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Updated: Nov 1, 2018 153 Comments · by

Tuesday’s TPS Report: Sunmosa Ponte Seam Detail Dress

The Personal Shopper (TPS)

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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. Classiques Entier Sunmosa Ponte Seam Detail DressOoh: love this dress, available in “navy dusk” and cream. It basically has everything I look for in a work sheath… It's fitted but not too tight. It has waist details that are flattering and not reminiscent of corsets or other boudoir-type things. It has shoulder straps thick enough to easily wear a bra. It's in a muted but interesting color. And it's got a high enough neckline and a low enough hemline. Huzzah all around! It's $228, sizes 2-16. Classiques Entier Sunmosa Ponte Seam Detail Dress Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail tps@corporette.com. (L-2)

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Comments

    • Yep

      I’m having a really hard time with this story. I’ve been following the news kind of obsessively, hoping for good (any?) news soon. I’m sure it has to do with my low-grade general anxiety about flying, in addition to some concern that it was absconded for nefarious purposes and will end up “landing” in my backyard, a la 9/11. I’m in DC, and I guess I didn’t realize how vulnerable I still feel after seeing what a jet can do (thinking in particular of NYC). I know there are a lot of reasons why this fear is irrational, but it’s dredging up a lot of memories of the immediate aftermath.

      Also, as a parent, I feel even more vulnerable – the Pentagon/White House/major landmarks, etc. are between where I work and where my son is. I think I’m just generally anxious these days, because I also feel profound sadness when I think about going through whatever those passengers have (are?) going though, especially those with kids. I’ll blame this on pregnancy hormones and some anxiety about life in general right now, but still, dang.

      • snowy

        I felt the same sort of pang of (albeit very minor) PTSD when a friend asked me to babysit her son while she runs the Boston marathon this year. Immediately I thought – why would you purposely bring your kid close to the marathon?! I don’t want to go anywhere near it this year (I was about a 1/4 mile from the bombings last year). Terrorism can do a number on your psyche.

        • Blonde Lawyer

          I was two blocks away walking to the finish. Still have some lingering issues even though I didn’t see anything. I’m flying on 4/15 this year too and I know it is entirely irrational to be nervous about that.

          I’m very intrigued with the plane story and have done a lot of reading on it. It is really interesting to read some foreign news sites and take a fact from here and a fact from there and put them all together.

        • snowy

          exactly, I didn’t see anything, I know it’s totally irrational to even be afraid…. but I’m still nervous about the anniversary.

    • anon

      It’s just awful to think of the torture the families are going through — not knowing what happened, hanging onto the hope that people will be found alive for such a long time, when that’s so incredibly unlikely.

      • hellskitchen

        It is. Like many others I keep thinking about it and wondering how families are dealing with the uncertainty. It also scares me about flying – yes, something like this happening is not a high risk but if you travel enough, then it is scary.

    • tesyaa

      Ponte knit has its charm and comes back into style every 10-15 years or so, but it almost always pills.

        • Julia

          I tried it on last week, but didn’t care for it. It was a little too low cut for me.

      • Anon

        I know I’m in the minority, but I can’t wrap my head around why ponte knit is a business attire fabric. It always looks like a very nice, albeit thicker and more expensive, t-shirt dress.

        I guess I can’t picture myself wearing a ponte knit dress while seated next to a coworker (male or female) wearing suiting-fabric pants/skirt and an appropriate top, or a suiting-fabric dress, and expect to look like I was serious.

        Again, probably just me. And my office isn’t even that formal (bus. cas.) but it still just looks very casual to me.

        • Eleanor

          I feel the same way – I like the look of some of the dresses, but I just can’t bring myself to get one for work, because they seem so casual compared to wool. Maybe that’s the point – that they’re not meant to be worn when everyone else is wearing clothing in suiting material – but that disqualifies them from a lot of offices.

        • Great dress -- now, how about a jacket?

          I don’t disagree. I like pieces in wool where others will be in suits. I like ponte sheaths for parts of my life where a wool suit is too much: the work conference in a resort area where the men (95% of attendees) will be in something less formal than a suit, church-y things, alumni receptions. They tend to pack well.

          If men’s clothes can have hidden comfort waistbands, I think ponte is our one bit of comfort attire.

          Some ponte is also better than others — some looks like sweatpant material (sans comfy fleece inside), but some looks much better. I’m not sure what the fiber makeup is, but my Pendleton ponte is quite nice. $50 ponte, unless it’s on sale, I’d expect to be a weekend-only item that maybe lasts a season or two.

