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Frugal Friday’s Workwear Report: Pleated-Neck Short-Sleeve Sheath Dress

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A woman wearing a pleated-neck turquoise dress

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

Nordstrom Rack is consistently one of my favorite sites for solid workwear basics that won’t break the budget. The selection is fantastic, and the Nordstrom brand sites have one of the best search functions in the business.

This short-sleeved pleated dress from Maggy London is a classic cut in a fun color, but if you’re looking for something a little more traditional, it also comes in black and navy.

The dress is $44.99 and comes in sizes 0–14.

Sales of note for 3/15/25:

  • Nordstrom – Spring sale, up to 50% off
  • Ann Taylor – 40% off everything + free shipping
  • Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything + extra 20% off
  • Eloquii – 50% off select styles + extra 50% off sale
  • J.Crew – Extra 30% off women's styles + spring break styles on sale
  • J.Crew Factory – 40% off everything + extra 20% off 3 styles + 50% off clearance
  • M.M.LaFleur – Friends and family sale, 20% off with code; use code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – 40% off 1 item + 30% off everything else (includes markdowns, already 25% off)

204 Comments

  1. Does anyone have a recommendation for under eye masks that come in bulk that don’t break the bank?

    1. I have a remedy that I use from my Grandma Trudy. It is not expensive, but is 100% homemade. You take 1 teaspoon1 of baking soda, add 2 droplets of bottled lemon juice, and then pat the moist mixture under each of your eyes, and let it dry. It will take about 10 minutes to dry, and thereafter, wash it off in a carfully downward motion, making sure NOT to get either the lemon juice or the baking soda in your eyes. Thereafter, apply 2 ice cubes below your eyes for about another 2 minutes, and then voila, your baggy eyes will disappear for a day until you do it again before you go to bed. YAY!!!

    2. Reusable ones are great! You can use anything underneath them and switch it up a bit plus less waste and cost effective!

        1. Sometimes just my moisturizer with an occlusive on top. I have yet to find an eye cream that does much for me (recently tried the cerave one) but my next thing to try is the Neurtogena Hydroboost under there. It is fun to experiment!

    3. Target sells some in a light green jar that are AMAZING. Gets rid of my morning eye bags instantly. Wish I could think of the brand.

      1. Is it Pixi DetoxifEYE Hydrating and Depuffing Eye Patches with Caffeine and Cucumber?

        1. Yes! That’s it! They have a few different types but the detoxifying ones are my favorite. This time of year they are essential in the morning.

  2. Can anyone recommend a moisturizer to use with a retinoid? Ever since I’ve started using tretinoin my skin has been so dry. Seems like time to upgrade.

    1. I hate moisturizing but got on board with Embryolisse lait-crème concentré — it’s light, super moisturizing, and my skin has no issues. I used it as part of my moisturizing sandwich with retinols.

        1. That is my super favorite and I will be devastated if they ever stop carrying it. I’m also a tretinoin user.

      1. +1 – I use the ‘light’ lotion and it keeps my very picky acne and roscea prone skin happy. For a bit more oomph in the winter I’ll use the vanicream, a layer of CosRX snail 92 cream, and then the CosRX comfort ceramide cream (a fancier version of vaseline/aquaphor that doesn’t break me out) to lock it all in.

    5. For any particularly dry areas, this is fantastic: La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 Soothing Multi-Purpose Balm

      1. Aquaphor is great and I use it for a lot of things but it’s an occlusive, not a moisturizer. You need mositurizer underneath, and then aquaphor on top to really lock it in. All of the moisturizers mentioned above would work.

        I often layer Vanicream over Happy Face, and then do a little aquaphor around my nostrils where I get dry due to my perpetually drippy nose.

  3. Has anyone purchased furniture, specifically bar/counter stools from Levity? The washable slipcovers are tempting me now that my kids have made the upholstered seats on our counter height stools really gross…

  4. I just got a chocolate brioche thing from Whole Foods that I thought we’d slice as toast, but it’s in a metal baking pan – am I supposed to bake it? Is it parbaked or wholly baked? Off to Google but not sure I’ll find this one…

    2. Unless it’s refrigerated, it wouldn’t be safe to sell parbaked brioche, plus it would definitely be labeled that way. I’m sure it’s just decorative, or to protect the delicate structure or keep melted chocolate from making a mess (probably this).

    3. Does it have prominent warnings about not eating it until after cooking? If not, it’s fully baked. I would assume it’s fully baked and ready to eat based on your description.

    4. I don’t think it’s decorative so much as it tastes better warm and this lets you warm it up. A lot of babkas come that way and I always reheat first, esp. if it’s for an occasion when the whole thing is likely to get eaten.

      1. Yeah, that’s what I meant about the melted chocolate mess. Brioche can go in the toaster. A chocolate babka can not, hence the pan. OP, don’t put this in your toaster unless it’s very different from what I’m picturing. You could toast slices on a pan in the toaster oven, though.

