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I'm unfamiliar with the brand Deux Lux, but I've seen a TON of great looking bags for very budget-friendly prices of late. Today I'm swooning over this emerald green satchel (also available in olive, merlot, and camel). For my $.02, a bright green bag is a great pop of color with most outfits — and in my humble opinion it's easiest to wear the color as a bag (rather than as a shoe, or dress, or scarf, etc). The bag was $135, but is currently marked to $40 at LastCall. Deux Lux Tate Grainy Duffel Satchel Bag
(L-5)
Sales of note for 10.10.24
- Nordstrom – Extra 25% off clearance (through 10/14); there's a lot from reader favorites like Boss, FARM Rio, Marc Fisher LTD, AGL, and more. Plus: free 2-day shipping, and cardmembers earn 6x points per dollar (3X the points on beauty).
- Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off sale (ends 10/12)
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything plus extra 25% off your $125+ purchase
- Boden – 10% off new styles with code; free shipping over $75
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off a lot of sale items, with code
- J.Crew – 40% off sitewide
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site, plus extra 25% off orders $150+
- Lo & Sons – Fall Sale, up to 35% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Neiman Marcus – Sale on sale, up to 85% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 50% off 2+ markdowns
- Target – Circle week, deals on 1000s of items
- White House Black Market – Buy one, get one – 50% off full price styles
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…
Los Angeles meet-up!
Tomorrow — check your inboxes!
Lawyer costume
So excited!
Parfait
I’ll be there with bells on!
Noalani
I’m a big fan of Deux Lux. Not super pricey, reasonably well made, and very cute.
Anon
I’ve been eyeing them lately because they have cute weekender bags – anyone have one and can report on the quality?
Noalani
I’ve actually got a DL weekender myself. (The Gramercy, specifically.) I haven’t use it very much yet, but it’s worked out perfectly well so far. It doesn’t feel like real leather or anything, but it’s got a good weight to it, so I suspect it’ll hold up well.
Ellen
I guess for $40, you can NOT compleain to much, but I generaly prefer REAL (NOT FAUX) leather bag’s. This is polyureatahene, which is a high class plastic, dad says and it may begin to crack after a year or so. Leather, ON the other hand, is worth the extra money, and dad spent ALOT of money on my LIT BAG b/c it was REAL Leather. I could have ROSA go look at Nieman Marcus in White Plain’s, but she is even MORE of a snob then I am when it come’s to fashion. She just got a pair of Jimmy Choo shoe’s that she paid alot of money for and she does NOT even work outside the home, so I doubt she will wear them exeept to event’s Ed takes her to when he needs to have a gorgeous blond at his side. That is what I want. To be taken out to fancy places where all I have to do is smile and make small talk. Why can’t I find a guy to marry me that let’s me just do that w/o haveing to work and write breif’s and go to court and then have strange men in the court house ooogle me and make comments about grabbeing my tuchus? FOOEY!
In the Pink
Speaking of sales, has anyone had a peek into NAS sale items yet?
In particular, The Skirt …. in more substantial than the spring/summer weight and in any new solid colors?
Hoping…yes is the answer!
BB
Is it open already? I actually do have a Nordstrom card, but I thought it was a few days away.
Anonattorney
I scanned the digital catalog – lots of leather and lace, which generally is a bit risque for my office.
Bonnie
I didn’t see The Skirt at all in the catalog or online.
Anonattorney
I think they had a leather version – “The Skirt” is the seamed Halogen pencil skirt, right? It was in a “faux-wrap” style, though.
Anonymous
Digital catalog – page 47 – bottom right hand corner.
Anonattorney
Nice sleuthin’
Anonymous
I was pretty disappointed by the catalog. Just one pair of shoes that I like – they’re similar to some I have but… houndstooth.
Cady
Anyone have a training log they like? I’m looking for something that logs miles, time, workout, and dates, and it would be awesome if it could sync w/ GCal. I would mostly use it for running, but would also add yoga and/or bike rides to it.
Blonde Lawyer
Running and biking I use map my run. The iphone app is great.
