Thursday’s TPS Report: Single-Button Jacket

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Nine West Single-Button Jacket | CorporetteOur daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. Yellow blazers are kind of a thing right now, and I like this mustard yellow one for fall. I'd wear it with navy, dark gray, and even an accent of purple (such as, ahem, purple pumps). The jacket is $79 at Macy's, and available in sizes 2-16. Nine West Single-Button Jacket Psst: here's a plus-size option. By the way, ladies: the Nordstrom Clearance Sale is on! I may have time to do a roundup later today, but thought I'd spread the word… tons of Minkoff bags from first look… Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail tps@corporette.com.

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+

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

151 Comments

  1. Century 21, anyone?

    I do love the color pairing suggestions, though. Yellow + gray forever.

  2. I would like to immediate threadjack: I work for a small but busy boutique law firm. Yesterday, on what was coincidentally a planned afternoon off, I experienced a medical emergency and had to go to the hospital. As a result of that, I am scheduled for a surgery next Wednesday that, depending on what is found, means a recovery period of anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks. Doctors have said there is a chance I will be out at least 3-4 weeks, and on significant pain medicine (and unable to work remotely). There is no FMLA applicability nor state laws providing time off for medical or family needs.

    Right now our firm is absolutely swamped; an associate is out on maternity leave, it is all hands on deck. A senior attorney is leaving for a six week multi-generation overseas trip that he has been planning for years next month. I love the people I work with and I want to work here, but I am aware that my absence is going to take an extremely heavy toll on our firm right now – others will be working nights and weekends. There are less than 12 attorneys in my firm. Obviously my health comes first and this surgery is a non-negotiable course of action. However, I am aware that this will be a substantial burden on the firm (not to mention financial burden on me). I transferred to this firm 3 years ago, and I feel comfortable that the quality and quantity of my product is fine, but this is still a major deal. Everyone is majorly stressed out and overwhelmed, including my boss. I am here this morning getting all of my cases organized and in order, and will be talking with my boss this afternoon, but here is my question:

    As a boss, what would you want to hear if an employee had to bring you this news? There’s the obvious in terms of planning for my caseload, but what else? How do I present this?

    1. I don’t have any specific tips, but always remember that your health comes first. Don’t let anyone bully you into feeling badly about this. Best of luck for a speedy recovery!

    2. Excuse me, I have a medical emergency and will be out for 3-4 weeks and unable to work. Do you have a Netflix log in I can borrow? (JK on the last part. But really I don’t think you need to “frame” a non-negotiable medical emergency any particular way.)

    3. Just tell him. You don’t present it in any way except “I need to have surgery urgently. It is scheduled for next Wednesday. Recovery time varies but I will most likely be out for 3-4 weeks.” Sounds like they’ll need to hire a contract attorney.

      1. Agreed. Contract attorneys exist for reasons like this (among others). I think telling them that you need urgent surgery and will be out for your expected time period should be enough.

      2. This. I’ve worked with contract attorneys before. If you really want to help/prepare your boss, whatever, then bring him the name of a few attorney staffing companies and/or contract/temp attorney friends who are ready and willing and able to help. Whatever. It’ll work out ok. Good luck with your surgery & recovery!

    4. Acknowledge the poor timing, but try not to relay any guilt about it. This stuff happens. If you’re that indispensable right now, your firm hasn’t contingency-planned well enough, and that doesn’t fall to you. Have a great plan for a handover, and then get the heck out.

      1. How the hell do you contingency plan for a significant portion of your staff being out at the same time?? I think that’s a bit unrealistic.

        I don’t think that you need to be guilty but I think acknowledging that this will have a significant impact on everyone else in your firm is simple kindness.

      2. Actually, I agree with the contingency planning statement. If one is out on maternity leave, there was sufficient notice, and it sounds like the other out is on a vacation planned well in advance. To have no leeway for any sort of emergency is poor planning in this particular instance.

    5. You said you may be on significant pain medication — would you be able to respond to emails or phone calls at least? If so (or if you’re at least willing to answer the phone), tell your boss. S/he may not want to call you, but it’s nice to know that, if they absolutely can’t find the Jarndyce file, you might be able to tell them where is it.

      1. I tend to disagree with this. You don’t know how bad it’s going to be and I would caution against raising expectations you may or may not be able to fulfill.

        I agree with just telling him: “I have to have emergency surgery next week and will be unable to work for at least four weeks. I feel awful about the timing but I have no other options.”

        1. Nothing bad can happen when answering client emails and phone calls on heavy pain meds! Everyone loves getting responses describing how a case reminds you of going through the looking glass and falling into a bed of jello, right?

      2. I would advise against this. She doesn’t know how she’s going to feel after surgery. What if they get in there and the surgery ends up being more invasive than they previously thought? Have you been on heavy duty pain medication? I wouldn’t want anyone to rely on anything I said when doped up on painkillers. They’ll figure out a way to make it work without her.