    5. Is the store closed? Is that why you didn’t call and ask someone who works in the department you found it in?

  5. any other corporettors going to ApollyCon? It’s a fantasy/romance book convention.

  6. I worked for a company that doesn’t pay off PTO (it’s legal; I’ve checked). I haven’t used many days this year. Would it be bad to take off time during my notice period? I already have one day approved since I have family visiting then but it would be nice to take more days.

      2. Technically we have to request it in the system and it has to be approved. My manager is slow about approving things but generally doesn’t say no. Should I request it before I give notice?

        2. Do you think you will burn bridges and your team will flounder if you aren’t there? 2 wk notice I assume?

          If they will survive, I would definitely request it now. I will make sure I clean up things for a easy hand-off.

          You deserve it. You earned it.

    2. Depends on company policy, just about everywhere I’ve worked has not permitted me to take PTO during my notice period

      1. yeah, I think it’s pretty typical not to allow taking PTO in your 2-week notice period; and would be perceived as shorting your notice if you do (with some flexibility around a single preplanned day, like the preplanned visit scheduled). The intent of giving notice is to have time to wrap up your projects, hold handoff meetings, let people ask all the questions they’ll need after you go — if you’re out for a large chunk of it, it doesn’t serve that purpose.

        If it’s more like, you’re planning on leaving in the next few months but definitely more than two weeks from now/ haven’t given notice yet, go for it

    3. I’m assuming you have unlimited PTO? Otherwise I think they legally have to pay it out. But yes I’d take it, assuming you can still wrap up projects in a reasonable fashion.

  7. It looks like I’m going to have to go in for a day of jury duty at my local city courthouse (state court, petit jury). I am 100% sure I won’t actually get picked for a jury, it’s a one-day event. What should I wear? I’m actually a lawyer, but a desk lawyer vs a litigator and where I work is shockingly casual (like really bad, “before picture” bad). I feel like black JCrew woven pants and a 2019 work blouse and flats should be OK (vs needing a jacket or full-on suit) but don’t want to err on the side of remarkable in a bad way or showing disrespect to the court or litigants.

    1. I say this kindly, you’re overthinking this. People will be there in jeans and t-shirts with slogans. If you’re lucky, none of the t-shirts will have cuss words on them.

      1. +1. My jury notice said business attire was required, but I WFH in higher ed and no longer own dress pants, and I certainly wasn’t going to run out and buy some just for this. I have some more formal dresses for going to the theater, but they’re uncomfortable and I really didn’t want to wear one all day. I wore straight leg dark jeans and a nice sweater and I was dressed more formally than at least a third of the people there. Your outfit is fine.

        1. Do you just own like a college wardrobe? I get that a lot of people WFH, but have people migrated to lives where you never need to dress up again (or it’s not ever foreseeable that you might need to be dressed for an interview, or anything)?

          1. I’m a different poster, but in my scenario all of my prior work pants don’t fit anymore. Sad but true.

          2. I have migrated to wearing only items that can be put in the washing machine because that’s what we do when we enter the house. And before you say, “That’s crazy! COVID is over,” please consider what you would do to stay out of the ICU and to not be disabled for the rest of your life if you were medically vulnerable.

          3. I wouldn’t say I own a “college wardrobe” – to me that’s like sweatpants and sloppy t-shirts. My clothes are not stained or torn and they fit well and don’t look sloppy. I own nice jeans, sweaters, blazers and spring/summer dresses. But yeah, I have basically no need for business-y dress pants at this stage of life. I WFH in a really casual industry (I worn jeans to work pre-pandemic). I’m not religious and don’t attend church or synagogue. I live in a small city and there’s no restaurant in my town you can’t wear jeans or a sundress to. We rarely go to fancy places when traveling (due to having little kids) and most of our travel is to warm weather climates anyway, so I could wear dresses if we did go somewhere fancier. I guess you’re right I could potentially need to dress up for an interview (although I’ve been at my job 10+ years and no plans to move), but if I was interviewing I’d buy an outfit for it at that point – anything I bought now might not fit me years from now. I was not about to run out and buy a suit for jury duty.

      3. Yep. The one time I served on jury duty the men had to be reminded to take their baseball caps off in the courtroom.

    2. I recently had jury duty. My instructions said to dress as you would for church or a job interview (which to me ate dramatically different). Those instructions were interpreted in many different ways. I went business casual and was among the more formally dressed.

      2. Those instructions were clearly written by a man who can wear a suit or sportcoat either place. In what world is a church dress appropriate courtroom attire? I literally have separate “church” and “court” wardrobes.

        1. It’s different if you are a member of the jury than if you are an attorney. I would totally wear a church dress if I have jury duty, but not if I’m appearing as an attorney

        3. Agree with the above posters who say it’s fine to wear church clothes to court if you’re not a lawyer. I used to tell my witnesses and clients to wear church clothes unless there was some reason for them to be dressed differently than that.

    3. The fact that you’re even questioning what to wear, ahead of time, and planning an outfit, means that anything you wear will be fine. Honestly. Don’t give this any more thought.

