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Updated: Oct 31, 2018 51 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Leather Satchel

Coffee Break

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I amBrooks Brothers Leather Satchel torn between two bags at Brooks Brothers right now. This dark blue leather satchel looks sophisticated and sleek, and I feel like the Saffiano leather would wear better. But: maybe this bright cobalt one is more me (and it's on sale for $150-$199, depending on the day). Hmmmn. The pictured bag is $498. Brooks Brothers Leather Satchel Here is a lower-priced option. (L-4)

Sales of note for 9.10.24

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Comments

  1. anon

    I feel totally frumpy and realizing that I much prefer dressing for spring and fall weather to summer weather (80+) . It’s warm here today.

    In theory, I want to be able to pull on an effortless summer dress that I can layer with a cardigan for work and pair with different shoes depending on where I’m going. If it were cooler out, I would wear skinny jeans, flats or ankle boots, and an interesting top. But with dresses, it gets complicated. I’m a pear shape, so shapeless dresses look terrible on me, but gathered-waist dresses can look too va-va-voom and make me uncomfortable for work.

    I see women who continue to wear the jeans outfits in hot weather and they look great, but I turn into a sweaty, disgusting mess! So I feel like I have to go with dresses.

    And so many summer dresses are either too unstructured or too formal. I work in a very casual office (anything goes but shorts), but I really struggle with how to dress for work in the warmer months. Any ideas or commiseration? Where should I shop?

    • Basics

      I’ve been reading a lot of stories about Dave Goldberg and Sheryl Sandberg this week. Of course, I’ve mostly been paying attention to what an incredible partnership they had. However, on a less sober note, I’ve noticed from all the photos that SS always looks so polished, whether in formal suiting or in casual wear. One photo in particular shows her walking and holding hands with DG wearing a taupe casual dress and a cardigan. I think that her look always appears so polished because of fit (clearly tailored for her) and color (solids). Maybe that is the key?

      • Anonymous

        I know what photo you’re referring to, and I actually don’t think it’s a good look for her. It’s too tight & short. I’m not sure where it was taken. If it was at a family wedding or something, then whatever. But I don’t think it’s professional at all.

        OP, sheath dresses in lighter (weight and/or color) fabrics are your friend. Structured and not shapeless, but light enough to wear for summer and looks good with ballet flats and a cardigan.
        I wear more casual jersey-type dresses occasionally, but I feel like those demand a blazer to look professional enough for work. Jersey dress + cardigan is not a work look unless you’re a teacher or something like that.

        • Parfait

          It’s totally my work look. Very casual tech company. Boden dresses and cardigans all. the. time.

      • Ellen

        I agree with Anon–She is cute, but has a bigger frame and tuchus then I do, so she should NOT be wearing dresses (sheathe or otherwise) that are so tight b/c (like me), she should NOT cause men (or women) to focus on her tuchus. Dad say’s if I had Sheryl’s brains, he could live with me having her tuchus, but I do not, so he THEREFORE insist’s that I loose my tuchus (or at least 5 pound’s off my tuchus). FOOEY! It is NOT easy to loose weight on a spot basis like that. He said that it is NOT hard, b/c when he was in the Army behind the iron curtain, he met alot of women with big tuchuses that he was abel to work off through vigorous sex. I cannot even think of HOW he did that or where his winkie was in order to do that. I would NOT want to bring this up with mom b/c she thinks he did alot of thing’s over there b/f they were married.

        Grandma Leyeh also wants me to loose weight in my tuchus so that I can attract a rich guy. I think my tuchus is OK as is, even tho I am NOT svelte like Gizelle Bunchkin, like Grandma Leyeh wants. FOOEY! Do I have to look like a model to get a rich guy to marry me? Even Sheketovits would NOT marry me. All he wanted to do is keep his winkie warm in me. DOUBEL FOOEY on Sheketovits! FOOEY!

