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Updated: Feb 5, 2021 62 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Ana Mini Vibrant Belt

Coffee Break |

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It can be tough to find a belt that's a happy medium width — not too wide, not too skinny — but this colorful one from B-Low looks like it fits the bill. We've pictured it in yellow but it's also available in “fuchsia” pink, royal blue, and kelly green, in sizes S, M, and L at ShopBop for $108.

This is a nice option in a tamer neutral if that's more your taste, and this belt looks like it would be great on top of dresses, cardigans, and more. Pictured: Ana Mini Vibrant Belt

Sales of note for 9.30.24

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

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Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

  1. Anonymous

    Mom jeans with a belt? High, tight-waisted pants didn’t used to need help holding themselves up.

    And for why I loathed living through the 80s: imagine these jeans with someone with a butt and thick thighs. Or going up 2 sizes to get those dimensions right (then they will droop, but no belt will help with the look). Also imagine, but with its companion, camel toe, b/c mom jeans aren’t tummy-friendly, either.

    • Flats Only

      Or imagine being petite, so the rise is way too long, and the crotch is droopy. Ugh. Never again.

      • Fishie

        And let’s not forget that the material was 3x as thick as today’s denim and had no stretch. And the cuts were often relaxed at the top and tapered at the bottom, creating a beautiful balloon leg effect.

        And never forget the button fly.

        • Anonymous

          Oh…I miss those relaxed at the top and tapered at the bottom cuts. They were perfect for my shape. Never had jeans fit so well since.

          • Anonymous

            I’m just curious: what sort of shape are you? I have never seen anyone look really good in these. Often it could also be that the person is taller and the pants are both tapered and too short.

            Eesh — I can remember pleated versions of Mom jeans. I think they made people look even larger in the tummy area.

    • Anon

      I think this is why mom jeans are back in. They only flatter the very slim. Sucks.

  2. vicarious shopping

    Anyone up for some vicarious shopping?

    I just got a blouse from Loft that I love (link: https://www.loft.com/pleat-back-clean-tee/458212).
    However, it only comes in two colors. I was wondering if anyone could think of anything similar in the same price range in light neutrals (blush/pink/ivory). I like that it has short sleeves, is machine washable, and the way the material falls (it’s polyester, which I am fine with.) I also like the price point (under $30 with the current promotion.) It’s totally opaque, which would be awesome to keep but I realize lighter colors may be a little more see through.
    Anyone have any leads on something like this?

  3. Anonymous

    I would like to go to an East Coast beach in June coming from Houston. I need somewhere that will be reliably not hot, will make for easy travel (close to the airport, direct flight), and has good food (as in Houston-level food). Ideas?

    • Anonymous

      I do not think that this place exists. Maaaaybe Folly Beach (fly into Charleston, which may be a direct flight for you). But East Coast cities are not usually too close to good beaches (yes, two hours away) except for Florida cities, which may be too hot in June. Also, East Coast beaches are often smallish towns that you go to for the beach (and cook for yourself in a beach house).

      • Anonymous

        This. I think getting each of these things will be difficult. Like Savannah has awesome food and direct flights, but isn’t totally on the beach and will be hot all summer. Or you could do something like Maine, but the airports are pretty far from beach options (and they aren’t exactly real beaches).

        • Anon

          What is not “real” about the beaches in Maine?

          The real issue is that it won’t be reliably “not hot” anywhere in New England – you’d have to plan your trip close enough to the dates to trust the forecast.

          There is good and not great food everywhere – better to pick he destination and then research restaurants. Any major city/touristy place should have sufficient options to compare with houston.

          • Anonymous

            I guess the only beaches I’ve been to in Maine were rocky, not sand. So not really for laying out (which is what I think of when I think of beach location).

          • Anon

            There are sandy beaches too! Maine has a deceptively long coastline (I believe longer than California when you account for inlets) so lots of diversity in terrain. If someone were coming from Boston though there are plenty of closer beaches in MA or NH.

          • Anonymous

            Maine has some sandy beaches but they are definitely not like Florida beaches. The sand is much chunkier, not the powdery white sand you will find in Florida or the Caribbean. Maine also has plenty of summer days where the high is in the 70s or even 60s, which isn’t what most people think of as “beach weather.” And the water is COLD.

        • Ellen

          I agree Maine is to cold in the summer to be goeing into the water. And it’s true that there are rocky beaches that are NOT good to lay out on. FOOEY unless you keep your clotheing on. Then it feels OK, but you can NOT go in the water w/o freezeing your tuchus off! DOUBEL FOOEY!

