Tuesday’s TPS Report: Textured Knit Blazer

144 Comments

1. Oh my gosh, I love this blazer!

   I’m reposting from yesterday as I hit the threads late. I broke my toe over the weekend and can no longer wear the matching heels I bought for my outfit to attends a graduation event. The dress is mostly black with dusky rose and grey patterns.

   I need a pair of matching dressy flats or flat(ish) sandals. If anyone could help my hunt, I’d be grateful! Thanks in advance.

   1. Time to take advantage of Birkenstocks being cool again. [I have broken little toes and you want them to knit back together the right way; one didn’t and 20 years later it affects my shoe choices; this is one time to sacrifice fashion for your body’s health.]

      1. It’s a good excuse to buy some gorgeous ones. See if you can find somewhere that stocks both the standard and narrow foot beds – I wear the narrow one and would be swimming in the standard.

   2. Asideralis, I don’t know if we can entirely help. When I broke my pinky toe, I had to try things on because some shoes (even heels ) had a wider or more forgiving toe box that would accommodate the swollen toe. You could wear really open sandals, but with flat sandals, you’re so aware that someone could step on your broken toe. It’s so frustrating!

      Would these be dressy enough for your outfit? http://www.6pm.com/pour-la-victoire-lavena-grey

      1. These are also really pretty: http://www.6pm.com/nine-west-aranella-pink-metallic

   3. Don’t wear any closed toed shoes that you really love. My broken big toe really stretched them out so that they never fit right again. Open toed shoes were really the most comfortable for me. I had no problem keeping sandals on my feet. I had a visible limp, stayed out of crowds and warned anyone that got close to watch me toes. I remember warning a lady at the grocery store that was letting her kid push the cart. I backed way up against the edge of the aisle and said “sorry, broken toe! Afraid of having anything touch it.” She totally understood and helped the kid guide the cart past me.

      Also, feel better! Broken toes suck.

   4. Payless, of all places, has a line of comfort flats including some in black patent with a wide toe box. They have been a lifesaver for me during my broken ankle saga.

2. I find myself sitting all day. I’m also short-waisted (natural waist seems to be close to my armpits -bleh), so I really need to have my blazers and jackets unbuttoned when sitting (plus it helps for moving my arms and/or driving). So basically, unless I were in court (never) or walking into a room for something formal (rare) or going outside where it may be windy, my jackets are never buttoned or fastened; I wear them open.

   I don’t think that this jacket would work when worn like that. That’s a concern I have with a lot of jackets. Do y’all button routinely? Or just for that something extra when you’re standing or walking outside?

   [This is my one issue with Senior Attorney’s The Jacket: I am not sure it looks right when unzipped and now that it’s warmer, unzip I must; it was at least short enough where wearing it zipped in the winter didn’t look fun or interfere with sitting / movement.]

   1. The convention with suit jackets (at least for men) is that you unbutton when sitting and button once you stand. Obviously jackets like this with zippers are totally out of left field.

   2. Wrong place!

   3. This one looks like it’d be fine sitting down with the peplum. But yes, the convention is that when you sit, you unbutton, and when you stand up, you rebutton.

      1. I might be completely wrong, but I always thought that that convention was for men. Similar to how men are supposed to remove their hats indoors, but back when hats for women in formal situations were common, women were not.

   4. I feel like I may be doing it wrong – I wear all my jackets (even the ones with zippers) unbuttoned (or unzipped I guess). I find it more comfortable and find it looks fine because the jackets fit me well in the shoulders and through the waist.

      1. me too. Once in a while, in court, I will button my more formal suit jackets. But otherwise, I feel to, um, buttoned up.

      2. I wear almost all my jackets unbuttoned as well.

   5. I don’t button my jackets and blazers. I might button it for a seminar when we take a picture at the end but other than this, I can’t bother.

   6. I have small shoulders and a large bust (and short arms), so I basically cannot find a jacket that will button or zip without the shoulder seams being at my elbows. So I never button, even in a very formal situation.

      I have Senior Attorney’s The Jacket and I pressed the top of the lapels open and then put small brass colored safety pins on the back to hold the lapels in place. If I were more organized, I would sit down with a needle and thread and tack them in place. I don’t think the pins have ever been visible when I was wearing the jacket or when I have taken it off in a meeting. (Thanks, hot flashes.)

      1. I do that, too. I wear it open all the time.

3. Curious about whether I need to change up my bra routine, so thought I’d do a poll / ask for advice:

   How many everyday bras do you own? (not LGP ones, but functional ones you’d wear to work)
   How often do you wash them?
   Do you launder by hand or machine?

   And finally, anyone have recs for a good place to get a fitting in Boston?

   1. 2. Weekly. Machine.

