ByKat Hours Updated
Comments 223 Comments

Splurge Monday’s Workwear Report: Francis Dress

Blue Work Dress: Sportmax Francis DressOur daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. Happy Monday, ladies! I'm loving the tailoring on this sleek, happy dress from Sportsmax — the seaming on the body and the back of the dress looks gorgeous, and I like the slightly loose, almost belled sleeves. The dress is $750, available in sizes XS-XL, at MatchesFashion.com. Sportmax Francis Dress Here's a more affordable option in regular, petite, and plus sizes. Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail tps@corporette.com. (L-3)

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+

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

223 Comments

    1. It has a defined waist — usually that get’s a Yay from me. But the model in the video is substantially taller than I am (sort of redundant — that’s how models tend to run) and the skirt is still below-the-knee on her. I am thinking that that (plus, the SML sizing) is a tipoff that this likely won’t work on 5-4 me. :(

  2. This is lovely! I agree that the sleeve length isn’t quite right for sitting at a desk typing all day, but I’d probably take them up an inch or two so it’s closer to 3/4 sleeve. Otherwise, it’s gorgeous, and available in black as well (which is what I’d probably buy.)

  3. DH and I have done a thorough house re-org, and were considering having a yard sale. A co-worker mentioned that for his family, it’s easier to box up everything and donate it to Goodwill (or similar) and take the tax deduction. He’d rather not go through the hassle of setting up a yard sale, let alone haggling with people over a few dollars. I like his idea, especially considering that my main motivation is getting the things out of my space. Thoughts?

    1. If you itemize and are a high earner, the tax deduction is generally way better than what you can get at a yard sale, plus it saves you a lot of work.

      1. This is my experience too. The last time I moved, I sold a bunch of nicer clothes at a high end consignment boutique and some casual but new things at Plato’s Closet. The rest I donated. I was surprised to discover that I would’ve made more if I’d just donated everything. Even designer items, I didn’t get nearly what I’d hoped for, and I had to deal with getting the money from the boutique.

      2. Piggybacking off of this- how do you ladies organize your donations? I have a huge pile of clothes and misc. items to donate. How should I document?

        1. I just take pictures of everything (usually in open trash bags) and get a receipt from Goodwill when I drop it off. We haven’t been audited, though, so YMMV.

          1. What a great idea! They always give me blank receipts & I just try to guesstimate… but taking pictures is so much easier!

        2. The tax software I use has a “donation estimator” where you select what you donated, the condition it was in, and it gives you an estimated value. So I make a list of that before I donate it, and Goodwill (where I usually donate) gives you a tax form you fill out yourself, so I just put my list on the back of that.

        3. Itsdeductible.com. It provides approximate values for everything. Turbo tax can automatically download the information, if you use it.

    2. For me, Goodwill is the better option. There are a lot of reasons that probably don’t apply to you, such as lack of substantial front yard space and fears of bringing strangers onto my property to have a look around when I live alone in a place where things could go very very wrong. But beyond that, the one time I did one I had terrible experiences with people being rude and one very strange team of buyers who ended up stealing things I would have give away if asked. Goodwill means I don’t have to tag or price anything and I can do drop-offs at my leisure.

    3. Whenever I’ve done work to sell my used things, I almost never feel duly compensated, like it was way too much work for the scant amount of $.
      (one exception: selling used mattress on Craigslist. Buyer came same day.)

      I much, much prefer to give away. AND Goodwill WILL make sure it goes where it’s needed, whether it’s to a recycler, another charity, etc.

    4. I’d donate to a preferred charity. Or get a neighbourhood kid to run it and split the profits? Garage sales seem like such a hassle.

    5. I donate everything except gently used big-ticket kids’ items (baby furniture, bikes, play kitchen, etc.). Those I sell on Craigslist. We had one successful yard sale with all of our baby furniture and gear, but otherwise we have had little luck getting the right buyers to show up to yard sales. I have tried consignment sales and secondhand stores and it’s just not worth it.

    6. If you just want to get rid of everything quickly and be done with it, Goodwill is probably the way to go. If you’re considering a yard sale, give yourself a window – either pick a Saturday sometime in the next 4 weeks right now and stick to it, or tell yourself if you can’t manage to plan and execute the garage sale by the end of, say, June, you’re hauling it to Goodwill.

    7. One thing to think about in lieu of Goodwill – there are lots of organizations that will take professional clothing (mens and womens) to donate to people who are trying to get back into the workforce after homelessness, incarceration, domestic abuse, etc. Whenever I’m donating professional clothing (including shoes and bags), I try to find these organizations that are a bit more targeted, so I know that the clothing is truly helping someone in a meaningful way. It’s another trip (in addition to Goodwill) but may be worth it depending on what you’re donating.

      2. Yes, I did this last summer. I took DH’s clothes and my more casual stuff (t-shirts, athletic shorts, etc) to Goodwill and then took my sweaters, old suits, dress shoes, bags, etc to our local YWCA.

      3. Great suggestion! I should have done this when I donated a bunch of stuff to Goodwill last year…

      4. Agreed. In SF, St. Anthony’s has a “store” where people can pick out a certain number of items per month at no cost. They take all kinds of clothes in good condition. I still drop housewares off at Goodwill, but love that at St. Anthony’s my donations are going to someone who really needs them, at no cost.

        1. SF General Hospital Foundation has a program like this too for people who are trying to re-enter jobs/work life after being hospitalized for critical mental illness crises. It’s called the Vocational Rehabilitation Program.

      5. Along these lines, and this may be too specific, but by chance does anyone know of a place to donate furnishings in the Dallas area? I have an area rug and a lot of organizational totes and bedding (close to new condition) that could be useful for someone heading off to college or starting out in a new place. I’d rather it go directly to someone vs. Goodwill or similar thrift store charities.

        1. Habitat for Humanity has a retail store (ReStore) in my city, and probably in most others. My sense is that some of it goes to families who are in the program and some is sold in the shop, but it could be all sales, like Goodwill.

          1. Oh wow, I had no idea ReStore was a thing, but it looks like there’s one near me as well! I’ll definitely keep them in mind next time I’m looking to offload some stuff.

    8. I’m way too lazy to have a yard sale. Anything you don’t sell at the yard sale would probably have to go to Goodwill anyway.

      Yoy could also put stuf on Craigslist or yoyr neighborhood Next Door site.

