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For busy working women, the suit is often the easiest outfit to throw on in the morning. In general, this feature is not about interview suits for women, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional. Also: we just updated our big roundup for the best women's suits of 2024!
This dark charcoal suit from Boss looks like a great basic. I like the asymmetrical blazer, which seems to be a look they have in a lot of different suit sets. (For example, here's a cobalt one.)
Nordstrom has the blazer, as well as the matching straight pants and straight skirt. Bloomingdale's also has a verrry similar blazer (it's $50 more and has a silver button?), along with a pair of matching bootcut pants.
The pieces were originally $298-$545, but the blazer is marked 25% off at both stores, bringing it down to $409.
Sales of note for 9.30.24
- Nordstrom – Beauty deals through September
- Ann Taylor – Extra 30% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off sale
- J.Crew – 50% off select styles
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything + 50% off sale with code
- Lo & Sons – Warehouse sale, up to 70% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Neiman Marcus – Friends & Family 25% off
- Rag & Bone – Friends & Family 25% off sitewide
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Fall Cyber Monday sale, 40% off sitewide and $5 shipping
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- White House Black Market – 40% off select styles
Anon
I’m the rug poster from yesterday afternoon…I found a rug, yay! Now I’m choosing a rug pad and I had no idea there were so many options. I used to get the cream colored rubber ones from Lowes (you know, the ones with the square holes in them). This time, I’m thinking about getting a felt pad, which is slightly more expensive. I’ve also just run across memory foam pads, which I didn’t realize was a thing. What rug pad do you have and do you like it? I’ll note that slipping is not really a factor because the rug will be anchored down by the couch. However, the rug is a little thin and I’m big on things being soft and cushy. Also want the rug to lay flat with no ripples.
Anon
I have a thick pad – I think it might be felt? it looks kind of like the fabric version of plywood – under my living room rug and I think it’s great. For other rooms I use the standard rubberized ones meant to prevent slipping.
Anon
Mine looks like this, though not this exact one. I bought it from the rug store where I bought my rug
https://a.co/d/6kKi67h
Anon
Thank you, this is the exact one I’m considering! The RugPad USA cloud comfort memory foam pad is the other I’m considering.
https://www.amazon.com/RUGPADUSA-Luxurious-Cushioned-Available-Thicknesses/dp/B071FX4FVC/ref=asc_df_B071WG5JSX/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693308331046&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8833304467657367369&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9190338&hvtargid=pla-338844759285&psc=1&mcid=b93262876e86341a87e32b19e3d704a8&th=1#aw-udpv3-customer-reviews_feature_div
Anon
Op, realize this is pretty late but I was recently debating the exact same two you were considering. I bought the felt, based primarily on price. For the one place in my house I was really thinking I needed the memory foam, I bought a thicker than normal felt one. Very happy with it. Note that if you start and then abandon a cart on rug pads USA website they send a really good coupon code.
Anonymous
I like the foam pads from quince bc they’re certified for lower VOC and are a good price
Anon
Do you have a link? I went to the Quince website and I’m only seeing felt pads, not foam.
NY CPA
I have a thick felt pad from rugs.com, and it really improves the rug I have it under. Would pay extra for the premium one again.
Anon
If you have hardwood floors, the one with the holes will eventually imprint on your finish. I will only use felt now after learning that the hard way.
Cerulean
If you’re putting it on hardwood floors, get felt. I think I got a Mohawk one and it’s good for the price. I learned the hard way that the grid type can leave a stain on hardwood.
Anonymous
Costco carries Mohawk rug pads online, and I have them under all my rugs (travertine flooring). They are thick, cushy, and reversible so you can use them on carpet or wood/tile. I will never use another rug without them!
LawDawg
If you go to a carpeting store, they will be able to talk to you about the different options based on potential wear patterns, what flooring is underneath, etc. The pad is about extending the life of an area rug as well as cutting down on noise and anti-slipping. Another bonus is that they will cut it to the exact size you need. It may be a more expensive option, but it can really improve the life and feel of even an inexpensive rug.
Anonymous
Would you message your own doctor about this or let it be? I need to have labs done next week after supplementing iron for a few months. When my last labs were done last spring, fasting blood sugar was high though A1C was ok, so I made lifestyle changes and figured they could add fasting blood sugar orders onto my iron labs so we could see if it was a one off or if I need to make more aggressive efforts. Called my doctors office assuming this would be NBD. Got a call back today saying my doctor was out of the office this week but another provider looked and said I don’t need another A1C because it’s fine. I clarified that it was a fasting glucose test and was put on hold and told the provider said it was NBD because it was only slightly high, maybe I ate something sugary the day before even if I fasted etc.
