Our Favorite Coffee Breaks of the Year

collage of 13 favorite office accessories we featured in the year 2022

I thought we’d take a look at some of our favorite recommendations for workwear accessories like shoes and bags over the past year!

Like our workwear recommendations, we recommend one accessory (or desk accessory) appropriate for the office on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. On Mondays I try to pick a budget-friendly piece, and the prices rise on Tuesday and Thursday. I generally try to include one office shoe and one bag each week, but the third item varies — we’ve done watches, wallets, scarves, hair accessories, beauty products, hair products, office accessories, coats, and more. (Wednesdays are Suit of the Week, and Fridays are picks for the weekend for the Weekend Open Thread…)

These were my favorites picks of 2021 — if you’re curious about older ones, here were my favorites from 2021, 202020192018201720162015201420132012, and 2010

(Please note that anything marked below with an asterisk is still available! Text links go to our post about it, picture links go to the product if it's still available.

black backpack with laptop compartment; there are gold zippers

January: Mobile Solutions Backpack* / Samsonite

Also loved: Cabarock Tote, Tarot Cards*, Patterned Tights* (also pictured in the collage at top)

tea towel about hell goddess

February: Hell Goddess Dish Towels* / BoredWalk

purple loafer

March: Lior Loafers* / Sam Edelman

Also loved: Grand Ambition Backpack*, Petite Hangers*, Cuyana Backpack*

brown loafers

April: Ballet Loafers* / Tory Burch (so many colors, and lots of sales!)

Also loved: Hana Crossbody, Minimalistic Backpack

red tote

May: Tall Story Tote* / Alexander McQueen (still available in some colors)

Also loved: Tourmaline Ring

black tote bag

June: Cristy Tote Bag / Nancy Gonzalez

beige pump with bow detail on vamp

July: Winnie Pump / Salvatore Ferragamo

Also loved: Haven Laptop Bag

dark brown woven tote with loose straps

August: Lee Radziwill Tote* / Tory Burch (lots of other colors/prints still available)

Also loved: Hardware Flats, Maureen Flats

hot pink driving loafers

September: Penny Keeper* / Massimo Matteo (lots of colors left, most around $60)

Also loved: Benjamin Tote

teal blue nylon duffle bag with gray straps

October: Foldable Travel Duffle Bag* / Amazon (We used this recently and it is a great extra bag)

Also loved: Velvet Blazer, Peony Pumps

blue drop pendant

November: Mogul Drop Pendant* / Syna

pointed toe black pump with structural leather swoopy details

December: Mella Pump* / Aquatalia (lots of Aquatalia still on sale!)

35 Comments

  1. Thoughts on the quality of Ikea’s towels? I live in the SEUS, so looking for a towel I can get 4 sets of that is not too fluffy (otherwise, will not dry or takes too long to dry in the clothes dryer). If there is a specific one to recommend, I’d appreciate that. I will have to order since my Ikea trip yielded 3 of this type and another type was stocked only in giant bath sheets (too long — would drag on floor given towel bar placement). My old towels started as “fancy brand” towels and just have not held up well. When Ikea is good at something, it is really good and I’m hoping that towels are really good there (I swear by their giant blue bags for just about everything and if they moved into women’s accessories proper, would definitely give them a try).

    1. I’m a big fan! Ours are currently 10 years old and just starting to look a bit worn, but we haven’t replaced them as we no longer live near an IKEA and it doesn’t look like they have this exact style or color anymore (they’re a waffle style in navy). They’re not super thick and plush, but I dislike that type of towel anyway, so they’re perfect for me, dry fast, and have held up way better than more expensive towels I’ve bought.

      1. I miss the waffle style IKEA towels. I still have some and when they die, I will cry real tears.

    2. I have some from 8 years ago that are going strong but bought more about a year ago and they already unraveled at the edges and look awful from fading.

    3. I have “H & M home” towels and they are amazing. East coast humidity and they actually dry!

    4. I got some Turkish style ikea towels recently and they are great for the damp climate. Way less likely to get musty.

      1. +1 to Turkish towels. I switched a year and a half ago and haven’t looked back. I bought from Etsy that are actually from Turkey. They were way cheaper than any American retailer.

          1. Very different price point from Ikea, but I’m 10+ years into my Turkish towels from Coyuchi – a small, CA brand.

    5. I have had good experience with IKEA towels so far, although I prefer fluffier Zara Home towels or linen waffle-texture towels. Softened linen towels might actually work for you if humidity is your concern.

