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Updated: Nov 1, 2018 209 Comments · by

Frugal Friday’s TPS Report: Tile Foulard Print Faux Wrap Top

The Personal Shopper (TPS) |

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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. Chaus Tile Foulard Print Faux Wrap TopI'm always a fan of a wrap top, and I like the high neckline here and the interesting prints and colors. I'd probably stick with the black and white version myself, but this coral/orange print is really fun. It's $44. Chaus Tile Foulard Print Faux Wrap Top Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail tps@corporette.com. Psst: finally getting a moment to fix some CorporetteMoms issues; will turn to those asap this morning. Apologies to all who are getting bouncebacks and having other issues; I'll do a quickie post here today to clarify some frequently-asked questions I'm getting. (L-2)

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Comments

  1. Anonymous

    I know lots of people on thissite are fans of the fitbit. Is there a fitbit group out there for fans of thissite?

    • Ellen

      Yay! Fruegel Friday! I love Fruegel Friday’s and this high cut blouse! I wonder if I can wear a pencil skirt with it? It seems way to loose for that. What does the HIVE think?

      As for the OP, I would love to join a fitbit group on this sight, b/c I use it every day. We can compare notes and tuchuses before and after every week, just like dad does with me. He chart’s my progress (or lack therof) on his computer and make’s sure to tell me that I need to loose more weight. The ONLEY thing the fitbit does NOT do is to measure my tuchus specificeally. YAY! Because if dad knew that my tuchus is the same size, I would never hear the end of it every night when I call.

      Dad expleains — and he is right — that he married mom b/c she was a great cook, and that her tuchus was NOT a factor b/c of that. In my case, he explained — and I agree– that I am NOT a good cook, and as a result, I have to have a small tuchus to get a man to marry me. The onley exception is if I become a good cook first, and I think I will loose weight b/f I learn to cook well. My wedding chicken was a disaster, and I have NOT done much real cookeing since, unless you consider warmeing up prepared food from Eli’s and Fairway’s. Dad does NOT so he tells me, EVERY NITE, that my tuchus size has to go down before a man will be interested enough to marry me. Sleep with me, yes, but NOT marry me. He say’s I need a tuchus like Myrna. He does NOT care that Myrna is not married, but he says she WOULD be married in an instant if she found a decent guy. Mom is coming into town this weekend and I am takeing off Monday and Tuesday to travel with her (by train) to see her Aunt in Pitsburgh. I saw her last when I was in Pitsburgh to do some EBTs. She is younger then Grandma Trudy, but she is not to well. I said that Pitsburgh was NOT great, except for Schrunchie’s, which I will restock b/c my cousin’s took alot of mine.

      Anyway, I wish all of the HIVE a great weekend. I will try to post with my MacBook Air b/c the manageing partner needs for me to stay in touch. I told him I would if I have WIFI, even tho I can conect with my Iphone also, it is hard to read busness stuff on it. FOOEY!

      • Kathryn

        I’ve been considering getting a FitBit, and if there was a thissite group I would probably take the plunge!

    • Maddie Ross

      Can anybody comment on the difference between the FitBit and Nike Fuel Band? I have the first generation Fuel Band and like it, but it seems like maybe the FitBit does more and could be a good investment to increase motivation.

      • ANP

        If it helps, I recently read that Nike is discontinuing the Fuel Band. Not sure how that affects you (if at all) since you already have one.

        • DC

          They definitely are going to. It’s most likely because Nike is exclusive with Apple (fuel band doesn’t work on Androids) and Apple is going to come out with something of their own. Nike would probably like to preserve that partnership.

      • NOLA

        Yep, it is. We don’t use the name of this site because it automatically puts you into moderation, including any iteration of the ending e t t e, the work c*cktail, p00p, or any number of other things.

    • lucy stone

      I just made one! Email me at fivetomatoes at gmail dot com and I will send you an invite to join.

  2. Fireworks

    I’m looking for gift ideas for my best friend’s 50th birthday. She is a lawyer who “has it all” – looks, brains, a great family, lots of friends, and she loves horses. Ideas?

    • carrie

      A best friend?

      Time… with you. Take her out to her favorite place/restaurant, or a place from her/your past so you can reminisce. Or babysit her kids for the weekend so she and her husband can go on a short vacation.

      • Sadie

        As a horse lover who doesn’t have horses, a half/full day trail ride would be really a fun gift for me. Even if she can afford to buy one for herself, doesn’t mean she ever actually does it.

    • EmoAnon

      What kind of riding does she do? If she doesn’t ride regularly, I absolutely second the riding lessons or trail ride. Maybe even go on the trail ride with her! If she’s a regular rider/has her own horse, look at Beval (online store) for a lot of great horsey gifts and horse-lifestyle kind of things.

    • DontBlameTheKids

      I love horses, and wouldn’t want riding lessons (already know how) but I would love to do a trail ride, any time, any place. Especially if my best friend was going with me!

      • SoCalAtty

        Oops hit “report” instead of reply, sorry Parfait!

        Sure, I’ll even have her delivered!!

        I’ll second the “trail ride, but not lessons” sentiment :)

    • Sparrow

      I like the print. I think it would work with other pieces that are neutral/solid in color. This would be a great top for my business casual workplace with trouser jeans and a cardigan or blazer.

      • Lyssa

        I agree – as long as the rest of the outfit is fairly sedate, I don’t think it would be too much at all. I think it would look great peaking out of a gray or navy suit, too. (Not for interviews or big meetings, but on a normal day.)

    • KC

      I really like the print, but you could always wear a solid cardigan/blazer over it to tone down the pattern.

      Alternatively, it looks like there are solid white and black options of the same top as well.

    • kjoirishlastname

      I think it would totally work as a statement piece under a solid suit. I’m with Wildkitten too–I think the green & the B&W are better-looking than the coral.

      Really pretty top, and I can see it working in a variety of applications.

      • Senior Attorney

        I agree. I think this would be perfect under a suit.

        I don’t like my upper arms, though, so I think this kind of sleeveless/cap sleeve hybrid thing is a dealbreaker for me. It looks like it would draw attention to the biggest part of my upper arms.

        • NOLA

          You know, I don’t know who cap sleeves look good on. I have fairly thin muscular arms and shoulders and cap sleeves make my upper arms look bigger than they are. Weird.

          • hoola hoopa

            Ditto Fiona! I like the way I look in cap sleeves, but they get so much hate here that I wonder if I’m delusional! Plus, I find them comfortable under a jacket/cardigan but like that there’s a bit of a sleeve so I don’t feel awkward if I remove the top layer at the office.

            I also think the print is fine since I mostly see myself wearing it under a solid cardigan or jacket.

          • NWanalyst

            I am short-waisted (regular on top, tall on bottom), and I think cap-sleeves are flattering on me because they end far enough above the bustline to not add bulk to my torso. Anything that ends between the armpit and the upper forearm is likely to make me look top-heavy. For this reason, I usually either wear either long sleeves or cap-sleeves to work, and very rarely anything else.

