ByElizabeth Hours Updated
Comments 142 Comments

Frugal Friday’s Workwear Report: Silky Classic Shirt

A woman wearing black pants and a wine-colored blouse

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

With this weekend marking the unofficial end of summer, I’m starting to look for some fall-inspired items to add to my work wardrobe. (Yes, it’s going to be 80+ degrees for the next several weeks, but a girl can dream.) This silky button-up from Banana Republic Factory is a classic-looking piece that you’ll be able to wear for years to come.

I would pair this gorgeous wine color with brown tones for an autumnal look. If that’s not your vibe, it also comes in five other solid colors and a black plaid. 

The blouse is $35 at Banana Republic Factory — with 20% off at checkout — and comes in sizes XXS-XXL. It’s also available in petite, but in limited colors. 

collage of 5 women wearing silky blouses
Pictured above, some of our favorite brands for silk button-front blouses as of 2024: 1) Quince ($59!) 2) Boden 3) Everlane* 4) MM.LaFleur* and 5) Club Monaco. For more affordable options check Grana and Lilysilk; for fancier options check L'Agence, Equipment, and Vince.

Sales of note for 12.13

  • Nordstrom – Beauty deals on skincare including Charlotte Tilbury, Living Proof, Dyson, Shark Pro, and gift sets!
  • Ann Taylor – 50% off everything, including new arrivals (order via standard shipping for 12/23 expected delivery)
  • Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything + extra 20% off
  • Eloquii – 400+ styles starting at $19
  • J.Crew – Up to 60% off almost everything + free shipping (12/13 only)
  • J.Crew Factory – 50% off everything and free shipping, no minimum
  • Macy's – $30 off every $150 beauty purchase on top brands
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off, plus free shipping on everything (and 20% off your first order)
  • Talbots – 50% off entire purchase, and free shipping on $99+

142 Comments

    1. I just have some concerns re the sleeve length. Models are taller than average, no? Those sleeves seem long enough to hide her hands in (like they do on athleisure you’d wear outdoors when it’s cold with thumbholes to make faux mittens). I am not model height — I imagine that they’d be horridly long on me.

      1. In general, models don’t wear the same clothes off the rack. Manufacturers make (or used to make) special model versions that are longer and have longer sleeves. Maybe that practice has gone the way of the dodo, but it used to be standard.

        1. I don’t think this is the case anymore, over the past few years I’ve noticed some shoddy stitching and construction in model photos which makes me think they’re using standard garments and not sewing special model garments

      2. I have this shirt from BR factory and the sleeves are too short on me. I didn’t realize it when I bought it but they are a centimeter or maybe a little more short on me. I do think my arms are a little weirdly long because this is an issue I have somewhat regularly. I am also 5’10”.

    2. I’m been wearing versions of this BR shirt, like the older Dillon polyester shirts, for years. The ones I have are nicely made, with flat-felled seams, lined yoke, and other quality touches. This Factory one looks similar.

      They have been workhorses for me. I either handwash or machine wash and drip dry (they dry quickly). They last forever. One of mine is probably pushing 10 years old. Fit is generous; don’t size up.

      1. Anyone have insight into the chest fit/is it gap-ey? Most of the models have two buttons undone, and I would probably wear it with only one undone (like the model for the black shirt)

    3. I have an evergreen version of this from a couple of years ago, and the fabric is REALLY nice. Yeah, I know it’s poly, but it feels like silk and looks super elegant. I am running to buy the burgundy one now.

  2. Thank you for the input about Italy itinerary I posted yesterday. Ended up adding two nights in Venice proper (found a fairly inexpensive hotel with rooms overlooking a canal!) and will fly out of Venice. This should be much better than staying in Mestre and allow for early morning/evening wandering.

    Going to stick with Naples and plan on one Pompeii day and one day with a bit of seeing Naples and then relaxing by the pool at hotel (only hotel during the trip.) So, 5 nights in Rome, 2 in Naples, 3 in Florence and 2 in Venice. P.S., for anyone planning a trip it does seem like Jubilee is creating demand-confirmed with hotels that rooms were actually selling out already for next July and August!

      1. IDK but it is the Venice Film Festival now, movies are actually good this year, and the pictures are glorious. It is so stinking humid here that I may just rewatch The Talented Mr Ripley and dream of Venice.

