Suit of the Week: Ann Taylor

101 Comments

1. Everything about this suit is awful—not just the sleeves!

   1. The pants look okay! I wouldn’t touch the blazer with a ten foot pole.

      1. I live in the SEUS where July and August are hotter than the gates of hell and the humidity is pushing 100%. I am not fashion forward. I would still not wear a short sleeved “suit” coat.

   2. I owned a sand colored suit with a short jacket and slim pants when I was a summer associate in 2003. I liked the suit a lot and would probably still wear it, but I no longer own it and no longer wear suits.

      1. I started practicing law in the Ally McBeal era. Absolutely rocked short skirts, short sleeve blazers (buttoned up), hose and block heels.

   3. The blazer is sooo outdated.

      1. And I kind of loved it. Emergency alert on my fashion sense I guess.

         1. I kinda like it too!

   4. I think I wore this suit for Solo and Ensemble Festival in high school in 1992.

      1. Which means it is back in style in 2026.

         The 80s and 90s are back based on the shoulder pads I have been seeing!

      2. I wonder if you’re from California! I was in a *lot* of groups for S&E Festival in the 80s… I only bought “superior” medals. :P

2. Quick question — I’m ethnically Jewish but not very immersed in the culture or religion. I know Jews typically give money in multiples of 18 for happy occasion like weddings, graduations and bat mitzvahs. Is that also true if you’re sending a gift card to someone who has a very serious, possibly terminal, illness? I know 18 is because it has a connection to the Hebrew word for “life” so I wasn’t sure if it was tone deaf if someone might be dying.

   1. Yes, multiples of 18 or 180, etc work for this type of occasion too.

3. I wore a short sleeved suit for my college interview in 2000 and thought I looked amazing.

   1. I had one I used to wear to like model UN conferences in high school in the mid-2010s. I loved that blazer tbh!

   2. I live in Florida and had several in the late 1990s.

4. I posted about the NyQuil earlier. The responses make me think I need to curb this habit and just deal with some bad nights once in a while. Is there anything that anyone has taken that could help for a once a week insomnia situation?

   1. I posted too soon but also wanted to add I have tried sleep hygiene extensively – even worked with a CBT psychologist who specializes on sleep. It helped a lot, but I still have the one bad night a week situation.

      1. Have you talked about this with your GP? Some insomnias have (addressable) medical causes.

         1. None that the doctor could find. I have struggled with it since my teens, it seems to just be a thing for me. What medical causes could there be? Curious if my doctor missed something.

            1. If you’re really taking Nyquil, consider that the tylenol in it might be knocking back some small amount of pain that’s otherwise keeping you awake. Not that taking a ton of tylenol is great, but you could try *just* the tylenol and see if it helps alone. If it does, then you can work on the cause of the pain and see if you can eliminate it over time.

            2. Diabetes is the big one I’m aware of, but that is very easy to spot.

   2. Would these issues also apply to Tylenol PM?

      Have a family history of Alzheimer’s and was not aware of this risk.

      1. Yes, Tylenol PM contains Benadryl which is the subject of the discussion linking anticholinergic drugs to dementia.
         Tylenol itself is not an anticholinergic drug.

   3. I missed your earlier post, so apologies if you addressed it, but what is the root cause of the insomnia, in your / your doctor’s best estimation?

      1. None that the doctor could find. I have struggled with it since my teens, it seems to just be a thing for me.

         1. Have you seen a sleep doctor? That’s what I would consider at this point.

            1. I don’t know if this is OP’s situation but there isn’t anything a sleep doctor can do about insomnia that has a mental cause and I think that’s a lot of insomnia cases. I mean, it doesn’t hurt to see a doctor to rule out physical causes. But it’s not a silver bullet by any means.

            2. A good sleep doctor should work on the techniques to help with anxiety related insomnia too. I mean, some doctors are lazy I’m sure, but a good one is very experienced with this and other “mental” causes.

            3. There are also sleep behavioral psychologists. My father saw one. Helped a lot.

            4. If CBT and sleep hygiene aren’t working, isn’t that a sign it’s not mental?

               Also a lot of health issues have psychiatric symptoms. Conditions that cause inflammation or deficiency can make someone feel agitated or restless for a common example.