  2. Do we have any ‘rettes based in the Netherlands? I am going to accept a job offer and need to find housing in Rotterdam. The rental market seems to be … very competitive and I would appreciate any advice on where to look [specific realtors or where to find private listings]. I have searched through 2 free sites, but am not happy with the response rate. TIA

    1. I just moved back to the US, having lived in The Netherlands for 8 years. Funda.nl is really the only answer. Is that one of the sites you’ve already looked at? You can switch the site to English (usually) but if not, you’re looking for Te Huur (rental). JLG Real Estate has also had some good listings in the past, but I’m not sure if they have listings in Rotterdam or just Amsterdam. Getting connected with a good makelaar (property agent) who does rentals in addition to sales may also be another way to go or good to do in addition to looking at listings directly.
      One note re: response rates. Businesses are basically closed between now until well into the new year – usually around January 8 or 9, things pick up again.

      1. Thank you so much for this! It always amazes me how this community has answers even to such distant topics.
        Yes, Funda and Pararius are the two sites I am now stalking; as well as some sites of local realtors. The response rate is probably low due to holiday season, as you say. I started getting a few replies and it seems me offering to pay 6 months’ rent upfront seems to be doing the trick to boost owners’ confidence. I just wish things would move faster so that I can focus on the actual relocation. Patience will be my word of 2023. I will check the reco as well.
        Thank you so much again!

        1. Of course! Best of luck to you. It’s a truly wonderful place – I hope you enjoy living and working in NL as much as I did. Post again if any other questions.

  3. Pants question: I haven’t gained weight but inexplicably over the past few months I find sitting in any pants with a yoke super uncomfortable/ as if they need to be pulled up constantly or something. Any recs for comfortable non-sweat pants for WFH?

  4. My motivation to do work this week is at a negative 10. No one else is really online, so I don’t have any meetings, but I really do have sh!t that needs to get done before everyone else comes back! SOS

    1. Also have negative motivation. My kid is off school, my parents are visiting, and I’m planning to give my 2 weeks’ notice at the end of the week. I actually have a project I need to finish though.

  5. My main 2023 resolution is to focus on my health more (coming out of a year with multiple physical and mental health setbacks, so starting from zero basically). Does anyone have recommendations for where I can find apartment friendly beginner workouts? I have downstairs neighbors and want to be considerate, so no jumping and the like.
    I used to pull up videos from a specific YouTube channel that had videos tagged as beginner friendly, but it seems to have gone defunct.

    1. For yoga, I think Yoga with Adrienne is very beginner friendly and there’s a ton of variety including some 30 day series on YouTube if you’re looking for a daily routine.

      1. And the calendar for the new 30 days that kicks off Jan 1 is already out. Beginners will be in very good company.

    2. I subscribe to barre3 online, and it might suit what you’re looking for. There is a lot of lunging and energetic stepping around, but not much actual jumping that would disturb neighbors. As far as being beginner-friendly, I think the movements are mostly not complicated or difficult to understand, and the instructors are really good about giving an easier option and a harder option for most moves. I guess this sounds kind of like an ad, but I promise I have no affiliation with them! I just subscribed during covid and have been pretty happy with it.

    3. If you are on IG, check out heidinealfitness. She posts a ton of only body weight, low impact workouts.

    4. I love Les Mills on demand as they have wide variety of types of workouts: cardio, strength, pilates, dance, yoga, core…. you name it. I do have basic equipment at home [weights, step, resistance band] and a spinbike and do a workout every day. The instructors always show/give alternatives for those who cannot/do not want to do jumping. They often do free trials and if you post an email, I can send you a link for a 30-day free trial. I started with a free trial and have been subscribed for 4-5 years.
      I have also seen that Netflix will be offering Nike workouts included in subscription in Jan’23, which might be worth checking out. My experience with Nike training programs was not great, which is why I switched to Les Mills.

        1. It is simple – I didn’t enjoy them :) They were thoughtfully designed and all, but I didn’t look forward to my workouts, I didn’t enjoy doing them and I could have created the same workout on my own while listening to better music. I am sure this is personal preference and that they have evolved over the last few years.
          I have tried LM and never looked back. I am excited when I see a new workout [Strength, Core, Grit, Trip, Yoga] is added and I cannot wait to try it out the same day. I think I also prefer to see other people suffering while doing the workout [IKR?] and LM delivers on this. You can often see the instructors or crowd push themselves to max and struggle.

          1. Thanks. I don’t currently use online workouts, but am considering adding some to my gym schedule, so was really curious what makes so me more appealing. Helpful

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