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Tuesday’s TPS Report: Baxter Jacket

Kate Spade Baxter Jacket | CorporetteOur daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. Do not adjust your monitor: I think this is just one super-bright sweater. And I, of course, love it — particularly the almost vintage vibe (the gold buttons! the four pockets! the piping!) mixed with that super-now color. I'd go muted, muted, muted for the rest of my outfit and wear it with light gray or navy. It was $365, but is now $257 at Kate Spade. Kate Spade Baxter Jacket Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail tps@corporette.com. (L-2)

Sales of note for 12.5

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

154 Comments

  1. Any recommendations for buying nuts, almonds specifically, in bulk? I’ve been making almond milk but have a feeling it would be more efficient to buy larger volumes all at once.

      1. I also like to use the leftover meal for baking. So making it myself saves purchasing almond meal for that too.

      2. Yay! I met a guy today walkeing on Lex and he is an INVESTEMENT BANKER! He said I was so cute that he did NOT want to sleep with me! He said he want’s to get to know me as a person, what my like’s and dislike’s are, and who my family is! — can this guy be real? Any way, I told him I would meet him for dinner and we will meet tomorrow nite. I have a busness meeting tonite with the manageing partner and the supermarkit guy’s — we are goeing to Ruth Chris Steak House b/c they apreaciate fine meat’s — meat’s that they do NOT sell in their supermarkits! Can you beleive the hyppocracy? FOOEY! If you eat good meat, you should stock good meat the manageing partner say’s and I agree with him!

        As for the OP, you should get Almond’s at Trader Joe’s. I get all of my nuts there, and you can buy big bag’s of almond’s for about $6 / pound. You probabley want to buy RAW nuts if you are squeezeing them into Milk. I have never tried makeing Almond milk, but figure that you have to squeeze alot of nut’s to get milk out them. Alan loved to eat almond’s so I had to buy them for him even tho I had to travel to get fresh nut’s on the West side. I did NOT want to go downtown to get him nuts. He was SO lazy — he should have got his OWN nuts. FOOEY on him. I finaly threw out the last of his nut’s last month when dad asked why I ate so many almond’s. Dad said he did NOT think Alan had nuts. FOOEY on Alan!

      3. 1) it is actually not expensive to make your own almond milk
        2) most store-bought almond milk contains carrageenan. no thanks, man.

          2. I’m pretty sure carrageenan is an algae-based thickener (ie. it comes from seaweed). Not really poison in my book.

            And the person who is terrified of vitamin-fortified almond mild..BEWARES! THEM vitamins are gonna git ya! Oh NOES–Vitamin E! AAAAAACK!

          1. Yup, you can. If you’re happy consuming all of the rest of the additives –

            Ingredients:
            Organic almondmilk (filtered water, organic almonds), tricalcium phosphate, sea salt, xanthan gum, potassium citrate, sunflower lecithin, vitamin a palmitate, ergocalciferol (vitamin d2), dl-alpha tocopherol acetate (vitamin e).

          2. Don’t forget the dihydrogen monoxide. They hide that one by only listing the common name.

          4. The dihydrogen monoxide joke. Sigh. Yes, people who cluelessly prattle on about “eating clean” and “detoxing” and “chemicals” are totally appropriate recipients of this joke. But this is not what is going on here.

            Everything is made up of chemicals. You and I are, and so is my computer. Some chemicals make up spinach and water, and some chemicals make up, I don’t know, Vaseline and bleach. Some chemicals are good to eat. Some chemicals are bad to eat. In United States, a lot of our food has harmful ingredients (chemicals! ah!) added. It is absolutely correct to be concerned with this.

          5. Yes, the world is made of chemicals. It’s amazing. It’s science.

            It’s as annoying as hell, though, to pretend that you know better than everyone else about which of those additives are SO much more harmful than all the other ones. Just because it’s an additive, doesn’t make it bad. If you want to call something out specific as being bad for these specific reasons, sure, go ahead (and link me to the clinical study/robust trial supporting your claim).

