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Updated: Aug 8, 2023 62 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Graphic Canvas Tote

Coffee Break

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canvas tote with blue green graphics

I'll admit, it's been years since I bought anything at Express — but this bright, fun canvas tote caught my eye while browsing online today.

It strikes me as a great way to take things from the office to the beach (or park or, hey, your living room couch) and back to work.

It's $49.90 at Express (also available in an orange/pink pattern). GRAPHIC CANVAS TOTE

(L-2)

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:

About Kat

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

Comments

  1. Magdeline

    At the recommendation of some Corporettes months ago, I finally bought a London Fog Trench (in black): http://www.boscovs.com/StoreFrontWeb/Product.bos?itemNumber=45143 I can’t afford a Burberry yet, and my faded black Old Navy trench really had to go. It actually took some sleuthing to find it in my size (medium, non-P). Maybe they come out in the fall every year? Either way, they are luckily on super sale. Thanks again for the always fabulous advice, Corporettes!

  2. Manicure

    This is a weird question, but do most women get regular manicures?

    I’d never had one, but I’ve gotten the impression that that was unusual and everyone else does all the time. I mean, the shops are everywhere, right? I have a depo tomorrow and thought that it would be nice to be a little bit extra-put-together looking, so I stopped in and got one just now.

    Annnnnd. . . I don’t really get it. It seemed like a waste of money. My nails look nice, but not that much nicer than they usually look if I do them with extra care. Plus my cuticles are kind of sore and red from where they cut at them. The pampering was nice, I guess (they did the whole parafin dip and massage thing), but it took a long chunk of time out of my day (I’m self-employed, which is why I could easily do it in the middle of the day like that, but that also means any time is time I could be working); really, I’d have gotten just as much pleasure from sitting back and reading Corporette for a half hour or so, I think. The price was $15, plus tip, which is pretty much half of a basic sweater or inexpensive pair of shoes that I might find on sale.

    Anyway, am I weird, or am I just deluded in thinking that most women get this done on a regular basis? Does this seem like a waste to anyone but me?

    • D

      I don’t get manicures regularly, only for special occasions. But I do get pedicures and I think those are totally worth the money!

    • Ballerina girl

      I don’t do them ever. Just not something I care a lot about, though I do like pedicures now and again. I’d do it for a special event but not a regular thing.

      • spacegeek

        I have found that it varies by geographic location. I get my nails done regularly. It is a way to relax and shut off for a bit–can’t do very much while my hands are busy. It is also a fun activity to do with a friend.

    • eb

      A lot of people do get them done regularly, I think. I went once (my mother in law wanted to treat me and a girlfriend) and tbh, while I thought my nails looked great and moderately better than when I do them myself, I wasn’t so into the whole experience. I found it first of all kind of awkward (I’m in general weirded out by people doing things for me, though) and second of all, yeah, kind of a waste of time. I don’t really have patience to sit down for the full length of time required, and when I do them myself I can at least be watching TV or Skypeing with someone. So I would go back for a special occasion, once in a while, but certainly not regularly (weekly/monthly/whatever).

    • surrounded by lawyers

      I’ve never gotten one, and I don’t have any friends who get them as a routine appointment.

    • Elise

      I don’t get regular manicures. In fact, I haven’t gotten a manicure since 5th grade, when my friend’s birthday party was held at a salon.

      I like short, simple nails. Maybe this is because I grew up playing piano? Maybe this is because I have chubby fingers and I don’t like drawing attention to them? My mom gives herself manicures once a week at home, and as a kid, I always thought it was a waste of time. (Her hands looked basically the same afterward, and certainly my father never noticed/appreciated the effort.)

      I know I may be in the minority — when I first started reading Corporette, there was a post about holiday parties that advised getting manicures ahead of such events — but I have no interest in a manicure. (I hope this isn’t held against me; I know enough successful/worthy women — mother included — who get manicures that I don’t think less of them for it.)

