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I love grayish blue suits like this — they're unexpectedly versatile, both as separates and as suits.
This pretty one from Ann Taylor is an online exclusive — and it's 40% off, huzzah! The blazer has a matching pencil skirt, ankle pants, and sheath dress — in regular as well as petites. Pieces are $98-$189 full price; at 40% off pieces come down to $59-$113. Nice!
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
Anon
Does anyone here work in commercial real estate leasing? If so, can you explain your job to me like I’m 12? I have joined CREW in my city and it is very interesting, but I’m a tax person and need to understand the business better than I feel like I do. I get that strip malls are different than malls are different than commercial downtown core office buildings, but my reference point is multifamily leasing, which is really, really different.
Anon CRE Broker
I’m a commercial real estate sales broker but work in tandem with our leasing team a lot. Leasing brokers either rep the tenants or the landlords. Sometimes the same firm will be on both sides of the transaction but the individual brokers either do one or the other so theoretically conflicts are limited in that way. Tenant rep (lessee) and landlord rep (lessor) ultimately represent both sides of a lease transaction, ultimately putting the tenant in to the building. Leasing brokers are paid handsomlyyyy, a percent of the base rent due per year of each year of the lease term. Usually the percentage steps down year over year.
Does that help?
Anon RE counsel
I’m in-house counsel at a retail focused real estate developer and I work very closely with our leasing team. We have an in-house leasing team and we don’t use outside brokers. Our leasing team works with our development team to determine what kinds of tenants we want in each of our spaces at a shopping center (i.e. boutique fitness, fast-casual restaurant, nail/hair salon or spa etc.) and they have relationships with Tenant-side brokers to find interest from the types of tenants they want. They then negotiate a Letter of Intent with the prospective tenant, setting out the key business terms (rent, term length, use etc.). Once they have a final LOI, it comes to me and I draft the lease and the leasing team makes the business decisions as we negotiate the lease.
Anon
I’m taking a lifeguarding class. I usually wear a rashguard or coverup, but this is swimming in a pool with teens and people less than half my age. I’m a bit self-conscious. Swim-team type suits flatten me out tragically. I don’t want a wonderbra-type suit, but is there anything good for swimming (one-piece) where an aging small bust can get some loving support and pads/built in soft bra so no one knows how cold I am?
I’m not going to be a lifeguard as a job, but it was strongly suggested that someone on a summer 2024 planned boat-packing trip have that training (along with wilderness first aid, which I’ve already done).
Anon
Just wear the rash guard, especially if it’s an outdoor pool. Lots of the guards here (FL) do. Besides, sunburn sucks.
Anonymous
I like the Nike Swim Tankini top. I wear it with a set of bottoms from another brand that provides a bit more coverage.
Trish
I wear a slightly padded bikini top under my rashguard.
Anonymous
I really like Andie. I swim laps in the Malbiu and the Tulum.
Anon
I say wear the rashguard to the training and don’t worry about what others wear. I love my rashguard! I burn easily, so I wear it over my 2 piece. I felt a little strange at first, but 3 years without a sunburn feel soooo good!
Anon
Shoot — typed too soon. The class is in an INDOOR pool, so it is uncomfortably cold to wear a wet rashguard when we are frequently in / out of the water. Outside in the heat I need it for sun and prefer the cooling effect.
anon
Look at Athleta suits.
Annony
I bought a super cute one piece from Target that has short sleeves and a zip up front – good support. And two long sleeve suits from Amazon – brand was AXESEA. They also have built in support – just enough, and super cute patterns.
Anon
One thing to note–lifeguarding for a pool is very different that open water. They’re two completely different training classes and open water is way more difficult. You may get a refresher on how to do CPR and ways to help support a distressed swimmer with various methods, but IMO it’s not going to be super helpful for boating. For one thing, you can see to the bottom of a pool and easily identify the distressed swimmer/drowning person. On a lake/in the ocean that’s much more difficult.
Anon
OP here — I agree — totally different! There is no current in a pool, either. Still, the ideal course isn’t local to me and requires a plan ticket and at least a week off of work, so this is better than nothing (and a prerequisite to the advanced class). I figure, it is better than nothing and I will be a stronger swimmer and more serious water safety person after it. I do have a book from NOLS (which does WFA) to read and it is some strong stuff.
Anon
I grew up in SoCal in the 1970s. I started using sunscreen, wearing UPF clothes and hats in the mid 1990s. In September, I will be starting a several-session laser treatment to “erase” the sun damage on my chest. Wear the rashguard and revel in your good skin in a couple decades.
Anon
Athleta has some flattering options. The Maldives tankini was not flattening at all.