   4. Melatonin works for me & it’s meant to be taken occasionally.

      1. Melatonin really works well for me, at least for falling asleep. Staying asleep isn’t always a given (yay perimenopause) but it allows me to sleep for a good 3-4 hours for a start. I’ve probably been taking too much of late (yay regime change) but I also smoked clove cigarettes in the 1990s to I’m a GenX risk-seeker at heart I guess.

      2. Melatonin every once in a while (e.g., once a week) could help you fall asleep. Easy to find the gummies at the drugstore.

   5. I missed the earlier post, but get a sleep study if you have any sleep issues. I spent so much time on melatonin, sleep hygiene, etc when I needed a CPAP machine!

      1. This! This was my first thought as well. An actual sleep center will do way more than a GP can. Getting my sleep disorder fixed was like night and day (after years of talking to my GP and doing ALL the sleep hygiene).

   6. Do you work out? The only time in my life I didn’t have insomnia I was running 5k daily. I can’t work out due to other medical issues and my insomnia is back.

   7. Perhaps Unisom? It is non habit forming and I took it throughout pregnancy for nausea. The couple times I tried to go off it, I had terrible pregnancy insomnia (which I’ve had in prior pregnancies, too). Going back on the Unisom cured it. Not a doctor, though, so you may want to verify there’s nothing problematic there!

      1. It’s still an anticholinergic

   8. You could try a prescription like Ambien if melatonin doesn’t work.

      1. Ambien is likely as bad or worse from a dementia perspective, and definitely more habit forming. A bigger deal has been made in the news about Benadryl etc but it’s because they’re OTC and so widely used so the cumulative harm can be greater even if the dr-g itself is not as harmful.

   9. CBD gummies

   10. I commented on the morning thread but ask your doctor about hydroxyzine. A bunch of studies have shown it’s significantly less anticholinergic than Benadryl and for me at least it has a much stronger sedating effect. I actually first tried it when I had a bout of really terrible insomnia that Benadryl was not helping with.

   11. I take magnesium at night to help me sleep and also curb my tendency to have mild restless leg syndrome at night. Without it I tend to wake up a couple of times during the night.

   12. My PCP and neurologist both have me on 2.5 mg-5 mg melatonin. I specifically like the mint flavored dissolving tablets from Whole Foods

   13. I would find a safer medicine to take on the nights you need something. I would also revisit your sleep doctor/psychologist, as it seems you are in a stable pattern and need a nudge to get out.

       Things change over time too. Maybe you have to retry something that you were less successful with in the past.

5. I changed jobs toward the end of 2023, so 2024 was my first full year with the new company. I just completed my taxes and realized that my federal taxes were drastically underheld from my job. Approximately 15% of my pay went to federal taxes, when it should have been closer to 20-25%. I reviewed my W2 and nothing I can see there is amiss. It just seems like I should have had $500 per paycheck more withheld. I have asked to have this additional amount withheld going forward. For my own edification, I am trying to understand what happened. Any insight from those who know taxes better than me?

   1. Considerations: are you married? The calculators are way off if you are. Is your salary higher? Is it an issue with federal or federal and state? How does your 2023 income compare to 2024? What was withheld at the old job?

      1. I file as head of household, two dependents (11 and 14). Salary is 2x at new company versus old company. Prior company withheld at 19%.

   2. Did you complete a new W4 when you took this new job? You should have. That form tells your employer how you much want withheld. Perhaps you completed it incorrectly.

      1. You can be under withheld even if you didn’t screw up the form. My husband and I owed money at tax time our first year married and I had triple-checked all the forms. I ended up asking them to withhold extra from mine and since then it’s been fine and we usually get a refund, but it’s totally possible to owe taxes without messing up.

         1. This! I’ve been under once when I received a big bonus and another time when I changed jobs and my salary shifted significantly. I’m expecting another big bonus this year so I plan to ask our accountant to up my withholdings again. FWIW, they will let you pay on a payment plan if it helps. (I was freaking out about finding 20K I hadn’t anticipated at first.)

