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Updated: Oct 30, 2018 193 Comments · by

Thursday’s Workwear Report: The Classic Shirt

The Personal Shopper (TPS) |

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Polka Dot Shirt: Boden The Classic Shirt Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. I am a little bit obsessed with this blouse (but possibly only because I've been weighing posting this Akris blazer for a Splurge Monday). Polka dots aren't usually my thing, and white tops with navy polka dots really aren't my thing, but the top feels fresh and fun, particularly with a solid bottom like a bright red or coral skirt. The top is a bestseller, available in 13 other prints in regular and petite sizes 2-18, and it's machine washable, all for $58. Boden The Classic Shirt Two plus size options are here and here. Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail tps@corporette.com. (L-5)

Sales of note for 9.16.24

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Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

  1. Runner 5

    I recently did a big Boden order; here are some thoughts:
    – the Richmond Trousers were surprisingly fantastic. Loved them. The US14L was too long but otherwise perfect
    – the perfect pencil skirt was too straight and the fabric too thin. That went back
    – I got the Louise Ponte dress in a US14L from the clearance section, not expecting it to look at all good, but I loved it and kept it.
    I’m a US 12-16, with measurements about 41-35-51. 5 ft 9, crazy long waist.

    • heddie

      I want to order the Richmond Trousers, do they have any stretch? I’m pear-shaped so I’m always wary of ordering pants online.

      • MJ

        I would add though that Boden cuts its trousers pretty straight. I am pear shaped, and if they fit my curves, they do not fit my waist, and there is generally a giant underb_tt gap in their pants on me…even the stretchy ones!

    • anony

      There was a time when I really loved Boden but lately all the fabrics seem to be low quality and the fit seems to be off. Dresses that look like they would be great to wear have little or no stretch and heaven forbid if you have a chest. Like every single wrap dress they have is for a flat chest. I really do love the patterns but they need to work on the quality before I come back.

  2. Dilemma

    I got an offer (unexpectedly) to move to a firm that has a ~1650 billable hours requirement and is entirely work from home. I am currently inhouse, have generous vacation and sick but I have to be in the office from 9 to 5 and there is little flexibility to work from home or have an alternate schedule. I love my inhouse job because I am seriously learning so much and in the six months I have been here I can tell I have improved tremendously as a lawyer. Our GC is an excellent teacher and enjoys mentoring. On the flip side, there is little room for growth and salary advancement (though my pay is equal to what I was making when I left as a junior biglaw associate) and with a 18 month old it stinks not to have much flexibility. I know one of the partners at the new firm and have heard of the others, and they all have a reputation for being generally laid back and easy to work with, but the associates I have spoken to have said they aren’t the best teachers. It’s a small, newish firm but they have grown quickly in the last 4-5 years and have some pretty big name clients – my hunch is that the firm will do well, though of course I cannot be certain. Assuming compensation is equal, which would you choose?

    • Red Velvet

      It would be ideal if you could have stayed in-house for two years to get more benefit from the good training, and then move to the firm so your career can progress. But, right now it’s still better to be somewhere with a career path and flexibility than a good-but-stagnant job. I’d choose the firm.

    • a

      It sounds like you’ve got a good situation in-house, have only been there for 6 mos, and the only downside is the 9-5 in-office requirement. I get that working from home is a big draw, but since you’re working ~40ish now and 1650 works out to 33 hrs/week x 50 weeks, plus presumably some nonbillables on top of that, you’d save yourself a commute but total hours would be similar. Also, I’d worry about leaving too quickly hurting you if the firm job doesn’t ultimately workout. I would try to keep the opportunity warm but stick around in-house for at least a year.

    • Other

      From a parenting perspective, I would take the new offer. I’m in a similar position to what you have now, and it works great for my 18 mo (who stays home with a nanny). However, the lack of flexibility is extremely difficult as they get older. I miss out on a lot at at my 5 yr. old’s school b/c I cannot take off a morning, and then make up the work later. It’s frustrating – b/c I actually don’t work that many hours, but I feel like I miss more than other parents b/c my schedule is very rigid (I’m in-house, and it’s an office culture that is insanely tough on remote working). I’ve started tentatively job hunting b/c I see how flexibility become more important when they get a little older. I also love my GC, but she ultimately is constrained by the lack of flexibility in the office.

      The lack of mentoring would bother me a bit. A firm where people are able to work from home probably attracts individuals who are more comfortable doing their own thing. That said, if you are pro-active, you might find someone willing to work more closely with you. Also, do everything you can to keep a good relationship with your GC.

    • Anonny

      I have a general question about situations like this. If you turn a firm down for an offer like this, would they be willing to bring you on in a couple of years when you’re ready? I’m just curious about how this works.

    • Anon

      No don’t leave after six months. Have an honest conversation with your GC, who seems very supportive, about the possibility of working one day per week from home for now. Don’t ask for more right away. Show that it will work well for the company first before you add another day.

      I work for one of the stodgiest insurance companies in the us and we are slowly coming around to flexible working hours and work from home. This was led by working mothers and supportive managers (I am both) and once the company saw it could work, they started opening it up as a possibility for all. Now I have a couple of direct and indirect reports who work from home full time and it’s great.

      In short, if you have a job and a boss you like, that is worth a lot. Stay there and be a trailblazer in making the changes you need!

      • ANP

        +1. In the end, for me, it’s always been about WHO I work for. A very wise mentor once told me “No job is better than your boss,” and I’ve found that to ring true throughout my career. I have three kids age 6 and under so I understand the need for flexibility. I would talk to your current boss about this aspect of your job and see where it gets you. Are there other working parents in your organization who can be resources on this, too?

    • anon

      I’d stay. Do you know how the 1650 hour requirement will play out in real life? It sounds like you’ve talked to the associates, but as a former biglaw attorney, you know that hours “requirements” are not limits, and may not reflect the time commitment actually expected from associates.

      I second everyone’s advice about mentoring. It is so, so important, especially early in your carer, which it seems like you are. It seems like the only upside to this job is that you can work from home. While that is obviously valuable to you, to me it seems risky to pitch a job that is very good for you for an unknown that appears to have one upside.

      • Anonymous

        This. Don’t trust a minimum billable goal. Are they “billable” hours or “billed” hours? A 1600-1800 requirement is usually “billed”. How is work structured and supervised? What is considered an acceptable amount of write-down? What will your hourly rate be? How is salary and bonus structured?

        There are a lot of ways that a firm can burn you on hours.

        Signed,
        1800 “billable” requirement, pay based on “billed”, low flat fees, hourly rate $100/hr higher than market, and two-tier review for every piece of work product mean a 34% write-down, and I’m making ~$100k less per year than I was told I would. And I am doing decently well compared to my colleagues.

