Suit of the Week: J.Crew

82 Comments

1. This morning’s discussion had a couple of posters that have 7- or 8-figure NW.

   For those in that range, how did you get there? What was your income to get there? How much did you save? Any tips for those who would like to follow your path?

   1. I wasn’t on the morning thread, but I will reply.

      My parents are very wealthy, so I have received significant gifts from them. My husband works in finance and has had total comp in the 7 figures for the last several years (including salary and bonus, obviously could go down if the market goes down). He started out in investment banking at a BB bank, went to a top business school, and is a PM at a fund now. I met him while he was in business school. I doubt this run will last forever, and he knows that too. We are not flashy or big spenders.

      I am a lawyer for what it is worth and also make a good salary, but I would not have made it to where we are financially without my family’s help or my husband’s (extremely high paying) job.

   2. My husband and I are 7 figures but we’re old so it’s not as impressive as it would be if we were younger. We made a lot of mistakes but we’ve been lucky, too. We have been maxing out 401(k) accounts/IRAs for decades, and also we have significant equity in real estate, consisting of our primary residence plus a triplex owned by my husband for a long time, and the house I lived in before we were married (both were married before). We have been quite fortunate recently with appreciation in both the stock market and real estate market in recent years, after taking big hits in the Great Recession. Income has been high but not super-high for most of our careers. I made six figures for probably half of my career, just hit $200,000 in the last several years. Husband is self-employed and his income has been all over the place — his best year was close to $500,000 but that was an outlier and there have been years when he’s made 10% of that or less. Generally it’s been similar to my income on average. We say we’re “the working rich.”

      Tips: Don’t take on crippling student debt. We went to non-HYS schools and we have done just fine, thank you very much, and so have our kids. Let me repeat that: Don’t take on crippling student debt. Start saving early and do so consistently. Don’t get divorced if you can help it because that is a financial catastrophe (although the best way to prevent that is to choose your spouse very carefully in the first instance — if it comes to it, divorce is worth it in emotional dollars for sure). Obviously, live within your means and don’t carry revolving debt. Don’t have kids, or stick to one or at most two. (Hey, you asked — kids are expensive and it’s a lot easier to build wealth if you’re child free.) If you can’t start saving early, start now. It’s like they say, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, and the second-best time is today.

      1. Haha meant to be anon for this. Oh, well.

   3. There’s a huge difference between 7 and 8 figures! We (husband and I) have a 7 figure NW in our early 40s and have never made more than $150k together. We both got state government jobs in our 30s (after many years in grad school) and put about half our salaries into our retirement accounts, which have grown tremendously, so it’s basically living frugally and a lot of luck with market timing (not having kids also helps, as we currently live in a VHCOL area and this lets us get away with living in a much smaller space). An 8 figure NW would definitely require much, much higher salaries or longer time earning.

      1. Agree. I wouldn’t feel even close to being able to retire on $1 million. But $10 million? That would be SWEET. (And Anon at 3:10, sounds like you’ll definitely get there!)

         1. agree. $10mm would be a no-brainer. The question for most of us who won’t get there is now many millions is really enough.

      2. I should add, our parents paid for undergrad, which definitely helps, but we haven’t received anything else from them since. We have no grad school loans because STEM grad school is paid for by TA, RA, and fellowships, but I’m not sure how much that really helps when it postpones the ability to earn a real salary until a decade out of college. It does do an excellent job of preparing you to live frugally, though, since you’re around peers who also have no money and I think it helps when that’s the comparison, instead of say, lawyers.

   4. We have 7 figures, about $4M, and are mid 40s. We have highly paid jobs. I made $125K out of law school and have never gone below that, although was stuck at $125K for about 8 years between my biglaw job and making partner, and DH is an entrepreneur who started out in finance, had a couple of startups, and is now in VC with a couple of different income streams. We only had about $50K of student debt when we started out.

   5. I started trying to be a serious literary author. Then I started writing trashy novels. I think it’s like lawyers worrying about leaving BigLaw for a non-legal job that actually eventually pays much better (e.g., better to be a profit center than a cost center in any org). So I never win a PEN/Faulkner award . . . I’ll be fine.