Anonymous
I want high waist Jean shorts with a reasonable length, like 4-6”. I am a size 0-2. I want a clean edge at the bottom, folded is fine, but no cut off/torn/frayed/ripped edges. I can’t seem to find anything in the $30-50 range – they’re either mid rise, or short shorts, or have holes or frayed edges. Help?
Senior Attorney
Here you go: hhttps://bananarepublicfactory.gapfactory.com/browse/product.do?pid=633400001&vid=1&tid=bfpl000029&kwid=1&ap=7&gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwtO-kBhDIARIsAL6LorfmxDOR7xJSwLJ_e2EzvEnZPBzGHyrDh2SIvSUQUkdZT_Mgo-L_RCwaAnuwEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds#pdp-page-content
Also this one in lucky sizes: https://bananarepublicfactory.gapfactory.com/browse/product.do?pid=814723001&vid=3&searchText=high+rise+denim+shorts#pdp-page-content
Senior Attorney
Also: https://www.everlane.com/products/womens-a-line-denim-short-powder-blue?utm_source=pla-google-pmax
https://www.madewell.com/the-perfect-vintage-mid-length-jean-short-in-wainfleet-wash-99107043482.html?
https://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=835583002&vid=1&&searchText=high%20rise%20denim%20shorts#pdp-page-content
If you google “high rise denim shorts” you get a lot of options.
Senior Attorney
Oops missed the price requirement. Sorry!
Vicky Austin
It’s Banana Factory…hang in there and you’ll probably get a sale!
Vicky Austin
oh you were probably referring to your other suggestions! Never mind!
Anne-on
I’d wait for the July 4th sale before buying but Madewell and Jcrew both seem to have these and they’re currently in the $60-$80 range so if they go on sale for 30% off or more (which is pretty common) you should be able to snag them in your budget.
anonmi
These might work: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07J3D94DG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I usually wear a 2 in most pants, and I ordered these in a 4. They are higher than a mid-rise on me, but not a high-rise.
Anon
Buy the jeans at a thrift shop then get them taken up to the EXACT length you want! It’s the ideal solution.
Fullyfunctional
I just got some at Target, like $18.
Anonymous
Does anyone keep a bullet journal here? What kinds of things do you track or journal about?
Anonymous
I have one with a calendar, a “future log” for events past the end of the calendar, to-do lists, lists of books/music/movies I want to consume, holiday gift lists, notes from meetings for my volunteer work–basically all my non-work administration and notes.
anon
Sort of, but I don’t keep it pretty or spend much time on the upkeep. I keep lists of books I want to read, personal projects I want to work on, things on my to-do list, stuff I want to try (restaurants, events, flowers for my garden, just whatever strikes me). Recently I started seasonal meal ideas, and man, that has been helpful when I’m making my shopping list for the week without going down the meal planning rabbit hole. Basically, it’s all notes for myself.
Anon
Yes it’s my daily planner. Every day I make a heading for the day, write my appointments to the right, and then try to jot down my priorities for the day. As the day goes along i make notes.
I do a monthly planner as well just to lay out big stuff like conferences and holidays, and the first day of the month I write down my hours from the prior month (I’m a consultant who bills monthly).
My bullet journal is a productivity tool and is not pretty to look at.
Anon
can someone please explain to me in layman’s terms what exactly is going on with these canadian wildfires and when the might be dealt with? this was not an issue on my radar for potentially ruining my summer…
Anon
“When they might be dealt with”
Oh, honey.
Anon
I laughed so hard at this.
I love that we have people here who are such control-freak planners that they feel it’s reasonable to ask a question about when Canada – like, the country – can do everyone a favor and get those pesky climate-change-driven massive wildfires under control? Like, does Canada (the country) not understand that people’s summer plans are being ruined??? Come on, people, get it together!! LMAO
Anon
Laughs in PNW.
Anon
Laughs/cries in Bay Arean.
Anon
Laughs in Australian.
Anonymous
Our city had smoke from them two months ago. So there is not a quick fix here. You can probably google around and find somewhere in Canada that is issuing updates and has news about the strategy for addressing them.
Anon
Yeah it started in March! It hasn’t been bad in the US until recently, but this has been going on for quite a while.
Anonymous
When the rains come.
Senior Attorney
Which is expected to be when?
Signed,
Planning a coast to coast Canandian train trip in late September
Mpls
Who the hell knows? It’s not like there’s a rainy season.
The 2021 wildfire season went June to Dec (the one where the West Coast was on fire).
Anon
You’re from California, aren’t you? I’d think you’d be a little more knowledgeable and a little less flip about this.
Anon
Probably? But I don’t think your train trip is the most important thing here.
Senior Attorney
Honestly, what do you want me or anybody on this thread to do about wildfires?
