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Ferragamo pumps are ALWAYS on readers' lists of the most comfortable heels — it's one of those IYKYK situations. Their Carla pumps are one of their more classic pumps, with a flat bow, but I'm kind of loving this cheeky new take on the bow (pictured above).
They're $850 at Nordstrom, available in sizes 6–11. (Note that most say the brand runs narrow.)
If you're looking for a more affordable option, check out these Cole Haan pumps, which are $150 at Zappos and in stock in sizes 6–9.5
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{related: check out our Guide to Comfortable Heels!}
Sales of note for 8.30.24
- Nordstrom – Summer Sale, save up to 60%
- Ann Taylor – 30% off full-price purchase; $99 jackets, dresses & shoes; extra 50% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything + extra 20% off
- Bergdorf Goodman – Final Days Designer Sale, up to 75% off; extra 20% off sale
- Boden – 20% off
- Brooks Brothers – Extra 25% off clearance
- Eloquii – Up to 60% off everything; extra 60% off all sale
- J.Crew – 40% off sitewide; extra 60% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – Extra 20% off orders $125+; extra 60% off clearance; 60%-70% off 100s of styles
- Lo & Sons – Summer sale, up to 50% off (ends 9/2)
- Madewell – Extra 40% off sale; extra 50% off select denim; 25% off fall essentials
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Rothy's – End of season sale, up to 50% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear in the big sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 25% off regular-price purchase; 70% off clearance
- White House Black Market – Up to 70% off sale
Vicky Austin
Paging everyone who was disappointed by the Brooklyn Public Library discontinuing their non-resident card program: Broward County Public Library offers non-resident cards with access to their digital library for free, no matter where you live. I entered my Texas address this morning and had my card within ten minutes. Go forth and enjoy!
Anon
Thank you for this! I was so sad about losing access to BPL!
nananon
Me too! Can confirm I just signed up for my card and received it instantly!
Clara
I understand that this is a blow to a lot of people, but as a Brooklyn resident I have to admit was “finally I’ll be able to get an ebook in a reasonable amount of time”.
Anon
Gosh! And I felt like it was SO fast compared to my library system’s waitlist (which is why I loved it)!
Anon
No I get that. You pay the taxes for where you live. You should have some sort of priority and not be competing with all and sundry.
Janey
Agreed, it seems bizarre to me that a community library would be available to non-residents. I also can’t see how the license terms of the publishers allow this.
Anon
This! I honestly have no idea what the rationale behind this was. I get that not everyone has access to such a great collection…but that’s one of the reasons I live in Brooklyn, and pay sky-high taxes.
Anon
I’m guessing it was to make more money, as it was $50 a year and clearly quite a bit of people subscribed.
Ellen
I have a libaray card from Cold Spring Harbor. I grew up there, but it matured in 2015. I wonder if I can use that old card from Long Island to get a new card in NYC? Has anyone else transfered there card to where they live now?
Soda Stream
convince me of the soda stream. DH and I like bubbly water typically with a splash of orange/cranberry/lemonade juice in there. Are they really more economical and environmentally friends than cases of seltzer?
I probably drink 2-3 a day. Husband may drink 1 can
Cat
we have a super basic model and use it several times a week. The bubbles aren’t as perfect as canned seltzer but it is so much cheaper and of course no lugging of cases of cans around. Target sells the refills now so it’s not hard to swap out the empty canister as needed.
Cat
oh I should add, we have had ours for a decade – so while it’s obviously an upfront cost, it has def more than paid for itself.
Anonymous
I’ve had mine for over 15 years and still going strong!
Sasha
I got mine for free through a work raffle and I use it probably once a week. Cons: The bubbles aren’t as prominent as in canned seltzer and the bottles don’t keep–you’ve got to drink it within a few hours of preparing it or it goes flat. Pros: I like that you can control the level of carbonation and it’s great to always being able to prepare a bottle whenever I feel like it. I like mine but I don’t know that I would’ve gone out of my way to buy one if I hadn’t gotten this for free.
anonshmanon
The bottles probably are not sealed as tightly as cans (which also go flat once you open them). But when you can make it fresh, it’s not such an issue.
