Corporette.com

Updated: Nov 1, 2018 117 Comments · by

Tuesday’s TPS Report: Leather Detail Blazer

Admin

This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Halston Heritage Leather Detail Blazer | CorporetteOur daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. This week, we welcome an old friend back to the blog — Belle from Capitol Hill Style, who was also good enough to take a week of TPS reports during my first maternity leave (and has guest posted about how to maximize a chance meeting with a VIP).

I adore the unique structure and details on this Halston blazer. The tailored seams accentuate the waist to give any woman an hourglass shape, and the slight rear peplum adds some drama to the back. The stone color makes it a versatile choice; mix it with bright colors, jewel tones, or other neutrals. It's $475 at Nordstrom. Halston Heritage Leather Detail Blazer

Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail tps@corporette.com.

(L-2)

Comments

  1. Kathryn

    After being on a bag-shopping haitus but really needing a summer purse, I bought one last night. I was passing TD Maxx, saw the bag in the window, and impulsively bought it. Now I’m trying to decide if it’s worth keeping, because of the color: it’s a light pink, somewhere between pastel and rose. It’s a beautiful bag that would coordinate well with most of the colors I wear.

    Do you ladies think this is a good neutral or a trendy color just for this year?

  2. In the Pink

    Gosh – that sounds lovely. I love mixing pink with other pastels, but the best for me is with grey or black…I think you will get lots of use out of it every spring and summer to come. With so much emphasis on “nude for someone” in clothing, shoes, and accessories, I can’t see why such a great subtle tone wouldn’t be acceptable.

    • Ellen

      Great Blazer, Kat, –better for Rosa, so I will show her and have her mabye go to Nordstrom’s down in White Plains. Personaly, it is to svelte for my tuchus in the back, so I try to buy blazer’s with a bit more flair in the back so that peeople aren’t directed directley to my tuchus.

      As for the OP, I agree you should keep it. As long as it is LEATHER, you should be fine and will be abel to use it for year’s to come! YAY!!! Speakeing of Leather, the manageing partner’s brother stopped by weareing a black leather jacket — a motor cycle jacket with zipper’s on it and even chain’s. I think he think’s he is some kind of motorcyle bandit, and he thought I thought he would look cool (he said so). The onley thing I know is that most motorcycle dude’s look more like Patrick Swazee, and not like Al Roker, so I did NOT think he looked so cool as he said he did.

      Rosa called to tell me about an accident Sari made in Dad’s new Escaleade. Rosa was sitteing in the back seat with her and when she made poopie, Rosa made the mistake of tryeing to change her back there. It was more then a Fooey! Sari wound up makeing a mess on the leather seat’s and on the carpet, and Dad was VERY unhappy — With ROSA, for not waiteing to get out of the car with Sari before changeing her. Dad now has to get the car cleaned and detailed inside b/c it lost it’s new car smell insteantly! Dad is NOT happy and told Rosa NOT to bring the baby into the car next time unless her tank is empty! How funny! I am sure that both me and Rosa did this plenty of times when we were groweing up, but back then, dad was NOT driveing an Escealade. I remember us driving in a Ford something, and it was NOT a pretty car. I do NOT think it had leather seat’s either! FOOEY on DAD for yelling at Rosa. She was onley cleaning the baby up b/c the baby needed to go. That is onley natural. I hope that when I have a baby, Dad will be nicer when my baby has to go poopie in the car. FOOEY on Dad.

  4. Diana Barry

    Can I just vent for a second about people who stand RIGHT TF NEXT TO YOU in the coffee line? I don’t want your bag bumping my rear! I don’t want you talking in my ear or breathing down my neck! Rrrrrrrgh.

    • HSAL

      I have no problem telling them to back off. I think a lot of people don’t realize they’re doing it.

      • Anon

        On a (semi) related note- does anyone have an issue with people who very obviously/loudly chew with their mouths open? It’s a pet peeve of mine, and I find it incredibly distracting. I find it happens frequently and it’s not socially acceptable to say anything, so I don’t. Frustrating, though.

        • Wanderlust

          Yes x 1000. The older gentleman who sits next to me and eats work at his desk does this. I can hear him smacking down his salad from 8 feet away, and it is the worst noise in the world. I usually put on headphones (with no music, because I can’t work with music on) and sometimes I can still hear him! You’re totally correct that it’s not socially acceptable to say anything, but SO PAINFUL NOT TO!

