ByElizabeth Hours Updated
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Tuesday’s Workwear Report: Amaya Print Brighton Top

A woman wearing a black and white printed long sleeve blouse and blue jeans

Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

Even though my closet is overflowing with black-and-white tops, this one from Love the Label still caught my eye. It’s feminine, but not fussy; blousy, but not baggy; and overall, just what I’m looking for in a work top.

I would pair this with some dark denim for a very casual Friday (know your office, of course) or tuck it into a pencil skirt for something a little more formal.

The top is $245 at Tuckernuck and comes in sizes XS–L.

Sales of note for 12.13

  • Nordstrom – Beauty deals on skincare including Charlotte Tilbury, Living Proof, Dyson, Shark Pro, and gift sets!
  • Ann Taylor – 50% off everything, including new arrivals (order via standard shipping for 12/23 expected delivery)
  • Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything + extra 20% off
  • Eloquii – 400+ styles starting at $19
  • J.Crew – Up to 60% off almost everything + free shipping (12/13 only)
  • J.Crew Factory – 50% off everything and free shipping, no minimum
  • Macy's – $30 off every $150 beauty purchase on top brands
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off, plus free shipping on everything (and 20% off your first order)
  • Talbots – 50% off entire purchase, and free shipping on $99+

250 Comments

  1. Good morning! Still working, but my mind is already on winter break…to that end, I’d love to hear any tips for Winter Park and Fraser, CO restaurants, activities, etc. Our family will primarily be there to ski, but of course we’ll need to eat, and I’m guessing the kids will appreciate non-skiing activities. Thanks!

    1. We just did this exact trip a few years ago. For a non skiing day, the Devil’s Thumb Ranch in nearby Grandby is magical. We ate lunch there then did horseback riding and a sleigh ride. This was immediately prior to COVID so you just will want to check to make sure non guests can still do this and make reservations if needed. Have fun!

    2. We’ve stayed in that area 3x and are going back this winter.
      -There’s a tubing hill near the mountain
      -Devil’s Thumb ranch is gorgeous and offers cross-country skiing and also other things like sleigh rides, though since Covid I think some of the activities may be limited to guests only so you’ll have to check their s-te

      Food-
      -There’s a really fun happy hour and music apres scene (family friendly) at one of the Winter Park cafeterias – the gondola ride is free even if you didn’t ski that day, as of 2021
      -The Safeway in Fraser is a great place to stock up on snacks, bevs, etc. for your room or condo
      -Tabernash Tavern is cute for a more upscale dinner
      -In general the further you get from the main drag in Winter Park the better food you get for your $. But we thought Hernando’s pizza was good. tbh anything tastes good after all that activity in a day!

      1. One note on shopping – we learned after our first trip that unsurprisingly the groceries are noticeably less expensive in Denver than once you’re in the mountains. So we now do a mobile order for a grocery store near the highway and grab stuff on the way from the airport! That Safeway is still good for supplementing, though.

    3. Devil’s Thumb Ranch is amazing, but as of last ski season, they didn’t let non-guests do any activities OR eat at the restaurants (with the exception of the tiny cafe). I’d recommend Fontenot’s, Deno’s, & The Ditch in Winter Park and Azteca Mexican or Sharky’s in Fraser. Brickhouse 40 and Maverick in Granby are also good. On the mountain, we love Lunch Rock, Snoasis, and the waffle shacks (there’s one at the base, one in the little village by the base, and I think one on the mountain too but they sometimes switch it year to year). We also like Derailer bar at the base.

      For activities, the rec center in Fraser is lovely- it has a big slide and a lazy river and you can buy day passes for a break from the mountain. There are great trails for snowshoeing, too. Enjoy!

  2. I I enjoy cutting out cookies using cookie cutters, and decorating them every December. But I’m not a huge fan of the rolled sugar cookie recipe that’s traditionally used in my family. Does anyone have recommendations for a cookie recipe that requires/allows the dough to be rolled out so that we can still use the cookie cutters? I’d like to try a new recipe this year.

      1. Those SK brownie rollout cookies are the best and I was literally scrolling down to suggest them!

        1. Do you like those chocolate ice cream sandwich cookies? These are like the gourmet version of that. I make them a bit thicker than called for and bake only until soft rather than crunchy or crisp.

    2. I like the Sally’s baking addiction roll out sugar cookies- and use the almond extract.

      4. I feel like a Debbie Downer, but be careful about real almond extract in sugar cookies and allergies – it’s not something people would expect to find nuts in, so they might not be careful about asking. I love the flavor, so use artificial almond extract since my niece has a nut allergy.

        1. If someone with a tree nut allergy is not being careful enough to ask about extracts then what happens is on them because bakers cannot read minds to know who is allergic to what…

        2. Isn’t that the responsibility of the people with the allergies to ask? Comments like this are why I don’t share my cooking and baking.

          1. +1. I cannot accommodate everyone’s needs, which are often contradictory if you’re making something for a crowd. Eat it, or don’t.

        3. Oh wow, thanks for this. I love almond extract and honestly a nut allergy would never have occurred to me.

          1. The onus is on the person with the allergy to ask, not on you to change what you love based on some hypothetical person.

    6. Baker bettie molasses free gingerbread is our go to. It’s more like a spiced sugar cookie, but its not difficult and has really nice flavor.

    7. 101 Cookbooks Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies. More of a grown up cookie—buttery with a hint of salt instead of just sugary.

    8. Gingerbread is easy if you like that.
      Check pinterest, though, there are thousands of recipes for rolled cookies on there…

    9. I am loyal to my ancestral family sugar cookie recipe but I enjoy the Pancake Princess’ bakeoff comparisons: https://www.thepancakeprincess.com/2017/12/20/best-sugar-cookie-bake-off/

      My family’s recipe is as follows:
      4 cups sifted cake flour (I always use all-purpose and never sift)
      2 1/2 tsp baking powder
      1/2 tsp salt
      2/3 cups Butter softened
      1 1/2 c sugar
      2 eggs
      1 tsp vanilla
      4 tsp. milk
      Cream butter and sugar and vanilla, beat in eggs one at a time (why do recipes always say this? Does it actually matter? Live dangerously!). Stir together (or sift together if you are not so lazy as I) flour, salt, and baking powder. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture about a cup at a time alternating with milk, beating just until well mixed. You may not need all of the milk. Chill thoroughly and work with 1/4 – 1/3 of the dough at a time. Roll out on well-floured surface, cut, and put on parchment-lined cookie sheet. If you don’t have parchment, grease the pan.

      We usually decorate before baking instead of frosting after (again, lazy) – brush each raw cookie with milk or egg wash, then sprinkle with color sugar, red hots, and/or sprinkles. The other advantage of decoarating before baking is that I worry less about my child constantly licking his fingers while he is making cookies and transferring his germs to the cookies – the germs get baked.

