Corporette.com

Updated: Nov 1, 2018 139 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Platswoon Pumps

Coffee Break· Under $150

This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Stuart Weitzman Platswoon6pm has a bunch of colors of the Stuart Weitzman Platswoon pump on sale, including this great mushroom brown pair (which I think would be a great nude-for-me shade for someone out there, or just a great brown pump). They also have a darker brown, a dark purple, two reds, a “hummus” beige, and, for the more adventurous readers out there, “rainbow python.” All of the shoes were $325, but they are now marked $146-$229. The shoes pictured are $147. Stuart Weitzman Platswoon (L-2) Psst: Stuart Weitzman is just one of the brands readers swear by for comfort — check out the rest in The Corporette Guide to Comfortable Heels! P.P.S. I'll be forever grateful if you take the super short reader survey if you haven't already! The winner of the giveaway will be chosen by 2PM ET tomorrow, 5/17.

Sales of note for 9.10.24

Some of our latest posts here at Corporette…

RSS Error: WP HTTP Error: cURL error 60: Issuer certificate is invalid.

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

About Kat

Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

  1. Ellen

    These are GREAT pump’s if you can spare the extra money! Yay if you can!!!!

    Thank’s again for the “Engagement Chicken” recipe from Glamour Magazine, but there is ONE thing neither ME nor Grandma Leyeh understand. The receipe call’s for FRESH HERBS FOR GARNISH (4 rosemary sprigs, 4 sage sprigs, 8 thyme sprig’s and 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley).

    http://www.glamour.com/magazine/2006/07/engagement-chicken

    What do you do with these HERB’s?????? Grandma Leyeh says NOTHING, you don’t cook with them, just put them on at the END, as GARNISH, but I say why have them if you cannot cook them into the CHICKEN?????

    Without cookeing them, you only are useing lemon, salt and pepper. That, I think will make for a VERY BLAND chicken. If you want to have a guy MARRY you, I think it has to be spieced up, possibley with these items that are “GARNISH”.

    Do you cook these GARNISH items in or NOT? I say YES, Grandma Leyeh say’s no, and I am the one that MUST get married.

    HELP!!!!!!

    Can someone coment on this? PLEASE, or I am goieing to make a bad CHICKEN and PHILIP will NEVER MARRY ME. FOOEY!!!!

  2. AIMS

    Lovely, but too high for me. I recently bought the most amazing pair of Givenchy brown suede kitten heels on supersale at NM Last Call and I am ready to bypass the entire summer, I want to wear them so badly (not really, but almost!!). Seriously blown away by how comfortable they are, too. I feel like I never even think of Givenchy and shoes together, but boy do they know what they’re doing!

    • a passion for fashion

      I’m telling you, the platswoon is the most comfortable heel I own — much better than many of my lower heels, including kitten heels.

  3. Susie

    Totally off topic, but I need an outlet to share something without bursting into tears in front of my coworkers. Today I lost a pet that I’ve had for 17 years. It is for the best, but still broke my heart to say goodbye.

      • Houston Attny

        I agree. Even when we know it’s time, the sting is very strong. I’m so very sorry, Susie.

    • AIMS

      I am so, so sorry. Saying goodbye is never easy and it’s especially hard with our animals, who can’t say goodbye back. I’ve had my cat for about that long and I know I will just fall apart when the time comes. But there are so many animals out there that have really hard lives, take some small comfort in the fact that yours had a nice, long, happy life with you.
      Major hugs. Take all the time you need to process this.

    • MaggieLizer

      So, so sorry. Big internet hugs. Can you take the day off tomorrow and have a long weekend?

    • mascot

      Just thinking about that day coming for my beloved dogs makes me misty eyed. I am so sorry.

    • L

      i’m so sorry. That is an awful feeling and I know it’s little comfort to know you did the right thing. I’d say go home and if you can even take off tomorrow. It’s a true loss and you deserve the time to yourself.

    • a.

      I’m so, so sorry. Be kind to yourself and know that you gave your pet a wonderful, happy life for the years you had together.

    • NOLA

      So sorry. When my big cat left the earth, I told my friends via email because I couldn’t talk about him without bursting into tears. I hope you can take some time.

    • AEK

      Oh, I’m so sorry. My heart goes out to you.
      Also, I think the main thing to avoid at work is crying *about* work. Crying about something terribly sad, like this, is just human. IMO.

      • Merabella

        This. I had to go through this recently, and everyone at work was so understanding – everyone has been through something like this. It sucks. If you need a friend to just cry to, I’m sure someone here would be happy to take you out. My husband and I took the day off and were just sad, but it felt nice to have someone there who understand.

      • just Karen

        Absolutely this. Don’t worry if you cry at work, but if you can take tomorrow off, do so! Hugs.

    • Orangerie

      I’m so sorry for your loss. Second what AEK said; don’t stress about being emotional at work… nobody will judge you for being upset over a major loss. Big hugs.

      • CG

        So sorry for your loss. Try to focus on the good years you had together and what a blessing it is you had 17 years together.

    • Bonnie

      Hugs Susie. It’s ok to be sad; you did lose a member of your family. FWIW, when our cat died, we adopted another cat in a few weeks. It really helped us deal with the grief.