          • Anon

            Earplugs are effective too. I just make sure my hair covers my ears if I’m eating with people and make a greater effort to hear what they’re saying. It’s hard to moderate volume, but if I don’t expect to have to talk much, it’s the best solution.

    • Woods-comma-Elle

      Yes.

      I’ve also noticed that there is definitely a cultural thing at play here. A Polish guy at my firm has WAY smaller personal space than my reserved Nordic self and it drives me insane, but he never even realised!

      • Diana Barry

        Yes, this was totally it – it was some European language that I didn’t recognize and I didn’t want to reach around and elbow the tourists. :)

    • Bonnie

      I hate that too and generally ask if they need something. When they look confused, I say that they had been tapping me.

    • Anon

      Once, me and my husband were in the line for checkout in Costco. There was an elderly couple in front of us. We had our cart between the old lady and us. I was talking to my husband and suddenly the grandpa in front started staring at us and asked us to back off..the cart was not touching the old lady..me, my husband and the old lady were wondering what happened.It was the overly protective grandpa who wanted to protect the grandma from something that didn’t even happen.It has become a joke between me and my husband when we are near to old couple..

      • jc

        That is unbelievably immature. You were too close, and it is not for you to judge what someone else’s personal space should look like.

  5. Medic Maggie

    Please give me all the good karma that you can muster. I am going in to negotiate a raise at 11:00 am. I really need this.

    • Nancy P

      Sorry, hit report! You can do this. You’re doing it for yourself. You need it, and you should get it. Go girl!!!

    • Finally

      Yay! I did this for the first time yesterday! It’s uncomfortable, but a lot easier than you think!

    • Medic Maggie

      Well, not as I had hoped, but I knew the answer if I didn’t ask. I asked for 15%, and got 7% plus 2.5% for COLA. There could be more on the table come January, when we undergo an organization-wide survey/shuffle of our pay bands.

      • Finally

        Congrats! I got nothing out of mine, but like you said “I knew the answer if I didn’t ask.” :)

  6. yup

    This is so weird that I knew it was a question for you ladies. I have had three electric toothbrushes in a row lose their verve for brushing within a year. I have no idea what is causing this. I leave them on their chargers all the time. Could that be it? I bought my last one from Costco so I could return them, and here I am returning it again. What the heck am I doing wrong?

    • SAlit-a-gator

      I’ve had my Oral B for 3+ years and never leave it on the charger. In fact, I wear the battery down until the end and then charge it. Never thought this would help batter life, but it might.

      • Aggie

        I have also used my Oral B for 3+ years. Due to limited electrical outlets in my bathroom, I can’t leave it plugged in all the time. I did not realize this helps the battery life either, but it might!

        Worst case scenario is that the toothbrush loses its charge during your brushing cycle – and then you can use it as manual. But I would still buy your replacement from Costco, the returns are so easy.

    • mascot

      Another vote for only charging them when their batteries are worn down. I don’t know if memory effect is a myth or not, but it’s worth a shot. My toothbrush can hold a charge for days and it’s probably 3-5 years old.

      • Mpls

        OP – definitely figure out what kind of battery you have (like, the chemicals in it) and see what the recommendations are for that battery type. Memory effect can definitely be a thing, depending on the type of battery.

    • meme

      More anecdata: I have a 13 year-old Oral B that I leave on the charger all the time and it shows no signs of slowing down.

      • yup

        Well, shoot. It’s just the weirdest thing — three in a row! They still brush but definitely not as strongly. It’s barely better than just a manual toothbrush.

        I’ll try not leaving it on the charger, but meme makes me less confident that that will work.

        • Nellie

          Any chance there’s a problem with the outlet that you plug it into? Is it frying your batteries?

      • Anon

        I have an Oral-B that’s probably 6 years old and it’s on the charger all the time. No battery issues.

    • anon

      I find that I have to remove the head and clean out the part around what makes it vibrate. It’s like whole new life!

        • anon

          Yeah, I first noticed it when I was changing the head. Dried toothpaste had gotten in there around the little metal thing. When I cleaned that it, it was like new without a new battery.

    • Pink NYC

      I had this happen. I gave up and tossed it. I did a mix of not charging until it died, but it never revived. Perhaps the newer ones just suck.