        Assuming she organizes everything today, they should be able to find what they need.

      3. Late to the party here but could you requests a bunch of continuances on your cases? I work in a small firm and we have been short staffed lately for various reasons. My coworker had a family emergency and instead of putting his cases on me he spoke to clients and opposing counsel and moved all his deadlines (by assented to motions) 3 months. Since most litigation takes years, most cases can be put on hold a few months in a true emergency with no coverage.

    6. I am the head of a small business and experienced a similar staffing issue recently. I completely understand that life happens to people, and that you least of all want to have this medical emergency, but I think that you should take some steps to preserve your positive working relationships.

      If your medical issue is one where you need to cease all work immediately. I would sit down ASAP with everyone who will take over your cases and map out where they all stand, make everyone aware of key issues, and all deadlines and then just leave. I would also be clear that you cannot do any additional work AT ALL until you come back if that is the case. Engaging in wishful thinking and committing to doing work and then not fulfilling your commitment is way worse than just saying, sorry i have a legitimate medical emergency and cannot do any work.

      If you can work between now and your surgery, I would work to the fullest extent possible and get all of your cases in order. Work a plan on who is going to take over everything (even if that person will just be point until a contract attorney is hired), put all relevant parties for all cases in touch with each other and share all contact info, write memos on a cases outlining significant issues and where they all currently stand, any liabilities to be aware of, and any important deadlines that are approaching. Leaving cases in disarray if you genuinely have at least a little time to transition them will not be appreciated.

      Again, this is totally not your fault, but I think expressing genuine regret that you are causing the firm (and all of your colleagues) this significant hardship would be really appreciated. Even if it’s just sending around an email thanking everyone for taking over your cases and promising to buy your colleagues a beer when you return, i think a gesture would go a long way.

      And one final note, as a small business owner, having a significant portion of your staff being out at one time is not something that you have a standing plan for because frankly, how would you plan for such a thing in a way that doesn’t bankrupt you?? Hire more staff than you need on a daily basis so that you can withstand swings like this? Beyond calling a staffing agency and forcing everyone to work a million additional hours, there’s no good solution here.

      So, I would be sympathetic to the others at the firm too. It definitely sucks for you, but it will really suck for everyone else as well.

      1. I think this is all excellent advice.

        I did, however, stumble a bit over the bit about “you are causing the firm (and all of your colleagues) this significant hardship.” Even though I agree with the advice about sending a nice email and buying a round when you get back, I wouldn’t cop to the “causation” part of it. The reality is that the firm AND the OP are BOTH going to be experiencing a significant hardship, but it wasn’t caused by anybody. It’s just one of those things that happens in this imperfect world of ours, and don’t let the boss guilt you into feeling like you are doing something wrong by taking care of your health.

        1. Eh, I think we’re saying the same thing. This is obviously not your fault, but the fact that it’s happening does mean pain for everyone, not just for you. (Obviously your health is of the greatest concern.) I think it’s fair to say that this health matter is what is “causing” the staffing shortage.

          I can tell you that in my case, I had to cancel everyone else’s flex time arrangements and start mandating OT. People had to make alternate childcare arrangements and drop commitments like coaching their child’s sports teams. We all obviously felt for the person whose had health issues but this period of time was a major bummer for everyone involved.

    7. Tell your boss(es) just the facts. Regret for circumstances should not equal guilt. Just do your best.

    8. I was fired while in ICU. Over the phone. By my boss. It was insane. I had been out for 3 days due to a MRSA infection that spiraled out of control and gave me sepsis (blood poisoning). I was working at a nonprofit and directing a program. My boss, the executive director, called me like 10 times. I finally answered, on IV antibiotics and morphine, and she just said I was terminated effective that day. She said I could call her to discuss later when I felt better, but I just couldn’t believe it. However, she similarly had terminated a woman with cancer a few months before. She remarked in a director’s meeting that the insurance premiums were going up from several women being pregnant and the cancer patient. INSANITY! I got unemployment and found a new job 3 months later. Honestly, your health is always first. Anyone who doesn’t agree has serious problems. How can an employee even be effective if she is ill? I hope you take care of yourself.

      1. Isn’t that just screamingly illegal? You know, in contravention of the Americans with Disabilities Act? I thought you couldn’t fire someone for being sick, while sick.

  3. Quick wedding question: If a host invites a couple who have a preschool-aged child to a wedding, is it up to the host to specify that they do not want children, or is it sufficient to just name the couple (and not mention the child) in the invitation? Assume a venue that would generally be seen as child-friendly (Catholic church and hotel reception).

    (I know that the best course of action is for discussions to be had, but I’m just asking about standard presumptions.)

    1. Old-school etiquette says that only the people whose names are on the invitation are invited to come, therefore leaving the child’s name off means that the child should not come. However, a lot of people assume that weddings are family affairs and children are welcome. It is tacky to specify “no kids,” but a conversation should clear it up in case of any questions.