      2. +1, this is where I’d start. You should be able to access your W-4 through your HR system.

   3. You did your W4 wrong for your situation.

   4. How much do you get in bonus compensation? They are withheld at a different rate and depending on your tax bracket could be under-withheld by 5%-15%. I normally keep 10% of mine saved for taxes.

      1. About a third of my compensation came via bonus, which was significantly more than at my prior company.

         1. ohhhh that could def be it. My company allows you to select one of a few withholding % for bonuses, and so I pick higher than the minimum.

   5. I have taken multiple courses in tax law and the economics of taxation and still have no idea how the withholding formula works. All I can tell you is that I have always completed the forms correctly and have always owed additional taxes or had to have additional taxes withheld, except for the handful of years when I was married with a small child and earned very little income because I was in grad school. In those years we got a small refund. In every other year, single, married, without kids, with kids, one job, two jobs, the formula resulted in underwithholding.

      1. Thank you for posting this!

6. I have been working on weight loss and lost a ton (yay!) however I have encountered a couple issues I am trying to problem solve:
   1. Any good books/sites for low calorie recipes? Been using skinnytaste but most of her recipes are not that great compared to the stuff I made pre-weight loss
   2. Sleep is a problem. I noticed on days where I eat less I often wake up at 4-5 am due to hunger and can’t fall back asleep

   1. 1. I actually really like Weight Watchers recipes and you can get those books without a membership.
      2. Have a protein focused bedtime snack or last meal of the day. That should help you feel fuller longer through the night.

      1. I think protein and a bit of fat helps to stay asleep.

   2. Really love Cookie and Kate. Her recipes aren’t always low calorie, but because they are vegetable forward, they tend to be less calorie *dense*, so a smaller portion may fill you up well. And if not, just use less oil / omit the avocados and nuts.

      A protein shake before bed cures many woes for me.

   3. I like the underlying knowledge from bodybuilding [dot ] com to understand what substitutions to make, why to make them, etc.

      For example, swapping chicken or shrimp for ground beef or steak tends to result in fewer calories but similar protein, because the red meats have more fat. So if you’re making spaghetti meat sauce or tacos, and you want it to have fewer calories, swapping in chicken or shrimp will help you do that.

      Same thing with whole eggs vs. egg whites. Making a scramble with 1 whole egg plus 3 egg whites will increase the volume of food to keep you full, but keeps the calories lower because there’s more fat in the egg yolk than the egg white (you can buy liquid egg whites as well if you’re worried about waste).

      You can swap 2% greek yogurt for full-fat sour cream for sauces and spreads, particularly if it’s a dish with lots of other spices (like tacos… yogurt still gives the tang of sour cream, but you’re probably putting salsa on top as well, so the exact taste is less problematic if you swap yogurt for sour cream).

      Also, pay close attention and actually measure your ingredients, particularly for fats. Most people use more than a single portion of butter or oil when cooking, so you think you’re only eating X calories, but it’s actually double that because you free-poured the olive oil vs. measuring it into a proper tablespoon (this adds up if you do it for every meal, every handful of nuts or spoonful of peanut butter).

      1. Good advice!
         Lillie Eats and Tells has really good recipes and posts a lot on her blog and Instagram if you don’t want to purchase.

   4. Following – I actually would have said Skinnytaste is among the best of the low cal bloggers. There is also HungryGirl (newsletters and cookbooks) – her stuff is actually tasty but relies on a lot of ultra processed foods.

      I’ve been following a lot of high protein bloggers – you can check them out but I’m not sure they’re tastier than Skinnytaste. But you should be focused on protein if you’re losing weight, especially on a GLP. Some of the ones I’ve tried and liked: StayFitMom, Zach Coen, MiKayla Thomas. I also like Stealth Health and Sean Casey but they’re blogging for boys which means their average meal is around 550 cals. You can make easy subs (cauliflower rice, higher fiber burrito, etc) but it is an extra step. Funnily enough Lillie Eats (mentioned below) is one of a few people I’ve stopped following because stuff wasn’t edible.

