Weekend Open Thread: Staud
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.
Something on your mind? Chat about it here.
I mentioned this Staud bag yesterday when rounding up the ShopBop portion of the Amazon Prime sale, and it's still on my mind…
TL;DR: if you have a Prime account, you can get 25% off at Shopbop when you link your account. What was interesting to me is that it seems to work on top of existing markdowns like this Staud bag.
The bag was $350, was then marked to $245, and comes down another 25% off in the cart if you link your accounts and use the code. That might be on the pricier side for a mostly nylon bag, but I've never been mad about a lightweight and stylish bag.
Other good brands I'm seeing in the ShopBop/Prime sale: A.L.C., Aeyde, Alex Mill, Alice & Olivia, Anine Bing, Barefoot Dreams, Beyond Yoga, Birkenstock, Black Halo, Clare V., Cult Gaia, Farm Rio, Ferragamo, Frank & Eileen, Jenni Kayne, La Ligne, Marine Layer, Nili Lotan, Printfresh (!), rag & bone, RAILS, STAUD, Stuart Weitzman, Theory, TWP, Veronica Beard, Vince, White & Warren, Xirena, and Z-Supply.
Sales of note for 6/26:
- Amazon Prime Day is still continuing! You can check out our roundup here… Also don't forget that sister site Shopbop is offering 25% off a lot of great brands if you link your Prime account, including brands like A.L.C., Aeyde, Alex Mill, Alice & Olivia, Anine Bing, Barefoot Dreams, Beyond Yoga, Birkenstock, Black Halo, Clare V., Cult Gaia, Farm Rio, Ferragamo, Frank & Eileen, Jenni Kayne, La Ligne, Marine Layer, Nili Lotan, Printfresh (!), rag & bone, RAILS, STAUD, Stuart Weitzman, Theory, TWP, Veronica Beard, Vince, White & Warren, Xirena, and Z-Supply
- Nordstrom – Designer clearance, up to 60% off!
- Alexis Bittar – End of season sale, up to 50% off
- Another Tomorrow – Seasonal sale, 50% off select styles
- Ann Taylor – Semi-annual sale! 300+ new markdowns, extra 50% off al sale styles Readers love this blouse and I always love the variety of colors/textures for this jacket (it's a great separate)
- Athleta – Semi-annual sale, up to 60% off reader favorites like Brookyn and Endless pants, and the Pranayama wrap is marked down to $55
- AYR – Ooh, good sale section — but lots on final sale. Readers love (LOVE) these comfy work pants and these jeans.
- Banana Republic – Up to 60% off sale styles
- Boden – Summer sale, up to 50% off – readers love these dresses, these blazers, and the brand's fun suiting
- COS – New pieces added to sale, up to 50% off
- DeMellier – Summer sale: Final Reductions
- The Fold – Up to 50% off, further markdowns
- Hobbs – Up to 50% off, extra 20% off sale
- J.Crew – Summer sale – extra 50% off all sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off all stores and sitewide, plus 60% off clearance
- Jenni Kayne – Semi-annual warehouse sale
- Lo & Sons – Summer sale, up to 50% off
- Lululemon – Summer sale!
- Margaux – Save up to 50% off, including archive sale
- M.M.LaFleur – Fourth of July sale! 70% off occasion styles (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Nordstrom Rack – Clearance, new arrivals up to 75% off! Nice selection of Vince, Veronica Beard, Reiss and Rag & Bone, a ton of affordable work dresses from Calvin Klein, Maggy London, Eliza J, and Donna Morgan
- Ruti – Semi-annual sale, up to 70% off!
- Sarah Flint – 30% off select styles (we just ranked these shoes as some of our top 10 most comfortable heel brands)
- Splendid – Up to 60% off women's sale!
- Strathberry – Up to 20% off select styles
- Stuart Weitzman – Summer styles now up to 40% off
- Talbots – 40% off your purchase and 6/26 only: 50% off all T by Talbots
- Veronica Beard – Extra 25% off sale
New Yorkers, what should I pack for a trip next week? I was thinking linen pants and ponte pants, a very lightweight jacket, sandals and sneakers. Or should I bring a pair of shoes/boots specifically for rain? What are you wearing these days?
You never know what the wet ick on a city sidewalk is, so I avoid sandals or anything open-toe when I travel urban. Even without rain, people often hose down the front sidewalks each morning in the central business districts.
I promise you that wearing sandals around is 100% normal city dweller behavior. You learn to keep an eye on both where you’re going and hazards on the pavement.
There’s a reason that many of us are “shoes off at the door” households, but germs are not going to leap off the bottom of your Birks to attack you.
It’s not the germs but the wetness on feet for me.
my feet don’t get wet just from traversing damp pavement… maybe if you’re a very thwack-y flip flop wearer?
I think with a thinner sole, you are just closer to the ground and also some ground crossing the street near the curb may dip down to where you are accidentally in a puddle? I have some open-toe slingbacks with a thin sole that I wouldn’t wear in the morning due to wet sidewalks or when it’s been rainy. But I think that something like Birk’s are the SUVs of shoes and you’d be fine in a sole like that. Or like a Sorel sandal or flatforms.
