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Sales of note for 9.19.24
- Nordstrom – Beauty deals through September, and cardmembers earn 3x the points (ends 9/22)
- Ann Taylor – Extra 30% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off sale
- J.Crew – 50% off select styles — and 9/19 only, 50% off the cashmere wrap
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything + 50% off sale with code
- Lo & Sons – Warehouse sale, up to 70% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Neiman Marcus – Friends & Family 25% off
- Rag & Bone – Friends & Family 25% off sitewide
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Anniversary event, 25% off your entire purchase — Free shipping, no minimum, 9/19 only
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- Tuckernuck – Friends & Family Sale – get 20%-30% off orders (ends 9/19).
- White House Black Market – 40% off select styles
Some of our latest posts here at Corporette…
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- What to say to friends and family who threaten to not vote?
- What boots do you expect to wear this fall and winter?
- What beauty treatments do you do on a regular basis to look polished?
- Can I skip the annual family event my workplace holds, even if I'm a manager?
- What small steps can I take today to get myself a little more “together” and not feel so frazzled all of the time?
- The oldest daughter is America's social safety net — change my mind…
- What have you lost your taste for as you've aged?
- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
Oneanon
I liked it until I read the review on Anthropologie about the color transfer onto the wearer’s shirt!
Honeycrisp
I agree, Oneanon! I wonder if this is a problem that is specific to the red necklace or if it applies to the “Sky” color as well.
Research, Not Law
Yikes. I love the necklace, but I don’t want it permanently on my clothes…
Kanye East
Oy vey. If the colorant’s leeching out, I shudder to think what other (toxic) beasties are escaping the resin.
Anne Shirley
Anyone else read about the new MarieClaire@work? Love the idea of a mag about women and work (corporette for the bathtub) but Katie Holmes as the first cover model? I mean yeah, sure she works, but I’m not convinced shes a great inspiration for the working woman. And I don’t understand why she appears to be tied up in a shiny gold ribbon when we all know visible undress-me-now details are a corporette fashion no.
AIMS
Just googled it. Weird. Agree that the gold belt is a bit odd, though I’d say maybe she looks less like a present and more like a piece of luggage with that buckle… ;)
It also looks like she the “work” mag is an insert of the regular magazine, and she is on the cover of both. I don’t disagree with choosing her for the cover per se, but I think this makes it make more sense. It’s better, I suppose, than some model pretending to work a 9 to 5, and I have a hard time picturing them getting someone like, say, Kathleen Sebelius on the cover. And after all, they’re trying to sell magazines .. and let me the first to admit, I would not necessarily buy a Marie Claire with Meg Whitman on the cover.
On an aside: I always liked that Marie Claire would try for one serious womens’ rights type story per issue. Maybe that’s making me more defensive of them than I would be of, say, Cosmo @ Work.
fresh jd
Another issue I have is that the main sponsor is Express and they intend to feature it as a women’s workwear of choice for the 21-35 working girl set. IMHO, Express is the last choice outfitter I would recommend for tasteful and quality professional workwear.
Lyssa
You know, I wouldn’t recommend them, but I have actually had a number of work staples from Express. I shop there at lot less frequently now (since I’m a big girl lawyer), but when I was in my early 20’s and working for a biz-cas insurance company, as long as I was careful about things like skirt lengths, a lot of their stuff was pretty much perfect in terms of fit, cost, and quality. (It was a biz-cas and fairly low-paying job; a wardrobe from even Ann Taylor would probably have been out of place.)
In fact, I was in their the other day and they had some really cute pairs of slacks- no, they’re not fancy, but they were perfectly well suited for most offices (not lined, I’m sure, but I’ve never really seen that as an issue.)
TK1
I recently bought 2 pair of editor pants for my biz casual office and they are great. They looked more professional than the ones I tried on at BR and AT. Express is also my go to for camis. I wouldn’t recommend a whole wardrobe there, as the skirts can be short and tight and the shirts a bit too revealing, but I wouldn’t write off the entire store.
brooke
That’s my go-to for work slacks, but primarily the non-stretchy wool editor ones. Everything else I find seems to have too high a rise or is too weird on my thighs. I’m on a professor’s salary, so I’m buying them on ebay rather than in the store, though.
fresh jd
Agree on the Editor pants, but I still wince at the brand because I could always tell during law school OCI interviews who was wearing an Express suit. No other brand stands out quite so much for its ‘fitted’ suiting, except maybe Bebe.
