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Updated: Apr 26, 2022 221 Comments · by

Tuesday’s Workwear Report: Kensal Top in Sculpt Stretch Crepe

The Personal Shopper (TPS) |

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A woman with long black hair wearing a short-sleeve bright yellow top with white pants

Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

The Fold is unmatched when it comes to creating structured, but feminine workwear pieces. This stretch crepe top has beautiful structural tucks with a flattering sweetheart neckline and a sunny yellow hue. Perfection!

This yellow would look beautiful paired with navy, white, camel, or gray. (Black would also be fine, but that combination always screams “bumblebee” to me.)

The top is $345 at The Fold and comes in sizes 2–12.

A more affordable option is this yellow top from Quo; it's on sale for $112 at Wolf & Badger, and sizes 4–12 are still in stock (but selling out quickly).

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Sales of note for 9.30.24

Sales of note for 9.30.24

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

About Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a 30-something lawyer living on the East Coast. She spent seven years as a Biglaw associate in NYC, three years as a partner at a medium-sized firm, and is now in-house counsel for a large company. She loves Diet Coke, '90s sitcoms, and dresses with pockets.

Comments

  1. Anonymous

    I adore The Fold but I wish they’d do better on sizing. It’s really only good up to a US10.

    • Anne-on

      I agree – imho they size very similarly to Boss/Theory/etc. (not ‘mall brands’) so I don’t think they’re the only brand with this issue but it is disappointing. I’m willing to give them more leeway as a smaller brand that isn’t owned by a big conglomerate but it is something I wish they’d work on.

    • OP

      Yup. Can’t even fantasize about buying these one day because I’m borderline plus.

    • Anonymous

      I’ve found their jersey to be pretty forgiving, but I’m not sure about anything in their current collection. I’m eyeing the Arlington and Balfour dresses, anyone know if they have some give to them?

      • Anne-on

        I’ve tried on the Arlington dress in jersey and it did have plenty of give, but it felt (to me) like it was too tightly fitted over my backside to wear for work (and I am not curvy in any sense of the word, the jersey was just rather clingy). Sizing up looked weird, it just kind of hung in a way that looked sloppy, not intentional. I think I’d like it much better in wool as the fabric would have held it’s shape better.

      • Anonymous

        I’ve tried both styles, a few seasons back, in a wool blend.

        I have a narrow back and short waist (hourglass), and on me both were too wide at the waist, with the draping bulking me up rather than slimming. Same at the bust, where the draping was too much fabric. There wasn’t that much stretch, but again my shape didn’t really “challenge” the fit. Their dress waists sit too low on me, and I’ve found separates to be better.

        I’ve tried the new Elliston knitted viscose blend dress, the one with diagonal stripes. That’s a very heavy knit that’s very clingy and unforgiving in terms of bulks and underwear, and no real stretch at the waist seam. It’s uncomfortably heavy, and too long for me both in waist and length, I’m 5f 6. Would not recommend unless you are tall with athletic shoulders and small hips, or maybe a shorter pear with generous curves on the bottom.

        Love this yellow top, btw, very elegant, nice pick.

  2. Anonny

    I recently took on a quasi-leadership role in my company, and I want to add a few blazers to my wardrobe that can be thrown on top of sheath dresses. Where should I look? I’m cusp sized (14/16), and I’d like to spend <$200 per blazer. TIA!

    • Anon

      Talbots would be the first place I would check but they may stock very summery pieces now. Their fall pieces will be year-round classics of good fabrics that are also lined. If there is a Talbots outlet local to you, they should have off-season stock there.

    • Anon

      I like BR/BRF jackets but am not sure how their cusp sizing works. I will say that ON moto-style jackets are great and in the summer, that may suffice for layering pieces. I feel like jackets come back to stores in August for the fall. I can’t even get a whole shirt in a store these days.

    • Anonymous

      I always put in a plug for the JCrew Going Out blazer for blazer separates.

  3. Anon

    I work for a very woke big-east-coast city law firm. Twice in two days in some internal meetings people have really casually said horribly prejudiced things about people with autism (is this a thing now?). Like I know no one would say that about people based on race or religion or national origin but somehow in these circles this is totally OK? I was so shocked that I actually said nothing (like shocked into silence), but it has been bothering me so much. IDK how we expect kids to be upstanders if I am not doing it myself. Of course, these people are all senior to me. Wise people: advice, scripts? And prayers — I can see myself being so wound up that when I get going, I am really going to get going, so I hope not to wind up in Above the Law by the end of the day.

      • Anon

        One was very murky (like “I ate X when I was pregnant but not so much that it gave my kid autism”) and the other was re Elon Musk (of course, everyone loves to let you know they drive a fancy electric car but now they have a problem with Twitter b/c it is owned by a person with autism. That one really dropped my jaw.

        I don’t get it. It is not like we are education lawyers actually discussing autism.

        • Clara

          These comments sound awful but the problem with Elon Musk owning twitter has nothing to do with autism.

          • Anon

            Right? And yet now I get why people on the asperger’s end of the spectrum want to keep that on the downlow and just pass as people who might be quirky. There seems to real problem that people have with autism.

          • Anne-on

            Being a jerk has nothing to do with his neurodivergence. And that’s basically what my response would be fwiw.

        • Anon

          I thought Elon Musk was just a self-absorbed, erratically behaving asshole. Nothing to do with if he is or isn’t autistic.

          • Anonymous

            Are we allowed to dislike him for being an erratically behaving selfish jerk?

          • Anon

            It’s why I have less than zero desire to own a Tesla or anything else associated with the man.

          • Anon

            @9:56, He has specifically stated that he is autistic multiple times, including during his opening monologue on SNL.

          • Anonymous

            So he is using autism as an excuse for being an a-hole? That makes him even more terrible for perpetuating stereotypes.

