Thursday’s Workwear Report: Organic Cotton Stretch-Twill Wide-Leg Pant
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.
Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
I’ve had great luck with this brand for casual tees and dresses, so I’m very interested in these wide-leg twill pants from Pact. They come in two different inseams, which is great because fit is everything with pants like this.
I would wear this “oak” color with a breezy white button-up for a comfy casual Friday look.
The pants are $88 at Nordstrom and come in sizes XS-XXL with 28-inch and 30-inch inseams.
Sales of note for 5/1:
- Ann Taylor – Friends of Ann Event, 40% off your purchase PLUS $50 off $200! Readers love this popover blouse, and their suiting is also in the sale.
- Boden – 15% off new styles with code
- Brooklinen – 25% off sitewide (ends 5/1) — we have and love these sateen sheets
- Evereve – All tops on sale
- Express – $39+ Summer Styles
- Hatch – $15 off one of our favorite alarm clocks with code LETMOMSLEEP15
- J.Crew – Up to 30% off wear-now styles
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything, and extra 60% off clearance
- Lands' End – 40% off sitewide – lots of ponte dresses come down under $25, and this packable raincoat in gingham is too cute
- Loft – 60% off florals and 50% off your purchase
- M.M.LaFleur – End of season sale. Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off.
- Nordstrom – 1500+ new women's markdowns
- Sephora – Hair deals daily – today 5/1 up to 50% off dae, Verb, PATTERN by Tracee Ellis Ross, and BaBylissPro products
- Talbots – 40% off one item and 30% off your entire purchase
- TOCCIN – Use code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off!
- Vivrelle – Looking to own less stuff but still try trends? Use code CORPORETTE for a free month, and borrow high-end designer clothes and bags!
What are your favorite shoes for running errands? I feel like I wear my running shoes far too often
Birkenstock Bend sneakers
Birkenstock canvas slip-ons
I have a pair of white on cloud sneakers I wear exclusively for not exercising…I try to keep them clean, and I think they look a bit fancier than my actual athletic shoes I run or work out in. Or are you looking for non-sneaker options?
That’s what I do also. They’re my fancy athletic shoes that are never, ever worn for anything athletic.
Ha! I do the same thing with my on clouds. Mine are burgundy, though.
Kizik vegas
I usually wear fashion sneakers with my casual outfits. Sandals, in the summer.
Depending on what I’m wearing, loafers, sandals, or Tretorns.
If it’s cool, usually some basic converse sneakers, if it’s really cold, Ugg boots. As soon as the weather starts to warm up, crocs flip flops, or maybe athletic sandals (sketchers) if I’m going to be walking whole a lot.
I basically hate wearing shoes, and I prioritize something that’s light and not constricting and can easily come off the second I’m somewhere shoelessness is socially acceptable.
Unless it’s the heat of summer, some kind of fashion sneakers — adidas, puma, Nike… I probably have 6-10 pairs.
Depending on the season and weather, Thursday chelsea boots, Adidas handball speziale, or Birkenstocks.
either Birks, street sneakers with a comfy insole, rain boots, or insulated cold-weather boots. (Typically walk for errands.)
Gola Elan shoes!
I like my New Balance 574 sneaks. They’re a bit more “fashion” than my running shoes while still being super comfy. In the summer, though, it’s Birks all the time.
Any advice for clearing up back acne? In particular, what products you use and how you apply them (spray? stick with a loofah?)?
Salicylic acid soap (I like Cerave SA) in the shower. I can just reach to wash my back, but if you can’t, then use whatever tool you use to wash your back (loofah on a stick, etc.)
Make sure you wash your back last so you’re not leaving conditioner on it, and let the soap sit on your back for a bit before rinsing it.
PanOxyl Acne Banishing Body Spray is the best product I’ve found. Apply after shower. It doesn’t mess up your clothes.
Oral vitamin B3
homeopathic acne drops helped my kid with cystic backne.
Has anyone here used an egg donor? If so, do you have any advice for someone considering it? After surgery and a few failed rounds of IUI, I’m not a good candidate for IVF due to severe endometriosis, my age, and how I’ve responded to injectable meds during IUI. Given my age and lack of insurance coverage for any of this, it seems like an egg donor will give me my best shot of becoming a mom. I do feel sad at the prospect of not having a genetic connection with a child but I’m afraid I’ll feel like a fraud and won’t feel like I’m the real mom. I’ve read a lot that these are common fears that don’t really come to fruition once the child is born so I guess I’m looking for any experiences or words of encouragement here. I have spoken with a counselor as well.
