Coffee Break: Rica Cashmere Coat

102 Comments

1. This is so gorgeous! But would it look like you were wearing a robe?

   1. Like my robe, it would promptly be ruined by a spilled cup of coffee ;)

   2. probably not a practical coat for every day but it is beautiful.

2. What do you wear for medical school interviews, from head to toe? Crossing my fingers that I get to find out. And now is time to shop for that vs spring?

   1. Hi, congratulations on applying! Good luck to you!! In my experience, everyone dressed more or less the same for residency interviews. Navy or black suits, skirt or pants. Conservative blouse and simple jewelry / shoes. You may have a campus tour as part of the interview, so I wore shoes I could walk in. For residency interviews I was doing OBGYN with mostly female applicants and some wore bright / fun suits but most of us stuck to the basics. You want to stand out for your application and not so much your clothes. I wore almost exactly this outfit (not my blog haha). Since it’s classic styling, you could likely shop whenever unless your size tends to fluctuate. I had good luck with J Crew sale for my navy skirt suit. You rarely wear a suit while in school so mine was still in good shape to use again for residency and attending interviews.

      http://www.franishtheblog.com/2016/09/what-to-wear-to-residency-interview.html?m=1

      1. Wow, the comments section at the link is blowing my mind: “Don’t wear a black suit because black is too powerful and as the interviewee you don’t have the power.” “Don’t wear pants because women should wear skirts in conservative professions like medicine and law.” Gah. Don’t even get them started on hair ties and water bottles, amirite?

         I see it’s from nine years ago so hopefully things have changed.

         1. OMG: “I also find several candidates do not seem to care much about their hair. Several ladies have their hair in a pony tail tied with a black or brown elastic hair tie. Occasionally, I see other colored hair ties, which looks even worse. I suppose it looks fine for some, but if you are putting effort into every other aspect of your appearance, why not try to make your hair look more polished? It doesn’t have to be fancy. In fact, simple accessories, hair and make up work best in my opinion. Just make it look like you put a little bit of an effort.”

         2. The skirts comment is way outdated and/or regional. I trained in medicine 20 years ago, and almost all the women wore pants.

      2. the question is for medical school interviews and not residency. most med school interviews are now virtual. and yes, shop now. most interviews happen in the fall/early winter

      3. This is the way except there might be more social lunches with the current med students where you’ll want to take your jacket off so I’d recommend a blouse with short sleeve. I cannot emphasize enough how boring you want to be.

   2. Fingers crossed for you! You’re going to want to be in full conservative business formal for essentially all med schools (fyi: grad schools would be entirely opposite advice).

      So classic suit, blouse in a conservative color (i.e. white, pale blue or pink), pantyhose if you’re wearing a skirt suit (probably), pearls or some other formal jewelry, heels or nicer flats (think classic pump or equivalent loafer that you can walk comfortably in, recently polished), business tote/satchel, hair done well in a bun or equivalent style.

      You should also be somewhat comfortable in this getup, so that may require tailoring or wearing it once or twice to make sure everything moves right and doesn’t gap where it shouldn’t. I’d also highly recommend that you can fit this into a carrryon suitcase- I know a few folks whose checked suitcases didn’t come in time for their interviews.

   3. many med school interviews have stayed virtual since covid. definitely business professional (suit) from at a minimum the waist up. be mindful of what is on your wrists (hair ties, distracting bracelets) and your background. if you have one that is on campus, make sure you have comfortable footwear bc you often do a bunch of walking.

   4. I used to be on the interview committee of a medical school! I agree with a full suit, black, navy, or grey is fine. Pants or skirt suit is fine. Your blouse could have a little more personality if you want, you are trying to be memorable in addition to exceedingly professional. For my own medical school interview I wore a j crew sleeveless silk shell under a navy pant suit. The shell had a colorful dot pattern including a navy that matched the navy suit. Agree with conservative flats, you don’t need to be tottering around or dealing with blisters. No one will notice if you are wearing pantyhose, I certainly didn’t pay any attention to women’s legs. I liked to carry a padfolio with copies of my paperwork and a list of questions to ask.

