ByKat Hours Updated
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Tuesday’s Workwear Report: Carmen Short-Sleeve Digital-Print Sheath Dress

Sheath Dress for Work: Elie Tahari Carmen Short-Sleeve Digital-Print Sheath DressOur daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. Something else I was ogling on my recent trip to SoHo: this gorgeous scuba dress from Elie Tahari, on sale at Neiman Marcus for $256 (down from $428). Scuba is the hot fabric right now because it sucks you in and doesn't wrinkle — and also because you can put beautiful, intricate digital prints on it, like this stormy ombre print. I like that it just looks like a normal dress from far away — and is just as versatile in your work wardrobe as a navy dress — but has a bit more of a kick. Sizes 2-16 still left. Elie Tahari Carmen Short-Sleeve Digital-Print Sheath Dress Here's a lower-priced option and a plus-size alternative. Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail tps@corporette.com. (L-4)

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:

253 Comments

    1. Sigh – it’s not the full length of the dress. It doesn’t have exposed tape. It’s not even a wildly contrasting color (it doesn’t match, but it does coordinate). It allows you to put the dress on and take it off.

      Seriously, what more do you want?

      1. A dress with a concealed zipper?

        I personally think that exposed zippers of any kind make a garment look less polished, professional, etc. and generally make it look cheaper.

        I am, however, slowly making peace with exposed zippers like the one on this dress because very few dresses in my price range have concealed zippers these days. I still hate them though.

      3. I don’t think a matching exposed zipper is actually too much to ask, particularly for a garment that’s retailing at over $400.

    2. I hate these too. I think it takes the formality of a dress down so much. I’m having the worst time finding work appropriate maternity tops that don’t have them and just console myself that at least I’m hiding them under a jacket.

      1. Isabella Oliver all the way for amazing work appropriate maternity tops. Pricey but worth it. Also check out ebay.

        1. I am an XL and the lovely Ms. Oliver sadly does not accommodate my size. Polyester junk for life (or until August), it seems.

          1. Have you tried AT loft? I was pleasantly surprised by their maternity stuff. One of my favorite blouses was from there. Polyester, but the nicer kind.

  2. It’s an interesting dress, but I really, really don’t like the boob outline. I have no need to draw more attention to that area at work.

    2. +1. This is cool-looking, but seriously, it is not work appropriate. It reminds me of that “topless” t-shirt Salma Hayek recently wore to the ER.

        2. That would actually be a plus for me, if I needed a new dress, but I’ve been rewatching all of TNG these past few months, so I might not be the best decider in this case.

    4. Yep, agreed — omit the faux-c*cktail-dress outline, and I’d really like this technique. And, of course, the obnoxious zipper.

    5. +1, the sweetheart outline and the zipper really ruin it. I like the digital print idea but not the execution!

      1. I am with Kat on this one – I LOVE this dress. Wishing I wasn’t on a shopping hiatus….

  3. The day is young but I can already tell it is going to be a nightmare. Stressful meeting scheduled with boss from hell this afternoon and I am already concerned I may tear up during it. Anyone have any pointers or inspirational sayings that get them through days like this?

    1. Bring a glass of water you can sip from if you need to distract yourself from crying. And remind yourself to toughen up. (In a nice way. I find that helps me.)

      1. Ice water. And take notes to remove yourself from the situation. For some reason it helps.

    2. When I’m trying to get through a meeting without tearing up, I often think about what I expect to hear before going in and then I play mental bingo. Came up with the idea after suffering through many rounds of baby bingo at baby shower gift openings. Gives my mind something to focus on. Include a few ‘wild card’ slots as well so that you have a way to process info that throws you for a loop. Decide on a prize for yourself if you ‘win’.

      Inspirational sayings: “This too shall pass”?

    3. Hang in there, you got this! Plan a special treat dinner–take-out from your favorite spot, buy a boquet of flowers, call a friend, do something nice for yourself. You got this!!! :-)

    4. This is really cheesy, but bear with me…

      I have a terrible cry reflex. If I’m upset, I cry. If I’m angry, I cry. If I’m ashamed, I cry. It sucks.

      What works for me is pretending to be a character I think is cool, calm and collected. Claire Underwood is usually who I go with–icy calm (but hopefully less evil).

      How Would Claire React becomes my mantra in those situations and is surprisingly effective.

      1. Thank you all for this great and supportive ideas, I really appreciate it. Also, KT, I have the worst cry reflex as well!! It is a huge issue for me and I think my anxiety about crying leads to me crying half the time. I LOVE your idea of channeling Claire Underwood and I am going to try this!!

      2. Commiserating here. I have the same issue and it sucks. Will totally try your character suggestion!

      3. I think I will get the chance to try this out before the end of the day. The results of a big reshuffle are due out soon.

          1. I just about held it together this afternoon (when I found out I was STILL stuck in the same backwater area instead of getting a new and more exciting area to work) but I dug my nails into myna dos hard that I can still see the marks 2 hours later.

          2. I just about held it together this afternoon (when I found out I was STILL stuck in the same backwater area instead of getting a new and more exciting area to work) but I dug my nails into myna dos hard that I can still see the marks 2 hours later.

      4. Same. I went to a funeral recently for a friend’s family member (who I had met, but was far from a close relationship) and I told our friend I was going with in advance to expect me to cry, because I cry when other people are upset. (or when I’m frustrated, or embarrassed, or mad, or…)

        I’ll try this idea as well!

        1. Ugh funerals are the worst even if it’s someone I didn’t know. And if there are bagpipes, forget it, I’ll be in the corner wailing.

          1. I blubber at funerals in a rather impressive way but not to bagpipes (I hate the bagpipes with a passion)

      5. So. I used to cry for no reason and feel really dumb – because who cries for no reason? And then I went to a doc and found out that certain antidepressants are actually really good at reducing crying-for-no-reason and went on a very low dose and now I only cry when it is warranted. Just throwing that out there…

    5. Eat something before the meeting. Even if it’s just a piece of candy. I found one of my problems tearing up in these kinds of meetings had to do with the anticipation and pre-loaded stress, which usually resulted in not eating before the meeting. Keep your blood sugar high enough!

    6. If I’m feeling anxious in a stressful meeting, I press my thumb and pointer finger (or really any finger) together really tightly. It draws my focus just enough to allow me to hold it together while not distracting me and is not obvious to the other party.

      1. I’ve also heard to squeeze really hard in the webbing between your thumb and forefinger — it’s worked for me a couple of times. Good luck, OP — you can do this!