      • NOLA

        Same here. It was really weird. We thought we wouldn’t be ready to adopt another cat right away, but then two weeks after our beloved cat died, the two kitties we had been feeding outside (abandoned by a neighbor) just walked in the house and never left. For awhile, I felt like they were “just cats” because we didn’t know their little personalities. But I still have one of them (my ex took the other) and she is my little baby.

    • anonypotamus

      *hugs* I’m so sorry for your loss. Pets are such a big part of our families and lives – its so hard to let go, even when you know it is time. Give yourself time to mourn, and try and remember the long years you had together. When we lost our family dog last year, my sisters and I eventually compiled a list of memories of her, and funny things that she would do, to try and capture those little moments that were so uniquely her. Maybe something like that can help you remember those wonderful years you had together.

      • bgo

        Hugs to you. I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. I cannot imagine loosing either one of my cats without my throat catching and tearing up. I agree with those above. Crying about work is one thing – but crying because you just suffered a huge loss is just plain human. Grieve for as long as you need.

    • petitesq

      I am so, so sorry. That is so hard. It’s approaching that time with my pet, and we had a big scare three months ago, and I can barely keep it together. :(. Give yourself some time to grieve, and know there are lots of e-hugs coming your way.

    • MB

      I am so sorry. My oldest dog is 12 and has terminal liver cancer. It’s just a matter of time. It’s so, so hard to lose these delightful, loving creatures. My deepest sympathies for your loss.

    • phillygirlruns

      so very late to this, but so, so sorry that you’re going through this.

    • Anonymous

      Im so sorry. we lost our dear pup about 16 months ago. it was very very hard. hang in there and take care of yourself.

  4. Cella

    For those of you that pool money with a significant other but do a “free money”/”allowance” system–do you have separate checking accounts for your free $? I’d like a way of keeping the cash separate from the main joint checking account (otherwise I’ll have to be responsible for “tracking” the money, my husband is not great at/interested in paying attention to this stuff, and that seems like a lot of work). We have a bunch of separate savings accounts (all at the same bank) and I really like having these “buckets” to track our progress with different goals, so separate checking accounts for the fun money seems like a good option, though would love to hear experiences or other ideas.

    • CKB

      I have my own account for ‘fun money’ (including my clothing budget), and my own credit card as well – which I pay off out of my fun money. This works really well for us. Dh is very low maintenance and doesn’t need lots of extra money. He’s also primarily responsible for the household bills, so he just spends the little amount he does out of our general account. Seriously, he’s so low maintenance I have to practically drag him to the store to buy him new clothes.

    • Olivia Pope

      My husband and I have separate “fun money” checking accounts. The only thought we have to put in is how much to transfer each month, then it’s spend away! Much easier, in my opinion.

      • Anon in NYC

        This is what we do. Except there is a set amount of fun money, so we don’t even have to think about that.

    • KLG

      Both our paychecks get deposited into our joint checking and then we each have our own checking account and our “allowance” gets automatically deposited into our individual checking accounts on the 5th of each month. I am also terrible at keeping track and this way all I have to do is check the balance in my individual account to see how much I have at any given time to spend on starbucks/manicures/etc. It’s worked out very well for us.

      • Brant

        This is what we do. I have a debit card and checks for my “fun money” (capital one- was ING)

    • Not a lawyer

      We do this. We each have x% of our respective check DD into the joint account for home/ groceries/ kid related expenses. Then y% to our joint savings and z% to our personal accounts. We have no say in how the other spends from their personal accounts. Because we do it by percent, it seems fair that we’re putting an equal chunk into home stuff and then there’s no justification/ discussion required in how (or how much) we want to spend our fun money (usually husband- fishing stuff; me- clothes, shoes, races). It works very well for us, and I can honestly say that in 8 years, we can probably count the number of fights that we’ve had about money on one hand.

    • Bonnie

      We keep our money separate and automatically transfer a set amount into a joint account from which we pay all bills and joint costs. If we have a bigger expense, we both agree on how much we both should add. I love having separate accounts and now having to justify how much I spend.

      • Merabella

        We keep our money separate and automatically transfer a set amount into a joint account from which we pay all bills and joint costs. If we have a bigger expense, we both agree on how much we both should add. I love having separate accounts and now having to justify how much I spend.

    • Gina

      For those of you with this system – how did you decide the amount or percentage? I think my parents had a similar system, but I’m not sure how well it worked. After my mom lost her job she would often complain that because they had separate accounts my father had never had to pay for one item of clothing for her or any “fun” purchases. Once she didn’t have a job he would flip out at her buying the smallest thing because he wasn’t even aware how much things cost (and she was not a big spender)

      • Ginjury

        Are you asking about amount in the joint account or fun/personal account? For us, right now we’re making about the same amount so every month we each deposit the cost of one month’s rent into our joint account. This covers all our joint bills and allows for saving for vactions and emergencies. In a case where one partner unemployed or a stay at home parent, it would be a good idea to just split whatever excess money there is after funding the joint account equally among the two spouses. Obviously that would be difficult for the partner earning income, but it seems most reasonable to me.