          • Anon

            That’s not even the stereotype. People on the spectrum may be socially awkward and not read facial cues well. They may be hella blunt, but often they are not trying to be jerks. My ASD-1 kid has asked larger people why they are fat (those exact words) and she is not trying to do anything but ask a question. Now that she’s not 3, she knows not to do that, but she had to learn this. She still can err on the side of candor. I worry about how the world will treat her (awfully) when she leaves the nest and I hope she finds her tribe and a supportive workplace but it’s the sort of thing I know will be rough on her (vs rough on the world around her).

        • Anonymous

          Elon Musk is a terrible person. It has nothing to do with autism. We actually considered buying a Tesla but opted for another Prius because we don’t want to give him our money.

          • Anon

            +1. I never even knew he was autistic. Being greedy, misogynistic and mean aren’t related to his autism. I know autistic people and they can be awkwardly blunt, but they aren’t bad people at all. Elon Musk is a jerk independent of whether or not he has autism.

          • Anon

            Yeah, I’m very confused by that comment. There are plenty of reasons to hate Elon Musk, why would anybody think autism is one of them?

        • Anonymous

          The first comment seems like a dig at anti-vaccine “anti-toxin” pseudo science bs to me. I don’t think making fun of people who think autism is caused by food is the same as making fun of autism.

    • Anonymous

      I think you need to figure out a way to calmly say “hey Steven, just wanted to circle back, I’m sure you didn’t mean anything by it but your comment about xyz could be offensive.”

    • Cb

      Oof, that’s awful, I’d be flustered as well. One of my professional development priorities for the summer is to get a better understanding of neurodiversity. My husband is on the spectrum so I get it at the interpersonal level, but I have an increasing number of students who I think need better support than they are currently getting.

    • InHouse Anon

      If nothing else, these attitudes are bad for business. My F50 company has introduced a program for hiring and recognizing neurodiverse talent, and comments like these from a supplier would be a big issue. For all its warts, my company really tries to walk-the-walk when it comes it its diversity commitments, which now include neurdiversity. On a personal level, I’d have been similarly flustered and also need to do better.

    • Anonymous

      I like “wow”, “yikes”, or “wow, you must be really embarrassed you said that out loud!” for a more forceful reply.

    • Allie

      The ADL training suggests just saying “ouch” as an effective response in these situations.

    • Anonymous

      Yeah I have ASD-1 and I just don’t tell people because people have really awful misconceptions. People love that I’m so smart with amazing attention to detail, but they don’t love why I’m that way. My colleagues make truly awful remarks about people with autism and I just bite my tongue. One of the autism moms in my office will make comments that she wishes her child was like me (successful, homeowner etc) without realizing that we ARE alike, it’s endlessly frustrating. I also have ‘too much’ empathy, since you know autism is a spectrum, and that reallllllly throws people for a loop.

      • Anonymous

        Ohh and everyone likes to say ‘we’re all a bit autistic’ or ‘you seem to normal’. Ugh no everyone is not a bit autistic and I seem normal because I put on an act for the comfort of neurotypicals.

        • Anon

          Thanks for chiming in. I have a kid newly-diagnosed with ASD1 and it seems that all of the therapies seem to be “do X so that you bother other people less,” which just seems so wrong. I get that my kid needs to function in a world where most other people are wired differently, but I don’t want this to be the message.

          • anon

            Not quite the same thing, but I have a child with ADHD, and I often feel the same way. He’s already trying really really hard to fit into a world that doesn’t accommodate him. There’s a reason why anxiety is a comorbid condition.

          • Anne-on

            This – a favorite tweet I saw from an adult autistic creator is ‘masking is our customer service voice for neurotypicals’. Imagine having to put your smiley happy, the customer is always right face on all day every day. That is what it feels like to a lot of ASD people, even if they CAN do that, it is exhausting and takes energy to do other things.

          • Anon

            I have a kid with ASD-1 and ADHD and people joke about “ohh, you will be such a wiz” and expect him to be a compliant rain man who is great at math, but ADHD is no joke, especially when you are doubly-neurodivergent. And I swear no meds have ever helped much in years of trying things and having a good and empathetic team. At least, this year, kiddo is happy.

          • Anon

            Who is the adult content creator? My ASD1 kid appreciates memes so much. It is her love language.

          • anon

            This is pretty offensive. It’s not really the same thing as when neurotypical people put on an act to fit into their environment. You are contending with the social pressures, but your brain’s wiring isn’t making it harder (or impossible) to do so. I’m a parent to a neurodiverse kiddo, and he has to work 10 times harder than his neurotypical sister just to do the basics. He doesn’t have much “extra” left in the tank to deal with masking and being “less annoying.”

          • Anon

            I get where you are coming from, Anon @ 10:17 — I suffer from depression and anxiety, and I’m an immigrant who grew up food-insecure poor but can pass for a typical middle-class-background-educated-successful-professional, so I subjectively feel like I’m putting on an act a lot of the time, and it really is hard on me. But it’s not actually the same as experience of ASD and other neurodivergent people, and making the false equivalence is hurtful.

  4. Anon

    Reposting per a suggestion yesterday so I can get some UK reader visibility:

    ******
    I have two weeks to spend in the UK in June. I’d like to do at least one full week in London with some day trips to Bath or Stonehenge. How much time should I spend in Scotland, and is Edinburgh the best place to be based? What else is a must-see?

    I’ve been to London and seen all the major sights, but it was 20 years ago. What would be a good neighborhood to be based in that isn’t too touristy?

    I’m in my 40s and will be traveling with a friend. We love culture, good but not expensive food, wandering in adorable neighborhoods, bookstores, cute shops, museums, etc etc.

    I seem to remember a few Scottish (or Scotland-adjacent?) ‘r e t t es. Would love your tips, advice, and must-sees!

    • Anon

      And thank you to everyone who responded yesterday! I saved all of your responses. This community is awesome!

    • Ribena

      I am Edinburgh based and used to live in Bath! I wouldn’t do the classic ‘Bath and Stonehenge day trip’ to be honest – instead I’d do a full day in Bath and get a late train back to London after a slightly early dinner (go to Bar Breton on Barton St or to The Oven on Saw Close, I ate at both of those when I visited Bath again in Feb). Also in Bath are Mr B’s, Toppings (though that’s in Edinburgh too!) and Persephone Books – you especially have to visit Persephone! (I may be biased as a Brit who’s never been but I have never wanted to go to Stonehenge!)