          • Fiona

            This! I like cap sleeves because I feel like I can’t remove my jacket/cardigan if I go sleeveless. And I never realized it really until NWanalyst wrote it but it must be because the cap sleeve doesn’t add bulk. I’m also short-waisted.

    • In the Pink

      I have this in last year’s design which is bolder. If you are at all chesty, I think that the v neck of it is much lower, meaning I have to wear something underneath it. It was ok in the cold months to wear a long sleeved t or tank, but now that it’s summer, it’s relegated to non-working wear. It does emphasize my hourglass figure. Clingy. YMMV

    • Bonnie

      I have a top in a similar print that gets lots of use. It also makes getting dressed easier because I can pull out any of the colors for bottoms and a cardigan or jacket.

      • zora

        yeah, I like having some print shirts to throw under suits so i don’t feel like just a bunch of blocks of color thrown together.

    • Ashley

      The shape scares me. I don’t need any extra fluff where that top is fullest. All the pooling drapes would be a disaster on my body. Love the modest neckline, though.

    • Woods-comma-Elle

      Love. LK Bennett is my ‘wish I could shop there’ shop. Well, I could, but I have difficulty spending more than £100 on an item of clothing (whereas I would happy spend £500 on ten items).

      • Not So Frugal Friday

        Thanks. Reminds me of a dress Claire Underwood on House of Cards would wear *if* she wore color.

        • Kathryn

          Yes, it reminds me of the Reiss dress that she wore, was featured on here, and that I then bought. It’s my first “nice” dress, and I got it tailored and absolutely loveeee it.

        • Ashley

          It reminds me of something Diane Lockhart would wear. Powerful, classy, feminine. Swoon.

    • TO Lawyer

      I bought a couple LK Bennett dresses while I was on vacation in December on sale and even though they were pricey, they make me feel so put together. I think it’s worth it! Your dress is beautiful!

    • Anon

      I looked at the fabric. Is acetate as the main fabric (not as the lining) going to mean I get maybe 1 use out of it before I somehow destroy it? I’ve had butt-area seams tease out before (so I trust wool sheaths and ponte ones, but silk anymore).

    • cbackson

      I own a bunch of their shoes (although not the ones that Kate Middleton wears that got so much attention for them) and they are awesome.

      • Anon

        I have the Kate M pumps and they are hands down the best pumps I’ve ever owned. I used to go through a pair of cheap ones every couple of months and my LKBs are going on 2 years of near daily wear and look new.

        • cbackson

          I also find that there’s something about the way that they’re structured that makes them remarkably comfortable even at a fairly high height. They’re second only to Ferragamo in that respect, IMO.

    • Legally Brunette

      That dress is gorgeous and I tried it on the store. I was really hoping to love it but it did not fit my hourglass shape (weird pooching in the tummy area). I’m a pretty standard 4/6 and other LK Bennett dresses have fit beautifully. It’s also a bit of a weird fabric — it has a sheen to it. Also, pay attention t their return policy (lots of clothes are final sale and even if they are not, they have a really narrow returns window – maybe 10 days?). But I hope it works for you!

    • MJ

      I love LKBennett. I used to have an LKBennett shoe problem when I lived in London. BTW, they are on the UK sale schedule, so MAJOR (ELLENCAPS!) markdowns in January and July.

      My loveliest dress I own is from there. My friends call it my Mrs. Kennedy dress–gorgeous sheath with a matching jacket….if I had unlimited funds….

  5. Killer Kitten Heels

    Does anyone have any recommendations for something – a newsletter, a digest, a website (basically, something to be read rather than listened to) – where I can catch up on the day’s major headlines in approximately 20 minutes or less of reading? I know NYT and others do “headlines” emails, but the problem with those is that they’re teasers, not actual summaries of what’s happening. I’m looking for a sort of “five sentences or less summarizing each of the 10 major national news stories of the day” thing.

    (I know, I know, someone’s going to say “try X podcast!”, but podcasts don’t work for me – I end up either forgetting to download, or trying to listen while doing other things, zoning out, and then not really hearing what’s said, so it’s just not as effective, for me, as something I can read.)

    • Anon

      The front page of the a Wall St Journal print edition does this. I’m not a fan of the paper generally but it’s useful if you only have a few minutes and it covers all areas.

    • SD Girl

      My SO gets his news from reading Twitter. Everything is 160 characters or less and you will know what is important if it’s tweeted multiple times. I spend at least 40 minutes reading the various news app I have, mainly reading the headlines and summaries.

      • Sadie

        This is what I do. I follow all the main news outlets (national and local and including a few English language foreign ones) and I pretty much ALWAYS have the scoop before my hubs, who reads it all online but on regular news sites.

        I even scoop him on news about his college football team, which drives him mad, haha.

    • Philanthropy Girl

      I get the Politico daily digest & their breaking news updates by email. I skim the daily digest in case there is an article I want to read more in depth, but I generally get the gist. The breaking news updates are sometimes useful and sometimes not. They tend skew somewhat right of center, just FYI.

      And I also use Twitter.

  6. Pregomama

    Do we think “faux wrap design” means it’s enough that it’s nursing friendly? IE I can just shove the pump up there without having to take all my clothes off?

    My wardrobe is now 100% v-necks and wrap dresses. Ugh.

    • kjoirishlastname

      It’s hard to say without seeing if it is tacked at the point of the V. If it isn’t tacked, it seems like it would be easy to just open the wrap and pump.

      I know you didn’t ask for other options, but when I was pumping (and I pumped for a year with each of my kids), I just bit the bullet and stripped down. I have an office with a lockable door, and I put a post-it on the door saying when I would be available. I always wore nursing bras (in part because I was still nursing too, but I didn’t want to strip completely down, but also the Medela Freestyle that I owned had clips to attach the horns to the bra clips, if you KWIM). I eventually just stuffed a super cheap sports bra with slits cut in the front into my pump bag, and used it like the hands-free bustier that you see around. In the winter, I would put a cardi or my jacket back over my shoulders while pumping, and I almost always wore a nursing tank with my nursing bra so that my belly was covered for both nursing & pumping (it’s a PITA to wear both when you’re trying to struggle to unclip to feed a hungry baby, but then, with the tank covering your midsection, and whatever outer-shirt you’re wearing covering the rest, there’s virtually no visible skin when you nurse).

      So, the moral of my story is that I didn’t stick to “nursing- or pumping-friendly” shirts, rather I wore whatever I wanted, and just stripped 2-3x a day at the office to pump. But, my job is flexible, and I could continue to work at my desk, so YMMV.

      • Pumping attire

        I used a lot of knit shells under sweaters (cardi and others), so I could flip them up to pump (I used the zip-front pumping corset that you can get on amazon) and they didn’t wrinkle too bad. If I had to wear a suit, I did it with the knit shell (I have some nylon ones from Target that wear like iron; the closest things I’ve seen now are from Lilly Beverly Hills (for tennis) and from Adea (pricey, but if I didn’t have mine, I would consider it worth the money since I’ve worn mine for 10+ years)) and then took the suit jacket off so it didn’t get messy.