            But to vaguely say “shame, shame, additives are bad” does nothing to contribute to the conversation. And is as bad as not eating tomatoes because they are part of the nightshade family (The British and early American colonies thought they were poisonous, despite knowing the Spanish and Italians ate them just fine).

      1. That’s $7/lb. I think Trader Joe’s (and maybe even Whole Foods?) bagged almonds are less than that… and you don’t need to buy 5 pounds at a time.

        We eat a lot of almonds and when they go on sale somewhere for less than $5/lb we stock up like crazy. The CVS gold emblem brand goes on sale (sometimes B1G1, sometimes % off all CVS brand products), though those aren’t going to be “organic” and Walgreens will discount almonds with some frequency too – often good sales on Blue Diamond brand.

    4. I would look for organic almonds if you’re as worried about purity as it seems. The Central Valley is full of pesticides.

        1. Not sure if you’re asking me, but something like 95% of the world’s commercial almond crop comes from the Central Valley in CA. It’s a crazy-high percentage.

          1. I thought you were suggesting to not get almonds from the SJV since there are pesticides in the Valley. And since like 95% of almonds are from the SJV, I didn’t know where you were suggesting she go! There are definitely organic almonds from the Valley, but since almonds grow in shells they’re not as “dirty” as other things, if you follow the dirty dozen type guidelines.

  2. has anyone else sworn off Kate Spade clothing? After two disappointing purchases (a knit that went bedraggled after 1 wash, despite following the care instructions precisely, and a shirt that arrived with tons of loose threads and buttons that were poorly stitched on), I really don’t think they’re even worth the sale price. Still a fan of the shoes, though.

    1. I have a silk dress that’s held up really well, but I agree that the clothes are overpriced. Unfortunately I fell in love with the print and now I just try to wear it a lot to justify the cost.

    2. Yes, the clothes don’t seem to hold up well. I do like the shoes! I have a pair of beige peep toes with bows on them, and they have held up very well.

    3. I haven’t had any problems with KS quality but the price point is rather high for knits. I love the featured sweater. It seems like a great compromise between a cardigan and a jacket.

      1. I also really like this sweater. It’s not my style at all and I’m not sure it would look good if you’re busty, but it’s very cute on the model. Makes me want to wear something bright and preppy.

    4. I have one Kate Spade blouse. I’m not disappointed but not impressed, either. It hasn’t been as versatile as I had hoped it would be so it was definitely not worth the money.

      1. what does that even mean — it hasn’t been as versatile as you hoped so it wasnt worth the money?

        1. Not k-padi, but I understood her to mean that she would be willing to pay more for something that she would wear a lot. I feel similarly–I’m willing to spend more on an item that looks like I’ll get a lot of use out of it (because it’s a staple/classic item or I can imagine wearing it with a lot of different things) than I am on something that I’ll only wear once in a while.

    5. I think the diffusion line (the Saturday brand) is actually better quality. I have 2 Kate Spade sheath dresses that I wear to work and the hems have fallen on both after just a couple wears. Not a terribly difficult repair, but still annoying. I have a Kate Spade Saturday mini skirt that I wear the hell out of in my free time and it’s held up wonderfully.

  3. Thinking about splurging on a new purse ($250-350 range) to celebrate a new job (once I clear conflicts…). What are people’s opinions on saffiano leather? It looks very on trend to me. I was wondering how it wears compared to other leathers? And any other comments about it.

    As an aside, clearing conflicts is pure pain. I’m mentally gone already, can’t wait to start the new job and I’m stuck waiting for conflicts to clear before I can give notice.

    2. Some people don’t like it because it can look a bit fake/plastic, but it’s actually very durable and can be great if you’re hard on your bags. I’d say, as with everything, quality can vary so make sure you check it out in person first.

    3. I have two saffiano leather items from Prada. They do not look plastic or fake at all. I have a wallet and a purse. Both are probably 6+ years old at this point and are still in good condition.

      1. Ooooh that’s right! My new Prada pumps are Saffiano and it looks a bit like a textured patent. On Sunday, I managed to drop a little communion cup of grape juice while wearing those pumps and, thank goodness, it wiped right off because it wasn’t plain leather. I would have cried otherwise.