  3. Anon

    I got an offer (unexpectedly) to move to a firm that has a ~1650 billable hours requirement and is entirely work from home. I am currently inhouse, have generous vacation and sick but I have to be in the office from 9 to 5 and there is little flexibility to work from home or have an alternate schedule. I love my inhouse job because I am seriously learning so much and in the six months I have been here I can tell I have improved tremendously as a lawyer. Our GC is an excellent teacher and enjoys mentoring. On the flip side, there is little room for growth and salary advancement (though my pay is equal to what I was making when I left as a junior biglaw associate) and with a 18 month old it stinks not to have much flexibility. I know one of the partners at the new firm and have heard of the others, and they all have a reputation for being generally laid back and easy to work with, but the associates I have spoken to have said they aren’t the best teachers. It’s a small, newish firm but they have grown quickly in the last 4-5 years and have some pretty big name clients – my hunch is that the firm will do well, though of course I cannot be certain. Assuming compensation is equal, which would you choose? I want to make sure I am considering all factors before making a decision.

    • GCA

      Learning is so important to me (one of my work/ life mottos is ‘never stop learning’) that I would stick it out inhouse for maybe a year to see if I couldn’t learn more. Especially you’ve only been there six months, being stalled at a particular salary for a little while more isn’t so important if you have the opportunity to learn more (consider what that extra learning is worth salary-wise, if you could put a dollar value on it!). Then, I would see where New Firm is headed and how it’s doing.

      But, I have a 13-month-old, too, and I’d love that flexibility. I wonder if flexibility is worth more when offspring are younger or older – anyone else want to weigh in on that? In my case, planning for a second child would be a factor within the next two years, but I don’t know if that applies to you.

      • anon

        IME, flexibility needs change. When my child was a baby, I needed the flexibility to handle more sick days and work from home. With a school aged child, I need more flexibility to leave early to be at school events or take him to an appointment during the day. Knock on wood, we have very few sick days. Also, I need a little more flexibility around certain school breaks when we can’t schedule a camp/backup care.

      • Other

        I added my experience above, but I definitely think flexibility is more important when they are a little older. My husband and I were better able to shuffle schedules and call in back-up care when needed for a sick baby. However, the preschool/elementary set knows if you are not there, and absences are noted when all their buddies seem to have a parent in attendance. Also, “real” school seems to have so. much. more going on during the morning hours (breakfasts, field trips, assemblies, plays, etc.). Reasonable people have different opinions regarding whether parental attendance at these events is really important. If, however, as a parent, it is important to you to be there, in my opinion, flexibility only becomes more important as they get older.

        • Anonymous

          Completely agree with this. Daycare age was a piece of cake compared to the juggling act that arrives when they go off to elementary school. Endless vacation and in-service days during the school year and large gaps of time at the beginning and end of summer which are tough to fill combined with things like third grade parent classroom visits scheduled for 11-12 on a Tuesday?! I’d stay and learn and keep my connections to the firm open for when that 18 month old heads off to Kindergarten.

      • H

        How far along are you in your career? Having someone willing to coach and mentor is a HUGE asset and what you gain from that will be invaluable for the rest of your career. And you never know; a reorg could happen at your current company which could give you advancement opportunities. Or another job offer like this could come along in a couple years. Obviously you have desired skills so this probably won’t be your last offer.

      • Blonde Lawyer

        I’ll offer a less popular opinion. I can’t say which is better for you because it is hard to say which offers more long term stability, etc. But I see nothing wrong with being stagnant if you enjoy what you do and make enough money to do everything you want and save for retirement, etc. I think we are brainwashed to think we always have to be climbing. Sure, there are up and out jobs (big firms where you have to make partner or leave) but there are plenty of careers (particularly for gov’t workers) where you max out making low six figures and some senior manager title. If life is good with that salary and that title, who cares if you do that for the next 10, 2o, 30 years. (Hopefully you get adjusted for inflation at least.)

        So, I’d stop and think about whether you really need to be learning learning learning and moving up up up or if you are okay just being who you are. As a lawyer, you will always be learning anyway because you need to keep up in changes in the law and CLEs and the like. Sometimes being a happy cog in a wheel isn’t a bad thing.

        Also, on the low hour firm thing, definitely get a handle on how much “non billable” everyone does. I’m also at a low hour firm but that’s because its a small firm and we all do marketing, in-house stuff (reviewing firm contracts with vendors), firm management (interviewing, recruiting), plus general administrative stuff that associates at big firms do a lot less of. My total worked hours are always over 2000 even though I probably bill 1700.

        • JJ

          Blonde Lawyer, I agree completely. There’s a lot to be said for being satisfied with your job if you like what you do and you’re happy with the pay.

        • Meg Murry

          Yes, this is such a valuable lesson to learn in life. For me the 3 parts are:
          -There is nothing wrong with pausing on the career ladder instead of constantly trying to race up it. Or taking side steps instead of a straight vertical climb up. Was it Sheryl Sandburg that compared her career to climbing a jungle gym instead of a ladder? Careers are long, it’s ok to pace yourself.
          -At some point, it’s better to be happy with your whole life overall, even if you aren’t ecstatic about your job, instead of loving your job but hating the rest of your life (or having no time to have a life outside of work)
          -Having a job you enjoy (or at least don’t hate) is more important that an impressive title to a job that makes you miserable

  4. Diana Barry

    I wish Boden made their blouses in tall/long. I had a version of this shirt a few years ago and the sleeves were just too short – it drove me CRAZY. Ditto with their jackets.

    • MJ

      Cosign. I would buy all the jackets if they came in Tall/Long. I can stretch their sweaters (or push up sleeves), but I cannot fake jackets–you look like Olive Oyl when your wrists are sticking out all stupidish!

      They have been carrying less and less suiting though, which is a shame.

      Side note–Boden sample sales are the bomb. Can’t wait for the summer one, which usually has tons of great Winter stuff.

    • Thistle

      It’s very rare for UK companies to do tall jackets. They “sometimes” do long leg lengths (33″) but they almost never do jackets for anyone over 5’5″.

  5. Anonymous

    Threadjack on how to talk with an employer. The background is that I have had a difficult time at work for the past 6 months or so, seeming really like I just couldn’t get my act together. It’s been very frustrating and bewildering to me, because I’m your typical Corporette overachiever. I’ve attributed it to having young children and being sleep deprived, but I still seem to be struggling a lot more than other mothers around me. I felt confident it wasn’t depression, but it was like all of the physical manifestations of severe depression + foggy mind. I couldn’t tell you my court dates, I couldn’t tell you what cases I was working on, unless I was looking at my calendar/planner. I went from billing 7 hours/day to needing to work a 12 hour day to bill 7 hours/day, and I couldn’t figure out why I was being so inefficient.

    Finally about two weeks ago I went to the doctor because I just could not go on working so hard to accomplish so little.

    The doctor did a bunch of bloodword, and I found out at the beginning of the week that I have somehow gotten fairly significant LEAD POISONING. The rest of our family tested within the normal range, but I am around 8 times the normal range. We think we’ve found the source of it but we’re having an environmental specialist come to our house to make sure there aren’t any other sources or anything we’re not aware of.