      Then bake at 375. Baking time varies depending on how thin they are, check at 7 min. I like these rolled thinner and cooked until golden brown, but my SIL prefers thicker and paler. Remove immediately from sheet to cool.

      1. I highly prefer the taste and texture of cookies with baked-on decorations like sparkly sugar or sprinkles. So I am here for your “lazy”

      1. I love this! Honest question, I have a NYT subscription but I find I have trouble finding quirky articles like this on my own. When I go to the front page it’s all politics, war, etc etc when what I really care about is fun articles like this one. How do you find them?

        1. Not op, but I saw this on the front page this morning. You just have to scroll all the way down. Or go directly to the lifestyle sections.

    11. Simple shortbread
      1 lb butter
      1 c icing sugar
      1 c cornstarch
      4 c flour

      Beat together. Chill til firm and roll out. Bake until barely golden brown (12ish min).

  3. Does anyone have one of those candle warmer things that you can use in lieu of lighting a candle? Do they work well?

    2. I use one that is meant to keep your mug of coffee warm (it’s an Mr Coffee) and it works really well for candles.

    3. Yes, I have the cozyberry one from Am*zon, and I LOVE it. It works so well, I get lots of compliments on how it looks, and I don’t have to worry about inhaling fumes or accidentally burning the house down.

    4. Yes, I have one and I love it! I have a cat and this way I don’t worry about her accidentally knocking over a lit candle.

  4. I’m on holiday from 2:30 tomorrow and before I go, I need to finish checking 300 essays for the use of AI. This is the most dispiriting way to spend the end of the semester…

      1. If only!! But universities haven’t kept pace yet, so there’s just me, sitting here looking for essays which are too good for a 17-year-old to write.

        1. It’s good you are watching and not automating. I work in marketing, and I’ve been reading horror stories about how inaccurate the AI checkers are. I’d rather miss an instance of AI than to falsely accuse.

        2. Is that really the test – that the paper Is “too good”? It doesn’t strike me that AI’s tell is that it is superior
          Also, I got falsely accused of plagiarism a few times in my high school and college credit and it was pretty frustrating. .It was actually a reflection of how good my writing and research instruction had been and how much I wanted to impress my teachers. Not saying you will do that, of course. Just an anecdote.

          1. Same. I had to make a public scene when my college English prof accused me of plagiarism for turning in a paper that he deemed “too technical” for a college student to write. It was literally a lab write up I drafted during one of my STEM major classes the prior semester.

          2. I think that is the initial red flag, but obviously you then look to confirm the suspicion. I was proofreading a junior colleague’s work and got pretty suspicious that certain phrases were ‘too good’ for his grasp of English (and at the same time, the chain of logical arguments was quite disjointed and in contrast to the good command of language).
            I started googling a few sentences and figured out that the piece was entirely pasted together from 5 or 6 source documents.

          3. What I turned in did not have all the many errors in this post. What even? Clearly I did not proof and the phone keyboard was not my friend this morning

        4. Ugh, I hate the ‘too good’ criteria. All through elementary school I had teachers accusing me of plagiarism with this smug f*cking look on their face only to realize during the parent/teacher reprimand that my addict parents did not write my papers, I was just a very smart parentified abused child.

          1. I was precocious as well, but there is a distinctive AI style of good, versus very smart even brilliant student good. Ask AI to write something for you and you’ll see what I mean.

            There’s definite due process. I recommend essays for review, if the exams officer agrees, we bring the student in to talk us through their essay, ask them some questions about their conclusions, and really listen to what they say. Students can have a pal or someone from the student union with them. Sometimes they make a compelling case, but normally they fess up. They can resubmit with a cap, and first-year marks aren’t counted in the final degree classification so it’s a learning moment rather than something with severe consequences.

            But I think it is important we catch it early. Do you want someone who has never bothered to learn the material in your workplace etc?

          2. This is a thing, sadly. Many abused kids throw themselves into school work to escape. Ask me how I know.

    2. Just out of curiousity, how do you check this? If it sounds too good, do you run prompts through ChatGPT and see if it spits out the same language or what?

      1. Students had the option of 1 of 4 questions, so I supplied my tutors (who did the bulk of the marking) with ChatGPT responses and we all read through them before marking. This gave us a feel for the AI text – very consistent, formal writing, specific phrases (everything is multifaceted, a tapestry, complex). American spelling is also a decent indicator, it’s unusual for Scottish students to use that spelling. Sometimes they are using paraphrasers – instead of using the word power, they use authority.

        But it’s not a perfect science, there are a few that I’ve referred that I’m 50/50 on, and others that seem AI to me, but I can’t find great evidence. It’s evolving as well, last week Google Bard would ID paragraphs that seemed human generated and those which seemed likely to be AI, and now it won’t.

        I’ve spent more time on marking/moderation this year than I have ever had before… even as a baby academic who was way more conscientious with my feedback. So it’s a nightmare all around. I’m not sure what we do … back to blue books? But 25% of students have anxiety diagnoses, so that doesn’t seem tenable.

        1. What? 25%? Is this typical? If everyone has something, is it really a diagnosis, or is it just the way people are?

        2. Blue books with unlimited time. I had a quantum physics exam wherein our time limit was the next exam that anyone in the class had. So we started at 1 pm and since a fellow student had a 9 am the next day, we had until 9 am. (We didn’t take all that time but you get the idea.)

          Strict honour codes are also a solution.

          1. Honor codes are a crock. They terrify honest students (see “too good” discussion above), and don’t deter the dishonest ones.

        3. I’ve seen some excellent pieces on applying AI as a learning tool. Have a student prompt ChatGPT for a few short essays, analyze what it does well and what the weaknesses are. I think you are in STEM, so there is also the simple thing of teaching that you need to fact check ChatGPT, because references might be invented. There were a few elegant examples that I don’t quite remember.

      2. Not the OPs but I just finished up a grad degree in CS where many of my classmates relied on it more than they should have. On group projects, I ended up doing a LOT more writing than I should have because what I was given to incorporate into final reports was so often obviously ChatGPT.
        If people enter the same prompt, they will get output that is too similar to be written by different humans. Even if they don’t enter the same prompt, the output has a certain intonation that’s obvious if you’re a native English speaker.
        For those of you in the corporate world, think of an overconfident male new grad and you get the idea. It’s sort of corporate-speak, VERY confident (even if it’s confidently wrong), and tends to restate the question or prompt over and over rather than getting to the point.
        There are also the really, really careless students who copy/paste the output and forget to remove the “As an AI language model” or whatever preface their bot uses. Those are the low-hanging fruit.