In my usual non confrontational way I thought ok well if I can get it on my own dime through those self lab orders. DH overheard all of this just now and was like that’s dumb when you’re already going in for labs and do you even know who this provider is who said no. Should I message my own dr when she returns to ask if she thinks this is needed? I don’t want to be that jerk that is going around her staff. But this also isn’t something I want for fun. One parent is prediabetic, as are 3 aunts and uncles, and a grandmother has diabetes. So it’s just something I’d like to keep an eye on. Though if my own dr were to say that it’s not needed because A1C is ok, I’d be fine with that too, probably because I’d assume she looked at something before saying no. WWYD? This is a local health system’s primary care practice if it matters – three doctors, a number of nurses and NPs, PAs on staff.
Anon
The doctor won’t receive the message directly. Those messages are filtered through their staff. So you’re not going around anyone.
Anon
+1
Anon
If it had been less than a year, I’d let it go, but that’s me. I certainly would not think twice about taking extra steps to get an answer from my own doctor if I had any sort of medical question.
Anonymous
I’d just order my own test via Labcorp as much as it stinks that that’s where American healthcare is at this point. If you want to be proactive about things, you pay for them out of pocket. Maybe I’m just non confrontational too. IDK but offices can be very weird about not wanting to contradict whomever responded to you initially, so you may get the same answer just for that reason.
Anon
I’m skeptical of the explanation that a fasting glucose could be high from eating something sugary the day before; that sounds like they think a patient didn’t REALLY fast and are trying to let you save face, but only you know whether you fasted or not.
Just so you know, you can get your current blood glucose taken from a finger prick blood drop almost anywhere, like a pharmacy minute clinic or any walk-in clinic. You can also just buy a glucometer and some test strips; they’re OTC. I read that even continuous blood glucose monitors are coming out OTC soon.
Anonymous
That was my thought when I read this too that it seemed like blow off answer. Sounds like OP takes this seriously so likely she fasted per the directions, and even if she DID eat a piece of cake the day before and then fasted, wouldn’t the fasting have made the blood sugar normal again some 12 hours later?
OP if it were me I’d message your own doctor about this and I wouldn’t care that staff will read the message. Let your own doctor say yes or no. If she says no, there are other options like the clinics above or ordering your own test. I wouldn’t just let this go for an entire year just to be polite, given that you’ve been watching the numbers and there’s a family history.
Anonymous
Diet the day before can affect results. I tested with high blood sugar after a more than 12 hour fast following a dinner of pasta and milkshake outing with my family. Next visit I was totally normal.
I think it’s also important to look at actual risk. Only one of her relatives is actually diabetic, her A1C was normal, and she wasn’t at a prediabetic level of concern. She has modified lifestyle since then as well.
No harm in waiting for your next physical. The covering physician’s opinion isn’t any less valid. I swear, they can’t win. If they order the test, insurance blocks the pre-auth because it isn’t medically necessary given the factors just referenced, and the patient pays out of pocket and is annoyed. If you leave a message, stress that you are OK paying out of pocket. They still may route you to Labcorp or a minute clinic or the like with an order since they are usually trying to steer to lowest cost of care.
Anonymous
I would listen to the medical provider. What you eat the day before can affect results. And you weren’t pre diabetic yet alone at a pre diabetic level of concern (numbers shifted lower—borderline pre diabetic used to fall as normal).
Anon
I’d message them again saying you’re concerned you may be developing it because you’re having XYZ symptoms. They need a reason to order the test.
Anon
Eh. Just ask your actual doctor what your next steps should be when they call with the iron studies results. This isn’t an emergency, so just discuss it the next time you talk to them.
LHJ
Im a PCP – would likely not reorder this if you were my pateint if a1c was okay – even a borderline a1c i often will wait a year to repeat. Caveat is there are things that can affect an A1C – in particular since you mentioned iron deficinecy, anemia can impact this (bc hemoglobin A1C is related to circulating red cell s in the body beiing “tagged”by blood glucose)…. then again, if you were my patient, i might honestly just do it bc it would save the time and effort of explaining why its not necessary nor going to change anything…
Anonymous
Internal medicine here. I agree. Not needed, but i might order if you can’t seem to let it go.
Anonymous
OP here – thanks to the PCP and IM posters. I’m definitely letting it go. Will continue the changes I’ve made in terms of added sugar, more strength training etc and will see where I’m at in the next physical.
Anonymous
I think you need to relax. The doctor says you don’t need it.
FP
I asked this a while ago but Southwest flights are now open, so would love any more thoughts or suggestions. My family would like to visit Hawaii right after school gets out at the end of May for around 10-14 days. We are coming from the Southeast and no one has ever been to Hawaii, we have two elementary school kids who are very active with activities outside. Any recommendations for a sample itinerary? Is Honolulu worth our time? Ideally we’d do something like 5-7 nights in an Airbnb on one island for hiking / exploring, and 5 nights in another island at a resort for relaxing. Should we add a third island? What would you all recommend? We have preferences to Marriott chains due to lifetime status. Thanks!