          • Two Cents

            I agree that it depends on the type of ponte. I have a LE Ponte Dress where the material is way too casual to wear to my BigLaw office. On the other hand, I have two beautiful Boden and Eliza J ponte dresses that I wear to work that are of a much thicker, sturdier material. I always get tons of compliments when I wear those dresses.

          • Anonymous

            I have a dress suit from Talbots and it’s more sturdy ponte. I’ve worn it for presentations (CLE) as presenter, job interviews and court. Looks great, tons of compliments. Works for me.

        • snowy

          I definitely think it’s business casual. If people at my office wore suits, I would not wear ponte.

        • AIMS

          I agree 100%. And it pills relatively quickly, even when it’s on the pricey side.

      • HSAL

        Tesyaa, tell me more about that. I’m 32 and feel like I’ve only heard of it in the last few years. Am I too young? Did they used to call it something else? I’m a fan of 70s fashion and it’s not a material I run into often there, but I’m curious about its prior incarnations.

        • tesyaa

          It’s sometimes called ponte di Roma. It can be made out of synthetics or cotton; it’s the kind of knit, not the fiber composition, that makes it “ponte”. Back around 1999 all the catalogs – Lands’ End, Eddie Bauer – featured it and I bought several skirts made out of this material. I don’t think 1999 was its first incarnation; your question made me curious and this is what I found on the internet:

          http://clothspot.co.uk/product/ponte-roma-jersey-fabric/

          • NOLA

            Yeah, it’s interesting – when I friend and I were looking at thicker leggings, the ponte leggings felt so fake and synthetic, but the thicker cotton knit were what we were really looking for. I know not all ponte is that way, but it’s unfortunate and does make me think of “polyester double knit” from my childhood.

      • Law Firm Recruiter

        I love ponte and have several dresses from Trina Turk, Classiques Entier and one DVF. I guess it depends on the price point as I have not had a problem with pilling on any of mine and they don’t feel synthetic. Some of the Trina Turk dresses are 3+ years old and look new. I wear these dresses to my very conservative big law firm and have never felt underdressed. I wouldn’t wear one on days where I need to wear a suit. It’s not just the fabric that makes the dress appropriate/inappropriate for work – it’s also the cut, color, length, sleeves/sleeveless. For what it’s worth, I think a 3/4 sleeve ponte Trina Turk dress looks much more polished/professional than those sleeveless sheath dresses that are often sold as part of a suit. Our dress code prohibits sleeveless so those suiting material sheath dresses are not ok at my firm.

        • hellskitchen

          +1. I got a Trina Turk ponte knit recently and it looks way better (and more expensive?) than some of the non-ponte sheaths dresses I have.

    • Bonnie

      Love. Love. Love. And it’s actually long enough. I think ponte varies greatly from one manufacturer to the other. I haven’t had problems with pilling on any of the CE ponte.

    • Jules

      I have the JNY ponte separates in black. The pants are definitely on the casual side, but I’ve worn the 3/4 sleeve sheath dress — which is almost my platonic ideal of such a dress — and the blazer together at hearings and have felt formal enough. But I think this would only be true for black.

  3. Great dress -- now, how about a jacket?

    This is a great dress! I’m not a newscaster though — can someone post some links to jackets / blazers / sweater jackets that would go with it?

    And what jacket fabrics go with ponte?

    I have been doing v-neck cropped cardis and one other jacket (3/4 sleeve, funky canvas with woven-thread details), but feel like I’m not knocking it out of the park with these pairings.

    • Diana Barry

      I also am curious re: who wears sheath dresses without any overpinnings to work. Especially in the winter!

      Maybe a swacket? :)

      • Anne Shirley

        I’d wear this in summer with out anything over it, or in spring with a pink cardigan, or in fall with a plum cardigan. Every woman in my business casual office wears sleeveless dresses in summer.

        • :)

          Without anything over the sleeveless dress? I have never seen this in my office, even in our oppressive summer. BigLaw, east coast city.

          • Fiona

            Same – both when I was in BigLaw and now (Big)Inhouse environment. No bare arms. At least not in legal.

          • LawyrChk

            This happened a lot during the summer in my biglaw office, East Coast (2nd tier) city. If it’s 95 degrees, I don’t think anything of it but did wear a cardigan when the AC got too chilly.

          • cardigans

            Some more junior women in my office wear sleeveless dresses without a cardigan. We all do it alone in our own offices — they can get REALLY hot — but almost everyone would at least have a cardigan on hand for trips down the hall, to a meeting, etc.