Yes, I’m from California and of course I am terribly sympathetic to everybody who is affected. And yet I don’t see how that is inconsistent with wondering how and whether it is going to affect my planned trip, which is OF COURSE not the most important thing here but is nevertheless of some importance to me. I do the best I can to be environmentally friendly in my daily life and most notably I vote for candidates who actually want to take action on global warming. Beyond that, spare me the sanctimoniousness.
Camla
Go Senior Attorney!
Anon
This is the new normal, sadly. The earth is getting hotter and drier and is going to burn every summer.
anon
+1
Anon
-1
The mismanagement has nothing to do with climate change.
Anon
Sure thing, Jan
Anon
Haha put down the fox news for a sec and brush up on your science.
anonshmanon
Basically it’s a vast area that isn’t densely populated, so they are letting it burn with the exception of protecting lives and built structures as much as possible.
Anon
Thank you for the helpful response. I usually think of US west coast wildfires where there are thousands of buildings in the fire path, so of course they do everything possible to extinguish it.
As a Chicagoan I’m not used to this type of climate change fallout. We get the occasional polar vortex or 95° heat wave but our location normally insulates us from natural disasters. We pay our climate dues by putting up with frigid gray winters so we’re very defensive of our summers.
anonshmanon
It’s all on a different scale, unfortunately. 2020 was a bad fire year in California, and 1.8M hectares were burned. This year’s fire activity in Canada is already vastly surpassing all the recent years on record, and 7.8M hectares have burned, with half the year still to come.
The population of both CAs is the same, but of course Canada is far bigger and nobody lives in a lot of places. Plus they don’t have the 8-month dry season that California has, meaning they may not have the same resources devoted to wildfires.
Anon
Sorry our terrible environmental devastation is ruining your summer.
Anon
Seriously.
Anon
Ehhh I’m finally traveling post covid and after dealing with that plus multiple health issues in my family, I was really looking forward to enjoying my summer finally. We are allowed to be disappointed that we have to deal with another thing interfering with our lives.
Anon
They’ll stop when we stop burning fossil fuels, the oceans absorb the excess CO2, and the climate cools again. So a few hundred or thousand years, depending on what we decide to do.
Anonymous
And when we come up with better management plans for places that need to burn regularly so we don’t end up with huge overgrowths of underbrush.
Anon
Yes, better management of thousands of square miles of nature/land. We must hire a better lawn service….. so sloppy of us…..
Anon
Tell me you know nothing about forest management without telling me you know nothing about forest management….
Anon
The scale my dear… referring to the scale…..
Anon
Yeah, that’s pretty much impossible on the scale we’re discussing here. We’re talking about most of Canada, huge areas of which are wilderness with no roads. That’s simply not feasible.
Anonymous
In the US many of the wildfire issues have been caused by previous no-burn policies.
Anon
I should add, I do think we need better forest management and more controlled burns in particular. But it’s very difficult to manage controlled burns as the climate gets hotter and drier, and it’s quite expensive, not to mention the risk management and PR issues when burns go awry. And it’s very difficult to do on a large scale in remote areas, which makes it especially difficult in large parts of Canada. It can help, but it won’t solve the problem.
Anon
I think people who live in cities just simply can’t wrap their minds around the scale we’re talking about.
Mpls
This is more lightening strikes (warmer temps lead to an increase in lightening strikes), which means more opportunity for fires to start. It’s less rain and warmer/drier temps which leads that underbrush to dry out faster and be stronger tinder. It’s a weakening jet stream that means weather conditions move slower and and means that weather/fire conditions get amplified and it takes longer for natural solutions (rain) to come in.
This isn’t land-management putting out fires too early and letting brush build up unnaturally, like led to the Yellowstone Fires in the late 80s. This is a changing climate that continues to create more brush tinder than there should be, and also keeps fire-favorable conditions in place for longer, resulting in bigger fires.
Anonymous
+1. Storms have also been getting worse and dry lightening has also been striking in areas that have never seen much wildfire activity. And we live in an area where they do try to do controlled burns, but in the drought years there isn’t much of a window for it.
Anon
LOL yeah no, they’re gonna happen on massive scales anyway. It’s climate change, stupid, to paraphrase James Carville.
Anon
I encourage you to visit the sierra nevada mountain range, as an example, and explain to me how we’re going to rake a forest that covers something like 27 million acres. You don’t understand how vast it is.
Anonymous
You don’t rake it. You let it burn regularly.
Anon
I am a lawyer now, but my background is forestry. I have both academic training and practical experience in wildland fire, including both controlled burns and firefighting. Poor forest management is to blame for much of the situation in the American west – specifically the longstanding policy of extinguishing all fires. It will take decades to undo that damage. Compare this to areas where fire was always part of forest management (eg SEUS) and you can see the impact.