      Oh, and check out Emily’s Bites!! I should have mentioned her first.

   5. I think everybody has to choose whatever they wish, but I would personally go higher fat than the blogs in the comments so far. I really like looking for long term keto recipes and adding a meditarrenion flair.

      1. I remember Pioppi Diet (not the cookbook, and nothing that would give money to its now troubled author, but the communities online) and Nom Nom Paleo community were good when I was looking for inspiration that was more low carb than low fat.

   6. I really like Love the Food that Loves You Back, especially for high protein foods. I follow her on YouTube, and some of her recipes have saved me by helping me be satiated while staying in my macros. https://a.co/d/eUZaXDG

7. RIP Michelle Trachtenberg. I first saw her in Harriet the Spy. So sad.

   1. So shocking. I grew up watching her on Buffy.

8. Reposting because I posted too late in the morning thread:

   I am going on a girls’ trip to Sedona in May. We are looking forward a good spa to get massages and has soaking pools, hot tubs, etc. We went to Ojo Spa in Santa Fe one year and are looking for something similar. It looks like similar ones in Sedona are for resort guests only, and we will be staying at a vacation rental.

9. I have been losing weight (and lost a ton – yay!) but have ran into some issues I am trying to problem solve.
   1. Any websites/books for tasty low-calorie / high-protein meals? Been using skinnytaste and find her stuff mediocre at best, at least compared to the sites I used before
   2. I have noticed that on some days (esp. if I am on the higher end of exercise or lower end of calories), it messes with my sleep, where I will wake up at 4-5 am due to hunger and can’t fall back asleep. Anything I can help? I guess eat more, but then the weight loss will stall.

   1. I like Lillie Eats and Tells recipes a lot (website, insta, cookbooks, meal plan). They’re designed to be higher protein and lower on fats and carbs, but lots of flavor.

   2. 2. Eat more. REDS will not help you lose weight. If you’re waking up from hunger, your body might be burning muscle for energy, and you’re going to mess up your metabolism.

      1. This is just so not true. You have to be literally starving, which I’m certain OP is not.

         1. I don’t know about REDS, but I thought it was pretty hard to lose fat weight without losing at least some muscle. And I thought it was kind of easy to accidentally end up burning muscle when trying to lose weight, and that it could lead to rebound weight gain.

            I don’t think OP should panic but they’re right to want to address this issue.

         2. If you’re waking up in the middle of the night due to hunger, you’re not eating enough for your level of activity.

   3. I like a small bowl of a light cereal like shreddies or Rice Krispies or cheerios before bed. Like instead of a glass of milk, I have a cup of milk and half cup of cereal in a bowl.

10. Not sure if I am the only one panicking about permanent impacts to equities now that Musk and the tech/crypto bros are running the country. They don’t care about disrupting the traditional markets. I’m worried about the savings of my lifetime, currently in index funds. I’m worried about my retirement. I know I could move to cash or bonds, but those have their own downsides (hyperinflation). I’m normally a very rational person who doesn’t panic; I understand in normal times markets go up and down, and my finances are stable enough to withstand the dips. But these are not normal times. Talk me off the ledge, OR confirm my fears because I don’t want my head to be in the sand.

    1. Donald Trump seems to think the Dow is his most important public opinion poll, so while I absolutely believe that Elon would happily destroy the economy, I actually think that this is one of the biggest checks on all of his craziness. Trump will do a lot of things that hurt the country and the economy in the long term, but I’m only mildly concerned about the stock market in the relatively short term because he really doesn’t like it when markets go down. There’s definitely some risk of things going so catastrophically wrong that he can’t walk things back and everything spins out of control, but he generally seems pretty sensitive to downturns, for better or worse (this is why he didn’t want to test for covid or admit that there was a pandemic, remember?).

       1. I’m nervous whether we’ve passed the point of no return when it comes to trade partners and alliances; is this really the kind of foreign policy that supports a strong economy? Is the first step of the art of the deal negging your friends? Does it work?

          I can’t even begin to predict the fall out from the DOGE cuts if they don’t reverse a lot of those decisions.

