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Splurge Monday’s TPS Report: Julian Floral Print Silk Jersey Wrap

Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. DIANE von FURSTENBERG Dress - Julian Floral Print Silk Jersey WrapI feel like we're seeing a lot of floral prints for spring, which can be hard to pull off at the office. I think this DvF dress — with its small, even floral — is a great example of it done right. The silk Julian dress is basically a classic, too, which never hurts. The dress is $345 at Bloomingdale's. DIANE von FURSTENBERG Dress – Julian Floral Print Silk Jersey Wrap Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail tps@corporette.com. (L-2)

Sales of note for 12.5

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

253 Comments

  1. Beautiful. I really want a DVF wrap dress – someday.

    Threadjack, right off the bat: I have always been a little sensitive about my lack of chin. I hate my profile. So recently, I’ve started thinking about a chin job. Does anyone have any idea how much that might cost? Are we talking $10,000? Less? More? I just have no concept of the ballpark figure. Also, what is the recovery time? I’ve also heard that insurance might pay for it if it’s for snoring (I snore). That seems a little far fetched to me, but of course would be awesome. Anyone know?

    1. I think you might mean a corrective jaw surgery, rather than a chin job, or at least that was how I read your question. I would recommend reaching out to an Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon, or doing some research into that avenue if the issue is your jaw alignment. http://www.aaoms.org/jaw_surgery.php

      1. I would visit a plastic surgeon first for a consultation. It doesn’t need to be that invasive. I had a chin implant put in about 10 years ago and it improved my profile a lot. Mine was done as outpatient surgery, on a Friday, and I went to work as usual on Monday. Pain was minimal and I’ve had no complications. It cost about $4,000 (Midwestern city).

    2. A good friend of mine had a chin implant put in – I’m not sure if that’s what you’re talking about. It added profile basically, to the chin, by putting in a small piece of plastic, I think. It looked great – totally subtle, like you wouldn’t know what was different if you didn’t know about the implant. It was definitely less than $10, 000 but I’m not sure how much. The recovery time being away from work/school was about a week I think but you have to be careful for about a month while it’s “setting”.

    3. People do get chin implants but I don’t know anything about those. I did have surgery on my upper and lower jaw and warn you that the recovery was intense. I was restricted to soft foods and had my jaw splinted for about two months. The results for me were life changing but I would not do it for purely cosmetic reasons.

      1. Yeah, I wouldn’t do something if the recovery time was that long. Corrective jaw surgery otherwise sounds about right, but it sounds much more intense. Now that I know that there are lots of options and that they aren’t all ridiculously expensive, I think I will go visit a plastic surgeon. I just didn’t want to waste my time if all of the possibilities would be totally out of my price range.

    4. Just throwing something else out there, but how well do your teeth align? I didn’t think my bite was far off, but after using aligners for the past year (invisalign) I’ve been really, really pleased with the effect it has had on my profile. (I just pursued to straighten my lower teeth.) It’s amazing what a difference your bite can make with how your whole chin appears. Anyway, just thought I’d mention in case useful…

  2. I love it, I want it, and at this price its more “reasonable” then some Monday splurge items. Still can’t justify it though. :-)

    Maybe it will go on sale! (ha!)

    1. I LOVE DVF dresses. Keep in mind that they run small.

      I was reminded today why I love Nordstrom. They matched the 50% off sale price on a bracelet from katespade and saved me the shipping I would have had to pay through katespade.

      2. Totally. I love asking for price matches from them. When I see something on sale elsewhere, I always check to see if Nordie’s has it. I actually chatted with a Nordie’s LiveHelp person this morning because several items from an order a couple weeks ago were additionally marked down. Whenever I do an order, I also throw a “wrong” size in my cart and click “save for later” so I by looking at my “saved” list, I can easily see what of my recent orders went down in price. Within three minutes, I had a price adjustment of about $90. LOVE NORDIE’S 4EVA!

        1. When they opened up a Nordstrom Rack in DC, it meant that they have to start charging tax on Nordstrom.com purchases shipped to DC. The first time I purchased from them after the Rack opened, this tax charge showed up and I called them because I’d never had a tax charge for an online purchase before (I could just metro out to VA and pay VA sales tax, which is less than DC) . They explained what happened, and the customer service agent said that they can’t refund me the sales tax because they’re legally required to charge it, but they gave me a credit in an amount equivalent to the sales tax. Amazing.

    2. I love this too, in fact so much that I would seriously consider buying it if I weren’t on a shopping diet right now. (Curse you, moving expenses! Curse you!)

      1. I would too. If I hadn’t spilled water on my laptop last week and had to replace it. Curse you clumsiness…curse you! :-)

  3. Anon, it depends on what you need to have done. If you simply have a fat pad under the jaw line, this can easily be removed by liposuction for around $1500-$2500 depending on where you live, and the extent of the procedure. Recovery time is very short (a weekend). Some bruising may occur, but you can cover it with a turtleneck or scarf.
    If you need to have more extensive surgery involving moving the muscles around the neck and jaw, you’re looking at closer to 5-6k and a week or more to recover, with more extensive bruising. The most extreme option is to break and move the jaw, which is not generally recommended for cosmetic purposes. Cost is closer to 10k, recovery time involves having your jaw wired for a month-6 weeks.
    Consult with a reputable plastic surgeon in your area. Ask about all of your options, and ask to see photos of his/her previous work.

    1. another option that they used to do at least was a small silicone implant in the chin itself – if the underlying structure is good but it needs a little more projection. Very inexpensive, incision between the lower lip and jaw, fast recovery and completely invisible externally.

  4. also, FWIW, DVF seems to have slightly altered the cut of the Julian dress this spring — it crosses slightly higher and there is less cleavage. I normally wear a camisole under my DVF dresses, but don’t need to wear one under the new one I bought from the spring collection.

    1. Ooo, that might mean I have to get one soon…after I have the baby! I love this print.

      1. Same here. Love this print! Curious to see what size/ shape my post-baby body will be. I don’t want to lay down major cash until I find a new equilibrium…. some time next fall? Meanwhile, it’s Old Navy and Gap for me.

      2. Apropos of the dress: my very best maternity score was a silk DVF maternity top from ebay, for like $30. Gorgeous geometric print. The silk jersey held up really well to my maternity klutziness.

    2. I don’t have any experience with silk jersey. Silk makes me nervous, because a spill generally means it’s ruined, and I always worry about sweat stains. Is silk jersey less problematic?

      1. In my experience, silk jersey used in DVF dresses is pretty hardy. I haven’t had any problem with sweat stains with mine, though I don’t live in a very hot climate. Spills have come out easily, and are usually not all that visible due to the pattern.

        Also, these dresses pack really, really well. Usually just a couple of quick shakes take out all the wrinkles.

        I may be biased, but I love these sorts of dresses, they are really classic. I have some from 2004-2005 that I still wear regularly and that look great. I think its worth investing in the real deal DVF wrap, they hold up better over the long haul.

        2. I even have a vintage 70’s DVF wrap (that sadly no longer fits me…I’ll be back in that size someday soon I hope!) that is still lovely. The collar and cuffs are a little bit wide for today’s styles, but not too crazy.

      2. i haven’t ever bought any dvf silk jersey, it strikes me as less substantial than some of the other brands at that price point that also do silk jersey. i have tons of tory burch silk jersey button up shirts and a few dresses and adore them. they wear very well, i’ve never had a staining issue and the fabric is substantial enough for it to not cling

      3. I’ve found that there’s silk and then there’s silk. The cheaper stuff doesn’t hold up at all. I’ve had good luck with better-quality knitted silk, including The Sweater That Refused To Die. It does need to be laundered after each wearing, though, as otherwise the armpits are at risk.

