Coffee Break: Alpine Forest Classic Shoulder Bag

28 Comments

1. I’m a relatively recent college grade in a creative-ish field, and I have a question about what to wear to a meeting with a major player in the space.

   My company and this woman’s firm just signed a partnership, and I’m the primary contact for her company, so the meeting is mostly meant to help everyone get acquainted and talk a bit of strategy. My boss will probably wear khaki and a blazer (we’re pretty casual, so that’s quite fancy for us). I am thinking about wearing these beautiful black trousers (high waist, pleated Katharine Hepburn style, major French fashion house) I just found at a consignment shop for super super cheap (like under $30 cheap). They fit me perfectly and are in great shape – they look basically unworn. Would wearing something like that, which originally retailed for hundreds of dollars, be too risky when I’m meeting a 40s-ish lawyer who is well established in her career? Might she judge me as being snotty for choosing to wear something that just *looks* expensive, even if it wasn’t? There are no logos or other design element on the trousers (apart from the button, which has the designer’s insignia on it) that would obviously mark it as being super expensive. These are seriously the best trousers I’ve ever found and feel totally lucky to have found them in the consignment shop.

   I might be over-thinking this, but would appreciate another perspective. Thank you!

   1. I wouldn’t worry about it, especially if the clothes are as classic as you describe. A designer piece with the designer’s logo or initials all over it would be riskier in some settings, and I’d save it for a future meeting once everyone’s gotten to know each other.

      1. That makes plenty of sense. Thank you!

   2. I think you are overthinking it. I hate to be rude, but I don’t think that anyone is going to notice anything more than you are wearing black pants that look good on you, unless you make a point of it.

   3. Wear the pants. They sounds beautiful, and it sounds like you feel great in them!

      1. *sound beautiful. Duh.

   4. Honestly I wouldn’t be able to tell what you paid for a pair of pants. I’d just think they fit well/you looked great. Unless you have logos all over the place, or exceptionally familiar design elements (think BV weave bag) I don’t think most people would know (or care).

      1. As someone solidly entrenched in the world of business casual (which is where “my world” has been for the last 15 years — I haven’t had a client who still adheres to business dress in that long) — a nice pair of black pants are simply always, always appropriate; you can’t go wrong. Wear and enjoy.

2. As a 40-ish lawyer who is well established in my career, I would simply think you look well-put-together. I have rarely felt someone was being snotty by looking professional, though now that I write that, I admit that I used to be mildy annoyed by a much younger coworker that wore designer clothes to work every day. Once we became friends I realized she was just really “into” clothes and knew how to shop strategically.

   1. Yep, it’s that reaction you had to the younger co-worker that I’m most worried about, but I like that it wasn’t an insurmountable first impression. Thank you for your opinion!

3. Does anybody have good suggestions for Pandora stations that aren’t embarrassing when the senior partner walks into your office? I’ve been playing Lite Rock and Pop, but the last two songs have been one by Shania Twain and Torn by Natalie Imbruglia (however you say that). Also, one time my boss came to my door, and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun came on. I’m not sure how that’s Lite Rock OR Pop, but either way, it was rather embarrassing! Anyway, any ideas?

   1. Build your own. After doing enough thumbs up and thumbs down it seems to really know what you like.

      1. Does that mean that I just do that with an already-existing station? Or is there actually a build your own from scratch option?

         1. Are you using the pandora.com website? Just click “Create your own station” on the left and it will prompt you to enter a song or artist (you can add more than one).

            1. And you can thumbs down stuff you don’t want to hear, so it continues to learn your preferences as you go.

               I just last week decided to pay the $10 for an annual subscription so I could skip more songs and have unlimited play time. I have the app for my phone, so now I use it in the office, in the car, and at home so I was burning through 40 hours really fast.

         2. I meant create your own from scratch. Do just as the other anon said. You just have to put in a few songs you like. I have used mine for over a year now and entered music from all different genres and now I like the song that plays 99% of the time.

   2. I listen to classical music at work. I am not someone who does that in my spare time, but I find it helps keep me alert & thinking clearly, never distracts & is never embarassing.

   3. I think it comes down to selecting an artist and then liking or disliking the stuff that doesn’t work for you. Funny story – I can remember driving into the parking garage at work, listening to early Jay-Z – loudly, turning the corner and there standing, waiting to see who was making all that noise, was my managing partner. He took one look, saw it was me and cracked up…. when I got upstairs, he said, “Why’d I wonder? I should have known….” At the time I was working for a real SOB, and it was very much an “…if I don’t let off steam in the car, I am going to blow up in there…”

      1. LMAO! I listened to Tribe Called Quest today myself — Motivators. That’s just how I roll ;-)

   4. Instrumental jazz is always a safe pick.

      1. I don’t know. I don’t like walking into people’s offices and hearing music. It distracts me and I can’t carry on a conversation. I would keep it VERY low, IMO.

4. Unexpectedly, I really like this bag! I’m usually not into canvas/cloth purses, but this one really is beautiful. I would carry it on the weekend to run errands ( seems a bit too casual to go with my suits for work.)

5. I *like* leather in lousy weather, not canvas, which screams: “sunny, cloudless day” IMHO. Then again, I’ve never paid more than $200 for a big EVER (I shop outlets and sample sales, admittedly).

6. Kat – can you please do away w/ lingerie and body shaping ads. I’d rather not have half dressed women on my computer when I am checking this site at work! Thanks. I liked the article on lingerie but you could make it a click to thing since it is not entirely safe for work.

   1. Completely agreed. I thought the post itself was fine/informative, but I would have been mortified if a partner walked into my office and saw that on my screen.

   2. Seconded. Maybe you could title the post something more innocuous as well (without the word ‘Lingerie’ which really jumps out).

   3. AGREED! Topic idea is great but that word combined with the pictures is going to get my favorite site blocked. :(

7. I would love a chair in my living room in that print, but I’m not sure about it for a bag …

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