    So in the past six months I’ve been reprimanded twice at work for making significant (but thankfully fixable) mistakes, which I’ve taken responsibility for, and I’m – informally, but obviously – on thin ice. On one hand, I don’t want to lose my job, but on the other hand, even with several rounds of chelation therapy and removing the source, they say it will take a few months to get back in the normal range and for me to come back to ‘myself.’

    How, or do I even, put my employer in the loop on this explanation for my recent (and likely continuing) poor performance, while knowing that there’s a resolution in the semi-near future? In the last two years both my husband and one of my children were hospitalized with life-threatening illnesses/injuries, so I’ve used up all of my ‘sick’ time and I work for an employer too small for FMLA benefits. So I’m sort of at the end of my employer’s rope, I know. Which is a scary place to be for someone who is so used to praise and excelling.

    • MJ

      Oh my goodness! This is horrifying! I hope some of the employment lawyers chime in, but this sounds like a disability for which your employer would need to accommodate you. I would disclose the situation asap and ask for their understanding.

      I hope you heal up soon. I did a lot of pro bono work against slumlords NY and children’s lead poisoning at my old firm, and it is indeed awful.

      Please take care of yourself and know that even though you need to heal, you are on the upswing now that you have identified the cause. Best of luck and hugs.

      • L&E Lawyer

        (Caveat that this is not legal advice) If it were me, I’d tell my employer asap and ask for a reasonable accommodation under the ADA. It can’t fix any past performance issues, but it does give you some measure of protection in the future. And generally, a reasonable employer would want to know if you had a legit reason for performance issues and would likely be relieved that there was a logical explanation and an end in sight.

        • Other

          Absolutely co-signed – I would let them know ASAP. There is a direct, real cause of the performance issues, and it is being addressed. This is exactly the type of thing that would seem to provide you some cover as you continue to heal. And, if a dispute about your performance or ultimate termination ever escalated, you’d absolutely want to have this information noted in your file before any adverse employment decision was made (also not legal advice).

    • Anonymous

      Holy crap, this is crazy! I’m glad you figured it out. I’d just explain it as you did in your last paragraph. Recognize that your performance has not been up to par, you realize it, it is due to a legitimate medical issue that you are addressing and things should be back to normal in the next few months. If you were taking chemo and were foggy due to that, your employer wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) hold it against you.

      • Anonymous

        Also….can you tell us what the source of lead poisoning was? I’m curious.

        • Other

          Co-signed. I was reading and nodding along with all of your post, until I got to the lead poisoning part! I’m getting blood work done at the end of the month, and now I’m totally paranoid that our new to us, but very old home might be the cause? And I have a toddler at the house?!!

        • Anonymous

          OP here.

          I think it was pretty unusual. I was involved over the winter with cleaning out some outbuildings on some family property. My symptoms started pretty soon after that; and of course I’ve been going back about once a month to help. Unbeknownst to me (and the other two family members), these buildings (which are 100+ years old) evidently at some point stored a lot of lead. We already tested them (we’ve had basically ever surface and water I’ve come into contact with tested this week) and the test turned bright purple everywhere. I talked to someone at the health department who said that an old pesticide called lead arsenate used to be used on farms for decades and it was a powder that, if it was stored there, would have been all over everything. They are going to take samples to figure out exactly what, and my cousins are also going to get tested. It makes sense as to why I would have it, but my kids and husband wouldn’t (since they haven’t been involved). Plus I was always so dirty/sweaty when I was done, I usually showered before I came back into contact with them.

          • Meg Murry

            Did you spend a lot of time on that property as a kid? Lead is stored in your bones, and then when your bones release calcium it leeches back into your bloodstream. Major times your bones release calcium are during pregnancy, breastfeeding and menopause.

            Obviously, you need to talk to your doctor about this, not just me as a stranger with Google and some anecdotes, but you’ll probably want to be routinely tested, especially as you age, even after you are “cured” from this incident. Here’s one of the articles I’ve found: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-10-28-lead-bone_N.htm

            Also, how did your doctor come up with testing you for lead poisoning? I have to admit, I’m mostly paranoid because of the Flint situation, but I have almost always lived in older houses, and I’ve gone through a period of depression and fogginess that keep getting written off as lack of sleep + depression, but now I wonder.

    • anon

      I don’t see the downside for letting your employer know what’s going on. It may not change the end result, but at least you won’t be wondering if there could have been a different approach had you told them. It sounds like you will get positive medical outcomes in the relatively near future and this is a serious, but temporary problem. It would probably take your employer the same amount of time to replace you and then more time for that new employee to ramp up.

      • Anonshmanon

        This. There is a fair chance they will accommodate you and hardly any scenario in which you have a disadvantage from letting them know.

    • Anon4This

      Wow. Would love to hear more about how you think you got it, etc.
      Recent report from The Guardian about lead poisoning in US cities east of the Mississippi

    • bridget

      My sense is that you should talk to an employment attorney, not just to figure out what leave you are entitled to (short-term disability, etc.), but also to figure out if there are any legal rights you have to avoid termination.

      Once you have that conversation, you should frame this as a medical issue. Discuss the treatment, the prognosis, all of that. If you do mention that some of the symptoms include mental/intellectual difficulty, frame it as “My doctors figured out that I have lead poisoning in part because I had symptoms of it for several months, including [insert here].”

    • Blonde Lawyer

      Also check your state laws. My state has a law that mimics the ADA but applies to employers with a much smaller number of employees. Less than 10! I can’t remember if it is 6 or 8.

    • Saguaro

      If you were my employee and came to me with this, I would be happy to hear there was a reason for the poor performance, and that eventually things will improve. Not happy that you have lead poisoning, of course, but happy there is an explanation and treatment, versus having to fire you eventually for poor performance, thinking it was just that. Then I would be on board with whatever you needed to do to get better.

  6. Cutting the Cord

    Hi all – please help me cut my cable cords! I am paying out of the nose for cable that I don’t use much. Is there a way to get just ESPN, CNN and local channels to watch live games?

    • (Former) Clueless Summer

      We don’t have cable. We just have the online streaming sports package (which we then cast to the TV through chromecast) for the sports DH watches (hockey – NLH Centre Ice?, baseball) – MLB TV). We also have Netflix and another streaming service that is free. If you like to just turn any game on, it wouldn’t work, but otherwise if there are particular sports you follow, you can do that rather than cable.

    • Vi

      Same as Summer above except we also have a digital antenna to get the networks live for free (so local games on the big 5 networks or univision are watchable). For CNN, they’ll stream big events like debates live and you can cast to the TV (we use apple TV). For just flipping on the TV for news we’re limited to the local news on the networks and PBS news.

    • Anonymous

      We have netflix, amazon firestick, and an HBOGo subscription, as well as an antennae for local channels. We are football fans, if we really want to watch a game we go to a bar which is nice because it makes us get out of the house. We don’t miss cable at all.