          • Anne Shirley

            Biglaw, East Coast city, our office isn’t all that cold. Not to important meetings or anything, but an average day in the office? Absolutely.

        • Diana Barry

          But wouldn’t you be cold?

          I only see one woman at my office in these kinds of dresses, but she always dresses more DRESSY than business-y, if that makes any sense.

          • KLG

            +1. Going sleeveless in the office has never been an available fashion choice for me because I am always too cold in the office to forgo a cardigan or jacket even in DC summer heatwaves. I used to enjoy when they would roll the AC from floor to floor in one building I worked in to avoid power outages during heat waves. It meant it was 75 degrees in the office and everyone else was dying, but I was only ever mildly warm when they did that.

      • DontBlameTheKids

        We can get away with a lot at my office, but not bare arms. I am looking for a really light weight cardi for summer, but can’t find anything yet. Any suggestions?

      • Topanga

        I do, all the time (including today)! The female partners at my firm also do. But I’m also not in law. Or on the east coast.

    • anne-on

      I agree with the sentiments above, ponte dresses for me are for weekend or resort-y type of conferences. I just think the fabric is too casual for my office. But I do love having nice looking dresses that are often washable for school meetings/girls nights out/date nights/etc.

    • Law Firm Recruiter

      I wish the dress had sleeves! Even with sleeves, I usually have a blazer or cardigan to wear with the dress. For blazers, I avoid any that look like part of a suit. I’ve got a few schoolboy blazers from J Crew in various fabrics/colors that work well with a lot of my ponte dresses. I got a lot of wear out of a white eyelet blazer and a gray flannel one.

  4. Anonymous

    Hive, do you ever feel like your close friends are no longer the same people you once knew? Background story: I’ve known my friend since kindergarten and we are now both 25. We’re at different stages in our lives. I’m engaged and in the process of buying a home. She’s in a long term relationship and is current temping. Her outlook on life is to “yolo” where as I want stability. Recently she asked me to attend an EDM (electronic dance music) event with her and a bunch of other people whom I’ve never met before. At the onset, I told her that’s my really my type of music but I’ll still come since she says I never “party” with her or at all actually. Well, once I said I was going she asked me if I was going to be taking Molly (ecstasy). I said no and she and her BF started to pressure me into trying it. They’re argument is that I’m not going I have a good time and that I should live a little. My response to that was that’s if I needed to take drugs I have a good time, it doesn’t say much about the event anyway. They got offended and said I’m “acting like an old lady.” Is it so bad that I just have other priorities and goals aside from “raging?” I told her I won’t be going since I’ll only be holding them back from a good time. How would you have handled the situation?

    • OMG -- middle school never ends

      This is sad. If “No, thank you” is not sufficient, these people are not your friends. You don’t owe them an explanation as to why you don’t want to eat sushi / snort coke / swap partners. And if they badger you, they aren’t your friend. Period. End of story.

      I’m sorry. It’s no fun when a former friend has chosen something over you and your friendship.

    • DontBlameTheKids

      This isn’t about priorities. This is about your friend not respecting you or your boundaries. Doesn’t sound like much of a friend to me.

      Also, just say no to drugs. I don’t know about you, but I’m too old for this sh*t.

      • AnonymousMe

        LOL! Yes, I think it’s safe to say that anyone reading this blog is too old for that!

        P.S. Popped by your blog and saw the DvF giveaway! Nice.

      • Otter

        I agree with DBTK. While I think it’s actually nice, especially in your 20s, to be friends with people at different life stages/levels of ‘adulthood’, this crosses a line from differences to disrespect. If it were me, I’d ditch this one.

        • Otter

          OK, maybe not ‘ditch’ but I would withdraw from the friendship with the understanding that it may or may not rekindle in the future, and that’s ok because people go in different directions in life. You don’t have to continue to be friends with people you grew up with.

    • Wildkitten

      You’ve been friends for 20 years and this is the first time you’ve wanted to do different things one evening? I don’t get why this is a big deal to either of you. Just do different things.

      • snowy

        I’m surprised that this hasn’t come up before between you and your friend. I had a few friends I could characterize the same way (“I don’t know them anymore”) but that happened when we were in 7th grade and they started w/ drugs and s3x and I was like, Um, I want to do really well in math class? So we went our separate ways. Anyone I’m still friends w/ now, at 28, has had a similar enough life trajectory that this isn’t really an issue. Or as other posters pointed out, they respect me enough they would never pressure me to try drugs I didn’t want to.

        Supposedly Molly is what all the kids are doing, but here in Boston I think a couple of people have died from a bad ‘batch’ of it. Don’t feel bad that you didn’t want to try it!!