    4. It depends on the quality of the saffiano leather. I’ve seen some that look plastic-y (Tory burch looks weird, coach saffiano looks nice) However, nicer quality saffiano leather is amazing. I got a very light grey prada saffiano bag as a gift about 1.5 years ago. I was so nervous that I would reck such a light color, but it is as good as new, even with heavy use. At the price point you are looking at, I like the coach stuff, and I normally don’t like coach. But it’s well made, minimal logos, and very classic.

  4. I ordered the hidden wedge shoes everyone raved about from Saks and they cancelled my order. Apparently they are not good at counting how many pairs of shoes they have left. Does anyone else have flats they want to rave about? My Nine West flats didn’t last long enough, so I’m on the market for a new brand.

    1. This happened to me too, and I was so annoyed — how can you sell things online if you can’t track what you have in stock? I swore off shopping Saks online forever.

      I just got a pair of the Cole Haan Manhattan ballet flats from Nordstroms and love them. Very solid comfort. I also orcdered a pair of Sam Edelman ballet flats (also Nordstrom’s) that should arrive tomorrow.

      (Sorry, hit report!)

      1. Seconding both Cole Haan and Sam Edelman recs – I have a pair of each, and they’re both in constant rotation. (As a bonus, some of the Cole Haan Manhattan colors are waterproof, so they’re now my go-to spring/summer rain shoes.)

        1. I love the look of Sam Edelman flats (and am in fact wearing a pair today), but they have no arch support and I can feel the pavement in them more than in other shoes. My absolute favorite flats ever are the Lillian from the Vera Wang Lavender line – Nordstrom used to carry them, but I haven’t seen them in recent seasons. Like the Sak’s ones, they had a little hidden heel platform and were very comfortable even though they weren’t ‘cushy’ at all, so if you ever come across those somewhere, I heartily recommend. I also find Ecco to be very comfortable – if the vamp fits your feet. I have one pair that is great, and another that weirdly cuts into my foot because of how the vamp is cut.

      2. A lot of e-commerce websites do not have real-time inventory updates. They may update every few hours or even just overnight. Plus, many retailers don’t ship from a central warehouse, but they send the web orders to stores to fill and ship, which adds to the risk of inventory issues.

        Signed, a web shopper and website manager

    2. I’ve had good luck with Ivanka trump flats and I think others have, too. I have some that are really flat, but they have inside padding that makes them really comfortable. Then I have others that are dressier with a chunky sort-of heel.

    4. and as for flats, AGLs are my hands down favorites. most comfortable shoe i own that is not a tennis shoe.

    5. This happens to me Every. Single. Time. I order online from Loft. They stock online orders from their stores so if someone swoops in and takes it off the rack before it gets pulled to fill my order… too bad for me! >=(

    6. Curious if anyone has long-lasting snakeskin or leopard print flats – I bought a pair (I think Nine West, so not great quality or anything, but decent) and the print rubbed off very quickly. Cole Haan looks like they have some? has anyone tried them?

      1. I got a great pair from Brooks Brothers a few years ago, and they have held up great (albeit with something closer to weekly or biweekly wear, not daily). The print shows no signs of wear.

      2. I have some Anne Klein snakeskin print pumps that have lasted over 2 years and still look good.

      1. Good to know! I will have to check these out. The flats I have from SE definitely don’t have this.

    8. I will recommend cole han flats. I have two pairs with nike soles, and they’ve lasted forever. The leather is very soft too!

    9. I had 2 items cancelled from my last JCrew order on separate days. The left me voicemails saying I could call them to get on the wait list for the back order date. I wish they would have automatically done that and let me cancel if I wanted to, not the other way around. It’s the first time I’ve had anything cancelled from any store and it was super annoying.

    10. I’m returning two pairs of my size 7 flats in “nude” and black so if that happens to be your size, ask them to put you on a waitlist and they’ll email you when they’re back in stock. What happened is annoying, but I’ve had good luck with Saks emailing me about back in stock items before. So FYI.