      1. Same.

         1. +1

   2. 3 – the same functional VS ones in different colors. I wash approximately every other week by machine, hang dry, unless I get home on a hot day feeling sticky, then they go straight into the laundry.

   3. I used to have an insane amount of bras that I wore regularly (even the fancy LGP bras). I probably had close to 40 during college. These days I probably have 15 everyday bras, with 5-8 fancier ones I don’t wear regularly. My breasts have gotten bigger since I got pregnant, so right now I’m cycling through about 8 bras that fit. I alternate two at a time, wearing each 3-4 times, so I probably wash all of them monthly. I do the machine on the handwash cycle, hang to dry on a drying rack.

   4. I rotate through about 4 different everyday bras. I machine wash them and hang dry. I recommend Forty Winks in Harvard Square for fittings. The owner is very nice and takes the time to make sure you find something you love.

      1. Thanks! I’ll totally try Forty Winks this weekend!

         Also realized I should have said upfront: I only have 2 right now (+ 2 sports-ish bras that I wear under button downs) and don’t wash them nearly as often as I should. I think getting a few more would help this.

         1. Second recommendation for Forty Winks. Don’t be shy about letting them in the fitting room to help you assess whether a bra fits. They know what they are doing! If you like a bra but want it in another color, they will order it for you.

      2. Forty Winks is great, but they have a limited selection (brands/styles) and they don’t carry the “half” sizes (e.g. f,g,h not FF, GG, HH)

         If you have a car, Zoe and Co in Concord NH or Westerly RI is well worth the trip. They carry a wider range of sizes, brands, styles, and pricepoints, as well as being a lot of fun.

   5. I recently upgraded to four really good ones that fit well. I’ve been washing by machine, in a bag, every other week, or more often if it is very hot out. I still have a couple of older ones from Target that I keep around for laundry days or for wearing for short periods.

   6. A dozen or so in flesh tones, and the same again in colours, all hand-washed after a single wear. I was a bit startled to find that this is rather more frequent washing than many other posters, the last time this topic came up here.

      1. Why does that startle you?

         1. I was surprised too. Some people were wearing them for months IIRC! This is the second closest clothing to my armpits and I’m a prolific sweat-er so it boggles my mind.

   7. 5 workhorses the exact same one from VS in functional & fun colors – tan/nude for me, white, black, hot pink and purple. Probably another 5 or so that are the right size but I wear less frequently. I wash every couple of weeks — not very frequently and only when they become soiled & I remember…

   8. One matronly nude colored, one lace nude colored, one full coverage black, one low cut black, one full support lacy navy blue, one medium support lacy purple and grey, one red I don’t like much, one pushup red print, one medium support teal, a red strapless. I rotate through all but the pushup and strapless pretty regularly, as I like to match my undies to my bra, so once I’ve worn all the purple undies, I have to wear a different bra. I have twice as many nude and black undies. I don’t really have any LGP-only bras, since I’d take them off anyway.

      I wash them in a partitioned lingerie bag on gentle, and if they start getting waxy under the arms, rub some oxyclean gel on them and it goes away. In the winter, I only wash once a month (so 4 wears per bra), in the summer, I’ll wash them more often.

   9. About 4 right now (weight loss -> NOTHING FREAKING FITS ANYMORE INCLUDING MY BRAS GRRRR). Bi-weekly or so. Machine on gentle cycle in a mesh bag, then drip dry.

      1. Yes! I haven’t found a good solution to weight loss and bras. I spent probably $400 on new bras around 15 lbs ago, and I know I need to do it again, but I want to wait another 10 lbs…The cup is mostly fine, but the bands are just not doing their job anymore.

         1. Congrats on the weight loss! It’s hard but it’s worth it, at least that’s what I keep telling myself. :P

            I’m considering trying to shorten the bands on some of the worse cases – I’m sure there’s some kind of Youtube tutorial I can watch, and I can already sew, so it’s probably worth a shot. I’ve been doing one new one every six weeks or so instead of one big splash-out, but some of the ones from January are already getting unusably loose in the band and it’s frustrating. I spend $60 on each, I want more than 4 months’ use out of them!!

            On the bright side, as of my last purchase I’m down into a band size I haven’t worn since high school, so there’s that. :) It’s working!

         2. This is why I do 2.

   10. 5 regular, every other week, wash by hand with Soak. 5 sports bras, washing machine, washed after each workout (so I usually just wash all of them once a week, along with my other workout clothes).

   11. I cycle through 6: 3 Nude, 2 Black and 1 White. I machine wash in a bra bag every week or every other week.

   12. I probably have about 10 but only wear four or so on the regular. (Because the others are not comfy or crazy colors I’m afraid will show or have lace or something that don’t make them t-shirt appropriate or…). Though right now most of them don’t fit well due to some weight loss and I need to replace…but don’t want to spend like that!