          I would recomend Martha’s Vineyard which is much more beachey then Maine. And it is NOT to cold there in the summer as long as you don’t get caught in a windstorm. We did and Rosa’s top came loose but no one other then me saw it b/c we had a big umbrella that got blown away with her top.

      • Mrs. Jones

        Ditto. I was going to suggest Amelia Island near Jacksonville, FL, but it’s hot in the summer of course.

    • Anonymous

      long beach, ny! 30 minutes from JFK, won’t be too hot in june, pretty good restaurant scene/very walkable. Water probably won’t be warm enough to swim, though.

      • K

        Yeah, I was gonna suggest Long Island. There are beach towns all over Long Island, too. You could go all the way out to the Hamptons if you want to pay an arm and a leg. The Hamptons are a 2ish hour drive from JFK or Laguardia, you could fly into one of the small airports on Long Island but it likely won’t be direct. Long Beach, Jones Beach, and Robert Moses are good options closer to the airports.

    • Torin

      Houston level food does not exist outside of Houston.

      (biased native, obvi ;-)

        • IHHtown

          Then you must work too hard and not get out a lot. Houston’s food scene is one of the few redeeming qualities of a city that is nice to live in but terrible to visit. Sticking to the delivery restaurants downtown and the same five restaurant rotation that law firms, oil big wigs, and consultants dine out at will not get you the best of the food. Signed, a native.

          • Anonymous

            I do get around I mean it’s fine, it is a major city after all, but not exactly a destination food city. It doesn’t really have anything you can’t find elsewhere.

          • Anonymous

            We are I believe the most diverse city in the country, and we especially are good at Asian food. Go to Chinatown and live a little!

          • Anonymous

            I guess we just have to agree to disagree. I’ve been to plenty and Chinatown in Houston feels like a suburban strip mall to me. I mean it’s nice that you have this stuff and clearly you enjoy it a lot, but these enclaves exist in all major cities.

          • Anonymous

            So…the food is good for the area? Is that what you are saying? But isn’t actually a destination location for foodies?

            And I’m not sure diversity actually translates to good food. Just a potential for a variety of food.

          • JuniorMinion

            Seconding this. I found especially the Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Latin American cuisines in Houston to be better than those I found living in Manhattan. A bonus is that you can get excellent food in Houston without the frou frou east coast snobbery.

          • Pretty Primadonna

            I have only heard good things about the food in Houston. This is shocking that someone is saying it’s just alright…

        • Anonymous

          Ditto! We have the best food and it’s all so reasonably priced that I often end up disappointed when on vacation.

          • Anonymous

            I could see becoming significantly larger in Houston.

            BUT with beach trips and the extra calories from day drinking alone, I’d be afraid of going to somewhere that also has good food. Triscuits and cheese are enough if I’m looking at a beach and relaxing :)

    • mascot

      You can fly into Savannah (Hilton Head or Tybee beaches are less than an hour away). Charleston is another option. But it’s already warm here and the water is warm enough for swimming so that may not work.

    • New England

      How about Newport? Not sure about direct flights to providence but Newport to Providence is not that far.

      You could also fly into Boston and drive an hour to Maine, or take the ferry to the Cape. It’s not “walk off the plane onto a beach” but it’s pretty painless.

      FWIW New England beaches have cold water until basically August.

      More southern…what about flying into Newport News VA and going to the OBX or somewhere in there? Ocean City MD?

      • Anon

        Depends where you go in New England. If you go south of Yarmouth, Mass, the water is fairly warm. If I remember correctly, Yarmouth is essentially the dividing line. It’s warm there but cold in Chatham for example. I grew up going to Horseneck Beach in Westport, Mass. It’s not that far from Providence RI or Boston. The Cape has pretty awesome food if you like seafood. I agree that there are lot of great places in RI too.

        • New England

          Cold is relative. I grew up in CT and NY and it was all cold til August :-). But yes, RI tends to be warmer than the Cape.

      • Anonymous

        LOL. I’ve lived in both Boston, DC and Texas. Anything from DC up is neither hot nor humid to a Houstonian. It’s 90 degrees with 100% humidity at FIVE AM in the summer here–when I lived in DC, I could comfortably go for a run in full sun at noon and it wasn’t even that hot/humid save for a couple days a year.

        New England in summer is like the North Pole coming from Texas, and it’s glorious.

        • Ouch! that hurts

          Indeed. When living near Camp David for a few years, I swear my shoulders never saw the sun – I was cold. Happy to be home in H-Town, even though my life is crazy #ThanksHarvey

    • Betsy

      What about Portland Maine? Old Orchard Beach is a lovely beach, and while the weather in New England is unpredictable it is very unlikely to be hot by Houston standards. Highs could range anywhere from 50’s to 90’s. Portland has a great food scene (Central Provisions is my fave). Travel might be a little trickier than you are hoping for, there is an airport but it wouldn’t be a direct flight.