    11. Thanks for posting this question! I was tempted to buy the black and rose gold flats from Saks but apparently they refuse to ship to Canada (we’re not that far – why don’t retailers like us?!)

      I may check out some of these recommendations – I like the look of the Sam Edelman flats posted above.

    12. I loved those shoes so much that I ordered 3 pairs.. but for one, the sole fell out only 2 days after I wore them for the first time. Just FYI.

    13. I recently bought the LifeStride Margot Loafer from DSW. They are very comfortable and I’ve found myself wearing them quite often since I bought them.

    14. I bought the black and the rose gold. The black fits perfectly but the rose gold is sloppy big so they’re going back.

  5. Curious if anyone has an opinion on Grad Plus loans vs. private lenders.

    The only places I’ve found information are the government websites and the private loan websites, not exactly impartial either way. TIA!

    1. It depends on your certainty about being able to repay after graduation. Grad Plus tends to have higher rates, but they also have income-based repayment and more deferral options. If you’re unsure, I ended up taking out Grad Plus loans and then re-financing with SoFi after graduation. I still had the higher interest accumulating during school, but I think that was worth it for the peace of mind knowing that I had IBR, etc. if I needed it.

      2. Agree–the real difference is not the interest rate (although that is a key feature). It’s the fact that you can put your loans on “hold” with a federal lender/servicer in a way that a private lender would never allow. You could absolutely wreck your credit if you took the same time off from payments on a private loan as a deferral or forbearance. So you are actually paying for the “free option” of flexibility on a federal govt loan with the higher interest rate. That flexibility is worth it to me to pay more. I may refi later, as Roses did.

        Also–IBR–pretty awesome option if you think you’re doing something low paying but not public interest, or if your school doesn’t have an LRAP-type option.

        Remember that if your balance is high enough, the federal government will extend your payment horizon 20 years. There’s a fairly high chance you might want to take a bit of time off and have kids then. Ideally, you’d keep paying then, but IBR and other deferral options give you a lot of flexibility for situations like that, illness, financial hardship, etc.

    2. Double check, but I think the main difference in addition to above is that Grad Plus loans qualify for public interest loan forgiveness and private don’t. If you end up working for any kind of public interest or gov’t entity, this can make a huge difference.

    3. I have both. Go with Grad Plus. Hands down. You can work with the federal lenders to some extent with IBR, deferment, etc but you are pretty much out of luck with private lenders unless you catch them on a particularly good day. I think all of my private loans are variable rates and even though they haven’t changed over the few years I’ve been paying, they might and could end up higher than my Grad Plus loans.

      I also think it tends to be easier to qualify for the Grad Plus loans than private, if that is a concern for you.

      1. Oh and every financial personality I’ve heard (Suze Orman, Dave Ramsey, and Clark Howard) all hate private loans compared to federal ones.

    4. I looked at doing private instead of GP for my last two years of law school. I found that the rates were not that much lower (maybe 1%) and for that it just was not worth giving up all of the protections of federal loans. The private lenders will advertise incredibly low rates, but I believe very few actually qualify for them. It’s my understanding that they won’t give that lowest rate unless you have a parent/relative with perfect credit and extremely high income/assets willing to cosign, in which case you probably don’t even need loans.

  6. Are any DC Corporettes volunteering for the Girls on the Run events this upcoming weekend?

  7. Ugh. After reading about twin skin here a week or so ago, I am thinking that I may have something like that. I’m tiny up top, but between the stomach / hips, I am having a hard time finding pants that both fit and don’t create a muffin top. At work, this is less of an issue. Jeans and shorts (less so for skirts) come with a very low rise these days. And to get the hips to fit, the waist is usually too large. But if I alter it or use a belt, the skin / pooch / whatever it is gets concentrated into a muffin top :( This would not be a problem with mom jeans (and was a reason I loved maternity pants — a wide stretchy waistband just smoothed all this out). FWIW, I have 38″ hips and a 28″ waist. I was no model before having children and per my OB, it’s not fibroids (or another baby) — it’s just how the new me is.

    What’s a girl to do (other than be on Team Lilly Shift Dress — specifically designed for gin bellies if you read the website)?