      I do kind of want to go to med school still. Not sure they’d have me though.

      1. Um, are you Courtney Milan????

   6. I hit 7 a few years ago. I take home about 140K and am worth ~1.5M (including home equity). I went to law school straight out of college, and earned (near) BigLaw market for about seven years. Zero parental help (for education or living or wedding) but I chased money when choosing college and law school so didn’t have wild debt. While in private practice, I strove to live on less than 1/3 my income starting in my third year (the first two years I was focused on throwing lots of money at loans), and was probably living on 1/4 of it with my baby in 2018 and 2019. Tips:
      1. Marry very carefully (or don’t). I’m just now getting back to the level of principle I had before I divorced my first husband a few years ago. I don’t mean marry for money, but marry someone who shares your goals regarding money and is self-sufficient.
      2. Automate everything. I will spend money that is in my bank account, so I divert huge chunks of it away. For me, it’s historically been diverted in to low-cost index funds, but I’m starting to branch out. I wouldn’t spin your wheels figuring out exactly what to invest in, so much more work is done by simply investing in low-cost things (rather than spending).
      3. Surround yourself with folks with similar values. If I spend too much time with my BigLaw friends I find myself browsing for expensive bags/trips/etc. Gold handcuffs are learned from peers, I think, when high levels of spending are justified and seem universal in your bubble.

      1. Agree with all this! I’m the Anon below with a $1M net worth in my 30s and I think a lot of it is because we don’t buy ‘stuff.’ Our cars are 20 years old and I can’t even remember the last time I bought expensive clothes or bags. Travel is our big splurge but we were pretty constrained about that until recently – now we can max retirement and still do nice travel as much as we want, but until recently we had to hold back on travel in order to max retirement, and doing that was definitely a good decision.

   7. My husband and I are ~$1 million net worth now (age 35) if you include our house and will hit $1 million by age 40 even if you don’t include the house. No magic, just maxing retirement contributions and paying down the mortgage aggressively. HHI around $150k but in a very low cost of living area, so now that our mortgage is gone we really don’t have any big expenses except retirement savings and childcare. We have about $50k in a 529 for our 4 year old, but we’re expecting significant grandparent help with college so we’re not really prioritizing that for now.

      Agreed there’s a HUGE difference between 7 and 8 figures. $1 million feels very small to me when we’re talking about how much money we’ll need in retirement. We have no plans to retire early and my husband will likely keep working well past age 65 if he’s in good health because he loves his job. My parents have a net worth around $10M so there is a good chance I could inherit high six or low seven figures if they don’t outlive their money, but we’re not counting on that in our planning at all. I would rather they spend it enjoying their retirement. I also know they’re planning to give a lot to charity so even if they die suddenly I definitely won’t be getting anywhere near $10M, nor would I expect to.

   8. Mostly help and luck, which is consistent for most of my peers / friends in the same NW bracket (I am mid-30s). Both my partner and I had college paid for by our parents or got interest free loans from them/grandparents with no particular repayment terms other than “just pay us back as/when you can”. Law school for me was also paid for, so we both started in the work force with no real debt. My grandparents established a stock portfolio for me when I was born and added to it throughout my childhood; not everything was a winner, but plenty was. I’m in biglaw, so biglaw salary and bonus every year since graduating law school (now a partner). Partner works in tech and has hopped around, including two companies that have gone public and partner was in early enough to make about $1M each time. No kids, no significant health problems or dire expenses. We bought our house in a hot market at a time when not everyone could because we had no other debt. Day to day we still live roughly as we did when I was in law school and we were living off a single income, though now we worry less about the splurges and big expenses when they happen (and we try to keep them from happening too often). So, so much of this has been luck and help.

   9. I’m 56 and almost ready to retire early. No family money, just a lot of saving and a house that has appreciated well (which I usually don’t count when thinking about retirement because we plan to live here for several more years, but if we needed to we could sell it, downsize to a lower COL area, and net a million or maybe two – Bay Area.) We are mid 7 figures in savings. This was helped along by my former job where 1/3 to 1/2 of the compensation was in bonuses, short term and long term. We lived on the salary and invested the bonuses, which I highly recommend.

