Season of Sales

The tail end of each season is a great time to stock up on staples, and purchase those big-ticket items marked down! Every Corporate Chickee should have a great, business-appropriate dress coat. I have two different styles - one in charcoal grey and one in winter white. I highly recommend having two in very classic, basic colors. Whenever I'm wearing black - I wear the charcoal coat, when I'm wearing brown I wear the white coat. I have two great classic looks. Then I mix it up with my red spring trench coat (cheap at Sears over Memorial Day weekend a few seasons back) and cropped plaid peacoat for a more casual look. For more on trench coats, check out CornerOfficeChic's article on punchy-colored trench coats for spring!

Check out this adorable winter white dress coat found on JCrew.com - marked down from $298 to $149.99! At $150, it's still a higher priced item for most of us - but it's half off! You can't pass that up when it's a staple item you'll wear for years. The key when investing in these pieces is going timeless. Don't buy a $300 super-trendy coat that you can only wear for 2 seasons. Buy a classic silhouette that won't go out of style that flatters your shape! There's lots of flexibility in a jacket like this. Wear it buttoned up for a serious look, wear it open like the model with a cute camisole or layered tanks underneath for a more laid-back look.

Bonus item: Since you know how much I love J.Crew I can't stop at just one item - check out this super cute, cropped jacket. On the hanger I probably wouldn't give it a second look - but on the model it's adorable! As a petite one, I love the cropped look with shorter length sleeves.

A jacket like this is versatile - wear it buttoned up for a serious, professional-look, or open like the model with a camisole or layered tanks underneath for a punch of color and a more laid-back look.