          1. Yes, I’m OP and this is a major concern. Trump might care about the Dow (although it’s quite possible he only cared about it in order to get elected), but Musk is in charge now. If you don’t think so, watch any interview or event where they are both in the same room. Terrifying.

          2. I think this aspect is being underestimated. I know people who have wintered in Florida for decades who are selling their properties and even city councils are reviewing procurement policies to rank things as buy Canadian, buy from anywhere else, buy American if cannot purchase elsewhere.

             Even the minister in our church on Sunday was reminding us to not buy American, especially on the 28th.

             Once new supply routes/brand preferences/vacation spots are established, it can be hard to change back.

             1. Further example is local radio station changed a contest from a trip to DisneyWorld to a trip to Disneyland Paris because no one signed up for the first contest.

             2. I’m Canadian and everyone I know is all about buying Canadian, vacationing anywhere but America etc. The damage can’t be undone

          3. I think the market is ignoring so many risks here. This isn’t like the last Trump term where he wasn’t able to do much harm.

       2. Yeah I hate everything about this admin but I can’t see Trump and his Wall Street buddies being totally blasé about a Dow crash. I don’t think this is a big worry.

          1. I think the Wall Street buddies are concerned. The crypto/tech people don’t care about traditional markets. We’re in for a long, bumpy ride.

    2. How old are you? If you’re retiring in the next decade, you could move assets to a stable investment like bonds. Otherwise, you’re young enough to let it ride.

       1. I’m likely retiring in the next decade. I’m worried bonds will be decimated by inflation. There is really no good option. Real estate seems good, but I don’t want to be a landlord.

          1. I’m in early retirement, and took gains at what feels like may be the top of the market for a while. I did the same thing right before the dot com bubble burst, and never regretted it. We have a mix of bonds, some real estate and some cash sitting on the sidelines. I would rather have some money decimated by inflation than stay in and have the bubble burst.

11. Have you enjoyed the bachelorette parties you’ve been to, especially if they’ve been multi day trips?

    I had a good time at one that was relatively low-key and also knew the other bridesmaids pretty well.

    I’ve been to two others where I am good friends with the bride but it was a lot of her friends from different areas of life and just not a good time. There were tensions between the groups, demands about what do/spend/wear, and it just reminded me of middle school or summer camp in the worst way. A long weekend also feels like a long time to spend with a group like this.

    Am I a grinch? Do other people feel like this too?

    1. I’ve come to the conclusion that it is a talent to throw a good one. The planner needs to be able to bridge ($$$) over some income inequalities in the group to smooth out all the drama. It’s also a talent to manage the group dynamics of making sure there are enough loud and quiet areas, and enough rooms for people to sleep in. Reminds me of years ago in my horse girl days when the order and the paddocks horses were turned out in mattered a lot (as horses are essentially middle school social dynamics).

    2. I will be forever grateful that I’m old enough that this type of event was a low-key raucous night out around town rather than an epic $$$ weekend.

       1. Yup. Well, not everyone did a raucous night out – I attended a bunch of spa days and fancy afternoon teas and one memorable horseback ride – but it was a one day thing that only local or local-ish friends attended. I was never expected to fly to one or pay for multiple nights of a hotel.

          DH and I did a joint one on the Thursday night before our wedding with the many friends who were in town early and it’s one of my fondest wedding weekend memories.

          1. Yeah I would love any of these ideas but no one seems to want to do them anymore. I’m not married and last bachelorette someone asked what I would like to do on mine – I was just like something low key in the same city. A fancier birthday party basically.

    3. Nope I universally hate them. I simply don’t really like group travel.

       On the opposite scale I have loved every bachelorette when I got to go home that night! One day is enough

    4. No, and would never do it again, or be a maid of honor again.

12. I like the bright green tweed one. I had short sleeved suit in green linen in the early 90s; it’s fun to see almost everything eventually cycles back around.

13. I ran for office years ago and had a fitted short sleeve suit jacket with a-line skirt in black, white, and red. A change of accessories, blouse, scarf, and a perfect backdrop to keep focus off my clothes.

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