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Frugal Friday’s TPS Report: Ponte Knit Pencil Skirt

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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. Halogen® Ponte Knit Pencil SkirtWell, well: Nordstrom has a number of Halogen skirts marked down, including this lovely blue number (and, yes, this reader favorite). I like the vibrant color, as well as the soft, stretchy knit. This skirt, at 40% off, still has an impressive number of colors and sizes left, including a red and a “dark camel.” It was $59, but is now marked 40% off to $34.90. Halogen® Ponte Knit Pencil Skirt Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail editor@corporette.com with “TPS” in the subject line. (L-3)

Sales of note for 3/15/25:

  • Nordstrom – Spring sale, up to 50% off
  • Ann Taylor – 40% off everything + free shipping
  • Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything + extra 20% off
  • Eloquii – 50% off select styles + extra 50% off sale
  • J.Crew – Extra 30% off women's styles + spring break styles on sale
  • J.Crew Factory – 40% off everything + extra 20% off 3 styles + 50% off clearance
  • M.M.LaFleur – Friends and family sale, 20% off with code; use code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – 40% off 1 item + 30% off everything else (includes markdowns, already 25% off)

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

179 Comments

  1. I actually received this skirt as a birthday gift. It’s very nice, but it’s not lined and hugged me too much, so I felt like it was too casual for the office (would be great for after work/going out/weekends). I ended up returning it for the seamed pencil skirt which is lined (and just went on sale) and has a little more stiffness and structure to it.

    1. I like the seamed pencil skirt better as well! It’s a more substantial skirt and I love the fit.

          1. It says online it runs large and to order a size down. Did you find that to be the case?

          2. Yes, it really really runs big. Order a size down. The halogen seamed pencil skirt is the often-discussed “The Skirt”.

            Also, thanks to Bunkster and everyone else who encouraged me to get a price adjustment on stuff well-outside the two week “technical rule” for price adjustments. I got almost $100 back, and am feeling more loyal to Nordstrom than ever!

          3. Yes, I does run large. I take either a 4 or a 6 and the 4 is definitely the right size.

          5. I just bought the seamed pencil skirt and its awesome. fits great, way comfortable

          6. Just alternative perspective, I sized down (usually a 6, ordered a 4) and it was way too small. Not the best feeling.

          7. I agree with A, I normally wear a 6 in Halogen (and most things) and sized down to a 4 based on the recommendations here and the skirt was so tight I couldn’t zip it.

          8. I’m a perfect size 12 and the size 12 fit me best in the seamed pencil. I’d read the reviews and tried a size 10 on but it was too slim through the hips.

            The unlined pencils are not the winners that the lined ones are. I love my seamed skirt from Nordstrom.

        1. I didn’t find that it ran HUGE – more if you are in between two sizes, get the smaller size of those two.

  2. I LOVE the blue color, but I do not want to encourage the manageing partner to see my legs.

    He said I have pretty knees (and I do), but I do NOT want him looking!!!!

    He is stareing at me right now! FOOEY on him!

        1. I was NOT availabel during this threade, but I am GLAD to see others speakeing to Ellen in her native inflection.

    1. I saw a woman last week wearing a skirt that was either this one specifically or one very similar. I thought she looked fantastic, but I did have that moment of thinking “wow she’s wearing a leather skirt” instead of my normal reaction of thinking someone just looks great. Ultimately it worked on her and as long as you are ok with people having a moment like that or even possibly commenting on it, I think it looks great.

    2. You know your office best, but I don’t think there is anything inherently not office-appropriate about that leather skirt. You might want to ensure that the fit is a little on the loose side but otherwise I see nothing wrong with this skirt. Great find!

    3. Looks a little long. Even if you can wear it to work, my guess is you’ll probably wear for fun more often and that looks like it could be frumpy.

    5. I think this skirt is beautiful. Wish I could afford it. I could wear that to my office any day of the week, but we’re business casual.

  4. New associate here, and things at work are slow. Been that way over a month now. When should I start to worry?

    1. 6 months. Even then, you will still have valleys where work is slow, but you should also have peaks where work is more than plentiful.

    2. Is the group slow in general, or are you still in that transition period? Are all the other new associates in your group generally experiencing the same thing? I was slow for about a month or more when I arrived – I had small-ish assignments here and there, and some days I’d literally be reading the news online until the evening. I wouldn’t worry about it at this point, but if you have a workflow coordinator or a specific staffing partner, I’d swing by their office just to let them know in a casual way that you’re available for work. I remember being worried about it too, though, and being assured by others that “the work will come.” And it did, big time. Enjoy the slow periods while you can, although I know it’s hard when you’re first starting out!

      1. Same for me. I was slow for about two months when I first started… followed shortly by 16+ hour days!

      2. I don’t think the group is slow in general, but it’s a small group. I’m the only new full time associate in the group. I guess maybe it’s taking a while to incorporate me into projects. I’m just worried my low hours will reflect poorly on me…

        1. I think people generally expect you to be slow at the beginning, so I highly doubt they will. Again, if I were in your shoes I’d casually mention I was available for work, but would definitely not be overly aggressive about it – it’s one of those “know your office” things, but I know at mine going around door to door being vocal about wanting/needing work is pretty discouraged. It’s a small group, so they need time to train you and get you up to speed, and it’s probably just more efficient to have someone else junior for now. I’d just take the time and use it to my advantage, if you’re not doing so already, by going over any training materials they gave you, doing some professional reading, and getting to know people in the group. The slow period at the beginning it is a great time to build up some foundational knowledge to the extent that you can on your own.

    3. having been in your position, do NOT be afraid to be vocal about looking for work. assuming you’re not already doing so, let partners (or senior associates who might be looking swamped) know directly that you are looking for work and are available to assist however you can. i was just wrapping up my first year when the economy really tanked back in the late fall 2008, and i spent several months with not a whole lot to do. i was very vocal about looking for work, reached out to multiple partners (including partners in my practice group in other offices, and partners in my office outside of my practice group), and while it took a while, people started to realize i was there and i have pretty much not been slow at all since then. YMMV, but as a newer associate, particularly in one of my firm’s satellite officers, i wasn’t automatically on a lot of partners’ radar and had to do a lot of groundwork to make sure i was there.

      unfortunately i have no other input if you’re already doing all of this and the work still isn’t there, but if the entire firm is slow and no one’s got work, it may be time to start looking around.

    5. It really depends on the position, but I’d recommend asking other coworkers. I know at my job, you’ll definitely have a slow time at work for the first few months. I think in my practice group (we were all hired at the same time) it was upward of 6 months before some of us started to get busy.

      1. It’s good to hear all these responses… makes me feel more okay with the situation. It’s only been a month, so I’ll wait it out a bit more. There are some things on the horizon, it’s just that, for now, my hours are so low. Thanks guys!

    6. I’m glad to hear these responses, since it sounds like I’m in a similar position. I’ve been here a couple of months, I’m the only new associate in my (very small) group, and I do more sitting around that I would like. Still, the partner who gives me work is crazy busy, so I’m thinking the issue is just that it will take a while to get me up to speed on what’s going on, and to explain to me how to do things.

      1. Sometimes if someone is extremely busy it’s easier not to parcel work out to someone else if they aren’t familiar enough with it to get started on their own.