    4. I wouldn’t want word to get back to anyone at my firm that I (lawyer) showed up to jury duty in a shirt with words. That is fine for other people, especially if that is their best attire, but I can do better and my firm KNOWS this and they are in our courthouse every day. 2019 business-casual work attire should be fine. Bonus if your 2019 items still fit.

      1. Where did she say she’s wearing a shirt with words? The outfit she described is perfectly appropriate business casual.

      2. In my mind you’re working in a town like the one in To Kill A Mockingbird. I cannot imagine “word” getting back to my firm about anything jury duty related in my city. OP, you’re absolutely overthinking. I just wear whatever I planned to that day. I’m not a sloppy human in general and I doubt you are either.

    5. I sit on the bench in a large county and do many jury trials. In my county, I am excited when people have clothing on that covers their midriffs and if they are wearing shoes. Seriously. But take a jacket or sweater – temperatures in courtrooms and jury rooms fluctuate wildly

      1. Sing it, Sister! Any day I don’t have to look at belly buttons is a good day.

    6. It doesn’t matter. I was a prosecutor in a major NE city for 7 years. It’s nice that you don’t want to show disrespect to the litigants but we regularly had defendants, victims, and witnesses show up wearing t shirts with profanity, along with regular fist fights in the court hallways.

      1. I once saw a defendant in misdemeanor court in a major NE city wearing a Scarface t-shirt. And this was not an arraignment so he had chosen his outfit for the occasion. I wondered what kind of advice he was getting from his attorney.

        1. I once saw a defendant wearing a t-shirt that said “INNOCENT” while entering a plea of guilty pursuant to a plea bargain. The judge actually asked him, on the record, if he was trying to send any message with his t-shirt and it took some convincing before she believed he wasn’t trying to undermine the ple deal.

    8. Hahah I’m an attorney at jury duty today and I’m wearing jeans, a black tee shirt, and gray converse. It’s a long day, be comfy

    9. You’re fine. True story–I was once in court for a status conference in NYC and saw a Judge from another borough in the hallway. “Judge so-and-so, what are you doing here?” “I got called for jury duty.” He was in khakis and a polo. So pants and a work blouse are the female equivalent and you’re fine.

  8. I decided to take the Apple Watch that was a gift from my family back to the store. I don’t have a decent everyday watch for running errands or lunch with friends. I do like the bigger watch faces even though the trend this year is going back smaller again. Help me shop for my birthday, please!

    1. I love my skagen watches, but that’s because their watch faces suit my taste exactly. They may not suit yours.

    2. I think you’re asking for watch recommendations? What do you want in a watch? That will help us provide recs.

      1. Something ceramic or leather (not metal colored) for every day with a bigger face. Probaby 200-300 range.

    3. If you want a smart watch still, but less intense than Apple or more attractive, check out Garmin vivomove and Lily; larger watch face & not bad for an every day watch.

    5. My taste runs to Cartier or vintage, I currently have a Hamilton for every day from the 40s and Cartier is on my wish list. But for running around, the Apple Watch is where it’s at.

      1. Yes. I posted last week that my family gifted me an Apple Watch. I really didn’t like it at first and after wearing it for 5 days, I hated that little Skinner box. I always wear an old plain two-toned citizens watch or a cheaper leather Anne Klein. So hubby asked what I want and I said a nicer every day watch. Something ceramic or leather (not metal colored) for every day with a bigger face. Probaby 200-300 range.

        1. For that price range, Citizens is probably one of the best watches you can buy (especially if you’ve got one of the eco drive watches). At $200-$300 you’re talking fashion watch, so just buy something you like the look of. Just north of your price point (closer to $500) there will be some options from Seiko, Orient, Tissot, and a couple of others. If you’re willing to go to $800-$1k, Farer makes a lot of fun watches.

    7. I got my sister a watch from Daniel Wellington with a bit bigger of a face and she loves it. Super classic, and not wildly expensive. Alternatively, for something really inexpensive, functional, and relatively classic, also have a look at Timex. I used to wear one before I switched to a smart watch and it was great. I liked the indiglo feature to be able to see it late at night without turning on my phone.

      1. I am the anon above asking for more info. I have a Cartier Tank and a Daniel Wellington, and love them both. I also have a Coros, but that’s unnecessary if you don’t need a sports watch, and some fashiony ones. I am eyeing the Swatch C-series with bio ceramic right now.

    8. How much do you want to spend? Skagen/Movado are great fancy but not too fancy. One more step up would be like a Cartier, and after that well…the sky is the limit with watches!

    9. Fosiil has some nice watches with larger faces. Some of them are hybrid smart watches, but they definetely look more classic than an Apple watch.

    11. I bought a Peugot brand faux Cartier tank watch on Amazon for about $50, and I love it! It’s not very environmental of me, but when the battery ran out after about three years, I just bought a replacement. (The procedure to replace the battery is quite challenging, probably by design.) Anyway, it’s gorgeous, classy, and suitable for every-day use. The crystal can get a bit scratched up if you are hard on watches.