      • Lawgirl

        I love pedi’s. Used to get UV gel overlays for my nails, but it wrecked them and made them weak and paper-thin over time. Even though I’ve gone “natural” for a few months as a consequence, I do hate the way my stubby man-hands look now with short unpolished nails, even with my wedding rings on. (sigh). Just doesn’t look classy & polished, IMHO. Reminds me the way my hands looked during high school working at McDonalds at the fry vat! LOL. If I have a big event, I’d definitely get a mani with cute polish and get my nails filed in a nice, square shape.

    • Res Ipsa

      I very rarely get manicures at the salon. I will occasionally do my nails myself, especially when, like eb, I can sit and watch TV while they dry. I think if your nails are neatly trimmed and in good shape (no horrible hangnails, etc.) and you buff your nails, bare nails can look very, very sharp and professional. I think of the one woman in my office who is always impeccably put together, and that’s what she does.

    • Louise

      I don’t like polish on my fingernails, so I never get a manicure. But I hate how my bare toenails look, so I do get occasional pedicures as a treat in warm weather when I’ll be wearing sandals.

      I know how you feel, though. Nail salons are everywhere, as are makeup counters, lingerie boutiques and jewelry stores. If you don’t patronize these “typically girlie” businesses, it may seem that everyone except you is in on the secret girlie club.

      Sal at Already Pretty had a good post about exactly this topic last week:
      http://www.alreadypretty.com/2011/02/girl-knowledge.html

    • skippy pea

      I do my own nails! I must have had myn ails done about 3-4 times in my life. I would do pedi, but the tubs and possible germs creep me out.

      I would rather spend that money on facials! So much more worth it!

      • houda

        Same here, I can do great manicures by myself and would indulge in a pedi if I weren’t hypochondriac and thinking of fungus and whatnot…
        But I do get facials as often as I can afford

    • Notalawyer

      I love pedicures and try to get them at least monthly if possible. I love the way my feet and toes look polished and neat afterwards.

      Manicures, I choose to less frequently. I find I have to redo the polish weekly so they don’t last as long as pedicures. And I can see and reach my own nails. It’s hard to do a good professional looking job on my feet.

    • Sydney Bristow

      I love getting pedicures but I can’t afford to get them now since I’m unemployed. I got really good at doing my own manicures though when I was in high school. I like the way the manicurist files my nails and can’t quite recreate it myself, but I can do the polish just as well.

    • JessC

      Haven’t gotten a manicure or pedicure in a while, and while I enjoy getting both of them I don’t really like spending the money on getting them regularly. Getting pedicures used to be one of the things that my best girlfriend and I would do during law school when she would come to visit and while we were studying for the bar exam. If it feels weird or awkward, going with a friend makes it a little more fun. If I get a manicure, it’s usually because I have something to get dressed up for and I want a french manicure (I’m perfectly capable of painting my own fingernails, but I can’t give myself a french manicure).

    • - j -

      JessC’s best girlfriend here (lol, no seriously!). I actually am a regular manicure kind of gal. In the summer, here in FL, I’m definitely a regular pedicure gal too.

      W/r/t manicures – I get them all the time to guard against one of my worst neuroses. I tend to fuss with my cuticles, particularly when I’m stressed, which, particularly lately, is alll the time. And that REALLY doesn’t look good. So, when I have a manicure I’m much less likely to fuss because (a) everything is smooth and nice, and (b) I don’t want to mess up the manicure!

      In the end, I don’t think there’s a “right” answer here. We all know that nails should be clean and neat. Whatever that means to you is probably fine. To me, it means filed and polished as well, but neat and clean is the goal.

    • coco

      I don’t get manicures except for special events because I always screw them up by the time I walk out of the salon. I’m sure if I did it regularly, I would get better about it, but I use it as an excuse to save money. My mom started getting weekly manicures after being diagnosed with cancer and figured she deserved a treat. Her nails definitely look better than mine even without polish though.