      2. A major celebration in the Catholic Church that happens every 25 years. It hugely increases tourism to Rome/Vatican City and even Italy in general.

    2. Venice is amazingly gorgeous at sunset and in the early morning. The light is like nothing you will see anywhere else. It’s wonderful to stay over just to see it.

    3. We just did one day in Naples but I am so glad we didn’t skip it. I really enjoyed Pompeii and the rest of Naples, as well. We hired a guide and got to see a lot in that one day. My mother hired the guide or I’d give you the name because she was wonderful.

      1. I hired a private guide through MondoGuide and it was the best decision I made for Pompeii. It allowed for a four-hour tour rather than the two-hours most guides allow, and our guide was good about personalizing our tour for what we wanted to see. And with four people it is probably about the same price as the group tours.

        Also, highly recommend the archeology museum in Naples. I did not love Napes but the museum was worth the visit and is where a lot of the artifacts from Pompeii ended up. You can see it in two hours if you can fit it in during your free day.

        I am not sure of your budget but if you want to splurge (and it is definitely a major splurge – $1500 for a full day) Tess at Clam Tours in Rome is amazing and will set up a tour personalized to what you want to see.

  3. Has anyone here served as an executor for a family member IRL? For me, it would be being one parent’s executor with everything being left to the other parent (only marriage for either; only kids are from the marriage; most assets jointly titled except for some retirement savings). Surviving parent is overwhelmed and wants me (the backup in the will) to do it. Any advice or things you wish you knew?

    1. This is probably going to heavily depend on where you are. In my state, jointly titled property does not pass through the will. It goes automatically to the surviving spouse. Any assets with named beneficiaries are also not going to pass through the will, but they will go directly to the named beneficiaries. My state does not have inheritance tax for spouses. My state does have inheritance tax on assets going to others. You should consider going to an experienced estate attorney local to your parents’ area to discuss all of this and what your state requires. For something like this, I would look for a small firm or a solo that can give you a reasonable hourly rate versus a percentage of the estate value or a ridiculous flat rate.

      1. This is good advice. In the state where I handled an estate, it would have been very difficult to impossible for me as an out of state person to get appointed executor. I sought advice from local counsel and it was well worth it to pay her to handle serving as executor. But, most of the estate was in a trust or TOD accounts, so it was pretty minimal work.

    2. Do you get along with siblings? Are they all generally ok financially? When I did probate work there was always a “crazy” sibling, who was typically scaping by and demanded that their share was larger, or that the executor sibling was self-dealing or mis-handling assets.

      1. +1 million!!! not just one but sometimes 2 siblings unite to defraud remaining vulnerable adult parent, eg. luxury car disappears across state lines out of the garage, valuable personal property disappears and is sold at a garage sale with photos of sibling surrounded by the property posted on FB and surprise! that sibling shortly after took a first time extended trip to Europe with her daughter and the money from the sale was never found. Before you agree to this, know that you may have a part time job for 6 months or longer trying to settle estate and have to deal with utter greed, fraud, siblings taking parent to a financial institution and having parent sign over all assets to sibling..Other sibling tries to empty parents joint bank account, convinced parent they were the only one who had parents best interests in mind and that other relatives were only out to steal from the parent, and coached parent to write a letter to family members that parent wanted to hold a meeting in her memory care room to settle “all legal issues” at a certain date/time. Parent’s court appointed attorney was quite surprised and not happy when I called him to share the efforts to get parent to agree to siblings fraudulent activities. Three years of litigation with one sibling stealing parents funds to bankroll the hiring of three attorneys to represent the sibling with one of the three attorneys admitting in open court that the sibling had paid him with parents funds. One sibling signed a form destined for the federal government that said parents address was the siblings address (parent never lived at the siblings address and I dont believe parent had ever visited the address as it was remote) in order to receive parent’s homeowners credit. Have you heard enough? I could not make this up!! In addition, if you call the Elder Justice Center the excellent personnel/attorney witll share with you that at least in that state, it is a high bar to prove these types of illegal activities. Just try to make sure you know what you are getting into, and if you have misgivings about serving in this role listen to yourself. Save yourself from a possible nightmare of you have indications this could go south. If you go ahead, make sure you document everything you do as you have legal duties and do not want to allow yourself to be portrayed as the sibling who is taking advantage of mom. Said with the deepest concern for your and surviving parents well being.

