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I was browsing through Petal & Pup recently, which is a new store to me, and saw that they had some great Billini booties in their bestsellers. They were a short heel but looked really modern and cute, yet walkable — but they only had them in beige, which looked a bit too casual for work (to my eye, at least).
I started looking at the brand Billini, also new to me, and found these cute beige knee-high boots — I really like the size of the heel. I think beige boots are an underrated trend for fall. I think ideally you want to go just one shade darker than your skin, so they still have a leg lengthening look but you don't look barefoot walking down the office hallway.
The pictured boots are $95 at HelloMolly, available in sizes 5-10. Nordstrom has a very similar boot from the same brand, but with a skinnier heel, for $110.
Sales of note for 8.30.24
- Nordstrom – Summer Sale, save up to 60%
- Ann Taylor – 30% off full-price purchase; $99 jackets, dresses & shoes; extra 50% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything + extra 20% off
- Bergdorf Goodman – Final Days Designer Sale, up to 75% off; extra 20% off sale
- Boden – 20% off
- Brooks Brothers – Extra 25% off clearance
- Eloquii – Up to 60% off everything; extra 60% off all sale
- J.Crew – 40% off sitewide; extra 60% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – Extra 20% off orders $125+; extra 60% off clearance; 60%-70% off 100s of styles
- Lo & Sons – Summer sale, up to 50% off (ends 9/2)
- Madewell – Extra 40% off sale; extra 50% off select denim; 25% off fall essentials
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Rothy's – End of season sale, up to 50% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear in the big sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 25% off regular-price purchase; 70% off clearance
- White House Black Market – Up to 70% off sale
Jane
Travel tips and recos please, since y’all always have the best ones. Going to be in Geneva mid november. I have found it to be a really boring city in my previous work visits and wonder if there are tips to make it more interesting especially that time of the year!
Anon88
Do you have time to get out of the city? I looooved Chamonix and it was a quick hour shuttle ride there. Chamonix has the incredible Aiguille du Midi cable car that takes you to 12,000 ft of elevation with spectacular views of Mount Blanc and the Mer de Glace glacier. In the other direction you can take the train to Chillion castle which is well worth the trip as well.
marise
Lausanne and Ouchy are also very pretty walking towns. A quick 20 minute train ride from Geneva.
Anon
How do you pronounce Ouchy?
Anon
Asking the real questions.
Anon
I read a lot but don’t know how to say a lot of foreign words correctly, so pls help a flyover blue collar sister out.
Emma
Oooh-shee :)
Liz
I was just there this summer. You could do day trips to Gruyere or Annecy. I loved those cities.
Anon
Any recommendations for narrow-calf boots? Aquatalia and Penelope Chilvers come to mind, but they are so spendy. LaCanadiennes did not fit snugly on me. For 2023 boots, a too-wide shaft doesn’t read right — it seems to need to be snug but not stretchy-boot tight unless it’s a lower sock boot.
[Also, the shine here to me is too shiny. I get that leather is so much easier to keep looking good vs suede or nubuck, but it’s not as pretty here. Duller tan would be better, like how some Frye boots are.]
Anon
If you are short, ExtraPetite has recommended some recently.
Anon
I keep getting targeted ads for DuoBoots saying they have a bunch of different calf sizes. I have no idea if it’s a reputable company, but may be worth looking if you can’t find any other options.
Anon
Wardrobe Oxygen has reviewed them, I think fairly favorably, in the past.
Anon
I find Blondo runs quite slim. They often make boots that have a smallish stretchy panel, and of course, they are a Canadian brand, so their boots are well made and keep you warm and waterproof too. My blondos have worn very well over the years as my commuting shoes and some dressier pairs that I don’t walk miles in also. Recommend, and I’m a tall skinny-calf gal.
oldladylawyer
these look so dated to me. i had basically identical boots in 2003- 2005 and i loved them and wore them with everything.
Peaches
They look costume-y to me.
Anon 2.0
Yes. The look like something a middle schooler fashioned out of beige duct tape.
Cat
yeah at $95 full price there is no way you’re going to get the subtle sheen of nice leather. These are way too plasticky looking.
Anonymous
That’s because they are plastic.
The description states ‘synthetic’. They are $95 plastic boots not even pretending to be leather.
Anon
Yeah, they look super cheap and outdated to me. :/
Anon
Cheap was my first thought.
I recently met a shoe designer in a social setting. I was so impressed, I love shoes! She said “you wouldn’t love ours” and explained that she designed for a shoe-of-the-month club and the shoes were so poorly made they weren’t expected to last until you got the next pair. I didn’t know these existed but apparently there are many of them.
These boots made me think of what she told me. Good boots aren’t $95.
Anon
Ugh, I hate that that is a thing that exists! How terrible for the planet.
Anon
+1 so excessive! A new pair of shoes every month!? And they’re only meant to last until the next pair comes the following month!? So unbelievably wasteful.
Anon
If you google shoe of the month club you will see that there are several! The name of hers popped up right away but I don’t want to give them any free advertising.
She’s not the founder or anything. It’s a job for her. (Why do I feel the need to defend someone I just met? Because she seemed really nice I guess.)
Anon
I wasn’t trying to shame this person for working. I meant the general existence of a shoe of the month club pumping out wasteful, shoddy products.
Anon100
I joined a shoe of the month club back in 2012 or 2013. I only subscribed for 5 months before I cancelled, and that’s including the 3 months I skipped because the quality and design of the shoes were so bad.
