ByKat Hours Updated
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Coffee Break: Twist Flat

Miz Mooz Women's Twist FlatAmazon has some great deals going on right now on shoes — significant discounts, plus there's a deal going where you can get an additional 25% off with a purchase of more than $50. These leather flats were $84.95, now marked to $33.98 (with free shipping), plus another 25% off if you buy more than $50 worth of goods. They're available in green (pictured), pewter, black, and red, sizes 5.5-11. Miz Mooz Women's Twist Flat (P.S. My suggestion for shopping the sale (because it can be a bit overwhelming) is to narrow it as much as possible — for example, for me I chose Women's, then 7.5 or 8, then “at least 50% off” — and then I went to the “Brands” page and right-clicked (Open in New Tab) for every brand I wanted to see with those specifications.)

Sales of note for 12.5

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

50 Comments

  1. Cute.

    I usually narrow down the Amazon sales like Kat suggested, but also limit choices only to those with the free shipping option. Then, I sort by price, lowest to highest, so that I can stop looking when it gets to more than I’d like to spend.

    2. I’ve not seen one or used one. As for a conservative law firm environment, I do think it would be a bit odd. To be blunt, unless your doctor has prescribed this chair to you for some reason, why can’t you just be conscious of sitting up straight? Getting a stability ball chair because you are slumping in your current desk chair isn’t going to keep you from slumping (I’ve been enough people slouching at the gym while doing seated exercises on stability balls). It just seems to say “I can’t manage to sit up straight on my own – I hope this chair will be my posture drill sergeant.”

      In case I’m coming across as a COMPLETE b*tch, I also noticed that my posture was becoming worse and worse. I’m making an effort to keep my core engaged and my feet planted flat, and i’ve found it helps a lot.

    3. I had thought about doing this, but it looks like a lot of the reviews indicate that the balls pop at inopportune moments/not that long after you buy them. So I decided not to get one. I also got the impression that people who work real jobs (not a student/intern like I am) think the balls are unprofessional-looking.

    4. I don’t know why you would need the whole chair thing. I have a stability ball and I sit on it. It helps with posture a lot. Mostly, though, I use it to get some stretching and situps/pushups in during the work day when I have been sitting for hours. The chair gizmo to go around the ball just seems like a ripoff. The ball itself is definitely worthwhile.

      I think it’s fine in a conservative law firm. A few of my colleagues have them and no one looks askance at it. Everyone knows it’s hard to find time to work out and that you can get injured from sitting all day.

    5. i’ve used several versions of ball chairs over the course of several years, none of them offering a dramatically different (or even slightly better) alternative to an ergonomic, properly-adjusted traditional chair. the only advantage of chairs/stools incorporating a stability balls is they’re usually a lot cheaper than a good traditional chair.

      bottom line, if posture is your concern: you can still lean on your desk and slouch when you’re sitting on a ball chair. changing your chair to change your posture doesn’t work like magic; to get the magic, you need to do the work.

      if you’re concerned about being seated and sedentary for 12+ hours a day (and decompressing the load on your spine), i highly recommend a desk you can stand (rather than sit) at.

    6. Someone at my firm has a stability ball (without the chair part, which seems unnecessary), and no one gives it a second thought. Since it is behind/under your desk most of the time, no one sees it all that much. I’ve tried it out a few times, and I think it does force you to be more conscious of your posture.

    7. I used a stability ball (no chair) when I was studying for the bar. I was conscious to keep my posture upright and it did help me. I do think they are too weird for a conservative firm though. I just ordered a sit-stand desk, which I am hoping will help me!

    8. Just don’t become one of those people who’s constantly evangelizing your chair ball to your colleagues; nobody likes that.

      1. I think you can delete “chair ball” and replace it with anything else, and this sentence still holds true :)

        You find something that works for you? You want to tell me about it? Once? GREAT I am happy to listen. But then you can stop, because I heard you, and I’m a big girl, and I will decide for myself if I want to try it, too :)

        1. [I think you can delete “chair ball” and replace it with anything else, and this sentence still holds true :) ]

          LOL to this! So true!

    9. All I can think of is that episode of the Office where Jim punctures Dwight’s ball with scissors.

      I would love a sit/stand desk, which I think would ultimately be more healthy than a ball chair.

    10. My coworker and I each have a chair ball without the stand. No one notices is it unless we mention it. I alternate it with a regular chair. I have two desks so when it is not in use it is under one of the desks. I work in a business casual office.

    11. Approximately 30% of the people in my fancy law firm use them. I don’t, but I don’t have back issues. No one thinks a thing about it.

      1. i do have back issues, and i think ball chairs are worthless.

        i don’t think a thing about other people using them, though.

    12. An alternative that my husband has used (back problems) is a small disc that sits on your normal chair seat and “mimics” a stability ball. I don’t think it’s quite as good because you don’t get the full keeping-it-from-rolling workout, but he says he can definitely tell it’s working his core / making him sit straighter and it’s a whole lot less noticable.

    13. Thank you, everyone! I think I just need a better chair AND a sit-stand desk. Of course, I have the smallest office EVER, so i don’t see a sit-stand desk fitting too well . . .

    14. I just had my 20+ year old office chair replaced, but I’m not sure if I’m totally sold on the new one. I’ve wondered what to look for in a desk chair, and whether it’s worth me shelling out some money for one. This one might be worth a whole post. Kat?

  3. Speaking of shoes, I bought a nice pair of Stuart Weitzman pumps this summer, and apparently my feet were swollen or something when I tried them on, because they are now way too big. I bought some Dr. Scholl’s heel inserts, but one of them didn’t stick. Very frustrating. Does anyone know of a better brand of those types of things? Or some other solution to shoes that are about a 1/2 size too big?

