Quicklist: Fall & Winter work dresses on my radar

A menswear-for-women twist I can get behind. Vince Camuto’s Lace Hem Check Dress ($159).
This dress runs a little big, size down. I went for a 4 instead of my usual 6.

Right now my workwear requirements are all over the place. For the regular in-office days I need pieces that are modern yet conservative…not exactly easy among the current trend of super-short skirts and plunging workwear necklines. Then for my out and about days I need pieces that are chic, modern and on-trend. And then for the evening events I’m attending I need elegance, length and artistic merit.

It’s budget-busting, though working for a large fashion company does yield the benefit of being able to borrow pieces every so often. For daywear it’s mostly up to me so I’ve been building two Pinterest inspiration boards: the conservative daywear looks and the chic daywear looks.

Inside this post, a quick list breakdown on my conservative daywear options (all dresses for now) for your perusing pleasure. Some (not all) of these dresses are on the Pinterest boards if you prefer to see photos…and I also have photos on the boards beyond what’s included here.

Macy’s:
Use the promo code STAR to take 20% off.
I was surprised to find some great workwear options here! I haven’t had luck at Macy’s in years. Worth noting, all of these dresses are an unholy mix of polyester-rayon-spandex-younameitit’snotofthisearth. But they fit well and sometimes that’s all that matters.
Calvin Klein (size up) // Lauren Ralph Lauren (TTS) // Lauren Ralph Lauren 2 (super-slimming, TTS)

Nordstrom: Lela Rose // Lela Rose 2  (TTS) // Michael Kors (TTS, shorter than it looks online) //
Cotton options: Kate Spade (on sale!) // Diane von Fursternberg (may require a cami) // Max Mara // Tahari
Wool: Classiques Entier // Tory Burch (ponte, on sale!) // St. John Collection // St. John Collection 2 // St. John Collection 3 (wool/satin) // French Connection // Ted Baker London // Pink Tartan

Bloomingdales: Reiss // Reiss 2 (TTS) // Reiss 3 (size up, 2 sizes up if curvy!) // Jones New York // Elie Tahari (TTS) // Diane von Fursternberg

LOFT
(Seriously, LOFT is kinda killing it right now!) Just watch the quality — I inspect items carefully for loose stitching or how prone they are to developing holes. When they nail it, they really nail it. I recommend sizing down — I’m usually a 4 or S in their dresses instead of my usual 6/M.
Cable Sweater Dress // Faux Leather Trim Plaid Dress // Paisley Banded Waist Dress // Shirred Skirt Dress // Colorblock Sleeveless Ponte Dress // Colorblock Short Sleeve Dress // Seamed Sheath Dress // Sleeveless Colorblock Dress

Saks: see my workwear picks in this post — note that the F&F period is now over


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