      4. re: armpit smells/stains
        couple of spritzes of white wine vinegar does wonders to deodorize. I also spray some in when I hand wash my cashmere sweaters

  5. Kate Spade… why oh why… my poor bank account :(
    If anyone wants to deliver the Orchard Valley Kelsey to me in green I will give you a billion LL points.

    2. Do you know there is a sample sale on? The don’t have the Orchard Valley Kelsey in Green, but there are good deals

    3. I am now the proud owner of the chrystie street large anisha. Thanks guys. My bank account, however, does not thank you.

    4. I just posted a separate comment (stuck in moderation) without realizing I was talking about the same purse. I lurvvvv the pink but I think it’s too… too… for the office. Anyone care to justify it to me?

      1. I think it’s really nice – it’s not like you carry your purse around with you all day so if you ever are concerned it’s too bright, you could just leave it in your desk. So long as you’re not pairing it with a bright pink suit I say you should get it.

    6. I’m not supposed to buy anything right now, but Kate Spade kills me. I like both the Wellesley Rachelle in vine, and the Baxter Street Large Catalina in sophronitis! Am trying to resist!!

    7. Saw the sample sale announcement on Facebook this morning and felt compelled to use the KS gift card that’s been burning a hole in my pocket for the last few months. The Grove Court Lexie is now on her way to me for less than $13 out of pocket. Huzzah!

    9. Does anyone want an Ivory Stevie? It’s almost new–I bought it last year and I never use it. Could give it at a brilliant price…

      On a related note, corporette should make a little marketplace for readers.

          1. Yes, I blame the Corporette comments section for hooking me on Kate Spade purses. I’m moving right now so I’m desperately trying not to get anything from the sample sale. Of course it would help if I didn’t keep looking at the website and drooling over the ones that I want.

  6. Threadjack! On Friday, my husband and I made the decision to go ahead with adoption! We’re not telling anyone because my mom, in particular, couldn’t handle the stress of us trying to conceive, investigating IVF and surrogacy, etc. And I can’t handle the requests for updates. So we know both of our sets of parents and all of our friends will be supportive, but we’re not going to tell anyone until it happens. (Well, I’ll probably clue my boss in when we get through the home study and our profile is active.) I am SO excited. It’s been years, and we had tried to resign ourselves to being DINKs forever, but I finally fessed up this weekend that I don’t think I can live happily ever after without being a parent, even if there will be risks. Yaaaaaaaaaaaay! Thanks for letting me share!

    2. Congratulations! I hope your adoption search will lead quickly and happily to the right child for you!

    4. How exciting! Are y’all doing domestic agency, state adoption, international, something else I haven’t thought of?

      My husband and I are very interested in adoption, but the whole process of deciding what avenue seems very overwhelming. How did you decide?

      1. It is so exciting! We started out wanting to adopt an older child or siblings from foster care, and we stopped fertility treatments for a year and waited a year to be put into a MAPP training class. Three weeks of horror stories later (and the social worker’s insistence that two little boys in her files would be perfect for us that we knew we were not equipped to handle), we dropped out of the process. We knew that just about any adoption out of foster care would be rough, but we didn’t know just how risky it could be. Some people can handle that risk (or overlook it), but we just couldn’t.

        And in our state, infant/baby adoption out of foster care is virtually impossible. But the biggest thing was just the tremendous damage done to the children either by the system itself, horrific abuse or in uetero drug abuse. Apparently oxycontin is way worse than fetal alcohol syndrome.

        That was two years ago, I think. We have quite a few friends who have adopted internationally, but we were never drawn to that because I believe in open adoption whenever possible to the greatest extent that everyone involved can handle the emotions of that situation. A lot of people prefer international adoption because they are typically very closed. But we also have a grown friend who was adopted as a girl from Korea, and she really opened our eyes to how tough that is for the child. She believes she was adopted with another little girl who wasn’t really her sister, and there were some other things she shared that gave us pause.

        And then about a year ago, my cousin in her 30s offered to be a surrogate for us. For a while we considered it (but needed to wait yet another year to possibly switch insurance and get some coverage for IVF). But the hormones really destroyed me the 1st time around (and now I’m on BC to suppress them as much as possible), and we were really worried that something could go wrong and endanger my cousin. So we couldn’t accept her generous offer. If something happened to her and her two kids were left without their mother, we’d never be able to forgive ourselves.

        So we’re going private, domestic and open. We haven’t decided about preferences regarding race just yet, and we haven’t talked through all of the details regarding special needs preferences. I do know that we will avoid family histories of schizophrenia, but that’s the only thing I know for sure right now. Depending on our preferences, it could take years to get a match, or it could take months. We’re working on finding the agency now and getting the home study done, and then we’ll need to make some tough decisions.

        1. Wow; thanks for the detailed response! I have the same thoughts about the foster to adopt system. I feel a little bad for thinking this, but international adoption is appealing to me because it seems like it can be faster than domestic adoption in a lot of cases. like you, I don’t like how closed they are, though. It’s such a complicated decision.

        2. Totally uninformed question – is the scenario from Juno the private agency adoption? Say one wanted to adopt a child that another family wanted to put up for adoption. Is that all done by private agency? Are there ways to do it without the agency such as being referred to a family by someone who knows you are looking and knows a family that needs help or are those illegal?

          1. Blonde Lawyer — I believe the Juno situation is a private agency adoption. Private agencies are still licensed by the states and I believe are required to conform to certain requirements, such as determining that the placement is in the best interest of the child, etc.

            I think if you just know someone who has a baby and want to adopt it, you need to go through some sort of formalized process to transfer custody and terminate parental rights — so you’d definitely need lawyers on both sides of the equation. Not sure how that kind of situation works.

          2. I believe Juno wasn’t an adoption agency because she found them in the Penny Saver? Adoption agencies are similar to matchmakers, from my research.

            You can definitely do a private adoption with the help of attorneys without an agency. Some attorneys even specialize in finding women who want to find adoptive parents for their babies.

          3. Yes, some people are able to find an expentant mother themselves and just use a lawyer or agency (depending on the state) to facilitate the paperwork, etc. Each state is different. However, I believe that by putting yourself out there advertising so publicly, you can easily become the target for unscrupulous people. I have (recently) heard of adoptive parents advertising online and talking to 20-30 “expectant parents” before finally being “chosen” and proceeding with an adoption. I don’t think I can handle that screening process myself. And advertising as an individual (vs. working with an agency and having a profile) is illegal in my state anyway. Technically, we couldn’t even put something on Facebook about it.

            I would “put it out there” to my personal network in case someone happens to have an acquaintance considering placing a child for adoption, but since I don’t want to burden my parents (or be burdened by them) at this time, that’s not an option for us. But it has certainly been known to work for some people.

            In our scenario, we will likely have a profile on file with a particular agency, and only expectants mothers that are working with the agency (and already being given certain funds for medical treatment or whatever) will go through a stack of profiles and hopefully pick ours one day. Some people shop their profiles to expectant mothers all over the country.

            As far as speed, I think international adoptions have slowed down and more of the children have health issues. In the US, it really depends on how specific you want to get with your preferences.

        3. Congratulations!! I am so happy for you and hope things will go smoothly for you and your family. My husband and I will be pursuing this soon, and I find your perseverance very inspiring!! Hugs!!

