Coffee Break – Valise Jenna Shoulder Bag

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Valise Jenna Shoulder BagThe classic pocketbook shape is becoming more and more popular (which I suppose is a nice change from all the hobo bags I've bought in the past few years, and the east/west bags before that) — and I'm loving this one from Cole Haan, currently on sale at Zappos. It's available in dark aubergine (pictured) as well as black and a beige “nougat”. Love the snake embossed accents, the chains on the shoulder strap, and the the interior pockets. The optional messenger strap is nice also, but personally I always prefer the shoulder strap (this one is 7.5″, which should be fine for me). Ready for the price? Was $428, marked to $218 at Zappos today. Nice! Cole Haan – Valise Jenna Shoulder Bag (Dark Aubergine) – Bags and Luggage (L-2)

Sales of note for 1/31/25:

  • Ann Taylor – Suiting Event – 30% off suiting + 30% off tops
  • Nordstrom – Cashmere on sale; AllSaints, Free People, Nike, Tory Burch, and Vince up to 60%; beauty deals up to 25% off
  • Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + extra 20 off your $100+ purchase
  • Boden – 15% off new season styles
  • Eloquii – 60% off 100s of styles
  • J.Crew – Up to 40% off winter layers
  • J.Crew Factory – 50% off sweaters and pants
  • Rothy's – Final Few: Up to 40% off last-chance styles
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – End of season clearance, extra 70% off markdown tops + extra 60% off all other markdowns

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

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30 Comments

  1. threadjack –
    any ideas on where to purchase a garnet or garent and pearl pendant necklace? i am thinking of going with gemvara, but i am not familiar with their quality and because this is for a gift (for a picky in-law), i dont want to take a risk.

        1. Thanks, Eponine!

          Garnets are tricky because there’s such a range of color, quality and prices. I should say, the tricky thing is not getting *overcharged* for garnet stones.

          Not intended as a shill at.all., but I really would encourage you to check Etsy before going to a larger retailer. You can probably find exactly what you’re looking for, and most jewelry sellers are very knowledgeable and responsive, so you can get more honest feedback directly from the artist than you would with a big box store.

      1. Second james avery. Pretty much any piece they make with a gemstone, you can have special ordered with a garnet. Special orders take about 4 weeks. While JA may be a bit price-y, the quality is unbeatable.

  2. I saw this bag in the store and loved it, until I tried it on. The gold hardware on the straps is very shiny and a little too flashy for me (much more so in the photo). Might one to check this one out in person.

  3. A little late in the day for this, but just wanted to mention that as I was walking out of the Fulton Street subway stop in NYC this morning, an impeccably dressed woman tapped me on the shoulder and alerted me to the fact that the product tag was still attached to my new Ann Taylor shell. Whoops! In case she’s a reader here (and she looked like she could be!) – thanks again! :-)

  4. Corporettes:
    I am filling out an application for an in-house position. The company is quite large and the application is online. The form online has a field for the applicant to list her “expected pay.”
    The job requires 1 – 3 years experience as an attorney. I am at the one year mark and make 48K in a mid-sized midwestern city. This salary is on the low end of what many of my fellow first year associates are making, without a doubt.
    What on earth should I put for me “expected pay”??

      1. PUT down what you want if they can aford to pay you. If you do NOT get what you want you will be unhappy. I am not getting what I want now b/c the manageing partner does not want to pay me alot more then I got when I started. He is always getting to stare at me, and I am NOT even getting paid for his stareing at me. And I get no extra money for putting up with his bad breathe. Fooey on him!

    1. Does the website give a salary range for the role? If so I’d try to position myself in the upper third of that range. So if the range is $50-65k I would put $60-65k if that makes sense? Alternatively, if the application form isn’t locked to figures I will often put something like ‘negotiable dependant on total benefits package’.