        I didn’t find a lot of nursing-friendly items to be that pumping friendly since I only nursed one baby at a time and with pumping, I had to get access to both sides and didn’t care about modesty (that and access were the benefits of nursing attire, which I did have and used more as such when not at work).

      • Fiona

        This is exactly what I did for my kidlets. But I too had an office with a lockable door. Love the nursing tanks for both pumping and nursing.

    • ANP

      I think you should go for it b/c my guess is that most faux wraps dip low/are stretchy enough to shove your b00bs up where they need to be.

      And, GO YOU for pumping! That’s a hard road. I just put away my Medela at the end of January when DS turned 1, and I think as of this week he and I are officially done nursing. It’s rewarding but d@mn difficult — just wanted to say that I’m giving you a round of (virtual) applause from here.

    • hoola hoopa

      I personally didn’t find my faux wraps to be as pumping friendly as other options. I’m sure it depends on the item but also your body type. I could nurse in them because I could shift the neckline over to get a bit more clearance, but I couldn’t double pump.

      Agree knit shells work the best – or anything you can pull up from the waist over your bust. True wraps work well, obviously.

  7. The Tooth Fairy Is Evil

    Regular commenter, changing handles b/c I really need to whine.

    My teeth are killing me. Again. I can’t bite down on one side of my jaw and odds are I’m going to have to get a root canal, my fourth. And this is on top of needing to get my wisdom teeth removed later this year. Add that to frequent, stabby pains that the dentist says are caused by genetic weakness in the gum, and I am seriously considering replacing my teeth with dentures.

    Granted, I am very lucky- I live in a country where dental care is not prohibitively expensive, I have a great dentist, and in the larger scheme of things toothaches are minor… but I wish the pain would just. stop.

    Anyone got any advice? Or hugs. Hugs would be wonderful.

    • Kathryn

      Hugs.

      This isn’t nearly as bad as your issue, but my jaw started popping in and out of place about a year ago. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s super uncomfortable and unnerving to feel your jaw coming out of the socket. Apparently there really isn’t anything to be done about it.

      If it makes you feel better, my mom had to get crowns on all of her teeth as a young adult and her smile looks great- really white teeth, but you can’t tell they’re not real.

      • Anon

        I don’t want to freak you out, but it may be worth telling a different dentist about the jaw popping. That is a sign of pressure on the joint that holds the jaw together. Over time, it can worsen and lead to lock jaw or the joint can snap causing the need for surgery. An orthodontist can usually fix that, but it is one of those things you want to do while the problem is still minor.

        • Min Donner

          I agree. No disrespect to your dentist, but when things are more serious I think it warrants a second opinion. At best, they concur with the diagnosis and plan of treatment that your dentist has suggested, at worst they completely disagree and propose something else entirely. Either way, you have more information with which to decide how to proceed.

          For what it’s worth, with periodic dental and other mouth pain (canker sores, etc.), I have found that oil of clove applied directly (diluted in a carrier oil – I once found it in a “dental application” mix in Europe), and oil pulling generally (g**gle it, apparently it’s all the rage now) have helped alleviate the pain at least temporarily, and they can’t hurt.

          • Anon

            Clove oil is a miracle worker for teeth pain! I almost hugged my dentist when he applied some to my dry-socket after removing my wisdom teeth.

    • January

      Hugs to you. It sounds you’re dealing with a frustrating situation (and toothaches hurt!).

    • SoCalAtty

      Big hugs!! I’m dealing with teeth/jaw problems, too. I’m looking at having to get half crowns on all of my molars, because they were short to begin with and an illness killed them the rest of the way.

      Venting is totally allowed! Be nice to yourself and eat something that doesn’t hurt, even if that’s just a milkshake!

  8. Tired Squared

    I posted yesterday, but didn’t get many responses since it was late at night.

    Do any of you have any experience with Mary Kay? A friend of mine started it a month or so ago and seems to be making bank. Maybe it’s just daydreaming, but setting my own hours sounds like heaven. Way better than the 14-hour days I’ve been pulling here…

    • Dowager Dutchess

      Are you serious? You make money on Mary Kay by pushing your friends and family to buy stuff they dobf need and sign up to sell as well. Most Mary Kay reps lose money. Google Mary Kay scam.

    • anne-on

      Its a total pyramid scheme, but as long as you’re ok with hitting up all of your friends, friends of friends, colleagues, etc. to buy makeup from you you can make $ at it. There is a pretty hefty buy-in fee, they require you to update the merchandise pretty regularly (few times a year?) and you pay your own way to go to the required conferences. All in, I think my friend blew like $5k in her first year of selling and didn’t make back any of her money before she called it quits. It also heavily pressures/rewards you for recruiting other people to sell for you.
      I personally didn’t think the quality of the makeup was very good for the cost, but I’m also used to dept. store brands, it is better than drugstore brands for the most part.

      • Anonymous

        Just as another example to counter the stereotype that all reps are burning cash and pushing junk on their friends–

        My mom started it when I was a teen first starting to wear makeup, and the buy-in cost was not that much–about $100 for the “showcase” or whatever they call the briefcase of samples, and maybe another $100-$200 for class supplies.

        Her entire plan was just to do it for the discount because she figured having a teenager learning to play with makeup could otherwise get expensive. Reps get to order at 50% off “retail,” and the minimum order to qualify for the discount is around $180 at cost. The discount then lasts for all subsequent orders for 3 or 6 months (can’t remember which) regardless of the amount of those orders. She could also order the little 10-cent single-use samples of eye and blush colors that I could play with, and not have to actually let me blow my allowance on 17 funky colored full-size eyeshadows that I’d use once.

        My mom put up with her former rep/now-director pushing her to do parties and be an active seller for about six months. For the last 15 years has only ordered the bare minimum to get the discount, and it’s all for personal use and for family and friends who already use the product and ask her to order for them (ie, she doesn’t push it on them because she hated that part). She charges them something like 10% over her cost to cover the time spent coordinating and distributing.

        So, if you’re someone who loves the product for whatever reason, it’s possible to do it without sinking $5K, but as an actual career? Agree with all of the other comments that it would require pushing your friends to host parties and recruiting them to become reps (because having people under you making sales is where it really becomes profitable). And really, you have to recruit people you don’t know well to become reps, because if your rep circle is all your friends, none of you will have anyone to sell to.

    • January

      I don’t know much about it, but it has seemed to me that the women that I know of who do it don’t need to support themselves, or they do it on the side in addition to their full-time job. I’d use your wish to set your own hours (or perhaps have more autonomy?) as a sign to start thinking about a change, but I don’t think I would recommend becoming a Mary Kay rep as an alternative career path. Or maybe you’re ready for a vacation.