    8. Congratulations! I have some friends who are now adopting. From observing them, I can tell you that adoption is a marathon, not a sprint. The finish line is great, but don’t get too discouraged by any setbacks along the way.

    9. Congratulations! Sending you lots of good vibes for a smooth and successful adoption!

    12. Congrats and best wishes on your journey! One of my best friends just went through this and got her beautiful baby boy last week. This is such a wonderful thing to do. From watching my friend, I agree with the poster who said it seems to be a marathon and not a sprint, but you know what the say about long journeys. Congrats on taking your first step!

    13. Congrats! I have two different friends who did open adoption through states they were not residing in. They each ended up with really amazing little girls. It ended up being transracial, which has it’s unique challenges, but both have been such positive experiences. I agree with whoever said it was a marathon, not a sprint. My friend who adopted through Texas got stuck in Texas for 2 weeks while the government shut down. At least they had their beautiful little girl at that point, but they couldn’t leave the state because the adoption wasn’t finalized.

    14. Congratulations! I hope everything goes very smoothly for you. My youngest nephew is adopted – bil & sil found out less than a week before he was born that the birth mother chose them because the original couple she chose disappeared and nobody could get a hold of them. So, when you get to that point, don’t go on vacation 2 weeks before the birth mother is due!

    15. As an adoptive mother twice over I am thrilled for you! Best wishes for a speedy and unhindered process.

    17. Congratulations!!

      A friend who adopted three children said that when you’re trying to adopt, you should tell EVERYONE you know (obviously this is not consistent with your comments about not telling people) because someone may know someone who is pregnant and not going to keep the baby, but hasn’t found adoptive parents yet. From this perspective, she said it was like being unemployed and looking for a job–you never know who might have a connection that will be useful to you.

      1. Thanks for the advice – and I agree with it actually. I might change my mind about the secrecy, but not just yet. My mom’s well-intentioned questions and comments about reading this or that in the news have been very painful for me, and they’ve started to hurt my husband’s relationship with her because of it. I would certainly love the opportunity to provide at least an option for a friend of a friend (etc) considering placing a child for adoption – particularly since we’re planning to be as open as possible. We would love for the birth mother to be a part of our lives for the child’s sake, so that connection through the community could be amazing. I’ll definitely take your friend’s advice to heart…

    19. Congratulations, BB, this is so exciting and I hope you share your updates with us!

    20. Congrats! We are 2 years into an international adoption and have about another year to go before we bring a child home. I agree with those who have commented that it is a marathon and not a sprint.

    21. One of my closest friends just adopted (private, domestic and open like you) and several of my cousins were adopted as well (private, domestic and closed). You won’t regret it. Congrats on making the decision! And I think you are doing the right thing by keeping it quiet for the time being.

  7. Raise your hand if you were jolted awake by an earthquake this morning….

    * raises hand *

    1. Eep! Are earthquakes normal for your area? Scary, no matter what the answer is.

    2. I can’t believe that was only a 4.0. I was certain it was at least a 4.5, the way things were shaking in my house!

      1. Irk? I was all set to find a flashlight to reset my automatic gas shutoff valve, which triggers at 5.0.

    4. I didn’t even wake up :). Then again I’m not as close to the Hayward fault as you are mamabear. The 4.0 was pretty weak on this side of the bay.

      2. I’m in SF and felt it really strongly. I missed all the earthquakes last fall though. (My building is on bedrock so it’s pretty steady.) This one was loud though.

    5. Was already awake, but in bed trying to rationalize another 15 minutes to watch the news. DH was downstairs feeding the dog, said he didn’t feel a thing, in spite of every dog in the neighborhood barking their fool heads off.

      1. Adding that the epicenter was in the East Bay, but I felt it good and strong in the North Bay.

      2. My dog didn’t bark, she just looked at me accusingly like she was saying “can you keep it down please, I’m still sleeping over here.” So much for an earthquake warning from the animals.

    6. Very much jolted wide awake; DH too. We’re in Pac Heights, but on the fifth floor of our apt. building.
      (Then we both got woken out of deep sleep again at 7:00 am when his parents called from NYC to check that we were okay. !!)

    7. :raises hand:

      Moment of silence for my grandmother’s antique glass pitcher, which observed the event by jumping off its place of honor above the fridge and shattering into about a million tiny pieces all over the kitchen floor. This is why my favorite tea set is safely wrapped up in a box….

    8. I’m in the East Bay. I was convinced the big one was hitting and couldn’t go back to sleep.

    9. Am I strange that on my bucket list is to feel a (small) earthquake? I don’t live anywhere near a fault line (that I know of) but I’ve always been fascinated (with a good dose of healthy respect) by earthquakes.

      1. Me too! Although I’ve lived through a handfull I’ve slept straight through every single one.

      2. Having lived through two decently big ones, yes, you’re a bit strange. It’s hard to imagine how scary it will be until you’re actually in one, though.

    10. I didn’t feel it at all! I’m in the north bay area and it wasn’t as strong here but other people in my house felt it! I’ve actually never felt one despite living in CA my entire life. I guess when the earth starts moving I just think I’m awfully clumsy. :-/

    11. Not jolted awake, but was lying in bed contemplating getting up. Did not particularly care for the little jolt followed by the longer waves. I have lived here nearly all my life, and after 1989, every time I feel a quake, I always think for a second: is this It? As usual, very glad it wasn’t!

      Felt strong for a 4.0, I agree.

    12. It was a real jolter. I was already up and on my way out the door, and for a moment I thought it was the lack of sleep messing with my head. Scary.

    14. Within a minute we had two kids in our bed (and they’re not small, 9 and 11) so sleep was over for the night.

      I live in Berkeley at the base of the hills , very near the fault line. My house has stood 100 years and we’ve done absolutely everything we can to brace it, so we just cross our fingers, buy earthquake insurance, and get on with our lives.

    15. heck yeah! Pictures are all crooked, and falling shampoo bottles in the shower.

      I thought it was the precipitous arrival of the baby. No such luck…

      So then I started worrying about all the things we have to protect the baby from once it shows up – including earthquakes, which hadn’t really made it onto my list before.

    16. definitely felt it in oakland! i woke up maybe 30 seconds before it happened (premonition?) but went back to sleep. it was quite a jolt!

  8. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions for Netflix ideas. I ended up watching the Bill Cunningham documentary (loved it!) and re-watched the first season of Downton Abbey. I hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend!!

    1. Yay! So glad you liked it! I had no idea who the guy was before I watched it, and within about 5 minutes I was in awe.

    2. I watched 5 Downton Abbey episodes (season 2) on Masterpiece Theatre this weekend. Season 2 is being taken off the site tomorrow, BTW. I enjoyed it, but do not like having a TV show addiction, so I’ll just watch the last 2 episodes and be done with it!

  9. Also love it and floral prints in general. And I wear floral prints to the office regularly – I think on a shirt, it’s totally appropriate.

    Since we’re talking wrap dresses – where do you ladies get your slips? I usually wear my wrap dresses with a camisole underneath but I think a slip would work much better. I haven’t bought a slip in forever though and the ones I have bought were sort of accidental stumblings on, not purposeful purchases. I’m looking for something very simple and rather old fashioned, not one of those spanxx contraptions.

    1. Macys. I’m not generally a Macys fan, but they have a pretty decent variety of slips in-store. Full slips, half slips in many different lengths, etc.

    2. I like the Vanity Fair Body Fresh full slip that Kat recommended a while back. You can get it at HerRoom.com. It’s super comfy, keeps dresses from clinging, and is nothing at all like Spanx. That said, I also like the Spanx hide & sleek full slip; if you size up it’s not uncomfortable.

