Suit of the Week: L’Agence

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stripey light blue cotton pant suit

For busy working women, the suit is often the easiest outfit to throw on in the morning. In general, this feature is not about interview suits for women, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional. Also: we just updated our big roundup for the best women's suits of 2024!

This linen/cotton stripey suit from L'Agence looks like the perfect interesting-but-conservative option for summer. The blazer cut is the brand's bestselling Chamberlain cut — love those slanted pockets — and the pants look like great trousers. The suit is on sale — the blazer — but most sizes are still left.

The blazer was $625, but is now marked to $375, and the matching pants are now $270. Nice!

Looking for something similar? This light blue plaid suit from Ann Taylor fits the bill, but there are actually a ton of great light blue suits for summer out there — including options at Reiss, Brooks Brothers, and Hugo Boss. On the more affordable side, find blue suits at Ann Taylor (“blue echo,” ojai, and a plaid), Banana Republic Factory, from Tahari, and Eloquii.

J.Crew Factory

chino suiting in a bright blue

J.Crew Factory has this classic cotton suit in a really happy “sail blue.” There's a matching “wide-leg chino” as well as a straight skirt; all of the pieces are under $178 full price.

L'Agence

stripey light blue cotton pant suit

This linen/cotton stripey suit from L'Agence looks like the perfect interesting-but-conservative option for summer. The blazer cut is the brand's bestselling Chamberlain cut — love those slanted pockets — and the pants look like great trousers. The suit is on sale, but most sizes are still left as of this writing.

The blazer was $625, but is now marked to $375, and the matching pants are now $270. Nice!

Sales of note for 2/7/25:

  • Nordstrom – Winter Sale, up to 60% off! 7850 new markdowns for women
  • Ann Taylor – Extra 25% off your $175+ purchase — and $30 of full-price pants and denim
  • Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 15% off
  • Boden – 15% off new season styles
  • Eloquii – 60% off 100s of styles
  • J.Crew – Extra 50% off all sale styles
  • J.Crew Factory – 40% off everything including new arrivals + extra 20% off $125+
  • Rothy's – Final Few: Up to 40% off last-chance styles
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – 40% off one item + free shipping on $150+

85 Comments

  1. I messed up and ordered stuff from Athleta with a very old shipping address (like 4 houses ago), and didn’t notice until I got the email saying it had been delivered. What are my options here? Do I just have to wait and see if the people who live there now send the package back? I of course immediately deleted all my saved shipping addresses in the app so this won’t happen again, but am I just out of luck for those items?

    1. I’d email Athleta and ask to have a new order with the same items shipped to your actual address. The customer service folks are sometimes willing to be very accommodating.

    2. Do you live in the same city still? If so, I’d just show up and knock on the door or leave a note. If I got a package for a previous resident, I’d definitely hold onto it for a while in case I heard from them, but I’d be pretty unlikely to take it to UPS to return on my own- it’s hard enough to motivate to do that for my own packages!

        1. I’d just throw it in a corner and wait until I hear from you. I’m not going to personally pay to send it back or call up Athleta and sit on hold forever to figure out what to do with it. But if you show up at my door, I’d obviously give it to you, or if you sent me a pre-paid label, I’d eventually get around to sending it to you whenever it was convenient for me to get to UPS (I have a disability and don’t drive, so it can take awhile).

          1. I probably would wait for you to come over and ask for it. I’m not going to be a d1ck about giving it to you, but I am also not going to run all over town or stand in line at the post office for a rando. Sorry.

        2. I had a random package arrive, and I eventually donated the clothing. I’ve owned my house for ten years, it wasn’t the prior owner, and I had no idea what else to do with it. I couldn’t think of a way to contact this random person, and it didn’t occur to me to call the store. Although, even if it had, I’m honestly honestly not sure I would’ve wasted the time on hold calling the store

          If this is four addresses again, the current residents probably have no way to contact her

    3. If you cannot physically go there, consider sending a postcard or something. Put your email address on it and ask them to contact you. Arrange for a UPS driver to pick it up and have it sent to you.

      1. Whomever delivered the package will take it back. USPS? Leave a note “return to sender/wrong address” and leave for your mail carrier. UPS? Call UPS and ask them to come pick it up – or if you have a UPS site near you, you could drive it there in person.

    4. This happened to me as the recipient of a package – I contacted the store and they were able to message the purchaser based on the tracking info on the box and get the correct address. They emailed me a label to pop in the mail, and gave me a $20 credit for the effort.