    • Pumping attire

      My MLM experience is all legal. I think that you *can* make money selling consumer products, but probably not all that much (say 5-10K max., especially if you are working another job). You may not make minimum wage per hour and you get paid via 1099s (not W-2). The people who do make a ton of money in MLM make it through their downlines (sellers they recruit). And in anything where there is a low barrier to entry, there is a high wash-out rate. If I were looking at selling, I’d look at real estate or at freelancing.

    • Senior Attorney

      And also? Your friend is doing okay in the first month because her friends are probably patient/indulgent/nice enough to go to ONE Mary Kay party and buy her stuff ONCE. It is vanishingly unlikely that they will become regular customers and that she will continue to “make bank” at this level.

      If I may, I had my eyes opened to multi-level marketing schemes years ago, when I took the deposition of somebody who was heavily involved in one. He said he and his wife had gotten involved in this snake-oil business and had met with only very modest success until they realized they were “doing it wrong.” And “doing it right” meant recruiting everybody they came in contact with the be “distributors” below them in the supply chain. They got a cut of everybody’s sign-up fees, they got a cut of what everybody purchased as inventory, and it didn’t matter whether those lower-level people made money or lost their shirts or ever sold one single thing to a third party, because… it’s a pyramid scheme. Opened my eyes and innoculated me from that kind of thing for life.

    • DontBlameTheKids

      I don’t think the business model works so well in the age of Internet. But there are plenty of things you can do to be your own boss–freelancing, contractor, etc.

    • Anon

      I have a friend who is very serious about it (is now director-level-whatever that means) and she still only makes enough to supplement her husband’s income. She uses it to pay for pre-school (we live in a low cost of living area, private pre-school half-day is around $400/month).

      • Tired Squared

        Thank you all for your responses! I didn’t think about the fact that all of our fellow girlfriends have gone to these first couple of parties this month. We left grumbling from the second one. Definitely time to start thinking about a vacation I guess!

        • Min Donner

          Late comment, but just wanted to add that years ago I signed up as a Pampered Chef consultant. Basically, same gig. I paid something – $100 or $200 – for the “starter/party” kit, and had a few parties. I always felt insanely self-conscious about asking people if they were interested, and basically I ended up just hosting for some girlfriends who agreed it would be a good girls’ night in (I was cooking them snacks and they provided the wine), or who wanted to stock up for a bridal shower. All told, I spent WAY more than I made on commissions on buying other PC stuff during that year… but I did really like the product, and took full advantage of the discount. I think there is a certain personality that can excel in this type of business – certainly the woman who recruited me (when I was at a party hosted by a friend of a friend) did, she was one of the people who got to go on the vacation cruise and I think also had a car from the company… not your typical recruit though…

    • cbackson

      Google “The Pink Pyramid Scheme” – it’s an awesome article from Harper’s about MK and its ilk.

  9. Sports bras for the busty and pregnant

    I have always been busty. Post reduction surgery, I am an E or F in regular bras, squeezing into DDs in sports bras. Now I’m pregnant for the first time. The DDs aren’t working for me. But I am having trouble finding bras in F, G and up. I’m also hesitant to buy now…I assume I will grow more during pregnancy and if I breastfeed. (Have others who had reductions been able to nurse? My MD says you don’t know until you try. Would love to hear anecdata.) Do any of you wise women have advice on brands, sizing and when to buy? Thanks!

    • In the Pink

      I adore the Fiona by Moving Comfort. The use of front-folding adjustable straps with velcro is brilliant! I find them in various sizes and colors on amazonia (grin) as well as a great site called Her Room (dot com). It’s out of Dallas. In addition to reviews by real customers who list their sizes, they have a display that shows the item on a figurine with different tops so you can see the way it “shows” underneath tops/necklines. Their survey to pinpoint your needs and shapes is also amazing.

      Hope this helps. It is a good, but soft feeling workout bras for those of us who are larger.

      • hoola hoopa

        x1000 for Moving Comfort. I have a different style (Juno maybe?) but they go up to the larger cups AND the adjustable strap makes them a little more flexible for enlargement and even nursing. Not convenient enough to replace a nursing tank, but good enough that it’s not a huge pain when baby wants to nurse while you’re in your gym clothes.

        The Panache sports bra (at nordstroms) comes in larger cup sizes that Moving Comfort and I’ve heard only very good things.

        FYI, for nursing tanks: Use bravado, not glamourmom. Even the glamormom large cup stuff won’t fit you. Besides the opening for bravado is far superior IMO. Love my bravado tanks!

        FWIW, I went from a 30DD to 32DD while pregnant, then a 32G while nursing. (My band returned to 30 after each pregnancy, but you can’t count on it – many rib cages stay widened).

    • SV in House

      I can’t speak to the BF issue, but would suggest that you check out Title 9. I’m a DDD and they actually have (a few) sports bras that fit me well.

    • mascot

      I was able to BF post-reduction although not exclusively. There was a least a 10 year span btwn the reduction and BF so I had as much regeneration as was going to happen. We supplemented with formula from the beginning to make up for my limitations on supply. Search the web for BFAR resources (there’s a book too that I don’t remember the name of that helped) and don’t be afraid to work with a lactation consultant. Mine was very supportive and didn’t have an all or nothing attitude.
      Also, my rib cage expanded during pregnancy and didn’t come back down afterwards.

    • anon in tejas

      Ive had good luck with Champion maximum support bras, and moving comfort.

    • kjoirishlastname

      The Elomi Smoothing nursing bra was worth every penny. That thing is bomb-proof. Got the girls back up and contained where they belong.

      As for sports bras, try herroom dot com, Title 9, or Athleta. I think your best bets will be herroom and T9, but Athleta does have some that are pretty substantial. They just don’t have as wide a variety of styles or sizes as the other two I mentioned.

      Don’t buy ANY nursing bras until you actually deliver your baby. If I had bought bras while I was pregnant, I would have bought 38/40D because my ribcage expanded so much with big babies/short torso, when what I really needed once I delivered was a 34F. I did buy one or two non-sized (stretchy sports-bra types sized SML) that accommodated all of my growth just fine (on my bigger end they didn’t provide as much support, but they still fit and were comfortable for non-work needs) prior to delivering, but I didn’t really get a good handle on what my size would be till about 4-6 weeks postpartum. Don’t believe that underwire is bad. All the LCs will tell you that, but the truth of it is that some women need that support and separation that underwire provides. As long as it doesn’t compress your bre@st tissue, and encompasses it, rather, you don’t run any greater risk of developing plugged ducts than you would ordinarily.

      • Anonk

        I’m in the 36G-H range normally and probably around a 38G-H now while pregnant. I’m a big fan of Enell for when not pregnant — nothing compares to it for keeping the girls where they should be. During my pregnancy I bought some more comfortable sports bras since I was largely just walking — Anita style #5527 and Glamorise #1006 (both on Amazon on sale for $20ish).