        1. It is corporate speaky :) You nailed it. I would also say it’s all veneer from the ones I’ve seen. The writing is very polished but hollow without any real insight or messaging or real personality. I’ve only seen it used in the workplace, but was struck by how generic it felt.

          1. Writing coding test questions in a way that chatGPT/copilot will get wrong, but a human who knows the material will be able to answer is actually kinda fun.

    3. I’m in the camp of so what if they did? If they fact checked and didn’t just turn in something lazy, using a tool like ChatGPT to refine language is where the world is going. This reminds me of professors who wouldn’t let us use westlaw in law school when it first came out.

      1. Yeah, I think academia has to find a way to use AI and evolve with the times instead of banning it.

        1. Academia is, actually, interested in evolving with the times. (I speak as someone in academia, in the classroom.) We’re not “banning” AI — we couldn’t if we tried, and AI isn’t anything new, either, just because it’s now in the news. What we’re going for is developing critical thinking as well as rhetorical skills, and it’s complex to teach how to use AI to enhance and not replace those. When you say “so long as they didn’t turn in something lazy” — that’s the key, and it’s really hard to assess sometimes.

          All to say: most academics I know are genuinely interested in helping students learn in a world where there are many impediments to learning. We’re not mustache-twisting disciplinarians who just want to root out plagiarism and have students use pencil and paper and no internet supports.

          1. Yep, and I’ve built AI into my upper-level courses. It’s really good at coding open-ended survey responses, etc. And I think using it responsibly is an important skill for students. But you need to learn those critical thinking and writing skills first, and you can’t do that without practice.

          2. Can you say more about how you’re using the models to code qualitative data? I’ve seen large language models used for clustering, and the results are sometimes OK and sometimes off. I am very skeptical about the ability of machine learning models to do really nuanced coding of qualitative data that generates new insights. Grounded theory was back in fashion a few years ago, and I would love to see a machine learning model attempt that.

      2. I think it depends on what you’re teaching and testing. If you’re testing writing as a skill, outsourcing the writing is clearly cheating.

        Like if you’re teaching calculus, it doesn’t matter much whether a student uses a phone calculator to do the arithmetic. But if you’re actually teaching arithmetic, that’s a cheat. An extreme example, but hopefully that makes sense.

      3. “Something lazy” is what this is 99% about. Refining language isn’t the issue (and isn’t new; students have been using tools for refining language for many years now).

  5. I am 45 and have now been spotting for TWO WEEKS STRAIGHT with occasional vague cramps. I assume this is normal perimenopause but just wanted to rant because it’s SO ANNOYING! Thanks, now I feel better. ;)

    1. Perimenopause is the ding-dong worst! 48 here and right in the heart of this crap.

    3. I am here, too. It really is the worst. I got my hair cut a couple days ago. The stylist said I had a bunch of baby hairs coming in and asked what I had changed. I told her I hope it’s from perimenopause because the rest of this is crap and I deserve something nice out of this.

    4. Ugh I hear you. I spotted daily for years.

      I do admit that with all the downsides menopause has had on my health and life… and there are a lot… It is wonderful not to have to worry about spotting anymore.

      Instead, you worry about cancer…. oh well…

    5. 47 and spotted for 3 weeks straight a few months ago and haven’t had a period since. It’s glorious!

  6. I’ve been using a powder bronzer but I would like to move to a cream formula in a stick. Any recommendations?

      1. I’ve seen that all over social media and I wonder if it lives up to the hype.

      2. I am late to this but my experience with Merit products is they do not stay on. They look great for about an hour.

      1. What a weird response where most posts on this board are looking for specific recommendations!
        OP, I like the NYX 2-in-1 highlight and contour sticks, and the ELF halo glow contour wand.

  7. Anyone have a good paella recipe? I’m hoping for one that reliably produces the crispy rice on the bottom.

  8. Eye makeup suggestions for very sensitive eyes? Normally I have just been wearing mascara but I’ll be going to some important business meetings for which I want to do a bit more. Fair skin and light colored eyes for what it’s worth.

    1. I would consider either a liquid eyeshadow, a cream eyeshadow, or an eyeshadow stick. YMMV, but my eyes get irritated when I use a traditional powder eyeshadow and specks of it become loose and end up in my eyes.

    2. I echo the suggestion to try cream or a stick. My other suggestion is to look for matte shades with no sparkle. I’ve found that if I wear shades with any shimmer or sparkle for more than one day in a row my eyes end up very irritated, so I tend to save those for special occasions. There are some great matte palettes out there if you do stick with powder. Also, a little eyeliner along the upper lid makes me feel much more polished. I’m also fair with light eyes and my favorite eyeliner is Clinique Quickliner Intense in Midnight. The blue works much better on me than black.

    3. I have sensitive eyes too, and they seem to be more sensitive the older I become. I mostly use cream eyeshadow sticks. The Laura mercier caviar sticks are often suggested. They are a good formulation and seem to stay put. I will add though that what makes them unique are some of the shades and colours.
      My favourite is the colour bed of roses shimmer as it brightens my eyes subtly (my eyes are light blue /gray green) but don’t find the other colours that unique or to have as much staying power. L’Oréal infallible eyeliners are just as good. I have a mini palette of Natasha denona shadows, and they stay on well without irritating my eyes. They are very soft, vibrant and the shimmery shades are powdery, so they may irritate some eyes, but I find they don’t bother me.
      The older I get, the more I find I have to be careful and clean my make up brushes after using them, throw away older makeup more often and replace, and remove eye makeup with micellar water, and then carefully cleanse with a cleanser.

        1. Yes to sticks. I personally like the Bobbi Brown ones but they’re very similar to the Laura Mercier. They’re longwear so you have a minute or so to manipulate them, but I honestly just put on one color and use a tapered brush to lightly sweep it smooth, using more or less a windshield wiper motion. My favorite BB colors are malted pink, nude beach, and golden pink (for a little sparkle.) But I like a neutral lid. If I’m going darker along the lash line or in the corner, Dusty Mauve is nice. I use Golden Bronze sometimes too.

          The brand has recently put together some double ended eye shadow sticks. I like that they’ve paired two colors on each that already work well together.

  9. Here’s a low stakes design question: I have two windows in my bathroom. I’m going to do cafe curtains that will cover up the bottom half so that light can still shine through the top. Would you also do a valance at the top?

    1. I would not; personally I think valances look dated. I love a cafe curtain covering half though!

      If you want the whole thing covered, I’d do some kind of shade.

      1. if valences look dated how do you cover the light blocking drop-down honeycomb shades at the top of the window?