    2. Invites should be for only the people they’re addressed to. I follow this rule with formal invites, but not sure how widely others do anymore.

    3. It is sufficient that the couple is named and not the child. It’s generally rude to write “no children” on an invitation.

    4. The way we handled this was to have a section on our wedding website talking about the great childcare options available if anyone found they had to travel with their kids (i.e., the assumption is you’re leaving kiddo at home with grandma). That is, we never said “no kids” but realized that people might not get that their kids weren’t invited if they weren’t on the invitation. But by saying “here are great child care options we lined up for you!” it was a friendly way of hinting that the kids wouldn’t be at the wedding or reception.

    5. Technical Etiquette: Only the individuals to whom the invitation is addressed are invited. If you invited Jane Smith-Jones and her husband John Smith, it’s not assumed that little Suzie and Steve are also invited unless their names were included. If it’s addressed to ‘The Smith Family’, everyone is included.

      What really happens: Depends on the people. Some people assume that children are welcome, some people don’t bring their children (even if it would be fine), some people will be put out if you’re not inviting their children, etc.

      If you’re the host, my advice is to not make a big deal about it or stress about it. If you don’t want them there, the only way to guarantee that there won’t be kids (especially if you have out of town guests) is to provide childcare and even then- nothing is guaranteed. We planned on having a no kids wedding and it was pretty clearly a formal-ish evening wedding, but it worked out that we had two elementary aged kids, a 4 year old, and two young babies. Honestly- the kids made it so much more fun. The 4 year old was just a dancing machine- I have great pictures from my wedding of him-frosting smeared on his face- boogy-ing to his heart’s desire with my husband’s 60-something aunts.

      If you’re the guest: call and ask.

      Take away- I stressed about it as a hostess but it all worked out.

      1. I love children at weddings. So cute and dressed up and anxious to impress and excited about the music and dancing. If someone doesn’t want any kids at their wedding, that’s their prerogative, but I’m going to mentally file it away with the no alcohol and no dancing weddings – as in, well, I guess that I’ll go if I have to.

        For the only wedding since my kid was born, he was not on the invite, but when I asked, the bride was adamant that he come. As in, I think that she would have been furious if I didn’t bring him. She said that the last thing that she wanted was a completely perfect wedding where everything went exactly as planned and there were no kids being noisy or unexpected happenings. I thought that was probably the healthiest attitude that a bride could possibly take.

          1. Really? You should read Carolyn Hax’s wedding horror story chats – drunk uncles feeling up the guests, divorced parents of the bride or groom screaming at each other, groom getting arrested, bride or groom jilted at the altar, etc., etc., etc. Wouldn’t a noisy kid be so much better than any of these?

          2. Big +1 for no kid weddings. They are always better IMO. This is one of those dividing issues everyone has an opinion on.

          3. Nope. A noisy kid is a boring predictable preventable irritation. A gropey uncle is a story to delight in for decades.

          4. Yeah, going to chime in here and say kids are almost always annoying at weddings.

            And I definitely wouldn’t classify a child-free wedding in the same category as a booze-free wedding.

          5. I can’t even fathom how kids would ruin the experience for you. Unless you are literally tripping over them, can’t you just ignore them? They are louder than the band and the din of everyone chatting / eating? I’ve been to many many weddings as a childless woman and I cannot ever say that kids ruined it for me. I don’t even think I’ve noticed kids unless its in a passing, oh she’s sweet, kind of way. I drink, eat and have fun with friends. They are not my responsibility and I don’t have to care for them, so I can easily ignore them.

          6. You must have good friends as parents. At the last wedding I went to a little girl who I didn’t know literally pulled my hair as I was eating. She was running by and just grabbed it. The parent didn’t even apologize or say anything and she was walking right there.

        1. I have no kids myself and kids at weddings are still my favorite thing about weddings.

        2. I agree and also, just from a philosophical standpoint, to me weddings are about a community coming together in support of your wedding and kids are part of a community. If it’s just a fancy, formal party, I don’t really see the point.

          1. Kids aren’t part of my community. I have no nieces and nephews. Law school friends’ kids? Not important to me.

            I’m not judgy of your decision to have kids, don’t get why my wedding is meaningless because I don’t.

            From a philosophical standpoint FOOEY to you.

          2. Have you even been drunk and then danced with a 4 year old? It’s a-maze-ing.

        3. It depends on the couple, and their friends and family. It’s considered lucky for children to cry and make noise during a Jewish wedding, because it signals the couple will be blessed with children. That assumes you want kids, of course.