    12. I don’t know what your price range is, but I just stumbled across this black diamond beauty at Nordstrom and … wow! https://www.nordstrom.com/s/deco-mid-noir-diamond-watch-head-bracelet-31mm/7160002?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FAll%20Results&color=003

      And its fancier sister: https://www.nordstrom.com/s/deco-diamond-chronograph-bracelet-watch-33mm/7160010?origin=coordinating-7160010-0-1-PDP_1-recbot-fmap_item_recs&recs_placement=PDP_1&recs_strategy=fmap_item_recs&recs_source=recbot&recs_page_type=product&recs_seed=7160002&color=BLACK

  9. Friday curmudgeon rant: Any other NYT online readers see this new “More to Discover” bar that pops up at the bottom of articles? I HATE IT! It covers up way too much of the article and like a third of the screen if I’m on mobile. Ugh. I really want NYT to give me one of those “take this customer satisfaction survey” pop ups right about now.

    1. I hate their huge adds that I accidently hit while scrolling. I hate being forced to see the same ones constantly.

    2. Yes I ran into it for the first time last night and it prevented me from actually reading articles. It got in the way. Hate

    3. I hate the “would you like to read this in our fancy NYT app” popup that I get constantly if I click on an NYT article on my phone. No, I do not want to use your app, tbh, I’d rather French kiss Ross Douthat or David Brooks. Or both of them. Stop asking me!

  10. Nice to see that the well established pattern of overreactions / suspensions of black kids in schools now extends into the Tennessee legislature. And over efforts to bring attention to gun control? Really? Not a good look, Tennessee. Not a good look.

    1. Not a good look, OP. The Democrats were merciless with the January 6th protestors and before you even start, it’s not different when liberals do it.

      1. A general reminder that its not worth your time on a Friday afternoon to feed the troll. Take that time and call your legislators or donate to Everytown for Gun Safety instead.

      4. Stop. Are you a Tennessean Anon at 1:12? It’s a ridiculous, racist act by our legislature. I am heart broken and embarrassed as a Tennessean.

      5. how are those things comparable? Storming the capitol with deadly weapons and the explicit intent of overturning the will of millions of voters, making members of congress run for their life, and getting an orderly prosecution with lawyers and due process is not different from peacefully chanting slogans and forcing lawmakers to acknowledge an issue that voters clearly care about, and then being removed from elected office in less than a week without involving this bodies’ own ethics committee?

        1. Don’t forget the Jan 6 protestors beat a police officer to death, plus a couple officers who died by suicide right afterwards.

      6. Hahah you need to put down the Fox News /newsmax for a minute and experiment with reality. These things are not even close to the same.

  11. If you manage people, please try to remember what holidays your team celebrates and don’t ask about Easter/Christmas plans to your Jewish/Muslim/other minority religion reports. It means a lot.

    Signed, my manager is a nice guy but I am so tired of having to tell him twice a year that I don’t have Easter/Christmas plans because I am Jewish WHICH I HAVE TOLD YOU TWO DOZEN TIMES.

    1. I hear you. I am an atheist, but I think it’s not hard to acknowledge that there are different religious holidays right now, so I have wished people a “peaceful Easter/Passover/Ramadan, if you are observing at this time of year”.

      1. I’m an atheist who celebrates Christmas as a family tradition. A staff member once wished me a Merry Christmas and I thankfully remembered to ask her which holidays she celebrates rather than reflexively wishing her a Merry Christmas back. She said “thank you for asking. I celebrate the Hindu holidays.” I would never have guessed! So I added the Hindu holidays to my work calendar so that I would remember to wish her happy holidays on her days.

        3. Oh, that’s so nice! I should do that for a Hindu semi-friend (school parent) since she is so assiduous about wishing me a Happy Easter and Merry Christmas and so on.

    2. Or to my manager, who scheduled a mandatory two-day meeting for >100 people yesterday (first full day of Passover) and today (Good Friday).

    3. I’d assume he has good intent. I didn’t know that Easter wasn’t a Jewish holiday, but I’m not religious and I don’t pay attention to these things. To me, asking about Easter plans means something along the lines of are you taking your kids on an easter egg hunt and playing in the park, not are you attending some religious service to observe the holiday. Same with Christmas. There’s a lot of non-religious activities surrounding both of those holidays.

      1. When someone has told you directly “I don’t celebrate Easter because I’m Jewish” it’s rude to then ask the same person about Easter again. I don’t see it as a religious issue per se, it just shows that you can’t be bothered to remember anything about them, which is rude.

      3. I hate this argument, because it’s so not true. Santa Claus and the Easter bunny may not be religious symbols for the holiday, but they’re still symbols for holidays that are religious. And it’s so ridiculous to ask like Christmas and Easter aren’t religious holidays just because some people celebrate them who consider themselves non-religious (and are often people who grew up with Christian religion in one form or another)

        1. +1 in my experience Christians (and non-religious people from the Christian tradition) think the Santa Claus and Easter Bunny are “secular” but to people of other religions these things are not secular, they’re Christian.