PJ
I use dailymile.com. Love it.
anon-oh-no
runkeeper. maps everything great — though not yoga. it also syncs with your music and to things like fitbit, jawbone, gympact etc
Applying to Two Positions at the Same Company
I love the color of this bag…
I am a law firm associate looking to make a career move. I specialize in two main areas of law, say A and B. My expertise is pretty even between the two, and I enjoy both. There are positions out there than encompass both A and B, but they are rare. Recently a large company posted two in-house positions–one is titled “Attorney in A” and the description notes that the attorney will also be responsible for B, the other is the reverse (titled “Attorney in B,” notes that the attorney will also be responsible for A). I’d love to continue with A and B, so if the positions were at different companies or even different departments I would apply for both automatically.
Applications are submitted via one of those in-house job submission portals, but I do have the opportunity to submit a cover letter. Should I apply for both, and note a dual interest in a cover letter? Apply for both without acknowledging my interest in both positions? If I apply for both should I submit two different iterations of my resume? Or should I make a decision as to which I would prefer and tailor my resume accordingly?
Help!
Silver
I would first scour the descriptions, their business, any contacts you have there, anything that has hit the news regarding this company and areas A and B to figure out why they have openings for A (+B) and B (+A) in case there is some distinction you should be aware of. I’d then apply formally for both (in case there’s some computer sorting happening) but note in your cover letter that you are applying for both and that you are amazing in both areas. I wonder if they are looking for an A+B team with complimentary skill sets?
Anonymous
I’m totally speculating here, but is it possible that both of these listings are for the same position but they listed them both ways to get the attention of people who were primarily searching for A or B? If that’s the case, I think Silver’s advice on applying for both and what to say in the cover letter is equally applicable.
abogada
This was my first thought.
NbyNW
Same here. I’d mention interest in both in cover letter.
West Coast
I would caution against applying for both. From the employers perspective, it makes you look unfocused.
If I am hiring manager A, I would be asking myself, “If she really wants to work for me, why is she applying to job B? She either isn’t that sure she wants the job or doesn’t even know what she wants.” Hiring manager A is looking for candidates that are a professional in domain A and enthusiastic about doing it, and applying to a 2nd position negates that image.
I understand it is frustrating, because you are not sure where you might have a better chance. If you have time, try to schedule an informational interview with each department to help you better identify the opportunity.
hoola hoopa
I am not in law, but I do hire for position A at my company. There is a position B that also exists at my company. Many similar companies combine positions A and B, so applicants often have experience and interest in both. At times, there are postings for both A and B and the same applicant will apply to both.
For me, I like to see that mentioned in the cover letter. It’s helpful for me to know if applicant has experience with B (point in their favor, generally), but also I frequently confer with hiring manager for position B. It’s useful to know where the applicant stands in their process – for example, if they have already interviewed them, I appreciate their thoughts. (Note that not being offered position B is not necessarily a bad thing as sometimes the person seemed good but more qualified for A). Etc.
If someone explains in their cover letter that they are applying for both because they are genuinely interested and qualified for both, then I see it as interest in working for our company (yea!). If someone doesn’t mention it and I find out later (happens!), then it looks like they are applying for everything and seeing what sticks (boo!).
Hel-lo
Agreed. You should apply for both, and explain that you are doing so (and why) in your cover letter.
Applying to Two Positions at the Same Company
Thanks for the advice! I think I will go ahead and apply to both…if there are two positions it looks from the descriptions as though person A and B will be working closely together and that there will be overlap in their responsibilities, and that both will be reporting to person C in the same department.
Anonymous
This is almost certianly one position, being advertised 2 ways to attract different types of candidates.
Anon in Consulting
So I have a work problem that is becoming rather embarrassing-
I have an EXTREMELY difficult main client counterpart at my new client site (been here 4 weeks of a 6 month engagement). They are extremely rude and aggressive with me, criticize everything we put forward and occasionally yell at me. We are a implementation firm, so I will be working closely with this person for the entire project and will be working to make changes within their department.