        • KLG

          I think this is still common after college too. You both party hard in college, you graduate, you party a little less but often enough, and then soon enough one of you is 3 years into a career and looking at a promotion and partying seems less fun than just grabbing a drink after work and heading home at 8 pm, but the other is still figuring out career stuff and is still partying until the wee hours all the time.

          The pressuring to do drugs is a bit out there (and very high school) but I can see the rest of it

    • Mpls

      Just because you were friends in kindergarten doesn’t mean you have to stay friends now. You have different interests and priorities, and like you said, are at different stages of life. I’d back off for a while and try reconnecting in a year or two, if you want to.

      Also, drugs are dumb.

      • Anne Shirley

        I agree so much with this. I really cherish my kindergarten friends, but most of those relationships went through a few dormant years as we all grew up at different speeds.

    • roses

      I think it’s great that you were open to going even though it’s not really your thing – that shows that you’re open to going out and doing fun things that she’s interested even though it’s not your scene/you’re more settled down now. It totally crossed a line if she’s pressuring you to do drugs though. I’m respectful of my friends who use harder drugs recreationally, as I think you should be of her, but it’s 100% your decision and a friendship-ending move to judge you for not partaking.

      • emeralds

        +1 to all of this. For me, if this was a friend I’d had since kindergarten, I’d be slow to throw that friendship away just because our lives and interests didn’t line up right now.

        The HUGE ISSUE is the pressure to participate in an activity that you’ve said you’re not comfortable with. I personally have no problem with recreational drugs, as long as they’re used responsibly and in moderation, and have even (le gasp!!!! le pearl clutching!!) done some myself, although it’s not something I’ve done recently or have any particular desire to do right now. But someone who tried to pressure me into doing a drug I’m not comfortable with, and didn’t back off when I made it clear I wasn’t going to do it? PROBLEM. I have been around a TON of people using drugs in my life, and I can count on one hand (maybe one finger) the amount of times I’ve gotten anything more than a single “Come on, don’t be lame!” in response to saying “Nope, no thanks,” which, when I repeated “No,” was the last of it. That your good friend would put that much pressure on you is not okay.

        This is something I would sit my friend down with, sans her boyfriend, since it sounds like he was part of the pressuring, and have a Serious Conversation about.

    • Monday

      I have a bit of a different view from most here. I don’t think judgment is necessary in either direction. At the moment it simply sounds like connecting with this old friend is difficult, and you both have some discomfort around the other’s choices.

      If you two have a true friendship, love her at a distance for a while and see what happens as the years (and decades) pass. If doing Molly at a concert was a make-or-break on all of my relationships, I’d be a much lonelier and less supported person. I’m not saying it’s ok that they were pressuring and making fun of you, but I am saying that a true friend will live that down (and then some) over time, as you both settle in to true comfort with who you are and how you are different.

      • Anon

        +1. You’re at different stages, nothing wrong with either. I wish I’d had a little more fun when I was 25. Friendships go through evolutions and I wouldn’t write off a long term friend just because you guys are interested in different things at the moment. 25 turns into 30/no clubs/mild nights pretty fast.

    • TO Lawyer

      I think the advice to back off for a while and trying reconnecting in a year or two are a bit extreme – friendships go through changes and even if you don’t want to do the same things any more, doesn’t mean you need to stop being friends right now. Just means you need to do different things!

      My married/coupled friends don’t really like going out anymore and if they do, they bring their husbands so I no longer invite them. I save the Saturday night outs for my single friends and do things like brunches or something with my other friends who don’t want to party anymore.

      However, that said, I think the peer pressure is a bigger issue and if you want to stay friends with her, you should bring it up at a later date.

    • rosie

      I try not to use the “I don’t need x to have a good time” (where x is booze, drugs, etc.) line, because that implies that your friend cannot have fun unless she uses x. If that’s true, that’s an issue, but she probably just likes it. However, if she had just accepted your “no thanks” at face value, you wouldn’t have felt you had to justify your decision. I would back off the friendship for a bit probably and see how things play out.

      Oh, and sidenote: I have been pressured to do drugs by a family friend twice my age (I’m about your age), and it is just weird. To me, peer pressure is from our DARE days. Adults should ask once and accept the answer given.

      • Taking the 5th

        My mother in law, in the middle of a fancy cocktail party at her house, asked me if I wanted to go outside and smoke a joint with her. I was SHOCKED and politely declined. I’ve actually never smoked but I think if I ever was going to, that was a missed opportunity.