      Re staying in London – I often stay at the Ibis Styles in Earls Court (Kensington) – it’s surprisingly cheap and the street looks like you’re in Mary Poppins, as well as being a stone’s throw from a very well connected Tube station. Check the Regents Park Open Air Theatre schedule out too to see which production is on during your visit.

      For what you’ve described, I think Edinburgh makes more sense as a Scottish base – though you should absolutely do a day trip to Glasgow! I run an Insta account @ indieburgh.support which showcases small businesses here in Edinburgh (less active now than in the worst parts of lockdowns but still some info on there) but the top places I’d recommend checking out are Makar’s Mash Bar, Lovecrumbs, Room & Rumours, Lighthouse Books, Golden Hare Books, the Jolly Judge, and Soderberg. Plus Uplands Roast coffee kiosk in The Meadows (big central Park area). Please don’t stay in an AirBnB, we have a real problem with them hollowing out the city centre here. Good hotel options include Motel One (my parents have stayed at both of the Edinburgh ones and they’re lovely inside), Ibis Styles (if you stay in an Accor property remember to become a member and book direct for a discount!), and Indigo.

      I’m @ LilyMWrites on most forms of social media if you want to drop me a message about these places.

      • Cb

        The Motel One is a really nice budget option. If you want to go splurgey, Nira Caledonia is GORGEOUS! And in a fun, cute neighbourhood. I’d plump for Portobello as well, cute coffee shops, and Porty Books is lovely! The Edinburgh branch of Toppings is great, and the John Lewis (big department store) cafe has a fun view of the city (or of tram construction).

      • Anon

        Thank you so much — this is amazing! Nothing better than getting recs from a local.

        Sounds good re: Bath and Stonehenge. I have not heard anyone rave about Stonehenge, so we will probably skip it so we can spend more time in Bath.

        Will definitely look into your London hotel rec as well. Mary Poppins-esque street!? I’m sold.

        And we plan on staying in Edinburgh for several days as our Scotland base—looks like there will be plenty to see and do there! Thanks!!

        • Anonymous

          For Stonehenge – if you do go, spend a few hours in Salisbury and see the Magna Carta in the Cathedral.

          Earl’s Court hotel rec: Indigo Kensington, if you can get one of their gigantic twin rooms (not US gigantic, but London gigantic).

          • Brit

            Skip Stonehenge and see Aylesbury instead. Earls court suggestion above is great. Get fish and chips at Fortnum and Mason (and bring marmalade back home with you!).

    • Cb

      Paging Ribena on Bath, I’ve adopted the scepticism of my adopted countrymen on all things English.

      But Edinburgh is great for cafes, museums, etc. Depending on your dates, you might be here for the film festival. St Andrew’s might be really cute as well for that seaside vibe. It’s a bit of a pain to get to from Edinburgh though. I was in York last week and it’s a fun little city with lots of cute shops and tons of independent cafes.

      And let us know if you end up in Edinburgh, Ribena and I will treat you to Swedish cardomom buns :)

      • Anon

        THANK YOU SO MUCH! These are amazing recs and exactly what I was looking for. I cannot wait! Don’t worry, no AirBnBs for us. Real B&Bs or hotels only!

        We will be in Edinburgh the week of June 20 and we would love to meet up for a cardamom bun! :) You can email me at c o r p o r e t t e u k a d v e n t u r e s at g m a i l.

        I’m a regular poster and have been for over a decade (I’m one of the many Anons who used to post under a regular name. I was “espresso bean.”) Thank you again!!

      • Anonymous

        One thing worth noting for Bath, which is a beautiful city and in full bloom in June with all the early summer gardens around the creamy sand stone – Bath shuts down at 5 pm on a Sunday or off day. Shops close, attractions close – make sure that whatever you want to see, and there will be plenty, don’t think you have loads of off-peak time.

    • Anonymous

      In terms of London neighbourhoods: Marylebone, Clerkenwell, Spitalfields, Angel would all be good choices. Kings Cross can be a convenient base, too. A bit further afield – Kentish Town, Primrose Hill, Belsize Park or Hackney (near London Fields/Victoria Park). Shoreditch is fun too, but caters to a younger/rowdier crowd. Parts of Bloomsbury are less touristy (eg around Lamb’s Conduit St), and can also be a nice place to stay.

      • Anonymous

        In terms of hotels, I would recommend the Rookery, the Zetter Townhouse or the Malmaison, all in Clerkwenwell – chic boutique hotels on cobblestone streets.

        • Anonymous

          The Zetter is on my to-stay-at-list, but IIRC the Rookery has mainly four poster beds, which is lovely if you’re traveling with a gardening partner, and less lovely if you’re traveling with a friend without benefits.

    • helloanon

      Not UK based but took a trip to Edinburgh a few years ago and dug up my itinerary. I loved Edinburgh. If I had to compare it to other cities, I would say a smaller London with a bit of a San Francisco feel. I stayed at the Apex Waterloo and would recommend it. Edinburgh is a great city for wandering around. I also did a bunch of touristy things: the Castle, Real Mary King’s Close, and the Scotch Whisky Experience and enjoyed them all, even though the latter two were on the cheesy end on the spectrum. For restaurants, not sure if these are all still open but: Urban Angel for breakfast, Lovecrumbs for cake, 56 North for a burger and G&T. Dishoom is always great (though a chain and not specific to Ediburgh).

      • Cb

        You got the highlights! Some throwbacks to my PhD days. 56 North! My husband and I were an office romance and worked around the corner. We would meet there for drinks when we were first dating – which was definitely not subtle. We had our engagement drinks there, and my bestie and I would go there for cocktails after our PhD supervision sessions. Urban Angel, where I introduced my husband to the concept of brunch.
        If you like cocktails, Bramble is really atmospheric.