Anon
I would do max two islands in that time frame. I would plan some active time and some relaxing time on each island, rather than splitting it up and only doing active stuff on the first island. All the Hawaiian islands have lots of interesting stuff to do, and I think you’ll regret it if you visit two islands but spend all your time on the second island at the resort. Also note that Hawaii doesn’t have all-inclusive resorts (to my knowledge) so you’ll need to leave the resort for meals, at the very least. There are some very nice hotels/resorts there but it’s not like the Caribbean where you can literally hang out at the resort 24/7 for days on end.
I like Honolulu and Oahu in general and think people are unfairly negative about them, but IMO Oahu is best with younger kids who can’t do as much active stuff. For your kids I’d recommend Kauai, which has amazing hiking, ziplining and scenery, and the Big Island, which has fantastic snorkeling and all the Volcanoes National Park stuff, which is well worth a day.
Anon
Ok I LOVE Hawaii so you’re not going to find me talking you out of it.
Stay at a resort for sure. You want pools and beach access. Maui on the Ka’anapali shore is great for this, and is where most of the major US chains have resorts. I’m a points collector so I’ve stayed at both Marriott and Hyatt branded resorts on Maui.
I’d skip Honolulu – it’s a gorgeously located city, but it’s still a city and I don’t see why you’d spend a day of vacation visiting it.
Inter island flights are quick and not horribly expensive if you’d like to explore more than one island. My favorite is Kauai, where it feels like you’re in the Hawaii version of “out in the country,” but I’ve also really enjoyed the more desert-like vibe of the Kona side of the Big Island.
I’d do the Marriott over an air bnb, personally. We’ve stayed in a condo before but it was more of a trek to a public beach than just steps from the beach like you get at a resort.
Aloha and enjoy the island spirit!
Anon
If you are flying from Atlanta, Southwest is cutting about a third of its Atlanta flights. Maybe you can ensure that your route isn’t one of them?
OP
Thanks! Flying from Nashville
Also eastern
Be sure to plan some recovery for jet lag both ways
Anon
Counterpoint, have never needed much recovery going from eastern time to Hawaii. You fly all day and land in the evening Hawaii time (very late at home) and just go straight to bed. We prefer to be early risers in Hawaii to beat everyone to brunch and good snorkeling spots, so we never have to fully adapt to the new time zone and stay on an early-to-wake, early-to-sleep schedule. Going home is harder.
National Parks Trip
I want to plan a trip next summer to a National Park with my DH and 2 children ages 14 and 11. We vacation a lot, but typically have done trips where we stay at hotels/resorts, with maybe some moderate hiking thrown in (think Europe, beach trips to Mexico or SE US, Hawaii, ski trips annually out west). We’ve only done a couple of easy day trips to national parks (one day we drove to Joshua Tree from Palm Springs and did an easy walk when the kids were little, and more recently did a day trip to Saguaro National Park with easy walks when the kids were a bit older). DH did a lot of outdoorsy hiking/camping etc in his 20s but it has been a very long time since either of us (now in our mid-40s) have camped or done anything seriously in nature like visiting a national park. I’m overwhelmed – not sure where to start, what we need to think about in terms of securing lodging vs camping, etc. Tentatively, we like the idea of visiting Glacier National Park. Any recommendations on where to stay, itineraries etc or resources on how to figure this out?
Anon
Acadia is my happy place and there are hikes of all lengths and difficulty levels. It’s not too hot, you’re close to lodging, you are near a decent-sized town but can avoid it if you wish – alllll good things.
Anon
+1 we have a home there and go every summer but I also think Acadia is amazing and has a ton to do with tweens and teens.
OP
OP here – Acadia is on our short list too. Any recs on where to stay, how many days is sufficient?
Anonymous
Not the poster, but Acadia is awesome! I’d say you could “do” it in 2 days, but it’s a pain to get to, so you may want to stay a bit longer to make it worth it.
Anon
5-7 days is ideal with kids that age imo. If you have longer than a week I would combine it with other New England destinations.
Cat
I would definitely not go for an all-out camping trip vacation without trying it for a few weekends first. Pick a park with nearby towns. Acadia is a good suggestion; most of my friends that have gone spent 2-3 days there (some do the dawn hike, which is beautiful) and then gone to other parts of Maine.
Anon
What about Utah, and Zion and Bryce Canyon? They are both driving distance from one another and really great trips for both parks. Easy and hard hikes/walks.
Anon
Not in summer unless you enjoy hiking in 100+ degrees.
Anon
Loser mom but I took my kids to Congaree and stayed at The Graduate in Columbia.
Anan
If you want to do minimal planning and are interested in Yellowstone, check out Yellowstone Institute packages. Lodging and education tour program all included in the price.