      1. I take it step further sometimes and just bite the inside of my cheek. Somehow that pain distracts my tear ducts. The inside of my cheek is left raw, but in certain situations, that’s better than crying.

  4. What is a reasonable time frame in which to expect a response to a non-urgent e-mail? For example, if you sent an e-mail at 3:00 p.m. in an office where everyone leaves by 5:00 and you knew that responding to the e-mail required the recipient to request information from multiple third parties, would it be reasonable to send a vitriolic follow-up first thing the next morning demanding to know why the recipient ignored your original message?

    1. Ugh, no, I hate that — at MOST, I would have sent a quick acknowledgement yesterday (hey, saw this, I’m following up with X, Y and Z so will let you know when I have all the info), but waiting only 2 business hours to obnoxiously follow up on something non-urgent is ridiculous.

    2. Absolutely not. In my mind, no follow up email should be sent for at least 24 hours.

      Of course, I may just be sensitive to this issue since my former boss frequently called me when I hadn’t answered his non-urgent emails within 20 minutes.

    4. I do think it’s a Know Your Sender situation. I work for some people who might not need X done ASAP, but they do want an acknowledgment of receipt and some time frame by which I will get it done. In this case I might acknowledge the request and also mention that “I’ll get right on by ..<>”

      In a perfect world, that wouldn’t be required. But we all work in environments with different people, different personalities and different demands/priorities. One size fits all doesn’t work, at least in my office.

      1. Some of that got deleted, what I mean to say at the end of the first paragraph is that I would said, “I’ll get right on it by calling/doing/requesting X, and i’ll be in touch as soon as I have a response/by 3pm/tomorrow morning, etc.” That way I am also making the point that it takes steps to answer the person’s question so they relax a bit and realize that it takes time. This will also buy you some breathing room to take care of more urgent things.

    5. Well it’s never OK to send a vitriolic email accusing the recipient of ignoring you. Generally, if you can’t get to a task in the same business day, it’s a good idea to send some kind of acknowledgment.

      Personally, I hate pointless acknowledgement emails. I have a junior associate who sends me a formal email for every simple task I ask her to do. For example, “Could you please make sure X is in the file?” Response: “Anonymous, This email confirms that I am making sure X is in the file. Regards, Associate”. Then 5 minutes later, “Anonymous, This email confirms that X is in the file. Regards, Associate”. If you are going to take care of the task right away, I don’t need an email. But if I sent that email at 3 p.m. and didn’t have a response by the morning, I would worry that my email got lost. So, I’d appreciate an email at 5 explaining that you haven’t gotten to it yet but will in the morning.

      1. “Well it’s never OK to send a vitriolic email accusing the recipient of ignoring you.” +100

      2. It’s sounds to me like your junior associate is playing defense. Remember how much it sucked when a partner asked you to do X, forgot, and then later got mad because you didn’t do Y? Several junior associates at my firm do this to create a record of what they were asked to do so they don’t get slammed down the road. Agree that it’s annoying though.

    6. My response time to non-urgent email can be up to a week. If that person had to gather info from third party sources, why would you expect a same day response?

    7. Agree that depending on the relevant individuals, an acknowledgement may be expected or appropriate, but never an excuse for vitriol in a professional context. There are all kinds of reasons why people don’t reply to e-mails within (effectively) two hours – meetings, conference calls, urgent stuff they are doing. Especially where it’s non-urgent, this is serious overkill.

  5. My Lo & Songs O.G. is officially toast. I’ve had it for 5 years, so I don’t feel too bad about getting a new bag. Any other options I should consider before I just order another O.G.? The sleeve to put it on your rolling bag, and a 13″ laptop compartment are my critical requirements.

    2. Is the 3-5 year lifespan I’ve been hearing reasonable for a work tote? Is there anything in non-leather that can last 5 years at absolute minimum, or am I just expecting too much from a bag?

      2. I think you’re expecting too much, unless you go with a heavy nylon luggage material (like that used in some Tumi totes) or super casual like an LL Bean canvas boat tote. Even with those options, you’re going to see staining or fading.

    4. Not helpful to your hunt for alternatives but Lo & Sons has 25% off everything today

  6. DH and I would like to take a week long vacation some time this month or in the early part of April, and we are stumped about where to go. We live in Florida, are TTC (so no Zika locations), and my passport has expired so we need to stay in the US. We don’t want to go someplace too cold, and we’d like to be able to spend some time outdoors. We’ve already been to San Fran/Napa, LA, DC, Chicago, New Orleans, Savannah, and Charleston. Does anyone have any great recommendations? TIA!

      1. Great suggestions. I’d add Sedona to that, as well. It’s an easy drive from Phoenix or Flagstaff.

          1. Grand Canyon will probably be snowy this time of year. A little precarious to hike on the trails without crampons/yaktrax. Just a heads up! But, Sedona, absolutely!

        2. Sedona x1 million. Lots of great hiking very close to the main drag, and a wide range of hotel options to accommodate pretty much any budget. Plus, even the “budget” hotels have amazing views. Just make sure you rent a 4WD if you’re going to drive in from Phoenix/Flagstaff – we drove from Flagstaff and basically had to drive down a mountainside to get to Sedona.

      2. San Diego would be my choice. The Grand Colonial in La Jolla is an awesome place to stay.

    3. What kind of vacation do you want? Mostly city-based, with options for day trips? Or pool/beach lounging?

      Anyway, ideas for hotter climates — Arizona/Southwest (Grand Canyon, Sonoma hiking, etc), Palm Springs

      For city-based and spring-y, both Philly (to toot my home’s horn) and NYC can have changeable weather in March, but by mid April we often get an absolutely lovely week or two before pollen is out in full force.

      2. Appreciate the ideas so far! We like to have active vacations (i.e. biking, light hiking, etc.). We actually did Austin a few years ago (and loved it – can’t believe I forgot to list it). We aren’t crazy about the beach (we live by the beach and only go once each year), and we often spend a couple days in a city before going some places quieter (i.e. San Fran and Napa).

        1. Have you considered Vegas with a few days up at Zion National Park? Hiking around Vegas is good (Mt. Charleston, Red Rock Canyon, Lake Mead area) and kayaking under the Hoover Dam in Black Canyon is memorable. After a couple days in Vegas, drive up to Zion and enjoy a great National Park.

          1. Valley of Fire is an hour outside of Vegas and is absolutely beautiful (rivals some of the desert southwest Natl Parks, IMO)

          2. We did this trip last year. One night in Vegas then a road trip through southern Utah. We went to Zion, Bryce Canyon, the Golden Cathedral in Escalante(?), and Arches National Park. It wasn’t too crowded and we were able to secure lodging very easily every night. The parks all have day hikes. For Escalante,you need a four wheel drive to get to trail heads but you can rent them in town.

