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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
There are limited sizes and colors left of this cardigan, but considering that it came in 11 colors originally, that speaks really well of the sweater. A good cardigan is gold in spring, summer and fall, particularly when you consider unpredictable weather and overeager air conditioners. This sweater was $44, and is now marked to $24.90 (still available in S-L in the coral and S only in butter). Halogen Crewneck Cardigan
Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail editor@corporette.com with “TPS” in the subject line.
(L-2)
Sales of note for 9.30.24
- Nordstrom – Beauty deals through September
- Ann Taylor – Extra 30% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off sale
- J.Crew – 50% off select styles
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything + 50% off sale with code
- Lo & Sons – Warehouse sale, up to 70% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Neiman Marcus – Friends & Family 25% off
- Rag & Bone – Friends & Family 25% off sitewide
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Fall Cyber Monday sale, 40% off sitewide and $5 shipping
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- White House Black Market – 40% off select 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…
AIMS
Cute! I normally find crewneck cardigans (like the Jackie from JCrew) to be very unflattering on me, and prefer v-neck cardis, but something about the lower scoop of the neckline on this makes me think this would be very flattering. I think I may have to get it in coral. Nice pick!
C2
I have this in black & I agree 100% with that assessment — the rare flattering crewneck cardigan. I actually found it to run a teensy bit tight in the chest (i.e. the buttons pull a bit), so if you’re busty and want to do a full button, consider sizing up.
C2
Lest anyone think I’m running around town with my cardigans buttoned to my neck, let me clarify that I meant if you want to button the second or third buttons, beware of gaping.
Michelle
I just assumed you were Amish :-)
houda
That made me smile
Notalawyer
I like this sweater and have several of the colors. It does very much gape if you’re busty. (I’m going to sew them shut.) It has a very nice stretch and finish.
If you’re petite, I recommend buying the petite version. The regular runs very long on me and has unattractive waist lumpage as a result.
Susan B
I agree this is a beautiful sweater, but a quick threadjack! I watched the Royal Wedding this morning @ 6:00 a.m., and it was so beautiful!!!
I really loved Princess Kate’s dress. She was so pretty, I hope someday I will have a beautiful wedding like this, but I realize that I am not going to have a royal wedding or any of the pagentry associated therewith! Even so, I can always dream of finding my own prince (God knows I’ve kissed more than my share of toads!)
Anyway, back to the normal drudgery. I have so much work today to do and my boss is not at all sentimental. No way would I ever be able to talk to her about the royal wedding and the lovely pagentry! Thank God for Corporette! At least we can appreciate beauty. Have a wonderful weekend!
C2
I just want to chime in to say how much I love her sister’s dress, her mom’s dress, and the fantastic, absurd hats. Good show.
Sydney Bristow
Pippa’s dress was gorgeous! I loved Kate’s dress as well and thought it was perfect. I was glad to see Sarah Burton designed it. I heard a rumor that it was a vintage Lee Alexander McQueen design that Burton worked from.
SF Bay Associate
I loved it all – they all looked amazing (aside from wth was on beatrice’s head, which seemed related to Prince’s glyph). The couple looked so relaxed and happy. I hope I look that way on my wedding day, whenever that is. And I am very excited to see all the dresses that will now have sleeves. It was one thing when Chelsea and Ivanka did sleeves, but now that Princess Catherine has, hopefully they will become the new trend.
I also have to say how much I love that my job allows me to show up at 10am occasionally with no problem at all. I had to watch the wedding!
Wondering
I didn’t get up to watch the wedding but I did see all of the pictures online. I thought Kate looked very pretty. More than anything, I so appreciate that she did not have the usual strapless, ivory dress that everyone wears these days. Her dress was very modest, but so unique and classy. I hope that the fact that she wore a dress with sleeves will encourage designers to start making more sleeved dresses. We need them.
found a peanut
The reason that she didn’t have the usual ivory, strapless dress is because she had to wear sleeves.
found a peanut
I should clarify – Kate, because she was marrying royalty and getting married in Westminster Abbey, had to wear sleeves. I wouldn’t see her sleeved dress as the start of any type of trend. The sleeves weren’t her personal choice.