        I’m in IT and depending on who is supposed to be helping me I can end up spending more time preparing the package of what they need to do whatever than it would take me to do it myself.

        I love junior staff who hear about what we’re going to do and go find the documentation themselves. Even better if they propose to me what they think they should be doing. You know your boss but if you’re working with me I’ll forgive small starts in the wrong direction if you’ll just get started on your own!

  5. Does anyone else get really stressed and anxious during the holiday season? I try REALLY hard to focus on the good stuff and the reasons why we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, but being the overachiever that I am, I spend way too much time trying to figure out how to pull off a great Thanksgiving feast, find meaningful gifts within my budget, actually find the time to buy said gifts (thank god for online shopping), etc. I’ve cut back on doing stuff I didn’t really enjoy, like writing Christmas cards, but I’m so amped up and anxious about getting everything done that I’m not enjoying it at all. It doesn’t help that in the middle of the holiday season, my son, mom, brother, mother-in-law and sister all have birthdays, so the gift-buying extravaganza feels never-ending.

    I hate to whine about this. I know how petty and small it sounds. But I’m hoping some over overachieving chicks can commiserate. I can’t help thinking how much easier all of this stuff would be if I simply had more time in which to get it done.

    1. I hear you. I miss being in school and actually having a couple weeks off around this time so I could bake and decorate and shop and relax. Now it’s just more stuff to cram into my already over-crammed schedule, and it makes me sad because I used to love this time of year. I’m not stressed about it so much as I don’t have time to just sit back and enjoy it the way I used to. Everything’s rushed.

      The other problem is the gift-giving. It seems my list of obligations keeps growing but my budget does not. Does anyone have advice for super-cheap-but-not-totally-lame gifts for co-workers? My office does a gift-exchange, which I absolutely hate, but there’s no getting out of it. I’ve got 20 work people to buy for, barely enough money to buy gifts for people I really care about, and in exchange I will get piles of things I don’t want from said work people, and they will all end up donated to Easter Seals or in a garage sale next summer. Joy!

      1. I’m actually looking forward to my first holiday season not being in school! I know certain parts of the county were different, but my finals always went up to Dec 18-22, so I never had any free time before the holidays!

        I cannot believe an office making everyone buy gifts for everyone, not doing a secret santa thing or something. That is so wasteful! what is the price range for the gifts? Can you buy a bunch of stuff in bulk and then make little goody bags in holiday themed cellophane bags? Buy a bunch of consumables such as tea/candy etc, small hand creams, chapsticks, small candle….a lot of dollar stores have cheap mugs you can fill with stuff too. Is it mostly for men or women or a good mix?

        1. Mostly women, just a few guys. I think making cookies or candy is probably my best bet. Everyone goes pretty cheap with candy or ornaments or little trinkets, but it still adds up ~ even $3 per person is over $50 that I don’t have to spare this time of year.

          1. Last year, I went to Dollar General and bought cheap little felt Christmas bags and filled them with homemade cookies, brownies and homemade Chex Mix for my neighbors. I liked the idea of the little bags because it looks like “more” when they are stuffed full :)

          2. I did something similar to eaopm3 every Christmas when I was in grad school for gifts for my officemates. I went to a liquidation-type store, bought a bunch of plain coloured soup bowls, and everyone got a bowl with a couple types of cookies (a sugar-cookie polar bear, a couple ginger snaps, biscotti, some candied nuts or orange peel etc.). It’s very cheap, but people really appreciate it and any leftover cookies can be frozen and trotted out whenever you have guests or an event to go to for the holidays.

      2. Having to buy for 20 people is ridiculous.

        That said, when I worked for an insurance company (where we didn’t make all that much), I and a few others used to make little goody packages for everyone on the team (15-20 people). I’m a foodie and I liked that sort of thing, and it wasn’t mandatory, so it wasn’t a big deal, but, if you cook, that’s a relatively inexpensive way to go. (If you’re adventurous, I recommend looking up some traditional holiday treats from various countries and making something that people haven’t tried before. One year I did all Italian pastries, and they were a big hit.)

        If you’re not a cook, how about $5-$10 gift cards to Starbucks? (cop-out, but you know that they’ll get used.)

        1. Oh, one year the store my husband worked at did a big clearance, and I was able to get a bunch of travel mugs for 50 cents a piece, which I filled with goodies. That’s one option if you happen to find a sale.

      3. Our office started donating in each other’s names a few years ago, and I really like it. The first year, we each gave whatever we thought appropriate, and the office manager bought the price-appropriate package at Heifer International (I think it was a cow?) based on our collective amount. Since then, we’ve done a couple years the same way. And a couple years, when we’ve gone back to individual gifts, I’ve still donated in peoples’ names. You get a nice little certificate to give them (some companies allow you to print it online, which is nice if you are doing this late), the company doesn’t tell the recipient the amount of your gift, so you can give a very modest amount, and the level of warmth people feel is, I think, greater for your buck than they would feel if you bought them whatever tangible you can buy with that modest amount of money.

        1. I really like that idea. Considering how many people her are on diets, it might be especially nice not to tempt people with candy and baked goods. :)

        2. THIS THIS THIS. I made donations last year for all of my gifts (and will be again this year). No lie, it was the best decision I ever made. The do-gooder environmentally-conscious side of me was happy (helping people! reducing the production of senseless stuff they don’t need!); I didn’t have to stress about shopping around for said senseless stuff; and it ended up being the most cost-effective Christmas ever, because I was never tempted to splurge on that “perfect” thing.

          1. same here. I have a HUGE extended family and I stopped giving gifts a few years ago. No one needs anything that they can’t/won’t buy themselves, so I give some money to breast cancer research in the name of the family whose aunt had breast cancer and a bucket of worms to fishermen in Mali in the name of the family that likes to fish and school uniforms to girls in Bolivia in the name of the family that has a schoolteacher in it, etc.

            This also means that no one gives me gifts anymore, which is also a relief. Although I never turn down holiday cookies

      4. I miss being in school, too! I was usually done by mid-December and then could devote a week to shopping, baking, relaxing and getting into the holiday spirit! Thanksgiving pretty much got ignored in that system.

      5. gifts for 20 coworkers sounds awful. there are only two people in my office who buy for everyone, and they always give the same things – one does a bottle of wine (which is nice to receive, but is far beyond the expense and hassle i’d ever go through to give to 20+people), the other does a cheap scratch-off lottery ticket tied to a foil-wrapped chocolate santa (never eaten the santa, always scratched the ticket but never won).

      6. That is absolutely beyond ridiculous having to buy gifts for 20 coworkers!! Can you suggest switching to a secret santa system where each person only buys for one other?

    2. Hi Grinch- as a New Year’s baby, I feel bad that you seem to begrudge those who have birthdays during the holidays. Particularly kids (your son?) Growing up, I heard two things that bummed me out,

      1) this is your Christmas AND birthday present in one
      2) what? It’s your birthday? We just got done with Christmas and I’m broke!

      We all want to feel special on our birthdays, particularly when we’re kids. I hated that my birthday just felt like another obligation for everyone, when my sisters’ birthdays during the summer felt like Big Deals.

      Just a word to you on behalf of your son. :)

      1. My mom is a twin born near Christmas, so it was 1A) this is BOTH of your Christmas AND birthday present in one! You’re twins, so you can share!

