What to Wear Over Tops at Work – Corporette.com

This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

A reader had a great question the other day, so I thought we’d take a closer look here — here was her question:

What are we wearing over tops at work (now that the weather is warming up and the AC is about to kick back on)? I just made shareholder at my firm so I want to look presentable but I’m 5 ft 2 and cardigans read frumpy on me.

I soooo hear this as a short, busty woman — cardigans are fine but they’ve never felt very authoritative on me; I’ve worn them more for warmth than anything. (Also, CONGRATS on making shareholder!)

Readers had some great ideas, including lady jackets, knit blazers, linen blazers, seersucker blazers, cropped boxy cardigans, and a really interesting suggestion for “an Aritzia bomber from the Babaton line” in a suiting fabric. (I thiiiink it was this one or this one? Please chime in if this was your comment!)

Readers, what are you wearing over tops at work as we roll into spring? Are you sticking to more formal workwear like blazers, lady jackets, and jardigans — or are you trying out trendier jacket shapes like bombers, motos, and denim blazers?

Here are some of our favorite things to wear over tops at work as summer gets into full swing — and stay tuned at the bottom for some of the more unusual but trendy toppers out there for Spring 2025… here’s a little preview:

What to Wear Over Tops at Work

If you’re looking for a new purchase for spring wear, you’ll be surprised how much wear you’ll get out of a topper in white, light blue, or light gray!

Our Latest Favorite Sweater Lady Jackets

Some of our latest favorite lady jackets for work include sweater jackets from ba&sh, Boden, and J.Crew. (M.M.LaFleur just got some also!) On the budget side of things, check out Mango, Tuckernuck (XXS-XXL), and CeCe. If you prefer a lined, more Chanel-style jacket for work, do take a look at IRO and L’Agence; Mango, J.Crew Factory, and Madewell often have them at budget-friendly prices.

Chanel-Style Jackets for Work

Some of our latest favorite Chanel-style jackets for work in 2025 include these, but in general check more jacket-y options like Chanel, IRO, L’Agence, and Veronica Beard, as well as more sweater-y options like St. John, and ba&sh. J.Crew and Nic & Zoe offer a bunch of both kinds, in regular and plus sizes. On the budget side of things, check out CeCe, Tuckernuck (XXS-XXL), J.Crew Factory, and Mango. (Also check out our roundup of the best lady jackets for work!) Nordstrom has a bunch in all price points!

Great Knit Blazers for Work

Knit blazers are somewhere between a sweater jacket and a blazer — the J.Crew Factory and Gibsonlook ones have been a reader favorite for years, while Everlane’s and Liverpool’s are newer. Ann Taylor and M.M.LaFleur both have knit suiting lines, as well.

Stylish Linen Blazers for 2025

Hunting for lightweight blazers for summer in linen and other fabrics? As of 2025, there are a lot of great spots with a lot of options in linen, including J.Crew, Ann Taylor, J.Crew Factory, Boden, Frank & Eileen, Quince, Old Navy, Brooks Brothers, and Hobbs. Along related lines, check out Uniqlo’s machine washable Airsense line, as well as M.M.LaFleur’s new Breeze line.

The Best Seersucker Blazers in 2025

Hunting for seersucker blazers or suiting in 2025? We’ve seen options at Ann Taylor and Loft. Nordstrom has options from Akris Punto, Tahari, Wildfang, and Scotch & Soda.

Sweater Jackets We Love

Trendy Toppers for BUsiness Casual Work Outfits

As some of the readers mentioned, there are a lot of interesting new jacket shapes out right now, including bomber jackets, cropped blazers, moto jackets, as well as some “I swear they’re coming back” options like denim blazers and short-sleeved blazers.

Bomber Jackets

As the reader mentioned, Aritzia has some bomber jackets in unusual materials like suiting materials. I like this linen option from Sanctuary, available at Evereve. Shopbop also has a number of interesting bomber jackets, including this sherpa one or this beautiful sweater-y one.

Cropped Blazers

Cropped work jackets continue to trend in 2025 — check Abercrombie & Fitch and Tuckernuck for a lot of options, as well as Nordstrom, which has options from Akris, Open Edit, Steve Madden, L’Agence, and more. Spanx also has a cropped blazer in their Perfect line!

Another shape that’s trending with the cropped work jackets include jackets that are a bit less blazer-like, such as this Quince cropped jacket with wide patch pockets or this Akris linen jacket, also with wide patch pockets. This LaMarque version, at Evereve, adds ruffled short sleeves to the look. (Am I crazy to think this is the slightly newer version of the shacket?)

Moto Jackets and Biker Jackets

Moto jackets disappeared for a few years, but they’re coming back and in unusual fabrics. This seersucker moto jacket from Akris is a great example; also check out this soft denimy one from Evereve, or this half-sleeve faux leather one from Evereve. This Aritzia twill one is almost sold out, but is another example of how the trend is taking on new looks.

Denim Blazers

As of 2025, you can actually find denim blazers slightly trending again — check them out at Nordstrom and Ann Taylor, as well as Quince and from Cinq à Sept. Another nontraditional option: the new ribbed jardigan fabric at M.M.LaFleur, which looks a bit like denim — also check out this “cotton blend” floral jacket at Brooks Brothers.

Short-Sleeved Blazers

Short-sleeved jackets are, historically, a hard look to pull off — but they do seem to be on the upswing again. Ann Taylor has an alarming number of them, and this bright green tweed one is kind of cute. Evereve has a number of short-sleeved moto jackets, and this double-breasted short-sleeved option is on sale at Derek Lam. There are even short-sleeved denim jackets!