    • NYNY

      I’m an hourglassy pear, and definitely find that the best dresses for me have at least a few of the following qualities:

      – stretch – this is nonnegotiable
      – enough structure in the shape and/or weight in the fabric to not cling to my butt
      – a sheath shape with a skirt that lands anywhere from the top of my knees to about an inch below my knees
      – some definition in the waist, even if it’s an empire waist, but nothing super body-con

      With dresses, I find that the cardigans or blazers that look best are shorter than what looks best with pants. High hip level, with some waist definition.

      • anon

        Yes, what you described is exactly what I need in a dress! Where do you buy these unicorn dresses? Any store suggestions?

        • Profmama

          Similar shape… Boden can work for sheath type dresses. Avoid dresses that have an empire waist.

        • Walnut

          I buy a lot of dresses at Loft. It can be hit and miss, but I’ve been able to amass a collection over the past five years.

        • Parfait

          Boden Boden Boden. And I disagree that empire waists can never work for us pears.

          • Mpls

            For instance, they work when you are a high-waisted pear and the empire seam is your natural waist line…

        • anon a mouse

          Also an hourglassy pear here. We are talking about hunting for a needle in a haystack. I have found that my best dresses actually have a seam or a band at the waist rather than one long piece of fabric. I am a big fan of the Target Merona Women’s Ponte Sheath, for example. I’ve also had decent luck at Macy’s with their INC brand and some JNY or Anne Klein dresses. Boden quality is fantastic but it totally depends on where the waist hits (I will often buy the regular size and the tall to compare).

          The other staples are really hit and miss depending on the season – Banana, Brooks Brothers, Ann Taylor. My dream wardrobe is all Hugo Boss but that’s a lottery winning away.

        • NYNY

          This spring is rough. I’ve seen zero dresses to even try on. Everything is either too short, too shapeless, or too body-con. Sorry to evoke the unicorn and then shoot it down.

        • Mountain Girl

          I love wrap dresses. The wonderful thing about a wrap dress is that you can cinch the waist just as tight as you want it and you can also cheat and adjust it to to the most flattering position on you. But I always, always, always wear a cami under my wrap dresses. I like the look and it does away with worrying about accidental wardrobe malfunctions.

          • anon

            Also a pear. The various Tahari price points, Anne Klein, and BCBG all have a better waist to hip ratio.

    • anyanony

      Have you looked at the Lands End dresses that people here rave about and Kat has featured? Stretch, structure, some have defined waists.

      • Sparrow

        I was going to suggest Lands End as well. I got a couple of cute summer dresses from there. They are like an A-line and float away from the body without being shapeless. I am hourglass – Ishmael shape, but carry most of my weight in my belly so I like that I don’t have to worry about shapewear. I think they would work on pear shapes too.

    • Anon

      I work in a tech company where the dress code is very casual and summers are very hot and dry here (think Arizona). I typically wear flowy linen pants with t-shirts at least twice a week. I keeps me cool and comfortable.

    • Anne

      Check out the blog Franish for ideas. I think you might like how she wears dresses.

    • Anon

      Late to the party, but I think undergarments help here too. I’ve started wearing half slips with a lot of my dresses, which makes even the non-lined, not as nice ones look better. That’s worked well with Target, H&M, and even some Banana Factory items.

  2. Rainbows and Unicorns

    On Friday, some of you posted about using your iPads in trials, and even mentioned that some of your courts prefer or require iPads. Could you please share the names of the software that you use to do this?

    Thanks.

  3. NYNY

    I took a risk today getting dressed. Normally, I’m wearing neutrals – black, navy, or gray – with maybe some color in my blouse. If I wear a colorful skirt, it’s likely with a black, white, or black and white patterned blouse. Today, I have on a royal blue pencil skirt with a red and blue patterned shell, an (admittedly neutral) light gray open cardigan, and scarlet pumps. I look down at my skirt and shoes and think “Superman.”

    Is that awesome, or too much? Can’t decide.

  4. Medical leave dilemma

    I work in higher ed. A woman who reports to me part time (she also reports to other people) has been out on medical leave since nearly the beginning of the year. She has been adamant about her need for privacy, so my colleagues and I have been unaware of the nature or severity of her condition (not that it’s any of our business, but sometimes knowing a little can contribute to compassion.) Because of the time-bound nature of her work, we have filled her position on an interim basis with someone who seems much more suited to the position, in terms of efficiency, dedication, and reliability, than the woman on medical leave.