   13. …6? Maybe 7?
       Weekly, handwash in cold water and a drop of woolite.

       I really try to rotate and extend the life of each one, because due to my size they are pretty expensive and hard to find.

   14. Piggiebacking off of this–any favorite workhorse nude (which for me is light pink or beige) bras? I use the same Gap bras all the time but they get ratty looking really quickly. Thanks!

       1. They are workhorses, but I adore the Vanity Fair Beautiful Benefits bra. It’s the only bra I’ve ever found that really, really works on my body.

   15. About 9 that I actually wear-7 nude, 2 black. Wear twice and then machine wash on delicate in a lingerie wash bag.

   16. I have 4 bras, but I’m an unusual size (30D or DD depending upon the brand. Chantelle is my favourite!)

       I hand wash, and am lazy. So.. maybe once a month? I kind of went a few months without washing and just did it over the weekend in the shower with shampoo. I need to be better about this!

4. I have a new boss at work and he is terrible – gets in the way of me doing my job, and is rude while doing it. I thought he would improve over time but he hasn’t. I just need to put my head down, do as much good work as I can, and apply for jobs, but it’s hard when I am so frustrated and upset by his behavior. Any tips?

   1. Hug’s to you. You are doieng all the right thing’s. Keep your nose down and do your work and look for other job’s, but the market as you know is NOT good for lawyer’s like us, unless you are willing to start your own law firm. My freind says that even the goverment is getting VERY pickey on who they are hireing. When I was in school, you could alway’s count on a goverment job b/c the peeople there were not real go getters and they wanted to leave at 4:45, which is a good thing if you are interested in work life balance. Also, many of the men did littel other then to stare out the window ranking women that walked by on Constituion Avenue. BTW, these men were REALLY dorky, so it was strange to think of these dork’s rating us women! FOOEY on these men (who are probabley still there, fatter and balder then they were 10 years ago when I had to deal with them).

      But you should NOT be dismayed–you should STILL apply to be a GS9 legal council, and you will probabley have a schlub for a boss, but at least you can leave at 4:45 every day.

      I have my own dillemna with my job. The manageing partner’s brother knows I am thinking of moving and he also want’s to buy my place to expand his aparteemnt. He told me last night he originaly wanted us to be a couple, and he bought the place with that in mind. But once he was clear that I would NOT have sex with him or date him, he started seeing other women. Now he see’s my apartement as an asset that he can get the coop’s approval to “combine”, which mean’s breaking through my bedroom wall to make one big apartement. I realy do NOT want to sell, though I never liked hearing him haveing sex and grunting loudeley in his bedroom with these women he brought home — one of them even threw him out of the apartement and he had no clotheing on! He reminded me of Sam covering his winkie as he skulked into my apartement rather than stand in the hall with a towel on. What a wierdo he is — and to think he wanted to have sex with me being 2x my age! FOOEY!

   2. Have you tried just talking to him about the most frustrating things? I used to have a boss who would check in 6 times a day and it drove me nuts. I just told him that I was focused and it wrecked my flow. We came up with designated times (twice a day down from 6!) where he was allowed to do his thing, and the rest he had to leave me alone.

      I know it’s uncomfortable convos, but he may not realize he’s disrupting your work and is rude.

      1. Also, there’s a really good book called My Boss Is A Moron: Keep Your Sanity, Outlive The Ordeal, Leave Your Boss Behind that I found really helpful when I had nightmare bosses. It helped me figure out their behavior and how to handle it–while we’d never be buddies, it made things more manageable.

         1. oh wow, this sounds like a helpful book, wish I had it during my last horrendous job!

      2. Yes. He was not receptive to the conversation.

5. Anyone out there have experience with taking an extended period of time away from work for travel? The SO and I are thinking of saving up till the end of the year, leaving our jobs and living in SE Asia for 6 months or so. I’m pretty confident we can make the finances work and we’ve traveled there pretty extensively so we know (more or less) what we’re getting into, but we still need to sort out the details and make a final decision. For now though, we have no kids, no mortgage and we’re both ready to look for new jobs anyways, so it seems like the perfect time. Thoughts, insight and advice appreciated!

   1. No advice to offer, but this sounds like my dream! I hope you go and enjoy the heck out of it. Highly recommend Chang Mai in Thailand – great ex-pat community there, good weather, great food.

   2. Having done something similar, when doing the financial projections, I would keep in mind the readjustment period, i.e., how long will it take you to get a new apartment, get a new job, etc. I’d also look into health insurance to make sure you will have what you need over there.