    1. I’m not quite your dimensions, but I also have to be very conscious about gapping waist bands (Gap, I’m looking at you, no pun intended). I like Paige and J Brand for denim — just look for the high rise pairs.

    2. As for jeans, I recommend going to Nordstrom and working with someone in their jeans section. Tell her your concern. Try on a million pairs. There are high waisted, non-mom jeans out there, you just have to look for them.

        1. Agree with Nordstrom. I recently got a great pair of Kut from the Kloth jeans that have a higher waistband (not mom jean high, but higher than many).

    3. I have similar measurements and I like Calvin Klein jeggings (they have a high rise and good stretch, but look substantial) and also Joe’s Jeans (even the low rise ones fit over my giant hips and don’t gape).

      1. I have the same waist/hip measurements as the OP and have had good luck with Calvin Klein Straight Leg jeans. Medium rise, and not too skinny so they fit over my runner’s calves. I like the style that is 98% cotton/2% spandex, but they also have one that has some polyester as well as the spandex, and that might be good if you need some extra stretch below the waistline.

    4. Gap also has a few mid-rise jeans…you have to stalk them. I need Gap jeans bc I need Talls or extra-longs…a lot of the mom-ish jeans or higher rise jeans are not available for tall ladies :(

      I also like that I can then wear said jeans to work without fear of sharing my undies with everyone if I have to bend over to pick something up. It’s just “safer” at work.

    5. This is not the most comfortable option, but a pair of Spanx that comes up over the belly button will smooth out muffin top even better than your maternity pants did.

    6. Many brands make high rise jeans. I have a pair of Paige high-rise that I recently bought at Nordstrom Rack that are wonderful.

    7. I’m 26 waist, 36 hips! I’ve had good luck with j brand’s high rise and Guess jeans.

    8. I have a really long rise and high hips, plus measurements similar to yours, and have thus always had to avoid low-rise jeans (because they fall off if they don’t even come up to my hips, and because they cause pooching/muffin top). Target often has mid-rise jeans. Gap outlet has them, probably regular Gap too. H&M has a bunch of “high rise” jeans right now, including good skinny jeans, that don’t even up all the way up to my waist but work really well. The jeans are out there!

      1. Thanks! My current favorite pair of jeans is a pair of $20 Levis I got at Target about 10 years ago. I had really liked Gap’s curvy cut, but I lost some weight and had the waist taken in and now they don’t fall down but that created a muffin top that is killing me now that it’s not sweater weather.

    9. The only thing to do is look for jeans with as high a rise as you can find, which may or may not be high enough. I’ve got a 26″ waist and 39″ hips, so I feel your pain. Levi’s mid-rise skinnies fit pretty well. I’ve had a little less luck with their diffusion lines at Target, etc., and that whole “curve id” or whatever system they had a couple of years ago (maybe still have?) was underwhelming, but the mid-rise Levi’s at Macy’s or wherever are a pretty good bet.

    11. I also have a 10″ difference between my waist and my hips and I’ve had good luck with Joe’s jeans. A few styles of AG jeans also work as well.

    12. Highly recommend Express High-rise jean leggings (definitely on the jean side of the jean-jegging-legging spectrum). I have a big hips to waist ratio (but with a pooch) and comparatively skinny legs for my size and I LOVE them. Decent priced. Super stretchy and comfortable. Very high-rise, though, but definitely not mom-jeans.

  8. Seeking advice before a move to Brooklyn in June/July from out of state. It’s been 9 years since I last lived in NYC. What are typical broker fees’ these days for rentals in Brooklyn – are they up to Manhattan level of 15%? Did anyone work with a broker they love or hate? (Would be good to know whom to avoid.) If I rent from an individual building owner or condo owner, I want to meet the landlord before I sign the lease – will a broker allow me to do this, or is competition for apartments too tight? I know it’s a landlord’s market, but having had some annoying landlords in the past I want to try to avoid another one if I can. How do I avoid brokers who just re-list other agents’ listings? Looking in Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Prospect Heights with my SO and medium-sized dog. Thanks in advance for any advice!