        1. Get the shades that you can pull down from the top or from the middle of the window. Got mine from blinds dot com and they work great for covering either half or all of the window – your choice.

    3. Personally, I would not. I think that look is a little dated. I’m not sure the style of your house but I have a 100+ year old Dutch Colonial (craftsman-esque) home. In a few areas, in lieu of cafe curtains, I have fun stained glass window hangings that I’ve found in antique shops or flea markets. It lets tons of light in but allows for privacy. And it fits with the style of the house. Not sure that would work for you, or interest you, but it’s another option.

    5. No, that strikes me as very Country Cozy 80s or what my grandparents did in the 50s. Just the curtains or for a super clean look do the “adheres with water” privacy film instead of curtains at all.

      1. Agree, and for some reason, curtains in the bathroom gross me out. I want as little fabric as possible in a damp room.

    8. I have the privacy film that looks like stained glass on my bathroom windows, and it allows light to shine through without showing your business to the world. I highly recommend. Available at a ma zon.

    9. I have clear panes on the top and privacy glass on the bottom of a double hung window in my bathroom. I don’t want to add the sticky stuff to my upper window panes because I like seeing the tree outside the window when I want to. So now I have a little curtain that covers half the window. It’s like a cafe curtain but I have it positioned on the upper half. My bathroom is mainly white so the curtain is white and just doesn’t draw the eye to it much. I’ve decided I don’t care all that much – no one is taking design tours of my master bath – so I’m prioritizing being able to see the pretty tree & having some privacy when it’s dark outside and my bathroom lights are on – that seems like the exact use case for a curtain.

  10. Any recommendations for a nice beach resort-y hotel that doesn’t cost $$$$ on the East coast of Florida (closer to Orlando or Fort Lauderdale or anywhere in between would be awesome). Going to be there with my in laws so not looking for a party scene. No kids.

    1. Last month I stayed at the Kimpton Surfcomber in Miami with two friends and loved it. $350/night or so. It offered activities each day, and pool/beach service. Lots to see within walking distance. I flew into FLL. I’ll note that Thursday night was strangely loud at the hotel bar for some reason, but it must have been a one-off because Friday and Saturday nights were quiet.

      1. Love the Surfcomber, would totally work for this.

        Could it have been Art Basel events?

    2. I don’t have any specific recommendations, but the space coast area (Cocoa Beach/Melbourne areas) is only about an hour from Orlando and an easy drive from the airport (I have stayed at both the Hilton and the Doubletree on the beach in Melbourne Beach for work before; they were both fine but not what I would consider resort-y, and this was pre-Covid, so can’t vouch for recent status)

      1. Melbourne Beach is mostly homes with a couple of old motels, and there are not really any good restaurants. I am afraid to surf or go too far out in the water there because there are many sharks and no lifeguards. I love the miles and miles of clean, quiet beaches for walking, though.

    3. Singer Island (just north of Palm Beach) gets you a short drive from nice Palm Beach dining but not the crazy Breakers hotel prices, though not cheap as rates start around $500. What’s your budget?

      I would avoid the main Big Hotel Drag in Fort Lauderdale – although the hotels are what you’re asking for, it’s so densely populated that I get annoyed just walking the beach through it.

  11. Rant into the void: I have worked successfully in a male dominated industry for over 10 years and 99% of the time don’t have any issues, but today – UGHHHH. I’m so tired of men dropping the ball on anything hard, and then me having to chase them down and make them do their jobs. And then when they’ve dropped all the balls, I have to pick which one is most important and hand them one ball at a time, otherwise none of them will continue to be take care of.

    Idk maybe women do it too. I work with mostly men. And I’m tired of them today.

    1. This is a man thing. I used to work with a guy who would call me and ask me to email him files because he was too lazy to log in to the file server and find them. I have two graduate degrees and was his colleague, not his assistant. Another dude who ran a project I worked on early in my career told me it was my job to manage the whole project but make him think he was managing it.

      1. Ugh those type of admin requests are so annoying. And then it’s the mental juggling act of just emailing the files because it’s faster to do that or to have a whole conversation of how he needs to do it (and then explain to him how to do this simple thing). I will say that I’ve gotten really good at being “busy driving” when someone asks me to do admin tasks that they can do that aren’t my job :) (I drive to meetings a good amount so the excuse works well for me).

        1. Yup. I just. . . Ignore these requests from anyone my level or below. They somehow manage to find what they need without me 99% of the time!

      1. My situation is perhaps a little unique in that it’s a colleague at a different company who we are contractual partners with. Technically I’m his customer; it’s theoretically a symbiotic relationship.

        It depends on which rope we’re talking about (there are a myriad of different issues) but if I drop the rope, I’m the one who will take the reputation hit, not him, since I’m the one with the good reputation to actually take a hit and no one knows who he is. In another case, it’s my client who will take the financial loss. In another case, if he drops the rope I’ll be the one who has to figure out an entire event of training classes that he was suppose to show up for. I’m in the middle of him and outward facing clients in all of these situations, and care too much to let these things just crash and burn.

          1. A lot of the time I can look at it was normal coordination that is normal for the project management part of my role, but good lord all of these dropped balls lately are really getting annoying.

        2. None of those are great situations. In the cases where the person in question isn’t your client, can you reach out to his manager and provide some feedback? It might be tough to do for the person at a different company, but for the internal person it should be relatively easy. If this is the first time the person has dropped a ball for you but has otherwise been good to work with I’d probably just talk to the individual first to see what the heck happened before escalating to their boss (could have been some factors beyond his control that he failed to communicate to you), but if it’s not the first time I wouldn’t hesitate to escalate.

          1. I guess if OP really is the customer, she can always move her business. If you’re paying for something that isn’t meeting your expectations, voting with your wallet is the way to go.

  12. Hello! I’m planning a ladies trip (probably 8 of us, early 30s) to Charleston mid-September. I’m looking for all of the advice!
    1) Any recs for where to stay? Hoping to keep it under $500 a night but if there are any to-die for properties I’d be interested in at least hearing about them. One main criteria would be it needs to have some sort of bar or lounge area we can gather for drinks when we aren’t actively doing anything else. It seems like in addition to the ones near the French Quarter there are a bunch along the Ashley River that look pretty and are cheaper, but what’s the catch?
    2) Any recs on what to do? Activities, fun restaurants or bars, fun walks or hikes, festivals or unique experiences we should be looking out for? Museums? Would taking an Uber and back to a beach for a day be out of the question?

    Thank you in advance!!

    1. The Charleston Place Hotel, though it may not be under $500 a night in September. That’s a pretty popular time of year for Charleston.

    2. You could stay in Folly Beach. It is hurricane season. Beach traffic is less after Labor Day. Folly is a real suburban beach town, so it won’t be a ghost town in September the way it can be in other beach towns not next to cities (which Folly is). Very easy and short drive into Charleston.