I have a fairly supportive internal team, and when some of my higher ups and I have been discussing this issue I have now twice broken down into tears. I HAVE TO STOP THIS. It is mortifying me but I cannot get it under control.
Please advise!
aa
There’s some good advice about work-crying in the Summer Associate thread earlier today. As for the abysmally rude client, here is something that has worked for me (but definitely took me a bit to work up the courage):
Client: YOU ARE THE WORST AND I HATE YOU
Me: Are you done?
or…
Client: HOW COULD YOU DO THIS YOU’RE DUMB AND YOU SUCK
Me: Why don’t you call me back when you’ve calmed down.
Click.
CatToo
I’ve had to deal with a bully, and the way I dealt with it was to realize he was not attacking me, he just was on attack mode all of the time. I learned to just ignore the wrapping and tackle the substantive work that had to get done, the same way I would have tackled any other project.
Anon for this
I have to go anon for this, because I’m honestly humiliated to admit it (Yeah, it’s ok to make jokes, I realize it’s immature. :)
I am terrified of being home alone, to the point where I cannot sleep if I’m home alone at night. During the day I’m still scared, but I can cope, or just get out of the house. At night, it’s a completely different story. Anyone else experience this, and if so, what do you do to combat it? DH is out of town this weekend, and I’m dreading it.
TXLawyer
Do you have a girlfriend you can invite over for a slumber party?
I never understood why people had a hard time home alone without their spouses until I got married, and now I totally get it! I usually make plans to be out late on the nights he’s out of town, so that the only thing I’m doing when I get to the house by myself is getting ready for bed and sleep.
JJ
Is it a safety fear? My DH used to travel M-F for work and I’m not ashamed to admit that I made us get a security system/home alarm because I knew I would sleep better alone. Do you have a dog? It also comforts me to know that, all things being equal, I don’t think an intruder will choose a house with a big barking dog versus one without (I don’t know if this is actually true or not, though…). I also slept with my cell phone right next to my head, on the off chance that I needed to use it in the middle of the night.
Anon
An intruder in his right mind will likely leave if there is a large, barking dog. However, an intruder who is drunk, or on drugs, or not wired right in the head, will probably not be dissuaded. We had an intruder try his hardest to break into our home at 4am and do you know what he did in response to our large, barking, snarling dog? He barked back at the dog through the door, howled, and then resumed trying to break in.
Wildkitten
I also like the dog because she hears weird noises long before I do, so I don’t have to stay awake wondering if I’m crazy. I can go to sleep knowing there no weird noises happening, or she’ll go bark at them if there are.
Anon
I was a victim of a crime and afterward I was extremely anxious about being home alone, would freak out about any noise, and would sleep with a phone so that I could call 911 on short notice. I did eventually get over it – what helped most was when I lived alone for the first time, I would force myself to do things like investigate weird noises. It was hard to make myself do it at first, but every time it happened I didn’t die. When you do something often enough, you realize that it’s not such a big deal after all.
That said, why are you so afraid to be home? Do you live in a high crime area? Bad past experiences? Just anxious in general? You could do certain things like get a home security system or install better locks, but if your fear is negatively affecting your life and you can’t manage it on your own, you’d probably benefit from talking to someone about it.
OP
The level of crime in my area is probably low compared to larger cities, but we live right by an airfield and there are constantly helicopters overhead, which makes me nervous. We also have neighbors (Bless their hearts) that set off fireworks year round, and with the 4th in the not so distant past, the fireworks are an every night thing. When one of those wakes me up at midnight, it scares the crap out of me.
I’ve had some bad past experiences that add to it, along with general anxiety. I don’t have an animal or home security system, and I think either or both of those would help immensely. I’m still working on DH about getting a dog just so there’s another living being in the house with me.
Blonde Lawyer
You are going to start thinking I work for them but I swear I get no money for these posts. We have a simply safe alarm system. It is a no contract, $14.99/month system. You install it yourself and it is super easy. It comes with remote controls so you can set it for “away” (so the motion sensors are armed) after you get in bed and remotely turn it off before you leave your room.