  2. I have been feeling sick for over 3 weeks now. I’ve been mainly feeling weak and fatigued, and on and off feverish (no fever, but hot to the touch and feel like I have a fever). Does anyone have any ideas what this could possibly be? The weakness is what is most troublesome, as it feels similar to having a mild flu, but has no other symptoms and won’t go away.

      1. I was wondering that. Can you get long covid after having an asymptomatic or low-symptom case? My first presenting symptom was the weakness / feverishness, but no cough/congetsion etc and it overall felt mild enough that I wasn’t sure if I was even sick.

        1. Yeah, you can. I know someone whose baby has long Covid and the only symptom they ever had was on and off low grade fevers for months.

        2. Yes, you can get Covid from an asymptomatic infection. But also check for Lyme if you live in an area with ticks.

        3. you can usually go to CVS or whatever and get a test to see if you HAD covid in the recent past — if you know you had one recently though yep i’d guess long covid.

      1. Yes. They took my blood work and everything looked normal. The doctor was thinking to refer me to a neurologist to look into MS or other things since nothing from the lab work looks wrong.

        1. I have MS. While weakness and fatigue are certainly a huge part of it, seems surprising the doctor would jump here without more.

    1. Lots of things can cause this – I’d make an appointment with your PCP. Make sure to mention any recent travel (domestic & international) as there are lots of location-related bugs that it could be

    2. Also in case you need some reassurance – lots of easily diagnosed and easily treated things can cause this – even just low iron! So please get yourself to your doctor so you can get feeling better

    3. Unfortunately I had this and it was long COVID. I got so lucky and found an internal medicine doctor who tested me for literal everything, which is I guess how long COVID is diagnosed, you rule out everything else first. Two years later and I’m basically fine again, but it was a sucky time period.

      1. How long did it take you to feel normal again? Any recommendations for dealing with it or treating it?

        1. It took me a solid 18 months to feel normal. For me the key was keeping busy in easy ways like yoga, knitting, boardgames, etc. No strenuous activity and also no TV vegetating. Being easy-busy built up my energy reserves. Minimizing inflamatory foods like sugar and cutting alcohol really helped too.

    4. Talk to a doctor — this is consistent with a lot of things, and you need bloodwork to rule out the more serious options.

    5. Were you tested for good old-fashioned mono?
      Are you somewhere (or have you been somewhere) with dengue fever, zika, etc.?

  3. I’m planning a trip to Montreal in early Fall. We will be there for about 4.5 days. Any suggestions on where to stay and what to do? We kind of booked it on a whim.

    1. Food! Montreal bagels (far superior to NY bagels), smoked meat, poutine, etc.

      The “Old Montreal” district is beautiful – very European.

      1. Heh. European here, and I find Montreal more French than the French, if that makes any sense. It doesn’t feel European, just even more stereotypical than what is authentic, not a parody, just… more.
        I like Montreal a lot, but prefer the Plateau to Old Town.

    2. Go up Mount Royal, walk down to get Bagels at Fairmount or Saint Viateur. If you like shopping, there are a lot of nice independent boutiques in that area (Mile End & Laurier Ave).
      Walk around the Old Port. If you can, have lunch at Olive et Gourmando (arrive early or prepare to wait in line, especially on a weekend).
      Visit one of the markets (Atwater or Jean Talon). Jean Talon is bigger, but if you’re staying in the Old Port, Atwater is a nice walk or bike ride along the canal and they have some outdoor food stalls.
      I like the Fine Arts museum, especially if there’s an interesting show at the moment.
      Visit a spa – Bota Bota is the most scenic, although it does get crowded. Spa Scandinave and Strom Nuns Island are also nice.
      Will you have a car? It’s nice to get out of the city to see the foliage. I would go to the Laurentians or Eastern Townships for a nice hike if you have time.
      Book at a nice restaurant, we have a great food scene – let me know if you want any specific recommendations. Gibbys or Moishes for a classic steakhouse, I like Liverpool House or Vin Papillon, Lemeac or l’Express for French food, Damas or Rumi for amazing Persian food, Croissanterie Figaro is a cute café with a patio.

      1. Second for the Basilica show. And we adored our stay at the Saint Sulpice, next door. Great price (at the time), wonderful room, quiet and central. One of the best soaking tubs I’ve ever had at a hotel.