Please don’t. Donor companies prey on poor college girls who don’t realize that the pay is actually way too low (and just looks like a lot because they live in poverty), and are unaware of the severe long term health effects. I was almost conned by one of these companies when I was in college, and a friend that unfortunately was conned is dealing with insane health issues which have cost her many multiples of what she was paid. It’s a predatory and unethical industry.
On face value, without having done any of my own reading on the subject, this feels right. But OP, it sounds like you have a lot of fears going into this and it’s good you’re talking to a counselor. As a woman in my 40s who never was able to have children, I’m thinking of you, and hope that you find peace, however this turns out.
she said she is looking for words of encouragement, this is not that. to the OP – i know people who’ve had to use a donor and in the end, the felt like the baby was all theirs
OP said she wanted experiences or words of encouragement. This poster shared a relevant experience.
If OP is struggling with the decision, she should have all the information. There are not easy answers or choices. I chose not to expand our family further via surrogacy. My sister chose not to pursue surrogacy and continued to pursue pregnancy although she had 8 miscarriages between her first and second child. I would not have continued to try for that long. I would have been a wreck. Everyone needs to make the decision that is right for them.
So we should unquestioningly support people engaging in morally dubious behavior? No one is entitled to a child or to birth a child, no matter how much they want it.
Genuinely, I think this is what some posters do want. I don’t think it’s useful to give them only this, though. Questions always need to be asked, or strongly considered, even if the poster doesn’t necessarily want that.
Do think about when and how to tell the child. This can be a lot to learn for the first time in one’s twenties.
I have a relative who had a baby with a donor egg and my mom told me that she received the egg from someone who had frozen her eggs and donated the extras instead of discarding them. No idea about the details and I heard this third hand so it might not even be accurate, but it is apparently an option, though I have no idea how easy it is. With the increase in egg freezing, there will definitely be a lot of excess eggs in the future, as a lot of people will never use them.
OP-sadly this is the wrong place to ask for information or support on this issue. suggest you look for an infertility support group, preferably one that is local to you because they will be able to point you to the right resources.
This board is the most anti-assisted reproduction group I’ve ever encountered. I suspect a lot of women here don’t want or like children and push those views, consciously or not, on everyone else.
Disagree. There are a lot of women on here with kids – so many that Kat started the moms site. Many read and comment on both. But the process of having kids and having the financial resources to explore options means that there are a lot of women with diverse perspectives who have considered many options and had many different experiences. Other boards tend to be pro kids at any cost and F your career and who cares about the impact on poorer women.
Your suspicions are lazy and also nonsense. Weighing ethical concerns in the OP’s responsibility. You can’t just want what you want and not think through all aspects of it.
Yep – I really should have known better but it is helpful to understand the severe judgment I would receive if pursuing this path. I have looked into the ethical issues and all egg banks are not created equal. The one I’ve looked into requires counseling for the potential donor and many of the donors are already mothers who want to help other people become moms. Everyone is entitled to their opinions but I would hope people could be a little kinder in expressing their views. That’s my fault because I know how this group can be mean.
The word you are looking for is direct. People use the word “mean” here to describe anything they don’t like.
I know SO many people in real life who are straight-up cruel, everyone they know says they’re mean and tries to spend less time with them, and they will insist to their graves that they’re just “telling it like it is” or “being direct.”
One of my good friends in high school did this – donor egg, husband’s sperm. Her husband is annoyingly proud that the kid has his genes, which she hates (understandably IMO), but she loves the kid….
My friend had two donor egg children due to similar issues. They did a lot of research on where the eggs came from and the clinic’s ethical practices. It went well and they have two lovely children. My friend had similar concerns but said carrying and delivering the kids made her feel deeply connected to them and those concerns were basically gone after birth.
Have you discussed this with your doctor in detail? My understanding is the endometriosis needs to be addressed whether you’re using your own egg or a donor’s. If you responded badly to the IUI meds is your doctor recommending an unmedicated transfer with the donor egg? Transfers often involve estrogen and progesterone several weeks into the pregnancy.
Used a bad word, rewriting. Have you discussed this with your doctor in detail? My understanding is the endometriosis needs to be addressed whether you’re using your own egg or a donor’s. If you responded badly to the IUI meds is your doctor recommending an unmedicated tr-sfer with the donor egg? Tr-sfers often involve estrogen and progesterone several weeks into the pregnancy.
Yes, this. When I was dealing with endometriosis, I had issues with implantation that led to at least one miscarriage. Once I had surgery to remove the endo, I was able to conceive and carry to term. I don’t know if this is your issue or not, and maybe you’ve looked into it, but it is something to consider. The results from surgery are rarely permanent, but it was effective long enough for me to get pregnant after dealing with secondary infertility.
