ByKat Hours Updated
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Suit of the Week: 87Origins

striped linen pant suit in shades of gray, beige, and white

For busy working women, the suit is often the easiest outfit to throw on in the morning. In general, this feature is not about interview suits for women, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional. Also: we just updated our big roundup for the best women's suits of 2024!

This suit feels so different from a lot of what we're seeing right now — and I love it. The prominent stripe feels less cartoonish because of the muted colors, and it looks polished but relaxed. (I'm ALMOST surprised there isn't a matching pair of shorts.)

The pants are $145, and the blazer is $200, both at Shopbop. The brand, 87Origins, is based in Lagos, Nigeria, and describes themselves as creating “modern, understated, and endlessly versatile wardrobe essentials.”

Hunting for a suit in a print or pattern? As of 2024, for more traditional prints, M.M.LaFleur has a lovely houndstooth option and a distinctive plaid; J.Crew also has an ivory plaid. Wildfang has a nice pinstripe option for regular and plus sizes. Banana Republic has a nice mid-brown plaid as well as some nice pinstripes, while 87Origins has a beautiful striped linen suit. For more unusual prints and patterns for suits, Boden has an vaguely '60s inspired “diamond terrace” pattern.

Sales of note for 1/1/25 (HAPPY NEW YEAR!):

74 Comments

  1. Has anyone done electrolysis for facial hair removal? Laser hair removal won’t work since my hair is too fair, and I’m developing an allergy to wax strips. How effective was it? How painful?

    1. Haven’t tried it myself but a couple people close to me have. It hurts like hell and effects weren’t very long-lasting, unfortunately.

    2. I did and I’m very happy with it. I did upper lip and a few errant chin hairs. It’s been 6 years since my last session and I haven’t had any issues since. It’s a little painful, especially near the nose, but not that bad in my opinion. I’m also blonde and it was my only option.

    3. Super effective, but also very painful. I did my upper lip over 20 years ago, and despite two kids and lots of hormonal changes, I have zero regrowth. There are topical anesthetics that help significantly with the pain.

    4. Also very blonde and fair. It worked well for me. It was very effective. Takes awhile because of hair growth patterns. Certain areashurt (around lips for me) but it’s very brief and then gone. One place used numbing cream another did not Didn’t seem to make a difference pain-wise.

    5. Not on my face, but I have had both electrolysis and laser hair removal (armpits and legs). For me, I did laser first (easier to find providers) I barely felt the laser, laser worked pretty well, but my hair still grew back. It was far, far lighter in color, came back very, very fine, and grew in slowly, but it can back. So I decided to do electrolysis. Holy heck in a hand basket, that stuff HURTS (and I say this as someone who (unintentionally) had an unmediated delivery of my kid). However, electrolysis works great and is completely permanent. In my armpits, they were pretty raw/irritated for a few days after treatment, and then all was good.

    6. It worked really well for me as a tween. They’ve come back with a vengeance at 40 though. I’d do it again but have heard to wait until menopause?

    7. I did 25 years ago, not only in the face but in other body areas that I finished with laser when it became available. Best investment of my life.
      20 years later in the body never regrow in the body but in the face a couple of hairs in the chin now when I am near menopause.
      Regarding pain, for me was berable, only really painfull in the center over the lip below the nose.

      1. I don’t WFH, but maybe I could wear one over the suit and complete the look hahaha.

        1. How have we gone from professional water bottles to recs on a “Zoom bathrobe”. How the mighty have fallen!

    2. Your comment reminds me of this exchange, from The Heat:

      Sandra Bullock: I’ve got to change.
      Melissa McCarthy: What’s the matter with your pantsuit?
      Sandra Bullock: It’s pajamas.
      Melissa McCarthy: I didn’t realize you slept in a tux. Go ahead, get your top hat.

    3. My 20 something daughter is very into high wasted wide legged pants. She recently bought a pair in a similar stripe pattern and I literally thought they were pajama pants! (Ended up in the wrong pile after laundry)

  3. Does anyone use a walking pad in their non-WFH office?
    Right now I’m by myself but it’s possible that someone else might move into my office in the next 3-6 months. Would a walking pad be totally disruptive?

    1. One of my coworkers got one and used it for, like, two weeks and it’s been sitting in our conference room unused for months now.

    2. Not as disruptive as using a treadmill in the bedroom while your spouse is sleeping, but still totally disruptive.

      2. I would be completely furious if my office mate thought that was OK to use while we shared an office.

    3. I literally have no idea can walk and do substantive work at the same time. Maybe checking emails, but not much else.

    4. Meh. Maybe. I would make sure you are going to use it. We also had two employees (totally different lifestyles) purchase these. Both walking pads are now against the wall in their offices. Not trying to talk you out of it. I’d brace yourself for your office mate asking you not to walk while they’re on the phone, or making sure your “extra shoes” are well-deoderized and probably kept out of site or neatly stored (not in my way). If I joined your office, I wouldn’t ask you to take it away (assuming it’s not IN my way) but I would want to be able to wear headphones if the noise bugged me.

    5. I just got a walking pad and so far have been using it to read Kindle on my phone, shop online, social media, etc. I can type and mouse, but handwriting is comical. It is a very loud whirring, although I got a cheap one — but maybe if you have one already then the office won’t give you a new roomie?