    9. We donate unless it’s a high dollar item or something Goodwill and the like won’t take. We maintain a spreadsheet on google docs throughout the year of items we’ve donated, take pictures of the donations and get a receipt when we donate. We also have not been audited (knock on wood).

    10. Yard sales are not worth the effort if you itemize taxes. Instead of taking things to Goodwill, we have the Purple Heart Foundation pick up our donations. Other organizations do home pickup as well.

    11. I let my husband talk me into a yard sale a few years ago, and it was awful. Lots of work plus someone stole something. I was disproportionately angry and sad about that. Also, everyone expects to haggle, and I don’t enjoy haggling over a single $1 item. Just donate it. If you have a lot of housewares and furniture, though, a local used furniture store might come out, evaluate it, and give you some money.

  4. Guess who drove to work in her Lexus this morning? I bought it, and I love it!

    Thank you all for your support during my first world freakout on Friday.

    2. Yay! Pricey Monday’s! I love pricey monday’s and this blue dress! It is exactley MY color, and now that my tuchus is in shape, I think I could wear this to court! I will show the manageing partner.

      As for the OP, Yay also! My dad turned in his SUV for a new Lexus also. Now that Rosa is not bringeing the kid’s down every weekend, dad said he did NOT need the Inviniti SUV which he said drove like a truck. Mom backed it into a wall at Rosevelt Field so he was glad to be rid of it. Now he onley wishes I can find a guy to MARRY me so that he can buy another one. I first need that guy to impregenate me, I told him, and HE told ME that Sheketovits was not the one. Thank GOD he now finalley think’s my way about that drunk!

      I still have NOT met any one decent, even tho I have lost alot of weight in the tuchus. Dad says for me to keep getting out there on the street where men can see me, but the onley ones that see me are construction guy’s who just want to make clicking sounds with their tongue’s. GROSS! Do they realy think I just want them for that? FOOEY!

      This week, Margie is comeing in and we are goieng to L&T for a shopping spree. I will buy my summer outfits there b/c they let me take stuff back if it does NOT fit. YAY!!!!!

  5. Is there anything we can do about video ads that automatically play on the page? If I hit pause, that only pauses the ad until the next one loads. It’s really slowing down my browser.

    Also, one of those video ads was for KY. I… really don’t need that playing on my work computer. I’m working on a new computer so I know it’s not because of something I clicked on.

    2. Can you use a different browser? I use Chrome with the AdBlock Plus extension and that does the trick. There may be similar product for IE. You could probably get your IT department to install an ad-blocker without an issue if you can’t self-install. There are plenty of legitimate work reasons to need to prevent pop-up ads.

      1. I’m using Chrome. I just tried an ad blocker so we’ll see how that works out. Thanks!

    3. +1

      She asked us once to right click and copy the link to the ad and send it to her via email so she can track it/follow up with the ad company, but the ad slows my computer down so.damn.much that I can’t even get that far to do it.

      1. AAACK I haven’t seen that KY one — I just went in to try to find it and can’t. Was it for a store selling KY (like Target or something)? Or was it just the brand? (For the record I have both “sensitive categories” and “video ads” blocked on Adsense — these ads sneak through when companies insert the ads in different categories, purposely lying. In order to review ads I see them 8 to a page — right now I have 63K pages to go through. (Not an excuse, just an explanation — I’m really sorry these stupid ads are happening; I’ll see if we can do a post soon on how to block video ads.)

        If the ad was above the fold (at the very top of the page) please let me know asap and I’ll go get shouty with my ad network. Sigh.

        1. The KY ad was in the video ad box above the comments section, below the bar of ads for articles around the web. I think it was an ad for KY jelly itself, not for Target. It showed a scantily clad woman with someone’s hands all over her.

  6. Can anyone recommend a retailer who sells nice plus or busty “in-betweenie” silk blouses?

    I own several of BR’s silk blouses from a couple years ago, but of course they’ve changed their styling just enough this year that the same size now gapes terribly over the bust.
    http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=251395032&vid=1&locale=en_US&kwid=1&sem=false&sdkw=heritage-silk-long-sleeve-top

    I like the style of some of Everlane’s silk tops, but their Large is an 8-10 according to their size chart. Violetta has some in the style and sizing I want, but they’re poly-blends, and I find their quality to be mixed for the price point in terms of work wear.

    Have any of you figured out where to buy dressy silk blouses that accommodate larger busts? Thanks!

    1. I have found that Talbots and Pendleton have blouses that expect me to have more of a bosom that I do. Like substantially more. Maybe start there? They both have large sizes (and Talbots has misses petites).

  7. Wedding gift ideas for a sister I love but am not particularly close with? My (much older) sister is getting married soon, in a very casual backyard wedding. I don’t particularly want to just give cash…it seems weird, since she is my sister and all that, and particularly since she is my much older sister, it feels almost like giving your parents cash, which is weird. I could do a gift card, I guess, although I’m not sure where to – they are very DIY people, live in the country, own their own business, grow veggies and make their own beer, while also being super crunchy health nuts.

      1. Hydroflask also has awesome pint glasses. They keep a beer cold and won’t shatter if you drop them outside.

        What about a play on champagne flutes and a bottle of champagne? I’m thinking two hydroflask pint glasses plus a growler of local craft beer plus a gift card to Lowe’s/Home Depot/Local hardware store.

        Alternately, try and get other siblings/guests to pitch in and buy them a canoe.

        1. I love this idea: two hydroflask pint glasses plus a growler of local craft beer

    2. Maybe a donation to a charity or cause they support? They don’t sound like the type of people who want or need more stuff.

    3. Can you do some research and find an awesome farm-to-table restaurant in their area, and get them a gift certificate? Sounds like something they would like.

    5. That could be my sister if she were younger, instead of older. My sister and I have such wildly different tastes that I gave up guessing a LONG time ago (and wish she had done the same, sigh). My move is to ask my mom what she is into or would like as my mom has a better handle on that sort of this generally. I will say that my sister and her now husband would be MORE than happy with cash. I have done gift cards in the past, which are well received but they live so far from any stores that cash is often more useful.

      Absent that move, do you know what type of beer they like? You can buy them a sampler of kits on Mr. Beer if you have an idea of what they like to drink. You could buy them a sparkling one, which might be a little more celebratory in feeling. Or one of the more expensive kits that they might not be interested in purchasing on their own.

      Food is tough with people who are super crunchy health nuts (I am mildly crunchy) because people can be very picky about where the food comes from, what it has in it, etc. I’d probably stay away from food gifts, unless you know specific specialty items they like. If you do know what they treat themselves with, perhaps pair some of those items with a specialty beer kit?