      As a side note I think it reflects badly when companies do this. They obviously have a budget for this role, why not tell me what it is before I waste hours of my life filling in application forms only to discover my reasonable salary request is way over what they would consider paying? (sorry personal rant over)

      1. The online field is locked to numbers only. Obnoxious. And I agree that it reflects poorly. Do they weed out people that ask for too much/too little automatically? It’s frustrating, indeed. Just tell me the salary range so I can tell whether or not I am wasting my time.

    2. lol @Ellen but I’m kind of agreeing this time. Fooey. :P

      They’re asking about what you expect, not what you make now, so it’s not like you’re going to get busted if they call your current employer to verify your salary. Do you have a sense of what’s fair based on people you know in your market? I’d aim for that neighborhood.

  5. Any suggestions for a great yoga retreat? I’ve been looking in Costa Rica, but I’m flexible on location.

    1. When are you looking to go? The Blue Spirit retreat center in Nosara, Costa Rica, is amazing. But Tulum is great as well.

    2. A teacher I really like in DC (Daniel Hickman) teaches at Nosara in Costa Rica. His site is silkroadyoga dot com and he has spoken really highly of the school there. If he’ll be teaching (he goes back and forth between DC and CR) I’d definitely recommend it for a retreat, and I’m sure he wouldn’t work with a school that’s not awesome even if he’s not there.

    3. Kripalu (Berkshires) is awesome if you want to stay stateside. If there is a particular style/teacher you prefer, I’d search that way. I have mixed feelings about “yoga celebrities” but Shiva Rea does a lot of retreats at different locations & I’ve had good experiences with her, if you’re into her flow. I also think John Friend is an amazing teacher, and Dharma Mittra is incredible, but I don’t know if he has any retreats scheduled. Sorry, this probably isn’t helping you narrow it down!

  6. My boss is screwing things up and I don’t know what to do.

    She’s been in the position about 6 months and has a completely different style than my previous boss. She’ll push back on things more than my previous boss like due dates but instead of communicating that to our internal clients just changes the dates and doesn’t tell them until they follow up.

    I agree with the pushing back bc the dates are u realistic at times but the lack of communication is an issue. And sometimes the deadlines re realistic but she just doesn’t get to them in time.

    She’s also completely changed our responsibilities, previously our tea, would just kind of gra projects as they came but now she’s assigned us accounts. And she can’t handle what she gave to herself!

    Tonight I got cornered in her office when another manager came to confront her about the issues.I ended up excusing myself bc I don’t want to be in the middle. And the manager who came to complain came to appologise to me and said she wasn’t trying to make myself uncomfortable but wanted a witness….

    Help!

    1. You want my sincere advice? Start looking for a new job. If she doesn’t leave soon, you’re going to want to.

      Otherwise, keep your head down. This is a really hard scenario to navigate – good luck.

      1. Echoing Duckie, I’d want an exit plan in place. However, there are situations where you can’t leave no matter how much you want to. I think there was a thread on the comments awhile back on managing your boss/managing up but the search isn’t throwing it up. Can anyone remember this or have I imagined it?

  7. What makes a bag a ‘pocketbook bag’? Tried looking at images on google to decide for myself, but I can’t the common feature/s.

    1. I think the structured, 40’s-50’s-esque overall shape is what gives it the “pocketbook” name — picture what Queen Elizabeth is always carrying.

      I for one am excited that the shape is coming into style — slouchy, hobo-style bags, and bags with a lot of “stuff” hanging off of them have never been my style, and because the hunt for more classic shapes is such a pain (and often resulted in finding something too pricey anyway – sigh, Ferragamo), I haven’t purchased a new purse (except a small clutch) in 5 years.

  8. I have a different Cole Haan bag in the dark aubergine , and I absolutely love it; it’s such a versatile color.

  9. Question on purse care: has anyone else had the problem with inner cord in rolled-leather purse straps slowly migrating off-center over time? When this happens the area of the handle right over the hinge ring tends to wear out much faster since it no longer has any interior structure.
    Does anyone know of a solution other than opening up the purse strap and adjusting the cord so it’s centered again? The rest of my bag is in ship-shape condition so I’d hate to retire it just bc of the straps :(
    Thanks!

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