        Excited to try the Panache and Elomi nursing bras the other posters mention — did not like the Panache one I had last time (but I bought it around week 36 of the pregnancy, so who knows). My favorite bras were the Anita nursing bras (Softcup and Microfiber, both at Amazon and Bare Necessities). I just got the Bravado Original Nursing Bra (style 1013) in L++ size and LOVE IT for a sleeping/nursing bra; I’ll probably end up wearing the first few postpartum weeks too, but not really a going out bra. Tried on and liked but didn’t keep the Elle Macpherson nursing bras too last time — preferred others in that shipment but was impressed with the quality/support from what I had dismissed as a vanity line.

        • hoola hoopa

          +1 for Anita underwire bras and not shopping until after baby arrives and milk comes in. Just have a sleep bra or tank (size up 1-2 cup sizes) ready in hospital bag since they are much more flexible.

  10. Valentino Rockstud

    Hey all, I desperately want the blush 100mm Valentino Rockstud in size 37 for my upcoming wedding… problem is I can’t find them ANYWHERE. If by chance anyone has stumbled across them online or in person could you let a girl know? Thanks!

  11. Anonymous

    Threadjack: I have decided that I need to add a pair of navy blue pumps to my wardrobe. I would like them to be used for both work and dressy occassions, so I plan on getting a 3-3.5 inch heel. My only question is what material I should purchase: suede, patent leather or regular leather. At the moment, I am torn between patent leather and suede, because I have yet to see a regular leather pair of navy blue pumps that I like – somehow the navy blue color make the leather look flat to me. I was leaning towards suede, but worry that it is a “winter” fabric and would make the shoes unwearable during the summer. But, I’m worried that patent leather would be too shiny and “fancy” for the office. Any opinions?

    • Senior Attorney

      I always feel like suede is (a) a fall/winter material, and (b) kind of delicate and not likely to last very long with regular wear. I wear patent leather all year long and have for years and love it. So my vote is for patent!

    • Emmabean

      I bought a pair of “suede” blue pumps from payless a couple years ago. I LOVED them, and because they were a bright royal blue, I could wear them year round. In the end they weren’t comfortable enough to stay in the rotation, though.

    • Rachelellen

      I can’t picture navy patent… Seems gaudy in my imagination. I own some gorgeous navy regular leather shoes and I think they’re a staple.

    • tesyaa

      I love the look of navy patent, so that would be my vote. But I think they’re hard to find.

      • Lynnet

        Payless always has $20 “vegan” patent shoes on sale. The Karmen, I think. I got tons of complements on mine before my roommate’s dog ate them.

        • lb

          Yes they sell these in navy and they are very comfortable – would totally recommend for the price!

    • S in Chicago

      Would you be open to navy leather with some pattern/texture to it? These with a bit of braid from Elliot Lucca are awesome, although may be a bit high and peep toe isn’t for everyone:

      http://vip.zappos.com/elliott-lucca-andrea-river

      A pebble-like texture also can look a little more high-end than patent while also being more durable than suede.

      • tesyaa

        I wore a lot of woven leather shoes like that in the 80s. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t miss them.

    • lawsuited

      I wear only suede pumps and patent pumps, because I also find the look of plain leather flat. I love suede because it is so comfortable to wear, so I wear my suede pumps year-round because life is too short to wear shoes you don’t love. I have 2 pairs of navy pumps – 1 suede pair and 1 patent pair. Both lovely and perfectly appropriate for office wear, but the patent pair are easier to take care of – water resistant, easy to clean, etc.

      You do you!

      • Bonnie

        I wear suede shoes year round too. Suede is too pretty to hide in the closet for half the year.

    • Pinky

      I wear suede shoes year round too. Suede is too pretty to hide in the closet for half the year.

  12. blargh

    I cannot be the only one on here who works in an office with a work-hard-play-hard culture. I’m currently too hung over to do any work. No one else is even here yet to commiserate with me. So – tell me your hung over at work stories?

    • NOLA

      I don’t go out much now so no hung over at work stories, but in my (much) younger days as a church soloist, singing at an 8:45 am service, I used to occasionally come in hung over, sleep across the velvet chairs in the balcony during most of the service, and just get up when I had to sing. As long as I sang well, the organist didn’t care. Nobody in the congregation ever knew because we were in a balcony behind them.

    • TO Lawyer

      I have a ton of these stories unfortunately – my office is not work-hard-play-hard but my friends definitely are. I’ve definitely had a lot of slightly hungover Friday mornings. A few weeks ago, I showed up a couple hours late and had to sit in my office with the lights off because I couldn’t deal with them being on.

      I usually try to drink at least a litre of water and get a greasy breakfast sandwich – that usually helps.

    • ANP

      My first job out of college was at a total work-hard-play-hard office. Too many happy hours to count turned into super late nights where I then had to return to work the next day…because it was only Wednesday!

      My best story is not about me, but about a fellow (female) colleague. We’d all gone out the night before and it was BAD — I might still have been a little drunk when I came in the next morning. It was a Friday, so jeans were fine (and this office ranged from business casual to jeans-and-t-shirts — it was an ad agency, so dress code was all over the map). I’d managed to pull on jeans, sneakers and a decent-looking short-sleeve top — not my finest, but at least I came in.

      My colleague, we’ll call her Kay, was a few years my junior. She showed up to work in flip flops, a t-shirt and sweatshirt-material short-shorts. We were all dying! I couldn’t believe she had the guts to wear that to work. Senior management was not amused, but everyone else went into fits of giggles when she came through the halls.

    • ExecAssist

      Was hung over once in my life. Called in sick. No way could I go to work lol so kudos to you!

    • Woods-comma-Elle

      Yup, been there done that.

      The worst has to be after an 8-hour team lunch. It was terrible as the partners in my team are well known for buying WAY too many drinks for everyone. I managed to crawl in around 10.30 (should have stayed home for longer) and basically sit with my head in my hands hoping for the sweet release of throwing up. I eventually sat in the bathroom stall for half an hour having a nap to finally feel better, but it was definitely not a good day. Fortunately I was not busy and everyone else was feeling relatively ropey too but next time I will just NOT come in! The worst part was that I had to go to another function that night and couldn’t even go home until 9!

      I was also sent home from work once (not here) when I was hungover but they all thought I was just sick because, well, who gets drunk on a Tuesday…

      But, these stories are ultimately why I just don’t do schoolnight drinking – I can’t function at work on a hangover!

    • SoCalAtty

      Oh yes!! We’re a “drinks at lunch” culture, and more than once I’ve had to find somewhere to take a 20 minute nap. We’re big time work hard play hard, but usually events are Friday nights, thank goodness!

      We have one tonight. I’ll be useless for the weekend.

    • zora

      oh god, the worst i’ve experienced was working on a political campaign. EVERYone goes out drinking almost every night, and yet you’ve got another 12 hour day to get through, Again. I don’t actually know how I survived it. Spending 8hours with the phone pressed to your ear making 300 phone calls while hungover is Just Not A Good Idea. Do Not Recommend. #badideajeans

    • Annon

      I am hungover at work right now, fun night out with co-workers yesterday, lots of nice gin and whiskey cocktails and a few beers (and I think sake over dinner). My head hurts like crazy, almost want to dig my eyebrows out. Coffee, greasy breakfast, bacon helps a lot. Can’t wait to go back home and sleep in. I can hardly start at the computer screen, glad to find this thread. Hang in there buddy!!