Loretta
I just found out that my mother (now age 56) was diagnosed with Parkinson’s two years ago. I am still processing this, but if anyone in the Corporette community is living with Parkinson’s, either personally or through a friend or family member, I would appreciate any guidance you could give me — online resources, support groups, general info, how-to-help tips, etc.
b23
I don’t have any resources, per se, but I can tell you that people can live with Parkinson’s for a long time before becoming debilitated or even close to it. My grandmother has it, and she’s had the tremor for years and years (probably over a decade) but is still the same otherwise. I know it sets in earlier and more aggressively for some people, but I wanted to let you know it’s not always as bad as the Michael J. Fox-type cases that you hear about more.
Always a NYer
I want to start by saying how truly sorry I am to hear this. ~*~ hugs ~*~
My uncle (now age 54) was diagnosed with Parkinson’s seven years ago. He went through the regular treatments – medications, therapies – and had electrodes implanted in his brain this summer. His symptoms were progressively getting worse due to the stress from his job as well as his home life (but that’s anohter story). The surgery he elected to have was risky but he felt it was worth it. We can all see the change for the better in him now and he is beyond happy that he had it.
If your mother chooses to do this at some point down the road, do your homework and find the best surgeon that has done this before. My uncle had the go-to person in NYC but when they were drilling in the posts, he heard an “uh-oh” and it turned out that it was a resident. Make sure she is explicit that only the doctor she saw originally saw is to operate on her.
He’s still working, not sure he should be but he won’t hear otherwise. A big thing I’ve found is that he needs to feel like he can do things for himself. Your first instinct will be to do whatever you can for your mother but remember that if she fights you on it, it’s because she needs to feel capable, not that she doesn’t want your help.
As devastating a diagnosis as this is, there are countless treatments out there, traditional and alternative. My personal go-to for anything is accupuncture if that’s something she’d be comfortable with.
My prayers and good wishes are with you and your family.
meg
My dad was diagnosed 10 years ago – was 50, so slightly younger than your mom. His has progressed very slowly, and most of his visible side effects are from the medication (so he chooses the side effects over the symptoms, effectively). His mind is still with-it which is the most important thing. Hardest part is that I live far away so seeing him again is always a bit of a “shock”. the MJFox org has a lot of information, I suggest signing up for their newsletters. Also a good place to donate if you are looking for that sort of thing – most impactful organization out there I could find. Good luck!
anon for this
My mom was diagnosed almost 2 years ago (she is 64 today). I know the feeling you are going through. There are a number of on-line resources — i just started googling things and found a lot. The good news is that many people live productive lives for many, many years with parkinson’s. In fact, I work with someone who has had it for years and he functions just fine, but just walks a little slowly.
Unfortunately for my mom (and us), the Parkinson’s is the least of her problems. With Parkinson’s often comes a number of forms of dementia (althemizers, lewy body, or other) and that has been horrible. Its been less than 2 years and she can no longer care for herself.
My only advice (and I have nothing to back my theories up other than a gut feeling) is to ask her doctor lots of questions about all of the treatments/medicines and make sure to consider all of your options.
Loretta
Thanks, all — very helpful and reassuring. This is especially hard because I learned of it while my mom was in town to visit her mother, my grandmother, who is probably dying. (I kept mentioning changes in my mom’s movement that struck me as odd given her age, and she finally broke down and said they were all symptoms of the PD.) But for now, she is doing okay. Both of my parents are physicians (until now, my dad and I guess her neurologist were the only people who knew), so I trust that they are on top of the medical decisionmaking. I’m trying to figure out how I can help, and what I can do now financially, geographically, etc., so that when/if she needs assistance, I can provide it.
Anonymous
I am so sorry. My grandfather was diagnosed with PD in his early 50s. Other than the tremors and slow movements, he lived a very normal life until his 70s, when the PD started to interfere with his digestion and things like that. He was sharp as a tack until he died at age 76. And PD medications are even better now than 20 years ago. There is a very good chance your mom will not need your assistance any earlier than she would without PD.