    3. I was executor for both of my parents and lived in the same state. It was easy when my father died and everything passed to my mother. It was more work when my mother died and assets needed to be sold and distributed, but the register of wills in the local jurisdiction was incredibly kind and helpful. It was a small and simple estate but took almost a year before everything was finished. I did not find it to be difficult or onerous.

    4. If there are into any international assets at all, know that that is a total flaming dumpster fire. It involves counsel in multiple places, multiple tax systems, etc..

    5. It is usually pretty straight forward in the circumstances you described – everything passing to surviving spouse. Do you live in the same state as the parent who died? Some states do not allow an out of state executor or require at least one in state executor.

    6. You should be able to designate a “pay on death” beneficiary for the retirement savings so that won’t have to go through a will. (Realizing it may be too late but good for others to know.)

      1. Most of the time a retirement account with no designation will go to the next of kin: spouse, then children, then parents, then siblings. THEN the estate.

  4. For in-house people, what do you think of the Google “communicate with care” policy, which apparently told people to always CC legal to try to shield everything even non-legal from discovery.

    1. Counterproductive. I think a judge would look askance at all the docs that would be withheld for privilege, which could result in a lot of things getting produced that shouldn’t be.

      Also, ask anyone who has ever worked in e-discovery: this is a nightmare. In normal e-discovery, everything that copies Legal or has certain key words (“attorney” is a big one) gets flagged for review by the QC team. If the first level review team (often compromised of people who never should have enrolled in law school) marks it for production, the second-level review team will review and often discuss with counsel. If it’s marked correctly, it goes into a separate pile for a third review for privilege logs.

      Normally, neither of those batches are particularly large with respect to the rest of the production, so they can get special handling. Also, normally, priv logging isn’t side-eyed: “email from accounting stating facts for use in rendering legal advice.” With this policy? If I were opposing counsel, I wouldn’t believe for a second that a question was posed to an attorney.

      I also worry about the operational aspects. I could teach people in-house to never, ever forward an email from Legal to anyone outside the org without Legal approval (for example); this seems like it just trains people to ignore that Legal is copied and therefore, this information gets special treatment.

      1. Agreed, this sounds like a major hassle (in house counsel here and I get enough useless emails as it is). And this would not work in my jurisdiction, privilege only applies to certain type of communications irrespective of whether you copy legal or mark it confidential or whatever. And agree that this would make e-discovery an even more major hassle than it already is.

      2. Agreed with all of this.

        Also, I would *weep* if I was cc’d on every email. How am I to know what is actually relevant to me without reading them all? I can just imagine actually missing something because I can’t read a billion emails and then my job is on the line.

      3. I’m the Anon at 8:41 am.

        In theory, the “barrage of emails” situation could be handled by having a cc to a special email address, eg., legalcounseling at corporate email dot com. That mailbox gets monitored by someone in Legal to triage, with most of the emails being ignored and some being forwarded to an attorney.

        However, that introduces another avenue for screw-ups: the monitor doesn’t get time-sensitive information quickly or isn’t really equipped to do this triage correctly. I also think that a judge would just say that it isn’t privileged if it’s ONLY to this mailbox email.

        Tl;dr – operational disaster, peak “people who made this policy know enough to be dangerous.”

        1. This strategy also just underscores that they’re not properly privileged in my state because it makes it clear that no one is seeking/talking about legal advice (or otherwise meeting the standard)

      4. This is stupid. It is black letter law that you cannot make an otherwise non-privileged communication privileged by copying your attorney. If the DOJ’s allegations are true, I would expect a federal court judge to impose millions in sanctions.

        So setting aside the logistical issues, it is just dumb.

    2. Not in house, but boy, Google has gone full-on corporate stooge. The whole “we’re so different” image is deader than Trump’s dignity. Every day I’m reading something different about layoffs, slashing benefits, screwing over contractors, cracking down on union-ish talk, and more.

    3. I don’t think that that was the intent behind the program; I think some executives interpreted it that way.

      Their preservation failures are far worse (and hilarious, because every in house tech lawyer I know hates Google Vault and everything related to it).