  4. I have a sister who sends garbled texts all the time. They are borderline incomprehensible. She has to text because we are low-contact and if we didn’t have an ill parent, we’d be no-contact. What is always clear is the meanness and jabs (“as you know no one -not you -communicate in healthy ways”). I figure it’s best just to not engage — like I am going to persuade her at this point. Maybe I snap though and just respond with a stop being so damn mean, but I try to remind myself that it’s just wasted time and effort that I won’t ever get back. This family nastiness is taking up so much headspace and I am awaiting the day I can just block her texts or mute them (or send to archive so they can cool off and I can scan for anything important). Open to advice if you all have it.

    1. Mute her now. You can still check in on the texts as often as you want without them popping up.

    2. I’d try to focus on the goal. In this instance, it’s getting done whatever needs to be done for your ill parent. Don’t let her jabs sidetrack that. I have a similar estranged relationship with my brother. I don’t know if this helps, but I imagine someone throwing a ball to a dog. Just because he throws the ball, it doesn’t mean I need to go fetch it. Just because he throws a jab doesn’t mean I need to give him the response he’s trying to get out of me.

      For my own sanity, I also try to pretend the texts are coming from a malfunctioning robot or something more sympathetic, like a child with a brain disorder. Removing “him” out of the equation this way and reminding myself that I’m the one who is normal functioning and in control helps me deal with the rudeness. We don’t talk other than things related to my mom. Once she passes, we won’t talk at all. That prospect makes me sad but also brings great relief.

      Hugs to you. Unless you’re dealing with this type of relationship, I think few folks get how tough it can be and the need to respect that there be space there. When I’m meeting folks and they ask if I have siblings, I say no. It’s heart-breaking and a comfort at the same time.

      1. Thanks — this is very helpful. And I’m sorry — this sounds so rough and draining.

      2. I used to think of annoying clients as puppies. You don’t get that mad when a puppy eats your shoe – its annoying, but thats what puppies do.

    3. Do you have someone who can check them for you? My husband did this for me – I muted the person and he read the texts, let me know if there was anything important in them, and responded as necessary. The person never knew it was him, but it made things a lot easier for me. Once everything was over, I just blocked the person.

    4. It’d help to practice some gray rock phrases to acknowledge the text but not the content.

      “Huh, guess so.”
      “That may be”
      “Yep, maybe”
      “Thanks for letting me know”

    5. I really encourage you to look for a therapist to help. This experience is so stressful, it’s clear, and you aren’t able to use the various boundaries/suggestions we have offered to your many posts. You need more help and another outlet for input/reinforcement.

    6. My mom sends her own breed of texts that make me insane. DH had the brilliant idea to use chat GPt. I now load them up into chat gpt and say “summarize this.” I get a 3 sentence summary.

    7. Just want to validate that it’s really freaking hard to get barely coherent texts from people, especially when they’re mean. I get them under different circumstances (relative with dementia) and it’s honestly SO draining. She’ll send 14 messages in a row that say basically the same thing and one of them will have a random dig for no reason. It’s exhausting. It doesn’t matter why it happens or if it’s the person’s “fault” – it’s still exhausting.

    8. I’m sorry, this is so hard.
      On apple devices, I think the best you can do is make her silent, so that you don’t get a sound or buzz notification. It’s a little thing, but it can help you avoid them until a set time.

      Any chance you could convince her to go email? Don’t give her your main email, the spam one, and set up a folder with rules so that you never get notifications and actively have to check her file. Answer at your set schedule.

      1. I know folks mean this to be helpful. But I would remember the key goal of the communication here: shared care of a sick parent. While you need to protect sanity, you also can’t get in a situation where missed or delayed communication affects care of said parent. ChatGPT summaries or communication that requires actively logging in and checking are likely not good answers. An intermediary like a spouse or good friend being a first-line barrier or “alerts” from her medical team may be better for timeliness.

        Probably best though is working with a therapist to develop the tools to make it through. This situation won’t be forever. But it will be tough going and avoidance can only get you so far.

    9. This might be a little passive-aggressive but I believe this is a really good use case for emojis, especially “odd” ones like perhaps the vampire (heh) or zombie or skull, or “flame” with a smiley and then a cute animal, just the weirder the better. Kind of fight fire with fire. Yes, it’s childish but you can always go back and be like “oops, keyboard mishap, meant to say “‘that’s fine'”.