        And it literally just dawned on me as I wrote the above that that’s probably the reason why she’s so obnoxious about gifts to her, complete with wish lists with links, prices, and sizes to the stores carrying those specific items. That list really took all the fun out of getting her a gift – it felt like a gift grubbing grocery list. I always took her list as a holiday-spirit killer, because of course we could not be trusted to think of something on our own, but now I’m thinking it was really about her childhood as a holiday birthday twin. Light bulb moment.

        1. It’s funny how people have different gift-giving and gift-asking theories, though. My immediate family and I all distribute lists like this to each other, with specific items, links to stores, etc., and I love it. It means we’ll all get some things we actually want, and we make sure to have a few gifts that are still surprises.

          For some people (maybe you, it sounds like) the effort of thinking of a great gift is part of the gift-giving process. I’ve received gifts from my parents I don’t really want, though, when they break away from the list, and I know a couple of times when I’ve gotten them things that aren’t on their lists I see them later in my brother’s old room at their house, which is where things go to be stored when they don’t really get used. I would rather get them something I know they’ll enjoy, even if it’s kind of boring.

          Anyway, maybe in addition to the twin thing, your mom wants to avoid the situation where she has stuff she won’t use sitting around? Of course, if you’re an imaginative gift-giver, that wouldn’t apply. I’m just terrible at it, so I’m grateful for lists from my family.

          1. My family tends to do the lists too, but I like knowing that I am getting them something that I know they want and probably won’t buy for themselves.

      2. I’m not sure where you got the idea that I do birthday/Christmas combo gifts or don’t do anything to make my loved ones’ birthdays special. Quite the contrary. But doing 5 birthdays in rapid-fire right during the holiday season — it’s just a lot of added gift-giving, that’s all.

        In fact, my son’s birthday falls on Thanksgiving Day this year. We’re still doing a birthday party on the big day. I would never want his birthday to be “less special,” and I’m kind of insulted that you’d insinuate that.

        1. My son and daughter have birthdays one day apart, in late November. They grew up sharing parties most years. It never seemed to bother my son, but my daughter gets annoyed, especially when hers falls on Thanksgiving day. We want everyone to feel special, of course, but when lots of things happen at the same time there’s only so much we can do.

        2. Grinch, I did not mean to insult you. I read your post as, “As if the holidays aren’t stressful enough, all these dam people have to have birthdays too!” which is a sensitive issue for me, and clearly, judging from subsequent comments, for all of us who have holiday birthdays.
          I mean, we can’t help it if our parents decided to get frisky in March/April.

          My almost 9 year old son’s birthday is also around Thanksgiving (Friday this year.) Because I grew up with the getting-ripped-off sentiment, I always make a huge deal out of it being separate and distinct. So when I asked him what kind of cake he wanted? Pumpkin pie. Ha. He loves being a Thanksgiving baby.

      3. Yep, I’m a mid-December baby, and have a good friend who was born on Christmas. We commiserate about this all the time, but I’m lucky that my close friends and family have always made sure my birthday doesn’t get lost in the holiday shuffle.

      4. As an actual Christmas baby I can relate and commiserate. I often get the “Happy Christmas/Merry Birthday” combo-gift thing myself. Also frustrating is trying to celebrate milestone birthdays with friends/SOs as a) everyone is too busy celebrating with their own families and b) nothing is open on Christmas. I think I spent my 21st birthday drinking apple martinis with my aunt instead of at a real bar! I will commend my parents for always having a birthday cake for me on Christmas though – it made the day feel more “special.”

        Oh the joys of getting gift gypped as a child!

        1. Shrug. We never really did birthday presents (regardless of time of year) outside of the birthday party with friends. It may have been my fault, when at age 3, I greeted my aunts and uncles at the door with “what did you bring me” when they came over for a birthday party. Since then its been cake and your pick for dinner, maybe even dinner out. Except for my dad, who’s b-day is New Year’s Eve. His “birthday” presents are everything that arrived late for Christmas :)

          And since I was abroad when I turned 21 (where the drinking age was 18), it was a little anti-climactic too.

        2. Ugh! I’m 3 days before and I got the joint present + was never able to have a party. What I wouldn’t do for a September birthday! However, I have one lovely friend who always gets me a present and wraps it in the most ridiculously birthday paper, it’s insanely sweet.

    3. I “do” the holidays every other year. In “on” years, tree, decorations, party, cards, etc. In “off” years, Charlie brown tree, no other decor, no party, etc. Makes the on years really fun and they feel less obligatory.

    4. Yep but for different reasons. Divorced parents, nutjob jacka$$ father who initiates a guilt campaign in early August every year re holiday plans and my birthday (which is close to Christmas). Doesn’t matter what I ultimately end up deciding– it’s never enough, and he’ll whine through January. Ugh. I’m just dreading Thanksgiving this year.

      And, I just realized that like half my year is consumed with dealing with my father and holiday plans. Yikes. There’s got to be a better way for me to deal with this.

    5. It’s not petty and small at all.

      My family made the decision several years ago to do away with holiday gifts for everyone except children. And there are actually no children in the family right now, so that makes it very easy! For the last couple of years we pooled our money to adopt a family from the local domestic violence shelter, but because my mom is having health problems we might opt for something this year that takes even less work than that. And, much to my delight, we’re scrapping the whole turkey dinner thing this year and ordering pizza. Also, my partner and I don’t buy each other holiday gifts; we take each other out for a special night on the town instead, and we just love it.

      It was weird at first to let go of the traditional holiday things, but now we couldn’t be happier about it, because it lets us all get out from under the stress of getting a million things ready and doing all of them perfectly, and just enjoy spending time together. As I mentioned, my mom is having a lot of health problems now, and just being able to spend Thanksgiving day with her without making her even more exhausted than she already is is going to be a great treat.

    6. I’m right there with you, sister. My mother absolutely LOVES shopping for Christmas gifts for people, and she’s been absolutely resistant to the idea of a gift exchange. My in-laws have been doing one for years. This year, my MIL suggested we not exchange gifts this year and adopt an “angel tree” family and buy presents for them instead. I think it’s an amazing idea, and it makes me love her even more. :)

      What really drives me crazy is that except for my son (age 4), my family is all adults, and all of us have enough disposable income to buy stuff we want. It just seems really silly to buy presents for a single woman who is in her 60s, has no children, and has more than enough money to buy stuff for herself. I think I’ve just decided that I will make a donation to a charity that resonates with each of my family members instead of buying a present. With all the stuff going on in the world, it feels wrong to buy something just because I feel I “have” to.

      1. I understand completely where you’re coming from. But I’d feel really sad for the woman you mentioned (your mom?) if her ‘love language’ happened to be ‘thoughtful gifts.’