      Make sure you have enough open pages in your passport. The full page visa stickers and limits on length of stay can eat up pages quickly, and I believe the US embassies no longer will add pages to passports, a new passport is required.

6. I’m sure this has been asked before, but anyone know a good broker for help finding a Brooklyn rental? I am newly pregnant and we want to move to a 2BR. I’ve had bad experiences with brokers in the past (either not listening and showing me apartments that weren’t at all what I wanted or completely lying to me about renovations/repairs that would be made before I moved in and then were not…) Appreciate any recs!

   1. A friend of mine used Kira Nyysola to find a place in Park Slope and recommended her to us when we were considering a move to BK. 718-496-5735.

      1. +1000; I used her and she is great. Her name is now Kira Forman, FYI.

   2. I think the good brokers specialize in areas, or at least pre-Streeteasy they did. I had a very good experience with Brian Lehner at Brown Harris Stevens in the Brooklyn Heights office about ten years ago, and friends I recommended him to did as well. He seemed to have a really good relationship with most of the owner-occupied inventory in the Heights, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens. OTOH, moving to Park Slope more recently, we were more focused on finding apartments that fit our criteria via Streeteasy and then the broker was basically an afterthought (although an expensive one). Some landlords exclusively list with certain agents/firms, especially folks who are owner-occupied landlords.

      I’d research the listings first and then deal with brokers (or not–some of the larger buildings in downtown probably are fee-free because they rent through management companies). Good luck–it’s a tough market for renters/buyers these days: low inventory and lots of competition.

   3. Hi, regular poster but going pseudo anon because my broker rec will totally out me.

      Andrew Chung, http://www.blurealtygroup.com/agents/andrew-chung

      is the only broker I’ve met that follows through, shows up to showings on time, and actually sticks to your budget. He helped me look at a whole bunch of apartments (I had a seriously limited budget and specific parameters). Seriously a unicorn. I’ve recommended him to all of my friends and they’ve all found great apartments they love through him.

   4. Helen Van Rhyn
      Brown Harris Stevens Brooklyn, LLC
      (718) 858-5946

      Should have used her from the start, but got the rec late in the game.
      Good luck! I found it really difficult apartment hunting in Brooklyn while pregnant. I got turned down for two rentals in brownstones despite rock solid financials and prior landlord recommendations and I suspect in part it’s because the owners didn’t love the idea of having young children there (despite that sort of discrimination being illegal and very child friendly neighborhoods). Larger buildings might be better, although if you are early on you can probably hide it. I just wouldn’t bring it up.
      I ultimately did find a place in Park Slope. I loved the neighborhood for many reasons, but was sick of paying insane rents for a very problematic apartment (not found with the broker above) and recently moved to Westchester.

      1. Thanks to all!

7. Planning a trip to Miami – I’ll be there about a week and one day I’d like to go to the Everglades National Park for a day and end with a night in Key West (which I know are both not insignificant drives from Miami), but is there anything else I must see while I’m down there?

   1. We took a fan boat ride with this company: http://www.buffalotigersflevergladesairboattours.com/

      It was about an hour’s drive from Miami proper, but was SO awesome. The man who started the company was big into conservation and the guides are great. My husband wanted to go and I was kinda dragged along, but it was a highlight for me!

8. LOVE this blazer. For plus sizes, Torrid has a similar version in red for just $50. I love it, it’s a surprisingly nice quality and super comfy.

9. John Oliver did it again, but this time he’s taken on fast fashion. I’m curious if anyone else saw the segment, and felt like it was a punch in the gut? In a community such as ours (fashion focused), how do we answer this kind of criticism?

   http://www.salon.com/2015/04/27/john_oliver_obliterates_fashion_industry_your_skinny_jeans_are_made_by_child_laborers/

   And, to those who are already awesome, please share your fashionable sources for clothing that is entirely made in the U.S.A. American Apparel is obviously, but I can’t exactly source my suit from there :-/ I saw that Nordstrom has a “Made in the USA” search, but it includes Kate Spade which I am pretty sure is Made in China. Modcloth certainly has a lot of options for Made in the USA, but again, that’s not suiting quality clothes.

   1. I have one dress from MM Lafleur that I like and was made in NY. For casual wear, I like splendid.

   2. Nanette Lepore makes a lot of her clothes in NYC, including suits, dresses and separates. Some are a little much for a conservative office, imo, but many would be quite good and many others would be good as separates. E.g., http://www.nanettelepore.com/sale/jackets/rialto-jacket-288-2032.html FYI, they tend to have more suits/work clothes in the fall/winter collections and default to more beach wear in the spring/summer.

      Yoana Baraschi also makes a lot of stuff in NYC, some of the stuff is office appropriate (blazers, blouses). Also I think Everlane either makes stuff in US or ethically sources their clothing (all explained on their s*te).