        2. Tennessee, near the Great Smoky Mountains.
          New England is also beautiful that time of year. I know because I went to college in Western Massachusetts, and it would be finals time, and I’d be too busy to enjoy the weather.

    5. Arkansas! It is a little rainy this time of year, but that just makes the waterfalls bigger. There are a ton of really cute small towns to visit with local shops. Outside of town is a big cat rescue that you can stay at in a yurt. It is absolutely gorgeous this time of year. I would recommend Eureka Springs as a cute town, and anything along the Buffalo Rive as far as hiking. Word to the wise, do not drive down to Kyle’s Landing unless you have to. The buffalo is a fun river to kayak though.

      1. Second the Arkansas recommendation! Eureka Springs and the Crescent Hotel, Buffalo River, Devil’s Den Park, if you have an extra day maybe drive through the Ozarks down to Altus and tour the wineries.

      2. I’ve done this. You can also include Branson, Missouri and see it as either the Las Vegas for the Religious Right and do an anthropological/sociological study, or go non-ironically and enjoy it. It’s actually really neat and cute with pretty good shows.

    6. When considering a March vacation, don’t forget that it’s also spring break season. That’s something that I used to forget pre-children and then you can end up finding inflated pricing, unexpected crowds, etc. There are lots of good suggestions above that should be “safe.”

    8. I just got back from Nashville and loved it (great food scene like Charleston). You could also tack on Asheville, NC and/or Great Smoky Mountains NP if you want to mix city with nature.

    9. Scottsdale. If you like baseball at all, go during Spring training. You can go hiking, watch cheap baseball, stay at a beautiful resort with a nice pool, and enjoy dry warm weather. It’s a little cheesy because, hey, Arizona, but actually a kind of awesome vacation.

    10. Portland or Seattle. Flowers will be coming up, won’t be too cold, tons of indoor / outdoor stuff to do.

  7. It’s Super Tuesday ladies. Whatever your political opinions, if you have a primary today make sure you get out there and VOTE!! Make time, leave work, take your kids. VOTE!!!

    1. I turn voting days into running days. Run from my house to the polls, be there to vote at 7am, then finish run. It’s my happy personal tradition.

      2. I wanted to do this because the polling place is right on my usual route anyway, but we have to present both ID and a postcard-sized voter registration certificate (that is my “ticket” to vote for the next two years, so I don’t want it to get crumpled and sweaty). Fooey.

    2. I agree. Too many people think we, as women, will just blindly vote for Hillary because she is a woman. Well, it is true she is a woman, but we must vote for the best person. If you think that is Hillary, fine, but if you don’t, then do not just vote for her because she is a woman. I recognize that we women do have to advance women, but we must also make sure we do not make the wrong choices JUST because someone is a woman. The other thing to consider is who else is running. Do we want the competition (if you’re a Democrat). After all, Sanders is kind of radical. If you are a Republican, do you want Donald Trump? If so, you get Milania at no extra charge! Cruz is another story as is Rubbio. In a nutshell, we women MUST exercise our right to vote, as given to us in 1920. Otherwise, we are just barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!

      1. Part of why I’m voting for Hillary is that she’s a woman, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Of course I think she’s qualified, but she’s also a woman, and given that we make up more than half of the population, it’s about time we were represented in the highest office in the country. And no, that doesn’t mean I would vote for Sarah Palin or Carly Fiorina (false slippery slope argument). Was there anything wrong with 90%+ of Black voters voting for Obama? No. They saw an opportunity to get equal representation and they took it.

      2. Given to *white women* in 1920. And really, not so much “given” as hard fought for and won.

    3. I hate that my primary vote basically doesn’t count since it comes so late in the process and the nominee is usually already known. I still vote though. I’m jealous of all of you who get to vote today or already have!

    4. Will do! I’ll be walking over to the polling place right after work, and I really hope all my friends do the same.

      I get that there’s probably a small percentage of y’all who actually can’t make it to the polls today due to extenuating circumstances, but for most of us, it’s not a particularly long, painful, or difficult task, so please get out there and do it!

      1. It’s going to be a long, painful, and difficult task for me (moved and somehow spaced on updating my registration from Old City to New City)…but I’m still going to do it. Trump makes me sick and my state has an open primary, so I’m going to cast my first and last vote for a Republican.

    5. I’m voting red in my red state just so I can vote for someone other than Trump. It makes me feel the slightest bit like my vote might matter.

          1. I did this as well today! At my polling place, the line to vote republican was out the door, but democrats had no wait. I was undecided about which to vote at first, but seeing that line made me feel like my vote mattered more in the republican race. I’m pretty sure there were several people in line with me using the same strategy!

          2. I’m doing the same. Even if I’ll probably be voting for whoever the Dem nominee is (because none of the Rep guys are palatable to me, but there’s icky, and then there’s /poison/) but at this point, I’ll throw my hat in for anyone whose name doesn’t rhyme with Dump.

      2. I know this is only 3 data points, but I have a lot of facebook friends doing the same and this makes me very nervous. Y’all know Ted Cruz is just as bad as or even worse than Trump, right?? Yes, he has more political experience and more ability to not run his mouth off and is less openly racist, but his actual policies are much further to the right, he can’t get along with anyone, and by all accounts is basically a sociopath. And Cruz has a way, way better chance of beating Hillary in the general. If he is the GOP nominee there is a very real chance of a presidency that would be a disaster for this country. Trump has NO chance of winning a general. I would be happy with Clinton v. Kasich and having two reasonable candidates, but that’s not going to happen, and Trump is by far the least threatening of the front-runners. I know so, so, so many Republicans who would stay home or vote for Clinton over Trump, but would vote for any other Republican over Clinton.

        1. +1

          Trump is viscerally noxious, but his “policies” aren’t actually worse than Cruz’s. The difference between the two is that Trump speaks his bigotry and the bigotry of his party, whereas Rubio and Cruz still expect voters to believe that their terrible policies are based in good intentions (this is, of course, laughable, but voters still seem to believe it).

          Also, Kasich is not reasonable. He’s just not the worst.

          1. I don’t know much about Kasich, but my Ohio-based family told me that the only reason he got to be the governor is because the person he was running against was an absolute laughingstock with multiple DUIs and other unsavory history. Kasich – despite being vehemently anti-union – ended up getting grudging endorsements from several unions, because they could not in good conscience back the scum that was his opponent.

            All of this just kind of makes me sad for the state of our democracy. There are how many millions of people in this country and this is the best we can do? Come back, moderates!