    • buffybot

      I’m embarrassed to report this, but I absolutely had to work from “home” yesterday (by “home” I mean “bed”) because of a rough Wednesday night out with my practice group. I really feel like I am too old and should know better, but I’m comforted by all of these responses here to see that I am not alone. I woke up Thursday morning fully dressed in Wednesday night’s clothes, boots still on. Luckily my husband was just amused. Never again! (Until next time…)

    • Min Donner

      When I was a Summer Associate back in the flush years, we had a particularly late night out, and a friend got invited to lunch with a few partners the next day. He obviously couldn’t say no, and they told him to invite someone, and I drew the short straw… We were both still reeling a little bit from the night before, but trying to hold it together, and they took us to a great local fish restaurant. Walking in, past the big tank, with the smell of fish everywhere, I thought I was going to lose it. Then they ordered beers (this was not an office or town known for drinking at lunch) and my stomach lurched. I somehow made it through lunch, and later got an offer, but that was one of the most painful lunches ever. There was also the time I tried to take a nap in my office and someone came in and had an impromptu meeting in my office, while I lay under my desk trying to decide whether to feign an illusive pen, illness, or keep hiding, but that’s a story for another day…

  13. investing

    After meeting with a 401(K) planner, I’m interested in taking control of my finances and making some investments outside of my retirement fund. Does anyone have any books they can recommend on this topic?

    FWIW, I’m mid-20s and I don’t have a huge amount to play with, but I do want to educate myself.

    • Pumping attire

      Go to the library and check out “The Millionaire Next Door.” It’s a quick read. After that, just google “John Bogle” and read about indexing and how once you subtract costs and fees, you’re better of with regular investing in an index-type fund than most anything else, especially if you don’t have a ton of money (which means that you have no money to waste).

    • ExecAssist

      There was a post on this recently. I think if you search “investing” or “finance books” or something like that on this site you’ll find the thread. A lot of great recommendations were made.

    • purplesneakers

      I Will Teach You To Be Rich is great if you can handle the author’s somewhat abrasive style- it’s not for everyone, although his advice is solid.

      I also like the websites Get Rich Slowly and The Simple Dollar- I think both have books out, too, although I haven’t read them.

    • Anastasia

      I love The Motley Fool series (website is fool dot com and has a ton of free content).

    • MJ

      I love The Motley Fool series (website is fool dot com and has a ton of free content).

  14. Styling help

    I have a yellow tweed pencil skirt from Talbots from about two seasons ago. It’s perfect for spring, and the yellow is very light (like a butter color) so it’s fine for my business casual BigLaw office. But I hardly ever wear it because I cannot seem to find a combination that works with it. Navy and black make it look dull, and it’s too pale to look good with white, but I think I need to keep the rest of the outfit relatively neutral to make it work-appropriate. It was styled on the website with a *bright* lemon yellow silk top, but that would be too much for my office, I think (I could wear a bright lemon yellow top but it would have to be with all other neutral colors, not this skirt). Help? :)

    • what about . . .

      Cream, with delicate gold accessories? Or a medium blue? Or do the white top, but anchor it with a camel or otherwise heavy/attractive belt?

    • Senior Attorney

      I like gray with yellow.

      And also? Go over to Pinterest and do a search for “yellow skirt” and see what you come up with.

      • LawyrChk

        Seconded. I love gray and yellow together. I’d also suggest beige, blush, and other “pastel” neutrals.

    • tesyaa

      Teal? Pale aqua? I also have a new yellow skirt and I’m looking forward to wearing it with lavender, which might be too bright for your workplace.

      • Woods-comma-Elle

        Yes! Pale aqua and yellow is very in right now and I’ve seen it in a lot of shops! I got a yellow skirt from the Limited a couple of weeks ago which I’m planning on pairing with a pale aqua/peppermint top.

    • Pumping attire

      Can you treat it as a warm white and pair it with light blue (or some other not-deeply-saturated color), maybe with tan shoes (so moving far away from the brown end of the spectrum)?

    • Lynnet

      I find my yellow cardigan to be incredibly versatile. I’d pair a pale yellow jacket with a dark purple top and a gray bottom.

    • Styling help

      You are the best. I think I have a date with my closet this weekend. Thanks, everyone :)

    • kjoirishlastname

      gray–perfect. Make it pop though, with hot pink or a light-ish kelly green. Wedgewood blue. Could you find a patterned top with the same color yellow in it? Like a green or gray or turquoise & yellow floral?

  15. is_winking_ok?

    Hello Ladies..

    I went to our cafe a few minutes back to get coffee. A person whom I work with occasionally winked at me :-o. He is friendly with me and I think he is friendly with lot of others too. He did it a couple of days back too and I ignored it. Is it normal to wink at some one at work? I found it funny when he did it a couple days back..but now I am uncomfortable and slightly scared. I don’t want some one winking at me and I don’t want it to become a practice for him. He has worked at least 15 years more than me and I work for a software engineer for a tech giant if that matters.

    • Wildkitten

      Some people just like to wink a lot. I find it somewhat patronizing and a little bit sexist but not scary. However, if you feel unsafe you should trust your gut.

    • ExecAssist

      Ha! My boss does this when he makes a joke or snide remark. The first time he winked at me I was appalled. And then I saw him do it to a guy too and I’ve just shrugged it off since then. I think for him it’s like a “secret joke” kinda thing.

    • loco

      It really depends. Don’t freak out just yet but see how he behaves towards others… I also had a boss who made the most groan-worthy dad-jokes and then wink at either individuals, or everyone in the room.

    • Not a lawyer

      Weighing a little late on this, but wanted to add to the votes of ‘not usually scary.’ I had a high-up level manager a few years ago who used winking as her version of a head nod. It didn’t matter if she saw you across the room, or agreed with something you said in the middle of a presentation, or just wanted to give you a special little ‘hi’ during a meeting, she winked at you. It was very endearing, actually
      I have a new manager who is also a winker, however not to the same extreme as the other manager. I read this one similar to how I would read the wink from your coworker- as a ‘hey buddy, glad you and I are randomly in the same place together at the same time.’

  16. AMB

    I am now going to be in Prince George/Kate’s outfits withdrawal. It is however, about time I start planning my own trip to Australia this fall. Visiting a friend in Melbourne and definitely going to Sydney but would be appreciative of other suggestions/tips!

    • Mpls

      Go to the footie (Australian Rules Football) while you are in Melbourne! The majority of the teams are based out of the Melbourne area – and it’s young, fit men running around in small shorts. Hmmm, you mean our fall, which is their spring…so check to see if they are still playing. They play opposite season from the cricket players (and play on the same field).