Alsoanon
second the recommendation of the Michael J. Fox website — it has a ton of very useful information. My father was diagnosed with PD about 2 years ago. It seemed to come on very suddenly. He is taking standard medication for now but there are still issues. He doesn’t really have tremors but it is like his body is freezing up. He moves very slowly and tentatively, his face is often very still. He is always very tired, and he often gets headaches that make him dizzy. The worst thing is that he seems to have lost all confidence in himself. When he does do something — some task he’s set himself out to do — he is so happy and proud when he acheives it, almost like he didn’t really know if he could. Also he rarely drives far any more and is reluctant to go any where. Some of all this is part of my dad’s personality (tending towards fatalistic in bad times) combined with the fact that he’s scared. He’s always been pretty healthy but was significantly affected by watching his father die relatively young (for my family) of ALS, and he also hates hospitals and is always nervous at doctor’s visits. I know he is unhappy but he is of the kind that would never get any type of counseling. The changes he is experiencing have been extremely difficult on my mother as well, as he stays home more and more, and refuses to share the news with others in our family. I hope that your mother manage dealing with the disease better. I think that the fact that both your parents are physicians can only help the situation. If I can suggest anything, it would be to be a part of their lives as much as possible. I live very far away from my family so the best I can do is regular phone calls and encouragement but, if was there, I could try to help in other ways too. I wish you and your family the best of luck.
Alsoanon
I think this came out rather stilted, which I didn’t intend. Unfortunately, I started crying shortly after typing but I wanted to respond to your post.
Loretta
Not stilted, and the physical symptoms are very similar to what my mom has. I am sorry for what you and your family are going through, and I really appreciate your sharing.
Bonnie
Pretty but $58 for plastic circles on a piece of string?
kelly
Agreed. I like the necklace a lot, but it looks a little cheap (the waxed string and clasp, particularly). In fact, I have one very similar to the red one that I got at a cheapo jewelry place (think Claires) a multitude of years ago for under $5. I’d say this one isn’t worth the money, Anthro.
Bianca
Agreed, this necklace screams “cheap” to me.
LadyoftheLake
Threadjack! There have been a lot of discussions lately about washing clothes that would generally be dry cleaned. Has anyone tried to wash The Skirt? I spilled coffee today – no stain because I’m wearing the black one, thank goodness, but I’m just wondering if anyone has had any success hand washing or machine washing on delicate. TIA!
Argie
Haven’t any experience with The Skirt. But, The Laundress has an outline of what can (and how) be washed at home. And when you really need to consider dry cleaning. Basically, you can wash anything at home, in cold water, especially hand wash or delicate cycle.
Argie
http://www.thelaundress.com/LaundryTips/PDFs/washingChart.pdf
MissJackson
I have not tried myself, but one of the “discussions” about the Skrit on the Norstrom website is about this exact topic. Someone responded and said that they have washed with success. I don’t recall if there were any additional details, but it’s probably worth checking.
Nonny
Haven’t washed my Skirt yet, but given the fabric I will probably just throw it in the washing machine. After all, it is basically just a jersey fabric. I’ll probably hang it to dry, though.
SSC
I have the lavender Skirt, and because I’m pretty clumsy, I had to have it cleaned nearly every time I wore it. When the dry cleaning costs started to approach the cost of the Skirt, I tried washing it on delicate and laying it flat to dry. After it was dry, I threw it in the dryer on low with some damp towels to eliminate some minor wrinkles. It looks pretty much the same as it does when it comes from the cleaners. Hope this helps!
LadyoftheLake
Thanks all! I’m going to check the Nordstrom discussion and then give it a try.
MelD
Let us know how it goes. Normally with knits, I just put it in on delicate, low or medium spin, and it will come out fine. If you don’t have access to a nicer machine, you may have issues. I tried washing a knit skirt in a crappy machine that came with an apartment and it was destroyed.
Sunny from Iowa
Hello, everyone.