          1. And to the extent that we could argue that “Easter” is not Christian, it is still not secular! Pre-Christian religious observance that were absorbed by syncretism aren’t therefore “not religious.”

          2. From a Christina perspective, our entire faith *is about Easter.*. Had Christ not risen from the dead, we wouldn’t have a Saviour who fulfilled the OT prophecies.

      4. Do you not live in the US? I don’t see how anyone in the US could think Easter was a Jewish holiday.

        1. Yeah, I found that strange. I’m from small town USA and didn’t personally know a single Jewish person growing up, but I still knew that Easter wasn’t a Jewish holiday. You’d have to be living under a rock, which is only one step away from where I grew up.

        2. I think this is heavily dependent on location within the US. I’m near NYC and Jewish, but there are literally millions of Jews in my area. Take someplace like little of nowhere Texas and I’m sure there are people who have never met a Jew and don’t fully comprehend what it means to be Jewish. I’m definitely curious about where OP is located.

          1. I don’t think you have to have met Jews to know Easter is a Christian holiday… In the Bible Belt regions you’re talking about where there are no Jewish people, 99% of people are devout Christians so they know that Easter is a Christian holiday.

          2. I think even in those areas, normal people know that Jewish kids aren’t hunting for Easter eggs. Christians especially know what the holiday is about and why Jewish people aren’t celebrating. It’s like a central part of the faith.

          3. I live in a rural part of a very red state and can confirm normal people know Jews don’t celebrate Easter, even if they haven’t personally met anyone Jewish. And yes many religious Christians know a great deal about Passover. Some churches here even do seders. I think generally there’s much more awareness about the religious significance of Passover here than among agnostic/atheist people in big coastal cities, simply because religion as a whole is so much more prevalent here.

          4. I wrote above that I’m from a small town and knew Jewish people didn’t celebrate Easter even though I didn’t know any Jewish people personally. If you read a single book or newspaper it’s pretty easy to figure out!

        3. I’m normal, well normal enough. I grew up in a suburb of Chicago with no Jewish peers in school or as a neighbor. I assumed both Catholic and Jewish religions celebrated because I think I was confusing Passover. My husband’s family is Jewish, and I’m constantly asking him questions. Lack of exposure doesn’t make you non-human. Once you know, you do better.

      5. There is a baseline level of engagement and attention necessary to assume good intent. I imagine it really chafes to people who don’t celebrate to have the assumption constantly there.

      6. you know, I used to think like you (down to thinking that Christmas can be separated from religion), but I would encourage you to learn a bit more about different religious groups including what everyday life for them is like where you live. There is important context about discrimination of the non-dominant religions that you are missing, and by simply saying ‘I don’t pay attention to these things’, it’s analogous to saying ‘I don’t see race’, which to me says you are actively choosing to ignore any issues.

      7. Omg no it is not well-intentioned to wish your Jewish employees Happy Easter, especially if they’ve told you explicitly that they don’t celebrate.

      8. You might want to take a class on World Religions. It is good to know a bit about the world’s most important religions, and Easter is a major religious holiday, celebrating one of the tenants of Christianity, that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. It is on par with knowing why people celebrate Christmas, or the meaning of Passover.

        1. She could look at one single chart from a middle school social studies class and figure this out. You have work hard to know this little.

      9. The holiday is a religious holiday. Sounds like you’re more religious than you think you are!

      11. Stephen Prothero wrote a fantastic book called “Religious Literacry” that sets forth the basics about the five major world religions. His premise is that when America took *practicing* religion out of public schools, it also ill-advisedly took “educating* about religion out of public schools, which is why people know so little about religion now.

        1. YES. The lack of education about religion can be pretty staggering. I remember having to explain to half of my law school section that no, the variety of Christian denominations actually meant that people believed and practiced very very different things! Somehow I became the unofficial religion go-to person after that, which was funny because I didn’t even know *all* that much, was just a random mainline Protestant who’d grown up in a very Catholic area.

      12. OP here – he didn’t ask if I was taking my kids to a community egg hunt, he specifically asked if I was traveling to celebrate Easter, which is not something Jewish families do.

        I didn’t say he had bad intentions and like I said he is not a bad guy, but I’ve worked for him for several years and he’s heard me say many times that I celebrate Passover and Hanukkah, not Easter and Christmas. This isn’t a stranger making small talk at the grocery store, which would not offend me. I’m used to the default assumption being that you celebrate Easter and Christmas. But this is someone who knows me and really should know by now that I don’t celebrate these holidays.

      13. As someone who is very religious, I disagree. I believe that Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday and rose on Easter Sunday, and by doing so, changed the world and our salvation. It really offends me when people are like “but Easter is really pagan” (as if there is any dispute as to when this event occurred, historically ignorant jerks) or ”it’s about egg hunts.”

        You would not say that Ramadan is about fun festivities so please don’t say it about Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter, okay? We fast today, too.

