The Quest or The Perfect Professional-Looking Dress (JCrew Factory Portfolio Dress and A Loft Find)

So my Fashion Night Out was rather an Unfashionable Night Stuck In With Child, what about yours? Seriously, I think I will never be able to go to FNO unless they move it to Spring because my husband is always travelling at this time of the year (Montecarlo, not less) and even if I take a babysitter where am I going to go alone (not that I don't have friends but I have all friends with children who are not very interested in paying a babysitter to go sip cocktails with the fashion crowd)? So I declined all the invitations from my favorite fashion retailers and rented a movie instead.

But I did a little pre-FNO shopping. Many retailers were offering special discounts all day long and the LOFT was one of them.
Now, I don't know if I told you already (probably yes) but I need day dresses this season and I am not talking about comfy day dresses for stay at home moms but professional and polished-looking day dresses to tour private schools. We are in the process of applying for kindergarten for next year and let me tell you, the whole thing is just crazy. In any case when I tour the schools this Fall, I need to look polished and if I have many options to look polished in pants I have very few dresses that make the cut, in fact I have only one (and I think that for certain schools it is better to wear a dress instead of pants). I have never been a dress person and even when I was working in an office I had mostly pants suits (for clients meetings). Between tours, interviews and child playgroups we are supposed to meet with the personnel of each school three times, so it means that I need to rotate at least three dresses (this doesn't even take into account the cocktails and various events that we will be cordially invited to attend to show our interest in the school. The good news is, I have plenty of cocktail dresses).

My ideal dress is a simple sheath dress, possibly in a camel color or a tweed, that I can pair with my tweed jackets and blazers. Well, I didn't know that it would be such a hard mission to find a sheath dress without breaking the bank (and even if I was willing to break the bank there aren't many options out there). I tried a gorgeous Theory one but I don't want to spend that much because it is even too professional-looking for my needs and after this kindergarten thing it is going to sit forever in my closet. Also, I don't want to look like I am showing off, I just want to look polished without looking like I am going to a fashion show.

A little bit out of desperation (I searched high and low and also Ebay to no avail) a couple of weeks ago I bought the JCrew Factory Portfolio dress in lightweight wool during a promo (it is now back to full price, but I paid around $80) that at least satisfed my criterias of not being too short, not being low cut and not being black. I was a little bit worried about the fabric but it is a nice and soft lightweight wool. At first I was a little bit disappointed because I thought that the fabric had some shine to it (it looks like it on the website picture) but instead it is the classic charcoal grey of men's suit pants.
The other thing that surprised me a bit was that the skirt isn't a real portfolio skirt, with a panel that overlaps and flips open. The portfolio is an effect created by a big pleat that opens up and poufs out when you walk, giving the skirt a tulip shape. I find it weird, actually, and I am very aware of it when I walk, so that I tend to look down and smooth it down with my hands. Also, the fabric is very lightweight, which can be good if you work in an office but will be too light to run around this winter. So this one is potentially a return, even if the fit is overall good. I say "potentially" because my husband loved it and it doesn't happen very often;-).

This is the size 0:

My husband loved it in particular with the Dauphine (it is true that they make a good pair):

While I was waiting to receive this dress in the email, I received an email that advertised new arrivals at the Loft and I noticed a dress that was closer to my ideal. First, it came in camel and had more of a sheath shape, even if it is a V-neck with slightly cup-sleeves. I went to my store to check it out IRL (without trying it on) and waited for a promo (I never buy FP at the Loft since they is always a promo around the corner).
So yesterday they were having 30% off on everything to celebrate FNO and my daughter was in a good mood, so we went in and I ended up buying it in the two colors available. That's how much I loved this dress!

I have to say, I am really impressed (and I am rarely impressed, especially by the Loft). The "scuba" fabric is very high quality, it is very thick stretchy fabric made of 47% rayon, 5% cotton and 48% polyesther that I have only seen used in designer clothes. The top portion of the dress is lined in polyesther (but it feels like cotton) while the skirt is not. Honestly, I could have bought a similar dress at a boutique on Madison Avenue and paid 5 times this price:

I know what you are thinking: it is too low-cut, but wait, I have a plan (besides the fact that I can always wear a cardigan or a scarf). As a matter of fact I like the idea of wearing it jumper-style. I have an old Cacharel shirt in a brick red that I have found at my parent's this summer and took back home with me, that looks great worn under the dress:

I really like this look, it reminds me of Catherine Deneuve for some reasons. I think it would also look great with a Tie-neck blouse (that is on my shopping list this year, I just need to find the right one for me).
Then I can just add my old Theory blazer in a chocolate brown that matches my "vintage" Prada and I am ready to go:

If you like the dress but are not crazy about the contrasting stitching detail, it shows less in the charcoal color. For some reason the charcoal was less low-cut than the camel (I tried two sizes 0 in each color and it was the same):

I have a Zara blazer that was part of a pant suit (unfortunately I can't squeeze in the pants anymore, if someone is interested in buying them for a song email me) that is "almost" a perfect match for the dress:

I think that these two dresses, along with my old JCrew Ravine dress which is still a favorite of mine, will take me through this crazy Fall.
If you like this dress, you can buy it tomorrow with 30% off (for a mere $62) at your local Loft store or online with code STYLE10E (tomorrow only).

What do you wear to look polished and "professional"?
Which one do you like better in the charcoal color, the JCrew portfolio or the Loft one? Do you like the Loft styled as a jumper?
Thank you for stopping by!