    • Diana Barry

      As a related question, do people like the automatic toothbrushes? I have never tried one except for the crazy thing at the dentist, and I’m wondering if I would like using one…

      • yup

        I LOVE IT. There’s no going back. Even though this problem has been a pain, I just am hooked on the electric toothbrushes. My teeth no longer feel clean with a regular one.

      • Anon

        LOVE mine too. I usually take regular toothbrushes on extended trips and can’t wait to brush my teeth when I get home becuase the regular brush never makes my mouth feel as clean.

      • Anonymous

        I kind of miss wandering around the house in the morning, half brushing, half making the bed, packing my lunch, petting the dog, etc., for about 15 minutes. The automatic takes 2 minutes, beeps every 30 seconds to tell me to move quadrants, and will splatter everywhere and clatter against my teeth if I let it hang out to put up the duvet with both hands. So boo, being forced to concentrate and whatnot ;)

        As to how it actually works, I’m not sure my teeth feel any cleaner (mentally I as a whole feel cleaner, but when I lick my teeth, they feel the same), but I do think it’s better on my gums because I am one of those people that pushes way too hard into the gums when I brush manually.

        If you get one, I highly recommend the really small brush heads (about half the size of the brush head on your normal toothbrush). It’s much easier to get to the far back of your molars with the smaller brush head.

        • mascot

          Agreed, the forced concentration/hands-on requirement is the biggest downfall.

          • Famouscait

            I use the two minutes to stand in front of my closet and decide what I’m wearing for the day.

      • SAlit-a-gator

        I can’t imagine living with out it (exaggeration intended to make a point). I actually hate having to leave it home when I’m packing light for a trip and don’t want to charge it in a foreign country. My teeth feel so clean, and for so much longer. Plus I haven’t had a cavity since. Strongly recommend an good electric toothrush (Oral B or Sonicare). Don’t get the $5 cheapo ones, those are not worth it. Also, get it from Costco since they have a great return policy.

    • Anon

      I’ve had the Philips Sonicare for over 10 years and leave mine on the charger all the time unless I am taking it overnight somewhere.

  7. Yellow in NYC

    Every time I move to a new city I swear up and down that I’m going to make myself get out and explore and enjoy it. But I’m a little bit of a homebody, so I end up (happily) puttering around my neighborhood, until it’s time to leave, when I regret that I didn’t do some of the things that people travel to these cities to do! DH and I have just gotten to NYC, and we’ll be here for no more than 3 years. I’m working on putting together a manageable bucket list so that I have time to bury myself in my little neighborhood, but also feel like I got to experience the city when it’s time for us to move on. Does anyone have any favorite activities that should make it on? We’re not huge museum goers, but like performances (I’ve already gotten us to the Comedy Cellar and a few Broadway shows!) and like being outdoors. We love trying new restaurants, but are pescetarian, so many of the famous NYC steakhouses are out. I would so appreciate any recommendations! I’m trying my best to accept who I am (a little bit of an introverted homebody) while pushing myself to do the things I wish came more easily (getting out an exploring a new place!)

    • ITDS

      Think of it this way: If you see/do one “New York” thing per month for the three years you’ll be there (so 36 things +/-), I think you’ll feel like you’ve seen the city by the time you leave, without having to take up too much time or having it feel overwhelming.

    • Anonymous

      Central Park
      Bronx Zoo!!!
      Botanical gardens
      West village – wander around and check out he stores and restaurants

      • Anonymous

        Bryant park (especially Christmas market)
        Madison square park and shake shack or eataly
        Hayden planetarium
        Walk over the Brooklyn bridge at night
        Highline
        “Ethnic” neighborhoods like Chinatown, little Italy, flushing (especially during festivals like Chinese New Year or San genaro)
        Shopping and exploring in soho

        In my opinion the way to do this is to make it a normal part of your week – an outing on Saturday or sunday

    • momentarily anonymous

      Governor’s Island
      Coney Island
      The Frick Museum
      Marea (amazing seafood restaurant)
      Dim sum in Chinatown or Koreatown
      Get super cheap tickets to a Nets game at Barclays (same day tickets are frequently around ~$15)
      Go to a Yankees or Mets game
      Attend a US Open match
      See a free concert at SummerStage in Central Park

    • Bewitched

      Tenement Museum
      9/11 Museum
      Neither are really “museums” in the traditional sense!