    1. Weird. I posted a reply and it completely disappeared. I wonder what I said to set off the censor… Trying again.

      It’s 15% everywhere in the city, certainly in the neighborhoods you list.

      A friend used and liked (and recommended to me when we were considering BK) Kyra Nyysola at Skygroup Realty. She deals with those areas a bunch and found him and his dogs a great apartment. Her number is 212 447 5700 and 718 228 5406. You can also e-mail her at Kyra at skygrouprealty dot com.

      As for meeting the LL, you can meet them at lease signing but probably not before. It’s not just that the market is incredibly competitive and you have to act quickly, but also that most brokers are reluctant to let you talk to the LL because they fear you could cut them out. And while I get wanting a broker who has their own awesome listings, don’t discount other brokers’ listings either – you can miss out on a lot of awesome apartments that way. It’s 15% to you either way.

    2. I actually disagree with AIMS on the brokers’ fee–at least from my recent experience renting last Nov in those neighborhoods. 12% is the new norm in those areas of Brooklyn with Corcoran (and a few other biggies) going up to 15% but often willing to negotiate down to 12. Trust me, we looked at 30 places with about 25 brokers!

      I really recommend Karin at Farran Associates in Park Slope on 7th Ave. They don’t have the biggest selection but they work hard and are great!

      As for meeting landlords, you could probably do that in a smaller building, but it might be harder where there are management companies involved.

      Good luck!

    3. Most of the big brokers, Corcoran and Brown Harris Stevens, are 15% even in Brooklyn (I didn’t end up signing with them so not sure about their willingness to negotiate, but they seemed to act like it was a firm wide policy). I saw one place with Skyline that was one months rent. If you are looking at the larger rental places in downtown brooklyn, you can usually find fee-free and deal direct with the management company/owner.
      Many of the brownstones in these neighborhoods are not pet friendly. That’s not to say you won’t find listings, but about half of them disappear when you apply that filter.
      If you are interested in using a broker, I saw some of the nicest properties (I was more focused on brownstones) with Brown Harris Stevens. I also spent a lot of time on Street Easy getting a better sense of the market and what is available.
      Because my search was very specific, the places I liked were highly competitive and even applying the same day, I lost out on two. Other properties seemed to move at a slower pace than Manhattan.

  9. Anon for this TJ… I am getting a lovely intense pedicure tomorrow night, and I’m thrilled. Problem is that I took a shower this morning, got dressed, got to work, changed from my flip flops to my slingback pumps and realized EW the heel on one foot looks like the before of a PedEgg commercial. Like, disgusting. Anything I can do right this moment sitting at my desk to reduce the gross appearance of this, or am I screwed to wait until tomorrow pm? (and I’ll be in closed heel shoes tomorrow!)

      1. Yup, lotion it up!
        And don’t worry too much, the pedicurist is probably used to much worse.

  10. Aruba in August: is this a good ot bad idea?
    I would be so thankful for any tips/recommendations you ladies can offer.

    1. I haven’t been to Aruba in August but think Aruba’s climate is similar all year long. It’s also outside the hurricane belt.

      1. This. They don’t have much variation and a tour guide claimed that it is actually less windy during what is “hurricane season” for the rest of Caribbean.

    2. It’s hurricane season, so…there’s that. Conde Nast Traveler did a fabulous Caribbean pull-out about a year ago. Should be available on concierge.com, their website.

    3. Went to Aruba in August two years ago. It was nice but VERY VERY WINDY. So windy that I couldn’t even open my eyes sometimes (because of the sand being slapped into my eyes). Hurricane does bypass Aruba but I think that it gets really windy if there’s a hurricane nearby (even if it does not go through Aruba). Baby beach was amazing and you should try to spend all your time there if possible.

      1. Aruba is known for being windy all year round, so it is often uncomfortably windy regardless of season.

    4. We went to Aruba in August right after Hurricane Katrina had hit the US. Aruba was perfect – about 80 degrees everyday with a gentle breeze. It’s one of the ABC islands that usually does not get hurricanes.