Anonymous
She was keeping her in-laws happy!
She seems the type who would’ve picked a Caroline Bessette-Kennedy type breezy gown if she has her way. Or the Gynn Stefani pink one.
Ruby Lou
Required or not, I was SO happy to see the sleeves! As far as I am concerned, the strapless wedding dress trend needs to die (a friend of mine refers to it as “the naked bride”) – I already know it’s going to be frustrating when I go wedding dress shopping and 90% of the gowns out there are strapless.
goirishkj
Another option is a lacy jacket to put over the strapless dress. Of course, if you really really hate strapless dresses that won’t work at all, but if you just want some more coverage, you can get that and I would think the alterations might be a bit easier. A friend of mine wore a strapless dress with a lacy jacket over it–it was stunning, and the overall effect was similar to Kate’s dress (which I thought was gorgeous!)
I may be in the minority though, as I don’t mind the strapless dresses. I think that’s because I’ve lived in areas of the country subject to massive temperature shifts in the spring and fall. Strapless is easier to put something over if it shifts cold and then you aren’t too hot if the temps shift hot!
PollyD
Check out Anthropologies’ wedding collection: http://www.bhldn.com/the-shop/
If the linke doesn’t work, it’s easy enough to find by googling. I love the dresses even if most don’t have sleeves, and the jewelry and hairpieces are lovely. Wish I was getting married!
goirishkj
I scared my husband when I looked at that site! I loved the variety. Basically, I love pretty dresses. Plus, when I was a little girl, my maternal grandmother would always talk about wedding dresses and how we would go get my dress together someday. She passed away before I got married, but in my head whenever I look at dresses I think of her and smile.
Sometimes, I am SUCH a girl :)
Ann
Nothin’ wrong with bein’ a girl, honey. As my grandma used to say. :)
G
I found a company online to custom-make my dress in China, and couldn’t have been happier with the results. It did take a huge leap of faith, some frustration, and more involved planning. But if you want more control and much lower cost, I’d highly recommend it when the time comes. I ended up with the perfect dress for me- sleeveless, thick straps, v-neck, a-line skirt with gathers, and a short train- rather than the typical strapless thing.
I purchased the silk dupioni here in the US for under $15/yd (25 yards), and mailed it to their factory with photos of the dress I wanted, my measurements, and a few pages explaining the alterations I wanted done. Considering all but very high-end dress manufacturers fabricate in China anyway, I was willing to put up with the hassle to save money. Five years ago, production costs (in addition to my fabric cost) were under $200, shipping was $50 each way, and they got it done in a month. They even built in a petticoat, so I didn’t have to purchase one separately! The company I used has since disappeared from the internet, so I can’t recommend them specifically. But it’s a great option to keep in mind.
Celia
I’ve been eyeing this site (getting married in April) – anyone have any experience/ever hear anything about it?
http://www.bridaldreamdress.com
SF Bay Associate
I was a MOH for a bride who had her dress made in China. We went to salons here and she tried on lots of dresses until she found the one she liked ($3k at the salon). We took a couple pictures and got the name and model number of the dress. Her friend’s godmother is in Hong Kong and knew the factory in China where the designer’s dresses were made, so she had the factory make one more more of the exact dress, exactly in the bride’s measurements. And because the bride wanted a few different things (no lace here, a different skirt shape, and a lace-up back instead of a zip), the factory did all that too. Cost: $400, including shipping to the US. The dress came in about two months and was too small. We told the factory, and they said ok, and made another one at no extra charge. We didn’t even have to ship the first dress back – she ended up selling it on ebay for more than $500. The second dress was perfect and looked just like the salon dress, but with a perfect fit and the changes she wanted. We also had the bridesmaid dresses made to measure for about $80, instead of the $350 the salon wanted.