Anonymous
Glacier is thus far my favorite national park I’ve been to (which is admittedly, 11, so not a huge number). My biggest advice is PLAN EARLY. Like right now, because accomodations in the park will book up very, very early (some may already be booked up-reservations open a year in advance). If you don’t get the accomodations you want, keep checking back because things do open up. I cycled through several reservations and ultimately got what we wanted. I would stay inside the park to minimize drive times. The accomodations are mostly not that great, but they’re better than camping and fine (tend to be small/old). We also moved around within the park for the same reason (did this with Yellowstone, too). So when we went, we stayed 1 night in Lake McDonald area, 2 nights in Rising Sun Motor Inn (other side of the going-to-the-sun road), and 3 nights at Many Glacier Hotel. If you post a burner email, I’ll send you my itinerary with the hikes we did as well. Other tips: Going-to-the-sun road requires reservations in the summer. I don’t remember how far out you can get them, but whatever it is, mark it on your calendar and get them if needed (certain lodging in the park includes access). Go in August. Any earlier than mid-July or any later than early September and you risk the going-to-the-sun road being closed due to snow (this is why it’s so hard to get lodging reservations–most people are trying to visit in a pretty narrow time window). Also, read the park website’s info carefully. It never ceases to amaze me how many people I see at national parks who are shocked to learn info that was obviously and easily available on the website (like you need reservations for some things…)
Anon
I also love Glacier! I 100% agree with the recommendation for Many Glacier Hotel and using the Going-to-the-Sun road to get there. I also stayed at the Lake McDonald Hotel — another national park lodge which is very beautiful and as noted, a little older and small like Many Glacier. The hiking was incredible and I saw so much wildlife. In retrospect, I wish we had added the Canadian side of the park to our trip, so I suggest looking into it. In addition, there is supposedly amazing white water rafting in the Glacier area that I didn’t learn about until after.
Strong agreement on booking early. Many Glacier Hotel also has only one restaurant so make sure to get dinner reservations.
Anonymous
Oh, other suggestion (and by suggestion, I mean definitely do this): Get bear spray. Carry it with you at pretty much all times. Even if it’s a short hike. We saw lots of bears, including a grizzly strolling down a path about 10 yards from a busy parking lot. One afternoon there was a black bear eating berries right outside our cabin. If you happen to have a costco membership, there is a costco in kalispell that sells a 2 pack considerably cheaper than the hiking and grocery stores.
Anon
I prefer to stay at the lodges that are run by the national parks. Most of them are a bit dated, but they are the only lodges that are actually inside the parks. (I’m not a big camping person.) You are starting planning early so you may have a good chance for booking rooms.
Anon
+1 yeah, staying at a hotel/lodge run by the park isn’t always an option (It’s not in Acadia), but when it exists it’s usually what I go for. It’s the best option to be close to everything if you’re not into camping.
Dress
This resort near Yosemite (and the park itself) are awesome for families IMO:
https://www.evergreenlodge.com
Anon
Haven’t stayed here myself but have heard great things and would definitely consider Yosemite. We have had mixed experiences at Yosemite Valley Lodge (check the news stories about Aramark being at risk of losing its concessionaire contract), but it’ll likely be fine and the convenience of being in the Valley can’t be beat.
Anon
Have you stayed there? How is it getting into Yosemite itself from there? How do you swing that? (not sure how parking works at Yosemite)
Anon
I just finished a great audiobook and thought I’d recommend it here for those who haven’t read it/listened to it: Maame by Jessica George. Oldest daughters from any culture will really get it.
Anon
I read it, not listened to it, but I couldn’t get into that book. I loved the premise (and am an only daughter of immigrants myself) but it just dragged for me.
Anon
It really does get better.
Roxie
I DNF this book!
Anon
I think we have very similar book tastes! I remember you mentioning Real Americans and Excavations on a previous thread, both of which I loved. Any other recs?
PJ
Haven’t bought a suit in a long time but this was very tempting…until I saw it’s 100% synthetic…are you kidding me Boss?
If it were wool and functional cuffs, I would order!
Anonymous
I like the shape but the whole grey brown styling seems drab to me.
Anon
Wool is horrible and itchy
PolyD
Funny, I feel that way about acrylic. Makes me sweaty and itchy.
Anonymous
+1 Hate wool
Anonymous
Not a high-quality wool suit that is fully lined. I am so allergic to animal fibers that I can’t wear a sweater with 5% cashmere, but I still find a lined wool suit to be less hot and itchy than a synthetic suit. Wool also lasts far longer.
AIMS
I’m out on synthetic-fabric suits too, especially at this price point. I did see this in store in person and it is absolutely gorgeous: https://alcltd.com/collections/new-arrivals/products/calla-jacket-grey-melange