    • See everything

      There’s so much more than the steak in NY, IMO. Harold Dieterle’s Perilla in the West Village is very delish (he was the first-ever top chef winner). There’s Pearl Oyster Bar. Or you could do a Tour De Pizza and try every “craft” pizza place in the city (Motorino, Co., Patsy’s, Grimaldi’s, Di Fara, etc. etc.). Chinatown in either Manhattan or Flushing should be pescatarian friendly (dim sum, anyone?).

      When I was a grad student and didn’t have anything to do (most of my friends didn’t yet live in the city), I’d just go out for a long, rambling walk with my keys, phone and metrocard. That way, if I wandered too far, I could always get home. But I found that just walking down random side streets in addition to the main thoroughfares meant I found many gems I wouldn’t have discovered otherwise.

      What else I’d do:
      –Walk the Brooklyn Bridge from Brooklyn to NYC
      –Take the Staten Island Ferry roundtrip to see the Statue of Liberty and the great views
      –Walk a different way through Central Park every time (you can get lost in the Ramble). Try to find all of the statues or something fun like that.
      –Go to Lincoln Center Out of Doors in the summer, where they put on free swing dance concerts for anyone who wants to watch/take part
      –Hear the NY Phil or Met Opera in Central Park this summer– bring a blanket, some snacks, and a bit of alcohol (everyone does)
      –Rent a kayak on the Hudson River
      –Go the the “beach” at Long Island City (7 train to Vernon-Jackson)
      –Go to the top of the Empire State Building
      –Get a picture on top of the red steps in Times Square
      –Shop in Macy’s (even if it’s the most crowded experience of your life)

      • Rachelellen

        I second a lot of these. Also, skip Little Italy on Mott St. and go to the one in the Bronx. Google Arthur Avenue.
        If you like history, I’m a big fan of the Big Onion walking tours.
        Have a beer and listen to live music at an Irish pub in Woodside.
        Steve’s in Red Hook for killer key lime pie.

        • NYNY

          Lots of great suggestions here. I don’t think I saw these:
          – Go to a ballet at Lincoln Center, either ABT in the the spring or NYCB in the fall
          – Stay in town for July 4th and go to the Macy’s fireworks
          – Ogle sailors during Fleet Week (around Memorial Day each year, maybe without your hubby)
          – See local bands play in a club, either in the East Village, Red Hook, Williamsburg, or Greenpoint

      • Gail the Goldfish

        The beach in LIC is no longer there-it got demolished when they started redeveloping hunter’s point. But there’s a very nice park there now! Related to that: in the summer, take the east river ferry from either 34th or LIC all the way down to Governor’s Island, and hang out on Governor’s Island for a while.

    • Anne

      Can’t help with NYC, but I moved to a different city (Oslo) for a 6 months work stay in January (moving back home this week). When I studied abroad in Copenhagen for 5 years, I was really bad at going out to experience all the different things my city had to offer. Actually, I would end up doing things only when I had visits from home so they could play tourists, or when someone else dragged me out.

      So when I moved this time, I was very aware that I wanted to experience more beyond just living here. I first got a lonely planet guide for Oslo and highlighted stuff. It got me out to see some things.

      Then I ended up downloading Yelp for my phone. I bookmarked all the restaurants that got high reviews, weren’t super expensive and sounded good. I did the same with museums and other attractions. After I’d visited them (and checked in), I unchecked the bookmark. It has also been really good if I find myself in an unfamiliar neighborhood with some time to spare or am hungry.

      I also went on Facebook and searched for events in the city. Some of them sounded interesting enough that I ended up going.

      Now that I move back, I know that I haven’t been 100% effective in my goal (I’m still too much of a homebody to love going out all the time) but I know that I have seen a lot of things that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I can also say that I have been using the possibilities that exist here.

  8. Silicon Valley Recruiter?

    After making a career move that had so much potential but is failing spectacularly, I’m trying to decide whether to return to my former firm as a 10th year associate (it’s more of a eat-what-you-bill place rather than up-or-out) or go in-house.

    Does anyone have a Silicon Valley legal recruiter for in-house jobs that they’d recommend? I specialize in IP/patents.

    • Anon

      Susan Tien and the Dubin Group – she used to be there and is solo now, both are great.

    • Hollis

      Just curious – can you tell us why you think you are failing at the new career? Maybe you are still learning how to do it and you will find success over time?

