Tuesday’s Workwear Report: Estela Batik Floral Blouse
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 love the drama of this batik top from Ulla Johnson. The high, ruffled neckline combined with the bow detail makes it feel just a little extra special while still being work-appropriate.
Pair this with your favorite trousers for a business casual outfit that really leaves an impression.
The top is $270 at Neiman Marcus and comes in sizes 00-16.
Any advice on looking for a legal job in a new market mid career? I am the trailing academic spouse but now getting divorced. I moved to a small market for my husband’s job and do not want to continue to stay here after divorce. I’m a non equity partner with local clients, so don’t have a portable book of any significance, and I assume law firms won’t be interested. I have a top academic (HYS) background, but I understand that really doesn’t matter at this point in my career. I really regret sacrificing so much of my career for his, but what’s done is done. I started my career in Chicago and have family in Boston. I know those are likely very saturated markets, but I really want to be back in a big city. I appreciate any advice, experience, etc.!
*hugs* Do you want to work at a firm, government, in-house? What’s your practice area?
Boring advice: absolutely carpet-bomb Chicago law firms with resumes. You don’t have to move back on a timeline, so you have the luxury of waiting for the right fit. Some law firm will need your expertise and have you on as non-equity partner.
Throw out some resumes in Boston, too. Expect that to be a longer shot: more saturated legal market, fewer ties to the area (you haven’t lived there).
As a lawyer trailing spouse who divorced, I feel your pain. It sucks and I am absolutely convinced that higher-earning spouses should not sacrifice for academic careers. Even if the marriage works, it ends up being a very expensive hobby (comparing what the couple would earn in a big city vs with the academic job in a smaller city).
Where are you admitted to practice? Where can you waive in?
If you’re willing to sacrifice title, you probably could make more money as counsel at a firm in a larger market (especially Chicago, of the two you noted). What’s your goal? If you are driven my the finances, I’d consider looking at bigger firms with this goal in mind. In what area do you practice?
I would think about reaching out to people you went to law school with in states you are barred in, I’d be happy to help a former classmate in your situation and sometimes that’s the easiest networking because it’s friends/classmates to colleagues.
Hugs and solidarity from a fellow trailing academic spouse with a legal background. I think your prestigious educational background is still relevant, especially in Big Law. Can you work with a recruiter? Reach out to all your old contacts in Chicago?
Some of the discussions yesterday on here about the Lindsay Clancy case were so disheartening and scary. It is such a bad sign for the world when people are so eager, desperate even, to believe conspiracy theories.
I know someone who was friends/coworkers with Lindsay and knew the family. I’ve known about this tragedy for years, and been thinking about these poor people, all of them, since well before this trial came across anyone’s For You page. No one who actually knows these people believes what the grifters on TikTok are trying to sell you.
If you are wondering how people fell into Q Anon, know that you are experiencing the same. Social media thrives on anger, division, and belief that “they” aren’t telling you the truth. Somehow the experts, the people with the information like the defense attorney, are hiding something (for what purpose??) and only this random person on TikTok with the incentive to make you watch their content is asking the real questions. It is BS. You know in your heart it is BS.
This is a real family that experienced unbelievable tragedy. I am trying to have some empathy for people who would rather believe that a man could cause such pain than a woman like any of us was failed so badly by the systems around her. But his remarriage after going through one of the worst things imaginable is not evidence of an evil conspiracy. It is a human doing his best. Is it maybe the most mentally healthy thing? Who of us can say, but also what does mentally healthy even mean after that? I can’t believe there are people judging this man’s choices and life when he has been through most people’s literal worst nightmare and now has to survive.
I beg of you, if you’re one of the people who I saw fall into the well of conspiracy theories yesterday: take this as a sign to get these social media apps off your phone. They are causing real harm, not only to the real people whose worst moments are being served up to the public as entertainment fodder but to your own critical thinking.
It’s just simple voyeurism. It’s so gross.
+1
This is nothing like Q Anon. There was NO Investigation! I wonder why you’re so fixated on defending this man. Covert narcissists are masters at manipulation.
You are exactly who needs to hear the original commentator’s message. I’m sorry you’re not able to yet, but I hope you can extricate yourself before you go any further down the rabbit hole.
I understand not trusting the police or the legal system, but that doesn’t give special insight into the psychology of a stranger. If we don’t trust the investigation process, then the conclusion should be that we just don’t know.
Not OP but I think these conspiracy theories are exactly like QAnon. Life is not a Freida McFadden novel!
Regarding the conspiracy theory: I don’t think her attorney would have to be in on it. She doesn’t remember doing it; she had a history of deteriorating mental health and psychosis; she attempted suicide after; that points straight towards admitting to the actus reus but fighting on mens rea.