      I know Brooks Brothers has a made in the US collection for men, but I don’t think they have the same for women. I think in general men have more options for made in the US than women (bonobos, etc.). Not sure why.

      Another idea if you want to avoid fast fashion but can’t spend a whole lot of money is to shop vintage/thrift stores. This is harder to do for blazers as many will look dated but quite easy for skirts, dresses, pants, and you can make alterations as needed (even to blazers). These older clothes – even if they’re just Ann Taylor or BR – will often have been made in the US and they tend to have been made much better, too. I’ve found many blouses and sweaters that are made in France, England, “Western Germany,” etc., this way and they wear much better than even expensive stuff I could buy today. Or you can always do what my aunt and grandma used to do back in the 60s and find yourself a “good seamstress” who’ll make whatever your heart desires. There are still people who do this and very well. It doesn’t have to be as expensive as a “custom suit” sounds (of course, a fancy custom suit is another option).

   3. Lots of Pendleton is made in the US, but not all of it. I think the quality is really good and they have good end-of-season sales.

   4. It makes me sad that I can make sure my food and cosmetics are ethically sourced and the animals are treated in a way I approve yet I can’t find out how the humans making my clothes are treated.

      I’m glad some companies are at least addressing the issue publicly, even if they still use overseas factories. Here is Brahmin’s statement as an example:

      http://www.brahmin.com/info/Social_Responsibility

      I don’t like that quality and efficiency are mentioned before working conditions are mentioned but at least they are mentioned.

   5. Emerson Fry, but not for suits.

   6. I didn’t click on the link but are you specifically looking for made in the U.S. for patriotic reasons, or for ethical reasons? If it is the latter (no sweatshops/ child labor etc), check out
      Judith & Charles.
      They are a Canadian company and the clothes are made in Canada.

   7. Nina McLemore is made in NY. I finally went to one of their boutiques a few months ago and loved it – great service too. I’m about a decade younger than their key demo, but I’d say at least 1/3 of their collection would fit easily into my current wardrobe.

   8. Marks and Spencer in the UK now have a fair amount of made in the UK clothing which may include suiting. If you’d consider that of equivalent desirability to made in the USA (from a minimum wage etc point of view) it might be worth browsing online. I don’t know what their American shipping policies are but I just received an order here in Germany (of summer chino trousers) which was shipped free, to my delight.

   9. I like Three Dots (at Bloomingdales usually), Gala, Nicole Miller is great, Raleigh Denim Workshop has the best jeans I’ve ever seen. I usually hit the department stores and look for where things are made.

      I love some of these other posts, I’m always looking for new brands that are made in the US/Europe/Canada.

   10. Thanks everyone! These are great suggestions! And, SuziStockbroker, for ethical reasons :-) Thank you, Judith & Charles looks lovely!

   11. NYDJ (Not Your Daughter’s Jeans) are made in the USA and I’ve been happy with them. I am a plus size wtih thighs that aggressively rub together when I walk, so my jeans wear out in that area, but I can live with that.

   12. This is from yesterday, but in case anyone is still reading, here are my sources (I am pretty strict about only buying ethically produced clothing):

       Marine Layer for woven and jersey shirts, Ibex for wool everything, Pact for underwear/tees/socks, AG for jeans. I also trust Patagonia’s sourcing enough to buy their imported stuff (mostly outerwear, sports gear). For shoes, I do Patagonia or Nisolo, a fair-trade company that produces in Peru.

       Bras are the hardest, I am still searching for a good company for anything more than a sports bra.

10. Has anyone invested in a 529 plan in a different state? Google tells me that the Maryland direct investment 529 plan is the gold standard. I live nowhere near the coast, in a state that does not offer any tax breaks and that has a 529 plan with high fees. Are there any drawbacks or obstacles in investing in a different state’s plan? I don’t even know enough to know whether this is a dumb question.

    1. It’s not a dumb question because each state is different and the available information is really opaque. No drawbacks or obstacles for Maryland if your state doesn’t offer tax breaks. My co-worker in MA has her kids’ funds set up in Maryland. For convenience, I choose to invest through Vanguard, which has Nevada funds.

       1. ditto. Set up the Vanguard Nevada funds when kids were born and kept them even when I lived in Maryland because…lazy? And we like streamlining financial accounts. The Nevada plan is in the top 5.

       2. Thanks, Mo and random!

11. I love the wool crepe dress that didn’t make the cut! Not sure this blazer won’t look dated in a year or two and could look frumpy even now (at least on me), but that dress is my platonic ideal of what work clothes should be. I have something similar from BB that I’m actually wearing today and it’s been going strong for about 3 years of nearly weekly wear. I regret that I didn’t buy two.