        This next point isn’t directly at you specifically, but rather in general: The ‘let’s give to charity instead’ rings more true if it’s presented as ‘please do this instead of giving to me’ rather than ‘i’m doing this instead of giving to you.’ I’ll never forget the year my spoiled SIL sent around a VERY detailed wish list, and then announced on Christmas Day who she’d donated to instead of buying gifts. While sitting amidst her stack of loot…

    7. I have to pop out of oblivion for this one and say that I have struggled with the holidays and my feelings of resentment for years. My oldest is fifteen and at one point I remarked to friends that the holiday season was like taking on a part-time job in addition to everything else we already were expected to do. The children (we have 3) went to a Christian school, and each class had a Christmas party, and a Thanksgiving party, and there was Christmas chapel and Thanksgiving chapel, and the church had a holiday concert, and Sunday School classes had parties, and each group wanted to adopt a family or buy gifts for the custodial staff, and then there is our family spread from New York to Georgia to Florida. Each thing was a lovely thought in itself, and totally appropriate, but in the aggregate it became so oppressive and distracting. So I made some changes and things are better.
      Suggestions: turn off the TV. No competing with others for gift expense/quality/perfection. Reject Christmas commercialism in every way possible. (Our children get three gifts because that’s what Jesus got, plus one thing from “Santa,” just for fun.) Ask what are the things -I- enjoy most about the season, then focus on that. (I love Christmas cookies and started freezing them in October this year.) Ask the children and your spouse what -they- enjoy most. (We have a family-oriented tree with lots of homemade ornaments collected over the years, and buy ornaments on trips which brings up fond memories when decorating. Not matchy-matchy.) Dump everything else. If people guilt-trip you or judge you, then they are feeding their own hangups and it doesn’t really have anything to do with you, it’s them. Still be kind and gentle with them, but don’t give in to self-serving demands. This year we are going to the cafeteria by the interstate for Thanksgiving meal, because it’s just our nuclear family, and when the old biddies in line give me death glares for not cooking for my children, I’m going to smile and go home to a clean kitchen and a free afternoon.

  6. The available sizes on the skirt are 8+ (at least in the blue). I figured if it’s too big, I’ll just get it taken in. For $35, alterations are probably worth it.

    1. I don’t know if alterations beyond minor adjustments would be feasible given the seams. Has anyone tried this?

  7. Sorry for the immediate threadjack, but I’m in a tight spot right now:

    Just got my written evaluation, so I can review it prior to my in-person review this afternoon. In short – it’s bad. One of the main issues that comes up is my “timidity,” which is actually crippling depression that’s resulted from my firm placing me in a different division than the one I was hired for. I had no prior skills to prepare me for the work I’m now doing and no interest in it, either. In the beginning, I thought I could make it work, but realized after 8 months at this firm that I was not happy. This particular quarter, I worked almost exclusively for a partner who has a known reputation for belittling associates and made no exception for me. It was unnecessarily frustrating to work with this person (or even obtain from him the information to do the job he was asking of me), and I’m sure his review did me no favors. Asking for a transfer to another division at this point isn’t an option.

    Ironically, my review was much better when I was depressed. Now that I’m working on the depression with meds and a therapist, I feel so much better, but I’m probably more laissez faire with my work (in the sense that, I’m busy and do work when asked, but don’t go out of my way to seek assignments from others). My renewed interest in having a personal life has probably curtailed my “firm presence,” as well. I’d rather go home and walk my puppy or reconnect with old friends than stick around for another firm cocktail party with the people who go out of their way to make me miserable.

    I’m actively seeking a change of career to government work (dream job!), but have a ways to go in the application process with this particular agency. Now that I realize my disinterest is apparent to others at this firm, I have no problem feigning interest until a new job pulls through. However, a change of jobs during the middle of this application process would severly delay and complicate my application process to this agency, and of course I’d like to leave this job on my own terms.

    So…the million dollar question is: How do I turn this review around? What do I say to appease them and convince them that I will fix said “problems”? I’ve never had a bad review before (and – ugh – have a tendency towards unleashing the waterworks), so I’d love to hear from anyone with similar experience. Also, I just want to say that I really love this blog and you commenters – reading the advice in these threads over the last year has definitely lifted my spirits in some tough times, so thanks in advance!

    1. …And sorry in advance for what will be multiple postings of this. I was stuck in moderation forever, and have a limited timeframe to formulate a strategy for all this.

    2. I am sorry for your troubles. Speaking frankly I think you first need a little bit of an attitude change … I understand that it’s a very difficult position to be in, but in order to really convince the firm that you’re not a lost cause, you first have to convince yourself. And in order to do that, you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and stop focusing on the negatives … e.g. the crappy partner, the wrong division, the crippling depression, the miserable cocktail party people … etc. You may be 100% right on all these fronts, but thinking about them is not going to help your standing in the firm. It sounds like your depression is getting better, and I think taking a more pro-active approach in addressing, owning up to, and dealing with these issues will carry you a long way.

      So I suggest that you first work on convincing yourself that you can do this for the 6-9 months or whatever it takes. And that you really *want* to make it work – not to bide time ’til the gov’t job, but because you’re a responsible adult who is trying to make the best of a bad situation. Focus on finding the positives or at least finding the survival techniques needed to deal with the unpleasantness. Believe that your condition is improving, that you have strength, that you can handle this well and gracefully.

      Once you believe it, I think it’ll be apparent to your firm that you mean it.

    3. Commiserations! It can be really, really, really hard to receive negative feedback. Especially if you have gone through school and graduate/law school being a top student.
      Here are my tips:
      1. Make it clear that you are listening very carefully.
      2. Ask questions, ask for specific examples, ask what concrete steps you can take to work on this feedback. You dont want to come across as being defensive.
      3. If there is criticism that you actually think is unfair, point out in a calm way using “I/you” language. e.g. “From my perspective,…. But I understand it may have come across that way to you.”

      Regarding your tendency to turn on the waterworks: how about you go to a restroom stall or other private place before the review, take a deep breath, and cry! Get it all out and allow yourself to be upset. You are stressed after all. Then wash your face, go get yourself a nice beverage, relax and go to the review in a calm frame of mind?

      1. Hopefully I’ll keep the waterworks at bay. Having gone through the written review and anticipated the kinds of responses I can give for each issue, I feel more in control. There are certainly things I can acknowledge and solicit feedback about, and then there are those that I believe require my side of the story (but, delicately, as you mentioned :) Mapping it out in my mind has helped a lot, so I guess the only thing left to do is dig deep and try not to let my emotions take the reins. Thank you, again!

    4. Good luck! My advice – say all the right things (“Yes, I understand your concerns, I’ll work to address them, thanks so much for bringing these issues to my attention so I can work on them.”) Then think about how excited you are that you will be quitting soon, and that you know something they don’t know (regardless of whether your current dream job works out, you are NOT going to be at this firm forever), and THAT will put a big smile on your face so you can get through your current work with the appearance of having made a major attitude adjustment, but really you’re just ready to roll. :)

      1. Thanks! I just made a Top 5 list of the things I have to look forward to, and it’s made me feel better already. I’m going to keep it in front of me during the review, so if I start feeling overwhelmed, I can just remind myself that this isn’t the end of the world.

  8. Need some support ladies…

    I was laid off from my job as an associate at a firm a few months back and I was told at the time it was because there was simply not enough work. I specifically asked if there was anything wrong with my work and was told no, it was only that there wasn’t enough work at my level. Which was true, I was no where near making my hours. I’ve found a contract job and I’m looking for a permanent position and overall I’m very happy not to be working at the old place anymore (it was kind of toxic).