+1 I know the Clancy’s. I have experienced PPD. I think it’s a horrid tragedy, and the conspiracies are disgusting.
It’s really disheartening.
And everyone should be concerned about polypharmacy and how shockingly hard it is to do basic med management in anything psychiatric, since people don’t present statically and so much is reported subjective signs and trusted people may not observe and report all symptoms (so it can be vital to have a reliable adult from the home come to all appointments). This is even harder with children and (for different reasons, including comorbidities and existing polypharma) elders. As the oldest daughter dealing with this for family in both sides, it’s exhausting and a long process and often emotionally taxing and unsatisfying. It can also be terrifying, like when you have to lock up the knives and craft supplies and tools but still need to cook dinner and chop veggies. And somehow sleep and go to my job and pray for no emergency calls.
This, and a lot of the providers and even a lot of the studies that underly the field are also subpar even if every symptom is reported.
I’ve gotten the impression from other threads that some people here believe that if someone is severely incapacitated, a magical fairy shows up to watch over and care for them. That fairy is usually just us, but as you say, we have many other responsibilities.
I’m with you except I don’t buy her insanity defense.
I don’t know; she was on a med that can cause people to lash out aggressively and remember nothing afterward even in people without underlying mental health conditions. I think there’s a lot of defensiveness and denial about outlier negative effects of meds that benefit a majority.
Have you read about postpartum psychosis? It’s not just another form of depression and it is very rare and the impact can be extreme. I think if people knew more about this condition, they would understand why the insanity defense applies. Unfortunately, most medical professionals receive no training in postpartum psychosis in the US, and some of the indicators are hard to put together and recognize. I believe Lindsay did NOT receive the care she needed. The medical professionals treating her did not even share information or speak to one another, so they all came to different conclusions about what her problems were. The care was in no way coordinated, and medications CAN interact in dangerous ways.
And even if the jury doesn’t accept it, it is certainly in play for her legal team. Mass law in this is more pro-defendant than most other states, so her team is ethically obligated to pursue it. I’m surprised at this, given how many lawyers are purportedly in this board.
I’m not saying her legal team isn’t doing their job, they are. I’m saying I don’t buy it.
People really want to blame other humans ethically! I’m not convinced it’s really that different a phenomenon than when it’s a non-human animal.
I agree. I was astonished at the conspiracy theories. People on social media get attention by spreading ideas that are tantalizing and baseless. What our society needs is a better understanding of postpartum psychosis and related indicators. For anyone who wants to learn more, this was an informative interview from the PBS Newshour: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/what-is-postpartum-psychosis-the-condition-at-the-center-of-lindsay-clancys-murder-trial
Thank you for posting this. I was so bothered by those comments yesterday that I was thinking about it in bed last night. It reminded me of a coworker who got sucked into the Alex Jones nonsense early on, and I was quite surprised to see it here.
Or maybe we’re worried about a man potentially framing his wife, who was in the throes of a mental health crisis? In a country that’s more and more hostile to women every day.
The anti-man sentiment is clear on this board. It’s sad when it overrides critical thinking.
I’m just shaking my head.
People need to get out a bit and get off of their screens.
And a lot of women are so brainwashed by the patriarchy they voluntarily subjugate themselves with the hope of being picked and receiving male validation.
It really seems like some people are projecting from their own negative experiences with men, which they’re also blowing out of proportion. I hope they’re very young. And I do get a true crime voyeurism vibe.
This, exactly. It’s unreal to see this day after day here.
I can’t agree with that – if anything, there’s too much normalization of bad male behavior and little acknowledgement of the reality of male violence against women. That said, I think prying into the grisly details of the Clancy case is gross.
I’m sorry. You’ve been indoctrinated. This case isn’t a verdict on men in general, or women’s place in society as perma-victims. If you are interpreting it that way, you have a bias.
If reading and interpreting statistics like “97-99% of all rapes are committed by men” makes me indoctrinated, then sure, believe whatever you like. My comment is specifically about how many on this board refuse to engage with male violence as a concept (we’ve had plenty of #notallmen around here). I’m not following the Clancy case because I’m not interested in gawking at other people’s tragedies – but if anyone is saying that the husband needs to be investigated, then that will be because it’s so damn common for it to be the man.
If you confirm with person A that you can meet with person B on Tuesday at 10am, do you put that in your calendar or expect the o person A to put it in your calendar?
I assume that the people originating the meeting are going to do the calendar invite, but if I have any question, I ask. Often I go ahead and put a placeholder meeting on my calendar so I know the time is taken.
it depends. is this for work? personal life? is person A your assistant/typically schedule for you?
I put a hold on my calendar but expect A to send the meeting invitation to B and me (if A is B’s assistant) or the whole group (if A is in the meeting l).