The factory’s website is sheshopping.com. We didn’t go through that website though.
It was an eye-opening experience for me. Basically, almost all wedding dresses are made in China. For Chinese-made dresses, lace is practically free, as is beading, pleats, ruching, and all that stuff that supposedly makes a dress more expensive on Say Yes To The Dress. Not true. The only thing that actually costs real money in a wedding dress made in China is real silk. The rest is all markup when it comes to Chinese-made dresses.
Bonnie
I hope this gets designers to branch out of the strapless wedding dresses.
MelD
I really liked that the dress had sleeves. Ivanka had a great dress too, but it doesn’t seem like the sleeve trend has reached the regular population yet. That said, I know how hard it is to alter dresses with sleeves. If you didn’t have to order them so far in advance, it wouldn’t be as much of an issue- but it’s just so hard to alter something with sleeves down a few sizes because the bride lost 30lbs.
PollyD
That’s really interesting, about the alterations. I guess that’s why you rarely saw sleeves on Project Runway, either, because they’re sort of difficult and time-consuming to do right?
I hate strapless dresses, so if I ever got married I’d pick sleeves and NOT try to lose weight! Win-win!
MelD
Making sleeves is challenging, but the main problem is that the neckline, sleeves, and armholes are much bigger for a size 14 than they are for a size 2. You have to take in the dress to get the armholes small enough and then rip apart the sleeves to get them to fit the new armhole size. The neckline is the hardest, since women’s dresses tend to have princess seams that won’t alter the neckline when the dress is taken in.
With a dress like Kate’s with the lace overlay, it’s not really a hard fix since you could probably put the lace on after the rest of the dress has been fitted. If you use regular silk, that’s where you’ll get the real issues.
Anonymous
I loved Ivanka’s dress (which I believe was long-sleeved because of religious requirements). Bring in lace sleeves!
Emily I
My (male) boss was holding forth about the wedding this morning. It made a nice relaxed start to this Friday. Happy Law Day, to you legal corporettes!
kz
I absolutely loved her dress. I thought it was so pretty, and yet simple and classic. I read some comments from designers that said they wanted it to be more elaborate, but I think it’s perfect–and won’t look dated in pictures 20 years from now (like, say, Diana’s, which just screams “1980s” to me). I am so hoping sleeves catch on now.
kz
Oh, and I like that her hair was down. It just looks much more natural for her. (Can you tell I like simple, natural looks?)
Laura S
Me too. With all of the blondes getting the attention these days, it is so refreshing to have a beautiful brunette. I was not around when Jackie Kennedy was the first lady, but think that we haven’t had a brunette beauty since her. But now we have again! Yay!
Midori
Except maybe Michelle Obama, who I think is a very beautiful lady herself, but yes, lovely to see a brunette rocking it!
Ann
Totally agree. When I see pictures of Diana in her dress all I can think of is that line from Four Weddings and a Funeral: “Scarlett, you’re blind. She looks like a big meringue.”
CW
I agree! I loved her dress and she looked gorgeous! The dress was simple, classic, elegant and romantic. Swoon.
Livia
I loved the ceremony and the dress too. I thought Kate was perfect, as was her mother. I did not love Pippa’s dress, though. I’m a Brit, so we got up early and had British food for breakfast. Don’t tell my boss, but I also had a mimosa. ;-)
I’m the poster who asked if I should wear my fascinator to work, and I’m pleased to report that I did! I am also proudly wearing my Union Jack shirt, and I have a flag on my office door for the day. I’m having fun, and a couple of people have complimented the fascinator, so I am in a good mood. Thanks to all who told me to wear it!
Now, if I can just keep my eyes open all day…
Honey Bear
I’m so glad you wore the fascinator to work! Rock it girl.