      1. I have no idea why anyone would want to stay away from the Caribbean in the summer. It’s not like it’s really any hotter there then, than any other time. Plus, it’s cheaper.

        I have been to St. Thomas in January, and Virgin Gorda in July. I actually prefer summer to winter, as the weather was far more predictable. We had a lot more bright sun and calmer winds in the summer.

        And, yep, it’s in the middle of the tradewinds, so it will be windy. If you can stick to the leeward side of the island, shouldn’t be as much of an issue.

  11. Any thoughts on the BR Gemma wrap dress for a curvy hourglass shape for work? I hate the idea of wearing a cami underneath a wrap dress, but I’m perfectly willing to sew in a snap button or just sew the top together. I really like the Geo Print Aquarium Blue, but I’d love any other suggestions for an aqua blue print wrap dress. TIA!

    1. I haven’t been impressed with the quality of the knit. The tie also seemed too long for me. I do think that there is plenty of material on top but would still be worried about going without a cami.

    2. I highly recommend The Shemie for wraps — it keeps you covered on top and on bottom (in case it’s windy).

      They have been life-changing for me (flat on top, so I need it and sometimes even fashion tape for when I don’t have perfect posture and things gape a bit).

      http://www.theshemie.com/

        1. I tried other slips and half-slips and like this one b/c it looks right if it is showing (like a cami on top and something that might be lining on the bottom) and it is nice and thick. I have three of them (one for sleeping after watching Butterfield 8 a few too many times).

    3. I like it, but I wear a slip underneath so that you can’t see the outline of my underwear and to prevent accidental exposure, since it’s a true wrap dress.

    4. I just ordered this dress! I love the gemma! But I always safety pin it at critical points since it’s a true wrap.

  12. I overslept today, got into a minor tiff with hubby, and checked my mailbox to find out that a work situation went rogue overnight. But then I went into my closet and found that I had finally dropped two dress sizes and could fit into some of my pre-partum pants. So YEAH!! Life Is Good.
    That’s all.

    1. I’m laughing along with you because yeah… sometmes it’s all about the size of the pants! Congrats on the dress sizes and good luck with the rest!

  13. I really love this top but it is way out of my price range, especially for something so memorable. Anyone seen anything similar for under $50?

    (What I like about it: the bright color, contrast trim, and buttons..haha, basically everything)

  14. I’m in grad school and have been on 4 dates (in the span of a couple of weeks) with a guy I really like. He’s been texting me/initiating the dates so I know it’s not a one sided thing. However, with only two weeks left in the semester, there’s not enough time to really explore this relationship/see what develops. We’ll be in different places for the summer, but back next year. It’s (obviously) too early to be thinking about a relationship, but I’m wondering if I should prioritize spending time with/dating him over other end-of-year obligations — not schoolwork, of course, but last week dinners with friends, end of extracurricular celebrations, etc. It’s rare for me to meet a guy I really like, so I’d like to see what happens – but at the same time, I’m not sure what the point is if we’re going to be on opposite ends of the country in a couple of weeks.

    What would you guys do?

    1. Can you invite him to any of those events? I would be hesitant to blow off dinner with friends (assuming you won’t see them for the summer) for a guy you just met. But for a casual dinner it might be fun to invite him along, or for a cocktail reception, etc.

    2. IMHO – End of extracurricular celebrations sound lame to me, and your friends will be back in September whether you see them this week or not.

      1. It might be fun to visit him for a weekend during the summer, if it’s not too expensive/complicated to travel between.

    3. I wouldn’t push too fast if you just met, or skimp on other activities to spend time with him. Why don’t you set a skype date for sometime early summer?

    4. Take him with you to the events, if it’s appropriate. You can hang out at the end of year barbecue, or whatever it is, with both him and your friends. Keep in touch over the summer and try to see each other over vacation.

    5. I don’t think a couple weeks is “obviously” too early to think about a relationship. Of course, if that’s how you feel that’s fine, but you shouldn’t feel like you’re being unreasonable if you feel ready to think longer term in a shorter time frame than some people. When I met my husband, it was easy for us to think long term pretty quickly. So my two cents is, don’t write it off just because it hasn’t been that long. But do what feels comfortable. Personally, I would let him initiate the conversation to get a sense of what he’s thinking– but it all depends on how comfortable you feel bringing up the topic of what happens next.