    • CHJ

      Check out Sling TV for your CNN/ESPN needs. An HD antenna works very well for local channels.

      • Anon

        Second this! We just cut the cord, and I haven’t missed cable a bit. We have Sling for streaming cable networks, and it’s great. We’re also checking out Hulu and online streaming subscriptions for sports.

    • Honeycrisp

      I have PlaystationVue. For about $45.00/month, I get all local channels (except ABC, but I do get ABC on demand to watch ABC shows), CNN, ESPN, HGTV, and a bunch of other channels. As long as you have high speed internet, it is fantastic.

    • baseballfan

      I cut the cord nearly three years ago and haven’t missed it except for sports. We have Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime which covers the vast majority of regular TV.

      But I love me some baseball. I considered subscribing to the MLB network – but it is blacked out in local markets, which defeats the purpose. College football is the other problem and I just got to a sports bar and/or get used to not watching every single game like I used to.

  7. Something between Spanx and skimmies??

    I love pantyhose, even though I’m only 28. I wear them every day to work for a lot of reasons Kat talked about in her last post – I don’t like bare feet in closed toe shoes, it eliminates pantylines, no chubb rub, can go a few days without shaving my legs, and its slimming (I wear sized up control tops so I’m not squished but I’m definitely slimmed).

    After doing this for 4 years I’m kind of obsessed with the sleeker lines pantyhose gives me and that slightly pulled in feeling. If I wear a casual dress with just underwear I’m constantly wondering if people can see my pantylines, about my thighs rubbing, about people seeing lumps and bumps.

    But, clearly I’m not going to wear a casual dress with pantyhose and sandals. I have a few pairs of skimmies – they’re not bad and certainly deal with chubb rub but they’re not high waisted enough IMO and they stretch out a lot. I also have some spanx for non-pantyhose occasions like weddings or whatever, but those are just way too much for a casual day and I find the legs either way too long or way too short.

    Is there something in between Spanx and skimmies I could wear for casual? Basically that would give me the feeling of control top pantyhose on the stomach/hips/upper thighs.

    • Cb

      I’d love to hear thoughts on this. I’m wearing bare legs today and do feel a bit funny / uncomfortable after 8 months of tights.

    • Anonymous

      Yummy Tummy? There’s plenty of brands out there, I’d just go to a department store and try a few on. Usually the salesperson in the hosiery section at Nordstroms can help you.

      • MargaretO

        Seconding yummy tummy. I wear the high waisted underwear under certain summer dresses, they do way more smoothing than sucking and I find them comfortable enough for a hot day.

      • Anonymous

        Hells no on yummy tummy. The legs would not stop rolling up! The VPL from the leg roll was awful!

        Instead: Soma tummy control underwear with the silicone grippies so you have no VPL. Those were lifechanging for me.

      • anon-oh-no

        I just got a pair of the yummy tummy and love them. they also make them with the silicone grippies. I have not had “rolling” issues with either of them. I’m sure certain brands and sizes just fit people differently.

    • anon

      Spanx makes a couple of different levels of shapewear. Have you looked at their light (smooth?) and medium (shape?) control levels? I’m sure that other manufacturers have similar products.

      • Shopaholic

        +1 Try the light control level. I’ve found that I’m just more comfortable having something hold me in. I also wear them under work clothes because I like going bare legged.

      • Meg Murry

        Yes, and I’ve found the Assets (cheaper version of Spanx sold at Target and Kohls, etc) also are a little less sucking in than Spanx brand. I agree that your best bet is to go to a department store (or a Target type of store), find shapewear that is on hangers, not in packages and then try it on. Wear or take a dress so you can see how you feel with the shapewear under your dress.

        What brand of hose do you wear? That brand may also have shapewear – I know Hanes does, that is a little stronger than their control top but less so than Spanx.

        Alternately, for a quick but not so elegant answer: do you have any control top hose that have runs? Way back in the day, before I discovered Spanx (possibly before the brand existed), I had cut the legs off hose that had runs and just wore the control top part. Unfortunately, the legs had a tendancy to roll up, so it doesn’t really help with chub-rub, but it does with tummy smoothing.

      • Something between Spanx and skimmies??

        Skinny Britches mid-thighs are looking good – thanks. Just did some Nordstrom searching.

        I have tried cutting off control top legs and wearing those but they just instantly curl up my thighs.

    • Anon

      One day I realized I could no longer abide pulling on spanx every day. I switched to Champion cotton bike shorts and have never looked back. I get them on Amazon.

      I could never get the skimmies to not roll down and I think they feel too loosey-goosey

    • DBD

      The next time you get a run in your control tops, cut the legs off and wear the top part under your dresses. We all used to do this before Spanx became a thing. They typically last a few wears before becoming too frayed.

    • NY CPA

      I love my Skimmies but on those days when Im looking for just a little extra smoothing (but still able to breathe, be comfortable, etc.) I wear Maidenform shorts. I think they’re called everyday hold or something like that. Look the same as Skimmies but the material is more slimming.

      • Anonymous

        Can anyone recommend cotton shapewear or panties? I’m looking for light control to smooth the remaining baby weight. Ugh. Looking for something high waisted but comfortable enough to wear every day. And cotton would be amazing. I’m a cusp/plus size, so something with larger sizes would be great.

    • Dulcinea

      Hanes mid thigh boxer briefs for women. I believe they are’t only sold at target. Not the most attractive but some come in pretty colors like pink or purple. Won’t pull you in much but meets the rest of your criteria. Or try spandex bike shorts?

    • Anon

      Soma makes boyshorts with silicone grippy things one the legs, so that they stay down. They’re not long, but they’re longer than most and cover my inner thighs.

    • X

      Awesome! I belong to the Sea Crest Beach Club in Falmouth, where that sale is being held…

    • BB

      Has anyone been to these? Are they insane inside? Do I have to line up hours early? Trying to figure out if it’s worth going or if it’s worth the extra cost to just order online.

      • X

        Apparently, the ones that sell kids clothes are especially ridiculous. People line up for hours in advance. I went to the one in Falmouth last year, too. It was sparsely attended, in part because there was little advance notice and because they didn’t have any kids clothes. But I ended up spending about $250. I got 2 fabulous coats (one great raincoat that retails for $200 and one duffle coat that sells for about the same), 3 dresses, and a navy eyelet shell.

      • MJ

        Yes, I go to the Boston one every time. IMHO, it’s best to get there about 90 mins early and bring the following: a magazine to read while you wait and as many HUGE shopping bags as you can. People are civil, but it’s definitely a grab, shove in bags and try environment (in communal dressing rooms–wear leggings and a tight tank to try stuff on) and then after you discard a ton. It goes in a wave, so after the first group of discards come back, there’s again a lot of good stuff.

        I have gotten some absolutely awesome stuff–their prices are posted online and it’s a very good deal.