    • Another Sarah

      I don’t get a manicure done very often at all. I haven’t gotten a pedicure in a really long time, although that’s a result of a kind of embarrassing toe issue that I don’t want to get worse. I live in a place where weekly manicures are de rigeur for many women, and they see it as the normal upkeep. A lot of my friends were getting weekly manicures done starting in junior high and high school. I played piano, so I had to keep my nails short, and the manicurists complaining about how short my nails were got real old real fast. Now I really only get them done for special occasions. Otherwise, my nails are clipped, neat, clean, and I haven’t heard any complaints so far. :-)

    • Another Working 3L

      If your cuticles are red and sore, you did not get a good manicure! I won’t let a shop cut my cuticles unless I really trust the establishment – and generally, I just ask them to push them back and trim hangnails.

      That said, it takes time and money…so I only “treat” myself on occasion.

    • middle-aged anon

      I never had manicures or pedicures until about two years ago. I also plucked my own eyebrows. Now I do pedi every three weeks, color change or mani every three weeks (there’s a new gel polish out now that really, REALLY lasts on my nails), and eyebrows every six weeks. I actually found my nail salon after I got fitted for new glasses, loved my new frames but hated how my eyebrows looked with them, and asked the opto office manager for advice.

      My tech owns the salon and I book evening appointments when the place is closed to walk-ins, so it’s really quiet and allows me to zone out. She does a better polish job than I do. Plus, I do yoga and martial arts so it’s nice to have pretty toes to stare at. For me it’s worth the money and the downtime. In fact I don’t meet friends there anymore for social time, because I’m so used to zoning out during my treatments.

      • Accountress

        The OPI Axxium gel polish? I love that so much- I’m really easy on my nails, so it lasts me a full month before getting it re-done. And it always looks like I just applied it/had it done.

    • MelD

      I get pedicures fairly regularly to keep my feet looking nice. I live in Florida and go to yoga, and I feel pretty embarrassed having gross feet in yoga class. As for manicures, my fingernails get destroyed with polish, so I just buff/file them fairly regularly on my own to help keep them looking shiny and healthy.

    • PollyD

      Pedicures yes (although mostly in the summer), manicures no. They don’t last and they make my fingers feel gummy. I keep my nails pretty short, and lately have been using Sephora’s cuticle oil pen thingy on them. While my computer is taking forever to boot up in the morning, I paint the cuticle oil on my nails, rub it in a bit, and let it sit. It’s absorbed by the time my slow slow computer is ready, and I have to say, my nails look nicer and are not as prone to hangnails or splitting.

    • zelda

      i generally paint my own nails once a week and get them done (either a mani or a mani/pedi) once every month or so – while i like going it’s something i generally do with girlfriends on the weekends.

      $15 sounds like a decent rate for a manicure, but you should not be sore and red afterwards!

    • RKS

      I have really strong, quick-growing nails so polish manicures last barely a week on me. I get them every couple months, less frequently than a pedicure.

      The comment that stuck out to me was your red/sore cuticles. I never, ever let the salon cut my cuticles. It doesn’t work well for me — if anything, it makes them more ragged. So I just always say up front, do not cut cuticles and push them back very lightly. Since I push my cuticles back myself regularly, there’s not much to be done.

  3. Ballerina girl

    Threadjack: anyone got any advice for training myself to get up and work out in the mornings? I know the answer is essentially “willpower” but any concrete tricks? I’m always going to bed too late and always wasting a ton of time in the morning–I think b/c I dread going to work (another story) and b/c I need coffee to function and that takes about an hour. I hate getting up and going to work and assume it’ll be the same for working out but I could probably work out and still get up around the same time. Currently up at 7:15 and not out the door until 9am (I know, I know) and at work by 9:40 or so (normal enough at my office).

