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Coffee Break: Blanket Scarf

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woman wears different shades of gray including a gray pointelle cashmere blanket scarf

This pointelle knit blanket scarf from C by Bloomingdale's looks lovely.

(Also, what a great example of how dressing in multiple shades of the same color can be an incredibly chic look!)

The fan lace knit design gives it a delicate look, but it's 100% cashmere so you know it's going to also give you a lot of added warmth.

The scarf is part of the Friends & Family sale going on right now (ends 12/16), so while it was $198, it is now marked to $119. It's available in charcoal and beige. (I also think this would make a great gift!)

(If you're a fan of the pointelle but not the blanket scarf, Bloomie's also has a pointelle cashmere cardigan in a pretty burgundy.)

Some of our favorite office shawls as of 2025 include ones from J.Crew, Nordstrom, Tuckernuck, Quince, and this super affordable one from Amazon. If you're looking for more of a ruana jacket, I highly recommend the Brooks Brothers' ones!

woman wears office shawl, aka pashmina
Amazon
woman wears oversized cashmere wrap like a ruana
J.Crew
tissue weight wool and cashmere wrap
Nordstrom (Cash/Wool)
woman wears white office shawl aka blanket scarf; it is thrown over her shoulder in an artful way
Tuckernuck

Sales of note for 1/15:

85 Comments

  1. How do people who don’t really care about phones decide on a phone? I want good battery life, durability, regular updates and as cheap as I can get without compromising on support. But all they advertise on is camera specs and system speed and their dumb AI integration.

    2. By this point in your life, you’re either an Android or an Apple person. Apple is easy. Android, just buy what the reviews recommend.

    3. I’m not sure what kind of cell phone plan you’re on or if that limits your selection. But check reviews for “best value” “midrange” and “budget” phones and pay attention to what they say about updates (since updates are usually a premium feature). It is easy to overpay if you don’t care about cameras in particular or the gimmick of the year (this year it appears to be foldables!), so it’s worth a little research to find the “good enough” downgrade.

    4. Whatever iPhone is small enough for me to use comfortably with one hand (which is usually one of the oldest models- curse the men at Apple who think bigger is always better). I never bother with the most recent model. I don’t care if certain features are marginally better.

      1. Same. I get mine through work and just pick the smallest one. Sadly my 12 mini is dying and all the newer models seem large.

    5. If you really don’t care and have a friend or spouse who does, ask that person for the hand-me-down phone. DH cares and is also a power user because he travels 80% of the time for work; he uses a phone for two years and then gives it to me. Two years later when he gets his next phone, I pass the four-year old phone down to my dad who needs a phone to talk and text and nothing else and I use the two-year-old phone.

      1. This isn’t a bad plan in general, but this doesn’t make the most of battery life, upgrades, or support.

        1. This is how my family phones work and we have no issues with battery life or updates. The person at the end of the rotation is using the phone mostly at home so even if battery life becomes an issue, we can either spring for a replacement battery (less than the cost of a new device) or they just keep a charger handy. Six year old phones have so far been eligible for all the major iOS updates.

    6. I go on Best Buy, look up android phones, filter by price and find one that meets my specs as to storage space, and then check the reviews to find out if there’s anything specific that affects my decision. Usually I will end up with one that is one or two models behind the most recent released version, and I will often get refurbished as well.

      I don’t do research and I don’t look up recommendations, since they’re all about features that I don’t care about. I have a pixel for work and a moto for personal use and I prefer the cheaper moto, even though it’s probably the “worse” phone. It has an automatic flashlight, which I use all the time.

    7. I’m one of these people. I have children with phones and we all use Apple for simplicity, so that simplifies things.

      I treat it similarly to a car purchase, in that I buy a model a couple years old and pay in cash upfront to get the best deal I can. Then I buy an otter phone cover, so that I don’t need insurance (in my experience; obviously ymmv).

    8. My phone plan used to offer phones periodically for discounted prices, so I went for the Android phone that was cheaper yet with solid reviews and had the features I wanted. I have a Moto and it has been great. The only thing that could be improved is picture quality in the camera, but it is fine.

      I find my Android phones to be more user friendly, actually. If you really don’t care about phones I would not waste money on an iPhone. Just the sloppy iPhone keyboard alone is a downvote for me, nevermind the lack of the back arrow and additional features like a phone jack. And I don’t care if I drop it. It is not an expensive disaster if I break it or lose it, although I never have.

      For my next phone I’ll probably go on one of the financial sites I read or Wirecutter or Bogleheads and see what other smart and financially savvy are buying.

    9. Buy a flip phone. You can still text. The battery can last for days and charges quickly. The sound quality is quite good, and the reception is usually much better than a “smart” phone’s.