    But this morning I see that they have just listed a job, looking for an associate in my same department with right about the same level of experience as I would have (I was at the lower end of what they’re looking for). This is kind of sending me into a confidence tailspin. Everyone there who I worked with said they were happy with my work (and were surprised when I was laid off) — but maybe they were lying? Job hunting isn’t so great for self-confidence to begin with and now this is making me doubt myself even more.

    I want to tell myself that its not me, its them, and even if it was me there’s nothing I can do about it now. But I don’t really know how to do that. I’m just so very very frustrated. And I can’t break down at my desk right now so I thought I’d come and post about it here.

    Thanks.

    1. this is a bit like breaking up with a guy and then getting upset over his photos and posts on FB. you need to de-friend. don’t look at what your old firm is doing, you’re not there anymore, and you’re happy about it! You’re on your way to a new and better place. Don’t let some job spec (which was probably written by the HR department) bring you down – after all, you don’t know what has changed in the group since then, and since you’ll never know, all the speculating is just going to drive you crazy and undermine your confidence for no good reason.

      move on. that firm is no longer a part of your life, and therefore what they now do has no bearing on you.

      1. Well…I’m not like following their blog. It was on a job listing site I follow because I’m looking for another job. :-)

        But I like the image. F*** that guy. That’s what I say.

    2. Seriously, it’s not you. They may have realized they can’t hack it without another person, even if it’s not a full-time position. If they had had problems with you, believe you me, they would have told you. And it was a toxic place!

      Another thing is that they didn’t have enough work for you, so you weren’t developing at a rate that another attorney would have with more opportunity to practice in that area. Meaning, maybe the posting is for an associate with more advanced skills than you in that area. That’s certianly not your fault either.

      Chin up. Consider yourself lucky to be out of there, and don’t look back. I know it’s hard not to take this kind of stuff personally.

    3. If you would contemplate going back it’s worth a shot to send an email. Early July I interviewed with a firm who said they loved me but weren’t hiring at my level right now (new lawyer), and they’d get back to me in a week. I didn’t hear back, but I wasn’t dying to work there and had other interviews lined up. Well, I’m still searching and saw that they had ad up for an associate. I submitted my resume and writing sample and emailed a partner I interviewed with saying I did blah blah and he said he would forward it to X partner. It’s not my dream job but I would take it if I had nothing, so I figured there was no harm in sending them my info again.

    4. Big firms basically treat attorneys as fungible. A lot of firms try to pretend layoffs are really performance-based terminations, so if they didn’t give you negative reviews at the time you were laid off, you should feel pretty confident that it was genuinely a layoff. There wasn’t enough work when you left, and now there is more work so they’re hiring someone to do your old job, because as far as they’re concerned attorneys are fungible.

      If you might be interested (and I totally understand why you probably aren’t), you could consider applying for the job or at least emailing HR to let them know you’re still available.

  9. I wouldn’t assume they were lying to you. What others were saying about long lulls in the business comes to mind here. Perhaps they’ve gotten an upsurge of new business and now are very short-staffed.

    At any rate, in your current job search, do you have anybody from your old firm who’s been willing to give you good job references? If you do, then I wouldn’t worry about their secretly hating your work (or you.) Generally, people won’t give job references for people whose work they disdain. At best, they’ll be non-committal when pressed, and kick it over to HR who will probably only be willing to confirm your dates of employment.

    1. Anon from above — I have three references from my old firm.

      Logically I know it probably wasn’t about me. Its just hard not to get emotional. :-P

  10. Does anyone have experience with Casadei shoes? Are they nice? How do they run?

    1. Burberry does ones that are nice. if that’s out of your price range, I got one from LLBean last year that I love and get a lot of compliments on. I think it’s actually a Burberry knock-off (but didn’t realize that til after I bought it, don’t know if that would have made a difference anyhow.)

      2. There is quite a few quilted Burberry jackets on sale at Nordstrom right now for about 40-50% off.

        I like the JCrew one, too.

    2. Lands End’s Dory Jacket! I have it in two colors – it’s super fitted and a great fall jacket.

  12. Shortening this in hopes that it will get past moderation:

    Just got my written evaluation, so I can review it prior to my in-person review this afternoon. In short – it’s bad. One of the main issues is my “timidity,” which is actually the depression I’ve had ever since my firm placed me in a different division than the one I was hired for. I had no prior skills to prepare me for the work I’m now doing and no interest in it, either. This particular quarter, I worked almost exclusively for a partner who has a known reputation for belittling associates and made no exception for me. It was unnecessarily frustrating to work with this person (or even obtain from him the information to do the job he was asking of me), and I’m sure his review did me no favors. Asking for a transfer to another division at this point isn’t an option.

    Ironically, my review was much better when I was depressed. Now that I’m working on the depression with meds and a therapist, I feel better, but I’m probably more laissez faire with my work (in the sense that, I’m busy and do work when asked, but don’t go out of my way to seek assignments from others). My renewed interest in having a personal life has probably curtailed my “firm presence,” as well. I’d rather go home and walk my puppy or reconnect with old friends than stick around for another firm cocktail party with the people who go out of their way to make me miserable.

    So, million dollar question is: What can I say to turn this review around? I already have my sights on a dream govt job, but the application process is lengthy, and I’d rather leave this firm on my own terms.

  13. On the holiday theme — Has anyone had luck requesting that their families stop giving gifts to the grown ups? How did you bring it up?

    It just feels like such a chore, and it really seems like everyone in my immediate-ish (uncle, aunt, first cousins) feels that way.

    1. we did this. it was just getting ridiculous, a big waste of money, and beyond a certain point nobody knew what to get anyone else.

      our approach was to suggest that all the adults give/bring edible things that we can all share. in practice this means food and fruit baskets, Harry & David types of things, smoked salmon, wine … etc. We all love to eat. I’ve sent a lot of things via 1800baskets.com to relatives who are further away. It’s worked out great. A lot cheaper, more fun, and nobody goes empty-handed.

      bon appetit! and good luck!

    2. My husband and I did this somewhat successfully with his family. We decided to just draw names. So, you gave one gift instead of ten.

      We think it worked well, and it certainly took the pressure off. Plus, we were able to give people something they really wanted. For example, my mother-in-law really wanted a Kindle/Nook, and since we were only getting a gift for one, we gave her a Nook.

      1. My husband’s family “decided” to do this about 5-6 years ago. Turned out, we were the only ones that followed through, so we were left un-reciprocating on a bunch of gifts. (The family is very nice, but crazy.) They’ve said they were going to do that just about every year since, too, and we just ignore it, because we know everyone else will in the end.

      2. This is what my dad’s side does with his siblings and in-laws (there’s about 20 of them). My mom’s side used to rotate through her siblings (15), so you only had one name every year and it just cycled through the list. I think that finally fizzled out as everyone ended up with their own families focus on. In both cases it was just totally not feasible to consider getting a gift for everyone, so there wasn’t a lot of push back.

      3. We do this too (Secret Santa) but it is a giant mess. The siblings and parents still get gifts for everyone, so really only the aunts/uncles/cousins stick with the plan. I feel guilty because aunts/uncles/cousins don’t know that the other side is completely ignoring the one-gift Secret Santa scheme.