    • Anonymous

      I just recently signed up with a trainer and for the first time ever (after years and years of setting the alarm for 5:30) I actually get up and get myself to the gym. If you sign up for the 30 minute trainer sessions I find that they are financially managable. If you plan to meet the trainer at 6 am you still have 20-30 minutes after your session to do some cardio of your choice and get home in time for your 7:15 shower. However, I think you’ll find after working out, you can probably cut some of your getting ready time so perhaps you can still sleep until 7. This is the only thing that has EVER gotten me out of bed in the morning to work out.

    • AnonInfinity

      I get up really early to work out, and I find that on mornings that I work out, I get ready for work much faster.

      A few tips:

      Work out with a friend. I have a standing date at 5:30 a.m. with a group of people. We are pretty good at guilting each other (but not in a super mean way, just ribbing) when we back out one morning. Knowing that others will be there waiting for me is a good motivator.

      Set your coffee maker so that the coffee is ready when you get up. You can take a few sips before you even get dressed and then drink a little more before heading out (be careful, this causes some people “gastric distress”). One of my aforementioned running buddies drinks a cup on her way and keeps a good quality Thermos with a cup in the car so she can drink it immediately after the run.

      Do something you love or with a goal in mind that you are really excited about.

      Lay out clothes the night before (this does not work for me, but I think it does for others).

      Go to bed earlier. If you don’t do this for a couple of nights, your body might force you to go to sleep earlier eventually, so it’s a habit that can develop naturally. You just need to listen to your body and seriously go to bed earlier.

      It is really tough to develop the habit, but I am so glad I have. At first, all I could think about was how sleepy I was or how I had bed hair, or whatever, but now I really relish the silence and stillness of the early morning as I’m running with my buddies (sometimes we chat a lot, sometimes not).

      This is all coming from someone who is also rather pokey in the morning. I have to get up at 4:45 to be to the trail that is 10 mins from my house by 5:30 because I sit there and rub my eyes and take forever getting dressed and then take forever drinking my glass of soy milk, etc.

    • cardiganista

      I found that when I joined a gym that was literally on the way to everything (close enough to my house and on the major road that I HAD to take to get to work/anywhere downtown really), I was much more motivated to go. I don’t know if this is possible for you, or if you even work out at a gym, but it helped a lot for me. If I knew I was driving by it anyway, why not just get out and go?

      I need coffee in the morning like you (and probably every other reader) but I find I don’t need it to hit up the gym. Sometimes being a little out of it at the gym was ok for me because I just mechanically went through my exercises rather than thinking about it (this is probably better for a class or the treadmill, say, than exercise where you could actually hurt yourself by being half asleep).

      • JessC

        When I used to work out in the morning (just NOT a morning person, my brain doesn’t understand comprehend times before 6am), I honestly found that I didn’t need coffee after my morning work out. If you can force yourself to get to the gym right after waking up, you may not need the coffee to keep going for the day.

    • Legal Marketer

      I think the key is just getting everything ready the night before. Your coffee or sport drink or banana set out and ready to go. Your workout clothes and work clothes already set out. Have your ipod charged or the DVD in the player or your gym bag in the car. Anything you can do the night before cuts out the “oh, by the time I get dressed/find my sneakers/fill my waterbottle, I will barely have time to work out, so I’ll just skip it.”
      Also, try a reward system. A few weeks ago, some people posted their tricks – anything from star stickers on your calendar to earning “points” towards new cute workout clothes can help.
      And there is always forcing yourself to do it for 15 minutes, and telling yourself you can always quit after that (even though people almost never do quit after 15 minutes.)

      Good luck!

    • Ballerina girl

      To answer some questions (though keep the hints coming!), I do belong to a gym, it’s about two blocks from my apartment. The idea would be to wake up, hit the gym, come home and shower/get ready. I often work late so even though this is my favorite time to go, it’s hard to plan on it and when I’ve had a few busy weeks, I get out of the habit entirely…and seemingly permanently.

      Laying out clothes seems like a good idea. I don’t have any friends in the neighborhood who would join me, but that’s a good thought, too. Man, I guess it just takes commitment!