          2. Eh. My Ohio-based family said that the state Democratic party couldn’t find anyone good willing to run again Kasich. Same fact, dramatically different interpretation. Any current Ohioans want to weigh in here?

          3. Kasich is “reasonable” only when he’s standing alongside Trump, Rubio and Cruz. To be fair, he extended Medicaid after the ACA, unlike some Republican governors, but otherwise he is the opposite of moderate. He is, as noted, very anti-union and backed legislation to end public-sector collective bargaining, along the way trashing teachers and others (and was recorded calling a cop an “idiot” when he was pulled over for speeding). He recently signed a bill to cut off all funding for Planned Parenthood, which had gone to cancer screening and other serious women’s health matters, not to abortion services, and which had been awarded through a competitive grant process that found PP to be the best provider of those services. He signed it about 2 days before the NC primary, in what seemed to be very clear pandering.

            And Kasich is a darling of crony capitalism. He worked on Wall Street (Lehman Bros? I can’t recall) after leaving Congress and made obscene amounts of money just before the crash. As governor, he privatized Ohio’s jobs and economic development program, stocking it with corporate types and refusing to produce any of its records on the theory that it’s not a public entity; even the Republican state auditor has been fighting with him on this.

            It is true that the last candidate against Kasich turned out to be weak and have some significant issues (although I wouldn’t call him scum), which is much of the reason he was re-elected, not because he is so popular. And as far as the Dems being unable to find someone to run against him last time, I feel that it is harder and harder to convince good people to become candidates because of the fundraising, the intrusive vetting and the vitriol of campaigns. I wouldn’t do it. (Not that anyone is asking . . .)

        2. I’m confused by the notion that Trump (Drumpf) has no chance of winning a general election. Just a few short months ago, everyone was saying that there was no chance of winning the GOP nomination. If he can get enough support to win the nomination, how is he so unelectable in a general election?

          John Oliver on Last Week Tonight had an amazing take down of Trump (Drumpf) but so so many people don’t bother to look closely at a candidate’s position on issues.

          2. People were saying he had no chance of winning the GOP nomination because the consensus was that there were so many candidates running that eventually people would all get behind one of the non-Trump candidates. That obviously didn’t happen, but the arguments about why he won’t win the general are different and not based on the same theories. Polls show both Bernie and Hillary would beat him handily. Obviously one person’s friends and family are anecdata but in my circle everyone who would vote for Clinton over Cruz or Rubio would also vote for her over Trump, and a large number of the Republicans I know would stay home or vote for Clinton over Trump but vote for Rubio or even Cruz over Clinton. The national polling supports my anecdotal experience, that she would fare much, much better against Trump than Cruz or Rubio.
            Even if Trump could win a general (I still think this is only possible if a third party candidate like Bloomberg ran) I still think Cruz is a much worse, more threatening candidate. Trump might be a more embarrassing leader because he would say absurd/offensive things so frequently, but I believe Cruz would do far more damage to the country in the long-term.
            John Oliver’s takedown was amusing, but the way I see it, Trump is an idiotic buffoon who is in love with himself, and Cruz is an extremely intelligent, calculating, evil man. I think the latter is far more dangerous than the former.

      3. I briefly considered this, but ultimately decided against it. I just feel too strongly about Bernie and would have regretted not giving him my vote. Hopefully, I’ll get to give him another one in November.

        1. briefly considered this, but ultimately decided against it. I just feel too strongly about Bernie and would have regre**ed not giving him my vote. Hopefully, I’ll get to give him another one in November.

    6. I took my daughter to vote and then out to breakfast this morning, as I have been doing every election since she was a baby!

      1. I LOVE THIS TRADITION!

        Sorry I left my capslock on and then realized after I typed the above, but my love for your tradition is so strong, I left the capitals ;)

        1. My mum used to take me with her to vote, and as soon as I could hold a pencil I would mark the X in the box for her. Sometimes my dad used to take me again in the evening! I’m really glad they did it because voting always seemed natural to me and when I turned 18 I marched into that polling booth knowing exactly what I was doing!

          1. Ha! So it’s your fault we have voter ID laws now! If a baby can vote twice in one day what does that say about the state of our democracy?!

            :kidding:

      3. Yes, when my son was young he always went to the polls with me and the poll workers always gave him an “I voted” sticker. It was a great tradition and I miss it now that he’s grown and gone.

      4. I took my son, now almost 3, to vote with me last year and will definitely do it again this year. He loved the sticker, hiding in the voting booth, and the cookie he got afterward (my polling place is a school and the students were hosting a bake sale). This year hopefully I can introduce the idea of democracy. Not quite sure how that will contrast with the “mommy and daddy are the boss” message we have at home, but we’ll see.

        1. Hahaha, at that age, my son wanted his stuffed animals to vote against us. We were so proud!

      5. I really believe that this, and my mother’s habit of discussing political issues with me that mattered to her, really informed my dedication to voting. I don’t consider politics a spectator sport; issues arise that affect me every day, so I have an obligation to be informed and make my opinion heard. My parents putting off by a day the start of a much-planned, expensive trip to the UK when I was in 7th grade so that they could go to the polls & vote also had an impact.

        I don’t like that I’m in a caucus state, but our state legislature just completely got rid of the presidential primaries here. The caucus is just a bizarre system.

      6. I’m so starting that tradition when I have kids. That’s both adorable and a great way to get the kids thinking about these things.

  8. I’m looking for a somewhat polished looking backpack to haul my work and gym stuff. Ideally, it can (at the least) carry laptop, files, wallet, sneakers, outfit, makeup/shower accessories. I’ve been using the Athleta Warm-up Gym bag, but that’s just getting uncomfortable since I walk about a mile to/from work. Price point is >$200, but I’m willing to consider higher for a holy grail backpack. Any suggestions?

    1. I like Timbuk2 for (slightly) professional backpacks, but I also feel like I’ve been seeing more of them around from a variety of brands lately.

    2. I have a Tumi backpack and it holds my laptop (in a padded sleeve), files, wallet, some accessories. I don’t think it could hold a whole outfit as well. But they may have different sizes available. I think it is very polished and professional looking. Before this backpack I had a Kate Spade backpack that I loved. Check out the Matt & Nat backpacks on the Nordstrom site.

      I am so envious of your 1 mile walking commute. Sounds divine.

    3. I LOVE my Everlane “Modern Snap Backpack.” It’s the only bag I own that comfortably fits: laptop, notebooks, water bottle, gym clothes, sneaker and lunch. It has a drawstring top, which can make it a bit of a pain to search for stuff in the bottom of the bag (as compared to a traditional backpack that unzips), and the front pocket can be a pain to open and close on the go (like if you need to quickly grab your wallet). But I highly recommend it!