    4. Hoo boy would I ever look askance at this if it came to my court. If everything is cc’d to legal and therefore supposedly “privileged,” I would appoint a discovery referee at Google’s expense to go through everything and I would not be one bit happy about it.

      1. For document review purposes, I can see how you would want anything even remotely sensitive to copy Legal. Generally, contract reviewers making $20 an hour review anything that doesn’t hit on privilege search terms for relevance, and staff attorneys or first years making $350-$700 an hour review anything that does. Massive cost difference. It’s easiest to identify potentially privileged materials by just pulling anything that copied anyone in Legal into a separate set of batches from anything that doesn’t. But boy, you’d expect to see a lot of those emails produced, either with redactions if the legal advice was only part of the chain or without redactions if there was no legal advice sought/given, and I don’t know if that’s what was actually happening with their cases or not.

  5. What is the stick hair stuff that I see people using online to get the slicked back ponytails? I love the neat clean look of the ponytail but my baby hairs along my hairline keep popping out and ruining it. Does it wash out easily?

    1. I don’t know precisely, but I have this problem and use:
      1. Something called Dart that is like a sunscreen stick that sticks those hairs down aggressively but is running out and IDK if they still make it (my hair place no longer carries that line; should google).
      2. A combo of a light touch of Vaseline or Aquaphor combined with hairspray. [Discovered this when I mispacked for a work trip.]
      3. Products from the Black hair care section of a store that are used for “edges” — I am not Black and have baby fine straight hair but between a massive cowlick and some weird textured spots, all intermixed with very-different-textured gray hair, I look like Golda Meier and not in a good way, but very ununiformly but especially along the hairline by my face.

    2. I literally just searched for hair wax stick on Amazon and found one. It works really well. It’s lightweight and brushes/washes out easily.

    3. My teen daughter uses the Samnyte Hair Wax Stick for slicked back ponytails and it seems to work very well, even when she’s cheering for hours at a game in hot, humid weather. I haven’t asked her how it washes out, but she doesn’t complain about that and has replaced it multiple times!

  6. I read the touring Italy post from yesterday with interest. I am sending my teens on a school-sponsored EF Tours trip to cities in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and maybe Czechia that goes through many places in 1-2 days over something like 16 days. I’ve been dealing with a lot of eldercare issues and likely could never manage a trip like this plus we are on the East Coast, so we could still do a short family trip to just London or just Paris or just Rome easily enough in the future. It sounds a bit hectic and not glam (between cities is likely on a bus), but they are teens and at least this way they have seen a bit of the world. I might not do this trip as a bougie working adult who likes to vacation on my vacations, but to kids who did a LOT of camping during the COVID years, it will be fine. Yes?

    1. I did such a trip as a teen, and enjoyed it. Yes, long bus travel but we were young!

    3. When you’re a teenager, that’s way more exciting than a vacation vacation with your parents.

    4. I’m the OP Italy poster from yesterday-this trip for your teens sounds so, so fun!! I haven’t been on a big trip since, but spent two weeks in France with my French class in high school and it was such a memorable time. Your teens have the energy and stamina to do that trip especially with peers and I bet they’ll have a total blast!

    5. Yes, this would have been SUPER appealing to teen me! Honestly the hours on the bus might be what they say they love most – that’s where all the inside jokes get developed :)

    6. It’s fine and they’ll have a blast. This board skews far fancier than what everyday people do.

      1. You said a mouthful.

        Like the “did anyone receive a large monetary gift upon turning 18?” one. Uh, no. Unless tin count a Pell Grant.

    7. Yes! I did an EF tour of Madrid and Paris with my high school French and Spanish classes, and it was a blast.

    8. My parents sent me on one of those teen “if it’s Thursday it must be Lichtenstein” kind of tours for three weeks when I was fourteen. The accommodations were tourist class, transportation was on a bus, I had limited spending money, and to this day I cherish that trip.

    9. I was a bit older (24) but I took 8 weeks and did an overland tour of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. It involved some camping, some hostels, a lot of doing my own laundry in a bucket, and many long days on a dusty overland vehicle (basically a big 4 wheel drive bus) but it was amazing and I loved it. And generally up until that point my vacations had been nice vacations with my parents in nice hotels with all the amenities. I would absolutely send your kids if they want to go!