      • Not for me

        I’ve been to the one in Boston and I won’t go again. I did find a gem (a 100% black wool dress that fits amazingly well and was only $30), BUT I also found that I bought some stuff that I liked, but didn’t love, but felt like I “‘had” to buy more stuff because I had schlepped all the way there. And of course, all final sale so it can’t be returned. You need to get there early, not be self conscious being nearly naked in front of 1000 other women, and don’t plan anything for a few hours after (even if you find something quickly, the check out line is about an hour long so it’s hard to get out of there in less than 4 hours).

        My experience is that smaller sizes (2-6) tend to be taken very very quickly, which is all the more reason to get there early.

      • Anonymous

        Wearing a sample sale sweater today. Kids stuff is gone in a flash but I have usually left with a few things that get incorporated into my regularly worn clothes. Take a giant bag with you so you can quickly pull things in your sizes into the bag for sorting and trying on after you have gone through the table with your sizes.

  9. Anonymous

    When you’re interviewing with a panel and most of the people on the panel aren’t people you would be working with, how do you direct questions to the panel? My understanding is that I’ll be meeting with my potential future boss and then 4-5 other people in different departments who are serving as “advisors” to him (his words) in the hiring process but won’t be people I’d be having much, if any, contact with if I worked there. This isn’t a traditional company (it’s a university) so I feel like questions about the future of the company, which are the only thing I can think of that would be applicable to all my interviewers, don’t really make a lot of sense. This is for a staff position, not faculty.

    • MKB

      When I had a similar interview for my current position (with a Uni) I asked the panel what they saw as the biggest challenges facing the person who took the position I was interviewing for. Even if they won’t be people you’ll work with every day, they’re part of the panel because they have some relevant insight into what’s needed for the role, so they should be able to answer that. I also asked them what they liked best about working at the Uni, I think (something similar to that, anyway).

  10. Liberal News with less snark?

    Hi, I’ve been a longtime fan of Gawker media sites – Gawker, Jezebel, etc. because of their snark, humor and also the generally well-thought out comments. However, all of these things seem to be fading and lacking now — and I am loving snark less and appreciating patience more — and I am not loving the directions that their news aggregation sites have taken.
    I already read Slate, for long-form and less comments.
    Any other suggestions for “news” with a liberal bent and humor and intelligence? I don’t need or want to hear about mainstream sites. Thanks.

  11. MJ

    I will just let the very wise Dan Primack of Termsheet over at Fortune Magazine speak for me when I say that Saudia Arabia’s investment in Uber makes me hopping mad:

    Dan says: “I am on the record as liking Uber. I like its service, which has revolutionized urban mobility by improving convenience, taking cars off the road, and (most likely) reducing incidents of impaired driving. I’m partial to its swashbuckling style, particularly when confronting taxi interests and municipal regulators who are more concerned with self-preservation than the good of their customers/constituents. And I think that many of the most disquieting complaints about Uber—particularly when it comes to the safety of female passengers—are exaggerated for the sake of grievance clickbait.

    But I don’t like Uber right now. Not today. Not after this.

    The ride-hailing giant disclosed last night that it has secured a whopping $3.5 billion investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and that PIF managing director Yasir Al Rumayyan will join its board of directors.

    Put another way: Uber has taken a $3.5 billion investment from a government that effectively prohibits women from driving—let alone driving for Uber. Uber also has accepted a $3.5 billion investment from a government that requires women to have male guardians. Uber also has accepted a $3.5 billion investment from a government whose court system has sentenced men to jail time and corporal punishment for the “crime” of homosexuality—not to mention all of the harsh sentences, sometimes including death, for political protest.

    Moreover, this is no passive investment. By naming political appointee Al Rumayyan, the company has basically invited the Saudi government into its board room. To my knowledge, no other Silicon Valley startup has a director from the sovereign wealth fund of a repressive political regime.

    Uber CEO Travis Kalanick won’t publicly comment on any of this (at least not yet), but sources close to the company lay out three basic defenses:

    1. This investment is actually good for Saudi women, which make up around 80% of Uber’s current user base in the country. The argument here is about improved mobility, particularly when being able to get to work or school. Unfortunately, it rings very hollow. First, the only reason for the massive gender imbalance in Uber users is because of the aforementioned prohibition against women drivers. Second, Uber already was operating (and expanding) in Saudi Arabia before the $3.5 billion investment. There is no reason to believe this deal will put more Ubers on Saudi roads. Third, Uber sources say that, on the one hand, Al Rumayyan’s job responsibilities are purely financial—but, on the other, that his directorship could give Uber some political influence in Saudi. That’s a surge-priced contradiction right there.

    2. Uber needed the money, and where else are you going to get $3.5 billion? No doubt, it must be tough to fundraise after you’ve already tapped out venture capitalists, private equity firms, mutual funds, hedge funds, Wall Street high-net worth clients, and strategic corporate and other sovereign wealth funds (yes, including from noxious Qatar). But there is another option: Go public. Pretty sure Uber could have raised at least $3.5 billion via an IPO.

    3. Plenty of other companies, including Apple, cozy up to problematic regimes. Moreover, the Saudi PIF holds shares in all sorts of publicly-traded U.S. companies (and, of course, holds U.S. treasuries). But Uber remains private, meaning that it has full discretion over who does, and who doesn’t, purchase its stock. This is supposed to be one of the side benefits of not going public. And, again, it gave PIF a board seat.

    “It goes to the heart of who Travis is,” says one Uber investor. “He just doesn’t give a shit about optics. Ever.”

    But this is about more than optics, although clearly the optics of this are worse for Uber than they would be for most any other Silicon Valley startup. It’s about sometimes being willing to make hard choices that might not directly benefit the company in the short term, but could help its customers in the long term. Uber could have easily continued providing Saudi women with greater mobility while simultaneously denying the Saudi government the opportunity for a financial gain until it accelerates reforms.

    I’m not so naive as to think that the Saudi government will base policy on the back of a $3.5 billion investment (or lack thereof), but it could have been a decent poke at the dam. But rather than trying to be a maker, it chose to be a taker.”

    Well said, Dan.

    • Idea

      +1 million dollars and riyals.
      There was a piece on NPR’s Marketplace about this deal today and the fact that 50% of the national population are prohibited from driving (and effectively from working almost anywhere) was never mentioned. I have taken to Twitter about it.

    • Snick

      This is a very informative piece. I hope you are publishing it somewhere other than here!

      • MJ

        Dan Primack is the author and he publishes at Fortune Magazine. This is part of his daily roundup newsletter for the PE/VC industry, Termsheet. You can subscribe there. He’s is GREAT!

    • Little Red

      I’m not sure why you are surprised.

      1) This is America, the Almight Dollar rules! Money talks and principle walks.
      2) Plus, this is the company that threatened to datamine a female journalist’s Uber records and other stuff in order to smear her due to her critical writings about the company. Why would you and Dan Primack expect them to have any compunction about accepting money from a country like Saudi Arabia? They haven’t shown themselves to much of a sense of ethics or boundaries before, why start now?