I have very recently discovered this blog while searching on Google about wearing flats to the office. Now, I am happy to actually ask my first question: what ideas/suggestions/general comments do you have for flat shoes to be worn on regular office days with suits and/or sheath dresses and blazers? :)
I used to wear high-heeled shoes all the time (basically, every day), including my long walking commute and all day around town. Some time last year, however, I got pretty injured while running and had to buy a considerable number of flats for everyday wear. I am long-healed by now, but, for some reason (ideological, I suspect, as in: not healthy for my body and I suddenly seem to find it so anachronistic), I feel incredibly weird and inauthentic wearing heels right now. I really do not know what is wrong with me.
Has anyone had any experiences wiht this? Thanks so much.
bb
I commute in flats and change into heels at work (a big no-no for some, but i have like 8 pairs of shoes in my office, as do most women in my firm). But there are days when I just don’t feel like the heels, or I have somewhere to be after work (like today) and I stay in flats all day. I generally feel you can wear flats with just about anything, with the exceptions being anything with a more voluminous skirt – then, IMO it looks silly. I do think it also depends on your flats though. I have a go to pair of “nude-for-me” flats that I can wear with a lot more outfits than my black ballet slippers, which can make me look stumpy in certain skirts.
Bottom line, totally possible to wear flats all of the time, but think of ways to still elongate the legs (shape and color of what you are wearing and of your shoes) and not cut yourself off.
bb
ugh my grammar is horrendous. This Monday is not my friend. Hopefully you understood what I was saying.
Anonymous
I am also a runner and had a similar experience – injury led to wearing flats. Then it was really an ideological thing. BUT then…I got all rebellious about the running and decided that running was not going to dictate whether I could wear heels, and went through a period where I wore heels with impunity. Long story short, if the flats look polished and otherwise work with the outfit, wear them. If you feel like wearing heels, wear them.
J
My favorite brand for flats and low heels is Clarks. I also have a number of pairs of Naturalizer. You can find both on Zappos or other sites.
anon
Could really use some advice. My sister has been battling ovarian cancer for almost a year. She had been in remission for only 2 months, and learned last week that the cancer has recurred. It’s very aggressive, and they give her 1 – 3 years, but she will be on weekly chemo for whatever time she has left. She had a hard time with the chemo before, doing treatments every 21 days, so I can’t imagine what the rest of her life is going to be like. She didn’t tolerate the chemo well. I imagine the last part of her life is going to seem like torture.
What do you say in this situation? I’ve told her I love her, and I’ll do whatever she needs to help and support her. All of that seems so inadequate. I’m trying to stay positive, and have told her about people I read about on the internet in her situation who lived 10 years on chemo, and that could happen. The statistics look bad, but there are always the exceptions. Any words of inspiration would be welcome. Also, I’m finding it impossible to concentrate on work.
Be "in action"
Sometimes I feel that I want to be “doing something” and I don’t know what to do — so I look for tasks that have to be done anyway, sometime. Does it make sense for you to spend some time now figuring out what your office’s FMLA leave policy is? Because it seems you might be using it to spend some time taking care of your sister.
About three years ago, I went through a week or so when I thought I was losing my sister. (She was stuck in a third world country that was having a widespread and very violent coup and we hadn’t heard from her. She is fine.) The grief (I don’t even know if that is the right word for what I felt) was overwhelming and completely not rational. Didn’t respond to my husband being very supportive. Didn’t respond to any efforts by anyone at all. And my sister and I have a wonderful relationship, so it wasn’t any kind of regret. It was utterly disorienting and all I could think about. I guess what I’m saying is: that’s normal and bound to happen to you. I hope for the best for you and your sister.
Bianca
Do you live in the same city? When I was going through some serious health issues earlier in the year one of the things that touched me most was when friends offered or did fly to visit me.
Otherwise, my advice is always to stay positive for yourself and your sister. Don’t be afraid to have hope for her and show her that. Even if things look dire, those few exceptions can come true, I have personally experienced this.
