Coffee Break: Stripe Wool Cardigan
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It's between Memorial Day and July 4 — so you might think there are no good deals to be had right now. But in my experience this is actually the best time to get cold-weather stuff on deep discount, in part because the stores are trying to get all of it off their shelves before July.
Looking through Nordstrom right now there are deals to be had on good bags like Mulberry (but in a wintry burgundy), and on heavy coats from brands like Mackage or Soia & Kyo. Of course, most stuff is down to lucky sizes.
This 100% virgin wool cardigan from Akris is a great example and, for once, is still available in most sizes. Are you going to wear it before fall? I suppose it depends how freezing your office A/C is. But I think it's incredibly versatile because it's a simple, easy cardigan in a mostly dark, subdued color — but the stripes add a bit of joie de vivre and distinction. (Also, how cute would the stripe at the cuffs look poking out of the sleeve of a blazer or overcoat?)
The sweater was $835, but is currently marked to $501.
(Another great deal with lots of sizes: this gorgeous tweed jacket from Akris.)
Sales of note for 6/12:
- Another Tomorrow – Seasonal sale, 50% off select styles
- Ann Taylor – Last day 6/12: Extra 60% off sale! Readers love this blouse and I always love the variety of colors/textures for this jacket (it's a great separate)
- Athleta – 40% off tees, dresses, tanks, linen, and swim
- AYR – Ooh, good sale section — but lots on final sale. Readers love (LOVE) these comfy work pants and these jeans.
- Bare Necessities – Semi-annual sale, up to 60% off, plus get an additional 40% off clearance swim. Readers have sung the praises of these cooling pajamas and their bra-sized swimwear
- Boden – 15% off new women's wear styles with code
- Glossier – 20-25% off almost everything (including subscriptions!)
- J.Crew – 50% off tops, dresses, skirts and more
- J.Crew Factory – Extra 50% off clearance + extra 20% off 3+ styles
- Jenni Kayne – Semi-annual warehouse sale
- Loft – 50% off everything + free shipping
- M.M.LaFleur– This weekend only, 25% off jardigans (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Nordstrom – 6900+ new markdowns added – nice selection from Boss, Vince, Veronica Beard, Theory, Beyond Yoga, and Zella
- Nordstrom Rack – Clearance, new arrivals up to 75% off! Nice selection of Vince, Veronica Beard, Reiss and Rag & Bone, a ton of affordable work basics from Calvin Klein and dresses from Maggy London, Eliza J, and Donna Morgan
- Talbots – Tons of markdowns, extra 60% off 2+, 50% off one
This sweater pick is very apt for Captain Picard Day. Shut it, Wesley!
make it so!
If you are short or a pear (or both) and you’ve found items at The Fold or Me & Em that work for you, can you comment on which items? I’ve given up on Boss due to short torso issues (jackets too long, dress waists hit in the wrong place). I want to elevate my work items now that I’m in a larger size, but I am struggling to find pieces that work for my shape (typical 8 top / 10 bottom, but I’m 5-4 and I don’t wear heels). What else might be good to check out? I only want a few good pieces — my office is casual but my work often needs something sharper than that, so good dresses and jackets are key (pants are easier to come by still).
These brands don’t work for me at all as a pear your height. Look for a brand that fits better for our shape.
+1 – I’m tall 5’10”, lean and h-shaped and it’s my favorite brand because it fits me perfectly. I don’t think it’s for shorter folks.
Modern Citizen, some but not all, has been good for me with similar issues. I’m not sure whether this is elevated enough for what you’re thinking, but I find the fabrics look and feel nice in person.
MMLaFleur also doesn’t seem to work for my short appley body.
Vince works better for me than any of those brands. You have to pick through the weekend-wear to find the work pieces but they are nice.
For everyone so upset about the word trashy today: this site has literally discussed whether it was unprofessional (which is also a very socially coded word) to carry a water bottle at the office or to wear a bandaid. Discussions of social norms and what and when they are violated are extremely common here. Wild to see people get so upset by that word, especially given that the trashiest people I know are very happy to call themselves trashy! The drama of the reaction makes it seem like people think the worst insult you could use is one that implies that people are less than upper class in some way.
Get real. It’s heavy on judgement for totally innocuous things. Be a better person and stop defending the indefensible.
I presume you wouldn’t go around your office talking about how a client is trailer trash, right? It’s violating social norms to use words like that in professional settings. I’m aware that it happens and I don’t think it’s a good thing.
Honestly, I get the impression some of these commenters would, and would wrongly assume they were a part of some cool in-group.