12. Has anyone noticed a link between whey protein powder and acne? My nutritionist recommended I drink a protein shake after my workout every day, so for the past month I’ve been doing that. My skin has been breaking out much worse than usual (I wish I could pinpoint when it started to know for sure) about a month ago and I’m wondering if there’s a causal link. I’d hate to have to give up the shakes, they’re great.

    Apparently the only other vegetarian protein powders are hemp and pea powders, which I’ve been told taste really gross.

    1. What kind of protein shakes are you drinking? It could be other ingredients. Whey doesn’t make me break out, but soy does.

       I recommend trying Tera’s Whey (no affiliation) b/c it is just whey protein, nothing else.

       I’m not a huge fan of vegan protein powders, but I’ve found that Sunwarrior tastes less like dirt than the others :)

    2. It could also be due to the change in season, perhaps.

    3. Could it also be due to sweating more from working out?

       I love, love, love Tera’s Whey, as well. The chocolate and vanilla taste like real milkshakes to me – and I’m incredibly picky.

    4. I’m dairy free for medical reasons and have to avoid whey as well. Whey is a dairy derivative. The same research that led to my doctor recommending I go dairy free for my condition has been also used to recommend people with cystic acne go dairy free. Whey would be a trigger for me but I eat no other dairy. If you already eat dairy, I’d be surprised if whey alone triggered you.

       1. I already eat a lot of dairy. I figured maybe the whey (isolate) just tipped me over the edge?

          I will look into the Tera’s Whey suggestion, thanks!

          I’ve been using ON whey isolate. Not sure at the moment what the other ingredients are.

          Perhaps I should try to cut back on my dairy intake. I eat a lot of greek/Icelandic yogurt because it’s so high in protein and as a vegetarian that’s hard to fine.

    5. Pea is fine, hemp can be okay. I like brown rice protein powder the most.

       Honestly, I’d try Vega if I were you- I had the same problem with whey proteins, and vegetarian ones are just better for me. Vega is by far the best one I’ve ever used

    6. Whey can contain a fair amount of iodine which is known cause of acne.

    7. I like Garden of Life Vegan Raw protein in chocolate flavour. I mix it with milk every morning and most of the evenings. It has no added sugar and tastes great for me. Not every one will like the texture though as it is kind of gritty (not creamy). It is expensive (for me) and I stock up on it every three months from Vitamin World when they have friends and family sale.

    8. I don’t know about whey specifically, but many people report better skin after giving up dairy or certain types of dairy. Also, not all vegan protein powders are gross. I love the brown rice powder (chocolate or vanilla) I get at Whole Foods. 12g protein per heaping tablespoon.

13. I think we may be ready to have an after-school (and after camp) driving nanny who could take our children to the pool an afternoon or two a week this summer. I think that this would work for a college student or other student (we live near a community college) who might want to work 3-8 periodically. Have any of you found this magical unicorn on Care dot com? They seem to be a good place to look, but I don’t know anyone who has used it (people seem to rely on people they know — like the kid of their neighbor or coworker, and I don’t seem to know the right people on my own). Also, how much in advance do you need to look and do you let them use your car (if theirs is like the beater I had in college) versus theirs (and getting them extra booster seats)? THANKS!

    1. Try sittercity in addition to care.com

    2. I used sittercity off and on for a few years — starting when kids were 8 and 5 (16 and 13 now). I found the best sitter ever in the history of the world there. I also had a few clunkers. I let sitters use my car only after checking with references who had also done that. We found people by posting jobs and also by reaching out to sitters whose profiles looked right. It is hit and miss. Good luck.

    3. You should call someone at the college too because they typically have an internal college job board where they list part-time. At my school, there were two boards, one for things like babysitting / waitressing jobs, and one for “professional” jobs and work/study.

       1. I did this when I was in college, and found postings on my college job website like S-non suggests. They interviewed me and checked references. I had a sort 5-10 year old Honda civic during those years and I mostly drove that but sometimes they wanted me to cart around a lot of kids so i took their vans or whatever. I had a lot of fun, particularly with the older kids I drove around, and i think the kids liked having someone “closer” to their age.

    4. We have had pretty good luck with College Nannies and Tutors for occasional after-school sitters (“on-call nannies”). The nannies have all had decent cars, but they will drive your car if you prefer. I like the fact that the service handles the background checks, payroll, and taxes. A couple of the nannies have been less interactive than I’d like, but my kid is older and pretty self-sufficient and we really just need someone to be there while she does her homework and then drop her off at sports practice. Most of them have been great. For a regular placement (minimum 4x week, 3 hours per visit), you get to choose your own nanny, so that wouldn’t be an issue.

