Cardigans for workwear

[Dreamerinme]

I’m starting a new job after years of being a SAHM and trying to buy new workwear. Office is workwear but not corporate (school).

The office does not have aircon but will have heaters, so I’m looking for something to layer over work tops in case it’s chilly. I’m looking for any cardigans / light jackets (not formal suit ones) that sit well over tops/shirts.

I find the bog standard plain M&S ones pull and bunch tops underneath and don’t sit right.

I won’t suit the sleeveless sweaters-over-shirt look I don’t think (will make me look matronly and gives me monoboob).

What about more bomber jacket than cardie? Many examples exist, but to stick with m & s …

I really like this whistles jersey collarless blazer, it’s smart without being too formal and comfortable to wear because it’s soft and a bit stretchy. I’ve got it in cream but thinking of buying some other colours
www.whistles.com/product/collarless-jersey-jacket-35327.html#cgid=Jersey_Jackets_Clothing_WW&is=false&sz=60&start=0&isSecondPage=false&pid=collarless-jersey-jacket-35327&pos=5

https://www.next.co.uk/style/su212540/342892#342892

I have this in both shades. It’s smart but not too weighty and looks good both for work and with jeans

I got two really good quality cardigans in TJ Hughes. Not somewhere I would ever shop normally but went in on a whim and found they sell nice simple cardigans, in lots of colours as well as black or white, that layer perfectly and fit without bunching! I too have big boobs and need to avoid that matronly look (currently 30J in bras).
From what I remember they were very reasonably priced too. I'm going back for another now that you've reminded me. Perfect work cardis.

Have you thought about getting a shawl/wrap/cape type thing that you can just throw over whatever you are wearing if you need a bit of extra warmth?

I have just bought one, as I was fed up of trying to match cardigans to different outfits.

Congratulations on your new job.

This may be useful for wardrobe building going forward - Collagerie, which curates clothes from a huge range of brands, has twenty long pages of knitwear. So you’re sure to find items or brands to suit you, whatever your budget, from H&M to Hermes.

Knitwear

You want the OP to wander the corridors of an unfamiliar school, where she’s supposed to look professional, in a shawl?

What’s she ever done to you, @RockaLock?

I like the buttonless cardigans for a “just in case” layer.

😀

Brora has a gauzy poncho in lots of different colours, sounds awful, looks lovely. £225, but I think it's be lovely to true on over lots of different things.

/ throw

I like a longer length cardigan for work - when someone's left the warehouse door ajar, it stops the breeze travelling through the back of the chair!
This one https://www.marksandspencer.com/soft-touch-knitted-longline-cardigan/p/clp60462328?color=BLACK

I find a cardigan, plus top and trousers I always have something bunching or rising up. I prefer a dress, simple cardigan, thick black tights and flat boots for work in winter. You'll find a lot of people in schools in the same

I got a couple of balloon sleeve cardigans from New Look for work. They're warm, wash and dry well and the sleeves are wide enough that tops underneath don't bunch up.

Seconded. Whistles has had their not quite a cardigan/ not quite a jacket thing for ages in various styles. I have a black collared one and a navy, zipped collared one.

This is pricier but is also in the cardigan that doubles as a jacket zone- comes in different colours
Jane Forbes knitwear

Several of these fit the bill as well.
Colenimo knitwear

Balloon sleeves are the key point for this. It makes such a difference.

H&M has loads, e.g. https://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.1174753014.html

You probably want something a bit chunkier and slouchier so it doesn't pull. It's still smart enough for a school, with smart trousers.

£200+ for a cardi is likely out of reach of most SAHMs about to start work in a school...

Another vote for Whistles. I have this in the stone and the pink. They both get compliments all the time:

Dark Green Marie Casual Jacket | WHISTLES | Whistles UK |

You devil, Ariela - thanks to you I've just added yet another long blue cardy to my collection 😎

The other option is wearing a thin thermal under your top - Uniqlo heat tech or similar. That would depend what your tops are like.

H&M have lots of cardigans online at different price points, or look at Vinted for more expensive brands at a good price - new with tags.

OK, so I missed the fact that the job was in a school, because OP talked about the OFFICE she would be working in 

And even now I know that the job is in a school, my point still stands, because as far as I am aware there are office-based jobs within schools as well as teaching jobs, and so it does not necessarily follow that OP would be "wandering the corridors" to any great extent.

In fact, I do wander around our office building but I don't wear the wrap whilst I am doing so. It is easy to slip off and leave on the back of a chair, after all.

Our lovely school receptionist always has a shawl or wrap in the winter months. What's wrong with it?

I got a nice jacket on vinted. It's shaped like a blazer but made of a slouchy drapey material. It's comfy and doesn't crease

Do you know the make of that jacket, Isometimeswonder? It sounds nice. Does it have a label?

I work in a school office and bought the Seasalt Winding Creek cardigan and the FatFace Anna cardigan for work. They are both great over tops, tunics or dresses.

Though the idea of a cape is more appealing I think 😂