I love Kate – my style is so different from hers, yet I admire and appreciate her simple, understated elegance. I hope that many brides in the US now choose to wear long sleeved wedding dresses (b/c let’s be honest – not many people really look FABULOUS in a strapless wedding gown). Cheers to Kate and William!
kz
I loved looking at pictures of all the hats people were wearing. Some of them were crazy! My best friend lives in Britain now and is getting married in Scotland in July. I’m going to try to convince her the bridesmaids all need to get hats/fascinators.
MelD
We had a High Tea yesterday for a belated administrative professional’s thank you event and I made fascinators for all the female employees. They were a huge hit! It was a lot of fun, but fascinators are a pain in the butt to make, let me tell you.
Livia
I can’t even imagine making them — well done!
KZ, yes, go for the hats/fascinators. They’re very traditional and accepted, so your friend can easily incorporate them into the bridesmaids’ outfits. And you certainly don’t have to get the really outlandish ones like some of the guests today had, there are more restrained versions.
Can someone more fashionable than I explain the appeal of the unicorn-horn look, with the fascinator positioned in the centre of the forehead (e.g. Victoria Beckham today, whose outfit I liked with the exception of this)? This one totally baffles me.
Celia
SO beautiful- really reminiscent of Princess Grace and Ivanka Trump, so not really a huge surprise… but I’m glad she went with something classic and beautiful (and still a bit unique). With all the weight loss hype, I was worried maybe she was gonna show up in a skin tight mermaid dress! :)
They looked really happy and cute. I watched the highlights from the ceremony (I tivo’d it) while having my morning coffee, and I thought it was really sweet the way they were giggling together at the church, and laughing at the balcony at each others’ jokes. Looked like the happy newlyweds they are!
On another note – I’m outlining at home today (last set of finals ever!!!!) and some channel is playing the movie Elizabeth. I’m kind of enjoying all this British royalty stuff in the background for the day!
And now — back to work.
Verna
I agree. Now maybe Pippa can make a man out of Harry! Wouldn’t it be nice to see those two together?
And what is it with William loosing his hair? Harry has a full head of hair. With the same parents, should not the kids be the same genetically that is?
PollyD
Not unless they are identical twins.
AgencyCounsel
Not necessarily. I’ll have to jump back to when I took genetics in college 20 years ago to remember, but here we go. The mother carries XX chromosomes and the father carries XY chromosomes. When they have a child, they contribute one of the chromosomes. If it is a son (XY), he gets the Y from his father and one of his mother’s X chromosomes. The balding gene is most likely carried on one of the Diana’s X chromosomes. So, William got the balding X and Harry got the other X.
PollyD
Right, I was responding to the “genetically identical” part. Identical twins are identical over the entire genome because they started as one embryo that split. Children get half their genes from their father, half from their mother. So siblings may both get dad’s genes A, B, and C, but maybe one gets mom’s D and the other dad’s D.
Anonymous
There are many sets of bi-racial twins where one child appears white and the other appears black. Genes are fascinating.
Nonny
Oh, the entire event was just so classy! I loved the trees in Westminster Abbey – it looked so beautiful. And I loved how William told Kate she looked beautiful when she got to the altar, AND how they drove around in Prince Charles’ car later on. This just seemed such a lovely, genuine wedding.
But *what* was Beatrice wearing on her head? Good grief.
Now drinking lots of strong tea after getting up way too early this morning to watch the event in real time…..
L from Oz
Yes, Beatrice’s hat was definitely a WTF moment!
Ballerina Girl
A while back I wrote here about how miserable I was at my law firm job. Then I wrote about a prolonged interview process with my dream job. Well, I got the dream job (yay!) and am in my new office. I love absolutely everything about the new job so far, but because it’s a non-profit, the office clearly isn’t as swank as my big law office.