    1. I get around without a car, so that means plenty of time on foot or on bike regardless of weather. I use good deodorant and accept that this time of year, I will look less than pristine. Shaded routes if possible. Many days are 2 shower days.

    2. I live downtown and so walking is not optional, lol – my tips are (1) stay in the shade as much as you can, (2) cross the street on the side oppos-te stopped cars to minimize engine heat, (3) be well hydrated, (4) airy clothes, (5) walk slower.

    3. I use the treadmill in the gym, walk outside before 8AM or after 7pm, or I’ll simply march in place in front of the TV like I’m doing a Richard Simmons tape (yes, I’m an old).

    4. I don’t get in as many steps because it’s slower, but I have been walking laps in the pool. I also run alternate laps, which is something I cannot do on dry land because of back issues. I love it, the feeling of being worn out but refreshed, and I sleep very well when I do this.

    5. There are some “walking” workout videos on youtube that are handy for rainy or hot days. Some even target step goals to them.

    6. Treadmill in my basement, it was my best Covid purchase. I vastly prefer to walk outside, but the treadmill is a god-send on hot and super cold days.

    7. I just got in a three mile run. It’s summer and hot but not dangerously hot. Then again I live in a place everyone loves to disparage so maybe this is the upside of not moving to somewhere warm and cheap?

  5. Are there good places to get copper cookware? I’ve been seduced by how it looks.

    1. A word of caution: ordinary copper cookware does not work with induction, if you are likely to ever move in that direction. I was the happy recipient of beautiful copper pots when a relative switched to induction.

    2. It is beautiful! Have you already looked into the careful handling it can take to keep it looking like that?

      Since it’s about looks, I think I’d want to check it out in person at a nice department store that stocks it.

      If you don’t care about seeing it in person, you can check restaurant supply stores, but the products marketed for commercial kitchens may be spendy (or a deal, depending on what your baseline is!).

  6. Apropos of this morning’s discussion about doulas…

    I have an arthritic shoulder. I’m “young” for the level of arthritis, which is probably a year from anatomical replacement, but here we are. Almost no cartilage left in places, bone on bone, and lots of related inflammation.

    I have had steroid shots in the past but have been going to physical therapy, a reputable shop connected with my local hospital system (on EPIC and everything) but I’m kind of getting the crunchy ick from them.

    First appointment the intake PT said my muscles are in good shape but that I need to do stretching and strengthening exercises. Which is fine. But then she badmouthed cortisone injections, which to me is analogous to bad mouthing epidurals for birthing. I’m in so much pain I can’t sleep.

    The next appointment I told the different PT lady that I’d been using Voltaren, which is an OTC topical NSAID. She literally said “no, no, no! That’s medication!”

    I saw the orthopedist MD today and had a cortisone shot. I am wondering if this reputable PT practice is too crunchy for me. Like “we can fix everything with PT, so don’t even take Tylenol” kind of practice.

    Has anyone else run into this with PT? I waited a long time for my first appointment with this place because of their great reputation.

    1. Yup – the PT/Chiropractor fields are well known to have a LOT of weirdo crunchy practitioners who ‘don’t believe’ in modern medicine. I’ve also dumped a massage therapist who thought that weekly massages could cure severe scoliosis. Nope, sorry, not taking medical advice from anyone who doesn’t have an MD or an DO.
      Does your nearest large hospital have an affiliated PT? I’ve had good luck with the Hospital for Special Surgery PT practices – I imagine your local orthopedic hospital would also have PTs it works with.

      1. Yeah, unfortunately this is the hospital-affiliated PT shop. That’s why it took 2 months to get an appointment!

    2. There’s a part of me that wants my PT to do their best to fix things without assistance from my pain doctor or my orthopedist. I want them to own the problem as much as possible. But I don’t want them to actually conflict with the rest of my medical team, and that sounds like the line that’s maybe being crossed here!

      So many doctors are scared of pain management these days. I don’t know what the right answer is, but the status quo right now seems to be a lot of pain and a lot of missed sleep.

      1. What you said. The doula analogy, for me, is I want a PT who is willing to work alongside standard medical treatment, not in opposition to it. So if I had a doula (I didn’t) I would have wanted one who understood I would want an epidural and all of the western medicine stuff needed in order to keep the baby / me safe and alive. I certainly wouldn’t want one like this morning’s poor poster who ended up with an emergency C section & the doula ditched her because she apparently disapproved.