      • Cella

        We are actually moving toward kind of the reverse — toward a system where we combine all our money as household money when the checks come in, and then we will each recieve an equal “allowance” — he can spend his on daily lattes and lunches at Whole Foods, and I can spend mine on dinners with friends, amazon, etc-or whatever we want, without judgment from the other. I think for us it will be about $1000 a month, which feels high but we’re planning to adjust as we go. Certain purchases (I need a greater amount of professsional clothing for my job, bar dues, his licensing fees) will still come out of the household funds, the bulk of which will go toward housing/bills/savings/debt payments.

        If one of us were to lose our job, we’d obviously have to cut back, but we’d still both recieve an equal allowance.

      • Olivia Pope

        My husband and I are partners who care about each other, regardless of who makes more money at any given time. I can’t imagine refusing to let my husband have as much fun money as me because he lost his job. Everything we bring into our household belongs to both of us, no matter who made it initially.

        • Merabella

          This. I would think that the fun money fund would have to be renegotiated due to a smaller amount of money coming in, but I wouldn’t besmirch my husband fun money because he lost his job and I was making all the money. If it is the “what if’s” that are troubling you, maybe you come up with a plan, and then a contingency plan for what happens when you have kids, lose a job, get a raise, etc. My husband and I basically make the same amount of money, and we don’t have any kids, so the separate accounts -> joint account thing doesn’t really cause any problems… if our situation was different we would probably work out a system that fit in with our needs.

      • Anon in NYC

        My husband and I have a joint account where all of our money moves in/out from. Our joint checking account is the central hub, so to speak. Because of his direct deposit system at work, his fun money is auto-dropped into his personal checking account. We have an automatic transfer for my fun money on payday.

    • Mountain Girl

      We each have a fun money account and a joint checking account – a total of 3 accounts. My paycheck direct deposits into all three of these accounts every other Friday. Works great for us. I also direct deposit into my kids savings accounts for their allowance. This eliminates the problem of never having the right amount of denominations to pay them for their allowance. Everything is split directly from my paycheck. DH gets a paper check once a month so that is just a deposit into our savings/investment accounts.

    • Anonymous

      My parents did this. But they used cash. Watching my parents swap cash from their paychecks every two weeks was a little ritual I remember from when I was a kid. If they wanted to save up for something, they saved cash.

  5. Anonymous

    I’ve got what is probably a stupid question. So I just received a beautiful black leather hobo purse as a gift. As someone who is used to more structured satchels, I’m having a hard time adjusting to the “slouched” aesthetic. Is there any way (besides stuffing your purse completely full) to eliminate some of the sloppiness, or do I just need to make a mental adjustment? Hobos are still good for the office, yes?

    • a.

      I carry my slouchy hobo tote to the office, no problem. And yup, the slouchiness is just the way they’re meant to look–no way that I can think of to change it.

    • Nellie

      You can buy purse organizers that go inside and build an internal skeleton for the bag. E.g.:

      http://tinyurl.com/auzzkxv

      It will still have a slouchy look because that’s the style, but there will be some structure to it, and as a bonus it’ll be more organized.

  6. L

    Thanks for the comments on the blueprint cleanse this morning! I realize it sounds insane and am a pretty big skeptic of “detox” etc, but lately have been eating all the junk food and feel like I need to hit the reset button with as little effort as possible.

    • Pam

      You could just do a fast. The “cleanse” products are BS; they don’t “detox” you or do anything they claim. If you really need to reset, just do a true fast for 24-48 hours. Best to prepare by tapering down on sugar, carbs, and caffeine leading up to the fast, so you don’t have crazy cravings. And plan your post-fast meals ahead of time; make them the healthy food you plan to eat going forward, not some treat or splurge items.
      But don’t pay money for snake oil.

      • Judgey mcjudgerson

        Or you could just start eating healthily. Food will move through your system regardless. Fasting doesn’t do much except perhaps set you up for a binge later on. Would you want your daughter / niece / mentee etc. to go on a fast to cleanse? If it’s not something you would encourage a 13-year-old girl to do, diet-wise, it’s probably not something you should be doing, either.

        • Anonymous

          Yes, if you want to “reset”, why not just eat really clean for a week or so – I usually do no meat, no dairy, no caffeine, no processed foods, no added sugars, minimal salt, no solid fats. By the end of a week”, plain fruit is unbelievably sweet, and I remember that I don’t need dessert every day.

          • L

            Honestly? Because eating clean baffles me. I don’t know what to eat, what all I’m supposed to avoid, if I’m supposed to eat only organic, what to do about bread, are eggs ‘meat’, does fruit count as sugar, etc. Sounds dumb, but it’s true. If there’s a good resource on it, I’m all ears!

          • Judgey mcjudgerson - response to L

            You may want to meet with a dietician, because it sounds like you are buying every bit of nutrition BS out there today. Or something along the lines of Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food. Basically, you should be trying to eat fresh / homemade food in reasonable quantities, and not too much red meat. The easiest way to do this may be to start introducing more fruits and vegetables to what you’re already eating, if right now you’re snacking on junk food. In response to some of your comments:

            *Organic may be somewhat better for you, but you’re not going to die from eating non-organic.

            *Bread is fine, just don’t eat an entire loaf of it in one sitting. And you may find whole wheat to be more filling, faster-moving through your system, and easier to moderate.

            *Most people would say that eggs are protein but not meat. Vegans would say to eat neither. Cardiologists would say to eat all in moderation.

            *Fruit has sugar, but that shouldn’t matter much unless you’re diabetic or have certain other sugar issues. If you were to eat no sugar, then you could only eat meat and fat (and you would never take a sh!t again).