      • CountC

        This. I am not surprised in the least. I didn’t use Uber before this and I won’t use it after this.

  12. Anonymous

    What was the most memorable vacation you’ve taken so far? What are your bucket list vacations?

    • Anonymous

      The most memorable, and my favorite vacation ever, was our honeymoon in Greece. Other big vacations that were bucket list trips were French Polynesia, Thailand and Alaska. There are a billion and one places I want to go but I would say the ones that are really bucket list (meaning they’re expensive enough that we’re saving them for a special milestone and/or financial achievement) are an African safari, Antarctica and the Seychelles or Maldives. Other countries I really want to visit or visit again that we will probably do in the next 5-10 years include Italy, Iceland, Norway, Japan, New Zealand and Turkey.

    • vacations

      Most memorable…

      Sailing around the British Virgin Islands
      Canary Islands

      Bucket list?

      India, Malaysia, Burma

    • K120

      Traveling around China and Thailand for a couple weeks was very memorable. I also did a trip to the Galapagos that I will never forget.

    • Anon, World Traveler

      Most memorable so far was Tokyo – booked my ticket the week before, was only there for a couple days, entire thing was planned by the seat of our pants on the back of a napkin sitting in the hotel lounge over afternoon tea. Had a complete blast.

      Bucket list trip is Bali. But I leave for 2 weeks in Southeast Asia next week with a small group and that’s pretty high too. Next reasonable trip will probably be Australia (this is already half-planned) and then wherever my BFF decides to get married (probably Italy).

    • Anonymous

      My two most memorable vacations are the Olympic National Park and Venice.

      Bucket list: Japan, New Zealand, English countryside, South Africa.

      • Anonymous

        How do you do these trips? Do you need a big group? Is the boat rough at all? My husband suffers from terrible motion sickness but is ok on big cruise ships.

        • Daisy

          Usually a 30-50 foot boat – sail or power. Depending on size and type or boat (monohull or catamraran) you can hold 4-15 people, so there is a lot of flexibility. You can captain and it and cook for yourself, or hire a captain and/or cook.

          Look at The Moorings/Sunsail/Footloose for basic info on the charters… other companies do it too, but those are my go-tos and (I think) the largest. They are related companies, with Moorings as the most expensive/newest boats, then Sunsail, then Footloose. All three leave out of the same port of Tortola in the BVIs, but are also in lots of locations around the globe. The cost goes down with more people you add – you pay $X for the boat/food for the week, and then divide among passengers. I’ve done charters with 6-12 people and in all instances it wasn’t nearly as bad as you might think – $800-$1200/person, before flights/connections, for a week, which also includes meals and non-alcoholic drinks for ~75% of the week. We didn’t hire a cook or captain as I captained myself, so if you add that the cost goes up, of course.

          But, if seasickness is a fear, it could without question ruin the vacation from start to finish. Some friends used hard ginger and sea bands on a precautionary basis (never were seasick before, but also didn’t grow up on boats so didn’t know what to expect) and were fine. But if it’s a known, recurring issue I think you might want to reconsider.

          • Anonymama

            So, so fun. And actually ends up being pretty cheap because you cook most meals and drink on the boat. And usually you are only underway a few hours a day, and moorings are pretty calm, so seasickness is not too bad, especially if you stay on deck while sailing. I’m moderately prone to motion sickness and have only gotten sick once on the boat, on a rough day when I was below decks for longer than I should have been.

          • Runner 5

            I grew up doing flotilla holidays with companies like Sunsail as my family’s main summer trip – it’s fantastic for giving kids more adventure than they’re normally exposed to.

    • DCR

      An over two month safari in Africa after the bar exam, a week and a half trip in the Galapagos.

      This is a perfect question for me. One of my big cases just finished, and I’m trying to figure out where to go on vacation. Neither of the places on my current bucket list seem right (Antarctica – wrong time of year; Cuba – same, right? It seems like summer would be a bad time of year). Trying to come up with some other ideas.

      • Anonymous

        You can’t do Antarctica in our summer but I think Cuba is fine if you’re ok with heat and humidity and I would definitely go now, because I think it will change a lot in the next few years. I’ve been to Puerto Rico in the summer and had a fantastic time and I imagine the climate is very similar.

    • June Bug

      Flew to Venice for a few days, then took a cruise from there to several Greek islands. It was insanely gorgeous. I especially recommend Corfu, which is way less packed with tourists than Santorini. Santorini was gorgeous, of course, but it was so so packed.

    • Gail the Goldfish

      Most memorable was probably China. I don’t know if it was my favorite, but was the most memorable (the Great Wall is seriously impressive, and memorable because I felt like I was dying climbing up one particular section of it. Turns out I was more out of shape than I thought). Maybe Turkey, but that was a study abroad and therefore not a vacation per se (that, incidentally, was my favorite). Bucket list: so many, but Cuba, New Zealand, African safari. The last three are bucket list mainly because of the time needed to really see them and the tendency of american employers to frown on taking a full two weeks off for anything short of a honeymoon.

      • Gail the Goldfish

        Australia somehow got left off the list. “Last three” being NZ, Australia, African safari

    • Anonymous

      My most memorable was Italy, that was a trip of a lifetime, but my favourite trips are to NYC or beachy locations. The top of my bucket list is Paris, and I’m dying to go back to the UK since I was quite young when I went and didn’t appreciate it enough. Plus, now I’ve read Outlander, I want to see Scotland again!

      • Gail the Goldfish

        I had the same reaction to Outlander (except it was after watching the show. The book, while I like it, did not make me want to immediately jump on a plane to Scotland).

    • In the Pink

      Antarctica. Been to all seven continents. This was amazing and the best ever. Would love to go back and see South Georgia and the Falklands along the way.

      • In the Pink

        Only time you get to Antarctica is in December. We were there two weeks prior to xmas, on the height of their longest day of the year. Several places and harbours were locked in with nine miles (!) of ice. Penguins mated and hatched late. Saw one chick hatch. Never saw any chicks around other than that one. Must be a sight when the population doubles with the chicks. The smell, probably something else.

        I would go back in a heartbeat.

    • Little Red

      Most memorable would probably be Rome, Italy and India. My next most memorable trip is a seventeen day African safari starting in Namibia, going through Botswana, and ending up at Victoria Falls.

      As far as my bucket list goes, Scotland, Ireland, Florence and the rest of Tuscany, Amalfi Coast, Egypt, Northern England, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Peru, etc. Pretty much the whole planet if I had my choice.

    • Wanderer

      My favorite vacations were to Bora Bora (our honeymoon) and Paris + the Loire Valley in France. Italy was also great but we had some unusually cold and rainy weather that kept it from being full-on “favorite” status.