If A is an admin or also attending, I generally expect them to send a calendar invite, but it’s less likely if they’re just a random third party. Either way, though, it’s always on me make sure it gets added to my calendar, not anyone else.
OP here and to clarify, A is not an admin or assistant.
Then you manage your own calendar. Any other expectation is high maintenance.
Is “yeah, I can do that – have him send me an invite” appropriate to the situation?
when I’m being petty and/or worried about people dumping admin work on me that’s not mine, I create a calendar event for myself, but don’t send it out. Obviously situation dependent.
Peer to peer, I’d manage my calendar. The exception would be at work where some of the vendors I deal with must use their own video call platform (say Zoom vs. Teams) in which case they always send the invite.
Fwiw I’ve internalized the ‘more junior person or person asking for the call sends the invite’ so I’d be peeved if say I was doing a coffee chat with a college student and they didn’t send the time to hold my calendar.
Do you consider JR to be age or experience? I find a lot of older (white male) colleagues expect me to send a calendar invite when they’re the one asking me for my expertise since I’m the expert.
I would not expect a college kid to know that yet.
IDK, I default to “whoever calls the meeting sends the invite,” regardless of formality.
I put a hold on my calendar until the meeting organizer sends an invite
If there is not an obvious invite-sender among you, take the initiative yourself. Just send it and let them redo it if they have a different preference. It’s less back & forth hassle and then no one misses the meeting due to a communication breakdown.
To the ‘rettes who have taken on home remodeling projects, large or small, how did you pick your GC among competing and comparable bids? I’m a single gal in Chicago who must remodel the primary bathroom in my condo for the second time in a decade, and this is the third major remodeling project I’ve taken on in my decades of home ownership. I feel like I know what to look out for – good communicator, good reviews, insurance and professional licenses in order – but what else should I ask? I’ve narrowed it down to two bids. One GC is a serious person who specializes in bathroom renos and provided a detailed, comprehensive bid, along with insurance and license information at the front-end, and a packet of information about how his company approaches bathroom projects. The other GC is an affable person who lives in my neighborhood, handles a lot of bathroom renos, and provided a less-detailed but comprehensive bid, and I had to request the license and insurance documentation that he later provided. Both stand out because they’ve been responsive to calls and emails, and their communication is professional although affable guy comes across as a bit more informal. Both know that I want the project permitted, and that I’m open to taking the time necessary to make sure the project is done right. I’m stuck, and having been through this before I know that to get it done by the new year I should make a decision soon.
I go with more professional. They will be interacting with others on your behalf.
Being likeable is not an essential quality. You want the person who of by the book and diligent even if they wouldn’t be your first choice to grab a beer with. This is how incompetent people rise to the top.
Have you talked to prior clients of each? Do they both have subs they use consistently and can depend on? If neither of those are deciding points, what does your gut say?
I like formality in professional relationships, so I would go with the first.
+1 – I’d like the organization of having the insurance information up front, we’ve heard of too many horror stories amongst friends of GCs who didn’t think they ‘needed’ certain licenses and it coming back to bite them.
References. Call people who’ve worked with them. The more professional one appeals to me more on your scenario but some people are better at marketing too. Call people who’ve them.
My grandmother gifted me her silk scarf collection. I treasure them. They smell a bit musty from being in storage at her house. What’s the right fix for this — dry cleaners?
I’d start by airing them out, or sticking them in front of an air purifier for a few days. If that doesn’t work a gentle sudsing in something like Soak detergent would almost certainly take care of it. Real silk scarves can definitely handle a gentle hand wash.
Abigail Goodman on Instagram collects and re-sells Hermes scarves, she has tutorials on her page of her hand washing process. You can definitely hand wash and air dry them at home. When you iron them, make sure not to iron over the edges (especially if they’re rolled like Hermes).
FWIW, I find dry cleaning doesn’t entirely remove musty smells.
I have one free night in NYC and want to see something on Broadway. I’m thinking Chicago, Hadestown or Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. What would you recommend? I’ve seen Hamilton and Les Mis
If you’re looking for a musical, a friend who works on Broadway recommended The Lost Boys.
I loved the cursed child.
My neighbor bought two adjacent lots, one for his house and one for his new massive pool. He also has a collection of expensive vehicles and toys that don’t fit in his driveway or garage and, rather than using all of the available space in front of his two front yards (or building another garage on the second lot), frequently parks in front of my house. Not only that, but he parks right in the middle of my front yard so that instead of being able to easily fit two cars in front of my house, only his car can park there. It’s usually not a big deal, but throughout the week I have people coming to my house that also need to park and can’t fit. Also, the audacity of it enrages me constantly.