So here’s my question: I have a pretty big office now, but it’s very drab–no window and everything is kind of gray. What can I do to brighten it up? I’d love to put plants in here, but there’s no natural light so they’d probably all die. Other than putting things on the walls (I have a few ideas here), what can I do to perk it up a bit? I’d love to put some sort of blotter down that would break up all the gray but this is a very informal place so I don’t want anything too corporate.
I also just want to say how very happy I am now to be in the new job! It’s wonderful, the people are wonderful, and despite taking a huge pay cut of over 60%, I’m over the moon about this job and the new career that it promises!
AnonInfinity
Congratulations!!!!
I’m afraid I don’t have much to offer in the way of perking up your office. I have a lot of trouble with that myself.
found a peanut
There are some plants that don’t need a lot of sunlight or only need indirect sunlight – maybe you could check those types of plants out?
Other than plants I have no ideas. Cute office supplies?
Maddie Ross
If you can do it without looking too out of place with the rest of your officemates, I find the single most cheerful thing in a drab office to be an oriental or other colorful, but classy rug. A little bit peeking out along the edge of the desk adds so much.
CW
Congrats! So exciting!
What about bringing in fresh flowers on a weekly basis (could be slightly pricy, but could really brighten up the room)?
I also think perhaps purchasing a colorful set of desk accessories (or fun items that you could use as a pencil holder, etc.) could be fun.
L
You could do something fun with your guest chairs. Homegoods and similar stores have chairs in nice prints for not a lot of money.
Kady
Congrats! Always so happy to hear about corporettes moving on to better things.
What’s a blotter? Is it a rug? That’s what I would suggest. And a whimsical umbrella stand, if you can get away with it.
AIMS
A blotter is one of those big rectangular things for your desk — it was meant to literally blot spilled ink in the old days, something to write on.
Anonymous
Maybe a fish tank?
Congrats. Hope we all get amazing jobs soon!
MelD
There are a lot of plants that will do well with little to no light. I have some bamboo in my office and in the past I’ve had other plants that did well in windowless, cubicle environments. If you go to a nursery, you should be able to find the indoor plant area and the information will tell you what works well with limited sunlight. You could also try fun lamps that will add some color and interest to the room.
Midori
Yes, lamps! And that can help some with the light problem, too, if you put full-spectrum bulbs in them.
AIMS
I was going to suggest a nice lamp, too.
It’s the no. 1 thing that makes a difference for me b/c the whole feel of the room changes with the light.
7278
we have a bunch of windowless offices in my office. A friend of mine has a beautiful and fairly large painting on one of her walls of an outside scene (gardens and flowers and what not). Almost makes it seem like a window to a better place :)
and also…. sigh… royal wedding… just all of it. big, wistful, dreamy, sigh…
Anonymous
I have no window, and I have several plants. Go to a garden center with knowledgeable staff and talk to them about what kind of plants will do well. Unfortunately I don’t remember what types of plants I have, but they make me happy.
TX Attny
Congratulations, Ballerina Girl!! I’m so happy for you and your great new job. Doesn’t it feel like such a relief?! Sometimes, you can feel beaten down for so long that you start to think you are crazy or maybe just can’t cut it, but really, it’s the work environment. Then, when you go to a place where it isn’t as nutty or stressful, you start to destress in more ways than you knew you were stressed. (Or maybe that’s just me. ;) ) Good for you!
I think a couple of picture frames filled with people who make you happy are good, and a gal here has a small, very cool lamp on her desk – love it. Might sound a bit cheesy but how about a pretty inbox for your desk with matching business card holder? Simple, yes, but it could bring in some color. I know we had a discussion on this website about decorating the office – what’s good and what’s not, and my Google search of “corporette: decorating office” produced this – https://corporette.com/category/fashion/office-decor-2/ I hope it offers some ideas!
Ballerina Girl
Great tips! Thank you all! And thanks for your kind words! It’s so great to be in a job that I already love!