Lyssa
I’m so sorry to hear that you and she have to go through this. I’m not able to offer any personal experience, but I would say that the best thing that you could do is be there for her. Maybe once a (whatever is practical), you can have some sort of standing time to do something fun together- if she’s up for going out, you could take her to a movie or a play or to play mini-golf or anything like that, or, if not, you could just watch a movie together (maybe she’s one of those who’s always wanted to work through one of those greatest movies ever lists? or just every Adam Sandler movie?) or even just watch a trashy TV show together. I would guess that just doing something with her that gets her mind off of it and shows that you care will mean more than anything that could be said.
UnSub
My mom is currently being treated for colon cancer that has spread to her liver, lungs and aorta. She has had chemo, almost continuously for about six years now. She is only 69 and right now is doing a “maintenance” chemo with the hope that her tumors will not grow and she will have some relatively pain free time with us.
All this to say, I understand what you are going through. I have tried to stay positive with my mom without resorting to platitudes that we both know are not true. I simply want her to feel as good as possible for as long as possible and I tell her that. All the time. I’m also willing to do ANYTHING that will make her feel better (even when she sometimes does not want to do it).
More than anything I listen. My mom seems to want to get every story out of her and into me and I let her. I spend as much time as possible with my mom – for her and for me.
I hope you can spend time with your sister and let her lead. Have the conversations she wants to have. It is not easy and you will have to be brave. I wish you all the best.
Anonymous
I am so very sorry. My younger brother has terminal brain cancer. I completely understand not being able to concentrate at work and feeling like everything I can say or do is utterly inadequate in light of what he is going through. His neighbors and coworkers have been awesome and prepare meals for his family on a near-daily basis. His friends and our local family watch his kids when chemo/radiation is intolerable. I don’t live in the same city so I pray a lot, visit as often as I can, tell him how much I love him, tell him funny stories about what he was like as a kid, talk to him and text him a lot about regular stuff like football and funny things his baby or our parents are doing, and I no longer look on the internet for statistics. But it still makes me weepy every day. When the time comes, I’m planning on taking as much time as needed to be with them. Months if needed. I am fully prepared to quit the firm if they are not in agreement. My own family will probably be the better for it. His disease has changed my perspective on absolutely everything.
EC MD
My only advice is to figure out who Your support system is going to be through this terrible time, because you will need it. You can be your sister’s support, but you will also need to download.
I truly appreciate your desire to be optimistic in the face of very difficult odds, but I’ve heard from some people with non-curable cancer that that kind of up-beat attitude can actually be stifling to the patient, because it can feel like it closes the door on very difficult but very important conversations they want to have about end of life fears and hopes.
Finally, in a distinct lack of inspiration, your sister is not in a good place for treatment to be particularly successful; she’s had a short disease free period, she didn’t tolerate chemo well to begin with. It is likely that she won’t be one of the people who gets a better than expected response. I’m not saying this just to be a giant downer (which I clearly am) but also to say that she may decide chemo is not worth it, and that might be a decision that allows her relatively higher quality of life in the end.
I would strongly recommend she see a physician who specializes in palliative care. Often confused with hospice, it is a specialty devoted to ensuring that patient’s comfort and symptom control is optimal, especially (but not exclusively) at the end of life. He or she can be helpful in discussing goals of care and the things that are most important to your sister in this difficult time.
I am so sorry for you. It will be a very long, hard road to walk with her.
J
My cousin passed away from cancer a few years ago, and my main regret is that I did not spend more time with her. Whatever you need to do to be with your sister, do it. You can get another job, another house, another hobby, whatever, but you can never get time back. Spend your time with her.
Gem
I’m so sorry you’re going through this. The main advice I can give you is to allow your sister to talk about dying. My mother wanted to leave instructions for us after. We sorted the legal matters (inheritance,etc) early on so she felt we were protected as much as possible. She also wanted to tell me things like she wanted her clothing sorted and donated to charity within 6 months of dying. I’ve just recently told my father he should think about dating again (as per mam’s instructions).
Also, some people won’t be able to deal. We are no longer close to my father’s family because they (in the main) couldn’t cope with watching death. They aren’t bad people but dying is draining and at times boring. Some people find that hard to take.
Allow your family time together. Allow your sister to dictate her treatment path. Let go of the little things. Buy whatever help you can (cleaning, ironing, etc) but let your sister decide who cares for her. Eg we paid for a cleaning/ironing lady so dad, sister and I could have the time/energy to wash my mother because she didn’t want strangers doing it.