Anon
That’s not a fair comparison – again, as the scale and the weather of those two areas of the country are completely different.
Nudibranch
I’m noticing more controlled burns this Summer, so maybe we (state of CA) are learning from the past/trying??
Anon
Laughs in SoCal. Then coughs through her N95.
Anon
You probably didn’t mean it that way, but this is totally giving off “I’d like to speak to the wildfire manager” vibes!
Anon
Ha. Not OP but I would like to speak to the wildfire manager!
Anon
Bahahaha! I’d also like to speak to the bushfire manager.
It was astonishing watching the news in Australia about the smoke in New York without actual coverage of the wildfire themselves.
Flooding
A good friend (not local) has had flooding in her first floor and has to tear everything out. What can I do from a distance to support her?
Anonymous
If ever there were a situation for gift cards for food delivery, this is it.
anon
If ever there were a situation for gift cards for food delivery, this is it.
Anonymous
Send money. Target gift cards or Amazon gift cards would be great. It’s a ton of work to go through this and requires so much new stuff to get back into the house.
Senior Attorney
Agree. If she doesn’t have a working kitchen, food cards for the win!
Flooding
OP – her kitchen is on the second floor so she does have a kitchen fortunately! She is losing access during remediation to a bathroom, spare room, laundry room, and kids bedroom.
Cat
What about a gift card to a local pickup & delivery laundry service?
Senior Attorney
That is a great idea.
OOO
Between this post and the one this morning about supporting friend through egg retrieval, the people on this board really show up for their friends
Vicky Austin
Right? I love it.
OOO
And the poster whose friend has breast cancer
Anon
Unless their friend gets married. Then all bets are off.
Anonymous
Is anyone wearing cropped blazers? How are you wearing them? I always think the proportions aren’t going to be flattering on anyone but I could be wrong.
anon
I am, because I am short (5’2″) and to boot, have a very short torso and look young. So normal blazers often seem too long. A cropped blazer on me fits me but does not look cropped on my body. They’re so much more flattering and I don’t look like I’m playing dress up.
Anon
+1
Anon
Actually they are quite flattering on my shape, but just aren’t the most current style right now.
Anon
I’m tall so they don’t work on me, it just looks like I couldn’t find a jacket my size. I sometimes feel like I’m the only poster on here celebrating the return of long blazers! Shrunken blazer life was miserable for me haha
Anon
I wear collarless cropped blazers over sheath dresses or straight leg pants to court.
Cat
yes, generally over a sheath dress. You have more leeway with proportions when you’re not trying to deal with whether the jacket hits vs. your pants waistline.
Anonymous
I have a short torso so I love them over dresses. I wear them over pants sometimes, but that is trickier to me depending on where the waist of the pants hit.
More Sleep Would Be Nice
Hi short torso friend! How do you avoid them making you look boxy?
Anonymous
Hello Californians – any recommendations for a service/driver to pick up from Sacramento airport and transport to Napa? Recommendations appreciated. :)
Senior Attorney
I don’t have anything specific but I ususally just go on Viator and pick the one with the best price and highest rating.
Anon
Try: National Limousine Service Inc.
1-(650)-588-4556
anon
FWIW, I took a Lyft from Sacramento to Sonoma, and it was not that pricey or hard to find.
Anon
Uber or Lyft.
Anonymous
Long shot, but – does anyone know of a free/cheap to-do-list app that lets you make things that are due years away — but then will send that task to another app when it’s within X days? So like in my iPhone I say “set reminder for 4 years to seal grout” and then on may 28, 2027 it pushes that notification to another app like Slack or Asana? thx
ANON
Schedule send an email to your future self. I read this tip on a blog recently.
Anonymous
or, i guess, what is your favorite free/cheap to do list app? so many of them out there now.
Anonymous
I think you could do this on iphone, assuming your icloud/calendar stays the same.
Anon
Why not just put it in Outlook and set a reminder for a week out or some custom period? Seems less complicated than involving multiple apps. If multiple apps are needed then I don’t know…. Good luck!
Vicky Austin
You can schedule tasks on Google calendars now; would that work?
anonshmanon
I’ve never gotten the hang of tasks, but yeah I just put an event on google calendar, and you can customize how it notifies you – push notification or email. I tell it to send me a reminder email 2 weeks before e.g. a relative’s birthday.
Anon
Just put it in your calendar for 4 years from now.
Anonymous
This is what the future log in a bullet journal is for!
bananacrackers
Its been years since I used it, but something like https://www.rememberthemilk.com might do the trick.