        • helloanon

          Aw, that’s sweet re 56 North! I’m putting Bramble on my list for a return trip. I would love to go back!

      • More Edinburgh recs

        Apex has two hotels in Grassmarket as well – I’ve enjoyed staying there.

        Would recommend seeing the Holyrood Scottish Parliament and the Holyrood Palace. There’s a special exhibition for the Queen’s Jubilee this summer, might be worth checking the dates.

        • Cb

          Yes, the Parliament is now open for visitors! You should definitely go, it’s a really accessible and funky space. Scottish politics is a hot mess, but there is something to be learnt from creating a new governance system from essentially scratch and how the physical space encapsulates those ideals.

  5. DallasAnon

    A month or two (I think, 95% sure it was this year but who knows really. time is a construct, etc. ) ago someone posted great recs for a Portugal trip and I didn’t save. Instead I wrote myself a sticky note on which day they were on so I could grab them later and now I have lost that sticky, anyone know what I am talking about?

    On a related note, anyone have recs for a Portugal trip? 7-10 days, my mother (late 50, early 60s, very fit) and I, probably next spring

  6. Anonymous

    Has anyone been to Puerto Rico for vacation? I’m going this winter. Never been. Any tips and thoughts helpful. Other than flights, nothing is booked. (Should I brush up on Spanish? Any ideas for where to stay, or things to do?) My ideal vacation is lying on a beach and reading, my travel buddy prefers nature hikes and adventures – we usually compromise with a couple days of both.

    • Jolene

      San Juan was wonderful! My favorite thing by far was El Morro, a stunning seaside fort with a beautiful green lawn – go on a beautiful day! And historic Old Town San Juan had a wonderful walking tour available on Google. Also be sure to eat ropa vieja – so delicious! El Yunque is a great place for hiking, and you get to go up into the clouds.

    • Anon

      I love staying in Old San Juan, but it isn’t on the beach. It’s a super cute city with lots of history, art, food, and culture. My ideal hotel to stay at there would be El Convento — absolutely gorgeous!

      I agree with Jolene on El Morro, the old fort, being a really cool thing to visit. Also eat mofongo while there, it’s so delicious! A meal at Marmalade would also be great.

      You can usually do day trips from San Juan, and some you might want to consider would be a catamaran trip from Fajardo (if you go with a tour operator they will usually pick you up at your hotel in SJ, I’ve used East Island Excursions a few times and they were always great); a nighttime kayaking experience in Fajardo to see the bioluminescent bay; a trip to the rainforest El Yunque. You might also see if they are still doing tours in Toro Negro which is another rainforest — I know they stopped for bit after Hurricane Maria. You may also want to consider spending the night on Vieques (a smaller island off the coast of the main island) and going to see the bioluminescent bay there – I’ve been twice and it is stunning and totally worth the effort of getting to Vieques!

      You do not need a car while in San Juan, and it would be hard to park there, but the island is small and so if you want to explore other cities, you can rent a car, and I would say driving is about the same any other place in the US. Pretty much everyone speaks English, so you don’t need Spanish, but it never hurts to brush up.

      If it were me, I might schedule my itinerary like this:
      – Fly in to San Juan, catch a super quick (30 minute?) flight to Vieques right away. Stay on Vieques 2-3 nights for some beach-lying-around days and then kayak into the bio-bay there at night. (This might satisfy both the beach side and the adventuring side if nighttime kayaking counts as an adventure.)
      – Fly back to San Juan and stay in Old San Juan for the remainder of the trip. Visit El Morro, wander through the streets to art galleries, etc. Eat, a lot. Definitely a dinner at Marmalade. Try to find a mallorca for breakfast, though I think that the iconic place that used to sell them closed (La Bombenera, if that is open definitely go there).
      – Day trip to El Yunque and/or Toro Negro.
      – Other day trips could include Guavate (for the pig roasting restaurants) or Ponce on the southern coast.

      • anonymous

        Hello Kat? This poster is just casually dropping a (very slight) variation of the N-word all over her post. THIS WORD IS NEVER OKAY!!!!

        • Anonymous

          It’s the name of a place. It’s a Spanish word. It’s no more offensive in this context than “the Black Sea.” Use your critical thinking, please.

        • Anon

          ?? Are you serious?! Negro and the N word are NOT synonymous. Negro is old fashioned but not a slur. It also means black (the color) in Spanish and is the name of a place in Puerto Rico. I’m not sure what she’s supposed to say instead. That word doesn’t have the historical significance in PR that it does in the US, it’s just a literal translation of “black bull.”

        • Cat

          11:37, I hope you’re trying to be sarcastic “woke police”… if you’re in earnest, you need to brush up on Spanish names for colors.

        • Anon

          I hope you’re just a troll, and you’re not so ignorant that you really cannot distinguish the Spanish word for “black” – as in, the actual, literal color – from the “N-word.” If you are not just trolling, please do not go to Mexico or any other Spanish-speaking country, where you will be continually triggered because they have not re-engineered their entire language to remove the word “Negro” from their descriptors and place names. Wow.

        • Anon

          Oh boy, there’s a river in Africa that you’re really not going to like. We should cancel that as well.

      • PR

        Just went in March and had a fabulous time! We stayed in Condado and found that to be convenient to Old San Juan, the beach, and the airport. We had some phenomenal meals at Mario Pagan, Vianda, and Jose Enrique. Also loved La Factoria and JungleBird for cocktails!

        Enjoy!

    • No Face

      Puerto Rico is a really good place for your and your buddy’s interests! I stayed in San Juan in the Isla Verde area (the hotel is gone or I would have highly recommended it!). Hotel on the beach for the reading and relaxing. Old San Juan for exploring, including some history military forts and museums. We did a trip to the bioluminescent bay with a group for night kayaking. There is also hiking in the rainforest, but I didn’t do that.

      • No Face

        Also, I don’t speak Spanish at all and it didn’t matter. Even when we were in small, low key, locally owned restaurants.