The helicopters – are you afraid that someone is missing that they are chasing, that there is some national security issue or are you afraid one of them is going to crash on your house? I’d suggest different ways of dealing based on the fear.
When my husband last traveled I realized that when he is home there is always noise. There is a tv on or music on or a video game. The second he is in the bedroom is fan is on. I rarely watch tv or put on music and I don’t need the fan. I realized the quiet freaked me out. So I tried to follow his routines of music/fan so there was at least some noise in the house that helped me NOT hear every possible noise.
I’m also not opposed to a benadryl or xanax or alcohol (NOT ALL THREE) to help you fall asleep on rare occasions like this.
OP
I have looked into that alarm company, and I’m trying to convince DH to get an alarm system. He thinks my fears are ridiculous and he doesn’t want to waste money on it. I might just go ahead and do it myself though.
In my area, with regard to the helicopters, they’re generally trying to find someone on the run, so it would be a fear of someone trying to get into the house to hide or something. (Which, again, I recognize is irrational.)
mascot
I’ve always heard the suggestion of putting your car keys by your bed and hitting the panic button on your car alarm if you don’t have a home security system. Not perfect for sure, but it may be an option.
nutella
+ 1 to investigating. For me, I will keep the lights on for as long as I can bear it. Or sometimes keep certain lights on all night! But if I hear a weird noise it’s a lot less scary when I turn on ALL the lights and check it out than doing so in the dark. But I would definitely recommend an alarm system or even automated floodlights in your yard — whatever to help you feel more secure!
CPA lady
I’ve been a fairly anxious person my whole life, been to therapy, taken medications for a while, the whole deal. And I’m doing a lot better than I have been in the past. But when my husband started working nights I thought I’d never get used to being in the house by myself at night. I did eventually, and now I don’t even check under the bed for murderers anymore (I’m not even kidding that I used to do that).
Honestly, what helped me were several things:
First, thinking through what exactly I was afraid of– was it something more “rational” like someone breaking in? Or was it more like “I’ve watched too much Buffy and I’m afraid of a demon attack and I’m just freaking myself out unnecessarily”?
Second coming up with a plan — how would I deal with it if someone actually broke in? Maybe it would make you feel better knowing your could defend yourself in an emergency? Take a self defense class? Take a gun safety class? Get a home security system? Whatever works for you.
Third distracting myself — If I was just having a particularly anxious night, I would self medicate with a couple glasses of wine or a legal rx from my doctor. Note: the wine thing is obviously NOT a good long term strategy, but it helped out occasionally. Other more healthy options involved watching light and fluffy TV shows, cartoons, nothing at all scary, and nothing with any scary commercials. I could sometimes get myself to fall asleep watching reruns of old sitcoms I’d seen a million times.
Fourth was being aware of “safety signals” in my surroundings. For example, I have two cats, one of whom always runs and hides under the bed when there is someone he doesn’t know in the house. I figure as long as he’s in one of his normal spots, I can trust that I’m alone in the house and everything is good.
It helps me to think about how I’ve overcome anxiety about other things in my life in the past too. A lot of the time, it just takes time and practice.
OP
I understand checking under the bed for murderers. I actually go through every room, every closet, every shower to make sure there’s no one in the house. Probably time to see a therapist.
Blonde Lawyer
But what would you do if you found one? I find it scarier to open a window and look outside at night when I hear a strange noise because my fear is someone staring back at me. The other thing that helped me feel safe at night was having a separate lock on my bedroom door. I sleep very soundly and I feared that someone could break in and be in my bedroom before I would even wake up. I have actually slept through a fire alarm before (yes I have a sleep disorder and yes it is now being treated lol). With the separate bedroom lock I know someone would have to put in a lot of effort to get through that door and I would wake up and at least be able to call 911 or get something to defend myself before they got inside.
When my husband was on nights we also had a deal that he couldn’t come home at an unexpected time without first calling. Sometimes he would drop in for a snack and be in and out without waking me but I would wake up after and see that someone would be in the house. Other times I’d wake up and know someone was in the house but wouldn’t want to call the cops if it was just him so I’d call out his name like the girls in scary movies. Then I said bring your snacks to work and if you need to come home mid-shift call and wake me up first. Otherwise, someone in the house = 911 call. No more investigating. He agreed and thought it was a smart plan.