      NEVER CHECK YOUR SUIT. The whole outfit goes in your carry-on if you are flying.

      Good luck!

3. Do any of you successfully wear this style of coat? I think it’s beautiful, but I live in the Midwest and I feel like I would have a very cold neck in the winter.

   1. No, I’m pretty hippy and this style does me no favors. Like the commenter above, it looks like I’m wearing an ill-fitting robe.

      1. Same. I have a Pendleton wrap coat with a belt and it isn’t drapery and works much better on balancing me out vs emphasizing the hips. Still a challenge if it is windy out though.

   2. Yes, I love this style. Very flattering for my body shape and I love the neckline.

      You are from the Midwest, so don’t you have different coats for different temperatures/seasons/circumstances? You don’t wear a coat like this when you are out for the day in 10-30 degree weather. This is for moderate temperatures, or if you wont be outside very long.

      1. +1. I am in the NE, but I also like these types of coats for milder fall or winter days. Obviously I don’t wear them on the coldest days!

   3. yes, but on mild winter days (like high of 45, not 25).

   4. These days I live the mom and remote worker life in my lands end puffer but I wore coats like this when I was living in Boston and working in an office. Easier if you have a car commute and yes not for the most bitterly cold days.

   5. Oh no, this would absolutely look like a bathrobe on my body. Also, the neck warmth is lacking.

   6. I love wrap coats but this would probably be an occasion coat that I would not be wearing for standing around outside in. I love coats though and have probably a dozen.

   7. It’s perfect for the obnoxiously large scarf that never fits into any of your other coats. Think something like the big Hermes cashmere scarf. Mostly used as a going out coat to get from car to food or a show during winter.

      1. Actually, this is the coat where you don’t want to hide the neckline. It’s so beautiful.

   8. I have a bright red wrap coat that I wear for holiday events, it’s not an every day type coat.

   9. I’m petite and look terrible in this style, but in general yes I do have formal wool coats that I wear in the winter. I live in MA so I have a coat wardrobe at this point for various situations – this would be a very formal dress coat for me. I’m also clumsy so limit myself to jewel tones or greens/blues for coats that don’t show dirt/slush/salt.

   10. I wear this kind of coat all the time in winter but I live in Atlanta. And a scarf or turtleneck sweater is the answer on a truly cold day.

   11. I don’t. I look like a babushka in this style. “The one that got away” was a Max Mara wrap coat in alpaca and wool at a consignment store for $300 (about 10% of retail) but I could just not make it work in the fitting room.

   12. This looks like a royal or royal-adjacent coat to me. Looks over function?

4. When I saw the photo, I did think it was a robe until I read the heading.

5. Has anyone bought sheets at Costco before? Looking at the ones on sale this week. Kirkland signature 680 count and Hotel signature 800 count.

   1. I bought the Hotel signature sheets when they were on sale, and ended up returning them to Costco due to pilling within a few months. I bought the Kirkland sheets as a replacement and they’re still going strong over a year later. Highly recommended!

   2. I got 100% cotton percale there once and really enjoyed them. My dog’s nails tore holes in them, but that’s a me problem, not a them problem.

6. I’ve been trying to avoid ultraprocessed foods but just realized that conflicts with my reliance on protein bars, Quest chips, and Fairlife shakes to get my protein in. Any tips or swaps I can make? (Do flavored yogurts like Chobani count as ultraprocessed? I eat a lot of FFGY with protein powder, not sure if that counts either.)

   1. all that stuff is processed. it’s a balance, how much chicken can a person eat…. flavored yogurts count as processed too. for what its worth i have a sweet tooth and very quickly gave up sweetened yogurt for unsweetened w fruit or protein powder, even plain with a little honey or maple syrup or even jam is probably better than the stuff you buy that’s already sweetened.

   2. Plain full fat Greek yogurt with actual fruit or honey.

      Hummus and baby carrots or bell peppers.

      Beans and nuts.