            Basically, things are fine in moderation, and you can tweak your diet a bit without totally overhauling it all at once. Tweaks are likely to be more long-lasting than major changes. And most people on this site eat some amount of junk food but are doing fine.

            If you went to law school, maybe you know the standard/rule distinction? You should have standards for your food (the main one being, everything in moderation), but you don’t need hard and fast rules that make certain foods off-limits.

          • Anonymous

            I do vegetables and fruit except starchy ones (no potatoes, bananas, corn…things of that nature, and for fruit, a strong preference for berries, dried fruit is a no-go), fish (raw, steamed or baked), up to 1 c cooked whole grains a day (i.e. oat groats, not rolled oats, wheat berries, not flour), up to 1c of cooked beans, and max 2-4egg whites, 1 serving tofu.

            My only exception to “processed” food is fermented non-dair foods (kimchi, miso, sauerkraut), but I buy very high quality, locally made with no additives/preservatives, so dried miso wouldn’t count, only miso paste, which is still “alive”, so to speak.

            Go to town with seasonings/herbs/spices (not the store blends that are loaded with salt/sugar, I mean actual spices/herbs), but I try to keep it minimal, just so I really force a reset of my tastes.

          • Gus

            Judgey mcjudgerson, that might be the most sensible statement on nutrition and diet that I’ve ever read. And since I did go to law school, I love your standard/rule analogy.

          • L

            Thanks. I think I should have clarified (I did below a bit). By and large normally I know what to eat and am able to make wise decisions. My confusion wasn’t regarding what to eat normally, but rather what ‘clean’ eating is. I’ve seen everything from no processed foods (which makes sense) to no meat, no dairy, no carbs, no sugar, etc. which is why I asked the poster who suggested it for clean eating resources.

        • Pam

          Well, I happen to think there are important differences between children and adults. Many things aren’t appropriate for 13-year olds. I’ve benefited from periodic fasting. I find it empowering to remind myself that I do have power over my eating and food choices. There’s no issue of starvation, there’s just pulling back from excess, which feels good mentally as well as physically. I’m sure lots of people would hate it, and for them, it’s a terrible idea. Ditto for people who have eating disorders or certain diseases.

          Also, it sounds like OP was planning to start eating clean and just wanted a way to transition into it after a prolonged period of unhelathy eating. Some of us aren’t able to just flip a switch the way you’re suggesting. A transition like a fast is a good way to mentally prepare for the changes ahead. And it’s a day!

          Anyway, to each her own, within reason.

    • 2013

      Another idea is to have some green smoothies – like this: http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2012/04/green-smoothie-challenge.html. Those aren’t always low calorie, so they’re not weight loss products, but they are a good easy yummy way to get more veggies and vitamins into your diet when you feel like you’ve been eating just pizza and diet coke for weeks. (We’ve all been there). You can make them in your regular blender and they taste good, for much less money than BPC.

      • L

        This is very helpful, thanks!

        And yes, it’s mostly too much crap not enough healthy normal eating (I do have a good sense of what I should be eating), but even my regular routine is still leaving me blah, so I’m trying to mix it up a little.

    • Ginjury

      Women’s Health has a great, realistic 2-day cleanse that I do whenever I’ve been eating too much junk. It’s really just eating the same list of clean foods two days in row, but it’s a good kickstarter for healthy/clean eating. I’ll post the link below.

    • Anonymous

      Buy the Gwyneth Paltrow cook book if you want to try “clean eating.” I think it’s a little silly (you’ll pry tomatoes from my cold dead hands), but she does a detox week and then lots of healthy recipes. A friend of mine who is very ill is trying it and enjoying it.

    • Anonymous

      :(

      This “eating clean” idea is sometimes misused and can become confused as just another silly, illogical diet (like, say, low-carb, Paleo, fasting, juicing, etc.). Please, please, please repeat after me: diets do not work. Ever. Diets do not work. No manner of eating that demonizes a normal food group and restricts your ability to eat it is ever going to be successful in the long run (and is not good for your body – or mind).

      A “detox” is never necessary to the human body because there are no “toxins” in the body that are not naturally and regularly removed by, say, the liver and other natural body processes. It is a sales gimmick. When someone goes on and on about “the most wonderful detox” she’s on, try asking for clarification about what exactly are these magical things called “toxins” that the human body cannot expel but for the power of arbitrary, expensive, and/or silly feeding arrangements. :)

      “Eating clean” means eating non- or minimally-processed foods and doing almost all of your food preparation and cooking at home. (I do this, have ever since I first had my own kitchen during university.) With exceptions holding for people having legitimate health issues, this means eating:
      – a lot of vegetables (all kinds, 10 servings a day, the most wonderful food in the world!),
      – normal amounts of grains/bread/carbohydrates (not the processed plastic-wrapped bread – to be “clean” – but either find a local bakery or, as I do, make your own), and
      – some protein, where, if you eat meat, you should aim to eat humanely raised (local farms!) animals without using synthetic hormones or antibiotics).

      Do not be afraid of eating dietary fat (butter is better than vegetable oils) or dairy (where full-fat, natural and normal versions are 100% better for you than fat-free or low-fat stuff, ew). Eat fruit however much you like. Sugar itself is not the devil. Eating multiple packages of snack cakes or something might be, however.