I would agree that the majority of good boots aren’t less than $100. I did luck on on a pair of full leather riding boots in 2012 I bought on Black Friday from Burlington Coat Factory for $99 that has lasted me a decade (with a couple of re-solings), but I definitely wouldn’t be able to find something that good today for that price.
Anon
These look like fast fashion. It does not look like something to wear to the office unless you are fairly junior. Also looks crazy uncomfortable.
Anonymous
My calves are sweating just looking at these.
Anon
Anyone happen to have a hotel rec in The Guestbook network? I have $700 in credit with this chain.
Anonymous
Yes! My favorite all-inclusive, Live Aqua in Cancun. Adults only, laid back vibe that is perfect for couples or 30-something friends/solo travelers, great food by all-inclusive standards. Room rates start under $500 for two, and it’s nicer than many places I’ve been to that are twice the price (or more).
Anon
I’ve never been, but a friend of mine raves about it. He regularly stays at $$$$ resorts and is a hotel snob.
Anonymous
What is everyone’s favorite mascara? My old one (Voluminous) is making my eyes feel so dry lately.
oldladylawyer
i have been using the jones road one.
Anon
Glossier lash slick is my forever favourite.
Anon
Tower 28 for tubing
Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye for everyday (not waterproof. I don’t do waterproof)
I have very sensitive eyes too
Cat
+1 to Bobbi Brown Smoky Eye – defining and lengthening without being OTT.
Waterproof formulas consistently make my eyes watery, ironically, so I gave up trying new ones like 15 years ago!
Anon for this
Where do you save shopping inspo, especially specific items for purchase? I looked at my closet recently & realized that I have a ton of stuff that’s outdated/doesn’t fit/doesn’t fit my WFH life anymore and I need to start picking up pieces. But I also dont want to run out and by everything that various bloggers are recommending. Do you just keep a million notes in your phone, or is there a tool I could use to organize all the things I have my eye on?
Anonymous
I keep one note in my phone of potential clothing buys, like, “casual dark neutral lug-soled boots” and paste in links to possible items.
Cat
I bookmark stuff regularly – set up a folder for products I’m considering but on the fence about. If I never go back and look at it before it sells out, that means I didn’t really want it!
NY CPA
Same
Anon
I also have a bookmarks folder called “want to buy” that I regularly go through and edit.
Peaches
Combination of things. I have a running list of needs I keep on Google, and I save a lot of inspiration pics on insta. I also have a giant, life-management google sheet that I’ll drop links into. I’m sure there are browser extensions that could do this, but I’m too lazy to figure that out.
Anonymous
If it’s one of my usual stores I add things to the cart and then wait at least 24 hours to check out – most of the time I forget about it. If it’s a weird store then I have a pinterest folder where I save things I saw.
Anon
I just assessed my closet and finally had to admit to myself that I’m not ever going back to an office. I do travel and wear work clothes for that, but I’m at the point where I’m finally going to get rid of some work clothes even though they’re “nice” and I have a hard time getting rid of nice things.
I kept a lot of my work tops for WFH though, and I have been regularly wearing them ever since. The other thing, though, is that I lost some weight (slowly and intentionally) and thought my old tops were fitting just fine, in my mind sort of an intentional loose look, but I stayed in a hotel with a mirror at the end of the hall and got to see myself walking to the elevator a few times a day. I now realize too big is just too big.
For now, I just bought some Target-level things like hoodies and long sleeved t-shirts until I figure out what I really want, but I have to say, I am so comfortable!!
Anon
(I skipped pants because I did have to buy new pants every time I went down about 20 lbs, so I’m on round two of that now, but I’m basically buying several pair of the same pants because they work and I can find them on ebay – Talbots Girlfriend Chino)
Anon
I keep tons of windows open on my phone of items I’m mulling over.
anon
My advice – go in person and buy new jeans that you feel confident in. Give yourself a good budget for those jeans. Then reassess how much of your stuff you don’t like when it’s paired with jeans you like. Trust me, your opinion on many tops will increase when your pants are not “it zips, so it fits.” Otherwise, most stuff I like just stalks me on social media. You can save favorites on LTK for the influence blogger stuff it is what you like.
Anon
I thought that was what Pintrest was for?
Anonymous
If baby-food-beige plastic is what is considered “modern” and “cute”, I will happily remain ‘dated’…yikes.
Anon
They feel like human-sized plastic Barbie shoes.
Anon
Gosh, they are not nice at all.
Agreed, if I’d rather be pretending to be Kate Moss in skinny jeans and ballet flats with a leather blazer. Ok, confession, I still wear that outfit.
styling help
Can someone help me style the Wilfred Effortless pants from Aritzia for work? I have the full-length pair in black. I am having SUCH a hard time coming up with a top to pair with them – the website styles them with a sheer long-sleeved top or a baby cardigan showing midriff, so both of those options are out. Nothing in my closet looks right with them, and I don’t know if it’s because my tops (mostly flowy blouses from Nordstrom over the years) are out of style or what. Any/all suggestions welcome!
Anon
They require something fitted in my experience, so flown definitely wouldn’t work. I’ve done a fitted sweater tucked in with a belt, or a fitted tucked in shell with a blazer (but I know that look doesn’t work for everyone). They’re a pretty popular pant so I’m guessing you could Google for outfit inspo as well.
Anon
How they’re styled, but not see-through. I would not do anything flowy at all. A t-shirt or sweater that are relatively tight.
Anonymous
The black Veronica sweater would work from Artizia or the J Crew cropped-ish cashmere sweaters