    4. Amazon search “Korean Backpack.” I got an awesome one with black canvas, (probably fake) tan leather details & sky blue piping. I always get compliments on it & it cost about $30.
      FWIW I’m not Korean, but I got the recc from a friend whose backpack I loved.
      I’ll try to find the exact one & link it below.

  10. What are you guys wearing today? I’ll go first: charcoal camel hair pencil skirt, black tights, booties, fitted black top, raspberry scarf, art deco silver bracelet. (Pencil skirt, boots, top, scarf is kind of my uniform). Not the most colorful, but after getting a few skirts tailored to fit me, I’m feeling pretty good about having found a uniform that lets me feel tailored but not like my clothing is too tight, feminine but really covered/modest. (I’m starting out as a professor in a department where there were no women my age, so figuring out what to wear was a struggle).

    1. One of my current favorites! A cherry red skirt with gathered detail and buttons down one side, with matching red flats, a white t-shirt and taupe cardigan. And beige tights that match my skin tone.

        1. Modcloth! I’m totally blanking on the name, but if it’s still there you can probably find it if you run a search for red skirts. It comes in charcoal, too, or at least it has.

      2. Hi! I’m the scroll button. I’m on your mouse, and you can reach me with your pointer finger.

        If you want to go really fast, you can use my buddy the down arrow, on the keyboard. Hope this helps!

      3. Nope, not going to feel bad about this post. Insofar as the subtext of my question was, “Hey, I’m a young professional woman trying to figure out what I should wear but don’t have any role models at work. Here’s what I’m doing. What about you?” my post is totally faithful to the point of this site. Also, it’s just fun hearing everyone’s outfits. It gives me ideas for different color combinations and accessories.

      4. Yeah, you can also “collapse all replies” and just note even see the responses.
        I hope you clicked on “notify me of follow-up comments by email

    4. Vince Camuto funnel neck top in black and white graphic print (Kat might have featured this last year), which I had tailored to make high hip length and take out the ruching after I lost some weight, wide-leg black trousers, necklace of dark red beads, black and silver bangle watch, dark red faux croc heeled mary janes.

    5. Black pencil skirt, black sleeveless top, black/tan tweed collarless jacket (long length), handknit grey lace shawl worn as a scarf, black/gray pumps, Tahitian pearls, bare legs (yay California!)

    6. It’s beautifully springy here today so I’m springy: Olive BR sloan ankle pants, coral button-front shirt, plaid cotton blazer with various green/olive/coral colors and navy piping, white handbag, and my beloved coral Kate Spade pumps. I’m matchy matchy but I don’t care!

      1. I’m springy too! Black and white striped fit and flare dress, wide black braided belt, mint cardigan, and mint patent flats. I also am wearing a down vest and olive utility jacket because it’s freezing in my office.

      2. It’s snowing. Black knit skirt, black/white/metallic grey tweed jacket over a grey turtleneck, grey tights and pewter pumps. Long down coat and Uggs for the commute.

    7. I’m springy too! A teal/blue sheath dress with elbow length sleeves and cool seam detailing (feels vaguely star trek, but not nearly as treky as the dress featured above) with a really colorful rainbowy abstract scarf and black pumps.

    8. Teal Tahari sheath dress with elbow length sleeves; string of pearls; light beige quilted wedges.

    9. We’re anticipating another 20 cm of snow tonight (sobs), so I’m still in winter mode. Burgundy ankle pants, a cream shell and a cream and black blazer as I have meetings. To go home I have my giant parka and hard core snow boots, along with the crucial blanket scarf.

    10. Navy pencil skirt, floral tie-neck blouse, dark green cardigan, brown loafers.
      Hello spring, my legs are happy to see you!

    11. Burgundy paisley print wrap from Talbots that I got at the outlet over the weekend ($15 !!) and a pair of black pants. This shirt is great. Good weight, hides my post baby belly and will wash well.

      On a related note… I cannot wait for spring! no more heavy winter boots and I can actually look nice commuting to and from work. I currently feel like the character from the Revenant trudging through my building.

    12. BR grey-on-grey print slacks, fuchsia 3/4 sleeve knit top, black ankle boots. Hair pulled back, dangly crystal earrings, silver musical-note pendant necklace, lipstick in the same tone as my shirt. I can run around like I need to (first of the month, whoo, so fun *collapses*) but I still look put together, and bright lipstick with a simple eye is becoming my version of war paint.

    13. White cotton top, knee-length grey skirt, black tights with a diamond patterned and black knee boots with 2″ heels for a windy, rainy day.

  11. Anyone want to do some vicarious shopping? I am going to a wedding in Dallas in April. It is on a Sunday (grr) but is an evening wedding, not at a church. My DH is a groomsman. Should I go short or long? Color? I can’t do RTR because we will be OOT for too long.

    1. It will likely be relatively warm in April. Is the wedding outdoors? In a hotel? You’ll very likely be fine with a shorter dress. I don’t remember the last time I saw full-length dresses at weddings in Dallas.

    2. Have RTR ship to your hotel and ship back from the hotel. I’ve done that a few times and it worked out great! Plus, no traveling with a dress!

    4. If your date the groomsman is wearing a tux, go long for fun!
      If your date the groomsman is wearing a suit, go shorter.

  12. Makeup advice – I have been a loyal Bare Minerals user for years and I think it might be time for a change. I like the light coverage and easy application, but after a couple of hours, it totally disappears and I look like a mess. What is a good next step? I have never been really good with liquid foundations.

    1. Are you using a primer under your Bare Minerals? I started using one (first Smashbox, then Tarte) years ago and it made a world of difference in the staying power of my makeup.

      I don’t like true foundation, so I use BB cream with a translucent mineral powder on top. My favorite BB cream is also Tarte’s.

    2. I use the BB cream from boscia. I mix it with my moisturizer. My skin is too dry for powder anymore so I had to stop with the bare minerals. I hated their liquid foundation too, fwiw. The boscia is nice light coverage.

    3. I swear by MAC’s Studio Fix powder foundation. I put on concealer under my eyes, then use a brush to dust on the foundation, and it gives a beautiful airbrushed look without being heavy or cakey.

      1. Love Studio Fix. Equivalent coverage to bare minerals but with all day hold. It does cause acne in some folks though, so try it and if you are breaking out, that could be why.