      It makes me very sad that anyone would believe that a detox or a cleanse or a fast would ever be a good idea. There is absolutely *no* need to do that to yourself. Google Michael Pollan, whose “In Defense of Food” and “Omnivore’s Dilemma” are exceptional and highly recommended.

      • Anonymous

        And I just have to add that the idea of not being “allowed” to eat potatoes or bananas (and etc., I don’t really follow these trends) is batsh** crazy.

  7. Ms Musso

    I need suggestions on how to get rid of negative thought processes. I am a “glass half-full” person, it can be good in some ways but I find that when I am facing difficulties in life it can lead to a very gloomy outlook. What are some simple steps to a more positive outlook on life?

    • Monica

      I am a big believer in Norman Vincent Peale’s “The Power of Positive Thinking.” I re-read it at least once a year, and it has helped me get through some dark times in my life.

      • CG

        Tell yourself that you can handle whatever comes your way. Focus on now or on individual tasks and tackle each one at a time. Ask for help if you need it. Help someone else out. I refrained from adding a question mark after each of these suggestions as I could use some advice on the subject myself. Interested to hear others’ suggestions. Good luck.

      • anon

        Word of warning, there are lots of jesus and religious references in Power of Positive Thinking, which were very hard to ignore. I ultimately could not read it.

  8. Mattress recommendation?

    We’ve had the same mattress on our bed for well more than a decade and I finally convinced DH that it was time to buy a new one. Not afraid to spend a good chunk of money on this purchase. We both like firm mattresses, but I love the cushy pillowtop beds that they have at nice hotels. I’ve never slept on one of those for more than a night or two, so I’m a little apprehensive that over time they’d give me a backache like I get when I sleep on a soft mattress (though I understand the concept that soft pillowtop on top of a firm mattress does not equal a soft mattress). Anyway, recommendations? RueLaLa has a sale on the W Hotel signature mattress, and I’m wondering if I should just go ahead and buy that.

    • costco

      I once spent the night in a friend’s very firm bed with a memory foam top, and it was so heavenly. It was from Costco and I bought one for myself when I moved. She later moved, and bought herself the same bed but with a softer pillowtop built in. I slept in this one and also thought it was great – softer but still supportive. It’s a sealy posturepedic birchmere — theres one that’s ultra firm and one with a pillowtop.

    • Cella

      No advice but I’m really interested in the responses! I was told during my last round of mattress shopping that a pillowtop is not equivelant to a “soft” mattress in terms of back issues–what matters is the quality of the support under the pillowtop.

      I’d also love to hear about experiences with tempurpedic/tempurpedic knock offs.

      • Statutesq

        I just got a tempurpedic cloud, and it’s amazing. Even when I sleep in my favorite hotel bed I used to think was amazingly comfortable, I miss my tempurpedic. It did take some getting used to though, and it had to off gas when we got home. I highly recommend though.

      • Orangerie

        My boyfriend has a tempurpedic and I have mixed feelings about it. It’s definitely very comfortable and supportive, and I don’t wake up with any aches or pains… but I tend to be a hot sleeper and the tempurpedic aggravates that more than traditional mattresses. The thing just captures body heat, I swear.

        • Merabella

          Silly question, but how are lady garden parties on a tempurpedic bed? I feel like it would be weird. Is that totally juvenile of me to wonder? Probably, but I’m curious.

          • Orangerie

            Hahaha, it’s not juvenile to wonder. I guess the only difference is that a tempurpedic isn’t as bouncy as a spring mattress, but I haven’t noticed any weirdness :)

      • Yo yo

        We spent a stupid amount of money on a Stearns & Foster firm mattress with cushy pillow top that sagged irretrievably after 7 years or so. We dragged it out a few more years, adding memory foam toppers and other temporary fixes. When we finally replaced, we bought a super firm one from The Original Mattress Factory (all over the East coast, sells their own in-house brand only). We top that with thick memory foam from Overstock (or a fluffy down topper in the winter). I like that the mattress (unlike it’s predecessor, or really any pillow top) can be flipped, and we can replace the cushy part (memory foam/down/etc.) when it starts to sag. Even if our system doesn’t hold up too long, it is half the prices of that Stearns & Foster, so I won’t mind replacing it in 7 years.

    • MsZ

      Don’t get a pillowtop. We went for one on the same reasons you say, on an expensive name-brand mattress, but the pillowtop (as opposed to the mattress) caved into two person-sized divots within the first year. DH and I are not heavy people and this still happened. (We also voided the warranty by not using it with the same brand’s box spring.) I’m about ready to go to town on the pillowtop with my seam ripper and just get rid of it.

      • CG

        When I was shopping around for a mattress I was tempted to buy a heavenly bed online. I ended up trekking it to the store instead, and am glad I did. My SO found a mattress that worked for both of us and it didn’t take all day. The store offered financing with no interest over 2 years, which we used. Overall, I’m happy with our purchase and would recommend going to the store vs. shopping online. The return/exchange period was considerably longer at the brick and mortar shop. Word of warning: if you do head to at store for your purchase, don’t feel compelled to buy sheets, pillows, and all the extras if you can get them cheaper elsewhere. In all my excitement I bought some extras that could have waited.

