I was thinking, how I’m always amused to stumble on older pieces that we’ve featured here on Corporette® … sometimes they still look good, or I remember liking them. Other times, the styling or the featured piece of clothing is just… fug.
Anyway, I started thinking… it might be fun to share some previously featured pictures with you guys, and discuss — would you wear these items today? If so, how would you style them in 2025? If you’ve replaced items like this in your closet, what are you wearing instead of them?
First up, some of the things we featured on February 2 over the years…
What We Wore to Work in February (Over the Years)
2009: A Kimono Dress from Aquascutum
I feel like there were a lot of “kimono dresses” around this time period — there was a specific one the readers loved that I’m totally blanking on. Hmmn. (Maybe this one from ASOS?)
Anyway: we featured this gorgeous dress from Aquascutum was at NET-A-PORTER for $1115. Maybe it’s me but I still think it’s absolutely gorgeous, and unique enough that it wouldn’t be overly dated.
Aw, there were exactly 7 comments on the Splurge TPS report. Early days for the blog!
Similar Dresses with Cool Structural Details
Hunting for power dresses with twists, origami, or other structural details? As of 2026, definitely check out brands like The Fold, Modern Citizen, and Amazon seller Marycrafts (under $50!). This dress is an old favorite that’s still around, too.
The Fold (exact)
Modern Citizen (exact)
M.M.LaFleur (exact)
Marycrafts (exact)
2010: Eileen Fisher Stand Collar Jacket
This was an early sweater jacket — made from lambswool and cashmere, with that regular blazer shape. Sweater jackets had been a bit shrunken in the previous years (I had one from Iisli that I loved so much I took engagement pictures in it — similar to this one), so this longer length one was a bit different so we featured it. (I blame Wedding Bee for the weird poses.)
Similar Sweater Blazers for 2026
Some of our favorite sweater blazers as of 2025 include M.M.LaFleur (the OG, the jardigan!), L’Agence, J.Crew, Modern Citizen, and Jenni Kayne. For budget options check J.Crew Factory and this great option from T. Tahari.
Jenni Kayne
Modern Citizen
J.Crew Factory
L’Agence
Sidebar: Coffee Break on February 2, 2010:
I usually stick to the morning workwear reports for these (originally called TPS reports because there was an obscure reference to the movie Office Space, then we went with “The Personal Shopper,” and then we dropped all of it for “Workwear Report”) — ANYWAY this brown leather bag was featured somehow on a Pin or something and, for years, we would get traffic back to the blog because of this tote. (The good old days!) It’s still really gorgeous…
Similar North/South Leather Totes
We rounded up north/south totes a while ago — if you’re looking for something extremely similar, check out this affordable leather bag or this Amazon seller.
Some of our favorite north-south totes for work in 2026 include options from Madewell, Cuyana, BÉIS, MZ Wallace, Tumi, and Everlane — this convertible north-south tote from Bellroy looks great also.
Everlane
Tumi
Bellroy
Madewell
2012: Cardigan From Charles Tyrwhitt
Aw, I haven’t thought about Charles Tyrwhitt in years, and a quick check tells me they’ve stopped making women’s wear entirely. For a while though they were sort of a competitor to Brooks Brothers for button-front shirts and the like. This merino cardigan was on a great sale, $200 to $60.
Cardigans We Love in 2026
Some of our favorite classic cardigans for the office as of 2025 include those below. Check Talbots and J.Crew Factory if you’re looking for plus sizes, and Quince if you’re on a budget. Veronica Beard and Brooks Brothers both keep a bunch of options in stock. Two other reader favorites: Reformation and Sézane. Also see our roundup of trendy lady sweater jackets!
Brooks Brothers
Talbots
Veronica Beard
J.Crew Factory
2015: Narcisso Rodriguez Blazer
Hmmn… I’m not a fan of this one. I suppose it is unusual, though. The blazer was $2195 at Nordstrom, as we noted in the post.
2016: Pintuck Dress from Reiss
I loved this Reiss dress then and I still love it now. It actually reminds me of a super old Calvin Klein dress that had a similar starburst pattern and was around for years. (It’s still at Amazon in lucky sizes!)
2017: Hideous Ponte Blazer
Yeah… I’m not sure what I was thinking with this one, because there are much better blazers to be found for under $50. I do like the color here, and I suppose it was trendy at the time…. This was an LC Lauren Conrad Ponte Blazer at Kohl’s.
Affordable Blazers Under $50
Hunting for women’s blazers under $50? Our favorites as of 2026 are below — if you’re open to going up to $75, also check out these options from Amazon, J.Crew Factory, Old Navy, and this Uniqlo blazer.
Target (XS-4X!)
Walmart
Amazon
H&M
2018: Satin Shell from Loft
Gosh… I’m not in love with this one either. The buttons seem out of place, and as far as sleeveless tops go I really don’t like it. But: it was Loft, and was Frugal Friday, so there you go. (Interestingly, in the post we mentioned that Loft Plus was coming soon, with sizes up to 26 — I had completely forgotten they had plus sizes for a hot second.)
I’ll post some of our preferred sleeveless shells below, but do note that we also just rounded up shirts with interesting collars late last year.
Sleeveless Shells in 2026
Going sleeveless at the office is still a know-your-office situation, but much more accepted than previously. As of 2026, some of our favorite sleeveless tops include ones from Anne Klein, Calvin Klein, Amazon seller Milumia, T Tahari, and Vince Camuto — Elie Tahari’s silk one is also lovely.
Elie Tahari
Amazon seller Milumia
Calvin Klein
Anne Klein
2021: Sheath Dress from Of Mercer (RIP)
Of Mercer has unfortunately gone out of business, but this dress reminds me a lot of what they did right — interesting details but still appropriate for work. If memory serves they offered sizes up to 22 at least, and the occasional maternity dress. You can still find the brand on the resale sites… we featured it in 2021, when Elizabeth was still frequently working from home.
Asymmetrical Power Dresses in 2026
One of the classic asymmetrical power dresses is the Black Halo Jackie dress; this affordable option at Nordstrom Rack also works. Stay tuned for a roundup of more!
2022: Athleta Pants
Comfort was the name of the game in 2022 as people returned to the office (well, some did)… these Eastside pants from Athleta were popular among readers.
For 2026, I’ve heard more chatter about these Athleta pants or these…
More Pull-On Comfortable Work Pants
There are a bunch of great pull-on pants for the office in 2026. Some of our longstanding favorites include those from Athleta*, Eileen Fisher*, Theory, and Betabrand*. If you’re looking for something a bit more polished but still ultra comfy, check out Nic & Zoe* or NYDJ*. (Brands with plus sizes are marked with asterisks.)
Lululemon
Athleta
Theory
Eileen Fisher
Any favorites you remember from February workwear reports, readers?
(Psst: you can see previous installments of this occasional series here!)
The post Blast from the Past: February 2 appeared first on Corporette.com.