  9. E

    Omg. I need to rant. I’m in consulting and spend much of my time at bank ops centers, so the summer dress code is relaxed but that isn’t code for out of control.. first it bothered me that people were wearing flip flops to work and this girl’s dress was not even mid thigh. Fine whatever. I see this girl in the bathroom wearing a maxi dress and denim jacket. The maxi dress has a plunging neckline with a sort of notched cut out around the breast bone. She was flat chested which prevented it from being totally out of control but are you kidding me?!

      • BB

        From my standpoint, I really don’t want to see revealing clothing at work. I work with these people – I don’t EVER want to be reminded of their secondary sexual characteristics, kind of like with my parents. This goes for men and women. I’m happy for whatever you want to do in your personal life, no judgments there, but don’t bring it to work!

        • Nellie

          I’m the type to be bugged by this, too. For me, it’s kind of a concern that the other person thinks that her attire and mine are in the same category of appropriateness. I.e., if she’s wearing it, she thinks its office-appropriate. And I think what I’m wearing is office appropriate. And yet they’re so different— does she really think what she’s wearing and what I’m wearing are similarly professional?
          That’s how I feel about one of my co-workers. If I knew her state of mind was “I don’t give a care, and I’m going to wear whatever I can get away with,” then, more power to her, and I don’t care. But if she thinks that she’s dressed according to standards, then it would bug me, because she’s so clearly dressed casually.

      • Blonde Lawyer

        I feel uncomfortable when I see things I’m not supposed to see. I went to a friend’s dance recital recently. The high school aged group did a number in black mesh shirts with hot pink bras underneath. They were doing jazz tap so there was a lot of up and down meaning there were pink bouncy things very visible through the black mesh. Their dance was awesome and they looked hot but I was really uncomfortable with the feeling of “ack! I’m staring at teenage boobs.” Boobs in the workplace are the same thing. You aren’t supposed to look but it is really hard not to when they are RIGHT THERE and in an outfit made to display them.

    • ANON

      These things bother me too. I’m not super fashionable but I always try to be covered up appropriately and wear appropriate footwear. I’ve had people in our office say to me “you always dress so nice” and I just say thank you but what I want to say is “thank you. this is what business casual looks like – not flip flops, maxi dresses, colored jeans, sun dresses, etc.”.

    • snowy

      A teenage girl was doing a reading at church the other day in butt-hugging white shorts. I think the outrage comes at the fact that no one has told them that there are places to wear low-cut maxi dresses and tiny white shorts (the beach) and places not to (your office, a church altar). I like those items of clothes, too. But I just save them for the appropriate places.

      • Wildkitten

        I give teenagers a lot of leeway. They’re still learning how to dress. I wore a lot of ugly/inappropriate things (even at church) and learned to not do that now that I’m an adult. Good for her for reading in front of the whole church! That’s awesome!

    • Flying Squirrel

      While admittedly this is a conservative attitude, but I grew up in a place where how you dressed was at least partially about showing respect. I went to private school with a strict dress code, and the idea was that dressing differently than you would for the weekend conveyed respect for the institution and what you are doing there. Similarly, when you go to dinner at someone’s house…you don’t wear flip flops and a torn shirt b/c it shows you can’t be bothered to put on something a little “nicer” (none of this has to cost a lot of money).

      Anyway, these things would bother me too for this reason. But I think I’m a dinosaur around these things (esp. since I now live in the Bay Area).

      • WestCoast Lawyer

        This is exactly what I was going to say. I also think it bothers me in the same way that I get upset when I see people in the carpool lane whizzing by with only one person in the car (and no HOV sticker for EVs). Sure, I would love to come to work in sweatpants and flip flops, but I made the effort to look presentable because that’s what’s expected where I work. While I don’t think we have a formal dress code, it’s not too difficult to see by looking around the office that we generally tend towards the formal side of business casual. By showing up in whatever was laying on the floor that morning it’s like you are saying you think you are exempt from the rules (albeit unwritten) that the rest of us have to adhere to.

        • E

          THIS! Well I you all are saying what I’m thinking. My beef with the short dress is actually because I’m 5’11” and make a huge effort to find dresses that are appropriate length for my surroundings (and don’t break the bank which is the hard part). This girl was short and could easily find longer dresses. Yes I’ll wear short/tiny dresses for a night out or as part of a casual weekend because I know when it’s appropriate. There’s no excuse for the low cut maxi. Work outfits aren’t supposed to be distracting and this one was. How is it distracting vs a skirt with a loud print? Because we all know it’s totally inappropriate.