      1. Haha I replied before I saw this! Thanks for thinking of me.

        It may be my screen resolution, but this particular item looks a bit neon even for me. But as a general rule fuschia and pink shades generally are awesome and I wear them all the time (no, really, I’m wearing pink today).

        1. I was thinking of your…whatever is the oppostite of a namesake? And then remembered that we had you!

          As for the topic at hand, all I can say is that I think bright pink/neons will take an extra effort to style profesionally, and will certainly never be conservative, but can be professional when done right.

          1. Well, quite – I think there is a difference between professional and conservative. Something can be professional even if not conservative.

        2. Way back in the 90s, when I was an associate at the Medium Sized Law Firm, I had a whole suit this color. The partner for whom I did most of my work had a red sofa in his office. And the rule was that I wasn’t allowed to sit on his red sofa in my fuschia suit because it hurt his eyes! :p

    3. I disagree. Granted, I wouldn’t wear multiple colors/shades of pink at the same time, but I occasionally rock barbie pink (particularly accessories) in my office and don’t think it detracts from my professionalism.

      1. +1. Also, I think the more senior you are, the more pink you can wear. A partner can rock a bubblegum pink sheath dress and it can look awesome, whereas on a 23-year-old it might look too young. It also just depends on the person. You do you, ladies!

      2. Pink accessories are a completely different kettle of fish.

        And Lady Tetra, agreed – just as what looks chic on a 25-year-old might be on the edge of frump for a 40-year-old.

        1. I was thinking the same thing. And this one is kind of the worst of all worlds because although I love the color, I can’t get past that style — I just think it would be super frumptastic on 50something me, fuschia or no fuschia.

    5. I disagree. I wouldn’t wear a pink blazer to court, but I think as a pop of color it can be awesome.

    6. I do wear this color but since I’ve got too much chest, I never ever ever buy anything with noticeable or contrasting chest pockets/buttons/gee-gaws.

    7. really? totally disagree. i wear pink all the time. all shades. even to court. probably wouldnt wear a full pink suit to court, but i’d wear a pink blazer to a deposition. and if this one wsant just a sweater, id wear it to a deposition.

      i dont know how one can say any color, really, is not professional.

    1. No idea but I’d assume yes. Even in the Silicon Valley everyone wore suits for the swearing in ceremony.

      1. I wore a suit for the swearing in, and wore a dress for the day long class (though some people were in jeans and hoodies) – this is an evening, optional, welcome reception at the bar office. You’re probably right though.

    2. You don’t have to, and realistically you’re relatively unlikely to see any of those people again, but I remember almost everyone being in suits.

  17. Whenever I make a mistake at work, I have a hard time moving on from it. I’ve noticed that every time I make a mistake (even if it’s something small), I seem to make 1 or 2 more sloppy mistakes afterward, because I am still berating myself for having messed up the first thing. I’m a third year associate in a fast-paced transactional practice and I know I need to be able to quickly learn from my mistakes and move on instead of wallowing in my incompetence the rest of the day. Any advice on how to do that?

    1. I had a sort of similar experience, but I’d call it anxiety more generally. I’d sort of get hyper and then down in response to experiences. It worked itself out as I got more confident professionally. I wish I had something better to offer, and maybe others will have “coping mechanisms” for lack of a better word… but… it gets better?

    2. I am the same way. Whenever I know I am worked up, I try postponing handing in any work until the next day so I can reread my drafts to check for mistakes. If the next project requires a quicker turnaround, I would take a walk around the building which gives me time to cool off.

  18. For everyone out there struggling w a colleague or boss- hang in there! Last year a colleague was described as a “mean bully” by our boss, yet the boss would not do a thing. It was a challenging time and I really struggled. But today I learned they’re both gone! I am so relieved. I guess the partners could see the situation and took action. So if you are struggling, know that in just a few months it could be solved. Keep doing your best.

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