      I still question from time to time whether we really have enough to retire, but let’s face it, any serious medical/long term care situation will bankrupt most of us and we just have to accept it. I’m post-boomer (first year of GenX) so I had no faith long term care insurers would survive the baby boomers and have anything left for me, much like social security.

   10. Okay, this is where I get to say what I can’t say anywhere else: I’ll hit $1 mil. in my retirement and investment accounts within the next few weeks! However, I am only nearing 60 and can’t think about retiring on this. It should be a lot more but I had a midlife divorce and bought a house at age 50, was not able to save much when married, paid my daughter’s college living expenses (tuition was covered by scholarships) so she would have no student loans, had no 401(k) available unitl I was in my late 30s, yada yada.

       How was it accomplished? I have been maxing out my 401(k) contributions, maxing out my HSA contributions (which you can use for long-term care and other medical expenses later in life), making regular, automatic (and thus basically unseen) contributions to a Vanguard fund every month and putting most of the quarterly and year-end distributions from my small law firm into the retirement fund. (The partners take relatively modest monthly salaries and then additional distributions depending on the profits.) I could save a lot more if I never went out to eat or for cocktails, didn’t take my (also relatively modest) vacations, didn’t do some minor remodeling of my house, didn’t help my daughter who’s in grad school, but those are not trade-offs I’ve been willing to make.

   11. We have a low seven figure NW, but are in our early 40s and have nowhere near enough to retire anytime soon, especially with two young kids. I was in govt for almost my entire career post law school and am now in house, and making much more money. DH is a partner at a small boutique firm so we are now bringing in about 700K+ year, and thus able to save aggressively (we do have a large mortgage but are otherwise both fairly frugal, especially since we both come from middle class families and are not big spenders). I know SA mentioned crippling student loan debt, but FWIW, I went to HYS and have no regrets despite the hefty loans (which are about to be fully forgiven, yay Biden) – without a doubt it has opened so many doors for me, including helping me get my current dream job.

   12. Also in the “7 figures is WAY different than 8” camp, and I am in the 7 figures category. I am about Senior Attorney’s age, so my number is pretty close to what it will be when I retire. Grew up poor, didn’t want to end up poor, so I saved vigorously beginning when I did a poorly paid judicial clerkship where I saved about 40% of my salary. Proportionately, I saved the least during BigLaw years, because I spent money to save time and also to reward myself for the slog, although I still maxed out retirement. I switched to government and have maxed out everything since, so double limits since the tax laws permitted. There’s a saying that you can try to satisfy by having more (but there’s always more to want) or wanting less. I am mostly in the latter camp. The daycare years (and the years of 14% mortgage rates) were the hardest. It’s the usual advice—avoid debt, pay yourself first, think long term—slow and steady is the way for the tortoise.

       1. If you had asked me what I wanted to be when I was in high school it would have been “well off.” There is something about growing up poor that made me really focused on being comfortable financially and I didn’t want to be any particular thing or profession as long as I wasn’t having to worry about money. I went to State U when it was cheap and worked and was an RA to pay for my room/board and worked summers, breaks, and babysat on top of all that. Security excluded a lot of jobs and professions because I’d have either felt compelled to work a second job to build up a next egg or I’d just have been financially anxious (which is a horrible, horrible feeling). I don’t know how much $ I have at this moment, but can remembering balancing my checkbook down to the penny and being grateful to find a $10 left in a pocket of a coat from the prior winter.

          1. You are my twin in attitude. My goal was to be financially comfortable and secure, and my decisions followed. I only started to base my decisions based on more than just cost benefit analysis after I hit a certain NW.

   13. We are at 7 figures. DH has owned and managed a blue collar company for more than 20 years after acquiring it. Changes that DH has made to the business has made it more effective and streamlined, and profitable. The pandemic has created a massive demand too. I am a lawyer making low six figures.

       We live dramatically below our means a la FIRE and invest a lot in index funds and other business ventures (like a high end vacation rental).

   14. I think the biggest factor in our success has been to live below our means. We live in a HCOL area, with a lot of social pressure to look affluent/successful, but didn’t step up to the big house or the designer bags or the luxury travel, and instead saved and invested more, in a combination of the market and real estate.