    • Anonymous

      I went this past Feb! Had a great time. DH prefers your vacation, I prefer your travel buddy’s. We planned to rent a car for a day and hike in El Yunque but we were only there 3 nights and as it turns out, I was totally burnt out at the time of the trip and was perfectly happy to lie on a sun deck drinking pina coladas and rose all day.
      We stayed at the Condado Vanderbilt and it was lovely. Didn’t need to know any Spanish, but we also didn’t leave the resort.

      • Anonymous

        Actually, amending my reply: we did go into old San Juan for walking around, drinks and dinner. Marmalade (found by reccs here) was lovely, although we slightly preferred 1919 in our hotel. That may have been because we were better rested for that dinner, though.

      • Anonymous

        I also stayed at that hotel and found it totally lovely. I also found the area to be really convenient and walkable. We had a ball at the old fort and wandering around old San Juan too. And everyone spoke English.

    • Anonymous

      We’ve been to Vieques twice (heading back for a third time in 25 days! Not that I’m counting) and have tacked on some time at El Yunque and in San Juan on trips before. PR is basically perfect for your interests. I don’t know anything about beaches on the “mainland,” but you could hop a flight to Vieques and spend half the week there (I wouldn’t go to Vieques for anything less than 3 nights as it can be a hassle to get to if flights don’t go perfectly, which they might not, and you’ll want to see the BioBay at night. Absolutely rent a jeep/SUV on Vieques). We flew from Vieques to Cieba (not sure if this is still an option, they’ve cut back on flights after the pandemic), rented a car, and drove to El Yunque National Forest for a day trip, but it’s not far from San Juan either. And old San Juan is a good day or two. There’s also a biobay on the main island I think in Fajardo? if you want to see one and don’t want to fly out to Vieques. Eat all the mofongo. And I know basically no Spanish other than simple travel phrases and have always been fine.

      • Cat

        We also did a Vieques / San Juan split trip with a day in El Yunque and had a great time. Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate for the Bio Bay Kayaking Plan, but we still enjoyed 5 days beach-hopping on Vieques and then 3 nights/2 full days based in San Juan (one where we went to El Yunque, one exploring town/El Morro, and then our last morning on the beach there before flying out.)

      • Anonymous

        Also, if you do go to Vieques, book a vehicle ASAP. They do run out, especially in high season.

    • Anon

      Brushing up on Spanish may not help as much as you’d hope. My town has a large Puerto Rican population, and their version of Spanish is very specific to their region. Many words are completely different (like autobus versus guagua).

    • Cb

      Can I make a book rec? Olga Dies Dreaming is set in the Puerto Rican diaspora and is INCREDIBLE!

  7. Anon

    Does anyone here work in securitization? Any advice for how to start / train up in this area when people are not working in the office? I feel like this is a very “apprenticeship” part of law and am . . . very concerned that it will just not work out (or not work out easily).

    • Anon

      I used to be a MBS trader. Fabozzi has some good books but only for conforming securities. All of the major investment banks put out generalized “guides to securitization” via their research teams every few years or so. Ask your firm library to look.

      My other rec for you re securitization law–it’s very specialized, and exit opportunities are really limited, so if you can at all move to a more generalized area of capital markets, you should. Because you may not want to be a securitization attorney forever.

  8. Anon

    thoughts on Elon Musk and Twitter. I’m all for free speech, but not for misinformation/lies/conspiracy theories.

      • Vicky Austin

        You don’t – that is the cost of free speech. You can decide how comfortable you are with it, but that’s the tradeoff.

    • Cornellian

      I admired Musk ten years ago and now he makes me nauseous. I’m not sure it’ll matter much, Twitter has been declining as a platform since 2012 and I think is now at ~100M worldwide users that regularly tweet. I guess I hope he can shake it up, but I don’t think he understands how complex running a global social media platform is or how much energy/time/money goes in to free speech, moderation and compliance there.

      Given the demographic of people I know psyched about Musk buying Twitter, I think it’s a little bit funny that Trump has said he’s not going to return and instead use his social media platform.

      • Jolene

        He will say this unless/until he is actually permitted to return. Trump would never in a million years admit he wants to return if he’s not going to be allowed to. If he is allowed, and he does return, he will frame it as, they begged me to come back

    • No Face

      People are screaming with joy or anger, but I am taking a wait and see approach. I find him personally annoying, but Tesla and SpaceX have both pushed their respective industries forward in major leaps. He could have some legitimate ideas, or it could be just Trump and a bunch of flat earthers screaming nonsense. Who knows?

    • Anon

      Who do you trust to decide what is or is not “misinformation”? Not corporate overlords, I hope.

      • Anon

        This is where I’d fall. I consider myself pretty liberal, but I’ve been really put off my a lot of the “misinformation” rhetoric coming from the Democrats recently. Who defines what misinformation is? Think about when the CDC was telling us masks don’t work, or when Kamala said she wouldn’t take a vaccine when trump was President (I don’t like Trump, but suggesting a vaccine doesn’t work because he’s president is…bad, same as the GOP saying it’s bad now).

        • Anon

          I just looked this up, and what I saw was during a VP debate – from the Buzzfeed article: “If Dr. Fauci, the doctors, tell us that we should take it, I’ll be the first in line to take it,” Harris said. “But if Donald Trump tells us we should take it, I’m not going to take it.”
          Was there a different time she spoke on this that you’re referring to?

      • Anonymous

        This is a very tricky boundary. I heard an interview where it was stated that the most-shared article by anti-covid-vaxxers on facebook was a factual report that the CDC was investigating the death of a man who had died from a stroke shortly after receiving a covid vaccine. The article was 100% correct but you can imagine the interpretation being put on it.

    • Anon

      I am maxed out, I just can’t commit any outrage to this. The world is burning, people are dying, I just don’t GAF about a rich brat spending a fortune to stop people saying mean things about him.