    11. Omg srsly? You’re sending your children to Europe they’re fine. The trip doesn’t need to be perfect.

    12. 100%. I studied abroad in Italy in nice but not luxe conditions and did a LOT of bus/train/cheap plane travel on the weekends. It was WAY more hectic than I could handle these days but as a 19yr old I loved it. I had friends who did this on winter breaks in their bougie private schools in junior/senior year and I was SO jealous, they had a ton of fun.

    13. I don’t see any reason for concern here — can you say what you’re worried about, on behalf of your kids? Is it something related to the bus travel, or the number of cities being visited?

    14. My kid is doing one to France and I did one about a million years ago (Ireland and the UK). They are super fun trips for teenagers – just traveling without your parents is a big deal. Also because you’re in a group, the hotels are nothing special but were affirmatively nicer than the budget hotels and youth hostels I slept in when I took myself around Europe in college. The food was fine – two to three square meals that could be supplemented with plenty of exotic junk food.

    15. It’ll be great. Side note – its fun when kids experience Europe for the first time without their parents. I will never forget that feeling of freedom and adventure.

    17. They will have an amazing time.

      I did a trip with a performing group from my high school that did a similar tour.

      I learned then that Italian men are even worse than the middle aged men in my typical American suburb about yelling at / touching / harassing young girls. But at least they were less crass about it, or luckily I couldn’t understand the Italian, which sounded more charming and less crass.

      We often stayed with host families, which was fabulous, and I kept in touch with them and their kids for years. Just a wonderful experience.

  7. I’m looking for a blazer that I can throw on with different outfits (dress, jeans and a blouse) to “level up” if needed.
    I have the JCF sweater blazer that works for some, but I’d like something a little more structured. At the same time, I don’t need a formal suit blazer. My office is business casual/dress for your day…so if I’m meeting with execs, I’m more on the business side, regular days are slightly more casual.

    I’d like to keep it in the BRF/JCF budget realm…

    1. What about the Herringbone wool-blend schoolboy blazer at JCF? Blazers like it normally get a lot of wear for me. You could swap it with a more traditional tweed when fall hits.

    2. Check the thrift stores in fancy parts of town and you’ll find something that fits the bill.

      1. I would go with a regular length sleeve when buying something new. It’s a lot more current.

    4. I have the J.Crew Going Out Blazer in grey and navy, and they serve this exact purpose for me.

    5. I have both JCF sweater blazers and Quince sweater blazers (I love me some sweater blazers!) and I actually think the Quince is more structured because it has a heavier weight. If I wear a dressy top and/or dressy accessories it reads more business.

    7. I just bought the madras blazer from the brooks brothers sale. Only some sizes left. Very excited about it.

    8. How about a nice collarless quilted jacket from J. Crew Factory: https://factory.jcrew.com/p/womens/categories/clothing/jackets/jackets/quilted-jacket/CD837?color_name=navy&N=LARGE&noPopUp=true&srcCode=Paid_Search%7CShopping_Pmax%7CGoogle%7CPMG%5EG%5E99107507076_21151353240___c_pla_online__9008138&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=shopping_ads&utm_campaign=FACT_Shopping_PLA_US_All_Womens_PMax_X_Google_X&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsfX215KdiAMVN1ZHAR0omShNEAQYBSABEgK-B_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&colorProductCode=CD837

  8. Does anyone have the new Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid ? We are buying in a rush and my husband is all in but I haven’t been able to do any research. Would love to hear any thoughts

    1. Following with interest. We test drove the 2024 PHEV version and are waiting for the 2025 to ship so we can compare that. One thing I know I don’t like is that the taillights and turn signals are really, really low on the bumper. We’re in a really trafficky area and that’s going to be hard for anyone following close to see.

    2. I don’t, but fwiw I’d get a hybrid Toyota Highlander instead, if possible even if an older model. We’ve had two and have been incredibly reliable-haven’t had as much luck when we had a Hyundai or Mazda but maybe quality has improved.

    3. It was on my list to try and I never got to it. I did get the Honda CR-V hybrid and I absolutely love it. Also was in a sudden time crunch to just get something.

    4. I have a Kia hybrid and love it – our other car is a Toyota hybrid and it’s also great. I didn’t want a second Toyota because I wanted more luxury/tech features and Kia/Hyundai have more options for a hybrid with nicer features IMO. I was also car shopping at the end of 2023 so it was pretty much a matter of what was available and it was easier to get a Kia that met all the criteria.

