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Coffee Break: Wight Medium Saddle Hobo Bag

I was all set to recommend the Fontana satchel as a new-to-me entry in our ongoing collection of feminine briefcasey totes… but I happened to click on something that led me to the same brand's Wight satchel, which I'm kind of in love with. Sure, it's suede, and now is not the time one wants to think about buying suede — but when the price point starts at $3000ish I think the hope is that you can wear it for longer than the next three months. Gorgeous. Apparently the brand, Fontana Milano 1915, has been around for more than a 100 years, is exclusively sold in the US through Barneys New York, and their bags are “coveted for their meticulously crafted custom hardware and playful shapes.” Nice. Pictured. This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Sales of note for 12.5

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60 Comments

      4. I agree with the OP, what we like and dislike is a PERSONAL matter. Personaly, I have thick ankels, so wearing jean’s like this only highlight my ankels, which is not a good thing. That is why I prefer longer skinny jeans that go down to the ankels, with 4″ pumps. This way, men can focus a little higher, b/c I am curvy, b/c the manageing partner says I have great thighs. Dad agrees, but tells me not to get to impressed with myself b/c of my tuchus. I work out every day to keep svelte, but it is a lot of work.

  2. Senior associate considering moving from doing civil litigation in BigLaw to a very small firm (read less than 5 attorneys). Main reason for wanting to move is to have more hands-on experience – tired of not going to court much etc. Without giving too much detail, very small firm is also civil lit, and some of the work overlaps, but not all – some of it would be a new practice area for me. New practice area is much more interesting inherently than my current one, but I feel discomfort with that switch and also leaving the comfort of my biglaw job. SIGH.

    Anyone else done something similar? What was your experience like?

    1. Yes, and don’t do it. Five attorneys or less is TOO SMALL. You will be at the mercy of whatever mercurial “special genius” runs the place, and someone who keeps their firm THAT tiny is likely to be a micromanager, meaning you won’t get to do half of the things you want to do.

      If you want to go to court regularly while being treated like an adult who can run your own cases, the sweet spot as far as firm size goes is, I’d say, 20-50 attorneys.

    2. Think about the seniority levels of the other attorneys. I would consider this move if there was a big gap – like a second year associate and a 20th year partner. I would not do this if I was going to be the only associate. Or if there’s like a 4th year assoc and a junior partner.

      I’d also consider support staff. Do they have a paralegal? More than one secretary? If not, can you be your own support staff? That might seem to some like a small issue, but if you hate/are bad at administrative work then losing your staff is going to seriously impact your day to day.

      And this might be unpopular, but think about how important a hierarchy is to you. Work in a small firm is not necessarily going to be handed out strictly on the basis of seniority. If the 4th year has more experience in the practice area/with the client/on her feet than you, then you’re her junior for that case. Are you ok with that?

    3. I spent a large chunk of career in a firm like this one, and they were the best working years of my life. Having said that, it all depends on the partner or partners who run the place. We had two and they were both great. Good trial lawyers, good human beings. They usually kept associates for years (people left because they stopped practicing, moved to another state, went to work for the court, etc.). They also had no patience for jerks (insisting for example that berating staff was completely unacceptable). Working in a small environment like that means that the person who run the office absolutely sets the tone.

      A few things to consider: (1) How old are the partners? If they retire in 5 years, you may be out of luck (or you might be able to inherit their practice). (2) Are you comfortable never being a “partner”? In firms like that, partner = actually bringing in substantial work. It is not a courtesy title you get for hanging on for 7 years. (3) How long has their secretary/office manager been with them? That is probably the person who really runs the show. Try to talk to that person and get a sense of them as a human being. (4) How comfortable are you with MUCH less support? I always chuckle when people here mention having their assistants do things like enter time for them. That is not going to happen in a small firm. You will be doing a LOT more of your own admin/paralegal type work. The good news is that the clients are paying a lower hourly rate and your minimum is lower so that is usually OK. (5) Are you viewing this as a stepping stone or your “end game”? Think about where you want to go from here. You are going to get experience that will make you more valuable to some people, but there are places that never hire from small firms.

    4. The advice above is good!

      I moved from BigLaw to a tiny firm (with some weird layovers) and it was at the TinyFirm where I learned a lot of what I think of now as lawyering (in the litigation context at least). Managing a case as a whole (or client’s interrelated cases), dealing with clients as people, making strategic calls, fixing problems, going to court all the time so that it became boring instead of scary, managing my work so that clients got “gets the job done” work product instead of perfection (so my time wasn’t written off), etc. But I also had to learn how to fix computers, once actually missed a filing deadline because our printer was too slow, I had to train any support staff we brought on, had no payroll/HR/anyone to turn to when things got sticky, and I was subject to my mercurial and creepy boss’s whims.

      And I made way less money and got no benefits. On the other hand, I was almost always home for dinner.