    • Anon

      If I were a Twitter employee, I would be concerned given that Tesla has a horrific record for tolerating racial abuse inside their factories. The L.A. Times has done a series of articles related to the State of California’s lawsuit against Tesla for maintaining a racially-hostile environment and the stories that have emerged from former employees are the worst I have personally ever heard, in terms of people being repeatedly called racial slurs at work, employees shunting Black employees into segregated break areas, retaliation for reporting racial discrimination and harassment, etc. Musk has publicly said that rather than people taking racial harassment “personally” they should be “thicker-skinned” and apparently that has trickled down in his factories to create an environment where one employee can repeatedly call another employee the N-word and get away with it.

      Let’s please not forget that Elon is not wholly self-made; his father made a ton of money as a real-estate developer in apartheid-era South Africa. Musk may have experienced hard times after he left South Africa at age 17 (to avoid mandatory conscription) but he grew up privileged and in a racially-segregated environment, and apparently doesn’t see racism as a problem. Rather than address the issues in his California facilities that he has been repeatedly sued over, he’s choosing to move operations to Texas, where there’s going to be less oversight. This isn’t a person I want to give any money to, and he’s not a person I think should be running large businesses with thousands of employees. I’ve never been on Twitter so saying “I won’t use it” is toothless, but I hope people will read about what his employees have suffered as a result of his indifference to racism and factor that into their decision-making to use Musk’s products.

    • Anon

      I dislike him as a person but admire a lot of what he’s achieved. I think he’s likely to fail at making Twitter a commercial success but I also think Twitter is a cancer on our democracy so I wouldn’t mind if it faded to irrelevance.

      • Anon

        I will confess that I am somewhat hopeful Musk will take it over, it will become even more of a hot mess than it is currently, people will wander away from it and it will fade in importance until it’s just kind of this thing in the background, instead of a major cultural driver. I am not optimistic that will happen but I am hopeful.

    • Seventh Sister

      I went on a weekend trip and took along the Vanity Fair with the Grimes interview. (I’ve been reading that magazine for waaaaaay too long, but it’s very entertaining.) The interview did not give me a good feeling about Musk as a person, but then again, I feel like middle age has made me entirely too suspicious of men.

  9. JTM

    What would (or did) you do for your 40th birthday?
    Mine is coming up in July & my husband is encouraging me to go on a fun trip, either solo or with some girlfriends. I really hadn’t considered it since he had to celebrate his 40th at home due to Covid concerns, but he REALLY wants me to do something, and I’m always up for a trip.

    I’m a beach person, love doing spa treatments, and overall I just want to eat & drink delicious things & relax. If you have a resort or location you really loved & would recommend, please drop the info!

    • Anon

      I had a dinner party at a nice restaurant in a private room. Adults only, invited about 30 people. Of course I paid for everything & I did it up, flowers, invites, all the things I love. I love a trip, but I always take those anyway regardless of my birthday milestone status. If it’s an excuse to do it, go for it! My vote though is parties for birthdays. Especially after a few years of people being home.

      • Anon

        Could I ask how much this was, what area, how nice the restaurant and wine selection was and did you order a set number of bottles or just let it flow? I would love to do something like this and also pay for everyone but trying to figure out what the budget would be.

        • Anon

          I’m in the Bay Area and have done it a bunch since then. My 40th was over 10 years ago, so not too relevant as a data point. But in SF, private room, 20:people is about $3500-4000 for all in/let it flow. Most places have a 3k minimum, some more some less of you call around. 50 people is more like 8-10k, all in.

          • Anon

            Oh PS, this is for nice restaurants but not like French laundry, Michelin multiple star level places. Your basic need reservations, average Saturday night out dinner for two is around $200.

    • anon

      I turned 40 in 2020 and am still salty that it was the lamest birthday ever. I’d had my heart set on a girls’ trip and it obviously didn’t happen. Go on the trip. Celebrate the heck out of turning 40.

      • Anon

        Hello fellow ’80 baby! I’m doubly bitter about turning 40 that year because my birthday always falls on Superbowl weekend, so it’s usually impossible to get anyone to commit to a birthday party. I’m hoping that aging without acknowledgement doesn’t count.

      • Anon

        Fellow 1980 baby -my b-day was in January and I spent it very much looking forward to the lovely Napa Valley trip my husband planned for us – to be taken in April, when the weather was nicer. Sigh.

      • anon

        Hey, 1980 babies, we totally deserve a do-over party. ;) Although my sweet DH asked me if I wanted to do that when I turned 41, and I think my response was, “Eh, the moment has passed. Maybe 50 will be better.”

    • Anne-on

      What do YOU want to do? My husband was the same, and it took some serious thinking to realize (and say), nope, I actually hate big parties and I also dislike large group trips (even with close friends!) where I feel obligated to be the cruise director and arrange the trips/food/etc. I also didn’t want to try to force people to use their vacation time to fly somewhere or do the travel agent thing for a big group. If that’s ok with you and you thrive on arranging things, then I’d pick someplace easy like New Orleans (will be hot in July though), Miami (Mandarin Oriental has a killer spa), or an all-inclusive spa like Miraval or Canyon Ranch in CA or the Berkshires. Enjoy!!

    • Anon

      My 40th is in a few years and I want to take my family on Safari, but it will depend on the pandemic situation.

      For beach resorts, I loved Live Aqua Cancun – great food, great pools, relaxing vibe. I’m pretty sure there’s a spa although I didn’t patronize it.

    • Anon

      Did not do this, but wish I had: long weekend at a really nice spa (Canyon Ranch or its ilk).

    • Anonymous

      Same boat! My girlfriends are doing a trip later in the year but my husband and I are ditching the kids for four nights and driving up to Portland Maine for my birthday in July. We love car trips and figure some good food and drinks plus some water views and long urban walks sounds great right now. We were going to do Bermuda but got spooked by the prospect of being stranded with covid. I also really wanted to do Napa but couldn’t swing the dough.

      I’d look into gurneys montauk if you live in NY. It’s big bucks and kind of a scene but it was my go to birthday splurge for a while. Great beach and spa.