    Or can anyone think of a reason why I shouldn’t super glue the insert into my shoe?

    1. I have better luck with this type of insert, CVS store brand: http://tinyurl.com/29hyvbe. The Dr. Scholl’s ones come unstuck in my shoes as well.

      And no, I can’t think of a reason not to super glue them to the shoes — the only reason I didn’t on my last pair of shoes was because I didn’t have any super glue in the house.

    2. Have you tried a gel toe insert instead? In many cases, they will push your foot back a bit so the shoe is snugger in the heel.

    1. It’s automatic on certain brands. A few brands (Frye, Dansko, Ecco and all the running shoe brands) are excluded. If it applies, it should just come up automatically.

  6. Target dress review (I recall a few people asking about suitability for taller girls) –

    http://www.target.com/Mossimo-TRS-Sheath-Dress-Herringbone/dp/B003M9TE1W/ref=sc_qi_detailbutton

    I am 5-8 and ordered this dress in a 6. It is very pretty but will be returned, it is a solid 4-5 inches above top of my knee when standing and hellooooo thighs when I sit! Also, the overall shortness (on me) makes the height of the slit in the back too high for my personal office-acceptable comfort zone.

    Too bad. Great fabric and cut!

      1. Ditto at 5’2″ – seems that lately, most Target dresses are perfectly knee-length for petites (and I’m delighted to avoid the tailoring costs), but unfortunately too short for others…

    2. I’m 5’7″-ish and it worked for me, but I do have to sit like a lady in it. Might have to do with proportion. Most of my height is in my legs.

  8. Hey Kat, I tried all of your reco’s on how to shop the Amazon sale, but when it came time to pick brands and open new tab, I had to keep clicking one at a time on each brand (no check boxes), and hitting the “back” button on the browser. Snooooze! And alot of the shoes were ugly anyway. (You mean no Joan & David, S. Weitzmann, Cole Haan?!!) Back to my 6pm.com ;-)

  9. Any of the lawyers out there have insight into how the mental health component of character and fitness can impact one’s admission to the NY (or any other) Bar? I grew up in an abusive situation and would really love to seek some therapy to do a bit of an emotional purge. Yet, I don’t want to spend the next two years (I’m a 1L) worrying about defending this very personal decision. I don’t have any diagnosed psychological issues…just in need of a good tune-up. I understand that major psychological disorders could negatively impact a lawyer’s work but it seems a little screwy that I’d ever have to worry about C&F issues arising from what is widely considered to be a very healthy way of coping.

    1. I have never heard of someone who seeks therapy for something like you describe having problems with C&F. You’ll probably have to list your therapist on the application and clear her to talk to the bar. But from what I’ve heard, they’re mostly looking for dishonest behavior or mental illness and addiction issues that could lead to dishonest behavior. Nothing’s a guarantee, of course, and none of us can promise you won’t get screwed over. But I know plenty of people who’ve sought therapy in law school and before, and people who’ve taken various psychiatric medications in law school and before, who sailed through character and fitness without a hiccup.

    2. Do you know what state you will be taking the bar in? If so, I would recommend looking at the C&F application (should be available online), and seeing how the mental health question is phrased. States vary, but I don’t think that the one on my C&F evaluation would have required disclosure of this type of therapy.

    3. This is so not a big deal at all. I was in a similar situation and had no issue with C & F.

      1. anon: New York- the character and fitness application doesn’t seem to be available online unless you have already started to fill out the regular application
        Erin: did you disclose it?

    4. I can’t answer your specific question as I am on a different bar, but I understand this frustrating issue. I work for the federal government and have a high level security clearance, and know that if I sought any kind of mental therapy I would have to report it for my next background investigation. I think this probably discourages some people from getting treatment that would benefit them.

    5. I think the typical concern with mental health is whether you were or could be a danger to yourself or others in the future. I’m in FL, which is a pretty strict state, and the bar asks whether you’ve been diagnosed with depression, bipolar disorder, or a few other illnesses and then I think they also ask for a statement from your doctor that you are fit to practice law. The only people I’ve ever heard who had problems were Baker Acted (involuntarily institutionalized for being a danger to self or others) at some point.

      1. Actually, for bar admission I think the concerns usually go further than whether you are a danger to self/others, e.g., someone who is bipolar might neglect client matters if they became severely depressed, or might do impulsive things that would harm a client’s interest during a manic phase.

    6. I am working on my NY bar app and I don’t think there was even any space for me to put in that I had seen a psychiatrist. And I don’t think NJ cared, either.

  10. Pink shoes….green shoes….this type of thing never looks good. Can’t say why…. some colors just look crummy in leather or patent leather…unless you are a bridesmaid and under 21!

  11. On the same lines as the ball chair discussion, what about the treadmill/desk thing — has anyone tried it? I’ve seen that in studies they’ve done, people who use them lose fabulous amounts of weight and are much healthier but wonder if such a monstrosity could really fit into the law firm environment (for those unfamiliar, it’s a treadmill that you walk on all day, very slowly — like 1 mph – and have a computer and desk area raised up toward the front of the treadmill so you can use them).

    1. I’d love one of those, but it wouldn’t fit in my current office…. maybe next gig….

    2. I would love one of those. Don’t think I could get my firm to pay for it but I’d almost be willing to pay for it myself.

    3. I can’t type while walking! It’s hard for me even to read on a treadmill, however slow.

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