  3. What’s everyone doing for nail color these days? It’s getting to be 80s – 90s where I live and I work in a creative/casual office so anything goes (and we see it all). I’ve been wearing some pretty pinks and pastel blue but I feel like it’s too hot out for those now.

    1. I just bought Let’s Get Digital by Sally Hansen on a whim and I love it. It’s like a blue tinted top coat with a glitter/iridescent sheen. I put it on top of a baby blue and I’m going to try it on teal next. I’m really wanting a good pale pink/neutral next, though.

  5. Has anyone bought vacation property with a friend? Tips? Pitfalls? I wouldn’t do it with just any friend, but the friend we’re considering is very trustworthy and easygoing, similar stage of life and finances, etc.

    1. Don’t do it. Money changes friendships. What happens when one friend wants to sell bc they need the $$ and the other doesn’t want to but also can’t afford to buy the partner out? Will you rent out the property when not in use? What if one doesn’t want strangers in her bed? What happens when there’s storm damage that needs to be repaired and one wants the cheapest repair possible while the other wants to use the damage as an excuse to renovate/improve the property? Are there husbands – what if ones future husband wants her to sell but you don’t want to and also can’t buy her out? How does inheritance work? Will your kids inherit it with half being owned by her family/kids – their goals may not be as aligned as yours and BFFs were.

    2. My in-laws didn’t buy with a friend but they did help the friend be able to buy by contracting a certain number of weeks. It was enough for the friends to be able to buy the place. They prepaid 12 weeks vacation – 2 weeks a year for 6 years – they worked out date ranges (e.g. two out of four weeks between date and date with decision made by date each year) and the contract had a provision for if the weeks were not usable – place burnt down or whatever. It worked out well because they had a super detailed contract that included what would happen in a whole bunch of different scenarios.

    3. My husband did it years ago and it seems to have worked out okay, except that one of the three partners died and the others bought out his widow at an inflated price and then it was a whole big thing getting the place re-fi’d to get their cash back because the original mortgage was in the decedent’s name and nobody could find the papers and I don’t know what-all. Other than that, they are all super, super chill and as I say it seems to have worked out okay. But if I were in on it (other than as a bystander very late in the game when none of them uses it much at all) I suspect I would have been super stressed out a lot of the time.

      TL;DR just because you’re in similar stages of life now doesn’t mean you always will be. Have an exit strategy up front.

  6. My husband and I are the legal guardians of his niece and nephew. I keep fumbling when talking about them with others – I don’t know how to refer to them, particularly with work. I usually call them my niece and nephew. A co-worker commented it was nice I do so much with my niece, and I realized I am probably being confusing. I could see why someone would be confused, or even annoyed, as to why I need to go to school events, WFH when someone is sick, etc. Calling them my kids, son, or daughter seems dishonest, as I am not their mom. How should I refer to them?

    1. I’d call them son or daughter to people you don’t know well enough to explain to, and people you do know well enough you can tell the story. It’s a wonderful thing you’re doing and a story I am sure everyone would like to hear but it’s not worth dragging out for casual acquaintances.

      I will give you my example – I lost my oldest child to cancer. I have two living children. When people ask me how many children I have I say two, but my actual friends (including closer work acquaintances) know I’m a mother of three. I had to really think about how to do this, but it’s just not worth it to get into it with people I don’t know well.

      3. I am so sorry to hear this, and I am with you. I struggle with this because I lost a sibling; when people ask if I have siblings, I similarly stumble over whether to say I have one or two. I usually just say I have a brother, but it hurts to do this, every time, even years later.

    2. Hmmm, I haven’t been in this situation, but how permanent is this setup, and how old are the kids? What are they comfortable with?

      I realize this is just one data point, but my best friend growing up was raised by her aunt and uncle from the age of 9 on, and they referred to her as their daughter (and she eventually called them mom and dad down the line, since her parents had passed away), but if you or the kids aren’t comfortable with it, I can certainly understand. I don’t think it’s at all dishonest if you refer to them as your kids or your children to impart your relationship to them and to simplify, although people will understandably assume they’re your son and daughter.

      1. It is permanent. Kids are 10 and 6. They call me by my first name or Aunt [first name] – I knew them well since they were little. I think it’d be awkward for them to call me mom. But I think it make sense to talk to them about what they are comfortable with, and also talk to my husband – I can’t believe I didn’t think to do that.

        To complicate things, they have a different last name than either me or my husband. And they are clearly not my children from appearance – blasian, and I am neither black nor asian. I live in a very diverse neighborhood and city, so really no problems there, either with attitudes or with pickups etc.

        1. I think it’s okay to refer to them as your kids or children even if they don’t call you mom.

          What they are comfortable with in terms of first name/aunt/mom first name/mom may change over time.

          I love the children’s book The Family Book by Todd Parr which is a lovely book about how there are all different kinds of families.