    6. Its always rude to write who is not invited. You wouldnt address the invite to mr. and mrs. smith and then write on the invitation “jennifer is not invited” you just dont send an invite to jennifer

    7. I get this often in the context of a couple with children invites us (the grownups with e-mail / texting capacity) to dinner or a party at 7ish. It often seems that we have to decypher if they mean us / everyone / etc. The time is not a clue. The venue is not a clue. The activity is not a clue. I need to be psychic.

      Weddings: remarriages where there are children are tricky and a vague invitation doesn’t help.

      I don’t assume my children are invited to weddings unless they are expressly invited (and we did it this way when we got married).

      1. I’ve handled the vague invite with a reply of “great, let me see if I can get a sitter” for those times when I feel like I need to confirm the child’s invite/lack of invite.

    8. Only the people specifically named on the invitation are invited. Period. If it does not say “the Smith Family” or name your kids, you leave them at home.

    9. I know the “rule” is that only the people named on the invite are invited, but I’d bet that a lot of your guests (especially removed from wedding planning any time in the recent past) might not know this rule. If you really don’t want the preschooler to show up, I think you need to expressly tell people that, and you need to tell everyone with children that. I was a bridesmaid in a wedding recently where the bride didn’t include children’s names on the invitation, and told people who specifically asked that children were not invited. She still had about 5 kids show up at the wedding because those parents didn’t know they weren’t invited, and it was very awkward with some families having been told they couldn’t bring children, and other families having children there. Point being: communicate with your guests and don’t rely on people internalizing Emily Post’s etiquette rules.

      1. Question: when this happens, where do the kids sit? Do the parents just magically expect another plate of food to appear? So rude.

        1. I’m sure that this varies by region, but I’ve only been to a couple of weddings that had plated meals and assigned seating. The standard in my region is buffet-style, general seating (or assigned tables, but not individual seats, and people rarely even stay at those). And little kids generally just eat off of their parents’ plates.

      2. Agreed. With wedding websites and save the dates, there are plenty of places to say “adults only”.

      3. Yes, this is what I fear. In my family, the people who know the etiquette about “if kids name is not on the invite the kids aren’t allowed” are the same ones who have kids that would generally be well behaved at the wedding, while the people who don’t know any better are also the ones who’s kids will run around like wild demons. Not all of them, but enough.
        In our family, what works is to have a neutral-ish third party (often my grandmother or an aunt) be the one to call cousin Susie and explain that only she and her husband were invited and no, RSVPing for your 2 teenagers plus their boyfriends is not ok (over the phone, after we had to call since they didn’t mail back the RSVP cards).
        My family has a lot of kids and we are pretty close, so the general rule that has been used is usually nieces and nephews of the bride and groom and sometimes 1st cousins of the bride and groom are the only kids invited. Or sometimes its “only kids actually in the wedding party” are invited. But yes, its hard to follow old school etiquette rules when you know a good chunk of your guests don’t know those rules. I think a good compromise is not to include “no kids” directly on the invitation, but if there is a separate card in the invite with maps, directions, hotel info etc to put it on that card. Which I know, technically that card isn’t even supposed to go in the envelope either for the most formal of events, but I think its generally accepted now, at least in my circle.

        And then there are situations like when my husband opens the invitation and throws out the envelope before I see it. “Who was it addressed to, were the kids names on it?” “Uh, I dunno.” But at least every time I’ve had to make the call to ask people were polite about i.

    10. I would not expect every person to know the general rule. I have seen response cards in wedding invitation that specified the number of “spots” you would like at the wedding, and they had a check for 0, 1 and 2 and then a place to write names. This makes it very clear that at most, 2 people are invited.

      As an aside, I am firmly on team allow kids at weddings unless the event is formal or late. I will never forget the “adult only” wedding invitation I got for a day time wedding in a barn that was country/bbq themed and said denim was appropriate.

      1. An “adults only” designation isn’t just about the time or formality of the wedding. Weddings are crazy expensive, even on a budget, and guest lists get out of control quickly. Most couples end up having to exclude people they wish they didn’t have to. If I’m a bride looking at who to cut from my guest list, the kids are going to go before I exclude, for example, my work buddies who I have happy hour with every once in a while, or my mom’s BFF who I haven’t seen in 10 years, or tell my friend from college who’s flying across the country and won’t know anyone at the wedding that she can’t bring a date.

    11. I typically see “The Jones Family” for invites including kids and “Mr. & Mrs. Jones” when the kids are left off.

  4. Ditto. Bad timing for a shopping fast. I just have to keep telling myself: I have everything I need right now. I have everything I need right now. I have everything I need right now. Excuse me, got to go shop… Pink pencil skirt calling me from my shopping bag.

  5. Browsing through the clearance sale – is it just me, or have designers stopped making normal-length tops? Everything I’m seeing is either super-long (covering the model’s butt, so on short little me it would be mid-thigh) or cropped. Very frustrating.