      2. Do not give someone who already homebrews a Mr. Beer kit; they already own the equipment… and it’s probably better quality.

    6. Gift card to whatever “local agrarian hipster artisanal” restaurant for a nice meal out? Or a a GC for whatever fancy hotel is within fair driving distance?

    8. Are they registered? My sister gave us odd lots of a few thing which finished out a number of sets for us. (For example, two sets of flatware and a bowl. Random but very appreciated.)

    9. Penzey’s does a wedding crate of spices, some of which is based on certain traditional spices for luck (nutmeg and cinnamon, among others — for whatever reason)

    10. They probably already have it, but I got and loved a share to a local CSA for my wedding.

    11. Gift card to a local greenhouse that is enough to buy a tree? Or, if in a small town just call the green house and they can either send over something they know your sister will like or can send over some potted plants or flowers with a gift card. Lots of greenhouses have giftware and fancy planters etc

    12. This is very specific but the first thing I thought of was a Peruvian alpaca blanket. You can get them from certified fair trade outlets, which would satisfy the crunchy. There are weaving and spinning communities in those areas that really depend on the income from sales of blankets and yarn.

  8. Anybody have a good recommendation for a daily use zinc sunscreen? Tinted is fine, or sheer would be even better if it is really sheer and you don’t have to rub it in. Thanks in advance!!

    1. Cera Ve Facial Moisturizer. I wear it over my skincare/moisturizer and under makeup. I also carry a Colorscience powder brush (SPF 5o) for touchups if I go out mid-day during work and don’t want to mess up my makeup. Both mineral based.

      Also like the LaRoche-Pousay light sunscreen fluidbut I wear that when I’m going to be out all day and need frequent reapplications. It’s more expensive so I wear the less expensive stuff on a day to day basis. LRP has 2 kinds – one is mineral, so read the label carefully.

      1. + Cera Ve AM Moisturizer with zinc. It wears well under foundation or tinted moisturizer

    2. Kiss My Face facial lotion is good. I also use the Yes To Carrots (15) and Yes to Blueberries (30) for travel (the size / packaging works well and it’s at the drugstore) but I believe that’s a mix of zinc dioxide and titanium dioxide.

      1. I liked the KMF one too. It was pretty light and didn’t cause any issues with my sensitive skin. I recently switched to VMV Armada sunscreen, and honestly don’t see a huge difference…but there’s a massive jump in price (it’s $50, and I think KMF is like $10).

    3. Suntegrity – I like both of their options for face (one is tinted and one is not). The untinted face sunscreen is also almost identical in formula to the body one, so you could save some money by using it instead. They have a good sample program so you can try before you buy.

    5. ELTA MD clear is my newest go to, love it! I am acne prone and judging by genetics have rosacea to look forward to and this has been amazing in terms of not causing my skin to freak out, as it often does with just about any sunscreen

    6. Untinted: Olay Sensitive Skin (they have two forms so have to check the label)
      Tinted: Tarte BB cream

    7. Keys moisturizer with SPF 30 uses zinc oxide as the active ingredient, and the texture/color is SO much better than any other sunblock I’ve tried. It feels like normal moisturizer and the zinc doesn’t make my skin white. It also plays well with makeup. Look it up on Amazon and see the rave reviews…

    8. Not sure if you’re still here but my life was changed by Elta MD. Never wore sunscreen regularly before I found it despite buying approximately 50 different kinds over the years.

  9. I think Runner 5 commented last week about an app she uses to track workouts called rewire. I tried to find it over the weekend, but I don’t think I found the correct one. Any clarity is appreciated!

    Side note: over the weekend, I heard someone said something like this: I am always willing and able to get up early when needed for work, no matter what. Why wouldn’t I get up to work out? If I am willing to get up for work, surely I’m willing to get up for my health.

    That statement totally motivated me to get up this morning.

    1. The app is called Rewire – I’m on android though, so I don’t know if it exists on iPhone. I think it’s described as a habit tracker.

    2. This sounds ludicrous…but the Rock launched an app called Rock Clock…and it has been the single best addition to my mornings. I am the laziest person in the world, but somehow, this app motivates me to get up at 4:45 and go to the gym and get stuff done before work. WTF?

        1. Oh thank goodness, I thought I would be mocked :)

          It’s really fun. He wakes you up with song and then has a video message; it’s the only thing that has gotten me out of bed without snoozing 15 times

      3. I hear Donald Trump tell me I’m such a loser when I want to sleep in and I am all like hell naw f you. I am not a loser…. I know. Therapy. But it works…

      4. I’m downloading this too – maybe it will curb/eliminate by bad Snooze Button habit!

    3. I am the opposite as that person. I have no problem getting up at 4 or 5 to run, but if it’s a rest day and I’m just getting up to go to work, even 8 is a challenge. Scheduling morning workouts is really the only way I can make myself get up to then drag myself into the office after…

      1. This is me, as well. My alarm goes off at 4 am and I hop out of bed. If I’m not working out that morning, then I will sleep 20 minutes past my alarm before I drag myself out at 6:30ish.

  10. Has anyone ever moved while away from home? I’m going on a trip tomorrow for six weeks and need to be out of my apartment by the end of June. Any tips?

    1. I did this once. I had really amazing friends who went above and beyond. If you can afford it, you can definitely pay people to pack you up. That’s how the military does it, and they move a lot.

    2. yes- I was out of town the day I had to move. I packed everything before I left, hired movers in advance, and my parents were there the day of the move to deal with last minute stuff.

      But my tip to you is pay whatever it costs to stay longer in your apartment. Unless you have very nice parents or a sibling or something you can’t relay on movers to do this for you. In fact if this is a work trip you might consider flying home on weekends.

      2. I did this. I had to transfer before I could move. I left a key with a friend who lived a block away, paid movers to pack me, and paid a cleaning service to come after the movers took my stuff. I had been in that city for less than a year, so there wasn’t much for me to do to prepare for the movers.

    3. typically you would move out before leaving for the trip. see if you can schedule everything (including a cleaner to come after everything is out, depending on your lease) and see if you can have a trusted friend there day-of to monitor.

    4. I’ve also done something similar. Definitely hire packers to get all of your stuff organized, and I travelled with a bit more than normal just so I’d have the necessities for my new place. You can do this! Hire help (can’t say that enough).