      1. I haven’t tried the Spanx one SpaceMountain (great name!) mentioned, but I would generally steer away from any that are stretchy/compression-y, because I’ve tried several (all bought at outlets like Vanity Fair/Maidenform, etc., because I could never find one IN a regular store), and they slide up like no one’s business!

  10. Quick review on the Botkier Eden that was featured last week, that I gave in to temptation to…

    I received it from Amazon the next day (even though it was 2 day shipping)…unfortunately, it was the size small not large. I double checked that I ordered the right thing (and I did). When I ordered it, the web site said “order soon! 2 left” I’m suspicious that they ran out and filled my order with the small instead. I like a large bag; I have a big notebook and my macbook air that I often carry to work, so it was a total no-go for me. The leather seemed nice enough, and the colors were pretty (I got the navy/green) but I didn’t really even take it out of its packaging because it had to go right back.

    They didn’t have any of the large left, and I didn’t like the other colors, and it was a total impulse buy, so I just returned it. Honestly, the thing I’m most proud of is that it’s already on its way back to Amazon. We have a stack of things in the corner of our bedroom that need to be returned that haven’t quite made it.

    The Kate Spade sample sale is calling my name, but I’m resisting. For now.

  11. A partner in my legal community “linkedIN” me to meet for coffee. I am a second year associate at a small firm and happy with my job but I thought it would be a good chance to expand my network. I also thought she might ask me to step up to some leadership in our mutual organization. I have no time to spare (and spent well into 10:30 p.m. to make up for the time lost) but agreed to meet for coffee.

    She is running for office. We talked about a lot of other things. The meeting was clearly mostly about her campaign. She did not ask for money or time or really anything. It was almost an hour and a half meeting. She said nice to meet you and we went on our way.

    Should I send a follow up message? I do not want to participate in the campaign (because I could barely meet with her let alone commit to a campaign); I do not have any money for donations (or even the coffee I bought on my amex); I would never even be interested in a position with the law firm where she is a partner. I do not want to give the wrong impression but, I do not want to be rude.

    1. Hmm, at first I was going to say wait for her follow up since she contacted you, but then what if that comes for some request for help?

      I think I would just send a brief note saying nice to catch up / meet you, good luck on your campaign / I will make sure to let friends and family that you are running (or something equally non-committal but still supportive).

      2. Thank you! That was my first inclination but I do not have time for more than that so I didn’t want to give the wrong impression. I think no note would be worse.

  12. How does the quality of the Banana Republic non-iron shirts compare to Brooks Brothers? I swear by the Brooks Brothers non-iron shirts, but BR has some nice spring colors in their non-iron shirts right now and I’m tempted to try them. I had a BR non-iron shirt when they first came out about three years ago that got floppy and shiny pretty quickly. Any thoughts on whether their quality has improved since then?

    1. So i can’t compare to the Brooks Brothers non iron b/c i don’t have any but I can say BR’s quality has gotten better with regards to thier women’s non irons. I actually worked at banana about 3 years ago when they came out with the first of these type of shirts and they really were pretty bad – got a lot of complaints about the quality. I no longer work there but bought one around x-mas and so far, it’s held up very well. I wash it on regular, cold, and hang it on a hanger to dry. no complaints so far

    2. I have both and love them equally. I bought my BR non-irons last winter, and after about a year of pretty constant wear, they’re still in great shape. Not floppy, not shiny. I wash them in cold in the washer, and then grab them right out of the dryer and give them a quick steam before I wear them in the morning. Ditto with my BB ones. I think the BB quality is fantastic, which is why I own several, but the BR ones are less expensive and tend to come in prettier colors. They’re also usually on sale with a 40% off coupon. BB is not. :)

      I say try one.

    3. I can’t compare to BB, but I really like my BR ones. Also, if you need a petite size, I’ve found that the BR petite sizes fit me really well. And definitely wait until you get a 40% off coupon in the mail. They do it all the time and it ends up being a great deal.

  13. Can you receive meaningful work as a junior in-house attorney? I’m in the beginning of my second year (litigation), and I’m getting increasingly tired of my job and coworkers. I worked all but one day in February, and all but 6 in January. And March is set to be similar. I never see my husband or my dog, and I cannot even imagine having a child with this kind of schedule (we are thinking about TTC towards the end of this calendar year). The partners and more senior associates I work with have zero regard for anyone’s personal life (I overheard one partner give an associate a negative comment on her review because she had to go home and relieve the nanny, and wasn’t available when he wanted her to be), and overall I feel like my firm isn’t very women-friendly (the only female partner we have doesn’t have kids, and there are no senior female associates with kids).

    In my review I said that I wanted to diversify the type of work I do / people I work with, and basically was told that because the case I’m on is so busy that I can’t realistically expect to work on anything else (or with anyone else) until the end of this year.

    I received a cold call from a recruiter last week about an in-house litigation position, and while I had always assumed that I would stay in biglaw for 3-6 years, I actually told her to call me back. Is it too early to jump ship? I feel like I have the Sheryl Sandberg commencement speech stuck on repeat in my head.

    1. That Sheryl Sandberg commencement speech was at my college. This year Obama is the commencement speaker. I wish they’d had such speakers when I graduated.

        1. W ’87 here.

          Elizabeth Dole spoke at our commencement. I remember specifically being disappointed that she had capitulated to “the man” when she said that although a woman can “have it all,” she can’t have it all at the same time and we might think about living our lives in stages or cycles. I am now 45. Sadly, I understand exactly what she was talking about.

          This is roughly equivalent to understanding exactly why Holly Hunter’s character takes her office phone off the hook for precisely 5 minutes to cry in “Broadcast News.” Which I also did not understand when the movie came out and now understand perfectly.

          Anyone else out there? Or am I too old for this group?

    2. I think the Sheryl Sandberg commencement speech was great — but I also think its something of a red herring. It shouldn’t be used to say “stay in a job you hate in the hopes of being successful one day” because god forbid you make decisions to make yourself happy. If you truly believe that this firm you are at is a dead-end, you should explore other options, while still remaining committed and working hard at your current position.

      But two years isn’t too early to jump ship if you are miserable (IMHO) — because at a certain point, your life is as important, if not more so, than your job and right now it doesn’t sound like you’re living your life.

      1. Oh — and can’t really comment on the in-house job issue — would almost certainly depend on the job. I think you can, but it depends on the job and the amount of work they keep in-house.

    3. If the things that interest you about being a lawyer are going to hearings/taking depositions/going to trial, you might be better off looking for a position with a different firm that provides you better opportunities to diversify, as opposed to going in-house. Frequently, in-house attorneys will manage litigation (working with outside counsel, etc.), but won’t be doing the litigation work themselves. I do think that moving into an in-house role early on could make it more difficult to move back to a firm in the future. But, that only matters if that’s the route you hope to take.

  14. Love the dress! Awesome pick by Kat!

    Threadjack– How often do you weigh yourself? How often does your DH/SO weigh himself?

    I weigh myself sporadically, when I remember and I often don’t. It usually works out to about 1x a month, when I wake up clear-headed enough to remember to go to DH’s bathroom and get on the scale post-bathroom break and before I’ve eaten a big breakfast. I don’t write down the number, but I know what’s healthy for my height and build and so far, haven’t had any negative surprises one way or the other.

    DH is a jock and when he’s training for something (10K, etc.) he’s hypervigilant about not losing too much water or muscle and he weighs himself every day, at the same time, and keeps a spreadsheet.