   15. We have an 8-figure net worth, and 80% of it was earned by me. I’ve been self-supporting since I was 14, so saying I was poor doesn’t do it justice. I paid my way through college by working multiple jobs, and got a scholarship for 50% of graduate school. Yes, in those days you could pay your way through school, but please understand I worked seven days a week, and double shifts five days a week while taking classes. I had almost nothing — work clothes, a small apartment in a small town, an old car. No TV, no phone, no washer or dryer, no anything really. I would go on dates to get a real meal.

       I made money by having F50 jobs with bonuses and stock, and always earned the highest performance ratings, which meant higher bonuses. I never spent a bonus or stock reward, but invested them. My salary was about $225,000, but once I hit year four of long term stock rewards, my W2 might be $900,000. Lived in an east coast very high cost of living area, but in a small house.

       My tips are to live below your means. Living on our salaries and investing any bonuses or stock rewards really paid off for us. Watch your taxes, it doesn’t always make sense to defer taxes, you may be better off paying now instead of assuming you’ll be in a lower bracket later. Learn about money, there’s plenty of books and podcasts available — money is a tool. Work hard when you can to earn high compensation and bonuses, and if you don’t get it, find a new job. Make sure your money is working hard too, and avoid debt. Don’t buy stupid things, but buy stuff that makes you happy as long as you can pay for it. Never forget that most of what bothers you at work you won’t even remember in a few years, so focus on what’s important.

   16. I grew up in Asia and went to the most prestigious b school in my country. That also meant no student loans as costs way back then were paid for by parents who had eg aside this money when I was born. Kind of like your 529, I guess.

       What got me here :

       1. Being in the workforce uninterrupted by the dot com bubble (I’m an Old), 2008 crash etc.
       2. Never ever carrying credit card debt
       3. Being lucky enough to move to a super low tax country in my 20s for work
       4. Marriage helped as then we had 2 incomes and for most of our 20s, we were working too hard to have time to spend that money. Our main expense each year were our vacays. We didn’t compromise those. But even there, mid-low price hotels etc.we only upgraded to luxury around the 30th birthday milestone:)
       5. To be fair, we spent a lot in our 30s, and we had kids etc. but that was after 10 years of frugality. I remember when my PA had a designer bag and I had some nice enough bag but 10x below designer price that I was toting around!!!!
       6. The power of compounding.
       7. Taking out insurance before we hit 30. Low premiums.
       8. Investing in property. Here frankly we got lucky.
       9. We are both in very high paying jobs, which has helped.
       10. Great benefits at work for me. Helped when we had kids.

   17. We’re in the mid 8-figures, and frankly it’s hard for me to wrap my brain around it. It’s a combination of ridiculous luck, insanely generous parents (FIL started a company in the late 70s that eventually grew to F500), asset allocation investing, and living far below our means. When we met in our mid 30s, neither of us had any debt, but my future partner had quite a bit more in assets than I did (about $600K vs $2M). Now in our mid/late 40s, and we keep our expenses low (public school for our kids, old cars, public libraries, vacations to visit family). We share a fear of raising spoiled, entitled kids, and that makes it easier to keep things simple.

       I wish I had some sort of secret formula, but my best advice is if that if you’re happy in life, it’s much easier to save. I’ve had several miserable jobs, and I found myself spending money to try to make myself happier with high-end restaurants, shoes, travel, etc. Also: marry someone who shares your financial values and risk tolerance.

       1. How did you go from $2.5 million to ~$50 million in 10 years?! And I’m not trying to be snarky but if you don’t feel you need this money why don’t you give more of it away? I get that end of life costs are unpredictable, but it seems like you’re way past the point where you have to worry about that if you’re really in the mid-8 figures.

          1. No offense taken. We do donate a lot, though obviously we can afford to give more. We’re in the process of setting up a family foundation to formalize this. We try to donate to organizations where we understand how the money is being used, and it takes time to do this responsibly.