    • mascot

      Semi related tj: Our mattress is a plush-top and is 6 years old. We flip and rotate it and are not quite ready to spend a huge amount replacing it. But, it’s starting to get a bit uncomfortable. Has anyone had success using a latex foam topper to extend the life of the mattress?

      • Meg Murry

        yeah, our mattress started to get dents at after a while. We put a foam topper on it (just a generic one on sale from JCP) and it helped quite a bit – although I had to let the foam air out outside for a LONG time to get all the plastic-y stink out, and I’m still a bit concerned about what we might be breathing all night. Also, it doesn’t “breathe” well in summer and in winter it doesn’t work with our heated mattress pad – so it winds up rolled up in our spare room more than 1/2 the year. I think a new mattress might be out anniversary present this summer, since we got this mattress when we first got married.

      • Bizzyb

        I’ve done this with a couple of beds. Overstock has some great deals on well-reviewed toppers.

    • Lynnet

      We got a Sealy optimum memory foam bed in October and are so far really loving it. It was about $1000, which was more than I wanted to spend on a bed (before we went bed shopping my husband spent a lot of time doing math to convince me that it would be worth it, which mostly convinced me that he really, really wanted this and I should go ahead with it for that reason), but it is amazing. Every time we have to sleep on another bed, even a comfortable one in a nice hotel, we wake up in the morning and miss our Sealy mattress. I’m a really hot sleeper, and this bed has really helped (although not eliminated the problem). Definitely recommend.

    • L2fly

      Last year, I took a risk and purchased an ultra-firm mattress (with no plush-top) on-line from Costco, and then added a 3 inch memory foam topper, also from Costco. I figured Costco has an amazing return policy, so the inconvenience of a potential return was worth the risk of buying it without trying it first.

      Its the best sleep we’ve ever had. Neither myself nor my SO are tiny lightweights, but my hope is that the firmer mattress will hold up better over time than a softer mattress with a plush top, and the memory foam topper can be replaced every few years or so for much cheaper than replacing the entire mattress.

  9. Equity's Darlig

    When did J.Crew’s Canadian website start using US$? Is that recent? I don’t think I’m complaining, because the prices are the same as the US site, and thus, I think, a little cheaper than they were before, but it’s still odd, and a recent change.

    Does anyone else give voices to things they read online? I usually listen to the Economist audio audition while walking to/from work, but today I realized that when I read an article on their website, I also use the man’s/woman’s voice from the audio edition. I have voices for each blog I read in my head (and, if I’m being honest, for some regular commenters here…I give NOLA a Louisana accent, Godzilla growls, etc.)…now I’m wondering whether anyone else does this or whether I’m just an odd duck?

    • Merabella

      I totally do the reading in voices thing. Everyone here has their own voice as well. I want to do meet-ups, but I’m worried that my voices will be totally different than what everyone actually sounds like.

  10. Anonymous

    TJ: I feel like I don’t know what to wear shoe-wise with casual outfits. I used to live in flip-flops but feel I need something more adult, and sneakers are so…. Fwiw, I’m a pear shape so in jeans I usually select a boot cut, I wouldn’t wear a skinny unless in winter with a knee high boot to balance my hips. Any suggestions to add to my casual footwear repertoire?

    • Brant

      For work? Or for home? I’m pear shaped as well, plus I am tall and have big feet. For home, I wear dressier flip flops (eg. Jack Rodgers in silver/gold), really casual low heeled slides, and i very often roll up the ankles of my boot cut jeans to balance out my bottom half. I’ve also got a bunch of espadrille-like shoes that I bought en masse from Target last year. They fall apart, but are SO DARN COMFY I bought an embarrassing number of them.

      For work, I only wear jeans in weather cool enough to wear boots.

    • Olivia Pope

      I know what you mean! I used to exclusively wear flip flops and sneakers. Now I have nice looking flat sandals with ankle straps to replace flip flops (e.g. casual clothes, with dresses). I wear flats or low wedges to replace sneakers. I wear straight leg or skinny jeans, so I don’t know how that would work with boot cut jeans.

    • a passion for fashion

      you should try some of the ankle skimming slacks/jeans that are so popular right now. They are slim fit, but not skinny (and thus work better on more bodies). This opens up a world of new, comfortable shoe options. all kids of flats are available, as well as cute sandals — both work well with dresses too. I also roll up straight and boot cut jeans so i can wear flats. I rcently gave up flip flops except at a pool or beach and with these clothing options, i find i am actually more comfortbale.

      • Claire

        These don’t really work if you’re a proper pear shape – just the fit :/ I find anyway – anyone with recommendations for a good ankle pant that isn’t cut for an apple shape welcome

    • Sydney Bristow

      I’ve been having a similar dilemma and practically live in flip flops during the summer. Ru recommended these, which I bought and love! Super comfy, cute, and they go with most of my casual clothes.

  11. Sober Conference Monitor

    I’ve got a big work conference for the next week at a resort/spa. This event is notoriously booze-soaked, and our customers main goal for the week is to hit up employees for booze.