    Shortly after her FMLA protected medical leave expired, the woman conveyed that she is in the early stages of a very difficult pregnancy, has been in and out of the hospital, needs more time, and intends to return to work in six weeks (which would be a total of about five months leave).

    With the lengthy leave, I am inclined to turn the position permanently over to the interim person, who has been doing a great job. BUT, I am loathe to ‘penalize’ someone for illness, esp. pregnancy, when the decks are so often stacked against women in higher ed. My concern is that she will keep extending the leave – perhaps indefinitely – and then will need another leave for the birth. Further complicating issues is the fact that she is also a graduate student, and losing her job will affect her tuition and health insurance. What am I missing her? Do you see a way for the urgent work to get done, without unnecessarily penalizing this woman in the midst of a challenging pregnancy?

    • Must be Tuesday

      If your permanent employee’s FMLA leave is up and she still can’t return to work, I’m assuming that means you’re legally okay to offer her position to someone who can work right now? Alternatively, you could voluntarily extend her leave and keep the interim employee on a continued interim basis? If those are your choices…

      From a purely business perspective, it seems to make sense to offer a permanent position to the person who is currently doing the work, and who is better suited to the position than the previous employee.

      On the personal end, it does seem awful to terminate someone’s employment when you know they’re pregnant and sick, especially if losing their job causes them to lose health insurance and tuition benefits.

      Sounds like you’ll need to decide between best serving the needs of the office at great expense to an ok employee who is going through a tough time personally vs. being a compassionate employer to this single employee at some expense to your department.

      • Lyssa

        I’m pretty sure that, legally, the employer is in the clear to terminate (***** NOT legal advice). This is more of an ethical question.

        Which I honestly have no idea how to answer. That’s a really tough position to be in. I think that I’d have to consider whether the woman on leave is actually ill-suited for the position, or just not quite as good as the interim employee, whether the interim employee is likely to find other work if not offered a permanent position (is it possible to offer him/her a permanent position doing something similar?), and maybe whether the intent that she return in 6 weeks is realistic (maybe ask for a doctor’s statement?).

        • Mpls

          Well, you’d want to know the legal implications of keeping her on, as well. Does it set a precedent for other cases, how does an indefinite leave play with your employee handbook, etc…

    • Wildkitten

      Are you responsible for hiring and firing? (You said she reports to a number of people). Is her FMLA paid?

    • bridget

      If it were me, my first call would be to an employment attorney to be certain that I wasn’t falling into any traps, and to ensure that I can act in a way to minimise the chances of litigation. Also, a good employment attorney can walk you through the best ways to approach her to discuss her availability re: health issues, pregnancy, etc.

      Second call/discussion would be with the temp, to figure out if s/he is willing to stay indefinitely. (In this economy, the answer is probably “yes.”) From what you’re writing, you are likely not paying her anything to be officially “working” there. Figure out what it costs your department to continue this situation.

    • Gibbler

      As Anonymous said, talk to an employment lawyer. Even though she has utilized all of her FMLA time, you may need to extend her leave under Title VII and/or your state law.

      On the personal side, are there other positions that she may be better suited for? And, are you perhaps remembering her less than stellar performance that occurred right before her leave, presumably caused by the medical issues?

        • Medical leave dilemma

          Many thanks for these thoughts.

          Turns out the Dean has decided to move ahead with appointing the interim person to the position, which is good news for my department. I’m not sure what the longer term ramifications for the pregnant woman are, and relieved that I don’t have to deal with these kind of questions ‘above my pay grade.’ Points about pregnancy protection are well taken. I hope the Dean has considered that.

  5. Anon A

    Hi ladies! Looking for recommendations for comfy yoga pants. If it matters, I’m petite. Thanks in advance! :)

  8. Anonny

    IS anyone else having consistent problems with comments showing up? The always used to show up immediately upon hitting “post comment” (unless they went to moderation), but now it’s taking a good while to show up. It seems like the afternoon comment volume is way down lately… wonder if that’s a contributing factor?

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