    My boss says he keeps a spreadsheet but does a weigh-in every 2 weeks, and with similar attempts to control time of day, etc. Boss also does Excel graphs of his weight, although he’s not a jock and training for anything.

    2 data-points do not a trend make, but…is this very detailed tracking of weight a guy thing?

    1. I have both male and female friends who diligently track their weight — they tend to be runners or otherwise fitness oriented. Some are trying to lose weight while others are trying to maintain or gain muscle weight. Most are very goal oriented and just like to have a clear tracking system.

      Most of the women I know who do it use some kind of program (many of which have been discussed here) and many of the men I know use excel. Not sure why that difference exists but its there. :-P Maybe its just because men have a weird love of excel. haha.

      1. Oh, and I weigh myself once a week to once every couple weeks or so. More if I’m trying to lose weight — less if not (which lets be honest, is most of the time). I have to keep something of an eye on my weight because rapid unexplained weight loss is one of the first symptoms of a flare in my GI condition, but otherwise, I try not to obsess.

    2. My scale happens to be right next to the shower, so I’ll step on before I shower in the morning – just out of curiosity. I don’t track it anywhere other than in my head.

      I can definitely understanding the tracking if you were in training (like your DH). It could be your boss has had health problems in the past and is keeping track for medical purposes? On the other hand, some people just like to know their metrics :)

    3. I get on the scale most mornings after I wake up (before I put on non-pajama clothes or eat anything), but I’m actively trying to lose weight so YMMV.

    4. I weigh myself at least four times a week, always either right before bathing or right after (since I’m in the bathroom anyway, which is where I keep the scale.)

      If I’m following my chosen eating guidelines, I’m typically happy with the number; if not, I’m not, and it’s useful to have a reminder. That said, I got somewhat dehydrated recently and then my weight the next day was down by about three pounds – so clearly water weight can affect what the scale says, too.

    5. When I remember to, which works out to be about 4x a week, I get on the scale as soon as I step out of the shower. My weight is very consistent, so it’s more out of a vague desire to keep an eye on it than anything else. I don’t track because there’s no point, the numbers almost never change, and when they do it’s by little enough that I’m pretty sure it’s just the scale.

      1. I’m pretty much the same. I weigh myself almost every day except on the weekends. I stay within about a 3 pound range, and when I get to the top of the range, I tell myself to be healthier for a few days. I’m not trying to lose weight really, I just want to be sure I don’t start a trend upwards without realizing it.

        1. Yes, this is exactly how I am. I have a range, and I’m trying to stay near the bottom of it, but I’m not particularly concerned with losing weight.

        2. is having a range normal? how big should that range be? i recently started weighing myself consistently only because DH bought a scale. i’m typically in a 4 pound range, but it confuses me because i don’t know how people who are watching their weight can tell that they’ve lost a pound or two. do they do it at the same time of day everyday so the range is at a consistent point? i’m a total newbie at this.

          1. 4 lbs is totally normal. Water weight and hormonal weight varies so much, it is best to weigh at the same time every day to avoid fluctuations, BUT if you eat a lot the day before, eat more salt than normal, depending on time of the month, etc., it can still vary a lot.

          2. I find that I have a range over the course of day – as in my weight first thing in the morning will be different from my post-dinner weight. But generally, I find that if weigh myself at the same time of day, under the same circumstances my range is pretty small (about 1-2 pounds). But as I said above, I’m actively trying to lose weight so I might not be the best point of comparison. Just the same, I’d say a range of a few pounds isn’t unhealthy.

          3. I agree that 4 lbs. is totally normal, and I usually weigh at the same time every morning. If I weigh in the afternoon, I’ll usually see a 1-3 lb. uptick from the morning weigh-in. If, for some reason, I got on the scale and saw 5+ lbs for several days in a row, I would be concerned. But during the holidays… 5 lbs was just turkey and pie, plain and simple :)

          4. 4lbs is totally normal. General weigh-in advice is to always do it at the same time of day to be as consistent as possible.

            As to when we know we’ve lost a pound or two? Because our 4lbs “low” becomes our 4lbs “high.” So making up numbers, if you vary in a week between 180 and 185, but the next week you vary between 177 and 182, you’ve pretty much lost 3 lbs, now as long as the following week you’re around 175 to 180 and so on and never get back up to 185 (unless it’s that time of the month, then all bets are off!) you’re on the right track!

    6. I weigh myself once a week on the same day at the same time and then log it in MyFitnessPal. I like their iPad app that allows me to track it over time, one, three and nine months. The online version of MFP allows you to create reports that you can print and you can specify the time period. So who needs excel when it’s all done for you?

      I find that the 4 week weight change is the most important thing for me to look at to be sure I remain on track. Weekly weighing also allows me to adjust if needed before any major weight is gained or lost. I won’t do a daily weigh in because the normal fluctuations drive me crazy.

    7. I weigh myself almost every day, but only keep track in my head. I’ve been maintaining a 30lb weight loss for about 3 years (thank you sparkpeople!) and weighing myself every day helps keep me in check, to make sure I’m not going in the wrong direction. I don’t obsess, though, and I try not to weigh myself for a day or two after I’ve eaten way to much sodium because I know it takes my body a couple of days to loose that water weight.

      I feel that daily weighing helps me maintain my weight loss, but like I said, it’s not something I obsess about, and if I’m a couple pounds higher than I thought I would be it doesn’t ruin my day, however, it does inspire me to be a little more careful about what I eat for the next few days.

    8. I don’t even own a scale, so I weigh myself about once every three months when I visit my parents, because they have one. I can usually tell whether I am gaining/losing weight based on how my clothes fit me, though lately, since I started the Couch to 5K program (on week 5 right now) my pants are starting to be too tight, which is alarming and annoying.

      1. Are you a pear or hourglass shape? I am and what I realized is that running just bulked up my lower body tremendously, to the point where all of my jeans were too tight. I switched to brisk walking on the treadmill and jump roping and the difference is significant. Read Escape Your Shape for more info on why running doesn’t work for everyone.

        1. I am totally the same… brisk walking / elliptical and pilates are definitely the best ways for me to gett some exercise without bulking up my bottom half.

        2. I find that when I start a new fitness regimen (start a new class, new weightlifting exercise)/bump up my current regimen (run faster and/or more often) that I go through a period where my leg muscles bulk up. It usually settles down after a few weeks – although those few weeks are super frustrating! I’m hourglass, FWIW. If you are enjoying C25K, stick it out and see if your legs go back down.

    9. Definitely not. When I was obsessed with getting lean, I would weigh every day. A higher number meant despair for the rest of the day. Don’t be like younger me! :)

      My DH weighs himself about once a month, when he remembers. I never ever ever weigh myself bc 9 times out of 10 it will make me freak out.

    10. My husband is also a hyper-weigher and hyper-tracker. I convinced him to cut the tracking down to once a week, because he was starting to get upset about little swings in his daily weigh-in, esp. when he’s training for something (he measures and tracks body fat, lean mass, weights for several exercises, caloric intake, and protein intake if he’s on a body-building regimen). The scale sits in our bathroom, so I tend to hop on it every morning before I shower. I don’t track my weight, and I’m not worried about 1-2 lbs. up or down. However, if I’m more than 1-2 lbs. under, it’s usually a clue that I haven’t had enough calories or water in the last few days, so I actually should eat/drink more. I don’t have weight issues, so weighing daily doesn’t change my thoughts/happiness/stress level FWIW.