        1. Interesting! My skin was always awful, and once I ditched Covergirl for MAC, it went away almost overnight.

  13. Are they really only making the Halogen Seamed Pencil Skirt in black right now? Why can’t I find it in any other colors? I really need a navy pencil skirt (and would also buy this skirt in about 12 different colors), but I’m only seeing black, which I already have! Am I missing something?

    1. You might stalk e-bay for your size in different colors – I’ve found a couple in my size over the years.

    2. FYI: I have been wanting that skirt in navy for 3 years. Despite the many colors, I have never seen it in navy. Maybe this spring!

  14. I have a really stupid question. Is there a point in the day where bold lipstick is weird at work? I get to work super early in the day and feel a bit odd wearing a bold lip that early in the day. But then at what point should I put it on? It’s a red shade, if that makes a difference.

    2. Nope, a bold lip early in the morning just looks like you’re on top of the game today.

    3. No, I put my lipstick on before I leave the house whether it’s red, fuchsia, burgundy or anything in between. You’re fine :)

    4. Thanks all! I rarely wear makeup but have been trying to up my accessories and makeup game this year.

    5. I find a bold lip in the morning pairs well with a giant mug of coffee, especially when you need to kick *ss before 10 am.

  15. I need a new laptop computer soon. I carry it to work often, so light is key. This time I am thinking about getting a slightly smaller laptop and buying a separate large screen/monitor to have at home. Connect the two. Does anyone do this, and have a recommendation of a “system” or what components they purchased?

    What brands did you get?

    What size did you get? My current laptop is 15″ I think, and is probably wider then I need, if I could save some on weight.

    My last two computers have been Dell laptops with lots of problems…… Before that, I had a Mac that I loved for many years until I broke the screen. I had a hard time justifying the price lately for another Mac, but now I’m wondering…

    1. I adore my MacBook air, that thing is SO light, and has fantastic battery life. I don’t use it for work, but at home, I often use airplay, and connect the screen to my TV, and use an external keyboard/mouse, and flop on my couch while browsing the internet. .

        1. I definitely surf on my couch quit a bit, but I’m looking for something that is more of a “home office”, for when I need to get work done at home.

          Also, my posture is so awful when I’m surfing on the couch (and I have chronic back pain now…)that I know I need to have a set up that is more ergonomic.

          I am getting old….!

    2. I bought an HP Stream laptop to work from home on my couch. I’ve had it for several months and still don’t like it. I’m currently saving up for a MacBook Air.

      To be fair, I’m all Apple devices in my personal life and only use a PC at work. If I could use a Mac at the office, I would.

    3. My work provides the Lenovo X1 Carbon, plus a docking station and monitor for home use. I’m obsessed with it. It’s tiny and powerful and I never have any issues. When I leave this job someday, I’m buying myself the same setup.

      1. What kind of docking station? And how big is the laptop screen, and the monitor?

        Thanks!

        1. It’s made by Lenovo. It’s a teeny tiny little thing that connects to my laptop by USB, with lots of inputs. I can charge my iPhone, connect a monitor and a mouse, etc. and it takes up very little space. I think it’s called the USB 3.0 Dock.

          1. No idea about how big the monitor is — this is the one they ordered and shipped to my desk. It’s basically the same size as a regular, flat screen desktop monitor (also made by Lenovo). I think the laptop screen is 14″, but I’m sure google can confirm.

      2. I have an X1 carbon and am a 3L in law school. If you are PC user, this is the holy grail of laptops. It’s endured constant abuse, and is fantastic. I got the 3 year warranty too and it’s been AMAZING–only issue was a key that was sticky on my keyboard, likely due to my sticky eating(!). It’s light, powerful, fast, etc.

        The docking station will be proprietary (and on Lenovo’s website). You can use any monitor as long as it’s pretty recent.

        1. Thinkpad/Lenovo have a rep as hardy business computers. I had a thinkpad in law school (3 years) and that thing lasted another 5 years after school. It techincally still runs, but the monitor went out so has to be hooked up to an external monitor to be useful..

          1. They did, but I believe they got sold or changed something– can’t remember exact details, but know there was a change.

    5. I have a 13 inch Lenovo with a solid state drive with external monitors at both the office and home. I have Chargers, keyboards, and mice in both places so just grab the laptop and go.

  16. I just bought the Radley Dover handbag after having seen a post mentioning them here a week or so ago.

    I love it, but it is tiny bit too small. I cannot put a letter sized filed in it, for example. I probably take files home once a week on average.

    I don’t want to send it back, to the UK, and have to apply to get the duty back etc etc, and for most days it is big enough.

    I think the answer is some sort of resilient but professional looking tote to bring on days I have extra stuff. I had a quick look on the Nordstrom site, but nothing is jumping out at me.

    Anyone have a tote they love?

  17. I was going to hire someone to do our taxes (married, filing jointly, purchased home in 2015, no student loans, income limited to paycheck + salaries only, no dependents). I THINK we’re as straight forward as they come, but I’m not a pro and I just don’t know. Since getting a large salary increase 2 yrs ago and getting married we’ve had to write big checks (~$4k) each year.

    We were going to hire Tax Preparer (CPA) this year after TurboTax showed we owe another $4k this year with the goal of having the Tax Preparer confirm the Turbo Tax result. Assuming they matched, we’d revert back to TT next year. Basically wanted someone to check our work.

    The (highly recommended) tax preparer in my major city is charging between $500 and $600. He’ll also help us plan better our with holdings after he does the initial preparatino. Tax Preparer just sent me a 63 PAGE document to complete before he gets started. Is this typical? I feel like it’s the exact same Q&A that I get from Turbo Tax. I don’t know what I expected, but a document like this was certainly not it. All of my tax docs are well organized and ready to send otherwise. Thoughts??

    1. I would call the person and ask. Maybe you can just print out the TurboTax questionnaire. I usually just send my preparer all the tax docs and tell them to ask me if they have questions, but the first year we were with them we did do the whole questionnaire. Some of the questions might be obscure, like the basis on all the holdings in your IRAs, for example.

    2. That is kind of crazy. We live in a small town, but our CPA charges $250 for our taxes, which include the standard stuff from me (W2, loans, mortgage) and my husband’s sole proprietorship. I do an Excel spreadsheet every year that goes line by line on the 1040 and give her our paperwork to correspond with that spreadsheet. I think she charges $600+ for people who aren’t as organized with their stuff, but there definitely is no crazy questionnaire.