This isn’t a professional setting.
You refuse to hold yourself to a high standard of dialogue for what reason?
We are what we do when we think that no one is looking.
Because I think it’s pointless and unnecessary?
This is like saying “you refuse to work out for two hours a day for what reason?” Because I don’t want to, Tabitha.
See, e.g., all the discussions here ever about gardening, cheating or alcoholic spouses, disabled parents, weird growths on feet…
I wasn’t one of the people criticizing the use of the term or the discussion about soda (and fwiw I do think soda consumption is pretty closely correlated to socio-economic status), but “unprofessional” is much less loaded than “trashy.” And I’ve never met anyone who self-identifies as “trashy.”
You haven’t lived in the Midwest, then. Plenty of proud trash here.
Is that the same dynamic of people co-opting objectionable terms so other people can’t use it against them? Objectionable is objectionable. Don’t be awful to one another.
Right? I can call myself fat-dumb-trash (and maybe I have issues if I voice those things) but I can’t call you that.
In case it wasn’t obvious, I’m the OP of the thread, and as I said over the weekend, it’s a group of mostly middle class people from the Midwest who all drink soda and were having a lighthearted discussion about when we do and don’t drink it. We vary in whether we consider ourselves trashy, but we all wouldn’t be insulted to be called trashy because we all know and love trashy people and we all have trashy weekends every now and then. I am very entertained by how horrified you rich coastal ladies are by anyone calling anyone else trashy, because it’s just not a moral condemnation where I’m from.
The degree to which you are defending your rude behavior is wild. The fact that you lash out at other people for suggesting you should be more thoughtful is very telling.
Agree. The number of window clings, bumper stickers, yard signs, flags, and t-shirts that people in my Midwest town proudly display about how they are trashy, slutty, redneck, stupid, etc. is shockingly high, and widespread.
I’m the previous poster and I grew up in and currently live in the rural Midwest, lol.
I am a little jealous that you apparently didn’t go to school with anyone who was temporarily a Juggalo haha.
Guessing this is the OP. Seriously, stop trying to defend yourself. What you may have thought would be fun clearly doesn’t resonate with other people.
Because you guys can’t think of anything worse anyone could say about you than that you’re trashy! Which is pretty classist of you!
This is a dumb argument.
I agree that people being upset by the word trashy is dumb and that the resulting argument has been dumb!
Oh, the “I agree!” argument! You aren’t our aunties in the Facebook comments.
Still being on Facebook in 2026 is trashy :)
In Australia, I’d describe trashy as almost a mood as well as a genre.
People aren’t generally described as trashy but we delight in watching trashy TV or reading a trashy novel in bed with a packet of biscuits. Trashy is consuming something that doesn’t require a lot of thought or concentration. We delight in it and share with our friends.
We’d probably say someone was povvo (also troubling because it’s blaming someone for being poverty stricken) but not trashy.
Thank you. This is pretty much how I use it as the OP, too. It’s a vibe, and literally all of us do trashy things sometimes. We watch trashy tv, we read trashy books, we drink trashy beverages, we do trashy activities. It’s not an insult here. We all do trashy stuff, and it’s simply not a moral flaw to do so.
Being intentionally rude is a moral flaw. Describing a person as trashy for a certain level of consumption of soda is rude. There is nothing inherently trashy about soda; your entire stupid OP was about whether a person becomes trashy by consuming it in certain quantities/situations, and many of the ones you listed are closely tied to socioeconomic class. You are a rude person, and your conduct on these threads is noxious.
Agree re the intentional rudeness. It’s a choice you are making instead of minding your business.
Okay, and I think you are a much ruder person than I am based on this comment, so sounds like we both have a lot of contempt for each other based off a totally meaningless internet encounter. Yay! What a great value you’ve added here—you sure put me in my place!
Oh come on. Asking whether something is unprofessional is entirely different from characterizing innocuous preferences as trashy – and worse, asking people to gather ’round and pile on. And calling something trashy is also different from an honest conversation about social norms (like do you really think this was a conversation about violating social norms? What social norm does liking soda violate?) You have to know better than this. You cannot possibly be this dense.
And you’re doing that thing again where you try to pretend like the people asking you to act decently for a change and stop judging and shaming people are the ones who are, in fact, doing that. No one is acting like the worst insult you can use is to imply that people are less than upper class. We are telling you that it’s rude to call people trashy, especially for innocuous preferences. You are dishonest.
I agree with every word.
I pray you used AI and didn’t actually spend any precious life energy typing all that out 😂 god bless you. On your deathbed, you’re going to look back on this comment as the high watermark and best use of your life, for sure.