        1. As someone who celebrates Oester/Easter in the pagan sense of spring and renewal I chafe a bit at being called a ‘historically insensitive jerk’. I was raised Methodist. I understand Christian easter. But bunnies and flowers and eggs? Pagan, predating Christianity. (Also Christmas trees, predating Christianity). It is reasonable to recognize that pagan holidays were adapted for the Christian tradition.

          1. +100000000 Christians co-opted Pagan holidays, not the other way around as you’re insinuating, @1:17

      14. You *didn’t* know that Easter wasn’t a Jewish holiday? So if you asked me what I was doing for Easter, and I said, “I’m Jewish”, you would just…stare blankly at me?

      15. Wow. This is such a Christian-centric view of the world. You’re assuming everyone celebrates Christian holidays and, in your words, “don’t pay attention” to the fact that millions of people in America are not Christian. You assume that everyone celebrates holidays from one specific religion even if they’re not actually part of that religion, WTF.

  12. Has anyone spent time at Sea Ranch in Sonoma County, CA? Any tips about renting a house there for a week-ish? Things to look for in rentals (location, amenities, other) or things to avoid? Things to do (including “nothing – so bring a good book!”) or avoid while there. We are looking for a place where we can avoid people – so house with separate entrance direct from the outside (no lobbies or hallways to walk through or elevators to take). Beach is great. Private pool is ideal. Quiet club pool without a lot of people playing music or crowding around could work.
    TIA.

    1. Yes, I have spent time there. It’s lovely. There’s nothing to do, which is the point. Bring SEVERAL good books, some hiking shoes, and plan to cook your own meals for the most part. If you want a week to totally wind down, Sea Ranch is the place to do it.

      1. Re: the pool. It’s more common to have a hot tub than a pool in that area. We often stay down the road in Cazadero and there’s always a hot tub. Never a pool. It probably exists but isn’t the norm.

        1. Thanks! Is it a community place, or more a neighborhood with a lot of individual homes? What is the beach like – sand and good for swimming/lounging, or more like cliff and good for hiking?

          1. It’s like a “leave me alone” place. Caveat that I know sea ranch has grown, so maybe there are newer more community like places, but the original houses are just spartan isolation and amazing views, which is what people go there for.

      2. Co-sign all of this. There’s also only one or maybe two rental companies to go through. Check the listing carefully as some require you to bring your own bedding. It’s honestly not my favorite because there’s literally nothing to do besides walk the trails. I prefer Russian River (Caz is cute too, but nothing going on there either so I’d look to stay closer to Guerneville). But, if sitting with a book, cooking and hanging in the hot tub for a week is your jam, it is lovely.

        1. +1. I recently looked at several Sea Ranch rental listings and they all required you to bring your own sheets and towels.

        2. Yep, nothing is the point! When we spend a week at Caz we typically drive out for some form of lunch, even if it’s just sandwiches from the Duncan’s Mills general store, and then everything else is stuff we cook. Definitely not the place to go for nightlife, though Raymond’s sometimes has music on Friday nights.

    2. I love Sea Ranch! I don’t think any of the houses have private pools, but renting there gives you access to the club pool. Many of the houses have hot tubs, however. Unless you are staying at the main hotel, all of the houses have their own, separate entrances. I like to stay on the west side of Highway 1, but homes on the forest side are wonderful too and you’ll have fewer walkers passing by. Look for one with a nice deck/porch for looking out over the ocean. Trinks in Gualala is great for breakfast or lunch if you want a break from cooking, and a drive up to Point Arena for a day hike and a stop at the incomparable Franny’s Cup and Saucer (fabulous baked goods and jams) is a must. Have a wonderful time!

  13. I work on the business side in a creative industry. I’d like to update my headshots – my previous ones are really corporate and don’t fit the vibe of my current role. Any tips or ideas on what to wear to help me walk the line between unfussy/design-forward and professional?

    1. Something with a bold/rich and flattering color, and/or one piece of statement jewelry (earrings or necklace) or glasses

    2. Something edgier and I’d ask you photographer to walk around and take more casual shots – like sitting at a cafe table is going to be more casual than a headshot pose.

    3. No jackets or blazers. Standing and looking natural rather than sitting. No back drop.

    5. Wear something you would wear to work. And talk to your photographer as mentioned above. I recently had new pics taken and told my photographer I did not want them to look like yearbook photo. I’m so happy with the results and have had many tell me they look so natural.

  14. My skin has gotten drier as I’ve gotten older and makeup is looking patchy. I’m trying to figure out what to do differently- would a better primer help? Do I need a moisturizing liquid foundation? What do you guys use?

    1. You need to moisturize before any makeup, not a better primer or moisturizing foundation. Make sure you are moisturizing both in the morning and at night. A night crème in addition to regular moisturizer will help also.

      1. +1 I moisturize first before any tinted moisturizer and SPF. Makes a big difference. And moisturize am and pm.