I have both bio and adopted kids, and I just want to say that, while I understand where your fears are coming from, there is zero, absolutely zero, difference in the connection that I feel with my bio and adopted kids. There actually may be less than zero, in that I am closest to the adopted kid. I have never not felt like her real mom, and my husband has never not felt like her real dad. (She was adopted internationally, so we have no contact with or even knowledge of her bio mom.) I promise you she would also say we are her 100% parents, and when I’m 97, she is the one who will visit me.
I wish you the best on your journey. I hope there is a baby at the end of it.
I think the ethical concerns are there and you should consider them, but as for a word of encouragement, there is research showing that your DNA (when you gestate the baby) will also become a part of the baby through your DNA’s effects on the baby’s gene expression.
I don’t know if this is true (instagram meme source), but I’ve also heard that if you are an oldest child, your DNA becomes part of the DNA of any younger siblings, which I always found sweet.
I’m growing with my menopause journey. For similarly-aged ladies: is it for you that you aren’t just larger but differently larger? I can’t just go up a size to fix things; maybe I need to change brands? Talbots won’t fit at all — I thought that would be the solution. Is there Sansabelt for women? I’m like an extra robust 10, so not in women’s sizes. I’m in rufflepuffs and dresses that have a waist but are loose below it. That’s not how I historically roll.
Yes, body shape often changes with menopause, not merely body size. What is the specific fit issue that you have — where are garments too tight or loose or pulling (Do you need a larger waist size compared to the hip measurement? Do you need more fabric in the stomach and less in the rear? Have your waist-to-hip proportions changed?)
My grandmothers both said that their weight didn’t change a lot, but their shapes did. So, differently larger. What I see in women over about 45 is that they have less fat in the hips and thighs and more in the midsection. I think it requires an entirely new way of dressing for a completely different body shape, which I haven’t mastered yet myself.
Wish my hips and thighs would get the memo. Instead, I’m still a pear there, and now I have a rounder belly to match! My chest is also bigger. My weight has been stable for the last 5 years, fwiw. I’m learning that the streamlined, kinda sporty styles that I’ve gravitated toward my entire life are not working nearly as well anymore. It kinda sucks. I can change my style, but it doesn’t feel like “me” yet.
I am post-hysterectomy and in perimenopause, but my body has changed in the past 2 years. What helped me was just trying on different cuts of pants versus a specific store. I’ve never worn a ruffle puff dress but I do wear shirt dresses more.
this is what I hear the most often – that the weight shifts in perimenopause and settles in places it maybe hadn’t before.
spanx and NYDJ both have some shaping at the waist that might be like a Sansabelt (just had to google, not that familiar). wit & wisdom too. there ARE 10Ws that you might want to try, but it’s sometimes harder to find them. maybe try a brand like universal standard?
i think the perimenopause brands are like chicos, j.jill, caslon. eileen fisher. sigh.
The blogger JoLynne Shane is dealing with this weight shift and talks about how clothing fits differently and how she’s wrestling with that. No specific post to recommend, but her posts often touch on this topic.
I’ve appreciated her honesty about that. It’s a hard change!
Which product do you use to clean tub showers? Do you use different products on the tub, glass, and/or tile? I wipe down the glass and tile after each use and leave the bathroom fan on for awhile after each shower.
This is my first house in my life with tub showers, and I’m so confused.
simple green for everything….I am a one stop shopper!
This is what I do for my tub and shower (tile – no glass). I am standing in the tub for basically all of this process.
Take down the shower curtain liner (washable cloth material) and curtain and put in the wash.
Spray tub and tile with Dawn Powerwash and scrub with a sponge, rinse with water. I find this gets off most of the built up grime.
Spray tile with Clorox (I think the bathroom foaming bleach cleaner), let sit for a few minutes, scrub with sponge and use a stiff brush to get in the grout. After the tile is rinsed I do the same thing with the tub. Rinse everything really well. Rinse your feet off too.
Then I spray the Method daily shower spray over the newly cleaned tub and tile because it smells nice.
I saw a funny post on Instagram about how absurd it is that we all have to spend extra time washing the place that is doused with soap and water every single day. Universe, give us a bone here.
I have been friends with someone for over 20 years, but haven’t seen them for that long a time because we live on opposite coasts and both of us have careers and kids. A work obligation takes me to her part of the country so I told her I could fly into her city, hang out with her for one night, and then take an Amtrak for 4 hours to the other city. She was excited and was happy to host. I bought a plane ticket and an Amtrak ticket and also, because she said she wanted to go to a particular spa and that spa was running a special bonus, I also got a gift card for the spa. About 2 weeks later, she told me she’s very sorry but her kid qualified for the state tournament in a sport and it falls on the same weekend, so she cannot host me after all. She offered to pay for my change fees, but the gift card, etc but I was so in shock that I brushed it off as no big deal. I’ve had a couple of days to sit with it and I had to lose half the cost of the plane ticket and some of the train ticket as I bought the restricted versions of both (lesson learned). Now what do I do with the spa gift card? Should I give it to her, ask her to buy it or just wait until the next time I am over in that area of the country? I’m feeling a little raw about it because if I were in her shoes, I would have had my husband go to the tournament instead, or even asked my kid (a high schooler) to go by themselves instead of canceling plans with a friend who lives across the country.