    I’m almost 6 months pregnant, but don’t look it unless you happen to be in the know. My team knows I”m pregnant, and I”m not opposed to others knowing, I just don’t want my days answering questions from customers and vendors like, “so what are you going to name the baby?” or “are you planning a v@ginal birth?” (already been asked both in a business setting. The delivery question was over dinner.) To that end, ADVICE PLEASE:

    1. How do I politely and sociably move conversations from my pregnancy (if/when they come up, which they will) back to business? People already de-rail internal meetings telling me how pregnant I DON’T look, how much their own babies weighed, how my packing for business trips will be so much harder with a pump, and countless other things I don’t care to talk to borderline strangers about :). I guess on the up side, my boss does always pack snacks for me because she’s worried I don’t have time to eat (I always have time to eat!).

    2. What’s a good (meaning delicious) non-alcoholic drink to drink all week? I know a lot of old posts here deal with “drinks that look like booze”–but I actually just want something I can order at a bar and drink a lot of while standing around. My standard gin and tonic (less the gin) is not what I want to be sipping on all week long! I don’t want to/shouldn’t be drinking cokes and other sodas…so all I can think of is OJ and cranberry juice…and water. Anything better? A glass full of bar fruit? :)

    3. If you had to be on your feet all day for a week while almost 6 months pregnant at a hotel in the desert, what would you wear on your feet? I’ll be wearing black pants.

    4. If, at these conferences, it was common to sit by the pool/float in the lazy river in your bathing suit, and you were 6 months pregnant (but didn’t look it from afar, but certainly look pudgy in your swimsuit!), would you? Or would you suck it up and chill in a knee length cover-up on the sidelines?

    • L

      2. Cranberry juice, gingerale/club soda and a lime or sweetened lime juice. Orange juice and cranberry juice blended with ice. virgin bloody mary if you’re after something spicy.

      3. no kids, but bring multiple shoes and socks. I personally like the sneaker ballet flats in patent black and you usually can’t tell.

      4. If you want to float, I say float. You could also buy a modest swimsuit if you wanted to cover up a bit more, but honestly I don’t think anyone is going to begrudge you a trip down the lazy river!

    • saacnmama

      There are tons of virgin drinks. I personally tend towards coconut, but you could google your favorite tastes + virgin, or ask the bartender.

      I fooled the guys when I gave a lecture at 5 mos, but not a woman who’d already had a child. You might give your secret away if you’re in your swimsuit. But if all you want to do is hang your feet in the water or float down the river, than you could get a tankini that’s loose around the belly or wear a crop top over your suit long enough to cover most of your belly.

      If people talk about pregnancy, I’d smile and say “I *know* I have all that coming and am so glad to be here in adult company this week! What’d you think of that session?”

      • Sober Conference Monitor

        It’s more of the sort of bar you’d see at a typical wedding, vs. that you’d see at a resort. My favorite drinks are gin & tonics, straight scotch, wine, vodka tonics, and martinis…none of which are good as “virgins.” :) I typically don’t drink drinks with fruit juice or anything in them…so I’m sort of stuck.

  12. mascot

    2. Out by the pool? Drink fruity virgin daquiris and pina coladas, or whatever boat drink that you wouldn’t order in a business setting. At a fancy dinner? If they have good bartenders/mixologists, ask them to create something. I’ve gotten great drinks this way and they often have yummy fresh juices (assuming you are fine with unpastuerized juice). At happy hours or bars? Club soda with fruit/juice or splash of bitters, I actually thought the imported NA beers weren’t bad.

    4. Do whatever makes you comfortable. People you are with will figure out the pregnant vs pudgy thing quickly and who cares what the rest of the strangers on the pool deck think. Being in the water is awesome when pregnant and will help with fluid retention and soreness.

  13. HELP!

    Ok ladies, I have an embarrassing problem. I’m growing a mustache, and it appears, a full beard (over-exaggerating, but still.). I’ve spoken with my doctor, and he blows me off. I’m working on the medical end of it, but I need fixes for the cosmetic end right now. Here’s what I’ve tried:

    Laser hair removal – either didn’t work for my hair/skin type, or the place I went was incompetent. I have olive skin with black hair. My mustache is back, and darker than ever. Have any of you ladies with similar coloring had success?

    Olay hair removal – this protects too much of the bottom of the hair follicle, so I’m having to use it once every three days or so. Not a fan.

    Shaving – this is what I’m doing currently, and I hate it.

    Waxing – I’ve had to stop this because my derm has me using Retin-A, and I’ve been told that I’m not supposed to get waxed on areas where I’ve used it.

    Can anyone offer any advice to help me from going crazy? Tweezing all of the hair on my neck is driving me insane, and trying to remember to shave my ‘stache is almost just as bad.

    • Orangerie

      Have you tried threading? Like waxing, it pulls hair from the root so you should stay smoother longer than shaving. I don’t think this is something you can do by yourself/at home, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a place near you that offers the service.

      • OP

        I have done threading, I just haven’t found a place in my area I’m happy with. Most of our places are in the middle of the mall…not interested in having my hair ripped out while other people watch! I’ll have to look around here for a better place and give it a try.

    • January

      Whether or not you can wax on Retin-A varies by salon and the type of wax they use. Look for one that uses hard or blue wax.

    • hellskitchen

      I have similar coloring as you. I had my legs lasered and it’s worked up to a point. I thread my upper lip and chain. I also use one of those SmoothAway thingies – I have to use it everyday but it takes a minute and is not messy. A friend with similar coloring went for electrolysis for her upper lip and chin and it worked out fine for her.