  11. Getting our house ready to photograph and show for sale — we have a good handle on the usual tips, but anything you wish you had done that you didn’t think of in time, or things you did but regret?

    1. don’t believe your agent/photographer company when they say “oh we’ll move [xyz unattractive item] out of the way” — we ended up with our old beater box fans in our pictures (it was warm out, but our building hadn’t switched over to AC yet) despite specifically requesting they be moved.

      1. +1. My agent was pretty bad about noticing things. I didn’t care if the dishtowel was crooked or the dog bowls weren’t put away while the house was being shown, but it drove me nuts whenever I saw the picture online and those little items weren’t fixed. I think the listing pictures look best if things are crazy neat.
        Flip through the listing sites and you’ll see what a difference there is in picture quality.

    2. As someone looking, put your stuff away. Why are there 4 dog bowls on the kitchen floor? Why is your bathroom cluttered? Do you need those 5 giant house plants? If you think you’ve gone as sparse as you can, go back and try again. Especially in the kitchen. They really do look better with absolutely nothing on the counters, even though obvi we all know we are covering them with crap too. And take photos that show me what is outside the window- is it a brick wall? If you aren’t showing it to me that is what I am assuming. And if you have a dark or dark colored shower curtain replace it with a light colored neutral.

    3. We cleared out about 50-75% of stuff in every room because our house otherwise looked really cluttered. (We rented a storage space, which helped immensely.) And we kept it that way during showings — thankfully, we got an offer after only 5 weeks on the market. It felt weird to have so much less stuff, but it did wonders for getting our house ready every day in the morning (because you never know when a showing is going to happen) since there was so much less to worry about.

    4. One thing I hadn’t thought of: We got our windows cleaned (along with the whole house), and our agent pulled all the blinds all the way up to the top for the professional photos. I thought it would look ridiculous, but it didn’t because there was so much more light, and the windows were SO CLEAN.

      +1 to MAJOR decluttering. We also rented a storage space and put tons of furniture, clothes, other random stuff away. Our agent’s rule was that our closets should be less than half full, with little to nothing on the floor.

      Good luck!

    5. Really make sure the photos are good. Some agents will take decent photos but they aren’t that good or the angles are bad, etc. Get some help from a friend who’s good and has a good camera with a wide angle lens to make the shots of rooms look decent – and review before they are posted. Second the comment about decluttering many times over. The general goal is to make the house look as empty as possible it seems. We weren’t in a position to really stage the house though friends who sold condos were and did (and they sold fast so there’s something to that I guess…)

      When I was living along and selling our house our agent told me to not make it look like I lived alone, since I might be targeted that way. I put out extra toothbrush, a men’s razor, and men’s shoes. YMMV on that one.

    6. Store any really personal items, such as framed photos or art that caters to very specific tastes. Potential buyers want to see themselves in your house, not be reminded that someone very different from themselves owns it now. You may not want to live in a generic looking house but your photos need to look that way.

      Go through every room with a moving box and store items on surfaces- including small appliances. You should have very few items on your countertops, mantle, shelves etc. This will make your house look more spacious and,again, generic.

      Look at photos of similar houses that have been staged. You can’t do anything about your furniture (stagers use small furniture) but if you can store things like ottomans or extra side tables to create more space around your main furniture pieces, that helps.

      1. Ps my credentials- We didn’t use a stager but our realtor was asked for a referral to our stager by other realtors at our open house, so I guess we did a good job!

    7. Please don’t let them use a fish-eye lens. It makes the rooms look like a fun house and makes me assume they are so tiny you couldn’t get a shot with a regular camera!

      Take pictures of the yard, kitchen, all bathrooms and probably each bedroom. If I don’t see pictures I assume they are a disaster.

      Not for the photos, but when you are decluttering take out anything expensive/sentimental/fragile, and if you have any expensive jewelry you are keeping in the house put it somewhere you can easily take it with you for showings.

    8. Lock up or take out of the house anything that could be stolen that you care about that would fit in a big purse. People will go through your drawers, fridge, cabinets.

      1. My house is on the market now. We have a drawer that screams “open me” in the bedroom and it’s full of “gardening tools.” If anyone has the cajones to go through our drawers they’re gonna get to know us more than they ever imagined!

    9. One thing I always notice in MLS photos is when the toilet seat is up and I think it is really weird. Actually, I notice that whenever people leave the seat up. My parents were nazis about that when I was a kid so it is ingrained in me to lower the seat every single time.

    10. Our agent had a pro take pictures and it was definitely worth it, particularly with angles and lighting. Also get rid of or pack up/store as much as possible… It makes the house look so much better, and makes it easier to keep clean for showings, and makes it easier when you actually move to have it half done already.

    11. Before House is Photographed:
      -Think about what you want to highlight. What are your houses’s strengths and weaknesses? Go over them with the photographer before they start shooting. For example, you don’t want the picture to show that the view off the kitchen is a parking lot. Or, the tile in the shower is dated and you want the shower curtain kept closed. On the reverse, maybe you want to highlight the gorgeous wood floor and want them in a shot. Or the new gleaming appliances in the kitchen.

      -Clear most of your surfaces. A few decorative objects are fine, but you want your counter space (bathrooms and kitchens) to be clear and open. Credenzas, coffee tables, desks, book shelves should be clutter-free

      -Size up each room…does the chair in the corner crowd it? Slide it out for the photograph

      -Wash windows and open all blinds, drapes and curtains

      -Buy a nice flower arrangement. Move it from room to room as needed to highlight a space during photography.

      -Remove all grooming products from the bathrooms and close the toilet lid. No mouthwash, toothbrushes, etc on the counters or shampoo in the shower.

      Before A Showing:
      -Turn on every single light in your house and open all blinds and curtains

      -If your house has any audio equipment you want to highlight (whole house intercom, built-in speaker system, etc.) set it up to play some light, pretty instrumental music

      During the For Sale Period:
      -Vacuum and sweep your floors every night in case a showing comes up

      -Regularly air-out the house and Febreeze your soft surfaces (uphosltery, rugs). You don’t want potential buyers being turned off by the smell of last night’s dinner.

      1. My house is on the market right now and I’m not doing even half of these, but now I have a nice list to use to check things off! Especially the “before a showing” and “during the sale period” items!

  12. Favorite restaurant in Paris for a vegetarian that doesn’t enjoy eggs? (But will eat them in things, just not quiche). Thanks!

