Suit of the Week: Brooks Brothers
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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 2026!
This “Colonial blue” suit from Brooks Brothers is such a pretty color. (Why is it “Colonial blue”? No idea. Do they have Oppressor Orange too?)
In any event: I like the three button blazer — it feels classic but also more modern (buttonpalooza). I like it best with the pants, but there's also a matching skirt and shirtdress.
The pieces are $168-$348 in sizes 00-16, at Brooks Brothers.
Sales of note for 9/11:
- Nordstrom – End of season clearance, up to 50% off
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase + extra 15% off when you spend $200
- Anthropologie – Extra 50% off sale! The reader favorite wide leg pants come down crazy low in some colors/fabrics, but they're down to lucky sizes
- Athleta – 30% off select styles (including my favorite sweatshirts as well as these reader favorite pants) + extra 30% off sale
- AYR – Archive sale, up to 60% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles – readers love these dresses, and their double-layer line of tees
- CVS – Epic beauty sale, $10 off when you spend $30
- Design Within Reach – the semiannual sale, 25% off everything! (readers love the Herman Miller Aeron and Sayl!)
- J.Crew – Up to 40% off select styles
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off all stores, plus an extra 10% off when you buy a pair of jeans
- Me & Em – Sale! Up to 60% off (new lines just added, exclusively online)
- M.M.LaFleur – Labor Day Sale Event, save sitewide! (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Nordstrom Rack – Extra 40% off select clearance
- Talbots – Buy one get 50% off everything
- Theory – End of season sale is on!
If you’ve tried various brands of electrolyte drink packets, can you let me know which one seems to taste the best?
I have a child in college and parents’ weekend is coming up. A friend of mine, who is a mom who has a child in the same class as my kid, asked if she could share my hotel and rental car (I reserved these a long time ago because there aren’t a lot of hotels near this college and I heard that they book up right away) and we can essentially “go together” to the event. Initially I thought nothing of it, but as I get closer to the date, I’m getting a little worried that this friend is going to want us to do stuff together at the event and I’d like to focus on my kid. Our kids know each other, but they are not friends (they were not friends in high school and are not friends now, but they are friendly). If she suggests stuff (e.g., let’s all meet for lunch at X location), how can I nicely say “no” without making things awkward? FWIW, her kid is the one that’s outgoing and always had a lot of friends, went to prom, senior trips, etc. and my kid is the one who always had more trouble finding her own way and was not included in group trips, etc. Can I tell her, e.g., that I’d like to take the car and take my daughter to dinner off campus so she’ll need to Uber herself back to our hotel? Unfortunately, our hotel is not walking distance from the college campus.
That was a pretty big ask of her (and you are a better person than I am). You are right to want to do things with your child (vs in a group that you’ve never otherwise been a part of). I wouldn’t have any problems saying “Hyacinth and I have plans; I will see you later tonight,” BUT BUT BUT some college are parking nightmares for similar weekends and I might Uber myself (using the car just to go to / from the airport. But not offer to chauffeur or route plan while in College Town. Your rental agreement likely requires you to be the sole driver, so she should not try to take it out at all.
You’re right – the rental agreement requires me to be the driver. I did not think about that angle. Originally she was planning to go on another weekend but when I ran into her one time in person, she asked me if I was going to parents’ weekend and I said yes. She later texted me asking if it would be okay if we shared my room and rental car and we could split the cost. I frankly did not care about splitting the costs, but I thought it would be weird to say no to her. She is a truly nice person and we get along great – it’s just that our daughters are very different people.
She’s already made things awkward. You can smile nicely and note that you have plans with your daughter. She’s a weird person if she doesn’t understand that she’s not part of your family.
As the seasons change, I note a rising hatred of jackets with non-full-length sleeves and blouses that do. Ugh.
Is anyone else here old enough to have grown up watching soap operas? Serial killers, spies, secret twins, murder, hospitals are for hooking up and sweeps week drama? I somehow watched the NBC ones and some of the ABC ones and some if I was late to the common TV in college. IDK how this common culture will exist going forward now that people watch screens vs TV.