      1. Where do you find them?!?!?
        The flip phones I’ve found don’t play nice with modern networks.

  2. I’m headed to a holiday gathering tomorrow evening, where everyone brings an appetizer. Any favorites? I’m hoping to bring something different from chips/dip or cheese/crackers, but am drawing a blank. TIA!

    3. I was at a party where dried dates with some blue cheese stuffed inside were served and they were delicious. I’m not particularly a blue cheese fan, but I love dried dates.

    4. this may be extremely Southern of me, but deviled eggs are always a crowd pleaser.

      1. I think this is a great idea, as warm appetizers are less commonly brought by guests. And it doesn’t impose upon the host and their oven.

  3. How much are raises at your company? I realize that I’ve never really gotten a raise because I just switched jobs (and am pretty early in my career) but I might be getting a raise soon and I’m just curious.

    1. Everyone gets a COLA every year. Bottom performers a bit (a couple thousand) more, and it goes up from there.

    2. I have a pay scale so I get 2 raises a year one on the anniversary of my start and one on the prescribed day in my contract (the prescribed day is the same for everyone with the same contact). It amounts to about 7% a year

    3. I’m in higher ed/healthcare and my raises have always been 2 1/2 to 3% unless I was promoted. I don’t even think I’ve ever gotten 3.5%! But finances are always strained here….

      1. Same, in higher ed “merit raises” are really cost of living raises. The top performers usually get around 2.5-3% and the people who are the brink of getting fired get 1.5-2%. So not only is it a terrible raise, it really doesn’t motivate anyone to put in any effort, because the raise is basically the same no matter what.

        2. This is also how it is at my for profit company. Technically no COLA raises; but “merit raises” tied to the performance review system of about those amounts (and no one who isn’t about to get fired gets a 0% raise, unless there’s a total pay freeze in effect – the range is ~1.5%-3% in a normal year). To get a real raise, you have to apply for (and your manager has to have enough capital to fight for you to get), a title promotion

    5. I got a 25% raise last year, which is admittedly huge and out of the ordinary. I’d say our normal merit raises are 5-10% and COLA raises are 3ish%?

    6. COLA is going to be 3% for us this year. I have had merit increases as much as 40% in prior years (less so now that I am more senior), although in some years I get unannounced one-time bonuses in the low five figures.

    7. Fortune 500 tech but not FAANG/frankly not a company with reputation for treating people well:

      Performance-review based raises, usually 1%-4% based on performance. Got an ~10% raise with a title promotion (ie. one that didn’t change my day to day work); and a 10% unsolicited “HR looked at your salary and here’s more money” raise during the height of the 2022 hiring spree.

      Previous company: international non profit, paid in US dollars, living in a very low cost of living place – raises were 15,000 –> 25,000 –> 30,000 over approximately 3 years – so very high “percentages”, but hard to make a direct comparison to a US pay scale.

    8. Mine are pretty much 3% unless there is a promotion involved. The merit part of our compensation is usually the bonus, anywhere between 10-20%.

  4. Anyone have a recommendation for a beanie (or similar) that doesn’t make one’s hair look as terrible? I wear a beanie to sleep in the winter and I’m tired of my hair getting funky at night (not fixable with just a brush).

      1. I get so cold at night in the winter! The thermostat is objectively reasonable and the rest of my household doesn’t feel cold, so it’s better for me to put on a beanie than make everyone else hot at night.

    3. Sleep bonnets but I don’t think they’re very warm. They’re lined to keep wavy/curly hair from getting damaged.

    4. maybe the combo of a headband ear muff (warm, comfortable to sleep in) and a satin or silk pillowcase (to keep the rest of your hair ok)

    5. OK–hear me out. What you need to do is put your head under your blanket, but leave a breathing hole for your nose/mouth, and wear a satin bonnet. Then your head is warm, your hair looks better and you’re not frozen. this may require a separate throw blanket, but can confirm it works. I used to live in a super-drafty NE house and this is how we all did it!

    6. There are down hats, intended for sleeping in winter camping – maybe that kind of fabric (kind of slippery, like a puffy jacket) would work for you?

  5. If you had a loose button on a blazer, how would you protect it before sending it to the drycleaner? or just mend it before it goes?

    1. I would personally mend it first, but if that’s not in your wheelhouse, at least point it out to the dry cleaner when you drop it off. I wouldn’t feel safe doing that with a button that can’t be matched or replaced easily.

    2. I would not send a loose button through a cleaning cycle without either fixing it or paying the dry cleaner to fix it first.