    3. The Mills House is very nice, but not quite as expensive as Charleston Place (not quite as nice either, but very cute). It’s around the corner from Husk, which is Sean Brock’s restaurant. And a number of cute shops. Easy walking to the other areas.

    4. The Dewberry and the Charleston Place are both nice options. Not sure about pricing in September.

    5. We did a ghost walk at night, and it ended right around the block from Kaminsky’s Dessert Cafe. Fabulous desserts, and it is a bar as well, so we had cocktails to cap off the night. Honestly, one of the best evenings of the trip even though it was such a simple thing.

    6. For hotels, look at the Emeline – it’s very beautiful (a little Wes Anderson-y) and has a great courtyard in the middle that would be a good place for hanging out and lounging. The onsite restaurant is also pretty good and it is super close to the City Market and King Street. The Restoration is also really nice (and right on the main drag), but a much smaller footprint – although I recall it had a rooftop bar so you’d still have a lounging option.

      You’d be close enough to the beach for a nice afternoon – I was just in Isle of Palms and Uber’d into Charleston for an afternoon. For restaurants, The Obstinate Daughter is great (it’s on Sullivan Island) and Xiao Bao Biscuit is a favorite (get the okonomiyaki with the pork floss!!!!). And Callie’s is great for a quick snack while you’re browsing around King Street.

    7. Vendue or Bohemian hotels. I have loved both of them and both have bars and rooftop bars.

  13. Here’s an odd one – is there a way to keep sherpa fleece nice and fluffy? I have several throw blankets from lands end with super lux faux sherpa fleece on one side. I love these throws! However, the sherpa fleece on the older ones have sort of knotted together and hardened a bit. Is there a way to rehabilitate it or avoid this happening to the others?

      1. I will also add that they’ll still end up getting pilled no matter what. I hate fleece blankets for a lot of reasons, but a big one is that they’re destined for the landfill after a couple of years no matter how much you baby them.

        1. I agree that sherpa fleece doesn’t wear well, but I actually think that regular fleece blankets hold up really well. I have one I got for high school graduation 25 years ago that still looks practically new and a bunch that are 10-15 years old that have been washed tons of times and still look fine (we have cats, so we use them on all of our furniture to protect them from hair and general grossness).

    3. I put mine in the dryer on the lowest setting (or air fluff setting – no heat) with several dryer balls to bounce things around.

    4. Not really. All those little fibers standing up, which is what makes it feel soft, those fibers want to find each other and meet up. Same concept behind soft fuzzy sweaters that pull.

  14. Retin users: I have an retin RX from my derm, but every time I use it I peel so badly I can hardly wear makeup. I have tried using it less often or using less product, but I still have this problem. What am I doing wrong? Currently I use it about once every 2 weeks, and use a pea size amount for the entire face.

    2. Have you tried buffering it with moisturizer under?

      That’s why I really like mh Curology prescription. They start with a very low strength and you can build up to a higher strength over time. That’s harder to do with standard prescription strengths.

      One option is retin A Micro which is supposed to be easier to acclimate to. I’d talk to your derm and see what advice she has.

    4. Apply an even smaller amount of cream, wait a minute, and then layer on a very heavy moisturizer.

    5. I don’t think this product is for you.

      IDK, I’m on a crusade against anti-aging products that actually make our skin worse and more painful. Currently dealing with a skin issue that was caused by even a mild anti-aging product that gets rave reviews. Done with it all. Going back to basics.

      1. I use retinaldehyde or hydroxypinacolone retinoate at this point; I’m done trying to make the harsh prescriptions work even if they’re cheaper.

    6. Mix with really basic moisturizer to water it down or get a lower percentage concentration.

    7. I had this problem, and have sensitive skin.
      Tell your dermatologist. She prescribed it. She will have recommendations.

      What concentration are you using? You may need to start with a lower concentration.

      Cream retin-A formulations can be better than gel for us. Gel was too concentrated/irritating.

      And finally, wash face at night. Let it dry completely.
      Then cover face with moisturizer. Let it sink in.
      Brush your teeth, whaterever… to let skin settle.
      Then use a pea sized small amount of retin-A spread uniformly over the face.

      When I started, I only used retin-A once every couple weeks for 2 months, using the protocol above. Then increased to once a week for a month or two. Then a couple times a week etc….

      Use retin-A only at night.
      Wash face twice a day with mild cleanser like Cetaphil, followed by mild moisturizer.
      Good sunblock daily on top, avoid sun.

    8. Ditto the routine advice of 12:12 poster. I also started with a low concentration (.025%), then moved to .05, then .1, to help my skin adjust. Use only a pea sized amount, over moisturizer, and add another layer of moisturizer over if needed. You can also use less frequently, and apply a heavier moisturizer the day after you use. I like the Farmacy Honey Halo for using once a week or whenever I feel like I’m drying out.

    9. I had absolutely terrible peeling for the first 2-3 weeks [used only a tiny dot of 0.05% on whole face after I have applied thick layer of a moisturizer – Cerave – and Aquaphor, used it only every 2nd or 3rd day] and then it stopped. During the first weeks, it was nearly impossible to wear make-up, as I had skin peeling off my face during the day…. was fun. Your journey may be different.
      For my adult acne and wrinkle/skin aging prevention, it did the job and those 2-3 weeks were well worth it.

    10. Make sure your face is completely dry and moisturizer has sunk in for at least a few minutes before using the rx cream. I have used it for years (adult acne) and am on the highest concentration without any irritation, but if I apply the cream when my face is a tiny bit damp my skin gets really irritated.

    11. I use The Seated Queen Miracle Oil on the areas that tend to peel and it has worked wonders.

  15. What brands should I look at as a 40ish person who is having body shape changes that are likely a combo of age, menopause approaching, and decades at a desk job. My usual mall brands are holdovers from my more budget-driven days but these items were workhorses for me in a formal and then business-casual and then casual office (but even still, as I became older / more senior, being very casual like my new co-workers isn’t what I should do in my role because I have meetings frequently, so I’m business-casual but can be creative with that even though I’m in finance). I can’t just size up — I need stores that cut for more room in the mid-section (but I still wear a petite jacket and have no chest yet). Chicos and Talbots seem to aim for a Medicare-eligible buyer, and that’s not me yet. What is in between for workwear? Everyone says that The Fold is nice, but I worry that it’s too straight up and down for me (and I could never wear Theory — same issue there). The answer used to be St. John when I was starting out, but I feel that that isn’t a current look. Help! I am going to devote a day to going to the mall (has N-M, Nordstrom, a St. John Boutique, Anthro, AT; BR has closed and there is only one left in my city, but that could be an option). JCrew and JCF and BRF also exist here.