14. I’m leaving my company in a little over a month and a half for graduate school, and I’m uncertain how to tell my manager. He wrote me a glowing recommendation for my application, but is very unhappy at the idea of me leaving. (We were coworkers and close friends before he was promoted to manager.) I’ve avoided telling him I was accepted into the program for this reason. We have open cubicles, even the managers, so I would have to book a conference room for privacy. Now that the date’s getting closer, should I write it in an email? Schedule the conference room and invite him to a meeting?

    1. A month and a half? Book a conference room for this afternoon and send him a meeting invite. Today. Rip off the bandaid.

       1. I was planning on leaving in the middle of August, but found out last week I’m expected to start summer courses. My company is sending me to a really interesting (and expensive) conference next week, planned before I found out about the change in school start date. Does that change the situation?

          1. then tell them right now; in person in a conference room

             they probably want to send someone with a longer commitment to the company; you shouldn’t go

             1. He’s out of town until Thursday, and I won’t be here Friday. I would leave for the conference Monday night. It may actually be too late to transfer the conference ticket already, as there’s a lot of security. I know in-person is preferable, but would this warrant an email notification?

             2. Meh, I assume the OP’s coworkers could leave at any time on two weeks’ notice. If this conference would be interesting to the OP and good for her career, I would not feel bad about going anyway, and then transitioning what you learned from it the same as you will transition your other work.

          2. Then call him. Woman up about this.

       2. Why? If 2 week notice is standard, why give 6 weeks in this case? Because she’s going to school instead of another job?

          1. 2 weeks is a floor, not a ceiling.

             If she ever plans to work in the city / the industry again, you give the maximum notice so that the transition is well-managed and a suitable replacement can be found and even trained a bit. I’d care about burning bridges and my reputation. Some places might sack you as soon as you announce, but most won’t (even if out of self-interest). This is a person who has an interest in being remembered as a good employee and coworker. Taking a big trip before announcing you’re going to be leaving soon could stick in people’s minds a long time. Thanks to LinkedIn, someone will follow up (and with the people they know, not the people you’d like future employers to call first).

             If the tables were turned and you were getting let go, wouldn’t you want the maximum notice and not the minimum?

             1. +1! I think OP really walked herself into a potentially bad situation for no reason. Clearly if her boss wrote her a recommendation, he is supportive of her graduate school! She should have told him as soon as she knew she was planning to go (assuming there aren’t some really weird circumstances like the company is desperately trying to get rid of any and all people). I find it rude that she didn’t tell him out of courtesy simply for being her recommendation writer. Those letters things take time!

             2. This is where the weird personal part comes in. He wrote me the letter, and jokingly said, “but it’s for 2016, right? You’re not allowed to leave before 2016.” It was flattering, but awkward.

          2. This is my confusion as well. Our company has a lot of turnover, and what I’ve taken from this site is that it’s business, not personal. I like my manager, and we’re friends, which is why I want to handle this delicately, but it seems martyrish to give up going to a conference that will benefit me professionally since attendance is one of the perks of my position. Should I also not schedule dr’s appointments to take advantage of my excellent health insurance before I move to dismal grad student insurance?

             1. I disagree with the people saying that the conference somehow makes this worse (although I agree that you need to tell him asap…call him). At any good company, this would not matter. They will continue to invest in your professional development until you leave. Also, I assume you signed up for this conference a while ago.

             2. Yes, conference was signed up for in early March. Found out about the summer classes being a requirement yesterday.

             3. yeah, the information that there is a lot of turnover makes this obvious to me. Just wait for the two weeks. He hasn’t done anything super amazing to deserve getting 6 weeks notice. Or maybe give him 4 weeks notice, when you get back from the conference. And just get ready, he might be whiny and pitch a fit, but he’ll get over it. And so will you. Try not to worry about it too much!
                And Congrats, good luck in grad school!

    2. I think it’s fine that you’ve waited until now, but I do think you should tell them asap. They’ll see it coming and shouldn’t be that surprised or upset. In my experience, people seem to care a lot less that I was leaving than I thought they would (i.e. it’s a problem but it’ snot personal).

    3. Reporting back for this – my manager handled it much better than I thought, but agreed he will probably send someone else to the conference. He was flabbergasted I gave 6 weeks’ notice, as he had never had anyone leave the company with more than three weeks’ notice before. He did say I would have a place after graduation in a role more applicable to my masters if I wanted it, so yay!

15. Hi guys. I’m seeking a unicorn: the perfect brand or two of shoes that will fit my flat feet with narrow heels and bunions. (Doesn’t have to be a “comfort” brand, but it will probably help.) I’m in NYC — where are the best stores with patient, no-pressure, knowledgeable salespeople? I’m thinking of going to Tiptop, Eneslow, and Macy’s comfort floor — any thing else I should include?