Finally, look after yourself; and allow others to care for you. Most people have lost someone. People (in the main) will understand, and be flexible in order to help you through.
a lawyer
I am so very sorry for you and your sister. I just wanted to agree with EC MD that your sister may decide that no chemo is the best option for her. I know my twin sister, who was diagnosed with Stage IIIc breast cancer four years ago (keeping our fingers crossed) has said that she will not do chemo again. Having had some experience with saying “never” myself, my motto is “never say never” until you’ve been there, but realistically, it may be something she at least needs to consider.
A friend’s sister was diagnosed with cancer many years ago. She spent almost the entire last two years of her life living at M.D. Anderson Hospital in Texas, trying to find a treatment that worked. That is not for everyone.
Being there for her is the most important thing, not what you say. Take care of yourself as well. Best.
KelliJ
Dress Code Question. I am a lawyer attending an ‘innovation’ conference on Thursday. The audience is primarily business people, entrepreneurs, academics. Technology and innovation focused, not legal. The dress code is “comfortably casual’. What do you think that means?
LadyEnginerd
Think about what image you’d like to project. Do you want people to know you’re a lawyer on sight (if so, wear whatever you wore to work.)? Do you want to fit in with the techies? Jeans.
I’d wear dark wash non-skinny jeans, flats, a black/navy blazer, and a colorful top that would look ok if I took off the blazer. I’d accessorize with one piece of statement jewelry that is subtly geeky (like a pendant made from dichroic glass) and subtle jewelry/makeup otherwise. So now you know how at least one female geek reads ‘comfortably casual.’ Hope that helps.
Oh, and for true geek cred (and if it’s actually one step more casual casual), I’d wear a somewhat nerdy graphic T under the blazer (thinkgeek, threadless…). If you wear that, however, you’ll project the image that you’re an engineer and not a lawyer ;)
Esquirette
Where are you (or where is the conference)? Also, what is the gist of the conference (e.g., business development, regional growth, etc)? I’m in a Southern “techie” area. For an annual regional entrepreneurial conference that pulls technology-based business people from the area and further out a bit, I wear a suit as do many if not most of the other people there. The attendees are mostly techie in some way but most are on the business side of things than in the lab (no professors, only higher level researchers). The vibe of the event is a lot of meet and greet, plus listening to various panels and speakers dicsussing trends and giving advice for businesses. There are always plenty of lawyers around too. If your field is different, or if you’re in a different area, though, I could see going more casual. In California, I could see jeans but elsewhere I don’t think I’d go that casual. I could see wearing grey (light or medium) or maybe navy pants with the suggestion that Lady Enginerd made for on top. Happy networking!
LadyEnginerd
Esquirette – I absolutely agree with you that once actual higher level business people are involved, the dress code goes significantly more formal; however, in general, I find that academics/engineers need to be *told* if they’re supposed to dress like grown-ups. That’s why my instinct (as a geek) is grown-up jeans if dress code is ‘comfortable casual’ and not ‘business casual.’ Of course, I’m at these events trying to project that I’m an engineer, as opposed to the OP who probably wants people to peg her as a lawyer on sight :)
I once went to a research conference with “casual” attire. Before I went, my boss pulled me aside and told me that casual means shorts, hawaiian shirts, and the like – going to a bbq casual, not business casual. He warned me because it was always the junior women who were the most overdressed (because we have no idea how to interpret casual and err on the formal side) and he wanted me to feel comfortable and fit in.
Skinny Feet
Could someone give me an idea how Hunter or similar rain boots fit, width-wise? I have narrow feet and buy narrow/2a width shoes. There are a bunch of different brands on Zappos but I’m short on time and hoping to short-circuit some of the research.
TIA!
CN
My Hunters are wide enough that I can wear very think chunky socks. My feet are a normal width. I would say be prepared to have your feet slide around in them unless you add an insole.
Genie
The calves tend to be narrow, so if yours are muscular or otherwise thick, you may want to get shorter boots.
ProfessionGal
Of course, I love this. But, why why why does Anthropologie have to be so expensive for the simplest pieces? :( *sound of my heart breaking*