          I hate work clothes! I hate them. But I put in the effort to dress appropriately so everyone else should too. Granted, I’m a consultant working at a client site so I’m also representing my company which is why we’re at least business casual even when they invite us to partake in jeans days.

        • Samantha

          I drive in the carpool lane with my kid in the back carseat and I often see (or imagine) people giving me the stink-eye because they don’t see anyone in the passenger seat. So just FYI, maybe there’s a baby that’s too short to be seen?

      • Lily student

        I believe this too. When I was interviewing for Oxford Uni, one of the other interviewees for my course and college was wearing really old, battered jeans. I know they say that you don’t have to dress smartly for them, and he got an admissions offer (which I didn’t), but I strongly felt that he wasn’t showing anywhere like the right amount of respect for the academics interviewing us,

  10. ANON

    A few months ago my two superiors said they were concerned that I may not be hearing very well. I was really surprised but I know that most people that are hard of hearing don’t think they are. This morning I went to the Audiologist and the results were not great. I hear high frequency better than average but my low frequency hearing is bad. She said the loss is genetic. It makes sense that I don’t hear my supervisors well because they’re men with low voices. I’m a bit embarrassed by the whole thing and wondering what I’ve been missing when they speak. I told them the results of the test this morning as I want them to know that I take their feedback seriously and I don’t want to be missing things that they tell me. The Audiologist said I’m a borderline hearing aid candidate. I’m going to be re-tested in 6 months to make sure my hearing isn’t declining further and then reassess. Has anyone else gone through this? I’m only 30 year old so this took me by surprise.

    • momentarily anonymous

      A friend of mine is hearing impaired in one ear (he’s 26). It’s been that way since he was little, but he’s basically proactive about it, doing things like:
      = He sits in the front of meetings without microphones, or near the speakers in meetings with microphones.
      – He asks people to speak up/repeat things if they’re talking lowly.
      – He uses a headset in the office so he can turn the volume up loudly on conference calls.

      I honestly didn’t know he had an issue until he told me – but now I notice him doing small things to correct for it. I’m sure your doctor can give you some tips, and you can probably google around for a message board that may have some tips.

    • Blonde Lawyer

      My boss at an old job had hearing loss and we had some really funny conversations because of it. I would say one thing and he would respond to something completely different and I had no idea what he thought I actually said. It would be something like Me: “Hi boss, your meeting was moved to three today.” Boss: “Yeah, they are navy blue. Not my usual style but I like them.”

      I also thought he was a jerk my first few months on the job because I would say hello or good morning and he wouldn’t respond. He wasn’t being rude, he just had never heard me.

      • ANON

        This is what I worry about! What if I’ve been responding to their questions with totally weird responses?! Oh well, so goes life I guess. All I can do is make fun of myself and laugh about it at this point. Everything starts going down hill at 30!

    • Anon

      I am sorry you have been diagnosed with hearing problem. But I congratulate you that you took the feedback positively and are addressing the issue. I understand the feeling of embarrassment but none of us are perfect. People don’t feel embarrassed about wearing glasses right? We all have issues whether it is visible to others or not.

      That said my husband’s colleague has hearing problem. People were talking about it but no one was telling his colleague about this problem. I asked that if my husband wishes well for his colleague, then he should take him out after his work and tell him in a very compassionate way the problem that is going on, so that there is an opportunity for him to fix it and know that it was being noticed. My husband did that, but the colleague said he is aware of the problem but decided to do nothing about it. Now, I consider that a problem than his hearing problem itself.

      • ANON

        I agree – when you know you have a problem and refuse to do anything about it that’s a bigger problem. I can see men being much more stubborn about hearing loss than women. Men are stubborn about anything health related generally, my husband is anyway. Well they might have to give him an ultimatum. Now that I know that it really is a problem, I’m going to try and sit closer to them, watch their speech, repeat my projects back to them so that I now I’m interpreting correctly, etc.

    • Anonymous

      This is very interesting to me because my very young daughter was just diagnosed with a low frequency hearing loss in one ear. It is far too early to tell how this will impact her, and I have been focusing on how it will affect here there, but I never even considered its impact in the workplace.

      • Wildkitten

        I wouldn’t worry about it. Hearing aid technology is growing by leaps and bounds. I’m sure they’ll have a ton of awesome options by the time she goes to work.