    2. If you eat/enjoy cheese and a bit of kitsch, Pain vin Fromages (3 Rue Geoffroy l’Angevin) – this is a busy fondue place, so get there right when they open (1700?) to avoid reservations. Fun/romantic and who can pass up lots and lots of melted cheese?

    3. Breizh Café (109 Rue Vieille du Temple – though I believe there are 2 locations) – fantastic crepes!

      2. also Crepe Rit du Clown on Rue des Cannettes in the 6th (just off saint-germaine). so jealous!

    4. Le Potager du Marais in the Marais District, just a few blocks from the Pompidou Centre. It’s been several since I was there but we had delicious prix fixe lunches, veg for DS and me and vegan for then-H.

      Also try Le Grenier de Notre Dame, around the corner from the cathedral.

  13. Do you submit reviews for product you buy? And for stores that enter you into raffles for writing them, have you ever won? Are there any other benefits to doing this, other than being helpful to future customers?

    1. I do occasionally, although have never had the opportunity to win anything. I see it as paying it forward — I appreciate other customers’ fit/quality reviews, so if I have something useful to contribute, I’m glad to.

    2. I do if things are either TERRIBLE or if I feel like I stumbled upon something really great and almost secret that other people should know about or I want to help out the company, author, etc. (I do write book reviews on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Both good and bad.)

    3. I very rarely do. Unless I am getting something directly back like a coupon, the “chance” to win a gift certificate or something is never enough to get my free time. I don’t have enough of it.

    4. Related question – do you avoid submitting reviews for certain companies or products because you’re not sure whether a particular company is a firm client? At a prior firm, I was surprised to discover that my firm represented one of my favorite, newer makeup brands. Fortunately I had left only positive reviews, but it really made me rethink leaving negative reviews.

    5. I never used to write reviews, but then I thought of how much I depend on reviews when I consider buying a piece of clothing or something at Sephora, so now I make the effort to write them.

    6. I occasionally write reviews when I think I’m saying something that the previous reviews haven’t mentioned that I’d want to know – for instance, I always appreciate it when there is a review that says “named tomato red and looks very red on the screen, but it much more of an orang-y coral in real life than true red”. Or if the item broke just outside of the return/warranty window.

      However, I gave a product a 1 star review on Amazon once, because it broke after 45 days (and the return window was 30 days). I had had it shipped to my office, so my work phone number was on the shipping information. It was a 3rd party seller, and they called and left multiple voicemails that were 3 or 4 minutes long on my work phone nagging me to change my review from 1 star, or offering to refund me the money *if* I shipped them the product back and then they determined it was their fault (the cost of shipping back the product wouldn’t have been worth it). When I didn’t answer their voicemails they started sending me nagging emails. I responded once to them and told them I wouldn’t change my review, but I’d revise to indicate my money had been refunded if they did that, otherwise they needed to stop nagging me, and I did NOT want them ever calling me again. After several more emails and voicemails I sent the whole thing to Amazon and that finally got them to stop.

    7. Not as often as I feel that I should. I’m most likely to leave reviews on Zappos.

      I figure that I rely a ton on reviews for things like shoes and clothes. I try to include as much info as possible in hopes that other people will leave similarly detailed reviews. “I love it” or “I hate it” isn’t very helpful. “I have bunions but the rest of my foot isn’t wide and these were comfortable at the front but slipped off my heels” is exactly what I’d want to know.

      I also rate and sometimes review my Etsy purchases for the same reason. I do it for every purchase though because the notification thing on my iPhone app won’t go away until I do.

  14. I’m a lawyer at a small firm and I do most of my work in a niche area with one other person, who is senior to me but is not a partner. To put it mildly, she is not an easy person to work with. She is terrible at communicating her expectations and managing deadlines, yet still micromanages me in a somewhat condescending way. The partners at the firm have pretty much acknowledged that they know about at least some of these issues, so I know it’s not entirely a “me” issue. But when she is being difficult I know I don’t respond in a great way either – I get defensive when she is being condescending, and when she confronts me about a non-problem (e.g., when she gets mad that I haven’t done something that she never asked me to do), I feel my heart rate skyrocket, and I sort of choke up and shut down instead of calmly explaining my views. I am really, really committed to trying to make this work because I love my firm otherwise and am getting great feedback from everyone else about my work – and even get good feedback on the substance of my work from this person. But I don’t know where to go from here. What do you think is the ideal way to try to improve how we communicate? And what can I do to practice staying composed and thoughtful when she accuses me of messing things up in a way that I haven’t?

      1. I think it’s unlikely that she’s trying to force me out, as she requested that I be hired in the first place and would be pretty screwed without my help. It’s possible that she sees me as a threat, however, as others at the firm have started coming directly to me for my assistance in our subject area.

    2. I’ve dealt with this kind of stress response in my work too, more so when I was public-facing. I found it helpful to “name it” as it was happening – as in, I’m having a stress response to this situation, I know what this is, and I can deal with it (in my head of course). Even if I was still experiencing the rapid heartbeat, red face, etc, this helped me feel somewhat calmer and find the right words.

    3. Take copious notes and repeat everything back to her. When she blusters into your office and rattles off an incomplete laundry list of tasks, stop her before she leaves and repeat back the tasks. If she’s still not focusing, email her your to-do list to confirm it’s complete. Set up calendar reminders for both of you for any tasks that have a solid deadline more than a day or two out. Make sure you’re getting everything she’s telling you, spurring her memory to fill in the blanks she’s not giving you, and documenting that you’ve done everything she asked you to do.

      As for the nasty attitude, make a conscious effort to breathe slowly and release the tension in your body wherever you carry it (for me, my shoulders) before you open your mouth. Use the time she’s fussing at you to your advantage. Force your body to recognize that this is not a fight or flight situation. This is HARD, but so very useful for things like public speaking and networking, when you’re uncomfortable but you have to come off cool and confident.

      1. This is good advice – if she’s micromanaging you, micromanage her right back, but under the guise of conscientiously reviewing your task list.

        1. I mean, I’m not sure there’s really guile here. I’ve been the senior associate in a similar situation, though I hope I didn’t come off condescending or mean. I’ve had juniors not do things that I KNOW I asked them to do. (Fwiw, I know I asked them to do it because I keep a task list with the date I asked them and notes about any follow-up discussions.) If I rattled off the list too quickly for the junior to take it all down, I would much rather get a prompt follow-up email saying, hey I want to make sure I got everything, than for me to assume they’re handling something that’s not on their radar.