    2. I stopped using powder/powder foundation and started using tinted moisturizer.

      I started using cream blush instead of powder blush. I especially like the Boomstick from BoombyCindyJoseph. I also like the Boom mascara (but not the Boom brow gel – Glossier Boy Brow is much better IMO).

    3. Oh girl, I am there.

      Lots of hydration and exfoliation so you don’t have dead skin patches. By exfoliation I mean chemical exfoliants, like AHA, BHA that you use pretty much daily as part of your routine. Tatcha has a rice scrub that is pretty gentle for mild physical exfoliation but I wouldn’t do like a St Ives scrub.

      You have to move to a lighter, thunder, more moisturizing foundation at this point. Thin layers of hydration underneath, let them dry (like the k beauty essence, serum, moisturizer, spf – though moisturizer and spf is one product for me) then allly less foundation than you think you need. You can always add more but start with just a drop.

      I like NARS radiant tinted mositurizer, Bobbi Brown serum foundation, and Estée Lauder Futurist. I tend to dot on the foundation and then stipple/blend with a foundation brush like the one from Bobbi Brown.

      I don’t really think there are any good drugstore products when you get to this stage.

    4. Chantecaille foundation has been amazing for my drying-out skin. Not cheap. But really high quality.

  15. What did you wear to Passover Seders this year? (Realizing we won’t have mist orthodox folks today.). I realized over the last two nights that I … have work clothes and casual clothes and nothing really appropriate for “fancy dinner party” type event. Relatedly, what are you wearing to shul or to church services these days? I ended up in slacks and these sort of sheer-ish but work appropriate Uniqlo cardigans from a few years ago (over a camisole). It was appropriate but not really the look I want – a little on the business side. My synagogue skews very artsy bohemian and while I love that look on others I don’t own anything in that vein. It’s also still winter here and often cold here till June so it’s not really spring dress weather…. Anyway I am not worried about looking appropriate, just looking for inspiration beyond my work clothes!

    1. I sometimes get the White Company catalog and the fall/winter edition is always filled with good ideas. Think long slouchy sweaters that are subtly dressy/festive, midi velvet skirts, etc. Check out their sale section on line, now.

      1. Thanks! Right now I can’t figure out what tops work with long skirts. Everything I try looks very 2008. It’s an interesting time! And thankfully this s a very low stakes issue.

        1. We used to wear shorter tops with long skirts to balance the proportions/emphasize a waist, but honestly I think anything goes will right now. Figure flattery isn’t necessarily a priority.

    2. My family doesn’t dress up for Passover and we only go to the synagogue for the high holy days. I do a white dress for Yom Kippur but otherwise just go business casual, which is what most people do, it’s a reform temple though.

    4. I’ve always just worn casual clothes but I only attended seders with friends in college/grad school and at my husband’s family member’s homes and his family is super casual. I don’t dress up for holidays with my side of the family either. We’re just a casual people I guess. We’re Reform bordering on atheist though. Passover is more of a cultural event than a religious one for us.

    5. My aunt and my cousin’s wife and I laws are the most stylish people in my atmosphere. If I had to guess , they’ll be wearing those asymmetrical sleeved shirt dresses from Veronica beard or some kind of fabulous springy colored moto over wide leg pants. For temple my aunt might wear a tweed suit -not st. John but Sandro bash. A bold lip and the latest handbag acquisition. (One is on her Hermes “journey” the other is Chanel for life.) these people have regular jobs and homes- don’t ask me how they keep up- it is really fun to watch though. I’m wearing cashmere crewnecks and wide leg white pants to everything with suede camel boots-it’s still only 50 something here this weekend. Hope this helps!!!

      1. Oh I like your outfit description! I don’t think your aunt would fit in at our hippie synagogue but sounds cool. Maybe something like the pants you describe is what I need. Something fun/stylish but not business casual. Obviously Passover is over but generally we are going to more religious events again post Covid and now that my kids are a little bigger (often my husband used to go with the older kid and I’d stay home with the napping kid).

        1. Feel free to steal my outfits! Hope it helps. Yes my dad’s family is very much in the mold of rose and midge from mrs. Maisel. Not hippies- they live for clothes. My dad is also a clothes horse.

    6. My family is pretty casual, so for our seder on Saturday, I’m wearing nice jeans, a sweater, and ankle boots. To our very, very reform temple, I usually wear ponte leggings, tall boots, and a sweater, or a sheath dress.

      1. You’ve described what I’m wearing to my family’s Seder tomorrow. I hoped to be a little more Spring like but it’s not going to get above 50 degrees tomorrow.

    7. Modern Citizen has some dresses that I think hit the mark. How you style the dress with accessories can drive it more or less formal and, as they are pretty relaxed silhouettes, perhaps even more so drive it more or less Bohemian.

  16. It’s a very slow day at work today, so throwing out a question I’m curious about. There was a discussion the other day about trailing spouses (largely acadamia) and ending up in places that might not be the most desirable for the trailing spouse due to lack of career opportunities for the trailing spouse. So, my question is – what are the desirable locations? If all the stars had aligned, and your spouse got a tenure track job/been stationed at the school/base of your choice, where would you have wanted to end up? I recognize there are variables such as if you are a research scientist, you might not even be looking at a small liberal arts school.