        1. You mean, the immediate family (Mom/Dad/sibilings) get stuff for each other, but the extended family is on the name drawing system? That’s kind of what we do – I get stuff for my brothers and parents, maybe my godparents, but it’s only my parents that are in the Santa pick for them and their siblings. Cousins aren’t really involved, so its really just the 2nd level of consanguinity relations (parent/child, sibilings, maybe grandparents) that really do any exchanges…

    3. We are having this same issue in my family! This year I suggested drawing names and doing a gift for one person that is under $20, and either not new (thrifted and funny) or handmade. I think it will be fun; it’s just a matter of getting everyone on board. My other thought was to donate to a charity instead of giving gifts. I am so tired of the holiday gifting frenzy!

    4. We brought up the fact that we are fortunate to have each other and we really have everything we need, so we suggested each family do something “for the greater good” at some point in the season and then when we get together to celebrate, we will share what we did. Some bought extra gifts for the “angel tree” at the mall, one family “adopted” a single mom and her kids and provided them with Santa gifts, one donated use of a plane to an organization that transports rescue pets, others gave time, gently used items, monetary donations, took over shoveling a neighboring family’s driveway for the winter because the neighbor was dealing with some medical treatments. We all leave Christmas feeling much better having shared that than having exchanged our $25 home depot and gap giftcards again.

      Maybe if you frame it in terms of “let’s do something in the holiday spirit” instead of “the gift exchange is a chore” people will feel more compelled to jump on the bandwagon (after all, who is going to say, “No, I don’t want to help people, animals, the planet. I want a present for me!”) :)

      It was also nice because we didn’t put a minimum on it, so if things are tight one year, you can just do what you feel comfortable with.

    5. Yes! I just posted a comment about this – you’ll see it if you scroll up a little.

      We talked about doing away with holiday gifts for several years before we actually did it. My family is small, and we’re all over 40 now, and nobody needs anything. We had all just gotten in the habit of buying things from each other’s Amazon wishlists, and it just wasn’t that thrilling any more. If we had a family member who was struggling financially and needed stuff, gift-giving would be more meaningful, but we don’t really have that now. My comment above discusses it a little more.

    6. My extended family dealt with this last year, decided it was silly to still be buying everyone presents when all the cousins were now adults, and we switched the “everyone buys one present under $25 and we do a yankee swap” deal. (Also called a white elephant, I believe. Everyone buys a gift, you draw numbers. First person opens a gift. Second person can either “steal” the first gift or open another, and so on until the end). It turned out really well, and you can actually get some pretty awesome gifts for under $25. We had a decent mix of sort of inside joke gag gifts and useful gifts.

      This is with my extended family (aunts, uncles, etc). My parents and brother and I still exchange presents, though we’ve sort of moved away from “things” to more “experiences”–last year my brother got my dad concert tickets for them to both go see a band they like, this year I’m hoping to get tickets to a broadway show for me, that sort of thing.

      1. We do this as well. It’s a blast. Really a great time, and highly recommend it. Range of practical gifts (car wash sets, household items) to cute (DVD set + popcorn, jewelry made by a family member) to gag or just fun gifts (lottery tickets, manicure sets that somehow always end up going to an uncle, booze). A certain Christmas ornament is regifted every year into the exchange.

      2. We did a Yankee Swap for the first time last year as well. People got some good gifts and I managed to dodge the crappy ones. I cheated a bit, my dentist had sent me 4 movie passes for referring patients and I packaged those with some jumbo packs of candy and called it a day. It was one of the most popular gifts and cost me $4 which was awesome.

      3. we do this also in my immediate family only (parents/stepparents/siblings/spouses), and it’s one of my favorite parts of the holiday. everyone buys a gag gift of some kind, $25~ limit. it’s a blast for the actual swap, but i also have a great time during the rest of the year keeping my eye out for things i could use for the yankee swap gift (like the “chumlee is my homeboy/chumlee for president” swag they sell at the “pawn stars” pawn shop, which i visited over the summer).

    7. We’ve done a variation of drawing names since I was young. The adults are all in one basket with a higher limit, and the kids are in another basket with a lower limit. I don’t know how it was brought up back in the day, but probably as, “Hey the family is getting huge, the grandparents are fixed-income, why not do a drawing?”
      Now that most of one side of the family is all adults, we started doing a homemade gift combined with White Elephant, and donating the “real” money to a charity. Again, brought up as, “We’re all adults, why not give to a charity instead, and play a fun game with homemade gifts?”
      And lastly, for the first year ever, we’re going completely giftless on both sides of the immediate family. This was brought up as a comment about wanting to take a family trip over the holidays, but not being able to afford it due to all the gifts. The reasoning went that we could just forgo the gifts, and contribute to the trip. So, DH’s parents are paying for the hotel and an activity, and the kids are all contributing to at least one meal during the trip. I brought this up with my family, and so we’re doing dinner and a show. My parents are buying the tickets to the musical, and us kids are splitting the cost of dinner.
      I think just suggesting the alternative will be fruitful. It turns out that in all 3 situations above, everyone just loved the idea and wished we’d made the switch sooner. But, everyone feared stepping on toes or being “non-traditional”, so no one brought it up. Be the brave one, and I’m sure you’ll have positive results :)

    8. We did this last year on my husband’s side, and managed to pare my side down to only giving to the nuclear family (parents and sib). On his side, we initiated the conversation by talking about how we have too much stuff and too little space, and the family voted on a name swap vs. nothing. On my side, several relatives are dealing with unemployment etc., so we just said money is tight for us so we’d rather not do gifts. (Being Minnesota Nice, we couldn’t actually address their issues head on.)

    9. I just write to vent about this… on my husband’s side he has three brothers. The first with four children, the second with one child and then the third is childless. (I should also mention that all four children (from brother #1) have birthdays in December.) My husband and I are childless. About 8 years back, we were told not to buy for the “parents” just buy for the children. So what ends up happening, is my husband and I buy Christmas for the five children (and birthday gifts for four of them too!) BUT we get no gifts in return from the brother #1. His reply is that “we buy for children now, not adults!” There is something that just seems unfair about attending Christmas and bringing a car full of gifts for brother #1’s children and not getting a gift in exchange (even a token gift would be appreciated – a picture drown from the kids, a box of chocolates, just something).

      1. What about re-framing it as buying for the family? You get something that is a family present (puzzle, tickets to the zoo, movie passes, whatever) for each family. And yes, you and your husband constitute a family.

        Or you could always tell the kids that your present is that you bought toys for the needy family at church… and give them a gold star for their generosity.

      2. I kind of agree with this, so far as the kids being showered with gifts from the whole family and not reciprocating with anything. My sibling has 3 kids, and we all bend over backwards to get something special for each of them – but especially our mother, who goes way, way overboard (not necessarily a good thing, but she lives out of town and just adores them). And not once has one of the kids thought to make something for her, draw a card or a picture, or spend $5 of that allowance money he is saving for another $60 video game for a present for grandma, etc. Not once! They are 12, 11 and 9 – plenty old enough to be thoughtful of a doting grandparent (come to think of it, I don’t think they do anything for their parents either). I adore the kids too – right now they are still sweet, affectionate, wonderful little kids – but I worry that they are going to grow up to be entitled, inconsiderate guys.