    2. Truly we cannot solve your body issues for you! Plenty of us are out here wearing Talbots and we aren’t geriatric. Ann Taylor. JCrew. There isn’t a hidden reserve of stores for the woman or women who are constantly posting on here these rambling missives about their bodies changing. It comes to us all, you have to try stuff on.

      1. I wish my local store stocked what is in the catalog. It’s hard b/c it’s a stand-alone store, so another trip to make, and then I can’t actually try on things. I think it rocks the plus-petite market like no one else, but it’s hard for me to shop there. Maybe in bigger cities this isn’t an issue, but my smaller city’s one doesn’t cater to working women.

        1. My smaller city also lacks options for working women. It is what it is. I either order a bunch of things (which is a pain, granted) or make a longer trek to a larger city that has a few more options.

          1. Not the OP, but often stores don’t carry the full size range and also trend toward the casual clothes while the full line does include work wear, just not in stores.

        3. So I agree that inventory is low in-store, but what stores are great for is getting a sense of fit. Like I have tried on Theory’s pants in 4 sizes over the years and confirmed that I would need a decent-sized tailoring budget for them at any weight or age, so I just don’t bother with the brand.

          Conversely you can find out which cut of JCrew pants works for you, even if they only have 1-2 colors in store or only the cropped version vs. the full length, and then forego mail-order roul-tt- by sticking to the cuts you know work for you.

          1. I feel like some brands have “a cut” and some have many different cuts and different types of pants (skinnies) have options only for those options, especially for curvy cuts. It can be really maddening — suiting pants in suiting fabrics seem to be on their own patterns. Even different fabrics have different fits. Like I have different synthetic pants from J. Crew in an 8 and a 10 and then dresses in a 6, all bought from the store / mail order combo last year. What I hate is that if I ordered a 10 and it was too big, then I’d try an 8 but I’d never order a 6-8-10 in an item (and often with jackets, I want to try the petite as well as the regular). I hate losing a Saturday to return in store on the off chance that they stock the items in different sizes (otherwise, I’d return by mail).

          2. This! Even if all my local Talbots has is full on plantation grandma t’s and pants with embroidery on them, the catalogue has all the other options. The Hampshire or Chatham pant fits the same whether it’s the version with embroidered lobsters on them or plain Navy.
            Signed,
            Been wearing Talbots since my 20s and wish they’d make my age Medicare eligible. M4A :-)

          3. @12:44- that’s what I mean by “which cut” – you try on all the styles available to see which ones suit, which ones run big or small, etc.

        4. I feel like Talbots in notorious for this. I rely on them for workwear basics, as well as my-body-friendly versions of some trendy-ish items, and would love to shop in store, but the stores near me are all the wacky appliqued sweaters and pink track suits and things I don’t give a second glace to in the catalog. Luckily their sizing seems to be pretty consistent, so I can rely on things I order in my size fitting.

    4. Same issue here, and most of my work wardrobe comes from Ann Taylor, BR Factory, and JCF. Tops aren’t too tough; it’s pants that are hard to fit. Talbots has some nicer stuff on the website than in-store, which skews VERY geriatric.

    5. Talbots really isn’t for Medicare-eligible. Yes, they invariably produce a sweater or top every season that screams “early 1990s elementary school teacher” with some cutesy graphic across the front, but other than that, I wear mostly Talbots and (vintage, 5+ years old) J.Crew and am a put-together 42 year old.

      1. I would say the same thing about J Jill and to some extent, the much-maligned Chico’s. You need to be a bit careful and stick to solids rather than prints, but they have some good, gut-friendly stuff.

        The one thing I don’t love about stores aimed at the older woman is that they seem to skew towards those sort of midrange pastel colors – like coral and periwinkle – and I hate those colors and they look terrible on me.

        1. I have a couple of pairs of Chico’s pants and when I put them back in rotation recently, I was surprised at how much more flattering they were than the Uniqlo pants I had been wearing to work (47yo apple-shaped office worker). When I go into Chico’s I stick to solids and concentrate on the front of the store where they tend to have the “trendier” stuff/more neutral colors. My 15yo is not super into fashion, but I wore a Chico’s shirt (plain, dark green, slightly puffy sleeves) around her recently and she was like, “oooooh, I like THIS!” which is her way of putting me on notice that she may try and “borrow” it to wear.

      2. Same. I am 40 and wear a lot of Talbots. I don’t like everything in the store, but they have a lot of solid choices and their clothes are better quality than other mall brands.

      3. I went into Talbots recently with my mom and was surprised by how cute some of the stuff was! If you have a preppy style, that is.

    6. Even though you don’t want a total Talbots look, I’d still advise them for your work pants.

      1. Thanks — this is totally helpful. I shopped there a ton when we wore suits and they were great for them, but then my local store started stocking only things for (IMO) retirees. Some of the athleisure and some cute things for lunches with friends. But my mom finds pieces in the store. I used to (they were awesome for post-partum washable pants I could wear to work), but now it’s a place I return things to (dresses; will try pants again). I loved it because I could get a petite jacket in many items with regular pants. Then they renamed everything and I got tired of either everything on the website being sold out or trying a million sizes only to return it all.

    7. As a similar-aged pear-hourglass, I still have good luck at JCrew (and still have pieces from a decade ago in the rotation!), but have added Vince and rag & bone as pants manufacturers that fit my hips without tailoring. AG also for jeans. Boss is good for power outfits. NM in particular has fantastic sales the day after Christmas so you might get some ‘lucky size extra % off sale price’ discounts on higher-end pieces.

      If you want upscale-business-casual-polish I would skip the factory stores. That stuff is made to be sold for $10 and always looks just fine for the first wear but becomes a misshapen pilly mess shortly after.

      1. Yes to Vince. I find the pants and tops have a bit more generous cut to them, perfect for this menopause body.

    8. Eileen Fisher. Lean into gorgeous fabrics and textures. You don’t have to buy the boxiest stuff. There are always winners in there.

      1. +1

        There is a reason it is so popular.
        agree that lux fabrics with food drape are key.

    10. I’m in this phase of life, struggling since 2020 (but hiding it in WFH athleisure). It’s truly a fashion issue (for me). I can find all the athleisure and casual items I want, but work clothes for my preferred style is a steep learning curve for me. Dresses? Pants? Struggle bus. Jackets and tops and sweaters have been easy or I am just in what I was in before since it’s a southern-hemisphere issue for me. Not to mention, stores doesn’t have clothes in stores the way they used to — it’s all trial and error via mail order.