      I am dying to go to Santorini/Mykonos, the Amalfi Coast, and to South Africa for a safari/wine tasting trip. I’d also like to see more of France, like the French Riviera and Provence/Bordeaux.

    • cbackson

      My very favorite trip was a week in Istanbul, followed by the month I spent backpacking in Chile (the Lake District and Patagonia). Bucket list trips: hiking in Japan, horseback riding in Mongolia, a safari.

    • Killer Kitten Heels

      Most memorable was Iceland – the landscape is so unique, it really stayed with me.

      Bucket list – Galapagos.

    • Senior Attorney

      I just (like, four hours ago) got home from two weeks in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, Cambodia and Seoul, Korea. I’d say it was my second-most-memorable trip, just behind a two-week trip to Hanoi and Ha Long Bay followed by a cruise down the Mekong River. Southeast Asia is just magical.

      Bucket list includes upcoming bike trip in Sicily, and definitely Australia/New Zealand.

    • Anne Elliott

      Egypt and Italy 15 years ago. We went in Feb. It was cold, misty and empty of tourists. Simply magical.

      Egypt: Cairo, Giza, Luxor, Aswan
      Italy: Rome, Florence and Venice

      • Anne Elliott

        Oh, and bucket list trip for me would be African Safari.

        We’ve been to loads of countries (Europe and Asia mainly as the Americas are just too far away) but saving the safari for when our kids are old enough to appreciate it too.

  13. Vanishing Edge Debacle

    I got some of those vanishing edge underwear from Soma and I thought they worked almost too well. I never had to adjust them, but I felt like I was removing a bandaid when I took them off. Is that normal and if so, does it lessen once they are not brand new? It kind of hurt!

    • vacations

      I haven’t had this problem. Sometimes the plastic-y strip is slightly sticky to my skin, but never adherent and never had any discomfort taking them off.

      Maybe wash them?

    • Anonymous

      This has never happened to me. I am a big lotion user on my legs though (the UV lubriderm stuff wiht sunscreen), so maybe there’s enough lotion that they pick up as I am pulling them up and down throughout the day that they grip but don’t stick?

    • Calico

      That didn’t happen to me. But I do wash mine and put them in the dryer because I’m too lazy to sort them out. So far so good, but I do think they are less sticky as a result.

    • Anon

      I don’t know where to draw the line between an allergy and sensitive skin, but I have one of them and i have the same issue with any garments with silicone. I get red welts and they do stick to my skin.

  14. Tokyo recs and packing help

    I’m headed to Tokyo tomorrow for about 9 days, after which I’m headed to Palo Alto for another 4 days or so. I was feeling confident but now I’m nervous I don’t have everything together! Anyone want to make me a packing list??

    In total, I’ll have 5 days of depositions and otherwise about an even mix of work/leisure time. What should I pack? Obviously I’ve already set out some things — 3 suits, 3 workhorse dresses that coordinate with the suit jackets, some casual things that all tend to be mix and match. Any specific recs for the flight — clothes, etc.? (Hooray business class!)

    And, of course, any recs for Tokyo (food, sights!) are definitely appreciated!

    TIA! (Clearly, I am in need of direction and just want someone to tell me what to do at this point. I’m frazzled!)

    • Anonymous

      Japan Airlines has a lot of info about tourism in Japan on their website (I know this because I was recently on a JAL flight and it was the only website I could access for free in-flight…) I thought it was pretty high-quality, especially for free content.

    • Tokyo Travel

      i just came back from 11 days in japan, 6 of which were tokyo. it is VERY hot and VERY humid. if you can, pack lightweight professional and leisure clothing. comfortable walking shoes- you will walk A LOT. everyone there wears dark colored and conservative clothing. i don’t think i saw a single japanese woman wearing a tank top despite the heat.

      neighborhoods to check out, shinjuku, shibuya, harijuku, akihabara, asakusa, tokyo skytree, omotesando, ginza, tsukiji fish market.

      best meal of my life was at ukai tei in omootesando (teppanaki where they cook in front of you but high end).

      any food you eat will be delicious no matter how much you spend. in the big department stores, make sure to go to the basement level to find the food counters. eat sushi for breakfast! the rice is incredible. eat tsukemen at Rokurinsha at Ramen Street in the basement of Tokyo Station. be prepared to wait on a long line if you go at a popular time… my advice is to go for breakfast (i believe opens at 7:30?).

      for the flight- noise canceling headphones are a must!

      i got most of my info from the subreddit /r/Japan Travel.

      enjoy it!!

  15. Jill

    Can the lawyers here recommend best resources online for associate reviews or information about culture/expectation of various firms? Looking for information about a large NC firm, not a mega-city firm.

    • Maddie Ross

      Honestly, for a firm that size in that type of market, word of mouth is going to be your best bet. Do you know any other attorneys in that city (not necessarily at that firm)? Ask them. They’ll know.

      • Gail the Goldfish

        Or is you post the firm and an anonymous email, someone here might be willing to email you. I’m in NC and I know there are a few others around.

  16. ANP

    Where do you buy rugs for your home? We need a few large ones, and I’m wincing at the price. I also want decently good rugs — natural fibers, etc. All resources welcome!

    • Anonymous

      I got my last large rug at a high end consignment store. It had no stains or visible wear and I got it for less than half what I would have paid for a new rug.

    • Anonymous

      Wayfair, Home Depot. I have no idea if those are good quality, but they are definitely less pricy. I’d love to know if someone else has good suggestions, because the price of rugs has always made me cringe.

      You might also think of the natural fiber rugs (jute, etc.) which seem to be a little cheaper.

    • CPA Lady

      I got our large rugs on overstock and at Home Goods. They are wool and were in the $300 range, if I remember correctly? Certainly not heirloom quality or anything, but I like them. If you want really nice hand knotted rugs, I’ve seen some go for good prices (compared to thousands of dollars that they are new) at antique auctions/estate sales, but in those situations your color options and sizes are limited to whatever they have at the moment.

    • Anon for this

      I recently furnished a new house with hard-wood floors and a large porch/three-season room so bought lots of area rugs, outdoor rugs and porch mats. (And was kind of obsessed with rugs.) I got them mostly from Rugs Direct and Overstock, of all places, and also have ordered from Rugs USA both recently and over the years. Huge selections on all these sites and you can filter not only by style and color but also material, so you can select wool, or silk, or whatever you’re looking for. The service at all of these places generally is good, although when I ordered several items from Rugs Direct last year a couple were out of stock, but I got no notification and they didn’t plan to ship any until those two were back in stock, gah. Once I figured this out, their customer service was good, and I ended up finding those two elsewhere (Menard’s; I wouldn’t start there but I found that they had some of the same styles at a better price) and cancelling just those items.

    • Britt

      Ebay. Overstock can be good too, but eBay has amazing steals. I just moved and was able to sell 3 eBay rugs from my old house for the same price I paid 3 years ago. The first new rug, also via eBay, is getting delivered on Monday.