    5. In my city, you can’t even test popular vehicles. It’s crazy. I wanted to test a Sienna AWD (they are all hybrids) and there weren’t any and all the ones getting shipped in were pre-sold.

    7. Just bought one on a whim following the WSJ review and LOVE it. Am not a car person. Traded in a Mercedes because my kids wanted more room. Got the captains chairs and have been very pleased. Excellent price point.

  9. I’m going to Japan next week for work! (I’m very, very excited about this.) Due to the work component of this trip, much of my time will be spent in a conference center. Here’s my question: is artic air conditioning a problem in Japan? I need to pack…

    1. No. However, it is typhoon season so I would keep an eye on the weather forecast each day, esp if you are taking the train to travel from city to city. (I go to Japan many times a year for work.)

    2. I have a friend in Tokyo right now and she says it’s wicked hot and humid outside so be ready for that.

  10. Favorite things you did/ate/saw in Russian River, CA area? Coastal stuff too – willing to drive. Staying in Guerneville. Thanks so much! (Will be there early October)

    1. The best part was the river itself. Rent a canoe or kayak for a day to glide down. I liked Dawn Ranch for dinner.

        1. You’re welcome! It’s such a largely undiscovered gem. I pinch myself all the time that we get to spend so much time here.

          1. My family and I have been vacationing there for 20 years. I’m almost worried about the secret getting out! Gay men know it well already, though. :)

          2. Hahahaha, yes! I love that Tahoe overshadows it and it’s the “been coming here for years” place :)

      2. Oh yeah, Armstrong Woods is a don’t-miss!

        We also like mini golfing at Pee Wee’s and Johnson’s Beach, but that’s kind of how we are, love the old school stuff.

    3. If you like pinot noir and aren’t there with children, book the exploration tour & tasting at Gary Farrell vineyard.

      They claim that the biscuits at Piknik Town Market are the same as when it was Big Bottom Market. If that’s true, totally worth it!

      And definitely give yourself time to walk/hike in Armstrong Woods.

      1. I’m 12:36 and friends with the owner of Piknik Town Market. – they are the same. She was friends with the original owners and they passed along the recipes. The food there is completely leveled up though if you haven’t been since Big Bottom days.

        1. Thanks for confirming, and yes, I totally need to go back! I adore the Russian River area, but haven’t been there since pre-pandemic.

    4. Thank you everyone for the recs! Can’t wait for our trip – DH is from Napa and we haven’t been to the area together before. Happy to enjoy our 2nd anniversary there. :)

  11. cross posting from the mom’s site. 48 hours in denver with two 6 year old girls. what would you do?

    1. I don’t find Denver to be super kid-friendly in terms of a visit, but the Meow Wolf installation seems to thrill kids–I’d plan on going and spending about an hour or so. It’s big and can be overstimulating, but it’s super fun and worth the trip.

      I’d go see the Platte River area, do a little walk around if they’re the outdoorsy type or enjoy walking and then hit REI–I think they have some areas for kids and that area has cute restaurants and plenty to look at and do.

      Science museum is lovely and nearby so you might look into that.

      I’d pick 1-2 things to do but otherwise do stuff like get ice cream and walk around cute parts of town or take them to a park to play, perhaps see a movie, things that don’t feel like a once in a lifetime must see as kids can throw plans very off course quickly!

      1. It’s my kid’s favorite city and her grandparents live in NYC, lol. She’s really into airplanes though, and loved the Wings Over the Rockies museum. And the zoo was a huge hit too. It is a good zoo, I think. I’ve been to a bunch.

    2. Looks like it will be hot. Look for a park with a splash pad. There are many in the southern suburbs where I live, and likely also in the city itself.

    3. Don’t miss out on the Children’s Museum, it’s great! They have an AMAZING outdoor “climbing” adventure installation. Your girls are a fantastic age for this place.

  12. what’s everyone up to this weekend? we’re going to a local oktoberfest but that’s about it.

    1. My husband will be out of town, so I’m eating food he doesn’t like and plan to binge the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders show on Netflix.