    2. I think the desirable locations are generally major cities where non-academic spouses can work. Cities like NYC, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Atlanta (and many others) have at least one major research university, but also tons of industry for a non-faculty spouse. Fayetteville, Arkansas or Stillwater, Oklahoma not so much. Of course it can be hard to live in a bigger city on a faculty salary, so it depends which city and what the spouse does for a living (e.g., lawyers will care a lot less about cost of living than preschool teachers). I think Madison WI is desirable for a lot of people (if you can handle the winters) because you have the college town vibes you don’t get in a big city, but it’s also the state capital so there’s some serious non-university job options and it has its own airport.

      I’m the person who left my law career when I followed my husband to a college town over an hour away from the nearest city, but I actually kind of wanted to end up in a Midwest college town even if it meant lack of career opportunities for me. I grew up in a very similar Midwest college town and there’s a lot to love about them, especially the cultural diversity associated with the university (as a kid, my two best friends were from Poland and South Korea and they eventually moved back to those places and I got to go visit) and the low cost of living. Plus I wanted to be near my parents (they eventually moved to us so that was moot in the end). Madison is probably where I would have picked if we could choose anywhere because I would have had more job options there. Of the major cities, the only one I really would have been enthused about was Chicago because of (relatively) modest cost of living and being in the Midwest.

      My husband had an on-campus interview at U of Hawaii in Honolulu and although our initial reaction was “omg yesss” the more we researched it the more anxious we became. I hated the idea of being such a long, expensive plane flight away from all our family and friends, and the cost of living, traffic and poor public schools were all worrying factors. We were very relieved when he ended up not getting the job (it would have been a great place for a short-term postdoc though). In the boring Midwest town where we ended up, we bought a large single family house for half the price of the one bedroom condos we’d been looking at in Honolulu.

      1. OP here – understood about Honolulu! So, what would have been an ideal school that would have allowed you continue working as a lawyer? I am just curious what, from the professor/professors family’s point of view, are the most ideal schools. Is Notre Dame up there because of huge recourses the school has? Is Duke better because it’s close to the NC state capital or is Davidson or UNCC better because Charlotte is a bigger city?

        1. Generally I think closer to big cities is better for careers like law. It happened that I had started my career at a west coast office of a Wisconsin-based firm, so in my specific case Madison would have been great because I could have just transferred offices, but generally there are more opportunities in or near bigger cities and it’s going to be easier for a lawyer to get a job in Chicago than Madison. I don’t know enough about NC to say whether Charlotte or Raleigh-Durham is better – I’d guess both probably have decent options for many non-academic careers?

          The other big job possibility is the university creating a job for you, which has happened to people I know. The university my husband ended up at had a very small in-house legal dept at the time and I wasn’t senior enough to be an associate GC or something like that, so although I did have some conversations and an informational interview with the newly hired GC, it didn’t go anywhere. But in different circumstances, they might have been able to create an in-house position for me. It’s very common for the university to do that (what’s known as a spousal hire) if the spouse is a fellow academic, less common but still possible with some non-academic jobs.

  17. Anyone here in Product Management and have suggestions for conferences to attend? I have budget this year to go to something related to that field as a professional development activity. I don’t currently work as a product manager but am in a somewhat adjacent field.

    1. There is a “Women in Product” conference in May. Have not attended but I like much of their other content.

    2. I used to run product, and was a manager and a director before that. You should go to conferences in the industry in which you want to develop product.

      PM training is good too, but not typically a conference type event. Pragmatic marketing or similar is a good place to poke around and they might have local to you events- but not a big all out conference.

  18. I went in for a cosmetic dermatology consultation yesterday looking for something that might help with old scarring on my face. I have in a vertical line on one side of my face an old pit from cystic acne, a raised scar from mole removal, and a vertical sunken scar from removal of an infundibular cyst (not acne). These three scars create a crease now that I’m getting older and it bugs me.

    I went in to ask whether a few fraxel treatments would help but instead she recommended subcision and filler, and thought she could get a better result from that – she said around 70% improvement.

    Has anyone had subcision and filler for indented scars and how well did it work for you? Or did you do something else that worked well?

    1. Cannot speak to facial scars~ I had subcision & fat transfer for a deeeep! scar on my glute. It worked very well. Fillers were also recommended as a further procedure. After the healing time I deemed it not necessary.
      Subcision literally releases the attached scar from the underlying tissue and is very effective imho.

        1. I was unconscious for the procedure ~ so no pain.
          The recovery was uncomfortable bc I couldn’t sit on the side of the repair, and needed a special cushion for driving for several weeks.
          it took a long while for the fat transfer sites to fade.

        2. Oops, yes it is still fine 5yrs later
          , I cannot speak to the long term efficacy of fillers~ I would presume they would need some level of maintenance; however, as we are all different that may not be the case for you

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