I think my revulsion to the word “trashy” is that when you’re calling something trashy, you’re almost always punching down. The implication is that 1) that thing is no good and 2) you are better than the person wearing/consuming/displaying it by virtue of socioeconomic status, education, or some other quality that the person may or may not have any control over.
The difference is that if I call myself trashy or say that I like watching trashy TV, obviously I’m not punching down.
If you want to act like it’s not a loaded word, that’s your choice, but I know for many people, it brings a lot of shame.
I think a lot of people in this comment section should be feeling shame, lol, but it’s because it’s very embarrassing to be this worked up about someone saying Diet Coke in a Big Gulp cup is trashy.
Any advice on where to buy lighting? We are redoing a wall in the hallway to create a new nursery and need a pair of sconces for the hall. Style is traditional/beachy, walls are white/light cream. I know there are tons of options online, but I’m overwhelmed and not very good at this kind of thing.
i will not buy lighting at Ikea. don’t remember why.
I’ve gotten some from Rejuvenation and Lamps Plus and been happy with them. ABC Lighting if you’re in NYC and looking for ideas (prices are probably better elsewhere).
Following and also interested to know of best practices for wall lamps/lighting (how high to hang them, where to place them in the room). We are moving and need to add lights, but we’re struggling to figure out good options on a budget and when we have a wild toddler who likes to knock over table lamps.
I’m building a house and I’m hiring a lighting designer because lighting is so important to mood and function.
Not very rich, just a one bedroom retirement house.
https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/?s=lighting
I like Pottery Barn for lifting. They are not very expensive and are really well made. A chandelier we bought 20 years ago still looks great.
Pottery Barn’s lighting is surprisingly good quality compared to their furniture, which I find to be average.
Serena & Lily for beachy.
Lamps Plus has good fixtures, but if you have a lighting store close to you, lighting is much easier to pick out in person. Barring a local store, I second the Pottery Barn recs and the advice to avoid Ikea (because their fixtures look cheap). If you are in the Atlanta area, Progressive Lighting has several local stores (and a secret outlet in the back of the Kennesaw store). I’ve gotten very high-end lighting on FBMP. If money is not much of an object, RH has beautiful fixtures. The big box stores’ lights are not well constructed. Wayfair has a huge selection, but the quality varies tremendously, as is always the case with Wayfair.
My one must for lighting is to make sure it is UL listed and rated for the environment where it will be used (i.e., if for outdoors, bathrooms, or other wet environments, the fixtures should be rated for use there).
Honestly, home depot/menards/Lowes is fine for sconces.
Start with color- match your doorknobs/hinges unless you’ve got reason not to
Then go to style- match your furniture/house to classical, modern, twee etc.
Then to size- for pendants match the diameter in inches to the rough size of the room in feet. For sconces, 5″ for a small wall, 9″ for a gigantic one and somewhere in between for somewhere in between.
Then figure out if you need something special electrically- dimmers can be useful, do you need wet rated etc.
Go to home depot first to see if you hate their 1-3 options for most combinations and if you hate them all, look at lamps plus or the like.
We’ve had luck with Shades of Light. The prices are reasonable, their selection isn’t overwhelming, and their site is very searchable.
Stuck in mod. Look at Hudson Valley Lighting for inspiration.
how far will you go for an exercise class on a regular basis? for some reason I always feel bounded by things close to where I live or where I work… I remember dating a guy who was not a boxer who took boxing classes like 45 minutes out of his way and couldn’t get it.
I’m with you- it’s annoying to drive for the length of time of a class to go to a class. I’ve only ever gone to gyms/classes within a few minutes of my regular commute.
Probably 15 minutes max. I’ve discovered with exercise, for me, if it’s not very close to home or work I’ll never go.
20 mins is my max, but I also live in middleclass suburbs and you can find anything (potentially several locations!) in that space. Currently driving to my limit for a women’s lifting class that is unique and finding that a 8 vs 20 min drive really doesn’t feel that different
I will not go very far at all for a regular exercise class. For a really good dance class or for a sport, I have driven as far as 45 minutes each way.
Close enough that when petrol is $2.50 a litre that I won’t use fuel costs as an excuse not to go.
This post prompted me to go book a class at a studio I have a class pack for that is just far enough away to be annoying – a 25 minute drive. I’ve gone to 89 classes there but had stepped away when life got busy.
Thanks for the push, OP!
literally zero feet. I will only work out at home or home-based (going for a walk, bike ride, etc).