Midori
I’m moving! Turns out Husband got a dream offer from rural-ish TN, and we’ll be gone in a few weeks. I’m wrapping up projects at work and looking at the daunting prospect of digging out my resume and polishing it up. Yikes! Advice for the small-town legal job market? I’ve never even been to the town we’re moving to and have zero contacts.
Lyssa
Congrats from a fellow person who is probably just about to move in Tennessee! (from one part of the state to another, but still. . . )
My first question is: How rural are we talking? If you are from “the big city”, then pretty much all of TN is going to seem rural to you- even the major markets (Nashville, etc.) are mostly suburban and function in a “small town” type of manner. In my experience, the rural areas (anything that is not Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, or Memphis) are *very* rural.
I hate to say it, but I would bet that you will be looking for a while. TN’s tough even in the larger markets, and a lot of clients in the outlying areas look for legal work from the city. In my experience, the outlying areas mostly just have small family-type firms, which are probably not doing a lot of hiring. Like I said, there’s a lot of small-town vibes, so the best thing you can do is get to know as many people as possible. I would get involved in everything that you can- any interest you have, find a group for it, do volunteer work (legal, if possible, of course), etc, and try to talk to as many people as you can. (If you’re churchy, that’s a really good source- people are very into chuch-related activities around here). People mostly are friendly, so you might want to try informational interviews- ask anyone you can out to lunch or coffee to pick their brains about the local job market.
The good thing is that cost of living is really low, so you should be OK without a job for a while (also, No State Income Tax!). It’s a nice place to live; my family moved here from New Jersey when I was a kid, and my parents have always said that they are much, much happier here. Good luck!
Midori
I’m moving from greater Chicago to the tri-cities area, so yeah, pretty rural. I’m already kind of spooked by my phone conversations with people down there–I’ve been called “sweetie” quite a lot (have to remember that’s not patronizing down there), and the pace of life and work just seems so… inefficient to me. I’m going to have to learn to think of it as relaxed rather than maddening. We’re very tied into church, so that’s a good place to start. I’m willing, even eager, to look beyond typical legal jobs, and open to legal aid, non-profit, business, even teaching. In some ways, though, that just creates a lack of focus in my job search, it seems.
somewherecold
We moved to a small-town legal community in the northeast for my job, and were looking for something for my fiance. I would be sure to mention to everyone you talk to that you are moving and where you are going. You never know what kind of connections and introductions people can make for you. If you make it known at your church that you’re moving to city A, maybe you’ll find out that another congregant’s aunt is a lawyer a town over from city A, and you can get in touch with her (and she might have other leads for you). And getting established with a new church (or other groups) quickly could introduce you to people who might have job leads for you. Especially because you’re open to different kinds of work, casting a wide net to meet as many people as you can in your field would be great.
KM
Funny story Midori – I moved to Chicago from the Tri-Cities (where I grew up). My entire family is in that area. If you’re comfortable with it or have an anon email address, I’d love to chat to fill you in about the area. Let me know!
Midori
Also and related: Have any of you ever tried to buy a house in a new place in one week or less? Househunting trip is 7 days, and Husband wants to buy right away. I’m completely overwhelmed.
Maddie Ross
While it’s certainly possible to find a house in less than 7 days, I would highly recommend not doing that in this case. The tri-cities are just that — three cities and a lot of ancillary small communities and rural areas surrounding and in between. It’s not like moving in a larger city where you find a suburb you like with a good school system and just pull the trigger on a house that has the right number of bedrooms/bathrooms. I would very much recommend renting, even for a short-time. Each of the cities has a different personality. And since you don’t know where you will be working, it may easier to wait to figure out a little more where life will take you.
Midori
That’s interesting. If you know the area, and don’t mind saying, where would I be most likely to get the kind of “new urbanist” feel that a lot of the Chicago suburbs have. I love being able to walk to stores, restaurants, parks, etc., and so far I’m not getting that kind of vibe in the downtowns I’ve perused on googlemaps. Are any of the towns built that way, or is it really all antique malls and touristy stuff downtown? Do young families live downtown, or are we relegated to minivan-filled subdivisions?