    1. That’s why I, on the cusp of petite and regular, always buy petite tops. Doesn’t solve all problems, but it helps.

  6. I’ve been on the pill for about two years, with no problems. No spotting, etc. My monthly withdrawal “periods” usually last 4 days and are easy peasy. I started re-taking the pills on Sunday, as always. Yesterday was the 6th day of my period, so it was a little longer than normal, but it seemed gone by mid-day. I stopped wearing a tampon and slept with my partner. This morning, all was well, until I’d been up for a few hours. It’s as though my period has started all over again!

    Is this normal? I’ve been under a lot of stress lately, so could it just be that? Is it from sex? With the holiday weekend, don’t think I can see a doc until next week.

    1. You can’t go to an urgent care center today? You are having unexpected unexplained bleeding from an important part of you. What is more important than dealing with that?

      ETA
      Ha: so the answer probably lies btwn totes fine and imminent death. Can you call your gyn today and ask?

      1. This isn’t unexplained bleeding though – it’s her period. Periods sometimes start and stop, especially on the pill. If it keeps going and going or if she’s having other unusual symptoms, then it’s time to see a doctor.

        1. I would suspect its still your period, and that you were at the point where flow was very low, but possibly uterine contractions from orgasm caused your body to push out a last little bit of material at once instead of it just trickling out so slowly as to be unnoticeable. Its not uncommon to see like a period is over or very light, then heavy exercise causes a little bit more bleeding.
          Call your doctors office today or tomorrow and ask at what point you need to be seen or go to urgent care. My guess is lots of bright red blood = bad, light spotting = normal, but get a doctor or nurse to confirm this over the phone.

    2. It’s always best to go see a doctor, but next week is probably fine unless you are in pain (or if it’s keeping you up at night with worry, just get it over with and go to the urgent care).

      I had a similar weird flow situation after being on the exact same pill for 10 years – mine just kind of stopped for 2 months randomly (I freaked out btw). The gyno basically said: everything is fine, stress affects your flow a lot,and weird things just happen with pills and cycles once in a while.

    3. I am not a doctor, so feel free to disregard my advice, but I recently dealt with a bout of unexplained bleeding (I was not on the pill, but period never stopped, lasted for well over a month) and it seems like there are a wide range of possible causes, ranging from not serious at all (stress) to something more serious. In my experience, it definitely required multiple doctor visits and diagnostic tests, but it was a long process and was never classified as an “emergency” — i.e., waiting until next week to see your doctor should be fine, especially if you are not experiencing other symptoms. (And in my case, luckily all the tests came back normal and it eventually resolved itself and has not happened again.) Like Anonymous suggested, you could always call your doctor’s office (do they have a nurse line for these types of questions?) and see what they say.

    4. Completely normal. If you’re losing buckets of blood get checked out, but otherwise all that is going to happen is that the doctor will be like, “yeah, that happens occasionally.”

    5. Totally normal even if it is scary. My pill acted up just last month and instead of a 3-day period, I was approaching day 7 before it finally stopped. I, of course, freaked out and called the nurse line at day 5. The nurse thought I should call my doc but I was travelling and didn’t get around to it before the issue resolved itself.

  7. I have credits for 2 books from audible. Anyone have recommendations for a good novel? There are tons of books I want to read, but for audio books, the experience depends so much on the narrator!

    1. The Handmaid’s Tale, narrated by Claire Danes
      The Help, narrated by some of the same actresses as in the movie
      Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson, narrated by the author
      The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
      Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore
      Anything by Kate Morton

      Good narrators: Davina Porter, Orlagh Cassidy, Carrington MacDuffie

      These are all audiobooks I’ve got from audible and enjoyed both the book and narrator. A few of the narrators are a little slow though, so I tend to listen at 1.25 speed. And make sure you get the unabridged versions of the books – abridged books are often terrible.

      I’m also about to lose some credits at the end of the month – anyone want to make a recommendation back?

      1. Let’s Pretend this Never Happened- Jenny Lawson (aka the Bloggess) very funny, even when tackling pretty serious issues.

        Gone Girl – excellent version on Audible

        Outlander- Diana Gabaldon- LOVING (Ellen Caps necessary) this right now…

        Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls- David Sedaris

        Inferno- Dan Brown

        Dad Is Fat – Jim Gaffigan (This is about parenting and very, very funny. I’m not a parent but laughed my pants off.)

        …and my all time favorite Audio Book- Bossypants, as read by Tina Fey.

        1. Oh yes, I loved Bossypants as well, can’t believe I forgot that one. And the Outlander audiobook series is the whole reason I got Audible, but I know it can be a love it or hate it recommendation for some people. I need to just use up my credits and stop giving Audible all my money now since I’m not really using them as much now that I’m not driving crazy distances.

        2. I second Gone Girl – somehow listening to that story was better than reading it. Also, along with Bossypants, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kaling. It’s only about 4 hours, but I laughed constantly and it made an annoying drive very bearable.