    3. Sew it at home if I own matching thread or it’s a color I’ll use again. Pay the dry cleaner to fix it if it’s a weird color or I’m feeling lazy. Either way the button needs to be addressed before it gets cleaned.

    4. Either address the button before it gets cleaned or remove the button, have the blazer cleaned, and then have the button sewn back on. I wouldn’t send a loose button to the cleaners unless you plan to never see it again.

    5. Fix it myself, or ask the dry cleaner (which is also a tailor) to fix it before cleaning.

    6. Absolutely fix it myself. Sewing on a loose button is the lowest hanging fruit of all my sewing tasks. But if really pressed for time, I might just remove it completely and reattach it after the item comes back from the cleaner.

  6. My department is having a “bake-off” on Wednesday. Hit me with your best baked dessert recipe I can make the night before, to serve 30-40 people. I’m a decent baker but nothing extremely time consuming/complicated, please.

    1. Ghirardelli boxed brownie mix. Subtract five minutes from the low end of whatever time range the instructions mention. Afterward top with caramel sauce (ideally premade, the kind for coffee or ice cream) and sea salt. Otherwise NYT’s kitchen sink cookie recipe. Like most cookies you need to chill the dough for a couple hours.

      1. This is, indeed, the best brownie mix. Have a friend that adds extra chocolate chips to it and it’s truly delicious every time.

        1. You can also add butterscotch chips or mint chips (hard to find but great if you can) to help it stand out. But a sprinkle of sea salt at the end is really crucial.

          1. +1

            I add an extra teaspoon or two of vanilla, extra chocolate chips, and coffee instead of water. And I sprinkle sea salt at the end.

            I like the caramel idea.

    2. The King Arthur flour pecan pie is idiot-proof (I use a premade crust though) and SO good and quick.

      1. I make their pecan bars (the Cookie Companion book). SO GOOD. SO BAD FOR YOU. Lots of eggs, butter, cream cheese, corn syrup… oh, and sugar. SO GOOD.

    4. meaning like tomorrow? i just made the sally’s baking addiction m&m cookie bars and they were easy and can be made ahead and are one of the best things i’ve ever baked. you might need to make two batches for 30-40 people. no dough chilling involved. you dont even need an electric mixer

    5. If you want something holiday adjacent, buy peanut butter cookie dough and make thumbprints with a chocolate kiss. You can also change the cookie dough flavor.

      1. SO much better if you google gluten free peanut butter cookies and use that dough. Basically peanut butter, eggs, baking powder, and it’s seriously almost as easy as using the premade dough (which tastes like chemicals).

        1. I would personally make them from scratch and not gluten free, but she said not complicated.

          Eclair cake is also easy.

    6. Mini mint chocolate chip cheesecakes! They’re cupcake sized, surprisingly easy to make, they taste amazing, and they’re green and minty, so in keeping with the holiday season. Basically mash up a bunch of oreos, mix with butter for the crust, and then mix the creams and stuff for the filling and bake. I make them with my four year old “helping”. Here’s a link to the recipe I use, although I usually use mini-chocolate chips in the batter, not oreo pieces, and I don’t bother with the whipped cream topping: https://lifemadesimplebakes.com/mini-mint-oreo-cheesecakes-7/

    7. King Arthur’s star bread can be made either sweet or savory and looks far more complex/fancy than it actually is.

  7. are there any brands with single use, individually packaged makeup remover cloths? i don’t use them regularly or i’d just stick some in a ziploc. i’m thinking for travel because my usual one is a runny liquid so it doesn’t travel well.

    2. Neutrogena does – I’ve seen them at Target. Or, get a small screw-top container; soak some makeup rounds with your remover, and put them in the container.

      2. The Neutrogena wipes burn my eyes even though the regular bottle doesn’t. You’re better off soaking some rounds in your usual product.

      3. I think there’s a big Neutrogena wipes recall at present… bacterial contamination maybe?

    3. I swear by the makeup eraser towels. I think mine are a knockoff but they work SO well with just hot water.

    4. Neutrogena makes them but those cloths are terrible for your skin. Go to Sephora and find a travel-sized bottle of cleansing balm or oil.

      1. 2nd the recommendation for a balm, but I really hate the feel of wipes. Clinique has a travel size version of the Take the Day Off cleansing balm.

      2. Yes, balm is.perfect for travel. I also always keep some in my handbag just in case.

    6. I suggest buying a small refillable bottle, using your normal stuff, and using a small piece of plastic wrap across the top before you screw the cap back on.

    7. You can buy mini versions of the Banila clean it zero balm. I personally prefer a balm cleanser, it’s very gentle and doesn’t irritate my already angry skin.

    8. I’d get a travel sized bottle of micellar water and cloth rounds, or soak the cloth rounds before you go.

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