    • Anonono

      We buy ours from Wayfair and Overstock (and got a good score on one from Lowes once). I always get breathless enthusiastic compliments, which is funny because they were so cheap (comparatively). But I have cats and a kiddo so I’m not going to get anything very high quality (or more than a few hundred bucks).

    • Bonnie

      We got our rugs at World Market and a few on deep discount from pottery barn and west elm.

    • Rugabugbug

      This comes up several times a year and no one else ever says Ollie’s. So I’ll throw out Ollie’s again! There is nowhere else you’ll find rugs as inexpensive as you’ll find at Ollie’s. The price to quality ratio is fantastic.

      • Anonymous

        Does Ollie’s sell online? (Maybe this is why nobody else suggests it….)

    • Rugs USA

      I’ve bought from World Market, Wayfair, Building 19 (RIP)… but most recently I bought from a website called Rugs USA and was able to get a huge, intricately printed rug for a decent price. They had a huge selection and many “sa’es” which I think are constant. I’ve had the for a few months now and it’s plus, no pilling… I think that would be my first stop if I was in the market in the future.

    • Stormtrooper

      I know this is late but a friend of mine went to a carpet store and had a large piece of carpet made into a rug at a deep discount. Way cheaper than a rug and while maybe not ideal for every room, may work in the right room

    • Anonymous

      I bought a moderately priced rug from Horchow and i get so many compliments. Look there for something interesting.

    • Anne Elliott

      Lucky enough to live in Asia and buy Turkish and Iranian carpets and kilims. We have marble (living area) and wooden floors (bedrooms), but don’t like wall to wall rugs or carpets.

  17. New Money

    So accounting just contacted me saying they forgot to wire my Jan and Feb salaries.
    I was new and didn’t have a bank account until march. I can expect anywhere from 3k to 6k.
    I am so happy because I didn’t expect to be paid.
    Now the biggest dilemma: Do I put the money towards my savings account (I have no debt) or do I finally buy my first good watch I had been wanting to get at $4-5k

    • Anonymous

      Savings. If your salary is at most $3K a month, you should not be buying a $4-5K watch.

      • New Money

        I need this voice of reason instead of being influenced by all the recent talk on watches in past threads

        • cc

          Those are for people making big money. Most people go their whole lives without a 4K watch.

          • Anonshmanon

            such an expensive thing would leave me constantly scared of getting a scratch on it or loosing it!

        • Anonymous

          I make more than 5 times what you make and I would never dream of buying a $5K watch and none of my friends would either (and they all earn six figures).

        • cc

          I’m guessing she lives off her parents maybe? That’s the only way I can see someone thinking about spending 12% of their take home pay on a watch – if their entire salary is fun money

        • New Money

          Not a troll, just a regular reader who wanted a sense check. But I start to understand how some frequent commenters disappeared after being called trolls

    • Huh?

      Wait, you didn’t get paid for 2 months?! And accounting didn’t figure that out until 5 months later? And that was…fine? Why would you have not said anything? Or just assumed you wouldn’t see that money?

      • New Money

        I am a foreign hire so getting settled was complicated. I stayed in my home country for a few weeks and wasn’t working much as they couldn’t bill me to a client. So I assumed I wouldn’t be paid.

    • cc

      If you didn’t even have a bank account than savings. How much do you have in savings? This is a really wtf comment. Why were you working for free? Why didn’t you notice you didn’t get paid? And no- you don’t get a 4K watch when your take home pay is 30k. Buy a good watch for $300 and stop working for free

    • Anonono

      This is strange — what’s the context… how did you not get paid for two months and not notice? I would save it, but I also can’t fathom such a Nice Watch (though I’d happily spend that amount on a vacation!) so maybe our perspectives are too different.

    • New Money

      I guess some context is needed since I am not in the US system.
      I was hired in my home country and didn’t expect to be paid for the time that I was on the bench waiting for my work permit to be issued. That took 2 months.
      I don’t have any student loans as I had a full scholarship in my home country.
      The 4 k salary is after tax because here taxes are taken at source instead of people filing their own taxes so after paying my 1k in rent I usually have 3K for everything else with no debt, that is why I started saving.

      • Meg Murry

        I’d put it in savings then, because it’s also possible its an error and you *aren’t* supposed to be paid for that time.

    • Anonymous

      Nobody needs a 4k watch. You can get a “good” watch for a couple hundred bucks. At a certain point it’s just a diminishing return.

    • Idea

      The watch will go on sale.
      Buy A watch — $40-50 can buy a good watch, you know!
      Smile — you’ve got money for SAVINGS!!!

  18. La area

    I’m going to the LA area at the end of the month for a wedding. I’ve already done the tourist highlights and don’t really care to do that again. I have a day and a half free and would like to get out and do something. Any must sees? We’re staying east of LA near Pomona and I don’t mind driving. I’m up for anything except major hiking.

    • Anonymous

      I love the Getty. You’ve probably been before but they might have new exhibits since the last time you were there. Plus, it’s just a beautiful place to visit.

      • Anonymous

        Second the recommendation for the Getty Center. The Getty villa is also lovely. A TV taping can be a fun experience. Check websites of your favorite shows for schedules and ticket info.

    • Parfait

      For East Side tourism, I’d head to Pasadena. Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens or LA Arboretum for strolling around amongst greenery. Gamble House or the San Gabriel Mission if you like tours of historic things. Old Town Pasadena for wandering around eating, drinking, shopping. Rose Bowl Flea Market. Norton Simon Museum. See if anything interesting is playing at the Levitt Pavilion Concert Series for the dates you’ll be there.

    • Anonymama

      I’d say the Huntington Library, if you like museums and gardens, or head to Newport Beach. The Getty is nice but that’s a loooong drive from Pomona.

    • ChiLaw

      Depending on the weather, going to Joshua Tree and Pioneer Town could be really fun — but not if it’s going to be 100+ degrees, like this weekend. I live in Claremont, which has a charming downtown village for a night out with wandering and drinks and food. There’s often good art and music going on in downtown Pomona, too. If you like beer, there are a bajillionty breweries right in the neighborhood: Claremont Ales, Last Name, Sanctum, Rok House, Old Stump, etc.

    • Jen

      If you’ll be in Pomona, I’d actually recommend hanging out in the Claremont area. The Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens are really lovely and a great walk, and downtown Claremont has great restaurants and a few cutesy bars. The college campuses that are walkable from downtown Claremont are also really beautiful, and there are often concerts or plays in Bridges Auditorium there.

    • Anonymous

      Have you been to the Broad? If not, it’s worth a visit. We didn’t get advance tickets and the wait was an hour on a Saturday afternoon.

  20. anon

    I returned this blouse as I felt like the scale of the print was clownish. Also, there is some bright yellow (or maybe yellow-green?) contrast stitching in a wide, yarn-like thread around the neckline, and a bright yellow button at the throat, all of which dressed down the shirt too much for me.

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