      1. While 63 pages is definitely overkill, a good CPA will absolutely expect you to complete some sort of questionnaire as part of the process. Not only does this help you organize your own data, there are several items that we really need clients to confirm (preferably in writing) like the health insurance requirement, and the questionnaire helps us to do with a minimum of back and forth (which saves the client money). I know you feel like your information is well organized, but that doesn’t mean it is organized in a way that will allow the CPA or his staff to get through is efficiently – doing it their way will help with this and keep your cost down.

        My guess is that they send you their default document, which has every single possible page in it, rather than building you a custom one based on your prior year return. You will likely need to fill our maybe 20 of the pages, and most of them will be a line or two.

        As for fees, in a major market $500 is pretty reasonable – I know many firms with a $1000 minimum. A small town, old school preparer may well charge only $250. Much of it depends on their experience, their age, the market, etc. In my million person city, I was going to purchase an older preparer’s practice when he retired, but didn’t when I found out he charged $250 for returns my practice charges $400 or more for.

        A good CPA is worth a higher price – you aren’t just paying for tax prep, but for their recommendations and advice. They will help you make adjustments to prevent you from owing, and make sure you are taking advantage of all the deductions you can. But you won’t get that from just going to a CPA for one year – the benefit really comes from the ongoing contact and followup over time.

    3. It is typical and helpful for the accountant, especially if you have a complicated situation, but a lot of people don’t sent those things back in, and your situation does not sound complicated at all. So long as you bring them a copy of your last year’s return and your stuff is organized, you’re probably fine.

    4. Mister Money Mustache recommends Fishback Tax. They work with you remotely and charge a flat rate of $100 for personal returns. I recently sent them a question and got a response in less than 24 hours. I’m probably still going to do my own taxes this year but I will be certainly trying them in the future if I decide to outsource.

      1. Great idea – send all your personal info to some random company online that displays no credentials of any kind. Where are they registered (FYI, they are not designated as a public accounting firm, so not only does that mean they don’t have to register anywhere or comply with any rules, they likely can’t hire any decent CPAs)? Where are their “CPAs” registered? Do they have any violations? Do they know anything about the state you live in and the tax opportunities that state presents? At $100 a return, that’s a cheap assembly line – no real attention will be paid to your return.

        1. For complex taxes, I would want a relationship with a local CPA. OP sounds like she has pretty straight forward taxes and just wants a second look. I actually value the opinions of bloggers I follow and don’t consider the companies they recommend the same as I would consider a random google result.

          1. If the person making the referral didn’t make money for every recommendation, and a basic review of their website didn’t turn up multiple red flags, I’d agree. Honesty, there are so many secure ways to transfer data, that even on a complex return I don’t think local is a requirement. But transparency about who will see/use my information and whether they are actually qualified to do the work is super important.

      2. But, there was also a New Yorker article this week that stated that MMM makes 400K+ per year based on his recs. That doesn’t mean this isn’t the way to go, but his recs are paid, and you should know it might not be the best, but perhaps, the sponsoring rec, that he’s giving.

        1. This is probably a tangential rant, but I wish people would read MMM the same way Splurge Monday is viewed here by most of us–inspiration to brainstorm and see how you might be able to incorporate the underlying idea into your own situation, but not an actual literal “DO THIS.” People think they need to do exactly what he did, even though much of his advice is not broadly applicable.

          I see blogs like that and similar that are frequently written by people who went into the workforce at 22 with no undergraduate loans and were working 9-5 and had plenty of free time to reverse-outsource (insource?) to save money, plus pick up side jobs to bring in extra money. But if you started reading his blog after you graduated law school at 26 with $150k in debt, LOL at the idea that you can save on transit costs by giving up an hour to walk to your Biglaw office in Manhattan from the cheaper neighborhood, or bring in an extra $10 a week by stringing jewelry while sitting on conference calls and selling on Etsy.

          There is certainly advice in there that is useful for not falling into the golden handcuffs, but I see too many of my friends who money-shame themselves because they don’t change their own oil at 3am or spend the only nonworking hours they have all weekend doing at-home “dry” cleaning and prepping large batch meals to freeze.

        2. +100 to this. I did actually track down the guy who runs this firm – his name was mentioned in a Yelp review of Fishback Tax. Although he provides a DC phone number, he’s actually licensed in Nevada, and his ‘firm’ isn’t licensed at all. Been a CPA for less than 2 years, so at a staff experience level, not at all who should be running a firm. Sketchy sketchy.

    5. The price is probably about right. Small city in the Midwest, slightly more complicated taxes (partner in a tiny firm that is a true partnership, so we’re self-employed, no withholding, health insurance gets complicated), and I think last year’s bill from the CPA was $650. We do fill out a “tax organizer” questionnaire but it’s nowhere near 63 pages — maybe 15 total, and some don’t apply so I skip them.

      Agreed, bring in your return from last year, your W-2s and other docs and maybe your turbo tax questionnaire but don’t bother with completing the CPA’s forms.

      1. Does “bring in” imply you’re sitting with them first? I’m supposed to send them all of this via email and come in after the initial run through is complete.

        For some reason I just don’t think I’m getting my money’s worth. I’m in finance and good with money, but not a tax pro. So, it’s really hard to know what I don’t know. Am I writing these checks year after year because I’m missing something?? Ugh. Maybe paying the $500 for one year is worth the validation that I am doing it right and can drop this guy next year.

        1. Sorry, should have said send in. Send everything by e-mail then ask your questions. I think it’s probably worth the validation, but I’m definitely not a finance person so YMMV.

          And, FWIW, I’ve had the same tax accountant for 10 or 12 years and have never met him in person. He was recommended by someone, and I’ve spoken to him on the phone many times and we’ve e-mailed a lot, but never had a face-to-face, so that’s not a necessity.

        2. With a new client, I do generally meet with them first. But with existing clients I meet after their work is complete, if at all.

          What is is you are expecting for your money? There’s no magic, but you likely are missing some opportunities. Being in finance doesn’t make you qualified to do your taxes, any more than a contracts attorney should suddenly litigate to save a few bucks.

        3. If you are writing $4,000 checks every single year, yes, you are absolutely missing something. It might be deductions you’re missing, but at the very least would be poor withholding that doesn’t take into account something in your situation. And if it’s happening year after year, unless your tax liability is increasing dramatically each year, you’re possibly incurring penalties for withholding less than the safe harbor amount.

          And do not bring in your Turbo Tax questionnaire. Would you go into to meet with a litigator and say “Here’s this pleading I found on Legal Zoom, I’d like you to start with that.”

    6. Yours sounds as complicated as my parents’, which is not complicated at all. I’ve done my patents’ taxes for several years using online sites without a hitch. If you’re owing so much, you might want to check your W-4? I think if you owe over $1000, you get penalized.