  4. January

    OCMD is closer to BWI. Don’t fly into Newport News for that. Water will be cold in June.

    • Anonymous

      OCMD is . . . not a place I’d have gone to in college (too rowdy). Does it have good food though? My in-law family is bugging me to OC on a family trip and maybe if there is good food in OC (other than crabs in MD in general), it will be OK. [If not, daydrinking.]

      • Lana Del Raygun

        But … but … but why would you eat anything else if you could eat crabs?

      • Anon

        I went there about 5 years ago and extensively researched it beforehand and found some great places to eat. I could probably dig up the itinerary I created but I don’t know if all the restaurants are still there. Assateague was amazing too. The wild horses walked right by us as we biked a trail along the beach.

        • Beach Bum

          I would love to know. We are in OC frequently, since we live so close, and gems in eating are hard to find.

  5. Paging poster looking for pull-on skirts

    Just looking at Loft – they have a lot of pull-on and drawstring skirts that might work for weight fluctuations. Maybe not business professional though – forgot if that’s what you need.

  6. Kate

    What’s the cool new it bag? I was looking at Chloe or Celine, but those are all looking too familiar- is it Senreve? Is there something else in the $2k range that will not be dated as soon as I buy it?

    • Marshmallow

      Staud is way under your price range but they are looking very “now” to me.

      Anecdotally– I don’t see a lot of women, at least here in NYC, carrying around large totes anymore unless it’s obviously a work tote. Lots of little bucket bags and mini bags, or even no bag at all. Or if I see a bag that looks really beautiful to me, chances are it’s just sleek-looking without an obvious brand.

  7. Anon

    How should I dress for a mid-level administrative position interview at a university? My background is law. Are skirt suits perceived as too stuffy for non-legal interviews? If hired I would be the youngest person in the office so I want to project a professional image. Thanks!

    • Nesprin

      Where? and what department? If it’s a west coast uni, skirt suit would be overkill, but southern or NE unis, probably about right. Subtract formality for engineering/art/science, but add it back for business/law.
      OTOH, wear what makes you feel professional, powerful and put together.

    • Ann

      Are you interviewing for a legal staff position–something like copyright/commercialization or HR? If so, dress as you would for a law interview.

      I’m at an Ivy. A skirt suit would be fine for any mid-level administrative position here, but if you don’t need to present specifically as the unit’s lawyer, you might want to loosen up just a bit. You could wear a sheath with a matching or coordinating jacket, for example, or a pant suit. If you go for a skirt suit, consider a colored blouse or scarf.

      Good luck!

  8. Clarie

    I was just randomly searching for belts and ended up here, such an amazing belt you have presented here. I am really looking forward to it.

  9. Anon

    I recently started dating a guy is doing a masters degree in biology at a community college and works on the side as a tennis coach. We seem to have chemistry so far. However, I’ve recently found out more about his career plans and am inclined to stop seeing him. He does not have a job lined up and intends to keep being a tennis coach in the short term. In the long term, he wants to discover the “origin of life” by someday finding his own startup. But to do this, he wants to get into investment banking, M&A specifically, and take a coding boot camp. In the meantime, he also plays volleyball socially with this team several times a week, and he spends a ton of time coaching this team (for no reason other than he likes it).

    Although I really like his personality, I am concerned about his lack of focus and impractical tendencies. We are both almost 30, and he has already changed his career once from psychology to biology. I would not feel comfortable graduating without a job lined up, let alone thinking that I would have a shot going into IB simply because I have a non-finance masters degree from a community college. I’m also feeling exasperated that he is being so chill about this. Instead of applying to jobs, he is constantly playing social sports, making short videos for his volleyball team. I feel that if I were in his situation, I would be spending every minute trying to network or building practical skills that will get me the job that I want.

    His parents are working class whereas mine are upper middle class. Initially, I thought personality is all that matters. But now I’m starting to wonder if his inability to align his priorities on work is a reflection of his working class roots.

    • Anonymous

      You’re dating a tennis coach. And those plans are sweet, but I would be surprised if he ever graduates beyond being a tennis coach. Which is totally fine. You just have to decide if you’re fine with it.

    • Anonymous

      This is a troll, right? “But now I’m starting to wonder if his inability to align his priorities on work is a reflection of his working class roots.” This is ignorant and judgmental at best, extremely offensive at worst.

      • argon

        also community colleges don’t offer master’s degrees … also the poors can’t afford tennis rackets, etc.

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