      1. None of those come close to the amount of protein in a shake

         1. Yeah, and they’re also not ultra processed dog crap. Pick one problem to solve at a time.

            1. That’s true, but it’s disingenuous to suggest that the OP can replace the 30g of protein in a Fairlife shake with hummus…

               A serving of hummus has <3g of protein

            2. If OP really wants 30g of protein in a meal, then can I recommend that minimally processed classic, a breakfast of steak and eggs? It runs approximately 500 calories and 45 grams of protein. If you start your day with it, then not every snack needs to be maximized for protein.

            3. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t though.

               Every RD I’ve worked with has suggested protein in snacks for satiety and to balance blood sugar spikes.

               No RD or cardiologist would recommend red meat, let alone steak and eggs, as a daily occurrence.

               It’s quite literally impossible to follow all the good advice we’re given and live a normal life.

            4. I highly doubt the RDs you worked with wanted you to get a protein shake’s worth of protein in each snack.

            5. OP does not need 30 grams of protein in a sitting, full stop: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5828430/

            6. Cardiologists are fine with eggs as a daily occurrence unless someone has the genetic issue that makes their cholesterol rise with cholesterol intake. That’s a minority of people.

   3. Moderation in all things. I’m a near total scratch cook and many of my meals would still fall under the myriad definitions of processed, ultra processed, refined, etc. It’s just a way to get worried people more worried and buying whatever the next big food trend is. Moderation in all things and you’re fine.

      1. Agree. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good

      2. Moderation in all things is really just a bunch of corporate PR when applied to diet. I prefer to decide what “all things” are and not have it decided for me.

   4. I know that Fairlife and other protein drinks are highly processed. But … I’m giving myself a pass, because sometimes I just need quick and convenient and portable, particularly after a workout class when I’m trying to get myself to work on time.

      1. Yup. I have one as a “snack” most days. Super processed, yes but filling and helps me hit nutrition goals in ways other snacks don’t, easy to drink on the go, most of my meals are healthy and minimally processed, and the convenience of this lets me spend time doing other healthy things (like workout, have time to see friends).

   5. I use whey protein to supplement my lean meat intake, which is still processed, but less so than bars or pre-made shakes. The bigger issue for me in bars and shakes is the carbs and sugar. Yes, they offer 25g-40g of protein, but they tend to include a bunch of simple carbs from sugar as well. Plain whey protein has significantly less carbs and other ingredients, and then I add plain Greek yogurt (Fage), spinach, and unsweetened almond milk for substantial post-workout shake.

      1. Is that a spinach flavored shake then?

         1. blech. to each her own, but…I love spinach, I love Greek yogurt, but I do not eat them together.

      2. Almond milk and whey protein are both very processed. However, this highlights that “processed” isn’t necessarily the evil it sounds like. Maintenance Phase did a podcast episode about this recently — a lot of the studies that show “ultraprocessed” food is bad are actually just talking about junk food, basically food that is bad for you for other reasons than specifically the processing.

         1. Eating real food or things that are as close to it as possible eliminates basically all of the mental overhead. OP could try jerky if she wants shelf stable high protein.

         2. Almonds also use a tonnn of limited California water to grow. It’s not at all an eco friendly solution

            1. I don’t understand why people are so obsessed with almonds. There are a lot of California crops that use a lot of water, but I never hear anyone telling people not to drink milk or wine from California or not to eat dates or peaches or kiwis or avocados or rice. As a vegan who does care about the environmental impact of my food (and doesn’t drink almond milk, so I don’t have a dog in this fight), I strongly suspect that the pro-dairy lobby has been successful in getting out propaganda against milk alternatives, which use no more water than cow milk (almond is the worst in this area, oat, soy or pea are much better), and emit much much less carbon.

            2. Aside from the water usage, almonds taste like wood

            3. Avocados don’t need much water and peaches don’t grow super well in California.

               Almonds basically blanket the central valley and take enough water alone that we’re getting more earthquakes in the sierras because the aquifer is empty.

            4. Here’s something worth reading on almond farming in central CA

               https://watercalculator.org/news/articles/wonderful-nuts-water-farmer/

            5. I don’t disagree that almonds use water. But so do lots of other crops in California. Alfalfa for cows uses a ton. Grapes use a fair amount. CA does in fact grow the majority of the country’s peaches, plus all its other stonefruit, and that also uses a lot of water. Other fruits and vegetables don’t use quite as much water, but still a fair amount. Most of those things don’t grow for most of the year elsewhere or at all (alfalfa is an exception), so the question is whether it’s worth the water to be able to be able to eat those foods. I’d certainly argue that we should reform the way farmers pay for water to make water use more rational and efficient, but that’s not a simple issue.

