Coffee Break: Feather Print Cashmere Scarf
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Sales of note for 2/14/25 (Happy Valentine's Day!):
- Nordstrom – Winter Sale, up to 60% off! 7850 new markdowns for women
- Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your full-price purchase — and extra 60% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + 15% off (readers love their suiting as well as their silky shirts like this one)
- Boden – 15% off new season styles
- Eloquii – 300+ styles $25 and up
- J.Crew – 40% of your purchase – prices as marked
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site and storewide + extra 50% off clearance
- Rothy's – Final Few: Up to 40% off last-chance styles
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Flash sale ending soon – markdowns starting from $15, extra 70% off all other markdowns (final sale)
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- My workload is vastly exceeding my capability — what should I do?
- Why is there generational resentment regarding housing? (See also)
- What colors should I wear with a deep green sweater dress?
- How do you celebrate milestone birthdays?
- How do you account for one-time expenses in your monthly budget?
- If I'm just starting to feel sick from the flu, do I want Tamilfu?
- when to toss old clothes of a different size
- a list of political actions to take right now
- ways to increase your intelligence
- what to wear when getting sworn in as a judge (congrats, reader!)
- how to break into teaching as a second career
I just made my first ever purchase at Neiman Marcus and had to share: two cashmere one-button sweater blazers, each marked down to $120 from $400! Hoping these will serve as a warm and more polished alternative to a cardigan sweater:
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod98970007
Looks like a range of sizes are still available. Just FYI!
Wow! Great find! Just ordered it in black – now am sort of wishing I had ordered it in gray, too.
sooooo cute!
Thanks, Erin! I ordered one as well based on your comment – thanks for the tip!
I love it! This the type if cardigan I can see myself wearing since I don’t like more traditional ones. Sadly, I can’t wear one button anything- sigh!
Completely off topic, but could anyone tell me the average number of files they’re responsible for? I’m a new attorney working in a very small office in WNY. My bosses keep telling me to let them know when I’m overwhelmed, but I don’t have a clue as to what is realistically expected of me.
It depends. I generally have between 10-20 projects at a time – but I’m a specialist, not a litigator or corporate person. I remember when I was a first year, telling a partner that I didn’t know if I could take her project because I had 15 projects already and didn’t know how to gauge how long each was going to take – her response – “well, I have 17 – that’s normal”. I am still not convinced that she gave me a good answer there.
It really depends on the nature of the projects, the group you are in, the firm you are in. I would suggest that you seek out a senior associate or a younger partner in your group for advice. Everyone knows that you are new, and he/she will be able to give you more specific advice, maybe even become a mentor if you’re lucky. I think every first year (if lucky enough to have lots of work) comes to the same point where you are now – you just don’t have any way of knowing what kind of a commitment each project will require. Best to communicate that on the front end so that you can get help managing your time.
I think it is impossible to compare, because the size and complexity of cases and projects varies so much. It’s possible to be overwhelmed by one case and I can speak from experience on that!
Are you able to keep up with deadlines and be proactive on the files? If you are, don’t worry about the number. If you are working unreasonable (unreasonable means different things to different people) hours or if you are working as hard as you can and you’re seriously worried about dropping a ball, then ask for help.
Thread hijack: Shoshanna Ombre dress came today. Looks like I hiked the thing up to my chin. Ugh. Back it goes :0) But yay for free shipping!
I love the new coffee break posts. Accessories are so much fun. Thanks Corporette! You are doing a fantastic job!
Very pretty. And I love when scarves are big enough to use as wraps!
Accessories are fun, but there is nothing that makes a woman look “weird” or eccentric quicker than a big scarf – unless it is worn outside of a coat! Is that really how we want to be perceived? Also, don’t we care about what men think of our looks? Men like a very trim simple look – sometimes called “tailored”. They like “neat”, they like “clean”. That’s how they dress, and that’s how they expect us to dress, too.
I’m laughing at the thought of most men I know caring about their girlfriend’s scarf. Seriously, a non-issue for most guys, I think.
I think the issue isn’t the men you’re dating but rather the men who are controlling your paycheck. To Anne Vohl’s point, I would think a scarf would be okay with an otherwise tailored outfit, although I have the same general perspective about overly floppy, flowy clothing – seems unprofessional to wear in an office setting, at least if most men in your office wear suits or slacks with button-downs.
I agree. But my personal style tends toward the tailored anyway (I will occasionally bring a pashmina similar in size to the pictured scarf to our ever-frigid conference rooms, but only solid colors, no shiny patterns, and minimal fringe). If my middle-aged man boss finds me more appropriate / attractive for it, so much the better!
Corporette- I apologize if you have already covered this, but do you think you could write about, or link to something on, how to buy cashmere? Given all the great bargains out there right now, I would really like to know how to tell if I am buying something that will last or something that is likely to pill and wear. I realize there must be some difference between a Neiman Marcus cashmere sweater and a Loft one, but would love to know more.
Great question. Interestingly, you can’t assume a Neiman’s cashmere will be superior. I’ve sent two back recently because they were so thin it was obvious they would begin to pull at the slightest tug. A Couple sweaters from Lord & Taylor were also returned because their finish was rough and not particularly pleasant to the touch. For some general rules, woolens from Great Britain (Johnston, Pringle) can be expected to be great — durable, soft, closely woven, will wear for decades with proper care. But very expensive.
Lately, I’ve been very happy with Lands End’s cashmere. It’s Chinese, but the cashmere is strong, well woven, and the colors very attractive. And the prices are great.
I was looking at this more as an outerwear type of thing-that you’d remove once you got to work, not as part of your in-office outfit. And it would be a most excellent substitute for those yucky airline blankets.
I can’t bring myself to even consider buying any more scarves or shawls ever since I started buying an assortment of the $5 pashminas in every pattern and color on NYC streets. Is it just me? They work for all seasons and the quality is akin to anything at the big department stores.
Real Simple tested a bunch of cashmere sweaters in the last couple of years, and Ann Taylor came out on top if I recall correctly.
I always buy cashmere in February. The sales are insane.
Thanks to Sue and housecounsel! I recently bought some cotton sweaters from Lands End for my mom, but hadn’t checked out the cashmere.
I view everything through the eyes of a stage designer (which I am not). Or a movie designer. These folks costume the actors to enhance the presentation of a role. Same goes for hair, makeup, and accessories, right? What is the general impression that is sought to be put forth? The difference is, we are our very own costumers (unless we have an image designer at our disposal). What are we wanting to say about ourselves when we are in the professional role? And how are we going about saying it? Suppose you had to stage-costume a character who was totally bonkers – how would you tend to dress her for her first appearance in Act I in order to to convey that notion? Hm….
If there is a date at the end of a work-day, isn’t it better to dress for work? That is what our boyfriends are doing, isn’t it?