          Alternatively, some things so obviously need to be done that it’s hard to remember that a more junior person might not know that yet. Dumb example, if I asked a junior associate to compile exhibits, it would not occur to me to tell her to put together cover sheets because OF COURSE you need cover sheets. If it’s a new task for you, tell the more senior person that and list all of the little tasks you know you need to complete. That way, she can fill in any blanks you’re missing.

          1. This, plus a bit more. I’m a junior partner, and have been supervising junior associates for about 7 years now. I hate to generalize, but newer junior associates are not like junior associates used to be. I used to be able to give junior associates responsibilities, and trust that they will follow up with minor tasks without being told. But many of the more recent junior associates expect to be specifically assigned each and every task, and even if they know it needs to be done, will not follow up until I specifically tell them to do it. It’s frustrating. I’m not saying this is your situation, but think about the tasks that you don’t think were assigned, and whether it’s something you can/should do on your own without being asked.

      2. Thank pugs and Bee, your advice is very helpful. Bee, I think there is a little bit of the second scenario you posed going on, except the tasks I’m supposedly missing are not at all obvious, I don’t think. I’m junior to her, but I’m actually a 5th year associate with extensive experience in our niche, so most of the tasks we’re doing are not new to me. To take a recent example – we met to split up writing sections for a brief. I took one section and she took the other. Subsequently, she asked me to research a question relevant to her section. I did that and sent her the research. When I sent her my completed section two days later, she was upset that I hadn’t written complete paragraphs for her to insert in her section on the issue I researched, although that was never in her original ask. This kind of thing happens all the time in ways that aren’t generalizable, so maybe I do need to make a detailed checklist that I repeat back to ensure that we are on the same page.

  15. My academic advisor is retiring and I’d like to get her something. We became close while I was a student so it should be a little personal. I would rather get her something that celebrates the next stage of her life, rather than the one she is just ending. But I am out of ideas. Thoughts?

    1. Depends on what she has planned next. A lot of academics I know look forward to traveling after retirement, in which case I’d get a monogrammed passport case (like classy, subtle monogram in leather, not Lily. I mean, unless she’s into Lily.)

      1. I recently got a beautiful leather luggage tag from Fossil for a little under $20 with free shipping and free heat-stamped monogramming. They might be another good source for passport covers.

        1. I really love both of these ideas. Neither had ever occurred to me before and I’m going to get good use out of them!

          1. FYI, I never use my fancy passport case because you have to take your passport out of it when you’re actually going through customs. I would love a large, distinctive tag for my bag so I could spot it easily at baggage claim!

          2. I never had a fancy passport cover for this reason but when I spent a year in Germany I bought one because otherwise my passport would have got really bashed up being in my bag every day.

          3. Should add I’m not the OP but someone who can definitely use these suggestions for people in my life too!

            Thanks, SA.

      2. Yes, focus on what she plans to do next. If it’s, say, gardening, then get a beautiful plant (an azalea, e.g.) for her yard. If it’s cooking, get her a beautiful specialty cookbook. When a friend retired several years ago, she had said all she wanted to do was curl up with her cats and read for a good long time, so we gave her a book and B&N gift card.

  16. I am doing a “long distance” baby shower for my sister. She lives overseas, so she will not have an in person shower with her friends or our family (her husbands family is local, and so will do something for her). So, I am asking her close friends and our family to mail their favorite children’s books to me inscribed with a note to the parents. I will pack them all up, and ship to her at one time to open.

    However, at the end of the email explaining this to her friends/our family, I would like to include a line that a gift card included with the book would be appreciated. Should I also say “It’s not necessary” though – something like, “A small gift card tucked into the book would be appreciated but is not necessary.” On one hand, sister/brother in law have very little money, and every little bit really will help them. But on the other, most of her friends aren’t in a great financial place either (they are all in a relatively low income field) – although many members of our family, who will also receive the invite, are comfortable. Thoughts? I’m probably overthinking, but am a tiny bit uncomfortable sending this odd invite anyway.

    1. I would say something like “If you would like to give more, gift cards to [X store or visa/whatever cards] would be appreciated.”

    2. It’s awkward to put that in the note. The least awkward thing I could come up with is something like “I’m happy to send along anything else you’d like to ship over, under . Gift cards are probably best for this. is registered .”

      1. Genuine question – is that wording less awkward than what I put? Isn’t it saying the same thing but slightly more wordy?

        1. I think the language is close but somehow presenting it as a convenience to the sender (versus your “nice but not necessary” language) is slightly better. I can’t put my finger on why, other than saying giftcard at the beginning of the sentence makes it sound like it’s your expectation that many people will send them.
          Thought now that I think about it, be clear you’re not leaving the door open to sending whatever people want to send (e.g., larger or heavier items).

          1. Yeah, I’m definitely nervous about overcommitting myself – I can’t afford to ship big gifts. Also, I agree with Zelda’s reasoning below as well. I think I’m going to include something like Zelda’s statement above or (more likely) leave it out.

            Although, based on the replies below, I’m surprised that people would really be offended to get this kind of invitation for a very close friend or niece. It seemed like an easy lift for friends/family but would be a huge surprise and mean a lot to my sister. She struggles with being far away from family and very close friends, and it’s unlikely she’ll get back to us until the baby is much older (1 year or more). I really didn’t envision people being offended by something like this when they won’t be asked for anything else for this couple

      2. I prefer Jen’s wording to the OP’s because saying ‘gift cards are not necessary’ implies that the other gift being solicited is necessary. Not what the OP meant I’m sure, but it can come off that way.

    3. Absolutely not. It’s already an out of the ordinary request, do not straight up ask for money too. You’re uncomfortable because it is rude.

    4. Oooh, no, I don’t think there’s a way to say that without coming off obnoxious. To be honest, the whole premise of buying a “shower” gift when there’s not an event to attend would annoy me. What about changing tactics and inviting the local fam & friends to a “sip and see” shower later — surely they’ll bring the baby home for a visit at some point?

      1. Really? If I received this invite for a close friend who lives overseas, I’d be happy to send something – especially as I probably wouldn’t think to send something otherwise. I think of showers as being for the benefit of the honoree, not the guests, which is what your reply implies (no attendance for you = no reason to give a gift).

        1. it just feels weird to me — receiving an email that basically says “please send money.” If there isn’t going to be a formal shower event to celebrate the mom, IMHO you’re either (a) a close enough friend or relative that you’d send a baby gift on your own, in which case being asked to send a book and gift card isn’t necessary, or (b) an acquaintance who now feels “gift grabbed.”