    1. No recommendation, but please report back!

       1. No bunions, but wide flat feet with narrow heels. Can’t help for NYC – I’m in Europe which will affect my recs here, but a few brands that work for me:

          Ecco (not everything, though)
          Think! (possibly not all work appropriate, but they do make less wacky things)
          Vabeene (the brand is Swiss, so the prices hurt but the shoes do not)
          El Naturalista (good for casual shoes)
          Semler (they have some nicer options as things that are too old even for Grandma)

          Good luck!

    2. Marmi carries the best selection of narrow & wide shoes in NYC (and unlike most places, they actually have the extended sizes in the store to try on). Very comfortable too. Not so sure about bunions but I would definitely check it out. Salespeople are good too.

    3. Harry’s Shoes on the Upper West Side.

       1. +1

       2. Absolutely. The best comfort shoe store in the country.

    4. I don’t have bunions, but have relatively wide (but low profile) toes and very narrow heels. I swear by Clarks.

       1. I have the same type of feet. Any particular styles of Clarks that you’d recommend?

    5. I have narrow heels and wide toes/need room in the toe box. My go-tos are Born, Clarks, Ecco.

    6. You could look up the manufacturers of comfort shoes like Vionic and Arcopedico and see which stores they’re sold in, if you don’t like any of the stores you found.

    7. No store recommendations – I just do a lot of orders/returns with Zappos and Nordstrom – but I have seemingly the same feet, and I look for: ankle strap, instep strap, or slingback with very adjustable strap. I use lots of heel cushions and ball-of-foot cushions. Most of my shoes for work are Ecco, Peter Kaiser, Fidji and Clarks, and I live for the colder weather when I can wear boots – it’s much easier to find boots that fit. I have spent ridiculous amounts to repair shoes, because it’s so hard to find ones that fit, so I cling to the ones I have. Good luck!

16. Recipe help. I decided to do a taco bar for a girls’ get-together to accommodate dietary needs. Suggestions for the vegetarian component?

    1. Sautéed peppers and onions (everyone will enjoy these) and either refried beans or whole black or pinto beans, cooked and seasoned (or out of a can and heated is fine). The beans will be just as filling/nutritious as the non-vegetarian options.

       1. Just make sure the beans are vegetarian. Some cans of refried beans (in particular) are not. I’ve made this recipe with a can of black beans, & it’s easy and tasty: http://happyherbivore.com/2011/11/cookbook-countdown-skillet-refried-bean/

    2. Soyrizo with potatoes, like this:

       http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/03/best-chorizo-potato-tacos-how-to-food-lab-technique.html

       I also use this as a vegetarian enchilada filling and it’s fantastic. You can find Soyrizo (soy chorizo) at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, and most well-stocked conventional grocery stores.

       1. I was just coming to say soyrizo! Yum! Even for non-veggies!

    3. Zucchini or yellow squash, tomatoes, and asparagus or white beans. Lots of cilantro and cheese. Very easy.
       For something more interesting if slightly more elaborate, google roasted cauliflower tacos. Lots of recipes come up, including this one: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/roasted-cauliflower-and-chickpea-tacos/

       1. Thanks all. This recipe looks great AIMS. I want to make something a little more creative.

    4. I like roasted squash and mushrooms as a vegetarian taco/burrito base, and then agreed on the sautéed peppers and onions as a topping. I wouldn’t have just the peppers and onions as a base because they can upset people’s stomachs (or maybe just mine).

    5. just a suggestion… a lot of tex mex places in texas have portabellos or beans/guacamole as a vegetarian option. i personally love roasted zucchini or yellow squash (with onion and garlic) as a filling. also other good combos are soy taco crumbles (check out freezer section), soyrizo (heard trader joes is really awesome), spinach and mushrooms (although spinach can be too wet for tacos), vegetarian refried beans (no lard).

    6. Lentils! Throw some lentils in water on the stove; cook the lentils until they are, um, cooked. Then add some salsa and taco seasoning; stir. Even non-vegetarians love it.

17. What an interesting blazer – it is tempting me to experiment with this type of structure!

18. Has anyone gotten a dress from Of Mercer (which was featured a few weeks back), and if so, any reviews?

19. Just wanted to take a second to brag that I just graduated from law school and someone gave me an Hermes scarf for it. What a perfect gift! That’s going in the headshot.

    ETA: This is the fanciest thing I own.

    1. Congratulations on graduating! I LOOOOOVE mine — am even wearing one right now!

    2. Congratulations! That is a great gift!

20. I stole Kat’s idea (also highly recommended by my roommate) and got my BFF a bottle of Veuve for her law school graduation. We ended up going to a BYOB and everybody was impressed, so, thanks!

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