    • Anon

      Do it! Your husband is probably bummed about not getting to celebrate his 40th, and doesn’t want you to have to feel the same way.

    • Mrs. Jones

      Rancho la Puerta in Mexico is good for a solo or girls’ trip. It’s not a beach but it’s warm and has four pools.

    • Anonymous

      I rented an apartment in a major European city with friends, male and female friends, no couples or plus ones. Loved it. Everybody had fun exploring on their own or in pairs, and we met for either lunch or dinner, and drinks later.

    • CKB

      Went to Montreal for the Just for Laughs festival with my husband, brother & sil. We had an awesome time.

  10. Anon

    Is anyone or has anyone been an income or non-equity partner in biglaw and leaned out? If so, how did you do it, what was your billable compared to what was required and how long were you able to do it for? I feel like I need to quit biglaw but now just wondering if I can just lean out instead. I just find biglaw to be all-consuming at times and while I want a career, I also want a life and to be there for my family.

    • Anon

      I think this would be pretty hard to do in that environment. I mean, that’s why most people leave it, myself included. I’ve never seen anyone successfully lean out of big law. There are a lot of other ways to be a lawyer though. Sounds like you may want to explore your options.

      • NYCer

        You definitely can coast in big law for a few years when you are an associate/counsel, as long as you do good work and are generally well liked. Easier in some practice areas than others, but it is possible. You won’t make partner and you may not make your bonus, but if that is not your goal, it is totally doable. [I speak from personal experience.]

        My firm doesn’t have tiered partnership, so I am not sure how that would apply to an income partner though. Probably a bit harder, though possibly still doable.

    • anon

      I’m not a partner but close to an income partner and i’m a senior associate. My sense is while I can say no to partners, it’s a lot harder for an income partner to do the same. It’s one of the reasons why I don’t really want to go for it and would rather go for counsel instead so I am curious to hear from experienced perspectives.

      • Anonymous

        This is the opposite of how it works in most places. Associates can’t say no and have more trouble finding help when they need to delegate work down. Even at firms that treat income partners like glorified associates, you still at least get more respect when you want to delegate. Maybe that’s driving your perception that income partners can’t say no? They have to lightly oversee but they can tap someone else to do the heavy lifting.

    • Anon4this

      I’m not in your exact shoes but thinking through something similar. I am a senior associate at a V5 firm with one child and the desire to have another soon. I don’t want to be partner or work the 2400 hour life any more. I’ve decided to try to have a second child soon, push for counsel (firm seems on board assuming no dramatic changes in economy) and “coast” at 1900-2000 hours. I’m keeping my fingers crossed this plan works out so that I can buy myself a little time to have another child and then figure out next moves.

      As an associate, I don’t have a lot of visibility into how the partners schedule their time. It seems feasible at my firm for an income partner to similarly produce 1900-2000 hours of quality work, maintain relationships and dip out to spend time with family or hobbies. Of course, this plan (like mine) comes with inherent risks in the event work dries up / the market changes. I figure the extra few years at a biglaw salary would provide enough cushion to make it worthwhile

      • Anon

        I definitely have more leeway in my schedule but because you’re at the mercy of clients, it’s not like I can totally have my weekends off. I probably bill around 1900 now but the issue is that a chunk of that is still over the weekends. And I wouldn’t mind if it’s an hour or two here and there, but I’ve been on deals where the whole weekend can be consumed when I don’t have childcare plus I’d like to hang out with my family and friends and then I’m not busy the rest of the week when I do have childcare.

        • Anon4this

          That’s challenging for sure. Is there any way you can focus more on certain industries or types of work that don’t involve as much weekend work? Sounds like you might be in M&A which definitely consumes too much of the weekend. I’ve transitioned to a less prestigious niche that allows me to have more of a M-F schedule (and weekend work can usually be accommodated around my schedule)

    • Anonymous

      A lot of people do this. It’s easier for men because there’s not as much scrutiny and they get the benefit of the doubt. It’s harder if you’re a woman leaning out for family reasons. Not to say you can’t do it, but be prepared to hear about it.

      Does your firm put out stats about income partner billable hours and origination? It would be helpful to know where you fall on the overall scale, generally you want to hit some dollar amount in combined billables and origination. In every firm I’ve been in, people bill a lot less than I thought they did. Like if I’m getting grief for billing 2k then I assume most people are billing more than 2k right? Wrong. The average is more like 1800 sometimes less. They’re going to b about it regardless of how much or little you’re billing, so you might as well bill 1800 like everyone else.

      You can also consider bumping up your hourly rate. No one ever told me I could do this. It helps increase your $ in the door even if you’re billing fewer hours. It also helps you avoid lower level work you don’t want to do. When I made income partner they didn’t really increase my rate much and I kept getting associate level assignments that I didn’t want to do. I increased my rate by like $200/hour – which my clients still pay – and voila now I don’t get pressured to manage doc review.

      • Anon

        That’s the thing…I feel like men do it all the time but somehow get away with working less but getting credit. I’m also a WOC so I also get asked to do all these extra things like panels, trainings, mentoring, etc., which while I like to give back and be a role model, it’s too much and have been pushing back on that since it’s time consuming. But I think you’re right that it is harder as a woman to push back on these things without getting some side eye about it.

    • Anonymous

      If you’re ever going to do it, this is the moment. There is such a hiring frenzy and competition for laterals at all levels. They will likely try and keep you more than usual.

  11. Anonymous

    Sigh. I miss my friends. Everyone is great but we are just in an oddly long stretch of schedules not aligning.

    • anon

      Same here. Now that life is mostly back to normal, people’s schedules are packed again. It kinda sucks.

    • Cornellian

      Following mostly to learn, but one thing I’ve been working on is holding my phone closer to eye level, and not in my desk/lap/etc. It feels sort of geeky, but I can feel my lungs expand every time.

    • Monday

      Do exercises focusing on core strength, if you don’t already.