          1. You must be better about giving gifts than me! Even for a close friend, I don’t think I’d get around to sending a gift. Do you still think this would be true if there is no request for a gift card?

          2. Clarifying — the book alone is cute and not much money, so I wouldn’t mind that! (Re-reading, I can see my comments could mean the book idea was a no-go.) It’s the secondary request that would bother me.

            Maybe you could say something like “if you were already planning to send something small in size, please let me know and I’d be glad to consolidate shipping with you!”

      2. I disagree with Cat that the request for books + notes is weird. If I had a friend who lived oversees, I would happily participate in this and be thrilled someone was coordinating it. Depending on where overseas OP’s sister lives, it might not be as easy to send a gift as ordering something on Amazon to be shipped directly, and even for my closest friend, I probably wouldn’t get around to doing more. But part of why I wouldn’t be bothered is that it’s a small ask (a book and a note), and it’s a group thing like a shower would be. I agree that there’s no way to politely solicit cash or gift cards, or even a larger gift. If people want to send something else, they can do so on their own.

        1. A friend was deployed while engaged and wouldn’t be back until just before the wedding. We did a long distance bridal shower and sent the gifts to someone in her hometown. I liked having the option to do that since she didn’t really get to do the typical engagement things.

        2. That was my perspective on the event. I wouldn’t mind receiving this type of request as a good friend, but agree upon reflection/input from here the gift card ask is too much. Thanks for your feedback.

        3. I amended/clarified my issue above — my annoyance would mostly be with the gift card language vs. the book idea as a whole. Repeating myself here, maybe you could say something like “if you were already planning to send something small in size, please let me know and I’d be glad to consolidate shipping with you!”

    5. ““A small gift card tucked into the book would be appreciated but is not necessary.”

      Coordinating a book shipment is sweet and thoughtful, but this ^^ would be really awkward and gift-grabby. Gifts should be given, not asked for. Shower guests (here, there isn’t even a party) aren’t supposed to finance other people’s babies. Zelda’s suggestion is much more tactful.

    6. Honestly, I’d skip this. People can ask if they’re interested. I’d find it off putting if someone solicited a cash (or cash equivalent) gift for a family member.

      2. Got it – I have a longer reply to all in moderation, but do you think the book idea — without mention of anything else — is still off-putting and awkward? Certainly don’t want to alienate anyone, but would like to celebrate my sister.

        1. No I LOVE this. Great idea sister. But we got no gift cards at all when my first (or second) were born – people really like buying THINGS with babies in my experience.

          1. Thanks – was starting to doubt this whole idea, and I *really* want sister to be surprised with something sweet.

    7. Also, you’ll know your sister’s situation and location best, but be aware that gift cards purchased in the US are frequently not accepted outside the US (different currencies, accounting systems, policies, etc.). Even where gift cards can be used online, depending on her location, any shipping and customs charges can very quickly eliminate ANY benefit from gift cards. So, please don’t solicit gifts that she may not even be able use — that would be the worst of all worlds!

      1. That’s what I was going to say. USA-purchased gift cards are unlikely to be of any use at all overseas.

    8. I was asked to participate in a long-distance gift certificate shower for a cousin and ended up just shipping her a gift instead. I’m not sure what it was that was really off-putting but I think part of the joy of baby showers, is really thinking about the gift – especially if there is no event either. The straight-up ask for a gift card rather than a registry was annoying (everyone was in the US so no issues with international shipping). I generally don’t mind giving cash for weddings.

    9. This is not a long distance shower. This is just asking her friends for gifts. Extremely tacky. They will send her a gift if they want to you- no need for you to beg on her behalf

    10. Are you sure that gift cards bought in your country are still redeemable in your sister’s country? Often they are not transferable. Worth checking.

    11. FYI, not all gift cards purchased in the US work abroad, so this might even create more of a headache for them than intended.

    12. Thanks for the input. Excellent point about gift card use overseas, as well. I’ll skip the line about the gift cards, and just request an inscribed book. I sincerely doubt this audience will be offended if asked to send a book even though there is no event, as there is not a possibility for an event. I still am a little surprised people think they need to attend an event in order to be asked to participate in something like this under these specific circumstances.

      1. I wouldn’t think twice if the sister of my pregnant and living abroad friend said “I’m putting together a package for [sister] to celebrate the birth of [baby]. If you’d like to send something, I’d be happy to ship it all together. Otherwise, her address is [address]. I wish we could all be together to celebrate [sister and baby], but until we can all be together stateside, we can shower her with love and support from afar!”

        1. This is perfect language. I object to you calling it a long distance shower and asking for a cash equivalent – it’s like getting a wedding invite except it says the ceremony and reception will be private but here is the registry. Loco has the perfect language- something you are doing anyway and you are letting people know as a convenience

        2. As stated above, after input, there will be no request for a gift card. However, I’m not going to do this and open myself to shipping anything other than books – there just isn’t a way for me to keep size/costs under control. So the language will be similar to above, except I’m limiting it to books, so:

          “I’m putting together a package of books for [sister] to celebrate the birth of [baby]. If you’d like to send her a book with a personal note, or ship me a book via an online store, I’d be happy to ship all the books together. Otherwise, her address is [address]. I wish we could all be together to celebrate [sister and baby], but until we can all be together stateside, we can shower her with love and support from afar!”

    13. If this email came to me from one of my very best friends’ sisters or a close cousin (emphasis on close – I have many cousins, and many are not close…) I would have no problem with it and honestly would have probably asked on my own if I never saw an email come through on the topic. But, if this came from peripheral friends or cousins/family, it would strike an entirely different chord. So I will dissent with the masses and say that in the most perfect of circumstances I think this is OK, but you must know your audience very well.

  17. Does anyone have the Limited collection sheath dress (the v-back)? Can you comment on how it runs? I consistently wear one size in their pants / pencil skirts, but somehow feel like the dress might run small and I should size up.

    1. I tried it on in my Banana Republic size. For me it was too large in the bust. But for a busty gal it would probably work well (34 B/C here)

    2. I wear them all the time. I’m a rather hourglass shape and find that I do not need to size up. That said, I am a huge limited fan and have a ton of their stuff so I know my sizes pretty well. If you haven’t worn one of their dresses yet, I’d order the 2 sizes you think you are between and return one. They’ll accept in store returns if you are near one. You can also order online and pick up in store.