      1. i am in a similar spot. i have had some luck with some of these online only type places (quince, everlane). the stuff is basic and a little utilitarian for my taste but the quality is much better than what i am seeing at mall stores and you can order multiples sizes and send back. Also, depending on where you live, I try to walk through the small little independent stores in the fancy towns near me. the stuff isn’t cheap but i find things that 3 other people in my office don’t have which is nice too.

    11. It’s a real challenge (and ignore the people poo-pooing you!) there seems to be nothing between Ariana Grande and Hillary Clinton Realness. I’m 45 and I struggle to find things that feel polished but not matronly, that fit and flatter, and that are readily available.
      My brands I recommend:
      Boden–polished casual with a slightly twee vibe
      J. Jill–simple cottagecore ish stuff
      Soft Surroundings–slightly casual but very, very pretty stuff
      Johnny Was
      XCVI–funky artsy slightly athletic focused
      Tanya Taylor for pretty dresses
      Eliza J. for work and event dresses
      Vince
      Lafayette 148–gorgeous pieces, can be a touch mumsy or stuffy at times
      Nic and Zoe for sweaters/knits
      COS–interesting Euro-chic artsy wear, surprisingly high quality for price
      Scotch and Soda–runs small but there’s some fun funky prints to mix it up and keep it youthful/trendy
      Karen Kane and Karen Millen (latter is a British brand)
      TOAST–lovely easy, simple cottage-core ish pieces
      Modern Citizen
      Everlane
      Sezane, Reformation, Christy Dawn, etc–maybe some blouses or sweaters there
      Frame
      James Perse
      Eileen Fisher–Japanese work-wear inspired pieces, runs boxy and oversized
      Flax, CMC/color me cotton, CP Shades–casual linen and knit pieces, but in a monochrome look for a casual office in summer, they could work
      Citron Santa Monica has stunning Asian-inspired silk pieces, very chic and artsy

  16. Hi folks. With the holiday/end of year coming up, my spouse, kids, and I are off work and school for about two weeks. What are some easy, cozy, set-it-and-forget-it meals that you break out during times like these? Bonus if they can feed larger groups, as we often have friends over at the last minute or there will be extra kids floating around our house on random days. I’m feeling uninspired in the kitchen outside of your standard holiday fare and would love your ideas!

    1. I really like a dal tadka, I make it on the stovetop but it would be a good instant pot meal. Lentil soup also freezes well.

      1. I was coming here to suggest slow cooker BBQ but with chicken thighs because they don’t dry out in the slow cooker. 6 hours on low.

    4. I like doing beef stew, chicken fricasse, or baked pasta dishes this time of year – smitten kitchen 5 cheese pasta bake is a favorite. I’ll also throw chicken breasts or a pork loin in the slow cooker with some liquid and spices and then shred the meat to put on top of sandwiches/in quesadillas/in bowls -I’ll use salsa for mexican bowls, sweet and sour bbq sauce cut with broth for sliders, tikka masala sauce for Indian, etc.

    5. Make a big roast beef or a turkey or a spiral cut ham. Get some nice rolls and condiments or pickles, and make a quick red onion pickle. I think of this as Things in Jars – all the nice olives you usually don’t buy, maybe a tapenade, a nice pesto or marinated mushrooms, artichoke hearts. Nice mixed nuts. Tangerines. Food that keeps well and is easy to snack on whenever. Some nice cheeses would not go amiss.

      This time of year I usually have some sort of leftover pasta in the fridge. My kids have always loved American goulash (it’s like DIY hamburger helper, a popular reservation meal from my mom’s side), some sort of pasta in red sauce or a pasta salad. Agree with the rec for Mac n cheese.

    7. These aren’t really set it and forget it, but when we are all home all day I like to make things that take more time that are hard for me to do during the busy workweek. This year I plan on making lasagna with homemade red sauce that needs to simmer for a couple hours and homemade noodles. And then a chicken pot pie with a chicken that I roast and homemade crust.

    8. I’d be picking up a roast turkey breast and a ham from Costco or similar. They’re great to have on hand for sandwiches and also lend themselves to simple crockpot stews (I use ham in split pea soup and in caldo verde, turkey in “chicken noodle soup” and in chile verde). When i don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking, I use a lot of ground beef or beef stew meat for similar soups and stews.

  17. I have some time off at the holidays and will not be traveling. I’m looking forward to some downtime at home, but I also think I might go a little stir-crazy without something planned. Any ideas for winter staycation activities? Unfortunately, looks like no snow for us, as it’s unseasonably warm here (40s instead of 20s and 30s).

    1. I have off next week, too. I plan to hike every day unless it is pouring rain, do a few yoga/pilates classes, visit an exhibit I want to see, get a haircut, read and sleep late all week long. Oh, and clean off my desk at home.

    2. Are there any small towns that get really into Christmas in your region? There are a few in my state and I plan to go this year because it is also unseasonably warm in my neck of the woods. I can’t enjoy myself for too long when it is 20 degrees outside, but I can handle it this year!

      I am also inviting people over for extremely casual hangout sessions. Eating, blabbing, wearing sweatpants and leggings.

    3. Ugh, I’m in the same boat. I absolutely hate a staycation but our plans to ski are getting thwarted by weather. We’re also COVID cautious and are hearing about TONS of cases in our area (8 and counting from my office holiday party…) so will be avoiding a few of the other indoor opportunities we had in mind. Would love some new ideas!

      1. Partner attended a number of outdoor holiday events last week (without me) and always wore a KN95. Partner is currently in isolation (C+) and I am testing frequently.

    4. what area of the country are you in? ice skating, mani/pedi, massage, driving around to see holiday lights, museum, a hike

    5. I would LOVE to not travel at Christmas.

      I’d see if any bars in my area had special Christmas cocktails, or find bakeries with special holiday sweets. Maybe some restaurants have a special holiday takeout dinner – I’d get one and eat it while watching something fun.

      I’d also try baking something new to me. Maybe I’d do some cleaning. I’d also be sure to go on walks, maybe find some local holiday light shows, and just get out of the house. Cold doesn’t really bother me that much, so I’d be out as long as it isn’t raining.

      Sigh…. Maybe someday I’ll get to stay home for the holidays.

      1. Believe me, I’m grateful for the time at home! I just don’t want to fritter it away, then go back to work feeling like I wasted my break.

    6. If you like to cook or bake, take the time to try something new or something time-consuming?

  18. So it looks like ime hosting Christmas Eve ( dinner but not seated for 14 adults and 4 kids) Christmas Day (all day pajama snugglefest with just the kids and our parents) and New Year’s Eve (low key champagne and appetizers and pizza for the kids.) I’m happy to host because I have a toddler and we’re all allergic to everyone’s pets. Can you all suggest any favorite foods or traditions? im all ears thanks!