Same.
I’ve flown cross country for races.
An exercise class must be close or I’ll never go, but I’ll drive over an hour for a big mountain biking day and 2+ hours (one way) for a ski day.
Same
15 minutes for a gym class, though I once boarded my horse about 45 mins-1 hour from my house and drove that 4 times a week to go ride. It was enough of a pain that I now pay a lot more to board the horse a lot closer.
I will stop at the gym that is on the route between my home and my office, but I won’t walk the three blocks to gym up the street from my office.
Across town is too far for me. It needs to be in my neighborhood or close to it. Although back in the day when I was super into martial arts I’d drive 35 minutes to the dojo.
He must have had a lot of time on his hands. When I was single I prioritized going to a specific yoga studio that I really liked and where my friends went, even though it was a 20-25 minute drive from my office. Used to ride horses 40 minutes away on weekends. But there’s just no time for that now because I’m in office 5 days/week and have family at home who need me to do things, so no longer than 15 mins away. Traffic in my city is horrific so I try to go to places I can walk to so at least the timing is predictable. Nothing worse than being anxious that you’re going to get charged a cancellation fee because you can’t make your class because traffic.
Thanks for the Clear the Rack reminder. I have been sale stalking a new overcoat for my husband. And may have found a contender from a brand unfamiliar to me. Finger crossed it fits.
what’s everyone getting the dads in your life for father’s day? my husband for some reason didn’t want a carpet steamer.
I find a picture of his tool du jour / motorcycle / beer / fun trip and have Shutterfly use it for a fancy notepad. Will need a new one by xmas.
Ha! A new Yeti backpack cooler for fishing.
my dad just wants time together, so he’s getting a card and dinner out! We do not do gifts to each other for these holidays (or Valentine’s Day for that matter).
Money is tight right now (we’re moving and doubling our housing costs…) and we don’t really do larger gifts for these holidays anyway, so I think two cards (one from me and one from our toddler) and his favorite candy plus time off to nap.
Time with his children.
Love it. I think I will do this. I will go out and get a massage, and let him spend time with the kids.
Oh man. People here would get out the pitchforks if a dad went golfing on Mother’s Day and left the mom home with the kids as a gift to her.
This. Talk about a double standard.
#thatsthejoke
Right. Because moms and dads are so similarly situated in most families…
Moms and dads are only differently situated because people excuse the crappy behavior. Not to victim blame but holy heck people let their husbands get away with murder.
Of my friends who have crappy husbands who are crappy fathers, the signs were there well before kids. Why do people procreate with men who are so lazy and uninvolved?
Blaming women for men’s behavior is trashy.
I’ll call my own dad. My kids (grown & flown) will likely text my husband, maybe call if they are free. They work non-traditional schedules, though, so it would surprise me if they were able to step away for a call.
+1. My dad is not a gift guy, and we won’t be in the same city, so he’ll be getting a phone call.
That’s like giving you an iron for Christmas!
I would honestly love an iron, but I sew and my current one is slowly dying.
Very aviation nerd specific, but I got him a flight tracker wall art. Has an app so you can have it track specific flights or just leave it to report generally on planes flying by. He’s been looking at it for a while now, so I know he’ll love it. Also had the toddler pick out a dumb tie for him.
all my summer clothes seem to be giving me VPL. Suggestions for not expensive cotton undies that won’t show? not thong or bike shorts, just no show regular undies. thanks.
Just don’t wear undies.
to work?
I just wear a string thong. It’s the layer I need for the nethers without the extra fabric causing lines.
Saint and Sofia has some good dresses that look modern. Obviously ignore the more boho stuff. Jason Wu is at Nordstrom Rack and also has good modern picks. For jackets, I like short lady jackets and those are available everywhere.
i loved cotton undies until i realized they were making me a swampy messy in the summer. ive given up the fight on VPLs, it’s part of my personal don’t care club.
Hanky Panky cotton and modal offerings are great. I have had many other brands ride up but these don’t.
I recently got a completely random Amazon version called Caterlove seamless no-show bikini that I’m pretty happy with.
Boy brief style in a size up. The leg elastic then follows my cheek curve instead of cutting across it, so even if there is VPL it enhances the shape rather than poorly bisecting it.
Correct and most comfortable response. I’m over wearing bum-bisecting undies.
Same. I’m currently rocking some from Old Navy and also like Aerie.
Sounds more like your pants may be too tight? Any full brief should fix this issue, I like Underoutfit.
Could also be butt shape and drape of fabric.
Unfortunately in my experience cotton underwear is never seamless.