    • Anon

      25 is the age when you really start to become who you’ll be and others become who they’ll be. I’m 30 and around the age of 25 is when I discontinued talking to a friend of mine from grade school. Our lives couldn’t be more different. She partied throughout college and always told me I was being lame because I wouldn’t go out partying on week nights with her because I had class. She ended up failing out and getting pregnant in the same year. She married the guy who she had the baby with, cheated on him, divorced him and married the guy she was cheating on her husband with. They went on the have 4 more children (2 of which she absolutely didn’t want…but you know accidents happen!). They struggle week to week with money having no education and 5 kids.

      It got to the point where I couldn’t respect her and had to monitor my mouth because I just wanted to tell her what an idiot she is. It was better for me to just stop talking to her.

  5. JMDS

    Any suggestions for a gift idea for a new dad? My husband has done such a great job taking care of me and getting our new apartment set up over my difficult pregnancy, and I would like to get him something personalized and sentimental for after the birth. I’m thinking about spending around $150, but I am pretty open. More about the thought than the $. TIA!

    • Brant

      A frame for a pic of the baby for his office? Pretty generic, but you’re about to have 60 million photos :)

      If you want to move away from the baby theme, how about a bottle of nice wine or scotch? A gift card for dinner out 3-4 months from now? :)

    • Anonymous

      This feels vaguely insulting to me. In the vein of thanking him for baby sitting or him giving you a push present. Of course he’s taken care of you and set up the apartment, he’s your husband.

      But a picture frame sounds nice.

      • Anita

        Can’t we show thanks to the people we love for even doing the things they’re expected to do? Sheesh.

        • Anonymous

          So now I’m envisioning a whole line of Hallmark cards starting with “thank for keeping up your end of our vows!” and ending with “thanks for not cheating on me!”

        • KLG

          Yeah, really. I had terrible all day morning sickness and my husband was fantastic about it. Yes, of course, he promised to take care of me in sickness and health, but I also promised to love and cherish him which I think means doing something nice to thank him for a few months of doing almost all of the childcare, dog walking, housework, etc. considering that we usually split all that roughly 50/50. Just because someone SHOULD do something, doesn’t mean it isn’t appreciated or worth a thank you.

          • anonymama

            Yes, this exactly. I think it sounds like the furthest thing from insulting, it sounds like a very healthy and loving relationship. In any relationship, there are times when one person is shouldering a heavier load, and it is good to recognize that and show appreciation, even if of course it is what one should do. I don’t get all this attitude about things like this, and about “push presents,” if someone wants to do something extra nice for their spouse to show appreciation for something they have done, good for them.

            And moving during a difficult pregnancy is no joke, for me it means husband basically has to take care of all house things, while also working stressful job and making almost all the meals. Basically a huge chunk of responsibilities that are usually shared are given over to one spouse. Would it be insulting if husband had some crazy busy work thing, like was at trial for months, while wife took over all household responsibilities, and husband wanted to get a gift for wife to show appreciation? Or maybe, Anonymous, you’re just really not a gift person? (Honestly it is weird to me that anyone would think this is insulting in any way)

            Picture frame, or maybe tickets to a sporting event if he’s into that?

      • Silvercurls

        Push presents…don’t get me started. Ditto when parents “baby sit.” It’s called PARENTING, RAISING, or HANGING OUT with one’s child(ren).
        Yes, a picture frame sounds nice. Plus just plain tell DH how much you appreciate him! Maybe write it in a nice card (a small one, that won’t take up a lot of space if he wants to save it).

        • Anon

          Whenever I hear “push present”, I think of my/my siblings’ baby books. After each of us were born, my Dad (who was present for L&D) would bring back flowers for my Mom when he briefly left to shower/change/get clothes/etc. She pressed and kept a flower for the baby books. Mine was a cream rose, one of my siblings was a daisy, and I can’t remember the third flower. But I love it to this day :)

      • Yaya

        Gosh, I thought JMDS asked for gift suggestions, not opinions on whether anyone finds the idea of her giving a gift to her partner is offensive. Part of being in a healthy relationship is making sure your partner knows you don’t take him or her for granted. Push presents, a gift for a new dad, these are both incredibly sweet gestures! I am a believer in the Five Love Languages, and I believe gifts are one of the languages discussed.

        That being said, I love the idea of a watch with an inscription to memorialize the big event in your lives! Congrats to you both, and I think it is lovely how you and your husband seem to take care of each other in ways that matter.

        • mascot

          +1. I don’t understand why gifts given around the time of a child being born draw so much more ire than any other common gift occasion (wedding, holiday, birthday, etc).