Anonymous
I hated ours. It just doesn’t taste the same as the seltzer you buy. I tried all sorts of flavorings and eventually got rid of it because it was never used and was taking up too much counter space.
Anon
We use ours multiple times a day every day. Love that thing! One of our best purchases ever.
Janey
IME the soda stream sucked. The bubbles are much “smaller” than what you get in canned soda water, and it goes flat in the fridge very quickly. Your environmental impact will never equal even one minute of one day of any Fortune 500 company, so rest easy. It’s fine.
helloanon
Salary negotiation advice needed, please! I just got a job offer and the salary offered is at the very top of the range the recruiter mentioned when I started the process. E.g., she said the role pays $70-80k and they offered $80k. Should I still try to negotiate? I would accept the job regardless, and I don’t want to leave money on the table, but I also don’t want to overstep. Thoughts? Scripts? TIA!
Anon
Always negotiate. Also think about the other pieces besides base comp – target bonus, retirement benefits/matching contributions, health premiums, etc. How does that fit in with what you’re looking for, and your current job?
Anon
401K match is a big deal.
Vicky Austin
+1. Time value of money and all that!
Anon
Also benefits. I had a good salary but insurance was 2K/month. Yikes!
Anne-on
Do you have the full package yet? If not – email and ask for ALL the details – what is your 401k match, what are your health/dental/vision copays, what is your PTO/sick day allowance. I’ve been shocked at how often big companies have relatively terrible health packages. Once you know the entire situation and even if it’s all good, still ask! The worse they can say is no. The script is ‘I’ve reviewed the compensation package and I was really hoping we could get to $86/$88, would that be possible?’ – then STOP TALKING. They’ll let you know – worst they can say is no.
And as as a reminder to us all – any company that yanks an offer becuase you tried to negotiate is not one you ever want to work for.
Anon
You still sound too humble –instead of “I was really hoping” what’s wrong with “I want” of “What about X” You’re still asking their permission to be worth more.
Anon
Because you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Being off putting in a negotiation isn’t going to get people in the mood to pay you more to entice you to work there.
Cat
I probably wouldn’t go materially higher unless the role was super different than portrayed in the initial convo, but if you have good reasons to ask for more, don’t be embarrassed. “based on what I learned about the responsibilities and my prior experience in X, would you be able to offer $85?”
Agreed with the above poster to be sure you’re looking at the whole package, but given the choice between higher base and higher bonus, go with higher base if you can.
Anon8
If you’re happy with the salary I’d look at the PTO and try to negotiate for more. Personally I value time off more than salary at this point so that’s what I focus negotiations on. I’ve found employers more flexible in this area than I expected.
helloanon
More info: I do have the full package and am fine with the benefits, and insurance is less than I pay now. PTO is unlimited, so no room to negotiate there. Bonus is discretionary and a percentage of salary, so I want to make sure my base is as high as possible. I’m going to ask for a bit more…thanks all!
Curious
Ask for 88K. My rule of thumb is always ask for 10%. The worst they can do is say no. In the best case, you have $500 more in your pocket after tax each month.
Sybil
Oh, that would rub me the wrong way as the hiring manager – not that I’d pull the offer, but that’s a pretty substantial increase when you’ve known the range from the start. I wouldn’t go higher than 85K.
Anon
+1 I accepted my top of range salary without negotiating bc I took it in good faith that they were being honest with me, I knew it was above FMV, and I was happy with everything the way it was. I think if you feel the top of the range isn’t market, then it’s okay to ask for a little more but I think you should understand how it could come off if the employer is making you a generous offer to begin with.