        1. I have exactly this problem in my family!! Except that my cousins are 29 and 23, so they should absolutely know better. My grandparents have always given every person $50 for Christmas, including the girlfriends who come along to the celebration every year. Not once have my two cousins given anything to my grandparents. Since we do give gifts to the adults (and my grandparents continue to give to them every year), I think this is so tacky and irritating.

          1. Wow! That is crazy tacky. I can’t believe the girlfriends accept your grandparents’ cash! And don’t arrive prepared to reciprocate! Amazing. And yes, I can totally see these kids being like that in ten years. Hopefully not. Maybe Auntie JCB will ask them what they brought for grandma this year, get the gears in their heads rolling.

      3. Does Brother #1 buy for the other adults?

        If no other adults get gifts, I don’t think I would be upset about this.

        1. Actually, I reread and realized that it looks like everyone else gets gifts for the adults? I can see how you’d be annoyed. I think the family give that other posters have suggested is a good way to go. Based on some of the posts earlier in this thread, though, I would definitely still give the bday gifts IF you give a gift the other child who doesn’t have a holiday birthday.

      4. It’s SO HARD to break those family norms, particularly if you’re the only person/couple in a certain station of life. But I’d argue that giving gifts to their nieces and nephews is unnecessary, children or not. At some point when my cousins and I were very young, my dad and his siblings decided, hey, it’s really too much to buy gifts for all the kids, too. (There were 15 of us, so you can imagine how that would’ve added up, especially since all the families lived on one wage.) I don’t recall any of us feeling deprived or put out. We knew that on that side of the family, we only got gifts from Grandpa & Grandma. And it really was no big deal at all.

        Here’s an idea for you to consider: instead of individual gifts, why not a family gift like a pass to the zoo or Children’s Museum? It doesn’t completely solve your problem, but at least you’re giving them an experience instead of more stuff.

    10. My husband and I spend Christmas Eve with his entire extended family and it’s an enormous gift exchange, with really ridiculous presents in some cases. So we worked with his mom to set up a Secret Santa two years ago, where each adult would buy for only one other adult. Sadly, it didn’t take. One couple (at our generation — the “cousins” level) didn’t come to town for Christmas Eve, only for a family engagement party several days later. They brought the gifts for their two recipients to the party after Christmas . . . but it had already all gone to hell, because those gifts were not present to be opened by their recipients on C. Eve. All the sisters/matriarchs (one generation up — my mother-in law and her siblings) were up in arms. “‘Kathy’ had nothing to open!!!!” Sigh. So it’s back to $20 gift cards for 12 different couples. At least it’s per couple, and not per person (and we don’t buy for the little kids that are my husband’s cousins’ children) . . . .

  16. My watch is scratching the bejeezknees out of my dark wood desk when I type. At least I think it is my watch. Any solutions, other than not wearing my watch?

    (Never again on the dark wood – aside from the scratching/showing grease marks if anyone touches it, it always looks dusty.)

    1. Look up proper ergonomic keyboard posture. If you use a keyboard correctly, your wrist will not rest on the desk and your watch should not scratch the desk.
      From my long experience with tendonitis, I am always preaching about the right way to type/use a mouse.

  17. Since the topic of the day appears to be various types of skirts:

    I have a mad, irrational desire for a sequinned skirt for this holiday season but don’t want to blow the budget on it since I probably won’t wear it a whole lot. Even though this won’t be for work, no clubby minis, please….not my style. I adore the Anthro version (the Twinkle Lights Pencil Skirt, not linking because I don’t know how to do that fancy tinyurl thing) but am hoping to find something a bit cheaper if possible. Suggestions?

    Thx!

      1. Gotta love J Crew. What is $61 in the US comes up on my Canadian screen as $108. And people wonder why Canadians love to shop in the US….

        2. If you’re in Canada, I saw one at Smart Set recently, didn’t see the price tag but was probably Smart Set-priced. It was sort of a light bronze colour but they may have more options. It looked short-ish but not tight.

    2. I’ve seen a lot of not-as colorful ones at tjmaxx and marshalls in the nicer parts of towns.

      There seems to be a glut of Tahari sparkle tops, skirts and dresses out there right now (fairly inexpensive to boot!).

      Good luck!

    3. You might search for the “Hide and Go Sequin Gold Sequin Skirt” on google — it looks pretty cute and similar to the one you liked (though just Gold).

    4. Not helpful if you must have it now, but see if the stores are carrying a good selection for the holidays then go to the after-holiday sale to try and snag one at a good deal. This should work if you have a couple of potential options/stores (so that there is a good chance they will have inventory after the holidays). Last year, I got a “designer” sequin pencil skirt (originally $350) for $60. It is a fun piece to have.

    6. Forever 21 has sequined everything! Got a sequined shirt there for a theme party, and it was actually quite cute. Have to go to the B&M store for selection, though.

  18. I need to buy a new pair of jeans for casual fridays at work. I hate to go from store to store and try on tons of styles and really want some way to make this more efficient. (I usually shop online for clothes, but it’s trickier for jeans and I don’t want to end up with tons of returns.) I haven’t bought jeans in years, but for pants I’ve had luck with Express Editor pants and Ann Taylor pants.

    I’m looking for:
    – dark wash, work appropriate
    – a little bit of stretch
    – for a pear shaped figure (size 4ish if that helps)
    – not too flared, not too skinny at the ankles either.

    Please help!

    1. I purchased my last pair of jeans in the curvy cut at Ann Taylor and I love them. They are great for my large thighs and hips.

      I’d give them a look see. They have a variety of different leg shapes.

    2. If like the editor pant try express. I wore a pair of dark eva curvy jeans from there, I think they’re a barely boot, or boot cut, and a mid rise, which comes almost to my belly button. They’re not flarey at all, but not straight/skinny. Mine are very dark with no whiskering or other fading. I think my waist hip measurements are currently 27/37 or thereabouts. I’m a 2/4 in editor pant and those jeans are a 2.

    3. I’m a big fan of 7 For All Mankind “Dojo” fit jeans. They’re 5-pocket but trouser-y, and wide leg shaped (i.e. the flare doesn’t start from the knee but rather at the thigh) without having an actually wide leg. Does that make sense? Anyway, they’re my go-to work jeans.

    4. I like the fit of Anne Taylor curvy, but when I last tried to get jeans there (about a month ago) they all had whiskering. I ended up with “Not Your Daughter Jeans”. The different fits are priced between $100 and $120, but Nordstrom had some on sale last weekend and they may still be there.

      1. I think one of the most important things for “work” jeans is no details on the pockets.

        I really like DL1961 brand jeans. I only have ankle skinnies, but they are flattering and have worn extremely well. They’re a bit spendy, but, as I said, they wear well. I’m sure they have a boot cut style.

        I also have these: http://piperlime.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=7037190020027&cid=47867&locale=en_US. They’re a bit more flared (and had to be shortened, but they are nice and comfortable).

        1. Another call out for DL1961. I have the Tory which is straight legged. (and wearing it today!). Agree that they wear very well and low maintenance. No big labels, so good for business casual

      2. I only wear NYDJ now. If that makes me a dorky mom, I don’t care. They make me look like I lost 5 lbs.

    5. I like the Gap’s long and lean. They meet all of the above requirements. If anything they run a tad on the large side, but maybe that’s just me. (Either that or all the other kinds of Gap jeans are cut too tiny).