    6. If you have a private office and aren’t on the upper floor of an old building, do you. Would not do it if you actually get an officemate, though.

      1. Also, I’ve worked with two coworkers (lawyers) who had and used actual treadmill desks. One was a semi-competitive cyclist and the other did trail running (like, ultras). Both used their treadmill desk on a low speed 4-6 hours a day, but also both were in ridiculous shape and walking on that tread was probably the only reason they were willing to show up to an indoor office each day.

  4. Minor gripe: on a call with someone who is using their Airpods rather than a headset with boom mic. Us on the call can hear background chatter from that person’s coworkers.

    1. Do that many people have headsets? My office didn’t provide headsets, so we all use our own AirPods and we don’t tend to notice any background noise with them.

    2. I think AirPods are good at background noise so maybe they have cheap knockoffs?

      1. Not when their coworker sits 4 feet away and is a loud talker on their own separate call. No longer background “noise” then—The AirPods can’t distinguish between the two different speaking voices and transmit 40-50% of that other person’s voice.

        Headsets with boom mics are created for these situations (ie call centers). Airpods are not.

  5. Can anyone recommend a spa for a couples massage in the Kona area of the big island? Thank you!

  6. fun question: who was your first movie crush? who was your LAST movie crush?

    mine: david bowie, adam driver

      1. Indiana Jones too, but for me yes, since that day, HF forever. In the midle a lot of them: Keanu, Paul Newman, Jude Law…

        (But my parents say that my first tv obsesion was italian actor Massimo Ranieri when I was 2)

      1. I love this question because while I know Ryan Gosling is by all standards a very handsome (and by all accounts quite nice) man he just leaves me cold. I was probably the one person who was sad that Rachel McAdams broke up with James Marsden in the Notebook.

    3. Luke Skywalker, Esai Morales. Please ask this again tomorrow morning, it’s a fun question!

    5. Outing myself as an Old, Luke Skywalker.

      Most recent? Lily Gladstone in a girl crush sort of way.

    6. First: the fox Robin Hood
      Most recent: re-watched The Mummy recently, most of the cast

    7. Ooh, that’s a great question – I think my first real one was Hayden Christensen in the Star Wars prequels.

      Most recently, not sure, but one of my favorite movies of all time has Adam Driver and also Daniel Radcliffe, and your mention of Adam Driver just reminded me how adorable Radcliffe is in that movie. It’s called What If.

      1. If you haven’t made the effort to try Clone Wars (the animation took some getting used to for me personally and I had some false starts before I really gave it a chance and got hooked), I wonder what you would think of Anakin!

        I’ll have to look up What If. Adam Driver is great.

    9. My first was Alan Alda. M*A*S*H was, and still is, one of my favourite shows.

    10. First: The animated fox from Robin Hood
      Last: Glen Powell
      Charming slightly sleezy guys with great smiles are my kryptonite. I learned to avoid them IRL after a nasty breakup in my 20s but always swoon over them in the movies!

    14. Both Rachel Weisz and Brendan Frasier in The Mummy (1999); Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who

    15. Late 80s baby. My first was Atreyu in The Neverending Story. Latest either Michiel Huisman or Jay Duplass.

    16. First – Patrick Swayze. I bought a Dirty Dancing VHS with my babysitting money and watched it almost every day after school.

      Last – Idris Alba.

  7. I booked a personal shopping spot at Nordstrom for the first time ever. Do I tip them? Do they get commission if I buy that day? I live out of state and have a hard to fit size, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I need to order some items. Want to be ready ahead of time for whatever the polite or expected thing is to do!

    1. If I was supposed to tip them, I’ve been totally blowing it.

      They make commission and want to build a relationship with you for future commissions. Buy some things same day if you like them, and then order them from your personal shopper in the future. Not from the website.

    2. I’ve never heard of tipping them, but they most definitely get a commission on what you buy that day. (And keep in mind the store claws back the commission on everything you return.)

  8. If you wanted to go somewhere warm by 3/22, and had not booked anything, where would you go? We were looking at Cancun but prices just went up $1000

      1. Yeah, Florida has many options. Mid-March is spring break time though so watch out for party destinations.

        1. Yeah, if you’re not locked into a specific week, going soon (mid-late February) is likely to be the cheapest and best option. Prices will go up significantly by the second week of March. I’m in the Midwest and a lot of schools around us have spring break the week of March 11, which means spring break travel starts as early as March 8 or 9.
          I’ve gotten some *really* good deals on Florida and the Caribbean in February, especially if you can avoid the President’s Day week.

          1. In New England many of the private schools have spring break in mid-March as do some of the states that end school in May.

  9. PLITK – I just got an autoplay ad, with sound, for Rare Beauty. I reported it but wanted you to know too. It was very sneaky … I had the page open for awhile, and had read all the comments and scrolled to the bottom, before it started blaring. Scared me!

  10. Reposting from this am’s thread…any favorite luxury bubble baths? Bath bombs and salts do not do it for me.

    1. Not luxury but Dr Teals makes a ridiculous amount of bubbles and is the best I’ve ever tried.

    2. Mr Bubble if you’re more interested in lots of bubbles vs scent or skin softening ingredients.

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