    11. I never weigh myself. I don’t even own a scale. I’ll occasionally weigh myself at the gym out of interest, but I’d far rather concentrate on how I feel and how my clothes fit, rather than on an arbitrary number. My BF doesn’t weigh himself regularly either, and is a dedicated gym-goer.

      1. Same here. I do workouts that add muscle (via toning, not size) so of course the number on the scale will go up, but I look better and I’m healthier. I’ve seen so many women who do the same workout I do get frustrated because the number on the scale went up, even though they look so much better. And then they stop doing the workouts “because it’s making them gain weight” and they go back to weighing less but having a higher body fat and looking worse. This is why I think weighing yourself at all is a bad idea.

        1. Been there. Started doing strength training last summer and I love it. I’m stronger and more toned. But I have put on weight, which is scary and I’m trying to ride it out and not beat myself up about it.

    12. I never weigh myself, because down that road lies madness.

      Other than that, I just think weight is not the most useful marker of fitness or health.

      3. Ditto. I never weigh myself. If I’m eating healthfully and working out regularly, whatever I weigh is fine. If I’m not eating healthfully and working out, what I weigh doesn’t matter, either, because I know I’m not living a healthy lifestyle.

    13. I have a friend who was severely overweight and he decided to have a six pack.
      He tracks every workout, every weigh in, every calorie intake and documents with a daily picture.
      I, on the other hand weigh myself almost always by accident if I am at the gym and someone says let’s go weigh ourselves. That should average to about once every month

    14. Weekly every Sunday morning in my PJs. Right now I’m trying to lose a bit of weight, but I also am prone to gaining weight easily so it helps to keep track of things without weighing myself so often I get obsessive.

    15. I divorced my first husband after 10 years together (5 1/2 married) when I discovered he had been having an affair for over a year. Among the (many other unbelievable) things he said to explain his behavior was “I am not attracted to you any more because you are so fat and X (mistress) is in shape.” At the time I was 29 years old, 5’3″ and 117 pounds. He had a Detecto medical scale on which he weighed himself at least twice daily (triathlete and likely disordered body image/eating).

      That was in 1996. I have not weighed myself since. Every year at my Ob-Gyn appointment, I put my back to the scale and ask the nurse to write my weight in my chart without saying it out loud.

      Only last year did I ask how much I weighed. I weighed the same last year (at 44) as I did in 1996. So there.

  15. I tried this on, but even though it’s a small print, it was way too busy for me.

    1. Yeah, I’m not a fan of the print with a white background. It seems too harsh to me.

  16. So after advice yesterday on massage vs. facial, I’ve decided to get my first ever massage. However, I’m a little bewildered by all the different styles. What would you ladies recommend for a massage that isn’t actually painful but that works out the desk-induced back/shoulder/neck tension? Any tips/etiquette/what to expect type advice for during the massage?

    PS- LOVE the Julian dresses. I may or may not have three and trying very hard to resist this as #4…

    1. This might not be what you want to hear, but I don’t know that it’s possible to have a non-painful massage that will work out the tension. I have a lot of tension where you’re describing, and I’ve never had a massage that was actually pleasurable while it was happening. It does feel great after, though!

      1. Agree. I’d recommend a deep tissue massage for working out tension (which can be a bit painful), or Swedish if you just want to relax.

    2. My favorite is Thai, second favorite is Shiatsu. And I agree with AnonInfinity – a massage that doesn’t hurt won’t actually do anything at all to relieve tension. You should feel very uncomfortable (though no stabbing pain) during the massage, and feel so.much.better afterwards for days. I do yoga breathing through my massages to take my mind off the discomfort. I have a lot of tension in the same areas you do, and it hurts to get it all moving again.

      Unless you are doing Thai massage, which is done in yoga-type clothes, you should be naked. Massage therapists won’t actually see you naked. You get under the sheets when they are out of the room, and they drape the sheets very carefully so they don’t see your private areas. Underwear and bras, even bikinis, really get in the way of their work, so you’d only be shortchanging yourself if you don’t get naked. You can also request a female therapist to help make you comfortable.

      1. ah, thanks – I should have been clearer that I don’t mind discomfort, but was hoping to avoid the most painful styles (I think I remember hearing deep tissue was the worst?) – keeping it to a 7-8/10 type level.

        These are my choices:
        Swedish, shiatsu, deep tissue, sports, reflexology, aromatherapy & hot stone

        Recommendation for shiatsu noted :)

        1. Go with the hot stone and tell them in advance that it’s for muscle tension/pain, not just relaxation. They can use the heat to get much deeper in the muscles without the pressure/discomfort that comes with deep tissue.

          It doesn’t sound like you have a super high level of muscle tension – ie the type that comes with repetitive sports strain, etc – and as a result I don’t think you need to go all the way down the road to deep tissue, at least not your first time. Hot stone feels amazing and will result in a nice first massage; from there you can decide if you need more pressure another time.

          1. Oh deep tissue massage. It makes my top 10 list of Most Painful Experiences Ever (which also includes things like “falling off horse and landing face-first on top of fence,” so it’s not like I’m a wuss). But I cannot even describe the amazing feeling after it was done.

          2. a. — So true. I had a running injury last year that required some deep tissue massage. The massages hurt SO badly, and I felt like I’d been beaten up after. The next day was always great, though.

          3. @a – really? I loooove deep tissue massage. It feels amazing afterwards and I think it only hurts in a good way, like stretching.

          4. second the recommendation for hot stones. i had a massage this weekend – my back is all jacked up from a combination of heavy weightlifting and constantly sitting in a standard-issue desk chair. i get deep tissue massages, and the masseuse recommended that i try hot stones next time as well – she said the heat will be particularly effective on the knots in my back and shoulders. even if she’s just upselling without any physiological justification, i’m taking her recommendation anyway – that ish feels GREAT.

    3. I’m a fan of the traditional Swedish. Tip 18-20% leave it at the front desk when you pay. Also, tell your therapist its your first experience. Make sure to speak up if the pressure is too hard/deep. You may have moments where you feel slightly uncomfortable, but it should still feel good. Massages should never hurt. Also, drink plenty of water and prepare to become addicted!

    4. Honestly I just tell my massage therapist what my problems are and she chooses the best approach for my particular problems for that visit. Last time I hadn’t been in 2-3 months and it was quite painful because I had a lot of tension that need to be worked out. When I go every month, it is much less painful. That said, stay away from deep tissue. It’s painful when it happens and usually the pain comes back and then some a day or so after the massage. It works well if you can go get massages regularly, but not if it is a one-time thing.

    5. I like deep tissue because even though it is more uncomfortable at the time, I find it is more effective for me in terms of tension release. If you are concerned about discomfort (in any style of massage), I find it really helps to breathe through the discomfort. Have you ever done any yoga? If so, apply what you have learned about breath control at yoga to your massage.

    6. I’ve never found a deep tissue massage “painful” (probably within your range of 7-8/10), and I love them to work out desk-induced tension. Your massage therapist should ask the level of pressure you prefer/can tolerate, and you can always speak up during the treatment if it’s too intense.

      Swedish massage is the most relaxing, but I don’t think it really gets to the underlying problems, it just feels really good at the time. I’ve never tried Shiatsu, so I can’t compare.

      Definitely consider going fully nude. The first time I had a male therapist, I left my underwear on because I felt weird about it, but that was a mistake. They really are able to do a much better job when you’re not wearing anything, and I’ve never felt uncomfortable or “exposed.”