      If you are there the end of October/early November, there are a series of horse races in and around Melbourne, with the Melbourne Cup on Nov 1. Buy a hat, dress, and bottle of champagne and you are good to go.

      Take a day trip along the southern coastal road in Victoria (Melbourne to Geelong, I think). There are some pretty neat coastal formations. And there is a Moet & Chandon winery around the Melbourne area too.

    • Expat

      I lurk, but I have to comment for this!

      Note: Taxes are included in the sticker price and tips are not required (don’t feel bad about not tipping, locals at most leave their small change if everyone is paying in cash – minimum wage is around AU$16 with casual staff getting a 25% loading, and penalty rates on weekends and some evenings). Based on where I’ve travelled in the US, prices will be 30% higher so expect sticker shock, and bills are not normally split. Serve sizes are also smaller – usually enough to fill you up but not stuff you full. Service is typically less attentive than in the US (if you want something, ask for it and attract the waiter’s attention, you will also usually get up to pay at the main counter, but it depends on the restaurant – more expensive ones will give a different level of service, but it’s still not as sycophantic as US service, you show your appreciation of a restaurant by coming back rather than paying staff wages). Usually you order drinks at the bar and pay for them if at a bar rather than having a waiter come to you.

      Melbourne tips:
      City (CBD)/Downtown (all accessible by public transport)
      – Queen Victoria Market (Massive open fruit/vegetables/meat/deli/cheese market), look out for the Queen Vic Night Market if you’re there in late spring, I forget when it opens.
      – Southbank (lots of good/fancy restaurants)
      – Laneways and Arcades (Degraves St)
      – Chinatown
      – Botanical Gardens
      – An AFL football match at the MCG (Docklands stadium is still good, but the MCG is The Place, you’re less likely to get tickets in during the finals in September)
      – Old Melbourne Gaol (original city jail)
      – Ride at tram (free City Circle trams go around the city loop)
      – Shopping, if you like that sort of thing. Clothes are more expensive than in the US though.
      – Yarra River
      – State Library of Victoria
      – Royal Melbourne Show (September – school and university holidays are usually the last 2 weeks of September so this is a peak booking time)
      – Melbourne Cup (yes, we have a public holiday for a horse race) is the first Tuesday in November, this is the big week of the Spring Racing Carnival.

      Specific places:
      – Rooftop Bar (it’s what it sounds like)
      – Ponyfish Island bar (outside-only bar in the middle of the river)
      – Riverland Bar
      – Mrs Parma’s (Victorian microbrews and different flavours of ‘Parma’ – Chicken Parmigiana, a typical Australian pub food)
      – HuTong Dumpling (the Best dumpling place in Melbourne)
      – Mamak (Malaysian food), also in Sydney
      – Mamasita (good Mexican food)
      – Hellenic Republic
      – Italian Waiters Club

      Foods to try (things that I miss from Australia):
      – Coffee (Espresso style is standard, Starbucks tried to break into the market and failed dismally). Think Intellentsia for a Chicago equivalent. Places: Auction Rooms, Seven Seeds, Market Lane Coffee, Axil Coffee Roasters, Proud Mary, Coin Laundry, Mr Tulk
      – Italian and Greek food
      – South-East Asian food (Especially Shanghainese dumplings, Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese)
      – Bakeries (not standard in the US) – try lamingtons, vanilla slice, Anzac biscuits
      – Fish and chips (burgers at fish and chip shops are also good, not gourmet but better than the standard US burger)
      – FAT (Smashed Feta, Avocado and Tomato, served on toast with or without a poached egg), most cafes will have this on their brunch menu.

      Greater Melbourne
      – Explore some of the inner-city suburbs: Richmond, Abbotsford, Carlton, Fitzroy, South Yarra, Brunswick, St Kilda, lots of interesting food and drink, old-ish houses if you go wandering around.
      – Healesville Sanctuary (you will need a car to get here about 1-2 hours from downtown) – Australian native animal sanctuary, you could combine this with winery tour.
      – Puffing Billy (maybe) – picturesque steam train, you can get a metropolitan train to the end of the Lilydale line which meets the Puffing Billy line

      Victoria
      – Great Ocean Road (past Geelong, at minimum a long drive for a day trip, better to make it a 2-3 day trip towards Warrnambool), also Bells Beach.
      – Phillip Island (Fairy Penguins)
      – National Parks good for 2-3 day trips: Wilsons Promontary National Park, Grampians National Park
      – Mornington Peninsula (there’s a spa, quite a few wineries and fancy beach houses, including the second-most expensive suburb ‘in’ Melbourne). If you can cope with cold water, the scuba diving is good as well.

      Sydney:
      – Chinatown
      – The Rocks (original settlement site in Sydney)
      – Sydney Fish Market (Japanese food in Sydney is very good as well)
      – Harbour Bridge
      – Opera House
      – Botanic Gardens (Mrs Macquarie’s Chair in the botanic gardens has a really nice view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge)
      – Bondi Beach
      – Get the public ferry across Sydney Harbour to Manly Beach
      – Go surfing (the water will be warmer than in Victoria, but the Great Ocean Road is a good place to learn)
      – Powerhouse Museum (engineering/design museum)
      – Blue Mountains (this would be a day trip)

  17. Mountain Girl

    Teal, light blue, camel or olive.

    I tend to stay away from yellow and black because I always feel like a bumble bee but I never think that when I see it on other people.

    • Senior Attorney

      I find yellow and black looks (feels) a lot less bumble-bee-ish if I add some white.

  18. Graduation year on resume?

    Hive, I’m mid-twenties and in a job search. I can pass for older and have a solid work history, but think my the ‘number’ (my age) works against me. Is it entirely uncommon to not list your college graduation year on a resume? I’m fine listing my MA graduation date.

    • AMB

      I think I saw a question re: this on AAM not long ago and she said it would seem odd to not list it. Your age is likely not as big a deal as you think.

      • BB

        +1 Definitely don’t take it off. It’s way more noticeable than your age. My VP actually told me that it annoys him when he can’t find graduation dates.

    • Orangerie

      I mean, they’d be able to figure it out just based on when your work experience started… right?

      • Graduation year on resume?

        My field related work experience started when I was still in college

        • Cubelife

          No one should be judging us based on our graduation year. Some people start college late (whether by a year or a decade) and thus graduate at an older age. You could have graduated at 50 yrs old and just neglected to include any prior experience and they wouldn’t know until they met you. :)

        • Orangerie

          Ok, so a couple extra years at most? Were your titles for those positions “intern” or anything else that would indicate it wasn’t actual full-time permanent employment?

          My point is there doesn’t seem to be much to gain by leaving your grad year off. If you do, maybe they’ll assume you’re 27 instead of 25, but it’s not going to be a bigger jump than that.

          For what it’s worth, I am 26 and always put my graduation year. Doing so has never negatively impacted my job searches.

          • OP

            Thanks Orangerie. Sounds like I should just include it and hope the work speaks for itself. I might be a little gun shy because in my current org age seems to matter a lot.