      • Anonymous

        Working late is why I decided the morning was the only way I couldn’t use work as an excuse for not going. I think the coffee maker is definitely the most important thing to set the night before. Shockingly, after resisting morning exercise for so long, there are few things more gratifying than the first sip of coffee on the way to the shower knowing that the exercise part of my day is done! Good luck.

      • Maddie Ross

        Laying out my clothes for working out (not for actual work) works pretty well for me. I get up at 4:55 for a 5:30 workout session 3 days a week and an early run on the weekend (generally Saturday). If I sleep through the workout (which yes, I do occasionally… like this morning) I always feel really guilty when I see my clothes laying there all neat and ready to go with my trainers. The guilt is usually enough to get me out of bed the next day.

        It does commitment though. There’s just really no shirking that part of it. You have to convince yourself that you feel better (and look better!) when you work out and that getting it done before work is the only way it’s going to happen. Unfortunately, I have not yet find the magic solution for this.

      • AnonInfinity

        I think you really hit on it — it takes commitment. Doing the little things won’t make you do it if your heart isn’t in it.

        For me, the suggestion that Maddie Ross made has been the key — I feel and look better when I get up and work out. It took a while for me to realize how much better I felt (and this only happened when I was no longer sore or excessively tired from doing it) when I made it happen every morning.

        • Laura #2

          AnonInfinity is completely right. I have been an on-and-off morning workout person, and I can absolutely say that I am more energetic, more productive in the AM at work, and generally in a better mood when I am working out in the morning.

          Random motivation-related thoughts:

          -Your first several workouts are probably not going to be your best. Just get yourself dressed and get out the door. If the only thing you do is walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes, so be it. It gets easier as you adjust to the earlier hours.

          -Streamline your pre-workout routine as much as possible, and don’t allow it to include things that can suck you in. Don’t check your email or start reading the news. Get up, drink your coffee, grab a quick bite to eat if you need one, get dressed, and go.

          -When I was in college, my workout time was my “fun reading” time. If you read while you work out, you might consider getting a book or magazine you’re particularly excited about and only allowing yourself to read it while working out in the AM. This won’t always keep you going, but it might provide some extra motivation as you get started.

          Honestly, it can be a tough transition, but it feels great to get up and have your workout done first-thing. You’re making me realize I really need to get back on the bandwagon–I’ve been off of it for a bit and I miss it! :)

    • anon

      The only thing that consistently works for me is knowing that someone else will be inconvenienced if I don’t get my butt out of bed, i.e., if I have a 6:30 AM appointment with my trainer, I will get up and get there, because if I don’t, I know she will be inconvenienced. The other days of the week, I just set multiple alarms. But that doesn’t work so well if I am particularly tired. It would probably be better if I had a running buddy who was counting on me to get up.

      • LALaw

        For those of you who get up early (in the 5 o’clock hour), what time do you go to bed? I have to be up by 5:15 to get to a class that ends early enough for me to get to work around 9. I leave the office around 7 pm most days, but work from home until 11:30 or 12. I have an awful time motivating myself on 5 hours of sleep…

        • AnonInfinity

          I am in bed by 9 or 9:30 almost every night. I might not always be trying to sleep at that time, but I am reading or watching tv or otherwise winding down. The latest I ever stay up is about 10:30 (sometimes can stay up later on weekends). I get up at 4:45.

        • EC MD

          I spent 5 years getting to work no later than 6AM. As I got older, and more tired, I went to bed earlier and earlier. My entire chief class in general surgery would be furious if anyone called after 10pm. We were all asleep by then. It’s sort of a zero sum game. The earlier you wake up, the earlier you have to go to bed. You can survive on less sleep for awhile, but it makes you terribly toxic as a human being.

          • shrink

            This. I get up between 5 and 5:15 and try to be in bed, or nearly asleep between 9 and 10p. It’s hard being a lark when my DH is just as ineveterate a night owl, but it is necessary – for me.