          • Anon

            I think it may be because “push present” conjures up the idea of a woman telling her partner “I want/deserve this specific piece of jewelry” as opposed to her partner thinking wow, this is an awesome moment in our lives together and I’d like to do something nice/pick out a special gift to mark this moment.

            The latter sentiment is awesome. The former one s*cks.

          • roses

            I think the ire has to do with the name of it (“push” present, really, ugh) and the fact that some women feel entitled to getting one. Otherwise, I agree, I don’t think it’s a bad thing to show appreciation for your partner when he or she has done something awesome, whether it be giving birth, supporting you as a parent, graduating, etc.

          • Em

            Yeah, I think it’s the name. It makes it sound creepily transactional and like having the baby is something the husband is paying his wife for with jewelry.

          • Em

            Though, I should add, I think maybe if your husband is an Earl who needs a male heir to pass his estate onto lest it and the title be settled on a third cousin due to an entail, I think a push present is appropriate. But, in that case, it should be jewelry that has either (a) been in the family for no fewer than three generations or (b) was a gift to the family from the member of a foreign aristocracy.

          • Brittany

            I honestly had never heard of a push present until I was asking my co-worker about the bean shaped charm she wears.

        • Silvercurls

          Okay, I was probably excessively grouchy. No offense intended and if any was taken, I apologize! Yaya is correct that the OP asked for suggestions about a gift–not editorials about the occasion of, or name of, the gift.

      • JMDS

        OP here. Thanks to all for the suggestions. I love the idea of an engraved watch with the birthday and maybe the babies name/initials.
        For the naysayers, I didn’t realize this was controversial or how getting my husband a gift to thank him for his love and support and to cherish this special moment would be insulting. I think gifts are am important part of showing love, making memories and cherishing your spouse. I did not bring up so called push presents, and don’t want or expect one, and agree the name is ridiculous

  6. TJ: Kid-friendly hotels in Chicago

    Planning some time in Chicago this summer with the family and would like young kid friendly recommendations. Currently have reservations at the Swissotel and plans to go to Shedd along with some of the other typical sites. I’m open to other hotel suggestions but would like to be in that general area. Musts are an indoor pool, food on-site, and parking or very nearby parking. Thanks!

    • ORD

      I live in the area and sometimes use hotel points to stay in the city on the weekends with kids and/or husband. I prefer the area off N. Michigan Ave. There are a number of suites hotels up there that are great with kids (Embassy, Residence Inn, etc.). The area north of the river is more alive on weekends if you’re going to be walking around.

      • TJ: Kid-friendly hotels in Chicago

        I haven’t been to Chicago for any length of time in nearly 2 decades – so please feel free to use easy directions! We do plan on walking a lot and trying to experience the city (with small children), so suggestions along those lines are most welcome. And second the request for non-chain restaurant recommendations. Years ago when I was there, restaurants along Printer’s Row were good. I don’t know about now.

    • marketingchic

      Following – we’re planning a Chicago trip with two little ones. Also interested in restaurant recommendations (non-chain.)

      • ORD

        Chicago has tons of great restaurants. That said, with kids, I like the food court at Water Tower, especially if you’re going there for the American Girl store anyway. It’s not your typical food court. For restaurants, my kids like pasta (Eataly, Rosebud), Thai (Star of Siam), pizza (everywhere), hot dogs at Wrigley Field. Unfortunately you’ll be stuck with cafeteria food at the museums. The food at the Shedd is better than the other museums, in my opinion, so I’d try to eat there for lunch.

    • roses

      I can’t give any specific hotel recs, but you might be more comfortable with the kids and have an easier/cheaper time finding parking by looking at hotels in the South Loop. It’s much less crowded and closer to the museums.

  7. Outfit help

    OK, some outfit help please! I bought two of the L*ndsend velvet dolman sleeve tops (link to follow), one in burgundy and one in a light eggplant. I like them, but definitely need layers for work because the sleeves are too open / I’m always cold. The vee neck looks funny with a vee neck sweater and they’re somewhat close fitting so something silky underneath would probably drape better.

    I’m 23,casual office and a size extra small for reference, 6ft tall. I’m in Los Angeles also, where it’s feeling like spring – do I need to put these away til next year?

    Thanks!

    • Anon

      Yes, you need to put these away until November. Velvet has an unfortunately short space on the calendar.

      • Anon

        Agree with putting them away. I think the season for velvet is from Thanksgiving through Valentine’s Day.