I almost never see my neighbor and have only met him a couple of times, so casually seeing him and asking him to move his car doesn’t really work. A note on his car feels too passive aggressive. Considering he has about six empty spots in front of his lots and still insists on parking in front of my house also tells me that he probably doesn’t care about being a good neighbor, so I’m also not sure that a note would even change his behavior. What would you do?
I’m sure this is wildly unpopular but I weaponize city ordinances, by-laws, and permitting. Chances are he’s doing a lot of things wrong and your city can force him to be a little less awful. I don’t believe in trying to reason with selfish people.
I’d park in front of his house.
Park in front of his house
I’m sorry but if there are six empty spots why is this an issue? Is he parking in your assigned or deeded parking space or is he just making use of public street parking in front of your house? I’ve lived in places with street parking and just parked as close as possible. I once had neighbors who insisted on parking in front of my house because there was a tree and it stayed shady there. It wasn’t like people couldn’t walk from next door to visit me. I get that sometimes people feel ownership of the space in front of their house but if parking is already tight then saving spots like that it causes problems in the aggregate. If parking isn’t tight it’s not really an issue to walk from next door is it? If this an acute situation, like a disabled person visiting you can ask him to move his car but that’s really a favor I think.
I would ignore it because streets are public and expect my guests to be adults who function in the world and can manage to park one house down if the road in front of me is full.
Same, I think this is a city/suburb issue. I live in a major city and find it laughable that you’d even expect to park in front of your house. My suburban family is always in a tizz the second someone deigns to park in front of their house.
Can you call the sheriff or a tow company? In my town parking on someone else’s property is a great way to come back to your car in an impound lot. I’m in the burbs, not the country, so I realize the cultural norms are different.
Sorry, I read this as parking IN your front yard, not in front of it. I’d still be petty and park in front of his house and report every single minor citation you possible can for his construction.
Just ask him to park in front of his own house also that there is room for two cars in front of your house. Knock on his door and make the request. Don’t be emotional or judgy or apologetic. People can be thoughtless.
What is good to buy at Serena and Lilly that is < $400? I have a gift card and don’t usually shop there. Various household items could use a refresh (bedding, towels, lamps, etc).
We are working with a design build firm to remodel our kitchen, but they are looking to us to make the major decisions on cabinet color, backsplash, etc. I’ve interviewed a few “kitchen designers” but they all seen to want to take a much more expansive role than I need- really I just want someone to help me make color decisions. Has anyone worked with an online designer? We have honey oak hardwood floors we will be extending into the kitchen, and I’m considering white upper cabinets with either a darker wood or a sage green lower cabinets. All white is too stark for me, but I worry the green in particular is too trendy (and also really want to make sure I get the right color with the hardwoods).
This seems like a great fit for Maria Killam. I really like her blog in general and I think her advice is super sensible for big reno projects:
https://mariakillam.com/shop/edesign-services/
Play around with color combos on chat gpt. It’s fantastic at helping you visualize thing like this. Also, a design build firm should have a designer on staff to help.
Yes! You can take a photo of the room and it will give you actual brand colors
Specifically hoping to hear from Gen X and Xennial women. What are you wearing to work these days? For weekends? Whatever I’m doing, I am not tolerating discomfort of any kind.
Basically a uniform of jeans or wool pants, a sweater or button down and blazer. Weekends, I swap out the work tops for t-shirts during the day and more casual denim.
For work, trousers or jeans with a blouse or sweater. Sometimes a blazer on top. I own one pantsuit that I wear occasionally for more formal meetings. I have a couple of skirts and a shirtdress that I wear during the summer. Weekends, I wear jeans, linen pants, or shorts with more casual tops or sweaters. I also have a couple of casual dresses.
Work: J Crew Gramercy linen pants, tee, blazer or cropped cardigan with black loafers. I have this outfit n 3 colors, lol.
WFH: simple, loose black sleeveless schmatte
Weekends: universal standard dress, beachy black linen pants, tank, denim button down as jacket, denim shorts with graphic tee. Shoes are net Mary Jane’s or tennies
Wow, I guess I really do have a uniform! Haha
Has anyone here gone to Elon (small college in NC)? I hear that it’s popular with the waves of students who leave the northeast for college who don’t want a huge SEC school. Is it worth a visit if we are going to be in the area looking at schools?
My daughter attended Elon a few years ago. I thought it was a lovely campus with great professors and a lot of fun extracurriculars. Definitely worth a look.
O feel that Maria von Trapp would approve. Good reusing the brocade curtains vibes.
I’m not feeling it personally, but can see it on someone with Dark Academia vibes
We need to replace single-pane windows with double pane, not just for energy efficiency but because the old ones have cracks that let bugs in and just generally need replacement. We’re first-time owners as of last month and do not have a general contractor that we know/trust. For windows, do we want to start with a contractor or start with a window supply warehouse/store? I’m not sure of the order of operations here.