    3. I would say, “My niece and nephew who live with us.” And try to find an excuse to work that into conversation among co-workers who you think are probably confused. Otherwise they have no way of knowing and probably don’t want to be intrusive. A co-worker of mine adopted an older kid, so he ended up telling the story over and over again because people who only knew him casually were clearly confused, like, wait, you didn’t have any babies, and now you have a Little Leaguer? It’s nice to give people the info they need to be appropriately sensitive about a situation.

    4. Hmm, depending on background, could “this is my niece and nephew; I have custody of them” or something similar work? It’s a small bit of context without the full story, which i agree strangers don’t need. Maybe “this is my niece, who lives with me”?

    5. It’s old-fashioned, but why not just call them your wards? It worked for Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson.

    6. I don’t think it’s dishonest to call them your kids, your children or your son and daughter depending on the context. These are all words we use sometimes in a shorthand way to describe children we love and care for and for whom we are primarily responsible. It doesn’t disrespect their birth parents.

      1. I like “children” and “kids” too.

        “I have to go to a thing at my kids’ school.”

      2. Another vote for “kids/parents.” And probably work on a one-sentence explanation to have at the tip of your tongue when necessary: “My kids are technically my niece and nephew, but I’ve been parenting them since XX.”

      3. Another vote for “kids/parents.” And probably work on a one-sentence explanation to have at the tip of your tongue when necessary: “My kids are technically my niece and nephew, but I’ve been parenting them since XX.”

    7. I’m confused why your coworkers don’t already know about this? Did you just start this job? I think I would’ve told the coworker who mentioned something, oh actually they live with us fulltime!

      If you don’t feel comfortable calling them “my kids” how about “the kids”? Or refer to them by name? Everyone knows you’re not talking about your dog if you tell them, Hey Suzie is sick so I have to work from home to be with her today.

      1. Fair point. Been at this job for many many years. I am a private person, so I didn’t really explicitly tell anyone I work with about this unless they were someone I also consider a personal friend. I only mentioned it to others if it came up in some context where I had to tell them. The circumstances under which we became their guardians are not something I want to talk about with co-workers , so I want to avoid that coming up.

        1. It’s perfectly fine to say “I don’t like to discuss the circumstances that led them be with us but we are so happy that they are part of our family now.” or “Their parents were not able to care for them and we are delighted that we are able to take that on.” Repeat ad nauseum.

          You don’t owe anyone an explaination.

        2. YMMV but this is why office gossips are so useful. If you don’t want to explain yourself but it’s helpful that other people know about it, just tell the office gossip. Word will get around and no one will give it another thought.

          I’ve mostly just done this when I wrecked my car and got a new one, when I broke up with the long-term boyfriend I took to the office holiday party, and when I needed an explanation for missing an all hands meeting when I had a job interview (the office gossip didn’t get the real explanation and that workplace seemed to have lots of all hands meetings announced last minute).

  7. Any suggestions for keeping active during the day? Any ideas for easy/cheap-ish alternatives to a treadmill desk that could be implemented at home?

    Context – I work from home most days, and it has been devastating to my activity levels. I’m definitely seeing it in my body, as my job demands make it very hard to get to the gym or an exercise class, and I’m no longer getting the benefits of walking from my daily commute.

    I miss using the treadmill desk at my old office, but I don’t want to invest in something so expensive and big at home – has anyone come up with a similar solution at home that allows you to be active while working on a computer?

    Any other suggestions for building activity into the day? I’ve just started doing 5-10 minute videos throughout the day (trying to get to at least 20 minutes total) and walking while on calls, but would love any creative ideas!

    2. If you have a two storey house, set a timer for every hour or every second hour and walk from the bottom floor to the top floor and back down twice. It will take less than 5 minutes but a great way to stretch your legs.

    3. I am a huge fan of FitDesk. It’s a bike desk. I used it all through grad school and loved it. It’s great if you have a laptop or need to do reading in one spot. Unlike a treadmill desk, your eyes stay in one place so you avoid the queasiness/bouncing up and down that makes reading hard on a treaddesk.

      1. Alternatively, there are bike pedals made for going under desks. It won’t be a huge burn, but it’s something.

  8. Recs for a good lightweight down comforter? I currently have an “all season” goose down comforter which is just too much for summers, especially since I sleep hot. I love the feel of a down comforter and would love to get something lighter for summer.

    2. And one additional related question…can I store the extra comforter in one of those vacuum storage bags? I assume there wouldn’t be any issues with bugs or dust whatnot if I do that?

      1. My understanding is it is better not to keep down compressed for long periods – like a sleeping bag shouldn’t be stored in a tiny stuff sack. If the feathers get too compressed they won’t insulate as well. My down sleeping bag came with a larger cotton storage bag. I keep my unused comforter (and the sleeping bag in its cotton bag) in a large plastic storage tote since that is easier to stack in the closet.

    3. I have one of the cooler temp rated ones from ikea and love it! Bonus: I think it was $30 or so for a king size.

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