   6. Are you looking for foods that don’t spoil without refrigeration? Because shelf stable minimally processed foods are pretty much … nuts. And other variations on that like roasted chickpeas and homemade oatmeal bars. It’s not exactly a life I’m willing to embrace.

      But if you’re just aiming for better and not perfect, then hard-boiled eggs, plain milk (not Fairlife!), chickpea and lentil based salads, quinoa bowls, spinach, European cheeses, and breads cooked with spelt, barley, rye and other whole grains. Your food should smell, frankly, and need to be used up within a few days of purchase.

   7. Have a look at Laura Try on youtube as inspiration, she has a couple of videos with real life examples of high protein real food, she aims for 150 g protein a day.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iodsyc3M6r4

      Boiled eggs, cottage cheese and Greek yogurt are great high protein snacks. If you need unrefridgerated, jerky and dried fish (Korean or Polish stores can get you loads of different dry fish), roasted chickpeas, tinned fish and nuts can work.

   8. You don’t need to be psychotically obsessed with protein and can just stop eating that junk

      1. +1. I think current recommendations are trending away from protein, especially for those who are older

         1. Maybe? My 73 year old thin mom just saw a dietitian who went on and on about how she needs way more protein.

            1. Well, what is your Mom eating? Apparently not enough protein.

               Perhaps the poster above is referring to the fact that some folks with aging start to have some kidney issues, and you certainly are not supposed to be eating an extra 60g of protein shakes/bars/snacks with high protein boluses that can be rough on the kidneys.

               However, with the muscle atrophy that is common with aging (especially with women, and osteoporosis is so common with aging too), exercise + getting enough protein is a popular recommendation for “73 year old thin mom’s”.

      2. Seriously.

   9. There’s no standard definition for “ultraprocessed food”, and thus the health benefits and risks of a high processed diet are muddy at best.

      Most of the research points to the nutrition underlying these foods (macros, calories, essential vitamins), rather than the mechanism (low processed vs highly processed) by which they are created.

      If protein bars and other processed foods meet your needs and you don’t have any GI issues relating to them, I wouldn’t worry about your intake.

   10. I just drink the fairlife milk, which still has 50% more protein than regular milk.

       You could eat even more fish/meat/chicken etc. with your lunch/dinner. More eggs at breakfast.

       Yes, if you want to follow the latest trends to superdose protein and eat non processed foods, it is very difficult. So maybe ask yourself why you are doing it? Ask your doctor what they would prefer you do, if you doctor has directed you to do this.

   11. An obsession with “getting your protein in” is how my gym ruined my diet. I was successfully losing weight by intuitively eating until they recommended I get 100g protein a day, which required me to eat so much more.

   12. Seapoint Farms roasted edamame. 1/3c has 14g protein and 6g fiber for only 130 calories . They kind of taste like nuts.

       1. I didn’t think legumes could form a complete protein.

          1. That isn’t her only protein source in a day! Everyone needs a balanced mix of foods.

             I really like the roasted chick peas, but I’ll look for the edamame.

          2. The “incomplete protein” myth needs to end. Even if one is eating only a mildly varied diet, it is fine.
             See, item #3 here

             https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6893534/

   13. Yes, but you’ll have to look at your entire diet for what swaps make sense. Eggs (hard boiled or added to a meal) help me a lot. Someone else might need something lower fat and opt for fish or chicken breast.

7. Which extremely popular authors do you hate? My list is Colleen Hoover and James Patterson.

   1. Ehh, I’m not going to spend my time reading something I hate, let alone multiple books.

      1. With questions like this, I kind of assume that the person asking has never actually read the authors they claim to hate!

   2. I’ve recently realized I don’t really like Louise Erdrich, though I feel like I should and keep starting and not finishing her books.