OP
I wouldn’t have any clue what to do if I found someone in the house. I go through the house mostly to prove to myself there’s no one in the house, and that I’m being ridiculous. It doesn’t help immensely, but it does help.
A lock would help on the bedroom door, but we have a sliding glass door in the bedroom as well (Which I hate). At least that would be really obvious if someone was coming in: Breaking the glass would be loud, and it doesn’t open smoothly.
I honestly cannot imagine what you’re describing with your husband coming home. I would probably flip out if someone was really in the house and I didn’t know who it was.
Blonde Lawyer
Yeah I make my husband sound a little mean there. He isn’t. He was a cop at the time in our small town that had nothing open 24 hours. He would come in to use the bathroom or get food during his shift since our place was on the opposite end of town from the station. I also liked being able to call his cell instead of 911 for stuff like a drunk guy yelling outside at 3 am.
The worst was when he was on second shift and got out at 2am and I was on 1st (different employer) and had to be in at 6:30 am. I got to the point where he could come home, change and get in bed and I wouldn’t wake up until my alarm. I half loved it half hated it which is why I insisted on the alarm so only he could do that!
prof on a bike
I totally sympathize with you here — being home alone isn’t a specific fear of mine, but I have several similarly irrational fears that are embarrassing to admit to as an otherwise pretty together adult woman. I did go to therapy for anxiety issues, and one of the things that the therapist emphasized to me was that I needed to stop doing checking rituals (like the one you mention above) because it tends to increase anxiety over time — checking the shower to make sure there’s no one there might temporarily make you feel better, but it only increases your intolerance of the uncertainty of knowing whether you’re really alone, and you’re likely to escalate over time to more and more unreasonable measures to ensure that you’re really safe. I worked with the therapist to try to figure out what were reasonable things to worry about and reasonable precautions to take against them, and then worked on trying to cultivate a sense of confidence in myself that I could handle unlikely/unforeseen things if and when they happened. This probably won’t help you too much for this weekend, but long term it’s something to keep in mind that has helped me a lot.
Wildkitten
Yes this cat thing is like what I described above with my dog. It’s good to have another being around letting you know everything is okay so you don’t get trapped in your own head.
KinCA
I’m not completely terrified of sleeping alone without my FI, but he travels a lot for work and I definitely can get scared at night when he’s gone. We live in a very safe area and my fears are 99% irrational, but they still exist.
A couple of small things that help me:
-Asking my FI to leave his phone on (ie – not putting it on silent) during the nights when he’s gone. I feel better knowing I can call him in the middle of the night if I really need him (even though he’s probably in another state & there’s not much he can do).
-Doing a quick “check” of the house while it’s still relatively light out. I make sure all of the doors are locked, windows are closed, etc., and I’m less afraid because it’s not completely dark outside. Then, if I do hear a weird noise or a creak (we live in an older place, so the house “settles” a lot), I know I’ve already checked it out and it’s nothing.
-I save a book or magazine to read or a show to watch until just before bed, so I have something to look forward to when it comes time to go to sleep.
Anon
If you have an anxiety that has persisted over time and is causing you significant mental discomfort, it’s time to consult a professional. A few sessions with a counselor can help you figure out some coping methods to deal with this.
In the meantime, can you try to make your alone time something to look forward to? When my husband goes out of town I order takeout from places he doesn’t like and watch movies or TV he wouldn’t want to watch with me. Then I take over the whole bed at night. I miss him, but I have fun with my “me time” too.
Hel-lo
I agree with this.
They say that if you’re bad at sleeping, then watching tv before bed can be bad. I’ve found the opposite. Putting on a rerun of a sitcom or a reality show makes me “get out of my head,” i.e., forget about all the stress and scary things and things I need to do, and just let my brain relax and fall asleep. I do this with Daily Show. I rarely make it to Colbert, and almost never to Colbert’s guest.