        I think you have convinced me to cancel my next PT appointment, at least for now.

    3. Genuine question: What is your practical concern? Do you think they’re going to take action to ensure you don’t receive any medication when you want it, or do you imagine that they’ll manage your treatment differently because you take medication?

      1. No, I’m honestly wondering if they can help me at all if they’re going to be this level of woo.

    4. This is not typical at all, in my experiences – especially for hospital affiliated PT. Did you ask your orthopedist if they have a specific PT to recommend? Simply ask to switch to a different therapist/PT site, if you don’t have faith in yours.

      It is not normal at all for a therapist from the hospital where your doctor works to be telling you not to take doctor recommended treatments. It is true that repeated cortisone shots over time can sometimes be problematic (they are NOT like getting an epidural during childbirth), but I can’t think of what she is talking about regarding the topical NSAIDS… unless you are doing some sort of heat treatments to the shoulder? You should not use topical NSAIDS and then put a hot pack on top or you will absorb too much of the medications systemically.

      So I would use my words and ask “Why?” if she says something that concerns you. But I would probably give it a visit or two. See if her manual work and exercise program seems good. You have done PT for the shoulder before, right? I mean no orthopedist should be giving you repeat steroid shots without putting you into rigorous PT and figuring out how to preserve what shoulder you still have. Because repeat steroid shots does cause deterioration of the joint over time. Steroids – even just local injections – can have lots of side effects. So maximizing PT / strengthening / good posture / stretching / manual work is key.

      1. Yes of course. She recommended it.
        Per the above comment I don’t use heat on my shoulder other than a warm shower. I use ice a couple of times a day.

    5. I had to “fire” a PT once. It was a bit uncomfortable, but completely necessary. Do it sooner rather than later, by asking the PT facility if you can make your next appointment with another PT, because the current PT is not a good fit. Good luck! (Long story short — I had a great PT; then she moved to a far-away branch of the PT facility; I tried the new guy, and his advice was simply not appropriate for my situation; I ended up going back to my original PT, driving out to the inconvenient location once a week instead of 2 or 3 times per week: I figured I could get more out of working with her once a week than I could with the new guy, or another unknown PT, more frequently. I tried to be compliant about doing the assigned exercises at home between my once-a week appointments with her.)

  7. I’m less than a year in role as a company director and really struggling. The team who report to me includes 3 people who also wanted the role I’m in, and have never accepted me in post (I was a peer but had previous experience at a more senior role that they might not value). One other person is passive aggressive but gets the job done and manages their team well; he’s technically weak so I have a question mark about how many of the technical struggles are skills gaps vs actual problems). The remaining 3 are supportive and getting results from their teams which help the company. Of the negative people, 1 is running his team and their directs well, 1 thinks he is but has a very old fashioned (expensive) approach and is resistant to change, and 1 is doing ok but keeps cutting me out of updates. All are experienced managers who are managing their own teams acceptably well. Any advice? I’ve shared this challenge with my CEO, and the plan is to roll out leadership training and competency frameworks which will be used as a way to encourage buy in to corporate values. Any suggestions for what to do and how to improve people’s experience of work, encourage them to step up to the challenge (lots to do this year ) and how to get the best of the people in role? I’ve been offered executive coaching which I’m definitely going to take up. There’s another dynamic which is that one of my current peers often reaches in to my org to get stuff done (bid support etc) and doesn’t tell peoples managers or me what is going on. Is this normal? There’s a lot of mansplaining too but it’s to both men and women (“of course you’ve got a lot to learn, and I’ll support you” when I have tons of experience; “it’s good you have a lot to say, but it’s not your area and I think you need to stick to your own area of expertise with respect” etc)

    1. I don’t have much corporate experience so this is merely a hot take . . . but isn’t the plan to “roll out leadership training and competency frameworks which will be used as a way to encourage buy in to corporate values” something that will be met by a knowing eye roll from all these experienced managers? They lost out on a promotion opportunity and now are answering to their former peer (whose experience they do not value). They’re managing their teams acceptably well, but now are going to be asked to “buy into corporate values” and “step up to the challenge.” What would make them want to do this and follow your leadership in it — are there other promotion opportunities? Better working conditions? More money?

      I think it will help if you can answer the question of “what’s in it for them” to put in more effort and more work in order to make changes in how they function when they’re already doing OK and their previous efforts to step up were not met with success (they lost the job).

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