    1. I would suggest not trying to reinvent the wheel, especially if it’s your first time hosting. Pick a couple favorite foods from your and your spouse’s holiday meals and same for traditions. If everyone loved roast beef but were meh on ham, you’re serving roast beef and not bothering with ham, etc. Then figure out where you need to add balance, like if everything is heavy and rich, add a big green salad. The Christmas day snugglefest could be a great time to start a new tradition around breakfast (e.g., homemade cinnamon rolls) or some kind of volunteering event.

    2. for Christmas day breakfast/brunch you want to do something easy – store bought is (gasp) ok. make ahead egg bake, cinnamon buns, french toast casserole, bagels and cream cheese, etc.

    3. What sort of Christmas Eve are you looking for? Casual and kid friendly? Something that feels indulgent? Something easy to serve from a buffet?

      My family usually does a fancy Christmas Eve – lamb, filet, surf & turf. While this isn’t necessarily the most non-seated friendly, it’s nice to have a really nice meal to look forward to. Before we did this, we had a larger whole extended family gathering, which was more heavy finger foods and then an entree that was easy to grab when you wanted it. Examples for this could be a hot sandwich served from a crockpot (pulled pork, roast beef, hot turkey, meatballs) + rolls + toppings. Other options could be a taco or burrito bowl bar, chili bar, or baked pasta (like ziti or lasagne) in the foil trays. I’d pair this with a salad and if wanted, meat balls or sausage. I’d do a lot of apps too: a few frozen hot apps or dips, salsa + chips, veggies + ranch, shrimp cocktail, stuffed mushrooms, whatever your family likes.

      For Christmas Day, I’d do something savory for breakfast (+ mimosas for adults) like a baked French toast, baked oatmeal + fruit, or cinnamon rolls. Alternatively, a bagel spread (bagels, toppings like butter, cream cheese, jam, and lox + toppings (onions, tomatoes, capers). For the afternoon / evening, I would probably do heavy apps and / or leftovers from last night. YMMV, but after an all-day snuggle fest I wouldn’t want to have to do a lot of prep for dinner. Or, if you’re not breakfast’d out, I’d do breakfast for dinner with fun pancakes or quiche / strata.

      For NYE, I’d do something similar to NYE: lots of apps (anything listed above, or whatever you like) + something that’s easy but more filling – especially if people are planning on staying to midnight (not sure if guests also have toddlers they need to get to bed).

      I love, love, love apps and often host things that are just heavy apps. I usually do 1-2 hot dips (buffalo chicken, crab dip, spinach + artichoke), 1 cheese dip (whipped feta, whipped ricotta, pimento cheese), cheese & charcuterie board with all of the fixings, veggies + ranch (or dip of choice), and a few hot apps (stuffed mushrooms, mini quiches, pigs in a blanket, dumplings – once again, whatever you like!).

    4. We started doing chocolate fondue for New Years Eve with our kids. It’s low-key, if a bit messy when there are kids involved, but it’s been a fun tradition!

    5. I started making homemade egg nog recently, and it is fantastic. I like the cook-on-the stove and add beaten egg whites at the end version.

    6. For Christmas Eve, my family adopted the Mexican tradition of tamales when living in Texas. We buy them premade; they are a lot of work to make. My parents are still ordering theirs from Hot Damn Tamales in Fort Worth but I get them from a Mexican grocery in my neighborhood in NYC. It’s super easy and delicious.

      1. PS – our Christmas breakfast tradition is Pillsbury cinnamon rolls from a can. Kids can make them.

  19. I’m looking for my perfect weekly planner. It is only for work, and I use it primarily for my to-do lists, as Outlook is my master. I do not want anything cutesy. I do not want a bunch of sections for meal planning or goal setting or wins or hydration goals or whatever. I have been using an undated notebook, which is fine, but I would prefer something dated. Any ideas?

    4. I use the Moleskin daily planner. One page per day. It’s exactly what you describe, it’s perfect for making lists.

    5. Years ago I created a template for my own planner and I just make a new one every year in a binder. It is hyper personalized with daily, weekly, and monthly checklists that can all be added to, lists of things that need to happen quarterly, semiannually, and yearly, which get assigned to a date, and the daily pages allow for me to make a daily schedule for each day. It was work but it was worth it.

    7. Classic Moleskin Weekly Planner: weekly calendar on the left side, lined paper on the right side.

    9. Shinola Runwell planner. I live and die by my paper planners so I like having one that’s hard-bound

  20. “they” are showing short jeans (like right above the ankle bone). That said, said jeans are on models who are 5’10” and when i try the same jeans on they aren’t short on me at all. I’m not a petite, i’m just not tall (i’m about 5’6″). Is there a brand that sells by length? like men’s jeans?

      1. Not in the same style. There will be ankle jeans and full-length jeans but they are always different styles. Some mall brands have multiple lengths but they are petite/regular/tall and affect rise and knee placement, not just inseam. Someone who is 5’6″ won’t be able to wear petite jeans.

        1. This is objectively untrue. Some brands do sell single styles in multiple inseams. (See, e.g., the obscure niche brand Levis)

        2. Gap will do Regular and Long lengths, and then Talls separately. And lists the inseam measurements for each of those lengths as well.

    3. Most brands have inseam lengths in addition to a number size or waist measurement.

    4. Old Navy (which has my favorite jeans) has jeans offered in short, regular, and tall lengths

  21. Do you wise women have a financial literacy book that you would highly recommend? Husband and I are from different backgrounds but have a level of ignorance in common when it comes to money. I would love to read the same book and get on the same page. Something like Dave Ramsey but less daytime-talk-show-host vibes.

    1. honestly – the reddit r / personalfinance forum has a “prime directive” that I think is great to start from a very-beginning perspective. It’s a flow chart of priorities and how you should be building your money usage from the bottom up. the personalfinance wiki (can be found on the forum) is also a great ‘basics’ place.

    2. Anything by Michele Singletary (WaPost money columnist; she is also a delight to listen to and has some podcasts).

    3. I’d say Suze Orman for planing and investing, Gail Vaz Oxlade for spending.

    4. I will teach you to be rich je very popular, and I think is well suited to situations like yours where you have different backgrounds.

    5. Tori Dunlap just came out with a book – Financial Feminist. I haven’t read it, but I’ve learned so much from her, as someone who grew up working class, with 0 financial literacy other than being told credit cards/debt are evil.

  22. I always liked “Get a Financial Life” by Kobliner but I’m sure others will recommend Ramit Sethi, YNAB, or You’re a Badass at Making Money

  23. does anyone have a recommendation for an NYC based bakery that can do custom iced sugar cookies to give as party favors for a shower? Thanks!

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