          1. Also along similar lines, One More Thing by BJ Novak (Ryan the temp from The Office).

    2. Thank you, all! So I am going with Bossypants for book #1, and then narrow the list and let my SO weigh in on book #2. Looking forward to long amounts of time spent in the car, for once.

      Gone Girl looks intriguing, but we will be listening to these on our honeymoon, so maybe take a pass on this one for now?

      1. Yeah, I loved Gone Girl (read it, didn’t listen to it), but it is decidedly not honeymoon material.

      2. Most of these should be available as free audiobooks from your public library, FYI. I ended up canceling my Audible membership because I had difficulty finding anything on there that I wanted to read that wasn’t already available for free from my library. I know you’ve already paid for the credits (I was in a similar situation–I had 3 accrued) but maybe worth digging to find a few that aren’t available from your library so you can maximize the money you already spent.

        1. This is a great idea. To be truthful, I was planning on cancelling my audible membership after a deeply discounted trial, and then I of course forgot for several months, until I saw the charge on my credit card. But hadn’t thought about the library.

  8. Does anyone have any decorating blog recommendations? I’m looking for something specific: my roommate and I have a very large apartment and a lot of decent furniture, but it’s not really organized in a way that feels pleasing or welcoming. It feels like we’re not making good use of space or the items we have. I know it’s possible to do this, because my roommate’s sister is an interior designer, and on a visit about a year ago she rearranged one area of the apartment and it looked much, much better (until my roommate had to move some stuff around). Unfortunately this sister lives on the other side of the country and visits rarely.

    I glanced at Apartment Therapy, because that’s been recommended here before, but it seemed like mostly pictures for inspiration and instructions for home improvement projects. I also looked up principles of interior design, but those were incomprehensible (I don’t know what it means to have rhythm and balance, etc.). I think what I need is a series of pictures with notes on why those interiors work well. Any ideas?

    1. Can you hire the sister and send her some snaps? She knows you and you like her work. Otherwise, I’d look at asking a realtor for a good staging company and let them re-arrange your stuff. The biggest thing will be to de-clutter and simplify, which you can do yourself for free :)

      Can you watch some “Sell this House” espisodes on TV? I think that may be what you need. Not a PhD in design, but some quick basics.

    2. There are zillions. I’d start with Pinterest and click through to blogs that post images you like.

    3. Check out Houzz, and search for furniture similar to what you have (“modern gray couch”), to see how other people are styling it.

      1. +1 for Houzz.com. You can type in anything and find tons of photos. I may or may not have spent hours looking at “narrow TV room” photos last night…

    4. I’m not sure you’re going to get what you want from a blog because the blogger wouldn’t be able to provide enough new content week-to-week. You need a book. I suggest you go to your local library and look through the decorating section. There’s sure to be something fairly basic put together by Better Homes & Garden, House Beautiful or the like.

    5. Thank you all for the suggestions! The volume of resources out there is a bit overwhelming, since I don’t love this type of activity, but I’m not willing to pay someone to do it for me at this point. I’ll check these out, including books at the library.

      1. I recommend A Glossy Discourse, which is a newer blog with a few posts similar to topics you’re looking for.

    6. I’ve had a lot of luck with google-image searching. Like, I didn’t know what to do with the huge wall behind my couch and searched varying terms like “decorate couch wall.”

      Or I have a long entry way hallway and I knew I wanted to put a bench in it, so I google image searched “entryway hall bench” and variations, and picked accompanying other furniture/decor to compliment the bench/hall that way.

      You might start by describing your furniture item in google images and seeing what pops up.

  9. I was in a meeting yesterday with opposing counsel who was wearing the grey wool short suit from Aritzia with a spandex camisole. The shorts were more like hot pants, ending maybe 1-2 inches below the bottom of her p*ntyline (ask me how I know where her p*ntyline ended) when standing, and I can only imagine how short they were when sitting. I’ve never seen the like, and am relieved I had the werewithal not to blurt out anything or stare.

    Although I’ve often seen people comment on this site that short suits are fine for fashion or design industries, FWIW, we are both lawyers in private practice.

    1. Yesterday I walked down the street, muttering: “I do not like shorts at work. I do not like shorts at work. I do not like shorts at work.” Because I really don’t.

    2. A rare mythical short suit siting!

      I have so many questions! Are there photos? What part of the country? What kind of practice? This is fascinating!

  10. Does anyone play music or the radio in their office? Would it be annoying if I started doing it?

    1. I do sometimes, softly. I think it actually helps. Never had complaints. You wouldn’t able to hear it unless you came into my office and approached my desk.

        1. Both. And you can hear it. If you’re going to play music with your door closed that’s one thing, but even then you still should be mindful of your neighbors.

      1. Agree. Always wear headphones. I prefer earbuds, so I have the option of only having one in.

    2. I work for local gov’t and almost everyone does it. As long as the volume is quiet enough that you can’t hear it outside your office or from someone else’s cube, you’re fine.

