires, and the partners seem like truly decent human beings. Advice on weathering the first few months? I also have a toddler; toddler + newborn + new job seems really overwhelming right now.
I have three of these and love the hell out of them, they were my NICU mom uniform, but I would not wear them to work for anything other than a casual Friday where I knew I didn’t have any meetings and even then I’d keep a blazer on the door.
My almost 16 month old son has recently started gnawing on his crib. Any advice on how to break him of this newly acquired habit? He is a great sleeper and good at occupying himself when he does wake up but now I’m wondering if it’s because he is spending his time practicing his termite skills. He’s also coughing in the middle of the night. He doesn’t need cry so I’ve been assuming he’s coughing in his sleep, but this wood thing is making me paranoid as well.
Thank you!
oooo I love this! I have a couple similar cardigans ranging from super cheap (from target) to $100+ like this one. I do think if you spend more you end up with less pilling & wear.
I disagree about work though. It just feels too casual. I’ve worn once or twice to work with jeans on a Friday and even then it just felt like I was wearing pjs.
My previously great 12 week old sleeper has gotten too big for her bassinet, and also has begun violently resisting being swaddled. We have the magic Merlin sleepsuit, but she is slightly too small for it and can still startle herself inside of it, if that makes sense. We’ve gone from 1-2 wake-ups a night to every other hour or so. She’s also gotten much more dependent on having a pacifier in her mouth- it used to fall out and she wouldn’t notice, now she wakes up. We’re thinking of trying a swaddle again, but I have never seen her cry as hard as she did the last night we put her in it. Advice? Suggestions? I start work again very soon and am pretty nervous about the transition anyway, never mind doing it on no sleep for either of us.
I love this shape but I can’t quite justify spending $100+ on a mostly nylon sweater that errs on the side of shlubby. Can anyone recommend a similar sweater that would be warmer, like a wool blend, and also affordable ($50 ish)? I don’t need cashmere, I just want something warmer than cotton.
Advice please!
We toilet trained our son last month using the Oh Crap method (plus small rewards, minus nap/night training). He is on the younger side, but we forged ahead because he clearly had some control over when he was peeing and pooping and he was a terror during diaper changes.
He has been doing really well with the peeing since the first days. Pooping, unfortunately, is a different story. He sometimes goes in the potty, generally at his own direction. But he was also saving it for overnight or naptime from the early days of training. And now, in the past week, he has started simply pooping in his pants, sometimes multiple times a day. He doesn’t like it, and he tells us right after it happens, but still it recurs, I think because he has some fear of pooping in the potty.
Honestly, my husband and I prefer the accidents to the diaper tantrums, but we don’t want to fight an unwinnable battle or drive our kiddo totally crazy. I’d love to hear whether this is a relatively normal phase that we should just power through, or if we should revert to diapers for a while, or if there are any other approaches we should try. Also, he is in daycare, so a lot of the burden is falling on his teachers rather than on us, which I feel bad about.
Thanks so much for any advice. Including ideas for a thank-you gift for his teachers for all their help / suffering.
I got an open cashmere cardigan from neiman marcus’ cashmere collection for Christmas and am in. love. However, I can’t imagine wearing it when my son was younger! I try to be very honest with myself about how (not) often I truly go to the dry cleaner’s.
I like circle cardigans (is that what this cut is called?) for the weekend, errands, etc. but for some reason I just can’t reconcile the cut with my opinion on what constitutes a professional appearance. If a waterfall cardigan isn’t TOO overdone/dramatic in cut, I think it looks more professional. This may just be the case with my body type, though. I’m much smaller on top than on bottom and the circle cardigans always look so bulky on me.
In this week’s scintillating episode of Why Is This My Job: how do I get husband to remember to brush kiddo’s teeth? I am going to lose it if I have to remind him again. Seriously, we do this twice a day, you’d think he’d remember by now. You don’t forget to brush your own teeth.