        • Aggie

          Velvet in California may have an even shorter season. I’m in Texas and might get to wear my two velvet pieces a few weeks in December. When the temperature is over 50 degrees, I feel odd wearing velvet, even to formal events.

    • a passion for fashion

      yes. put away until next year. for evening/going out wear. I’m generally one to say “anything goes” but I would never wear velvet to the office (office party, yes, but work, no) and especially not in the spring.

      • tacky

        Velvet outside of evening wear looks tacky to me. Black velvet for NYE or Xmas is pretty much all I can take.

        • Anon

          Agree. Unless you are 5 years old and wearing a velvet dress to attend a saturday matinee of the Nutcracker, velvet is evening-only.

        • Outfit help

          Ouch.

          To everyone – Well, I’ll put them away til fall but any suggestions for wearing them at that time?

        • Wildkitten

          FWIW I’m okay with wearing velvet to a workday when you have a holiday event that evening.

      • Jules

        I’m guilty of wearing velvet to the office (although we are pretty anything-goes here) a couple of times this winter. LE black velvet drape-neck, elbow-sleeve top, worn with a black tweed pencil skirt, tights and boots, to dress it down. I am not ashamed.

    • Samantha

      I would drape myself in velvet if it were socially acceptable.

      But yeah, not at the office.

  8. preg 3L

    I’m looking to donate frozen br3ast milk to someone with a newborn (milk was pumped when my baby was 1-4 weeks old). I’m in NYC. I heard there are Facebook pages for this — but does anyone have advice for how to go about doing this? I looked up donating to a milk bank and didn’t find one in NYC (feel free to post a link if I missed one). TIA ladies.

    • Anonymous

      Why ? Do you want to open yourself up to liability for dealing in bodily fluids on the black market? Have you read any of the research on non-bank donated milk that shows it has contamination levels that would bar it from donation?

      My advice is don’t be stupid. Store it for yourself or throw it away.

      • preg 3L

        Great points, thank you. Garbage is much easier than finding a way to donate!

        • Ginjury

          It looks like you can also mail milk to the donation sites if there isn’t one nearby. It’s pretty awesome of you to want to do this.

          • preg 3L

            Yeah I saw that — it looks like a bank would make it pretty easy to donate. If I’m eligible to donate my milk, I’d rather give it to someone locally who needs it, but as the other poster noted, i don’t want to be “dealing bodily fluids on the black market.”

          • Anonymous

            And as the bodily fluids poster, I’m all for donation to a bank! Facebook just seems like an awful idea.

      • preg 3L

        My lactation consultant told me there were Facebook groups for this. So that’s where the Facebook idea came from.

        • Meg Murry

          Eats on Feets and Human Milk 4 Human Babies are the 2 I’ve seen the most of (there is usually a regional subpage). Your LC probably wasn’t willing to tell you the name directly because these are underground, “unofficial” channels.

    • OMG -- middle school never ends

      It’s a sweet sentiment, but say you had an open container of formula. It’s a shame to throw it away. But what would you think of a mother who fed someone’s open container of formula to her child? Maybe your container is fine, but why would you encourage behavior that could put her child at risk?

      I can’t imagine the level of intrusive questions that a person would need to ask to get comfortable with donated milk. And they have no way to verify what what you say is true or that this is pumped milk or that it came from you.

    • S in Chicago

      I don’t have children (so really don’t have any dog in this fight) but from what I understand, there are legitmate needs and ways to support donation. Can you contact one of the hospitals in your area to see if there is a way to participate in a bank? I would think they would be the best resource for information and the support of safety. (It may be that they simply say to throw it out.) I seem to recall reading an article once about someone whose baby passed and she found some solace in helping others this way through a program run through the hospital.

    • Anon for this

      If you want to donate your pumped milk, check out Prolacta Bioscience – prolacta . com

      Prolacta processes donated milk to make milk products for premature babies. They have collection programs in place with reputable milk banks. They have strict guidelines for who can be a donor and how the milk must be stored prior to donation.

    • Anon

      I am not in NYC, but I looked into donating to a milk bank because I had TONS of frozen milk. My daughter would not drink from a bottle at all but I kept pumping at work to maintain my supply (she would cluster feed ALL night long. It was a fun time!) But I looked into it after I had already pumped a bunch and most places wanted you to get “certified” before pumping, if that makes sense. So I threw it all out and cried about it. Well, she eventually drank some from a cup once she was older and we made popcicles for teething with some, but I did have to throw out a huge amount and that was hard.