Maddie Ross
It’s pretty antique-y, small town in most of them. (Except Johnson City, which I would recommend avoiding in the downtown area altogether. I don’t live there, but have visited the area a number of times for work. Downtown Johnson City frankly scared me.) Jonesborough, outside Johnson City, has a cuter, seemingly walkable downtown. The Great Food Truck race on Food Network went there though and everyone commented on how the town rolled up the sidewalks at night…
SS
Good luck with the move!
A few suggestions:
– Get good recommendations for real estate agents (from his future workplace/other friends you may have in the area). See you if you can informally interview them on the phone before you get there. You need to be comfortable/happy with the person showing you around. Personally, I like to email agents a few follow-up questions after the initial call just to gauge how responsive they are.
– Look at online listings just to get an idea of what the market is, what people are asking for, the types of houses.
-Make your home wishlist. Price range, number of room, special features (like a deck or a huge kitchen). Prioritize the special features – try and identify which ones are deal breakers and which ones would be nice to have, but aren’t mandatory. This will help you focus your search.
-Once you get there, spend a half or full day driving around and getting a lay of the land. This will help you decide which neighborhoods you might want to live in and again, limit your search.
-When looking at homes, take pictures and little notes about identifying characteristics of the house. I used to take notes like “love the kitchen!” which were really unhelpful when I was trying to remember the house. But “great grey granite countertop” might do the trick, especially with pictures to go along.
-I know it’s difficult, but try to stick to 5-7 homes a day. You may get house-fatigue after that and the houses will run together. In this vein, if you drive up to a place and you instinctively don’t like it from the outside, don’t go in. You can always come back to the place if all the others don’t work out.
That’s all I have for now but good luck!! Let us know how it goes.
L
My husband and I bought our first house in a single weekend. We lived 6 hours away and he was finishing med school, so that is all the time we had to look. We saw 26 houses in 2 days; narrowed it to 2; made the offer on a Sunday and signed all the mortgage application paperwork on Monday. It is not the most enjoyable way to buy a house, but it is not a disaster either. We stayed in that house for 10 years. What you do need is a really great realtor.
Silicon Valley in House
My personal experience was that waiting would have been much better! We lived in corporate housing for 2 months, then bought a house in City A because we felt we “had to” buy something. Turns out, that although we had a lovely house, we hated City A (which is really more like a hugely sprawling suburb). Less than a year later, we put the house on the market and bought in City B (all in Silicon Valley), where we have lived happily for 10 years now. If we had just rented for the first year, I think we would have figured out what we liked, where we wanted to live, etc. It is a huge decision, with enormous financial impact, so my advice is not to rush.
Mabel
I ordered the coral sweater. Not sure how it can be on sale but backordered until June 1, but whatever. I’ve been looking for just that shade of coral! Love coral with navy blue.
anon
There are other colors of this cardigan on sale for $28.90 – apple blossom, vivid blue, raspberry, glacier, deco rose, apricot nectar. On Nordstrom.com search halogen sale cardigan and you’ll see it.
Anonymous
It’s cute on the model, but cropped, little sweaters always read “little girl” to me.
Anonymous
I guess I’m one of the few who didn’t like Kate Middleton’s dress. I thought it beautiful but really dull. I do wish I could see more detail photos because the hand embroidery work sounded amazing.
People have compared it to Grace Kelly’s dress. I thought of it, too. I never liked that dress, either.
Although Princess Diana’s dress was too much, I liked the creamy richness of the satin.
Anonymous
I’m with you. I liked the sleeves but not the bodice or skirt – just looked old fashioned. I did, however, like the shaping of thetrain. Her sister’s dress was beautiful, but what’s the deal with the maid of honor wearing white?