    7. I just had my first massage last week. I asked for deep pressure on the intake form but I think she went pretty light (maybe because it was my first time?) and even though I’m not super familiar with the styles, I would guess it was Swedish. It felt nice and relaxing at the time but I don’t think it did much.

      I used to see a chiro for ART and Graston so I have a pretty high pain preference for working out knots in my muscles, and I would’ve preferred deep tissue. But I can see where people who haven’t had that done might find deep tissue a bit jarring for their first time.

    8. If you live somewhere with a thriving Koreatown, you might consider a Korean spa experience. You can spend as much time as you want in a variety of jacuzzis (hot, hotter, warm, cold) and sauna/steam room, then a therapist scrubs you all over until you are softer than you were on the day you were born, and then the same therapist gives you a no-nonsense deep tissue massage. Beware: you will be useless until you wake up the next morning.

      As an example, check our www DOT natura-spa DOT come in Los Angeles.

      Also, they are very reasonably priced.

    9. thanks for all the advice ladies! Sounds like I have some debating to do about what type, but now I am even more looking forward to it!

  17. Favorite drugstore masks? Ever since acne issued died down in my late teens, I haven’t been good about using clarifying masks, etc. But I’m noticing my skin (generally clear with the occasional blemish in the T-zone area) could use a little deep cleaning from time to time. Any favorites for a clarifying / moisturizing product?

    1. I use Queen Helene’s Mint Julep mask when I’m feeling oily. I also put a dollop of it overnight on any zits that spring up every now and again.

    2. I love the Boots Botanics Clay Conditioning Mask from Target. It’s under $10 and I use it whenever I notice my skin looking a little worse for the wear. It really clears things up without drying my skin out too much.

      A word to the wise: I put it on about 10 minutes before I take a shower. It’s a green color and it can make a mess when you’re trying to rinse it off, so I just do it in the shower to avoid splattering green water all over my bathroom.

  18. Dry skin advice?

    I’ve always had really good skin, but we just moved from the humid midwest to Denver, and the altitude/dry air is killing me. The skin on my face is still fine, but so much skin is flaking off the palms of my hands that it’s starting to worry me. The rest of my body is just generally more scaly than I’m used to. To make things worse, most lotions really irritate my skin, even hypoallergenic lotions. The only lotions I can use appear to be really thick lotions, I go through the True Blue Spa Shea Butter fragrance free body cream at an alarming rate.

    I’ve never had to worry about my skin before, so I have no idea where to start in taking care of it.

    1. Do you have a humidifier? I know my midwest is humid in the summer, but really dry in the winter and I’ve been running mine pretty constantly this winter and it has helped so much with preventing cracking/dry hands and preventing bloody noses (dry air).

    2. I would get away from the shea butter. I have very sensetive, very dry skin and I only trust a very few hypoallergenic brands, like Ceptaphil, Aquaphor, Base Glaxol and the Vaseline Intensive Care. Be careful on taking too hot showers and just be hyper vigilant about putting on cream every night.

    3. CeraVe worked wonders for me. It goes on pretty thin but actually sank in and repaired my dry skin. I have severe skin issues from medical problems. Which brings me to the second suggestion, have you had your thyroid checked?

      1. I have my thyroid checked every few years because I have basically all of the symptoms of a thyroid problem, but it’s always fine. I find this more annoying than I probably should.

    4. I love Aquaphor for truly dry, scaly winter skin. Lotions never seem to do anything, but Aquaphor is basically a barrier between your skin and the cold air. It seals in moisture and, even more importantly, seals out harsh winter winds.

    5. It sounds like Aquaphor is the consensus for lotion. So my next question- should I be exfoliating? (imagine this said in a questioning tone that implies the speaker doesn’t really understand what it means) And if so, what should I use?

    6. I’m in Denver, and had very dry skin before I got here. It will take awhile for your body to adjust to the climate. We have a whole house humidifier which really helps in the winter. I use cetaphil cream on my body (daily, get it from Costco) and Egyptian Magic on my feet and elbows. What I use on my hands really varies, but I always have something with me. Try Egyptian Magic, Cetaphil and Vanicream (you get this from the drugstore). Make sure that you drink mostly water throughout the day, as this also helps. Welcome to 5280!

      1. Thank you for the advice. It’s good to know that things will get better as time goes on! We have a small bedroom humidifier, which I think we need to upgrade. I’m drinking water or tea constantly, since I get a headache if I go for more than 15 minutes without some kind of liquids.

  19. Does anyone have the Westbury Large Serena from Kate Spade? I’m thinking of purchasing it, but I’d love a review if anyone is willing to give it.

    1. I don’t have that one, but the Westbury tote (very similar but larger; I don’t believe they make it anymore)…I love it. It’s beautiful, comfortable, and it has held up amazingly well despite being my everyday bag for work and having traveled many miles. Despite it being a rather “standard” in appearance leather bag, it is complimented upon often. I saw the Westbury Large Serena on the sample sale and had it in my shopping cart briefly but instead opted for variety.

    1. looks like a bad attempt at the j.cew cafe capris that they’ve been making in all sorts of wacky prints.

    2. Oh boy. Those remind me of floral stirrup pants that I had in elementary school. They had a matching oversize long sweatshirt that had a stripe of sewn-on fabric flowers at chest level.

      1. They remind me a pair of floral jeans my mom bought me in the nineties that looked more like upholstery then jeans. I never wore them. She didn’t understand why. :-)

    3. You know, I was ready to be horrified with you. But the sleek cut and the lack of pastel makes it look pretty good, actually.

      1. So…I think I kind of like the print in the dress. But I just don’t get it in capris. Its so heavy and dark. And capris are summery. It confuzzles me. But I’m open to the fact that I’m wrong. :-) Its happened before and it’ll probably happen again…today.

    4. I think I saw these in a mid-90s Seventeen magazine styled with strappy platform wedges, a baby tee, and a spiky bun with chopsticks.

    5. yeah, floral pants are a thing now. i, too, had a great pair of floral jeans when i was in middle school – i think they were guess. i will not be participating in this trend. my lower half does not need flowers.

      1. I still have my pair of Guess jeans, muted floral pattern, ankle-length with a zipper at each ankle, from 1983 (junior year of high school)! They are a size 28. I now wear a size 29, so although I can get them on, they don’t fit. Thank goodness.

        1. i wish i’d hung onto my middle-school floral jeans. i was a fat kid and i’m sure i could fit into them now – they’d make a great halloween costume.

      2. I had an amazing pair of flowered jeans in my sophomore (maybe junior?) year of high school. I loved them. That was in 1983.

    6. Those pants are horrible. With the bright print and unflattering high waist, there is simply nothing redeeming about them. I have to say I did have a sweet floral jean jacket in the 80s.

      1. I purchased a pair of light colored floral pants to wear this year (they are the Citizen’s of Humanity ones in another colorway). I kind of like them. I found them to be flattering, but I’m small and thin.

    7. Hate them. Basically, my rule of thumb for pants is that I should not be wearing a garden on my ladygarden.

  22. Anyone have lots of experience with Priceline and know the answer to this question:

    I bought a hotel room in Boston for one night in May last night. This morning, I called the hotel to confirm that the room: (1) is non-smoking, and (2) has a King bed. Neither of these options was available at any stage of the Priceline bidding process. I just assumed that after you confirm a bid, you call the hotel to work that out.

    I called the hotel this morning and gave the reservations agent my confirmation number. The hotel agent told me that because I booked “through a third party” (she didn’t know it was Priceline when she said this), she can’t see my reservation or do anything with/to it. After a little begging, she took my name and number and said she would ask around and have someone call me back.