PS: Having a tv with a sleep timer helps. It automatically turns off the tv after 30-60-90 minutes (whereever you set it).
Anonattorney
Yep yep yep – this x 100. This is exactly what I do. When I have anxiety I wake up in the middle of the night (or can’t fall asleep) and the only thing that fixes it for me is to put a show on very quietly in the background. My brain focuses on the show and not on my anxious thoughts. I set the timer and eventually I’m asleep and the tv turns off on its own.
Sometimes I cover the screen with a towel so I don’t get any light. This also helps. I really just need the sound.
Calico
Same here! It’s nice to know I’m not the only one. It’s harder for me now that I have an SO because he thinks I want to get up and watch the shows, which I don’t. I just need them on quietly to distract my brain!
Anonattorney
I have my laptop on a stool now by my side of the bed so I can play it quietly with the screen dimmed completely down if I wake up in the middle of the night. We also sleep with multiple fans because we don’t have a/c, so I can have the laptop quiet enough that only I hear it. I suppose it helps that we have a Cal King bed – he’s so far away on the other side of the bed that he actually can’t hear anything that’s coming out of the computer (or so he says).
OP
I do somewhat appreciate the time I have without DH, so I enjoy the days, it’s really just the nights that are a concern. I’ve been able to cope in the past by sleeping with the lights on, music on, etc., but for some reason I’m just more anxious this time.
In the Pink
I also have a travelling hubby…often for months at a time.
We have a sliding door in the bedroom too. I have a foot bolt lock on the threshold which acts like a real deadbolt and prevents the door from being slid open. Yeah, I know, crowbars, pottery pots and the like can break the glass.
I’ve started thinking about that door as my “second escape route” out of the house if someone breaks into the rest of the house. That helps.
I keep my keys and cell phone on my bedside table when he’s gone.
I campaigned and bought an alarm system 3-4 years ago. Love the “home” or “stay” feature. All doors/window sensors are on but the motion detector is not. That way I can move around the house and feel secure. SOmetimes I put it on after dinner, when I know I’m not going outside or into the garage. It helps. He would never use it because he often goes into the garage or whatever at night…but for me, it’s great.
I worry about setting the darn thing off if on the “away” mode and I get up in the middle of the night.
Get an alarm system ?
Our sliding doors are by Pella and the foot block thing came with them, fwiw.
Miz Swizz
I was at a meeting earlier with the other managers in my office and vented a little too vehemently about a woman in another office who keeps trying to foist work on us. I said I was going to respond to her latest request with “bitch please” and one of my fellow managers asked me to clean up my language because I was talking about a friend of hers (I didn’t realize they’re friends) so I cleaned up my language and apologized after the meeting. I’m having a hard time with this interaction because I and other attendees use this meeting to vent and are frequently loose about our language because we’re venting. I also have to admit that I don’t particularly like the woman who chastised me.
The whole exchange is sticking in my craw and I’m not sure how to react. So I suppose I’m venting here because my previous attempt at venting didn’t go too well.
Ginjury
Given the situation, you handled it well. I’d be thankful she spoke up so at least now you know not to speak ill of that woman. It’s annoying, but I don’t think there’s much more you can do.
Jen
It may have been that her reaction was to your use of the term “bitch” as a derogatory term aimed specifically at women, and not actually to your comments regarding the other woman foisting work on you. I think that’s where the line would have been crossed for me–I would have been fine if this woman was called a slacker or something similar, even if she was my friend, but probably would have found the word “bitch” to be going too far in general. It’s just not the same as, say, peppering in an F bomb here or there.
Miz Swizz
I see your point and as someone who doesn’t take offense to the b word, it didn’t occur to me that someone would react strongly to it. I’m realizing I need to recalibrate my verbal filter. Thanks for the input.
Sam
I agree with Jen. Venting and complaining is one thing but I would’ve found that language (used in the workplace, and by a woman at that) somewhat shocking. If I had the presence of mind I would have said the same thing your fellow manager said (friend or not). The term is not used casually (or at all) in my friends circle, so it may be an age thing (30s).