    • CountC

      Good for you for taking it seriously and going to the audiologist. I am completely deaf in one ear and have learned to make the adjustments necessary to make sure I am hearing what I need to hear. It may not always work, but at least those around me are made aware so they don’t chalk it up to me ignoring them (which happened a bit in the beginning). Some of the things I do, like the guy mentioned above, are sit in the front of rooms during presentations/classes, sit on the right side of the room (so my deaf ear is to the wall), position myself similarly at conference room tables, let people know that I have a hearing deficiency and what, if any, reasonable accommodations would help me, tell them to please not ask me questions/talk to me while I am on the phone, etc. I also casually learned to read lips (watched TV on mute and just started paying more attention). I have rarely, if ever, gotten a negative reaction from people. My hearing aids are crazy old school (circa 1998) and are useless to me with modern technology, so I don’t wear them anymore. I don’t need to with being able to make the changes above, but as someone above mentioned, hearing aid technology has made leaps and bounds, so when that time comes, you will have a lot of great options available to you.

    • Anon for family issues

      My son wears a hearing aid in one ear and we had no idea how severe his hearing loss was until his kindergarten screening – felt like the worst parents ever! I also have slight hearing loss as well (although not badly enough to need a hearing aid yet, but its probably coming). The main thing that helps us is to tell someone “If I’m not looking at you, I probably can’t hear you (or everything you are saying”. I’ve asked people I interact with to please make sure they are making eye contact with me (or my son in his case) to be sure I know they are speaking to me, and to not be offended when I repeat back what they said – I want to make sure I got the right message. Both of us apparently learned to slightly lip read, and being able to see the person’s mouth when talking really helps get the message correct. I also do a lot of follow up emails with “this is what we agreed upon, correct?” type messages – as a CYA from both my hearing and to make sure we were on the same page.

      Things to be aware of:
      -Most insurance companies don’t cover hearing aids or hearing testing at all. So if you have any kind of flexible spending medical account, you may want to schedule another appointment before the deadline to contribute money into that and get a quote on what the hearing aid would cost. There are also tons of different accessories for hearing aids, like phones with T4 coils or bluetooth transmitters for your tv/radio that you may want to price.
      -Depending on your degree of hearing loss, you could have a disability with valid ADA accommodations – like having a special phone installed on your desk, or special devices added to the conference room microphones to transmit to a hearing aid (if they are regularly used in your office).
      -Closed captions are your friend – its amazing how much less loud you watch TV when you can read what the characters are saying.

      Good for you on being proactive with your health, and I hope you can make this transition well if you do get a hearing aid.

      • Anon for family issues

        Oh, one other thing to point out to your coworkers if you notice it works for you – usually, when someone says “Excuse me?” or “Could you repeat that?” the speaker interprets it as “I didn’t understand what you meant, please change your explanation/rephrase that”. But for someone hard of hearing, it usually means “I didn’t catch part/all of what you said” and the most helpful thing they can do it repeat it again, as close as possible to how they said it the first time, so if you missed just part of the message you can get the relevant part and confirm the rest. I’ve found that explaining that to people really does help me get the message better than if they change what they say each time to try to “help me understand” instead of “help me hear”

  11. nice cube

    My three year old nephew is coming to visit (with his parents) me in DC in July. I have lived here forever, but I have no idea what to do with a toddler. I am thinking Air and Space museum and the National Zoo, any other ideas? I would also love recommendations for kid-friendly restaurants.
    Thanks, ladies!

    • AEK

      If you’re on the mall for Air & Space, you can go over to the sculpture garden at the National Gallery— that giant fountain / pool in the middle is a *huge* hit with little ones. Bring a towel if you can:)

    • roses

      The National Building Museum has a lot of fun hands-on kid stuff. I think most restaurants are accomodating of kids if you call ahead and dine out early, but my friend with a toddler says that Firefly and Ghibellina were especially accomodating. A three year old might also be interested in Sixth Engine in Chinatown, as it’s built in an old firehouse.

  12. Seattle Freeze

    Would someone like to talk me out of (or into?) this purchase? I spotted this Loft jumpsuit (link to follow) while browsing online a couple of weeks ago, and still like it – and it’s got great reviews. My office is casual enough that I could wear it to work with a cardigan or jacket, but it feels trendier than my usual style. At least it’s not a romper!

Back to Top

About

Work with Corporette®

Serious Stuff

work fashion blog press mentions