Discussion topic pertaining to law firm summer associates: what is your Gen AI policy as it pertains to law clerks? Is it different from junior associates? Our policy is the same, but as I read a memo that has been proofed and edited by AI (NO law clerk writes like this), I find myself questioning a separate policy. I want to know the writing style of the law clerk and evaluate their research skills, NOT those of AI, even though I am positive this memo was made better by the AI edits (like I said, it’s exceptionally well written). It’s also substantively more legally correct than I would have expected a law clerk to produce on first pass. So good work product = yay! But I feel at a loss as to how to re-frame the situation when you consider being a summer associate is essentially one long interview – all I know at this point is that he’s good at AI. And part of being a young lawyer is actually getting your hands dirty and LEARNING the material, which I am concerned has been missed.
It would be odd to go back to him and say, “This work is too good” show me something not so good. But how to think about this? How do we re-frame the work they do, in light of their ability to very quickly produce very polished work?
Assume that no confidential information entered, and the cites have been checked, etc. I’m trying to think about this outside of the typical conversation which tends to focus on those issues, which can be solved, and think about it from a broader perspective.
Ask him questions about it live, in person. If he answers them well (like, can get into nuances with you), then he did the work and used AI like the helpful tool it should be.
I would expect a junior associate to use all tools available, including AI, to produce good work product efficiently. There’s literally no downside to having an associate who is able to “very quickly produce very polished work.” You can talk to them about the nuances to make sure they’re able to think critically, but I’m guessing that if they’ve coaxed something good out of an AI chatbot, they had to give it pretty decent inputs.
I think you ask for a first draft that hasn’t been proofed or edited by AI. The same way an employer might ask for a writing sample that hasn’t been edited by others.
The writing process is also the thinking process for lots of lawyers’ work. I increasingly rely on AI to draft for me, but I generally try to write my own first drafts so that I’m owning the thought process. If I’m not writing my first draft, I want it to be because of an intentional decision for that draft, not my default because it’s more convenient or efficient. My value add is my thinking and judgment, not efficiency (which is necessary, but not sufficient).
Yesterday someone was describing a lot of symptoms that may have been perimenopause-related, and someone suggested HRT, then added with emphasis “not birth control pills.” Can someone explain that a bit? I’ve been having similar issues and my dr put me on the pill about 6 months ago, and I’m not really seeing improvement (tried a few different kinds), so I’m trying to understand the difference. Been reading The New Menopause, and it mentioned that BC pills have more estrogen then HRT, but it really glossed over the section about them, so I’m trying to understand why one would be better than the other (and, obviously, whether HRT might help me where BC aren’t).
I’m not very helpful sorry but I am on the mini pill and on HRT tablets as well.
Perimenopause is stuffing me around so much: vertigo so bad I can’t drive, awake in a panic at 3.30am every night, crying at 7pm for 10 minutes, awful hair and skin so I look so old very fast. I hate it. I’m seeing a specialist but my regular GP isn’t that helpful.
That was me. My doc put me on progesterone only, and I only take it the later half of my cycle, which according to her is the lowest intervention (which is what I wanted, at least to start with).
You can take progesterone only continuously, you can take progesterone and estrogen in different balances and different forms, they don’t have to be a one-size-fits-all birth control pill.
There’s no real progesterone in any birth control (it’s always some kind of progestin, which has a different set of side effects that a lot of us cannot tolerate). Some of us really need progesterone for benefit.
does anyone watch Travel with Livi reels or whatever? the shtick is that she has ultra wealthy clients who call her with insane requests and then she has to talk them down. e.g., calling to ask the dad of a family whehter his estranged 26-yo daughter can have a blowout 2-week yacht party for 1M and he says absolutely not a dime over 500k and a max one week.
ANYHOO one just came up no doubt because of our convos today and her client was calling to complain that people were eating poolside. and they shouldn’t do that at a 5-star hotel. because… wait for it… it’s trashy. and the client had to call because she knew that Livi would want to know.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DYSwfXLwbqq/
I do! I was just debating whether to unfollow, honestly, because I followed her in the first place for her fun take on the behind the scenes of travel agent / demanding clients, and then she went viral and started posting a bunch of stuff about her OWN life…. which, while I’m happy for her, is boring to me. I don’t care about her meals at the Wynn or what she’s wearing or whatever. I’m there for the inside baseball and HNW drama.
Heh. I must be trashy because I love to eat by the pool.
Also I love the recurring story about the rich dad and the semi-estranged daughter! Notsomuch the Livi’s-personal-life content.