    3. I have two. I find them to be true to my skirt size (I don’t wear dress pants) It isn’t quite a pencil, a little bit more forgiving. I nearly sized up as well, but took a chance. The bust area is a bit big so if you are, like me, part of the IBTC, then you may have some extra room up there, enough for a well padded bra.

  18. Invited to a baby shower where the hostess requested the guests bring ingredients for multiple meals (and multiple recipes!) for a ‘stock the freezer’ style event, and also included an extensive registry and made it clear that it was not an “either/or” choice. To me it seems like she is asking a lot of the guests – bring ingredients for multiple iterations of different recipes, cook and freeze them at the event, AND bring a registry-specified gift. Excessive or normal?

    1. Excessive. I love cooking and I’d decline, or bring ingredients for one super easy thing, and a gift that I’m comfortable with.

    3. Sorry, that’s weird. Also, I’ve never been pregnant, but I have no freezer space, unless the hostess is also giving a freezer, if I was the recipient, I’d be annoyed.

    4. Ex. CESS. Ive. Is it an MLM show, too? Because I’ve done Freezer Workshops with a kitchen equipment company that has a similar name to a brand of diapers, and it is NOT fun or relaxing.

      EXCESSIVE. Also, Potluck Controllers are the WORST. I was remembering when someone sent me a link to a recipe that they wanted me to bring to their potluck party… UGH.

      1. Good question – she didn’t specify, but she’s sent out invites in the past for no less than three different MLM product selling “parties.”

    5. Excessive. But I’d take the easy road and do like 3-ingredient crockpot meals. Buffalo chicken sliders. Pulled pork bbq (pork loin and bbq sauce!).

    6. Oh, did I mention there is a deadline for the recipe approval?

      I will be out of town for work, and will be sending a registry gift, but was curious if I was alone in thinking it was totally overboard. Thank you – glad I’m not crazypants!

      1. That is bananas. Someone is micro-managing this thing and it does stink of MLM-potential.

        This is definitely the time to send a “Sorry I couldn’t be there” note and a gift from the registry.

      2. The recipe approval might be to make sure there’s enough equipment open. So you don’t have 5 people expecting to use the 1 crockpot. Really just highlights why this is a terrible idea. I would bring something pre-prepared and a bottle of wine to sip and watch the chaos.

    7. UGH. Once I was invited to a somewhat similar shower and brought a baking dish (from the registry) and put one (shelf-stable) ingredient inside, with a recipe attached.

    8. Excessive. And weird. I don’t enjoy cooking in other people’s kitchens or with other people (besides DH) very much. If I could, I’d decline the invitation and send a gift. If I couldn’t get out of the shower, I’d pick a simple recipe, choose something that can be made in one pot/crockpot/pan, and do as much prep as possible ahead of time so all I had to do was throw ingredients together at the party. If I knew other people going to the party, I’d team up with someone else or multiple people for a dish and divide up the work.

    9. Somebody’s got a case of too much Pinterest.

      Not normal, but go if you want to, don’t if you don’t.

    11. And in addition to being excessive is completely impractical, unless there are only 2-3 guests or the kitchen you’ll be working in is about 800 square feet, has tons of ovens and counter space. I cant imagine the ludicrous amount of mess and chaos if 10-15 people are supposed to all be cooking different recipes at the same time in the same kitchen.

      1. This is what I was thinking. I would be so stressed out having to share a kitchen – nevertheless a strange kitchen – with more than 1-2 people. Not to mention the difficulty of transporting everything and worrying about cross contamination. No one is going to be able to make a lasagna or quiche or chicken casserole under those conditions.

  19. Hive! Shopping challenge.
    I decided I need a watch.
    After a decade between industry and management consulting, I have finally reached that level where I am the only one in the room without a “good” watch. I observe a lot and even associates have a watch.
    Now that I get to attend several client meetings and hoping soon to present at a SteerCo, I decided to spend my summer bonus on a good watch.
    I am looking for black leather strap, gold case, plain white dial (think mother of pearl), automatic not quartz. No diamonds.
    I want something to elevate my look and to wear for the next 10 years. When I make partner, I shall buy another watch but I expect this one to last so willing to splurge (i.e. $2000 to 5000).
    I found one from Baume et Mercier and I found one from Longines.
    I am clueless about labels but I know I have to fit in this world. Any suggestions for brands that say: “I know good craftsmanship and appreciate it” rather than “nouveau riche who picked a Rolex because that is the one name I recognised”.

    1. Get a watch if you want one, but don’t buy one because you think you need it to “fit in this world”. So many people don’t even bother with watches anymore, regardless of career level.

      Just from your tone, it seems like you feel like you “need” one, not that you really want a beautiful watch (if that’s the case, yay, good luck!)

      If watches aren’t your thing, why not spring for a gorgeous rope of pearls, earrings or fantastic suit? If you’re presenting, I would imagine a beautifully tailored suit will go much further for your image than a watch.

    2. I think either brand would be a lovely choice. If you happen to have a good jewelry store with an estate case (or heck, even Torneau does pre-owned) I might look there. Leather straps are cheap(ish) and easy to replace, you’re more looking for the quality of the watch and the condition of the face.

    3. Don’t get leather band. Even the best leather band will not last as long as you think it does, or look as great as you obviously want it to.

      1. I disagree. I had always had leather bands and chose a metal band for my first ‘grown up’ watch, a Fossil boyfriend style. I love it, but there are some sleeves it doesn’t work with and some outfits it doesn’t look so good with. I’ve chosen a Mondaine with a (red!) leather strap as a graduation present.

      2. Agreed.

        I have a $200 Michael Kors watch that people are constantly asking about/impressed by (clearly think it’s much fancier) and it’s because it has a beautiful metal band.

    4. Waaaay under your budget but fits your design criteria and is both well made (in Switzerland) and a design classic – Mondaine. I love their watches so much.

    5. Cartier Ballon Bleu. My husband bought me one to celebrate the birth of our second child, and I love it.

      2. Seconding Cartier (Tank Americaine, in my case). Bought it when I made partner and wear it basically all the time, except when I’m exercising.

      4. Thirding the Cartier – got the tank solo in December and I absolutely love it. comfy, classic, and I like the slimmer profile. I chose it for its style but it turned out to be on the cheaper end of Cartier watches (also on the low end of your budget).

    8. Omega. I have one with tiny diamonds in place of the numbers. I have used it for the last 12 years.

Comments are closed.