I wear sandals wherever but my feet definitely get very dirty afterward. I was so grossed out when my sister didn’t shower or wash her feet after an entire day of walking in NYC and just got straight into bed with literally black soles.
My feet don’t get wet walking in sandals, wtf.
Cool!
We seem to be stuck in a hot, muggy weather pattern, so if you’ll be outside much, dress for that and have a light layer to throw on top for air conditioning. It doesn’t look like we’ll have all-day rain next week, just pop-up thunderstorms which are usually pretty quick. That said, a lot of rain can happen quickly, so you’ll want shoes that can get wet in case you get caught in it.
When I’m not working, I’m wearing a lot of sundresses, linen, cotton block print pants, and lightweight sneakers or chunky sandals.
next week in this region is supposed to be disgusting – as in in the high 90s or 100 late in the week, muggy and stormy, aka survival mode. I cannot imagine wearing ponte outdoors.
+1. It is supposed to get super hot next week. I would personally forego bringing long pants entirely, but YMMV.
Ponte in the summer sounds awwwwful. No thank you.
All I know is that the first time I went to NYC in the summer I brought only one outfit for each day and that wasn’t enough because I was sweating through my outfits in the unaccustomed heat and humidity. Plan on changing from the skin out at least once a day.
And bring extra underwear!!
Any recs for a c**ktail dress for a 40th HS reunion in a month, size 16 with short sleeves, ideally under $200?
Do you know anything about the venue and time of day (i.e. more causual end of c**ktail, or more formal end?)? Happy to make some suggestions about where i’ve found good dresses (I’m in your size range), but would have different suggestions for a Saturday day-time event vs something more dressy.
This feels very 2001. Which, I guess, is trending.
Reminds me of 13 going on 30.
What do you say in the moment if someone makes a rude or snarky comment to you that you know stems from their own insecurity or feelings of inadequacy? I’m sympathetic to having those feelings (I’ve certainly had them myself) and it’s tempting to just let comments slide, but it’s happened enough where I feel that a conversation is warranted. Adjusting the details slightly because my SIL might read here but it’s basically at the level of me (a mother) saying I’m going to do a workout this weekend and her coming back with “it must be nice to have the time for that but I like being with my kids on the weekend.”
If I have to keep seeing people for decades due to blood ties, I will absolutely not engage. I am the fricking rock. They are having a them problem and I do not want to become part of that at all. People know that Aunt Tessy has some issues. Don’t let them think that you do, too.
This.
Or, respond with a breezy deflection that undermines her point – “Ahh, that reminds me, we are taking the kids strawberry picking this weekend, and are so looking forward to it. Are you doing anything special?” But it’s probably best just to not engage.
Yep. Smile and nod, smile and nod.
I’d gray rock also. She isn’t going to change just because you say something back. I’d probably go with “I hope you guys do something fun!” and move on.
And good for you for getting a workout!
With a SIL I would let it slide honestly. But with my mom who loves me and also is very needling and passive aggressive, I might say more. I don’t know if I should though! I might say something along the lines of “I’m lucky that I get to see my kids so much during the week” if I feel like the comment needs correcting. I’ve found that if I consistently respond with a positive framing, I’ve actually (after years) heard her start to frame the same things positively as well some of the time.
Yes, it took a lot of intentional effort for your brother and I to schedule time for ourselves like this. So many of our peers become martyrs to their kids’ schedules. We don’t want either of us to burn out or slide into resentful mindsets because we don’t properly prioritize our own needs along with the kids’ needs. This certainly helps.
I can think of all sorts of pithy responses like, 15 minutes later.
You gain nothing by having A Conversation with her. If this is a text convo I would not respond, screenshot it, send it to my DH, and crack up abt her b!tchery. If in person I would probably say ‘yup! so what do you have planned’ and move the convo along.
My SIL makes similar comments. I try to ignore, but just validating that it’s really annoying!
So I’m going to go at this from a different angle, I suspect her husband isn’t a good father and she’s taking that out on you. She’s jealous your DH will actually step up on occasion. It would be helpful to know the blood relations.
“You do you.”
My SIL has said all kinds of nutty things to me over the years, including: “I would never shop at Amazon – they are too big and have terrible labor practices. I only buy from the Target that’s 2 blocks from my house.” “Your friend is a SAHM and also has a nanny? Does she consider herself a real mom?!?” “You are only paying your nanny $2 more per hour to watch a second kid? That seems wrong,” etc. etc. Lots of judgy comments on things that are frankly not her business. I don’t engage at all because I don’t want to spend my energy arguing about petty things just to prove a point. I think people who need to be right all the time and correct people’s views, etc. are just exhausting.
You aren’t making the point you think you are.
What SAHM also has a nanny?
I practice my super communicator skills on them. I’d ask them what they like to do with their kids and what inspired their latest activity.
And then at night I psycho analyze them with my DH.