Curious
I guess it depends whether you trust the range. At Amazon, their offer was generous and I negotiated and ended up at the true top of the range. It was not as high as I asked for, but it certainly didn’t lose me any points. Perhaps it’s a know your industry? Like I don’t expect our college hires (standard package) to get anywhere with negotiation, but we don’t laugh at them or get mad at them for trying.
Curious
And I also negotiated my prior job and got higher than their implied range, though that was still laughably underpaid by the end.
Anon
Also, do you have an understanding of how often you are reviewed and what the next steps / salary ranges would be? Having a sense of this would also be important to me if not already known.
Anon
I was in a similar spot last year and asked for a higher bonus percentage. I did not suggest any numbers, just asked if they could increase the bonus percentage. They declined, but said they could do a larger base salary. Incidentally, between the base salary increase and the resulting dollar amount of my bonus, they offered me more than I would have asked for if I had spoke the numbers out loud.
Anon
All (but especially pears): where are you buying white pants currently? Size 8/10, pear, prefer full-length straight leg. Maybe some stretch. Pants should be cotton (or at least not linen) and opaque. Regular waist (or at least not pull-on if elasticized in back) and no drawstring. Also, not cuffed or elastic leg openings at bottom hem.
Last summer I made do with skinnies, but it is even hotter this summer and it’s too hot to wear skinnies (and I think these are past their best even if the cut were current).
Janey
I love the Macy’s Alfani tummy control pull-on pants lol. The white capris I have are nice and opaque but still super stretchy and comfortable. They’re TTS.
anonypotamus
If you are ok with white denim, the Abercrombie “curve love” jeans are great and come in several shades of white/off-white and in several leg styles. I have two pairs of the straight leg and can confirm that they are opaque, have some stretch, and fit me well.
Anon
How is the sizing there? Sort of worried how it would work on someone who is the age of their average customer’s mom.
Curious
My sister says they’ve redone the brand and it’s now amazing for all sorts of sizes.
Curious
(and not just for teens)
anonypotamus
Sorry to see this so late! I find their sizing pretty TTS – I wear a 27 or 28 in madewell jeans depending on the cut and I think all of my AF jeans are 28s. I had similar reservations about the brand as a whole when I rediscovered them last summer, but have overall been very pleasantly surprised! They have a wide range of leg lengths and styles and sizes (I think most pants go from a size 23 to a 37?)
Anonymous
does anyone know of an eShakti for men, particularly teen boys who might not fit in boys’ or men’s clothes well yet?
Anon
Ugh — my sister and BIL were ostensibly trying to make it work after he had an affair with a co-worker. They have 4 kids together. Apparently, the affair partner is more like a current girlfriend b/c she’s just texted both of them (my sister and BIL) that she is pregnant (so BIL is, ahem, multitasking while trying to repair the marriage).
Someone scream into the void for me — I’m at work and don’t want to startle anyone.
[Per sister, he is now on his way to becoming my exBIL — she has appointments to talk with their city’s 3 best divorce lawyers in the morning; he is still at work (doing what there, I now wonder about).]
Anon
I’m sorry. This 100% happened to my sister and it was ugly for years, not necessarily because of ex-BIL, even with the cheating and impregnating, but mainly because the former affair partner who became his wife after the divorce decided to spend the next 15 years making my sister’s life hell just for the fun of it. I hope your sister fares better.
Anonymous
We have one of those in our family. NewWife/FormerAffairPartner is having my older niece babysit their new baby all summer. Which would be fine if the niece chose that but she gets voluntold it each time she sees her dad and isn’t paid. “Family helps out family.”
Anon
I’m so sorry for your niece. My niblings got pulled out of all of their extracurriculars because dad and new wife wouldn’t take them on “their time.”
Anonymous
Why are you blaming the new wife and not your nieces dad who is allowing this to happen?
Emma
Ick, that is horrible. Sending so much love to your sister and you!!! Doesn’t need to be said, but she is obviously way better off without him and it’s good his true colors have been revealed.