      1. So interesting – I really love her books (Round House is my favorite) but I guess I can see how she is not everyone’s cup of tea. The book I hated that everyone else I know loved was Where The Crawdads Sing. Ugh.

         1. I hated that book as well, and got a lot of hate for saying so. I honestly have no idea why so many people liked it, it was so terrible.

            1. People in my book club were SO SURPRISED and SHOCKED at the big reveal at who the poet was. I was like, this is a dumb book!! Yes some descriptive passages were beautiful. It was also dumb!!

            2. I didn’t like it either. Seemed unrealistic. I like to read reviews after I finish a book and #8 in this post (warning: spoilers if you open) cracked me up.
               https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/moxq6y/where_the_crawdads_sing_is_the_worst_book_of_my/

   3. Casey McQuiston. I thought Red White and Royal Blue was unreadable but a lot of people I know loved it, even people whose taste in books generally skew more literary.

      I’m not really counting authors like Colleen Hoover who are globally popular but widely mocked by a lot of the people I know. Although actually the one Hoover book I read wasn’t as bad as I expected.

      1. That’s the only book of hers I’ve read, and I thought it was meh. I figured the love it got was mostly around the LGBTQ representation, not her writing, and I guess I’m here for everyone being able to see themself in media. For royal-adjacent fanfic, The Royal We was way better, to me. (but I am straight)

   4. Barbara Kingsolver. I’m sorry!
      Sally Rooney. Not sorry!

      1. +1 Sally Rooney. She’s so good at creating 3-dimensional characters who I just viscerally dislike so much that it messes up my enjoyment of the books.

         1. One more for Sally Rooney. SO overhyped.

   5. Kristin Hannah

      I have read many of her books, and every time I finish one, I ask myself why I keep getting suckered by the hype.

   6. I thought the first Harry Potter book was derivative pap. I read it in 45 minutes, just focusing on the center third of each page (so leaving out 2/3 of the text). I did not want to find out if her writing improved. I was really pissed to discover that she also wrote the Cormorant (or whatever) books. I am probably the only person in the world who does not care for JK Rowling’s writing.

      1. you mean Cormoran Strike? I like JK Rowling much better early in her series. In both HP and CS, I find she gets a little self indulgent about 4 books in. And also that the books get excessively long.

         Tbh the first time I read HP book 1 (I was in middle or HS, borrowed it from my little brother) I had the same reaction. Rolled my eyes and skipped to the end after the first few chapters because I was sure I knew where it was going, but then went back and read it for real when I realized I was wrong. I’m curious why you find HP derivative, though. It’s definitely rife with archetypes, but…archetypes are often considered Classic, not derivative.

         1. Yes I love both HP and CS, but like you said by book 4 or so they’re way too long. She needs an editor who will stand up to her.

      2. I was never able to read an entire Harry Potter book, even before the author became controversial.

8. What is your favorite Zoom top that projects gravitas but does not require a suit jacket /blazer?

   1. This one – not in the pictured yellow, but Hobbs offers it in a bunch of other colors and fabrics throughout the year. Also they are machine-wash friendly.

      1. Oops, here’s the link https://www.hobbs.com/us/product/betsy-textured-top-with-cotton-/0123-2332-9083L01-YELLOW-M.html?cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=18129328010&cq_net=x&cq_plt=gp&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=18129328010&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17338701553&gbraid=0AAAAADC5o-Lt7Xwks5ZdBw6mOMvOUBG5F&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIo_zcwcb5jgMV5TIIBR27aC77EAQYASABEgKehvD_BwE

      2. oooh thank you, I just bought the yellow one!

   2. How formal do you want? For my biggest calls I’ll wear The Fold Belleville top (which is washable in some fabrics btw), or a silk blouse with some sheen to it (I handwash silk but ymmv).
      For daily wear (I’m mostly WFH but cameras on) I try to do some version of a nice blouse or dressy sweater.

   3. I do fairly well with adding a strand of pearls to just about any sweater that’s in nice shape, or a round necked blouse. Sometimes it’s not the garment itself. Lipstick helps too.

      1. This what I do.

9. me too

10. I agree, it has structure which gives this gravitas. I am excited about this, since I found a white one very much like it in a charity shop just a few weeks ago.

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