      1. My long and leans always seem to stretch out on me during the day, to the point that the seat of the pants are kind of baggy….ymmv.

      2. I’ve had this problem with all gap jeans for the last 5+ years, so I’ve sworn them off.

    6. Talbots has some nice, curvy trouser jeans, and I have had luck with Not Your Daughter’s Jeans, too!

    7. I bought the Ann Taylor Modern Denim Trousers and I love them! The fabric is SUPER comfortable and they stretch some, but not too much. They do have a bit wider leg than you might be looking for, though. I wear them more than I thought I would.

    8. i’m an hourglass and also have a tough time finding jeans that accommodate my thighs without requiring significant alterations at the waist. i second the recommendations for the 7FAM dojo and have also had good luck with j.crew’s matchstick jeans. they are somewhere between a straight and skinny leg and are my go-to “casual friday” jeans.

      1. J Crew (or their outlet) matchstick or bootcut jeans are my go-tos, but they aren’t always available in a dark, non-whiskered wash. And they don’t stretch out like Gap jeans!

    9. Page Denim Montecito cut. For the curvier girls, dark wash, slight flare (not bell-y at all). High rise, no quarter slot problem. Can get from zappos or Macys or Nordstrom or many other places. One word of warning, though: just because a shop stocks Paige doesn’t mean they’ll stock the Montecito cut.

      1. I was just going to post the same suggestion as Circe. I just found Paige Denim’s Monetecito jean recently after striking out with other Paige styles, and after wearing them a few times I bought another pair of the exact same jean so that I can hem one pair for wearing with flats/sneakers. I’m hourglass/pear shaped with generous bum & thighs, and these jeans are the best I have ever owned. They don’t gape at the waist and they have enough stretch in them that they’re actually comfortable for multiple wears. Only downside is that they’re really really bootcut – and I like bootcut! Wish they’d make the same waist/thigh cut in a skinny jean too.

    10. If you live in a city that has The Blues Jeans Bar, go there. Greatest experience ever. You go in and tell them what you are looking for (ex: mid-rise, dark wash, bootcut for a curvy body with really muscular thighs) and then they start bringing various pairs of jeans to you that will work on your body type. They keep the jeans coming until you find the perfect pair. I will never buy jeans anywhere else ever again!

  19. Thought this might be of interest:

    For the professional Washington woman, Ann Taylor is her muse
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/for-the-professional-washington-woman-ann-taylor-is-her-muse/2011/11/14/gIQAvYPYSN_story.html

    Say you need a suit.

    Back up. First, say you are a woman. Then, say you need a suit. You are 32, or 38. You are out of grad school or out of the Peace Corps or returning from the maternity leave that was going to last four months and somehow lasted five years. Say you work in Washington.

    Where do you go?

    Don’t pretend you don’t know.

    1. Ha! but you left out the part where the author questions whether Ann Taylor is garanimals for working women. ;) Sadly, I broke-up with Ann Taylor 5 years ago, but I’m hopeful that we can be friends if it brings back good cuts and great fabrics. I admit to taking her out for a drink or two; at first I’m really excited. Could it be? Can we get back together? And then – SMACK – I’m reminded of all the reasons I ended it. I have three pairs of wool trousers from them that are 8 years old, and I cherish them. They still fit wonderfully and look great. But, AT doesn’t make pants like them anymore, or the beautiful silk blouses and interesting sweaters that I used to flock to. 10+ years ago, AT was fantastic, but the company has not aged well.

    2. This article makes me irrationally angry, mostly because AT’s quality has been crap lately, and I find a lot of their stuff is more co-ed playing professional, not actual professional.

      1. Agree. Everytime I look in my closet at the blue and black leopard print polyester shell I bought at AT on a whim I kick myself.

    3. Allie from Wardrobe Oxygen has that blue dress from Ann Taylor. Yes, I am devoted to my fashion and style blogs :)

    4. Ann Taylor is immediately available to those arriving to D.C. by train. There’s definitely a vibe of, “Welcome to D.C.! Time to go to Ann Taylor.”

    5. I was going to post that AT has had an ad campaign all over DC featuring local DC professional women wearing their clothes, but then I realized that that ad campaign is for some other brand (Jones New York? Anne Klein? Talbot’s?). Way to distinguish your brand, all of you.

    1. OMG, as if free shipping on everything and the Nordstrom’s credit card hasn’t already done enough damage to my wallet.

  21. Looking for a petite size long gray cardgan to wear with pants and THE SKIRT. I ordered one from Talbots, but it is so tight in the arms that I cannot wear it over anything except a sleeveless, possibly short sleeved, top. I want to be able to wear the cardigan over a long sleeved button-front shirt. Thanks in advance for any advice. I’ve been looking for over a month.

    1. Not sure how you feel about the ruffles, but try Eddie Bauer.

      http://tinyurl.com/73rf8gk

      EB in general is not terribly fashion-forward, but the quality is good and they have no-hassle returns. Many of my favorite sweaters are from EB and have held up quite well to frequent washings and almost-as-frequent accidental dryings.

  22. I am in the market for some new nice t-shirts to wear over the weekend and occasionally under blazers/suits at work. Here are my requirements: slim fit (but not too tight), substantial material with nice stretch, three quarter sleeves or longer, scoop neck preferable but v neck also acceptable. I have found that I dislike tops from Old Navy and the Gap because of the too-large, frumpy fit and that J Crew tops typically have thin material. I usually wear a small/size 4 or 6 in tops. Thanks in advance for any recommendations and Happy Weekend!

    1. Guess I’m shilling for Eddie Bauer today. They are great with basic stuff – the best quality t-shirts I’ve found for the money (my black one finally faded after three years, with weekly washing and drying), cords, jeans (both in tall sizes! and petites!) and sweaters. Lands’ End also has nice thick t-shirts in 3 different cuts. I would like my entire wardrobe to be from either store, but I’ve been pretty happy with buying ‘anchor’ pieces there.

    2. I had sworn off AT Loft for a while but was recently suckered into ordering a batch of stuff during their last 40% off sale. Their “perfect long sleeved” t-shirt was a nice surprise. It’s a cotton modal blend, comes in a ton of colors, and hung really well on me. It’s not what I’d call substantial weight, but it is definitely thick enough that even light colors wouldn’t need a cami underneath. The scoop-neck isn’t too low. It does run fairly large, so if you are between sizes, go with the smaller one.

      Caveat – I haven’t washed it yet. Bonus, though – it’s super-cheap. $19.50 full price, and I thought it was a bargain at 40% off. There’s some promo this weekend where they are only $10. I am going to pick up some more because it is the first t-shirt I have encountered in a while that I feel like would be nice enough under suits.

      1. Scratch that – I’m mixing up my retailers. It’s called simply “Long sleeve Scoop Neck top.” I think they have a v-neck version as well.

      2. I have a few AT Loft tees and have found mixed results with them. Its hard to beat the price, but I’ve also found that the pill easily. But for $10, I didn’t expect much. The color selection is great.

  23. I own this exact skirt and absolutely love it. The colour is fun but not startlingly bright, and it’s true to size. I love the stretch (means I can cycle in it!), but on me it isn’t clingy and I wear it to work a lot.

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