Chump Lady is a good resource if she needs it. Truly disgusting of BIL.
No Face
Augh, your poor sister. I am mentally slapping that man in the face very hard.
Vicky Austin
I’m so sorry this is happening to your sister and her kids. Good riddance to BIL, and there’s no freaking way his gf should have texted your sister! WTF.
Anonymous
I actually completely disagree here. I bet the BIL is feeding all kinds of nonsense to gf. She’s probably sick of it too and wants to make sure the wife is aware that her cheating husband got another woman pregnant.
Janey
Yikes. Were there any signs he was the kind of guy who would do this?
Anon
I’m a month + into my second ear piercing and so far I’m loving it, and looking forward to switching my piercing studs to some of the stud style earrings I already own.
One thing I really like about my piercing studs is the flat back, a lifesaver because I have to sleep in them. Is there any such thing as converting earrings I already have to flat back styles?
Jo April
I WISH. Per body piercing reddit, the answer is no; I genuinely think this is an “industry ripe for disruption” for exactly this.
eertmeert
I wasn’t wearing my studs for a long time because I like to wear one pair of earrings for an extended time without removing them. So I need to sleep in them and use the phone without them poking into my head.
I have these on the back of my current earrings and they are very comfortable, I can sleep and use the phone comfortably in them https://www.amazon.com/DELECOE-Sterling-Hypoallergenic-Replacements-Backings/dp/B08TVGMXSW/ref=pd_lpo_2
Also, I bought these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0929JNB8X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title and they work equally well, especially since I snip off the larger round bit so that it is just the middle bulb and covered tip. This keeps it more flush to my ear and maintains the grip while minimizing any studs poking my neck.
startup lawyer
I know a lot of ppl recommend SOMA underwear. How about their bras or bralettes?
Anonymous
I really liked two of their wireless bras for lounge but they both ripped after 6 months.
eertmeert
I love their bras. They are comfortable and hold up well in the wash (in lingerie bag, and then lay flat to dry). They have lots of options, and I would try them on in the store if you can versus ordering online.
Nonny
Any super supportive 36DDD bras? thanks!
Anon
I have bras from Soma that I LOVE!!!
nuqotw
If you have any of the One Quince stretch silk tees – are they appropriate for under a suit? Also, are the sleeves long enough to protect my suit jacket from my sweat?
Vicky Austin
I have the sleeveless, so I can’t answer your second question, but I absolutely think it’d be appropriate under a suit.
Anonymous
Yes and yes
nuqotw
Thanks Vicky Austin and Anon
Anonymous
Yes and yes!
Anonymous
Gardening (outside) question: does anyone have a cut flower garden? I’m trying to grow one this year. Snapdragons, lisanthus, dahlias. What else is good? (Zone 5).
EnricoPalazzo
How do I justify the cost of these shoes? Been lusting for a few months. Maybe this is a sign
Senior Attorney
Definitely a sign.
Paggin Waffles
If you were renting a car I will do Madrid (2n) -Aranjuez-Ubeda or Baeza- Granada (2n) – Antequera – Sevilla (1n) – Cordoba -Consuegra – Toledo – Madrid.
But if you are moving in public transport I will take advantage of the AVE (high speed train) and the more convinient route, due timetables, will be Madrid (2n)- Granada (1n)- Cordoba- Seville (2n):
Madrid-Granada (3h)
Granada-Cordoba (1,5h)
Cordoba – Sevilla (48 minutes)
Sevilla – Madrid
The Alambra is one of the most beautifull things you can see wherever and the sunset from St Nicolas square is magical. Spend one night there, enjoy some of the best tapas circuit in the country and go to Sacromonte for some flamenco (they have also an original arabic public baths).
If you have more than 5 nights I will go to some place in Castilla in order to have an idea of what it is the country outside Andalucia. From Madrid you have now AVE to Segovia, Leon and Burgos and quick regionals trains to Segovia, Toledo & Avila for day trips. (I will chose Segovia).