    • Brit

      I’m in the same situation (mid-twenties and lightly looking at other positions available). I’ve taken my graduation year off of my resume and I also put it underneath my work experience. Should I change it back then? I guess my reasoning behind the move was a) my work experience is filling up a good portion now and b) my education isn’t necessarily related to what field I’m in right now.

      • Orangerie

        I think it’s pretty normal to have your school & degree towards the bottom.

  19. Mountain Girl

    Anybody seriously considering switching back to Team Hose this summer?

        • Woods-comma-Elle

          Ah yeah I’m never on that team in the office. When it’s hot, I won’t wear tights (sorry, hose) on my commute, but I will put them on in the office.

    • S in Chicago

      I hit 40 and am beginning to see smallish veins on my legs now and I hate having my feet sockless. I was just mourning the end of black opaque tights season this morning. I wear black or charcoal pretty much all winter. So while I like the look of bare legs and have been known to call anything but rather frumpy other than in formal, formal business settings–I think this is the year where I finally say Team Hose all the way. Now get off my lawn. :)

      • carrie

        +1

        Another Chicagoan here. The thing I miss most about Chicago winters, is the end of black tights. So I continue to wear them…

        At 44, I look at women with bare legs and think to myself….. I AM NOW MIDDLE AGED.
        I just cannot pull it off. The hair-removal, skin care, color/paleness issues, sensitivity/rashes/nicks, veins… ugh. And I’m slender and in relatively good shape. Hose it is for me, and I will still wear black much more than nude. And occasionally some true blue, true brown etc..

        • NWanalyst

          Do you wear darker hose in the summer? I did last year, with darker skirts (which I thought was proper), and someone actually made a comment that I resembled Mary Poppins (?!?). It made me feel a bit paranoid, so I’ve been afraid to wear anything dark on my legs between April and September…

          • hoola hoopa

            That was a very weird comment, but I don’t wear darker than nude-for-me hose in the summer during the day. Not sure it’s a rule, but it doesn’t feel appropriate to the season. I’m in PNW.

          • carrie

            Actually, I do. Mostly navy blue, or a brown, or charcoal.. but they are still “sheer-ish”. I also steer much more to pants as well in the summer months. And in Chicago, I often get away with black tights that are thinner in spring/fall. If I wear nude hose, then I wear the invisible appearing type that doesn’t “look” like hose.

      • ExecAssist

        If it’s varicose veins, I’ve heard apple cider vinegar gets rid of them. Also gets reid of age spots. Yay for natural remedies!

      • nylon girl

        My office is always freezing. Now that the weather is in the 70-80s range, my black tights look plain odd (and out of season). Does anyone have any good recommendations for sheer nylons?

        • Killer Kitten Heels

          I like Via Spiga, which I can usually find at TJMaxx/Marshall’s for about $5/pair. It’s a little more than drugstore nylons, but I get more wears out of them, so it’s worth it for me.

        • nylon recommender

          Calvin Klein matte ultra sheer or infinite sheer. CK active sheer is a little heavy. DKNY is also good and nearly invisible but they run very easily. One time I didn’t even get out of my bedroom before I got a run and had to toss them—a waste of more than $20.

        • Wordy

          I like Hue. One of their nude shades is a good match for my skin tone. I used to do Travel Buff from Hanes, which was a smudge too pale. I think the Hue sheers hold up better than the Hanes.

      • Pumping attire

        I wish everyone would go back to team hose. I had translucent skin even when I didn’t have a bunch of broken capillaries. And now I have a new knee scar (along with old scars). I wouldn’t mind covering all that up with hose.

    • cbackson

      I’ve been thinking about it a bit. With very sheer black or very VERY sheer nude hose, maybe? i’m kind of into it.

    • pilates princess

      I wore sheer hose last spring, but stopped in the summer, once my legs got some color. I wore sheer hose, nude-for-my-pale-winter-legs color. I’m not trying to emulate tan, just cover pastiness and imperfections. (I know, I know, sun is bad. Sunless tanner and all that.)

      I’m wearing hose again this spring, and I might continued through the summer. I’m liking how the control top smooths my baby bump. And I’ve got terrible keratosis pilaris on my legs, that I’m not having any luck treating with (relatively) pregnancy-safe methods. So, I appreciate the extra coverage.

      And I just remind myself that if Duchess Kate can do it, so can I.

      • carrie

        +1

        I also find the control tops excellent. I don’t need to worry about panty lines, even though I have some on underneath, and it holds things in nicely so I don’t need to advance to SPANX.

    • Senior Attorney

      I have been dipping my toes into sheer nude hose starting last fall. I figure if it’s good enough for the Duchess of Cambridge, it’s good enough for me. I wore them all winter in lieu of my usual bare legs and I was so, so happy not to be freezing. I have been wearing them this spring when the weather is cool but will probably go bare-legged once it gets really warm.

      I like the Hanes Silk Reflections in a shade as close to my actual pale skin color as possible. They have good sales all the time at onehanesplace dot com.

    • NWanalyst

      I’m on Team Hose. Since our summers are usually rather mild with many cold days, I wear nude hose when it’s warmer and sometimes colored or patterned tights when it’s chilly (creative role, west-coast office means that colored/patterned tights with business casual are practically conservative.) Maybe it’s just the way I was raised, but I feel incredibly exposed with my legs bare, so I feel compelled to wear hose at work.

    • Anonattorney

      I just love how everything is smoother with hose. They smooth pantylines (yes, I wear underwear with hose), little lumps here and there, hide shaving nicks and other little marks or bruises, and help protect against inner-thigh rub. They drive me insane because I always seem to gets runs, but whatever.

      My husband also thinks they’re sexy, so there’s that.

      • Anon

        The idea of not wearing underwear with hose is strange to me. I would never consider not wearing them with hose. It just seems, I don’t know, the word that is coming to mind is icky. But way to rock it for those that do.

    • Anon

      I’m Team Hose year round (and I live below the mason dixon line, so summers are hot).

    • Bonnie

      Team Bare Legs forever! I wear tights in the winter but hate sheer hose with a passion. I have plenty of scars on my legs but display them proudly. It does help that I had laser hair removal on my legs so only have to do occasional touch-ups.

    • academama

      Been thinking about tan micro-fishnets…don’t like sheer hose and it’s too hot to wear it, but I am getting too old to feel comfortable with bare legs, plus the air conditioning is cold in the summer. Anyway, I’m gearing up to buy the ones Angie at YLF recommends from Nordstrom (oroblu brand, I think).

  20. Anonyhose

    Another player here on Team Hose. I really like Spanx hose, actually, and if I am *very* careful about taking them off and putting them on, they last a while — which is good considering the $32 price tag. But they smooth the love handles around my waist so it’s worth it!

    • Nylon girl

      Thank you all for the excellent recommendations. It seems weird to wear hose when it’s 89 degrees out but the office was freezing again today. I appreciate the recs!

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