      • OP

        Oh wow, I used something similar to the Smooth Away things in high school. Except I did it, then applied Nair to the area because it was taking too long. I burned my legs and stomach so badly with that stuff. Maybe I’ll have to try it now that I’m older, and hopefully, wiser. lol

    • anon for this...

      This was the solution to my problems….

      http://www.amazon.com/R-E-M-Spring-Facial-Hair-Remover/dp/B001FXUTUM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368752585&sr=8-1&keywords=hair+removal+wire

      A little ouch-y until you get used to it, but no stubble problems like what you get with shaving. Cheap. Like you, I have sensitive skin and use Retin-A and had a bad experience with waxing in the past (I blistered!!).

      I would also ask your doctor about whether you could have high testosterone levels contributing to this new problem. Maybe even PCOS.

      For years, I suffered from acne (male pattern – worse on jawline/neck/chest/back), hairy (long, dark hair on arms and from toes to crotch… and additional places I’d rather not mention… including my face… yikes), and had to use a strong anti-persperent and definitely wash my hair everyday or I was smelly. Finally at the age of 40 I went to a dermatologist and she immediately suggested I might have high testosterone contributing to my symptoms and put me on spironolactone (pill) and retinA. Life changing….

      If only my doctors had tried to help me with this 25 years ago…. my life may have turned out totally different.

      • OP

        Yeah, my endocrinologist and primary care have both diagnosed me with PCOS, but they won’t treat it because I don’t want kids, am not ‘grossly overweight,’ and PCOS is only a ‘clinical diagnosis’ according to them. I’m looking for another doctor (several ladies on here have given me suggestions, I just need to go back. I get discouraged easily when it comes to doctors, because I feel like they blow me off.)

        I’ve seen the spring thing before. For 20 bucks I might just have to try it!

        • Anonymous

          I hear you…. sorry your doctors haven’t been more supportive. You could try seeing a dermatologist, as male pattern hair is up their alley. Are you getting your Retin-A from a dermatologist? I would look for a dermatologist who specializes in treating women. That is what finally worked for me.

          One primary care doctor considered treating me once for this (“no… you don’t need to see a dermatologist….”), but she just left me with more burns/peeling. She also made me feel a little and even more insecure for wanting some treatment. Of course, she was a beautiful blond with perfect skin and no visible body hair.

          My dermatologist understands. And treats me appropriately with spironlactone, follows my blood tests and has helped me a lot.

        • Anonymous

          What does “only clinical” mean? Can’t they see the hair? As far as their reasons for not treating it, how do they know you don’t want kids? You don’t have to say you’re TTC now, but you might at least tell the next doc that you are open to that possibility, want to keep the door open.
          If you’ve got names of other docs, go see one!

    • Need to Improve

      I have your coloring and laser worked for me. I went to a high end place with doctors and nurses and not an esthetician salon. I would consider trying laser again.

    • AIMS

      Please go see another doctor. No doc should blow you off for something like this as it could mean something with your hormones or PCOS. That may also be why the laser didn’t work.
      I think for a temp solution, you could try nair depilatory or threading. And if you get an all clear on the medical front, then I would try another (better) laser place. See if you can find one that has a special machine for darker skin and is associated with a doctor’s office.

      • phillygirlruns

        as someone with similar coloring *and* similar hairiness, i second everything that AIMS said. start by finding another derm to discuss alternatives. laser hair removal worked well for me, though it was a serious process and i was instructed not to wax or plus the areas being lasered until i was completely done with treatment (i.e., 2.5 years). nair has always been my fallback, and somehow in the 20-ish years i’ve been using it they’ve managed to finally figure out how to make it stop smelling like sulfur. it’s still not pleasant to have right under your nose, but it’s 10 minutes tops and lasts much longer than shaving.

    • Anonymous

      It’s cheap but I’d take it in a fix. Question: why not invest in a better tote? It’ll be cheaper in the long run and boost your confidence.

    • Brant

      I would, but my biz casual meetings are all with IT staff. It looks downright formal compared to the backpacks they bring ;)

  15. M

    DH (not actually H) lost his shit today. There was no real trigger, and he didn’t touch me, but he said things that I consider completely unacceptable (the B word and telling me to leave). When do you decide if it’s time to leave? He’s a good match for me ideologically, but my Dad abused my Mom and I have no interest in being in a relationship like that ever. We’re not married and we don’t have kids. Should I be glad for red flags this early or will I always find a reason to get rid of any man?

    • Merabella

      I’m so sorry this is happening. I would take a break from this guy, and get into therapy. This isn’t you finding a reason to get rid of a guy, he made you feel unsafe. Like you said, you aren’t married and you don’t have kids, you don’t have to wait around for him to escalate his anger issues, you can walk away. But I definitely suggest therapy either way.

    • Hollis

      Yes, red flags – he may have anger control issues. I’ve seen the book “the Gift of Fear” recommended for help identifying possible abusive people.

      If you have good friends or siblings who have been observing your relationship for awhile, then ask them for their *honest* advice about how *you* are when you are around him. It was only after I left a 5 year serious relationship that my friends were honest enough to tell me to my face that he was so controlling and my emotions were either too high or too low.

Back to Top

About

Work with Corporette®

Serious Stuff

work fashion blog press mentions