I hear you, but also? Qualifying for state is a big freaking deal for a high schooler. So I kind of get where she’s coming from, even though it really sucks for you.
Yeah. State tournament is huge.
OP here – I would have totally been fine with her saying that her kid is in a sport that may have a tournament that same weekend so please hold off on making any nonrefundable travel plans. I have kids in high school also – the state tournament weekend is set well in advance as people need to make travel arrangements for that also (and those hotels book up quickly too). It was not mentioned at all in our multiple texts.
OK, that’s totally fair. It would be super weird, though, to ask her to cover your costs. I think you’ll have to chalk this up to life happens / people aren’t perfect.
States is a huge deal. That you would even think about the kid going alone makes me think you don’t understand it’s a really big deal.
It sucks and I’m sorry but no one asked you to buy the gift card. I’d keep it until next time you are in town (I think if you gift it you’ll be even more bitter )
+1
Yeah … this is where I come down. I am not a fan of people flaking on plans. But qualifying for state is such a big thing in HS sports. If it were my kid, I wouldn’t miss that for anything. (And I’m not even a sports parent; I’m a performing arts mom.)
I don’t have kids. But this would rub me the wrong way. She made a commitment and I wish she would keep it. If, in response to your proposal, she had said maybe and it depends on her child’s sports schedule, then this change would be fine. But she accepted, you guys made very specific plans, and now she’s dumping them.
I’m assuming that you aren’t interested in keeping your original itinerary, including the spa, but getting a hotel in her city – or asking her to pay for your hotel in her city.
I would 100% not recommend asking the friend to pay for your hotel. She already offered to pay OP’s change fees and buy the spa card, and OP declined. It would be super weird IMO to now come back and say “oh pay for my hotel.”
Could you do the reverse by going to your work obligation first and then visit with her afterwards on the way home? I try to assume good intentions. You don’t have a window into the rest of their lives to know if the child going alone is an option or if there’s a reason her DH isn’t attending instead of her.
I would offer the spa gift card to your friend. She will probably offer to pay you for it.
I am sorry that your plans got canceled! But I think you should give this friend some grace. Who knows if her husband had plans that weekend too and couldn’t take the kid. Or maybe the kid specifically requested mom to come. I can certainly understand your feelings, but I do not think you should be mad at your friend for taking her high schooler to an out of town tournament.
Yeah I would be happy for my friend that their kid had such a wonderful accomplishment and would continue on with my trip to her city and see it myself, and have a spa day solo? Crappy situation but no one’s fault and we just make the best of these things.
I would gift the card to my friend and then allow fade. If she wanted to visit me in the future fine, but I wouldn’t put in any effort again.
ok I can understand your disappointment but States is a huge deal in high school and I’d have been really bummed if my parents didn’t go.
in an ideal world she would have told you about the contingency ahead of time so you would have purchased more flexible tickets but I’d give her grace here, especially bc she offered to pay you your sunk costs.
As far as costs now, I’d ask her if she’d really use the spa & buy the GC off you (or heck, sell it online), but I feel like re-opening the travel costs now would be awkward.
OP here – yes, I think I’m mostly annoyed that she did not mention the contingency because I could have paid a little more for a fully changeable plane ticket and refundable train ticket (and just not gotten the spa gift card).
Honestly? You’re in the right. She shouldn’t have canceled plans. That is rude and you have every right to feel upset about it, especially since you had made definite bookings. But if I were her, I would have done the same thing (including paying your change fees).
Yeah. The situation just stinks. Sorry it happened to you.
Anything you wish you had known before selling your house?
how often it would need to be ‘perfect’ during the showing process and what a time-suck that is. In hindsight would have just stayed in a hotel for the first weekend of the listing, maybe even the first week depending on your market.
I need to find a new pair of neutral, work-appropriate sandals. I’m in higher ed; this is perfectly appropriate for my office, though I strongly prefer to have most of my foot covered. Toenail exposure is fine. Has anyone seen any good ones lately?
Please give me all your recs for the lines above your lips! Mine are really developing way faster than everything else on my face and overall aging me. In a certain night, I feel like I look disfigured. I’m not interested in anything drastic but if you have a miracle potion or three to recommend please post!
*light not night (typo)