I am going to a girls’ weekend in Boston in July to celebrate my friend’s 50th bday. We are all middle aged lawyer moms who haven’t seen each other for awhile so it’s like a reunion. We are staying near Copley and plan to just walk around and catch-up and maybe pop into some stores just to browse.
I would love some suggestions on places to eat or things to do. So far, I have afternoon tea at the Silver Dove. Any suggestions for a good local restaurant? Is it worth checking out Paul Revere’s House? She went to Harvard College so we probably won’t go to Cambridge, but everywhere else we can travel to by public transportation or an Uber is fair game.
The Boston Museum of Fine Arts is great, especially their revolutionary-era collection.
I would go to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
This.
Duck Tours are surprisingly entertaining, well done and pretty brief – 90 minutes? I think it’s such a good way to kick off a weekend in Boston because you get to see it all, get a lay of the land and then you can easily decide if you want to go back to certain areas. I always recommend this to out of town visitors who are otherwise lax about their plans as it can help shape how you want to spend your time the rest of your visit.
Apart from that, I personally say skip Paul Revere’s house. I do think the North End in general is great, Old North Church, Cafe Vittoria, the bakeries, etc. But I would not wait in a long line of tourists just to get in to the house. Wandering the neighborhood and walking by the front will give you plenty of experience, in my opinion.
+1 – I always suggest the duck tour and people are always surprised by how enjoyable it is. If you have any interest in science/natural history, the Harvard museum is truly wonderful and the glass flowers are breathtaking.
+2 for the duck tour!
I have done the duck boat tour and enjoyed it (also did one in Seattle), but my local newspaper recently had an article about how deadly they are (37 deaths to date) and how many accidents they’ve been involved in. It was more than enough to give me pause.
https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/duck-boat-tours-san-francisco-22291594.php
I was on a duck boat that had a crash with another car! I couldn’t see from where I was sitting who was at fault, and fortunately no one seemed injured, but the duck boat driver and the other driver did have an entertaining Boston-accented screaming match in the street.
I’d arrange dinner at Mama Maria’s and pop into the Paul Revere house before hand, I don’t think it’ll take you more than 45 minutes max. I’d also prioritize Neptune Seafood (though they don’t take reservations, so either go early or at an odd time). Fanueil Hall is fun as a food hall experience but otherwise not really worth it. Skip the Seaport, it’s an outdoor mall for 20-somethings, though it can be the easiest place to get a reservation for a larger group.
I prefer the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum to the Fine Arts Museum personally, but it’s your call. I think strolling down Newbury street is worthwhile – if you’re ok with a bit of a pricey breakfast I’d eat at Contessa at the top of the Newbury Street hotel, then walk down and window shop from there. I personally find Contessa wildly overrated for food, but it can be fun for a drink. If you’re up for a fancy experience I’d suggest drinks at the Blind Duck in the Raffles hotel. The spa there is also fantastic but my favorite massage in town is at Vidaya Thai Spa as long as you’re ok with intense pressure/lots of stretching while you’re nearly nude.
In terms of easy grab and go food – I prefer Flour Bakery over Tatte, but both are all over the place and very reliable for fast breakfast/lunches/dinner. You can order ahead of time and set a pick up time which is super handy for busy days. Overall, the food in Boston isn’t at the level of NY, SF, or Chicago so I wouldn’t kill yourself trying to get into a fancy place, they’re generally not worth it.
Thank you so much for all of these great suggestions! I have been on the duck tour before, but it was years ago. I will check out all of these great recos!
I never miss Beacon Hill books or antique shopping on that street.
does anyone here have any familiarity with auditory processing disorder? i’m completely sure my autistic kid has it, but they keep telling me there isn’t anything to be done other than accommodations like an FM headset or whatever, which isn’t a problem at the moment because he’s in a super small school. but his daily life seems to constantly be a struggle to hear if there is any background noise, at all.
I have an autistic kid and I feel that there is so much junk science out there. But I feel like this can be one thing that is real. This dating back 20+ years, but my mom taught at a very small private school for kids that regular school didn’t work for due to various things that were just starting to get noticed for kids of otherwise normal abilities to do OK in school (like reading, math, etc.). Something called “Orton-Gillingham Method” might be where to start looking for well-trained people who want your kid to do well with a structured 1:1 approach (via tutoring, I think). Avoid all of the “unschooling” people who seem to home-school their kids out of any ability to function in the larger world (we run into that all too often and my only goal is to let a kid who has some challenges thrive in the world so that she will be OK when she lives on her own after I am gone).
Yup, my AuDHD kid has auditory processing disorder. It’s gotten better as he’s gotten older, but it can be very tough in school settings. What has helped most for us is written instructions so he can review at his own speed, ‘chunking’ directions into 1-2 things at a time max, and encouraging him to ask for clarification vs. saying ‘yea’ when you didn’t process what I was saying.
I have a nephew with similar issues. He uses Flare earplugs, which sort of “calm” the noise coming in (rather than block it). They don’t help with processing, but might help shift what he has to process to be easier to deal with.
If he can manage it, participating in a band or orchestra is really good brain training for picking apart noises in a lot of sound.