    3. If no one else in your floor/department/office is doing it, don’t be the first. In my office, the A/C is loud enough to muffle music coming from other people’s offices, and no one plays it all day every day. I tend toward classical, because I can’t handle lyrics while I’m trying to think of words.

      1. I listen to classical when drafting (for the same reason – hard to think of words when I know all the lyrics to the song I’m listening to), but then anything else basically (pop, country, whatever I feel like..) if I’m reading/reviewing.

  11. I bought a lovely pair of leather shoes that got really scratched up in a few places after the first wear- scratches that look rather deep. Is there any way to fix this or prevent it from happening in the future? There’s a goldish lining around the bottom of the shoe that’s a little rough, and I think it damaged the leather when my feet hit each other for a a variety of reasons, so I expect this to be a continuing problem

    1. Any shoe repair person can polish it and make the scratches less noticeable. If they are suede, there’s a waterproof spray that could help. Preventing nice shoes from contacting concrete and other rough surfaces has been a challenge for me all my life. You can add a rubber sole to the bottom to elevate it a little and protect that bottom, or you can wear commuter shoes. But don’t be like me and leave stuff collecting dust on a shelf until you realize, after having 3 kids, that your feet have changed and you can’t wear your favorite pairs anymore!

    1. Thoughts in general: I visibly recoiled when I saw it, because that cap sleeve length in a stiff fabric like silk dupioni (which I love) would look awful on my disproportionately sized upper arms. I think even people with just normal non-skinny arms would be challenged by those sleeves, flattery-wise.

      However if that’s not an issue for you or whomever’s wearing it, bombs away! It’s cute.

      (I did note that a fair amount of comments seem to be from mothers-of-the-bride— might say something about the generational appeal of the dress.)

    2. I like it, but only in the black or navy. The other colors seem very matronly to me.

    3. It looks too shiny (particularly the pink) and the side detail looks like a Project Runway reject – “No one wants her hips to look that big!” – but it might look different in person?

      1. I thought the side detail was a bad photoshop job where the model originally had her hand in a pocket at first. Not a fan myself

    4. I like it as a piece and think it’s interesting, but it looks really hard to pull off for anybody but someone very statuesque. Stiff cap sleeves and gathered extra fabric across the waist that stands away from the bodice looks tough to pull off.

      FWIW, I have rather slim, toned arms and I still hate the way my arms look in sleeves like that- I think of that style of sleeve as the equivalent of capris or a skirt that hit on the widest part of my calf- stumpifying and not super flattering.

      1. Agree with the “very statuesque” assessment. I think this would be a great semi-formal option for Tilda Swinton, and that’s about it.

    5. Not a fan. The high neckline, sleeves and weird waist thing aren’t attractive to me.

    6. Yikes.

      Between the cap sleeves, the high neckline, the shiny fabric, and that monstrosity at the hip, I’m not sure who this dress is made for or why it exists, but if I was a bridesmaid and the bride made me wear it, I’d coordinate a bonfire for the day after the wedding so all of the other bridesmaids and I could have a ceremonial burning of the ugly dresses.

  12. Does anyone have a recommendation for a really good florist in center city Philly or the lower Main Line? I want to send an arrangement to a family member, but all I can find online/yelp are florists that are associated with FTD or teleflora. This family member is a huge gardener and makes great arrangements herself, so I’d like to send something original/luxurious looking. If I strike out on here, I’ll probably order through my favorite local florist because they have a reciprocal arrangement with a shop in Philly, but I’d prefer to talk to the florist directly myself. Thanks!

    1. I wouldn’t blacklist a florist associated with a company. I’m sure many florists can do their own thing but also appreciate the extra business from the standard online orders. Can you get the name of the Philly florist from your own florist and call them directly?

    2. Robertson’s is a frequent choice for nice arrangements in my office (e.g., for a long lasting beautiful arrangement for admin day) – not cheap but they do a lovely job.

    3. Thanks everyone. Fingers crossed that the flowers turn out okay. (For this person, the thought would count…but not as much as getting a nice bouquet.)

    1. Yellow usually looks horrible on me but have a sweater in this color that is very versatile.

  13. Any recs for very durable sports watch brands/models?

    I’m looking for a <$200 watch I can wear during outdoor activities, including sailing and hiking. I have a good idea of the jewelry watch market, but no idea for sports ones…my first thought was Swatch. I need it to be waterproof, shatterproof, and put up with me hitting it against things accidentally on a regular basis. The durability is key – I probably don't need any functions beyond basic time telling and a stopwatch.

    1. I’ve always gone the Timex (expedition or ironman) route for this. Usually I can find something under $50 and they hold up pretty well to swimming, running, and general wear.

    2. GShock watches. They are usually for men but they are waterproof, blast proof, can be dropped from 10 meters. Most men in active warzones wear them since they won’t break during an IED attack.