    This seems weird to me. Any advice?

    1. It’s been a while since I used Priceline, but when I used it, there was no guaranty on what type of bed you would get, or non-smoking, you just had to ask the hotel when you checked in. Most hotels specified the room would accomodate 2 people, so you would either get a king or 2 double beds (except in some markets you were only guaranteed 1 double bed, at least in New Orleans). All of that was set out on the Priceline website back then. I never had any trouble getting a room with 2 beds (which is what I wanted) when I checked in, but it was never guaranteed.

    2. That’s not right. I have definitely called several hotels I booked through Priceline to make sure I would have the right bed set up. Hopefully you can call back and talk to someone more helpful.

    3. I think that’s probably right – I had a situation before where the reservation hadn’t gone through to the hotel and my only recourse was to the third party provider. Your initial contract is with Priceline, not with the hotel, I would have thought, especially as your credit card is charged at the point when you make the reservation.

      In this case I would assume when you get there, you can ask for said preferences, but where these aren’t available on Priceline (and in my experience they never are!) you just ask when you get there and hope for the best.

      Sorry that isn’t very helpful but Priceline is cheap for a reason!

    4. Not really related to Priceline, but I’m still shocked that it’s 2012 and people can still smoke in hotel rooms. Maybe it’s because I don’t really know anyone that smokes and I live in a place that has a lot of antismoking laws, but I just find that gross.

      Anyway, according to my internet research, smoking has been banned in all hotel rooms in Boston. So you should only have to worry about your bed.

      1. I’m in Boston now staying at the Millennium and I had to initial an agreement with their non-smoking policy. That’s very reassuring for me. I did have more problems having my room “defeathered” when I got here. They didn’t seem to understand that I needed to have all of the pillow replaced because I was getting stuffed up just sitting on the bed.

        1. Hope you have a good trip and a good time NOLA! Looks like the weather is at least sort of co-operating. :-)

          1. Thanks! So far I haven’t frozen to death and since we’re just moving between buildings I haven’t even needed a coat. I hit Newbury St. yesterday (thanks for the tip!). I love Boston so I hope I get a little free time.

  23. What do you all do about entering into Outlook information for married couples who both work, each have their own cell phone and email and work address, and share only a home address and home phone? I haven’t found a solution, elegant or otherwise, for this.

    TIA.

    PS: Why hasn’t Microsoft (or someone) created standard fields for Spouse 1 name, Spouse 2 name, home address, home phone, Spouse 1 work address/phone/email, Spouse 2 work address/phone/email, Spouse 1 personal phone/email and Spouse 2 personal phone/email?

    1. Since they are two people, I would enter two contacts. Info such as spouse’s name can go in the notes section.

      1. Right. But then when I do a mail merge for Xmas cards etc., I end up sending two cards, one to wife and one to husband, both at the same home address. Oh, I guess then I should use some de-duplicate program to find the same home address on the Xmas card list, combine the two names at the same address and delete the second entry from the list?

        1. You can export Outlook contacts to Excel, vet the list there, then import to Word labels in a mail merge. Someone may know a simpler solution.

    2. I hope someone here has a good idea. Right now what I’m doing is making three entries — one for each spouse, and one for the household. The individual ones have all phone #s (work, mobile, home) and emails. The household one has the home address & home phone.

      It’s crazy.

  24. Does anyone know where I can get a DVF wrap dress on sale online? I have always wanted on.. I look regularly on yoox and bluefly but I never see good deals. I am a common size if that helps (6)

    1. Have you tried Ebay or something like that. I’ve never bought clothes on there but I frequently see new “still with tags” clothes for sale. Of course, people could tell me this is all a scam, but you could at least check it out.

      1. I love Dvf! I have over 70 dresses with an average cost of under $100.

        First, do you know your dvf size? Go to the store and figure this out first. Then, start stalking Saks, Bloomingdales and Nordstrom. If someone has returned a dress, Saks will list it for 50-70% off. But you have to be ready to buy quickly. Bloomingdales and Nordstrom will mark 30-50% off.

        eBay is good IF (big if) you can tell a fake from real.

        Ruelala runs dvf sales, but usually not for wraps.

        Good luck! I <3 dvf

        1. I don’t suppose you can be my best friend forever and look with me and alert me to deals? o_O

  25. BTW, you guys, I started reading the Anne of Green Gables series again this weekend bc of the Corporette discussion. Yay! I finished #1 and am now on #2.

    1. Love that series, and so sad I missed the whole discussion! The Emily trilogy is also very good. I have a huge L.M. Montgomery collection, even her short stories. Which aren’t always the best, you know. :)

  27. How do you store your leather bags so they don’t get creases in them? If I am not using one I put it in the dust cover (little bag) it came with and put it in my closet. Most of my bags aren’t structured though so then tend to flop over and get creases where the leather bends. Any idea how to prevent this?

    Thanks so much!

    1. Maybe stuff them with paper? I think if you keep the leather conditioned it helps, too, but I have questions about how to properly do that myself.

    2. I stuff them with paper and put the dust cover on so the straps stick out at the top. Then I hang them up. Voila, no more problems with creases.

      1. Same. If I don’t have a place to hang them I put them in a bin and put stuff (or other purses) next to them so they can’t flop over.

    3. i stuff them, but with old destined-for-goodwill clothes rather than paper.

  28. It’s a beautiful dress but very distinct. I feel like you could not get a tremendous amount of wear out of it before it got tired…like “Oh today is the blue print dress day.” It’s a lot to spend on something that’s not a basic.

  29. For the lawyer ‘rettes who have iPads…. are there any word processing apps out there that preserve your formatting and/or let you add footnotes? The last time I researched this was a good year or so ago, and the answer was no. Just wondering if anyone happens to know or can recommend an app.

    thanks!

    1. Oh, you have hit on a nerve. Why, why, why can’t I use Microsoft Word on my iPad? It would kill Microsoft to cooperate with Apple so that I can prepare and edit Word and PP and Excel documents on my iPad? Or are we still pretending that everyone who uses Apple products is a cool hipster who is too cool to actually edit documents?

      So far, the best approach I have found is to use either the gotomypc or pocketcloud app on my iPad to remote into my computer. Then, once I am connected to my computer, I can use all the software that is on my computer, including (drum roll please) Microsoft Word/PP/etc. It is not ideal because you don’t have a mouse, but it is the best I have been able to figure out.

      Curious to hear how others have dealt with this.

      1. Apple definitely thinks iPad users are too cool to require footnotes, that’s for sure.

        Had no idea there was a gotomypc app, so glad that is a possibility.

      2. Office for IPad is coming out this year so I think it’s just a waiting game now.

        And don’t be fooled…..one of the biggest sellers on the Apple Platform is Office for Mac. Both parties will play nice when there’s a dollar to be made.

  30. has anyone ever consigned at second time around? I’m in the middle of a closet sweep and have about 10 higher end new and like new items i’d like to make some cash off of. i made an appointment to go to my local second time around later this week (7th ave location) but i’ve since read negative reviews on yelp for this and other locations. apparently they “lose” consigned items and the consigner gets no credit/cash for them. it also looks like once the items “expire” even if they sell the consigner gets no credit/cash for them. any experiences? I’m thinking about ditching the idea. there’s nothing wrong with my items, they just don’t get enough play in my bursting closet. thoughts?

      1. I used an ebay trader called “Get it sold NY”- in the garment district. She does high end like chanel stuff and lower end like j crew. It worked out very well for me.

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