      $650 sounds like a lot, but if it gives you the peace of mind, then do it. I personally just try different online sites and make sure I don’t skip something, like the HSA contributions.

    7. ***I am not a tax attorney and everything that follows is merely observations based on my own experience.

      This is why I do my own taxes. When we were first married we hired an accountant to do our taxes at my husband’s insistence, but it turned out to be easier, less time-consuming, and cheaper for me to do it myself with tax software. In fact, filling out Schedule C by hand was not any more difficult than working with the accountant.

      In general, the standard withholding schedules result in underwithholding when a husband and wife have roughly equal incomes, especially if they are high earners. When I got out of law school and went back to work full time, I had to adjust my withholding status to “married but withhold at higher single rate” and specify an additional amount to be withheld each month.

      1. Yeah I changed all my with holdings to the married but withhold at single rate after doing my taxes this year. I also changed my state one to withhold an extra dollar amount since I owed the state for 2015

        1. I had a similar problem to the OP- last year we owed 20k (what!?). This year, I divided 20k by 12 & withheld about 1600 more each month. This year, we made even more & still owe 6k. At least it’s better than 20k.
          OP- if you didn’t take out extra withholdings, take out about $300-$350 more each month & you should be better off next year.

  18. Does anyone have a recommendation for a financial adviser in NYC? Fiance and I would like someone to talk to about the taxes related to getting married this year and balancing saving for law school, saving for a house, and saving for retirement.

    1. Is this even the sort of thing you would see a financial adviser for, or just do research on your own? How much should we expect this sort of consult to cost?

      1. If you want to talk taxes, you need a CPA specializing in tax, who can likely advise you on your other listed questions as well (I do this all the time). If you are looking more for advice about the specific vehicles you should use to save, then you’d want a financial adviser. Fee wise, as you can tell from the tax discussion above, it can vary widely. But I’d plan for a couple hours of a manager or partner’s time (depending on firm size). So maybe $300-$600 very roughly?

      2. I would love a recommendation, too. Everyone always says get a fee based (non commission) adviser and then no one ever has a recommendation. In my real life, the only people who have someone are those using their ‘parent’s guy’ which obviously doesn’t help me because that person won’t see us (non enough money) and is only seeing my friends as a favor to higher net worth parents.

    2. Sounds like you’re looking for a financial planner rather than a financial advisor. I recommend looking up a fee-based planner (where you pay a flat fee instead of a commission or asset-based fee) on napfa.org.

  19. Is scuba fabric comfortable to wear or do you just feel like a sausage squeezed in a casing?

    1. As far as I can tell this NOT neoprene (what the wetsuits that SCUBA divers wear are made of), but is a knit of some sort. I imagine it as something along the lines of a more stable knit (not a lot of stretch)…though the description for this item calls it a jersey, which would be the opposite of that description in my book.

      I hate the “scuba” description, because it not a well defined fabric term.

    2. It’s really comfortable but also very flattering. It’s close-fitting but doesn’t show lumps or lines. I have another similar Elie Tahari dress and love it.

      1. +1

        I experienced it in some Calvin Klein dresses I found at …. Marshall’s. So flattering, but made me a little too self-conscious (body-con) so I finally decided against them for work.

    3. I tried on a dress that was made with this fabric. It was comfortable to wear, but it was basically shiny polyester fabric that didn’t really drape like silk or other shiny fabrics. I also worried that it was going to be hot, because it’s thick and not breathable. So, I returned it and will not be buying it in the future.

  20. In the late 90s my favorite dress was an Escada mixed media, with sweater knit sleeves and a scuba fabric body. Scuba is really a thick, smooth polyester knit that doesn’t flex much. It’s like the material many laptop sleeves are made from. I liked it a lot because it was thick enough to glide over the body without clinging but flexible enough to not feel restrictive.

    I have seen the Tahari scuba items in person. They have made some improvements in scuba fabric. It has the same characteristics but is a bit thinner. The prints are really subtle and beautiful. The colors seem particularly saturated.

    1. What you are describing is neoprene (the thick fabric, like laptop sleeves) vs “scuba” knit which is not neoprene, is thinner and more akin to a ponte knit (double-knit fabric).

      Most references to scuba fabrics in garments these days is to the scuba knit, not neoprene.

      1. Actually I am describing scuba. As I mentioned, I have seen the Tahari dresses in person. Yes, it is thinner than most laptop sleeves but it it a synthetic, flat knit.

        1. Alright then. Just trying to clarify that not all self-described scuba dresses are neoprene (like the featured item today), and some are just a regular thicker knit.

          Though, I’m kind of baffled at the love of neoprene (rubber) when other synthetics gets scoffed at (not by the OP here necessarily, but in general)

      2. I have a Cynthia Rowley neoprene dress that is beautiful. She’s known for her neoprene dresses and they really are awesome

  21. will try posting again in the coffee break: has anyone hired an at-home manicurist? I’m considering a “spa party” with some girlfriends and am interested in paying someone to do color changes only (or else it’d take too long) and if i had a regular manicurist I’d definitely ask her (but i don’t) and I’m also thinking saturdays might be busy days for anyone in the beauty services business. i looked on care.com because i have no idea where else to look. i was also going to ask a friend who is in beauty (hair cutter?) school. any other tips?

    1. Is there a reason you want to do a spa party? It sounds like with time and location restrictions it might be more fun to do something else?

    3. Do you have a Glam Squad near you? They send manicurists, stylists, makeup artists right to your home

    4. You can call a salon ahead of time and make a reservation for X number of mani/pedis and they can staff it appropriately. Given a salon with several manicurists vs. having one visit you and work on one person at a time, it would actually be faster and more fun to just go somewhere as a griyo and then go to another location for dinner afterwards.

    5. Not trying to be mean but I have kids and this sounds like a birthday party for girls ages 4-8 — maybe ask under “birthday parties – girls”? Will there be other spa treatments or wine? I think you and your friends would get more out of going to a salon.

    6. KT: A coworker also mentioned GlamSquad and I’ve emailed with them to work out a “large party” request. It seems like exactly what I was looking for, thanks!

      No offense taken – but my friends are all ridiculously lackluster when it comes to group activities and I figured having it at my house with one or two manicurists would be a safer “buffer” against flaky friends, than booking 10 mani/pedis at a salon and have 3-5 ppl show up on time, and 2 straggle in an hour later. (also, it’s something I’m paying for so I’d prefer more control over the situation and less counting on my friends to show up). I’d love to have less flaky friends, but they’re pretty wonderful in other ways, so this is what I do.

      Thanks, everyone for your responses!

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