    3. My garmins tend to go into weird settings when they get knocked into things – it presses random buttons and all of a sudden I’m timing splits while eating lunch. So be careful of buttons that are too easy to press accidentally during activites.

    4. I just go with a $15 Timex sport watch for this kind of stuff. I’ve used it for mass-start open water triathlon swims (the human equivalent to being thrown in a washing machine with dozens of running shoes and spiked heels) and it held up for 9 years until the battery finally died.

      1. +1
        I got a Timex Ironman in high school and it “kept on ticking” for well over a decade. I found it buried in a box I had put in storage for years and it had the correct time. I am sure the only problem it has now, sitting in a landfill, is that the battery has died.
        Now I have a $15 version and it is still going after lots of abuse.

  14. I relocated out of my home state about a year and a half ago for a job. I like where I moved to, and I really like the company and the job, but my family and I are still so homesick for our old state, we want to move back. Our home state really is the right fit for us all around, for a lot of reasons, not just missing family and friends.

    I have been looking for a job back there, but it is a smaller city so positions at my level come up infrequently. Recently, an opening came up at the company I am currently with that I would probably be a good fit for (although not exactly what I am doing now). It could potentially be in my home state, although they prefer it to be in the state I am in now but much further north so I would have to move anyway. I don’t want to move, unless it is back to my home state; I would rather stay where I am as we do like it.

    I want to express my interest in this position, but I am only interested in this job if it is back in my home state. I am worried if I express an interest but only if it can be back home, it will show my cards that I am looking for a new job back there. I don’t want them to know, even though I really am actively looking.

    I need a second opinion on this, as I feel like I can’t think clearly! Does it sound weird to say I only want the position if it is in my home state, and otherwise I am not interested? It would be a good career move for me to have this position, but it’s not like it’s the exact career direction I plan to go; I would be happy continuing to advance in my current area. I also don’t want my company thinking I want to figure out how to get me into this area eventually (assuming the current position doesn’t work out), because while I am excited about going into this area in this job in my home state, I don’t necessarily need to make this my career path. I feel like if they find out I want to go back home and suspect I am looking back there, my career here is over, since they will assume I am a short timer. Ugh! What to do?!

    1. Why not just say that you’d rather not move again unless it was back to somewhere you’re already familiar (i.e. home state)?

    2. I would apply first, and discuss location in a later round of the interviews, if you continue to progress. I wouldn’t mention location up front.

      I also don’t think this would be a huge red flag to your employer. I actually think it’s easily explainable.

      “I love working for this company and I think this position would be a great next step in terms of my long term career here. Either location for New Position will require a move for my family, and I’d strongly prefer to relocate to Home State, if possible. We already have a support network in place there, and it would minimize the transition for my family, as we just recently completed a move here.”

  15. I realize this is really ridiculous, but DH will be out of town for about 10 days starting this weekend, and all of a sudden I’m feeling very lonely and am sort of dreading him being gone. Normally I would really enjoy the time alone and need a lot of time to myself, so I’m not really sure why I’m feeling this way all of a sudden. Any suggestions for what I can do to not care so much and go back to being my normal self?

    1. Make plans to do happy hour with your girlfriends! Do a Jillian Michaels video in the middle of the living room! Listen to foreign language tapes without headphones! Go through your piles of stuff that take up even more space when you’re going through them than they do in piles! (I really look forward to having the apt to myself…but 10 days is a long time).

    2. I too normally enjoy the time alone, but 10 days is long! I would also be worried about being lonely. I suggest being out of the house as much as possible. Make lots of plans with friends, happy hours, dinners, walks, gym, etc. Spend time walking downtown or through shopping malls, etc. good luck!

    3. Did that last year when my husband took his motorcycle to the mountains for a week…

      One night, I went to a movie that there was no way he would go see with me. Another night, there was a concert that I got a floor seat for that cost more than 2 balcony seats. I ate my favorite foods that he is only so-so about. I spent one night gathering up all of the wrong-size & worn out jeans in the house and threw them away (a few that weren’t rags got donated). And, I made a point to go shopping for clothes.

      I definitely second making plans with close friends.

    4. well.. i haven’t had your issue before, but I am alone most of the time so, on the weekends I usually grab a good book and go find cutesy coffee shops and just read for hours. Or I walk around and go into shops I usually never go into – have actually found some pretty interesting stores this way. Also if you are a spa or manicure person, that would be a good time to go too. Shopping is fun. I also like going to museums by myself – if you can go for a whole day you can go through as many exhibits as you want at your own pace…

  16. Thanks for listing plus sized options! I fall right on the cusp of wearing plus size or straight sizing, and I really appreciate the diversity of sizes you’ve listed lately. I have a large chest, so I usually have to buy plus sized (like a 16W or 18W) regardless. It can be very challenging. Everyone should have great options for style regardless of their body type!

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