    2. Saturday: We are going with a group of friends for dinner and to see a play at a small theatre that another friend wrote and stars in. And ver exciting — our contractor is coming on Saturday to talk about knocking out some annoying fix-it projects around the house!

      The rest of the weekend is blessedly free on the schedule. I’m thinking of inviting a couple of people over for a casual dinner.

    3. My college senior moves back to college into, I suppose, his last apartment early next week, so lots of packing and hitting his favorite restaurants and favorite meals before he heads back. I am such a homebody since the pandemic I didn’t even think of making plans for the long weekend.

    4. Mostly a lazy weekend. I have chores to do on Saturday and then I’ll meet friends to belatedly celebrate one’s 50th birthday. She has chosen a spot with about 5 food options and many choices of overpriced cocktails, so I’ll make myself dinner before. Then I’ll head to my boyfriend’s on Sunday and spend two low-key days with him.Happy to have the extra day with him since the birthday celebration is expressly “ladies only” because the friend is currently single.

    5. Chores, chores, chores. Bleh. Life has been throwing me curve balls and I’m just going to catch up on chores as much as I can, plus hopefully 1/2 day of weaving (my pandemic hobby that stuck).

    6. hopefully some exercise, and quite a bit of work for a big deliverable next week. But vacation is in sight…

  13. I need recs for trouser socks that fit big feet. I wear a 10 or 11 shoe size, depending on the brand, and I have bought so many dress socks that are practically child-sized on me. My toes wear holes in them within weeks.

      2. Ag, the issue is that while my feet and long, they are thin and don’t have much volume. Men’s socks tend to bag out on me.

        1. With this added info, I would look for Japanese men’s socks, or try men’s compression socks.

    3. Bombas stocks women’s socks in a large (size 11-13). Otherwise, try trendy men’s stores.

    4. Men’s socks for sure. Japanese (Muji or Tabio) and German brands (Falke), Paul Smith for stripey colours and luxury. If you need netting or sheer, get heel-less ones, or adult stores.

    5. If you’re cool with only black and navy and semi-sheer, the support hose at the drugstore come in sizes and the large fits me. I am 5 foot 10 with long shins and size 10 feet. And wearing light support/compression socks is good for you anyway. If your drugstore only has white or so-called “nude” you can get the same brand on Amazon. I’ll come back and post a link.

      1. https://a.co/d/eRXaCzO

        Here’s the nude, I’ve also found black and navy online, as well as a stark white, which I would never wear. Cvs has these in the sort of braces, trusses, old people area. I wear these for cross-country flights as well. Don’t wanna be Logan Roy

  14. out of curiosity did anyone get a significant amount of money from an UTMA account when you turned 18? what did you do with it?

    1. My husband got 25k when he turned 18 from his UTMA. He saved it, kept it in the market, and eventually used it to fund part of grad school and a house down payment.

    2. Not a UTMA but I had about $10k in a savings account from birthday/christening/sweet sixteen gifts. I knew my parents were putting the money aside but I was surprised by how much it came out to. I didn’t have a ton of student loans and with that amount plus living at home I was able to fully pay off my loans about 6 months after graduation.

    3. I cashed actual physical savings bonds from when I was a baby. Paid for decent chunk of a my first year of university. Still bummed that you can’t get the paper savings bonds any more for my nieces and nephews.

    4. My grandfather had a UTMA for me-I wasn’t aware of it until he passed away when I was 37. Used the $40k as a down payment for a house and am eternally grateful I would’ve definitely blown it on who knows what if I’d been younger. He was extremely frugal and he expressly hoped it would be used to buy a house.

      1. That’s really nice. What a great surprise from grandfather, and I’m sure he would be pleased.

  15. How totally out of it will I look if I wear Hokas to walk around Rome? I need something with decent cushion and support, but don’t want to be hopelessly the dorky American.

    1. On the bright side, you will blend in nicely with no-more-fashionable Germans and Brits?

    2. So you’re an American tourist. It’s a fact. Just enjoy your vacation (be considerate of locals and watch out for pickpockets).

    3. Maybe this makes me hopelessly unsophisticated, but who cares? You will enjoy your vacation a lot more if you have comfortable feet.

    4. What colour are they? If they’re all black, you’ll look like an overly sporty European with plantar facitis. If they’re white or orange, you’ll look a dorky Tourist.

Comments are closed.