      Do a lot of stretching of your shoulders from the front (traps I believe). They tend to tilt forward by default when we never open them up. You can take a yoga strap or belt, hold it overhead, and then start letting your arms tilt back behind you without bending your elbows if possible. Or, though it might feel silly, do a lunge through a doorway and put one hand on the door frame with its elbow back, so you’re again stretching the front of your shoulder.

    • Go for it

      Roll your shoulders back each time you sit down. There are a lot of things on YouTube for this too.

    • Anonymous

      Follow Brad and Bob, the self described two most famous physical therapists on the internet, on YouTube. Corny as all get out, but look for their films on posture, tech neck, etc – their stuff really, really works if you can manage the corn.

    • Anon

      I literally just bought a posture corrector on Amazon and it has instantly helped my tension headaches. My issue is being hunched over at my computer WFH all the time.

    • Anonymous

      Do strength training.

      Sure you can stretch and use your phone less and gaze at the horizon, bla bla bla. But unless you follow through with manuals or similar weights for muscles in your pecs and core, you’ll continue to slump.

  13. Anon

    Can any of the DC ladies recommend a hair salon or stylist in or near the downtown core? I would prefer someplace where I can get my hair cut for less than $100 (if that’s possible), since I have easy to cut hair. I’m just getting a shampoo and cut, so no frills needed but I would prefer a female stylist. Thanks.

    • Anon

      PR at Partners Metro Center will do a shampoo and cut under $100, lots of women stylists.

    • Salon recommender

      Tresses salon at 19th and G. Cut and blow dry $60. Ask for Kuki. This is a very down to earth salon that caters to GW students. Kuki does a great cut on my fine, straight hair.

  14. Work podcast recs?

    Anyone have podcasts about leadership, management, or general workplace strategies that they find insightful? I have a new managerial role and am back to commuting- I’m feeling a little bit of imposter syndrome and would love to listen to some words of wisdom or thoughts on “how to manage”, to help get me in the right frame of mind for my work day as I drive in every morning.
    Thanks!

    • anon

      I like Dare to lead with brene brown. It’s currently on a break, but coaching real leaders by HBR has some good episodes as well

    • Davis

      The Squiggly Careers Podcast might also be nice. They have handy podsheets to reference later so you don’t have to remember everything while driving!

    • Anonymous

      No tips per se, but as a person who’s had my share of new managers: I appreciate the effort, but don’t go overboard with bonding and hearts-to-heart. It’s better to lay low for a while and quietly get to know people, than to try to actively bond and win people over by new-manager-flattery (which is soo not interesting).

  15. Pants?

    I need some spring/summer “pants” to wear daily at home. No joggers or leggings. Want something soft light, drape nicely over my rear (pear shaped) and wide long leg or flare. Not see-through. Mostly to wear at home, but would be great if I could run out of the house in them too.

    Any favorites?

  16. Exuma

    Anyone been to Exuma in the Bahamas? Thinking about going, but I have never been to the Bahamas, or anywhere in the Caribbean.

    • Anon

      Why Exuma? It’s fine, but it’s not where I’d go on a first trip to the Caribbean.

      • Exuma

        I saw a nice VRBO there, no other reason. Any better Caribbean suggestions? It will be a trip with 3 couples, no kids.

        • Anonymous

          If that was the group I was traveling with I would definitely go to an all inclusive adults only resort.

        • Cat

          What kind of trip do you want? A literal “do nothing, cook for yourself in an isolated spot” trip? A trip with lots of sporty options like hiking, water sports, etc? Snorkeling or diving? Nightlife and shopping? Scenic mountainous coastline or wide sandy beaches?

        • Anon

          Yeah, it really depends on what you’re looking for. Puerto Rico isn’t my favorite personally but is one of the best islands if you want to do more than just beach/snorkeling. I go to the Caribbean pretty much exclusively for water activities, and Turks and Caicos is probably my favorite Caribbean island – it has beautiful beaches and great snorkeling. St. Lucia has beautiful scenery and hiking and some amazing $$$$ resorts, also decent snorkeling. Antigua also has really beautiful beaches and some amazing luxury resorts, snorkeling is not as good but there’s a Stingray City if you’re into that. Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao are outside the hurricane belt and are probably the best choices if you need to travel between June and October. I haven’t been to Bonaire, but was underwhelmed by the snorkeling in Curacao, even though it’s supposed to be great. PR and USVI are easier to travel to, especially right now, since they’re US territory. The Bahamas is nice and there are definitely some islands I prefer it to, but doesn’t really stand out to me in any way.

  17. Beans

    Any lawyers practice in CA state court? I have a settlement conference there later this week. I’m in-house counsel. Am I ok wearing a long sleeved sheath dress? Or do I need to wear a blazer and skirt? Any advice appreciated.

    • Senior Attorney

      Either of those should be fine. Just remember it’s probably going to be super hot outside and freezing cold inside (at least in So Cal), so I might do a blazer over a sleeveless or short sleeved sheath dress.

    • Anon

      I never worry about formality at a settlement conference esp when I have the checkbook. I might toss on a blazer, and obvi no denim.

    • Anon

      I’m a company person (PMK) and have been to lots of settlement conferences with my outside counsel – she usually wears a blazer, shell, and non-matching pants, and it’s fine. We are often there all day, mostly waiting, so wear something comfortable!

  18. Laptop backpack

    Starting to car travel for work and searching for a more professional laptop backpack. I love the look of tumi but not the price. I don’t need a lot of bells and whistles but more professional than my old college backpack.
    Ideal budget around $50.

  19. Anonymous

    Has anyone tried the Shark hairdryer for curly hair? Can you compare to Dyson (with curly hair)?

    • Anon

      I had no idea this existed, but considering the margin by which their vacuums are superior to Dyson’s, I’d take the chance.

      • Ribena

        I am also following for this reason! I don’t buy Dyson products for personal political reasons so nice to have another alternative. I’ve been considering the GHD glide hot brush too

    • Anonymous

      I have it and the Dyson (I have a lot of hair and was curious). It works about as well. The Dyson has more attachments, if that matters to you.

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