    • In House Lobbyist

      I would suggest freezing it for yourself for awhile since your baby is still pretty young right? If you want to donate, I think there is a process you have to go through first. I have a 7 month old and my supply dramatically changed around 3 months and I’m glad for all that extra I pumped in the beginning. We are still using our freezer stash and I am so glad to have it.

      • preg 3L

        This is helpful to hear — thank you. I have about 200 oz in the freezer right now and as a NYC resident, real estate is tough to come by. I feel silly using half our freezer for milk when I’m producing so much.

    • Sarabeth

      In addition to LC’s, you might try contacting doula groups. I know that one in my city was organizing donations for a baby whose mother died in childbirth a few months ago. This was done informally so they were taking milk that didn’t meet the guidelines for the big milk banks. Obviously they still had safety guidelines, but they weren’t requiring that it be stored in a specific type of bag, for example.

    • Anon

      If you haven’t already, also check out your local parents listserv (Park Slope Parents being one of the more famous). There’s probably a thread or place online for these kinds of inquiries. I remember looking into official, formal donation with one kids and the process did sound too onerous for me especially once I was in a similar place–didn’t anticipate the over production, therefore wasn’t prescreened, etc. I was/am also leery of the sharing-bodily-fluids-risk factor (lawyer sentiments rearing their head), so I just held onto the supply and did end up using most of it once we were in daycare and appetites increased.

      That being said, you may be able to connect with someone who needs milk right near you with whom you could develop a bit of a relationship, so you’d both feel more comfortable sharing something like this. For instance, I have heard of both moms who weren’t able to bf for any number of reasons but also gay couples who’d adopted or had infants and who were most appreciative of milk donations that came their way.

    • Orangerie

      Just a heads up, I recently ordered this in navy and sadly had to return it. Talbots’ sizing is whacked out… I was swimming in the 2 and it’s not the kind of dress you can easily alter.

      That being said, I thought it would have been nice for a more casual day in the office (like others mentioned upthread, not appropriate for a day when everyone else is in a full suit).

      • HTown

        Same here. Got a Talbots catalog in the mail and loved the look of this dress. Tried it on in the store and it was huge plus the neckline was weird, didn’t seem to sit right or s.

    • Legally Brunette

      This is stunning, but the few times I bought dresses from there, they were shapeless and like a sack on me. Go to the store and try it on before you pay for shipping.

    • Bonnie

      I think the combination of the sleeves, high neckline, and straight line may make this dress a bit dowdy.

      • Hmm

        Depends on the body type. Joan from Mad Men often wears sheaths like this and looks incredible – definitely not dowdy! If the fit were spot on, this would look great on me (defined hourglass).

    • anon prof

      I have this and love it. That said, I’m in my 40s and not slim. It’s comfortable and flattering.

  10. Orangerie

    Quick NYC poll: any preference between The High Line and Soho Grand hotels?

    I like both areas but am having trouble making a decision. Staying for a week in mid-May so I’d like to book relatively soon. Thanks!

    • Anon in NYC

      I am not familiar with either hotel, but I can give you some pros/cons of each area:

      High Line – Pro: you’re right on the high line, close to Chelsea and Meatpacking. I’ve walked past this hotel, I think, and it has a coffee place with a cute patio outside on the street. Con: you’re not close to the subway.

      Soho Grand – Pro: you’re close to multiple subways, close to Little Italy / Soho. (Possible) Con: based on google maps, I’m not sure how much “stuff” there would be in the area immediately around your hotel.

    • Ellen

      I would go with the High Line! It’s right where peeople walk, so you can get FITBIT steps for your tuchus without goeing to far! YAY!!!!

      The Soho is also nice, but I met a guy at a party who said he was related to the SHAH of Iran and was staying at there, and he wanted me to go back to his room so that I could see the city light’s from his window. I think he just wanted to have sex with me b/c he thought I was dumb. FOOEY b/c I was smarter. I told him to give me the address and room number and I would take a cab over later while he got “situeated” in the room. He took this to mean that he would first shower and clean up for me b/f I got there.

      So he gave me the information, and he left to go to the room to clean up. I then went to the bathroom at the party, and after makeing poopie, I just threw his information in the toilet and FLUSHED! Talk about a royal flush! FOOEY on him for thinking I would have sex with him just b/c he was related to the SHAH of Iran? Why would I want that big slob all over me, huffeing and puffeing. If he got a heart attack, I would be in alot of troubel with the SHAH. Not for me, no way HOZE! I went home and watched Jay Leno instead. YAY!!!!!

    • OMG -- middle school never ends

      In case it matters, if the SoHo Grand still has macaroni & cheese on its bar menu, it is divine.

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