          • Anna Banana

            What time do you get out of work? I don’t even tend to get home before 8 (and I consider that an early night) and by the time I eat and unwind, it’s 10. Not enough hours in the day–sigh!

    • EG

      Aside from all the already-mentioneds, it really helps me to have a race or something I’m signed up for. Whether it’s a big triathlon or just a 5k, knowing how much I’ll embarrass myself if I don’t work out is a huge motivator.

      But really, having someone else to count on you is the biggest one for me. I never back out when I’m meeting my running buddy in the morning!

      • Ballerina girl

        Follow up (well, day one follow up): Got up at 6:30, laid there in shock for 10 min, got butt to the gym by 7 (no coffee, clothes laid out the night before), left gym around 7:45 (30 min on elliptical, 10 min mat exercises), got coffee on way home as a treat/time saver, home by 8, out of shower and eating breakfast by 8:15, 8:15-now (email, writing this, listening to NPR). In two minutes, getting dressed and will be out the door by 9.

        So I got a workout in and only got up 45 min earlier than normal. I can definitely streamline this (but in my defense, I think I have a bit of a cold) and make it faster. I was definitely a zombie but I take to heart the promise that it’ll get easier.

        I think I need to commit to certain days–e.g. I’ll go to the gym every Monday and Wed morning and then save the rest for the weekend.

        Thanks!

        • eb

          Congratulations! I tried – once! – waking up early to get to the gym and gave up, but lately going after work has been such a drag. I might use you as inspiration to try again!

          • Ballerina girl

            Give it a shot. I can’t say this will become the new me, but it really should. I think it’ll be important to give myself time to make this work. In the past, I’ve been bummed at how unmotivated/low energy my morning workouts are that I’ve given up. But I think they will get better with time and it’s better than not going at all.

  4. Lawgirl

    The Limited Dress update: I missed this on the last thread. I got the ruffle dress @ The Limited for like $35 on super sale. Lightweight, unlined, but it’s cute. I found that the ruffles were a bit billowy at the chest and didn’t lay as flat as on the model. Based on my stature (5’3″), it looked a little “extra” & whole lotta dress. Oh well, I still likey ;-)

    • houda

      In Morocco, the ladies keep their name all their life and if they insist, they can add their husband’s name as :”Smith married to Jones”.

  6. Anon

    Mani/pedis: Don’t do them. Have one corporate-friendly neutral color, reapply super quickly every weekend. REject the expectation that we have to do that. Hate the chemicals and smell (did you know the ‘toxic’ brands have been linked to certain cancers?) My husband hates nail polish, guess that’s lucky though I wear it to look polished (forgive pun:) at work . And occasionally red on the weekends.

    • JessC

      “Reject the expectation that we have to do that.”

      I’ve never heard anyone say (or even suggest) that manicures and nail polish were a required part of a professional look. Neat, trimmed, clean nails? Definitely a requirement. Neat, trimmed, clean, and POLISHED nails? Sure, if you feel like it. (Coming from someone who does in fact love nail polish)

      • Taylor

        I just love the way my own hand looks with a good french manicure, especially for court. The biggest no – no: dark, chipped nail polish!
        But I would never think less of a woman who had clean, unpolished nails.

  7. Anon

    Have to wonder about $50 tote bags, since there are so many at discount stores etc. for super cheap. I want to retire someday, pay down those debts, etc. so don’t spend more than needed on this kind of novelty item. Each to her own though.

    • Alias Terry

      Similar thought: I can’t see that walking into the boardroom. Not that everyone aims that high, mind you.

      • NB

        That’s a little snarky, no? Maybe it is just that not every item every woman carries needs to make its way into every situation. What I use to carry things home and back isn’t the same as what I take to a client meeting (as Kat references in the description – she mentions this tote as something to work from office to beach/park/home and back).

        Not to mention that some fields do a little bit better with creativity and personal expression than others – even at the highest echelons.

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