       2. Wow!! To go from 2.6 million to mid-8 figures in a 10-year span is extraordinary. Thank you for sharing.

       3. TBH I first read “mid-8 figures” as $15M, not $50M! That’s how mind-boggling and surreal those numbers are.

          1. Me too.

   18. Save, save, save. We essentially lived off one salary and banked the other. Saved the max into 401Ks / IRAs from the day we got married, lived below our means. Having said that I’d be remiss if I didn’t say we weren’t lucky because our parents paid for college and so we had no student debt, and I recognize not everyone has that advantage.

   19. This is such an interesting discussion.

       My husband and I have a net worth of around $2.2M counting our home equity. I am 38, and he’s 43. Our parents each paid for our undergraduate educations. My husband didn’t go to graduate school. He has worked for public companies and saved/invested his bonuses throughout his career. I had significant law school debt ($100,000) that we finished paying off shortly after getting married. We max out retirement and also put away about $1000 a month in a joint brokerage account. It’s harder to save now than it was because we had our first child a year ago and daycare costs are…wild.

       We plan to just do what we can until our kid(s) are out of daycare – and then up the savings for kids’ college and retirement even more.

   20. DH and I recently passed the 8-figure threshold. It’s more than either of us ever imagined or expected. We are Gen X, came of age during the first recession, and started out with a net worth in the low 6 figures. We are both lawyers, and we had no student debt left by the time we married (in my case, thanks to my parents). I can clearly remember a time at the start of my career when having $3,000 in my savings account felt like a huge amount of money (which it was, and is). Keys to building wealth, for us: (1) buying a house in a VHCOL city as early as we could afford it; (2) not buying more house than we could afford (even if some bank would approve a bigger loan); (3) maxing out our 401K and IRA contributions and, very important: paying attention to how those funds are invested (my husband started doing this much earlier in life than I did, and the difference in our balances is stark); (4) a really, really great financial advisor; (5) no kids; (6) the big one: work in a job or in a field in which your potential earnings are not tied to the number of hours you can personally work. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the concept of 7 figures, let alone 8. There’s a book by Jennifer Risher, A Memoir About Wealth, about what it’s like to start out with your brains and a good job (and other privileges) and then pass different wealth thresholds (in her case, more than 8 figures). On your 401k, get a financial advisor to look at the list of funds and pick out the best ones for you.

2. I’m always amused by “alternative” suit styling. It’s almost always a miss, yet they keep trying, probably because photo after photo of staid buttoned-up proper suiting is a snooze.

   These slippers are wild; apparently the prop master came straight from a My So-Called Life marathon.

   1. The pic with the loafers is better. My So-Called Life is pretty spot on but also consistent with other trends.
      I like this, but my first thought was “pajama pants and a blazer?”

   2. This reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Elaine has that friend who doesn’t wear a bra! LOL

      1. Thanks for the great top!

3. I used to volunteer and now I don’t. My Junior League basically halted all volunteer opportunities other than donation drives. I also used to read in schools and serve in big brothers/big sisters, but lately it’s just been really hard to coordinate with schools (plus my work requires me to go to healthcare institutions in person, and even though I get regularly tested, I’d hate to be the one to unknowingly pass covid to a classroom).

   Has anyone figured out volunteering during the pandemic? I really don’t have much of an appetite for more zooming… but maybe I could make something? I prefer tangible and physical but don’t have that much when it comes to donations.

   1. I used to volunteer in a first grade classroom and am planning to go back as soon as my 4 year old can get vaccinated. If I didn’t have a kid at home I would have gone back already. I am not worried about the risk to me, a vaccinated low-risk 30-something, and am not worried about spreading it to the kids given that I am vaccinated and would wear a mask. I’m also on the list to be a baby snuggler in the NICU but that program is understandably on hold because of the pandemic. I love volunteering, it brings a lot of meaning to my life.

   2. I’ve been volunteering with my church doing contactless grocery delivery for a food pantry that serves low-income seniors. My job gives me paid time off to volunteer, so I do it on Thursday mornings.

   3. Scouts! Outdoor things are still happening. We also did a stream clean-up with our local riverkeeper as a side volunteering gig. Trail maintenance. Those sorts of things.

   4. I started volunteering to teach SAT prep just last week. I found it on New York Cares. This program was remote last year but is in person now.
      I have done similar volunteering before and I sorta-randomly enjoy teaching so it’s been great so far. The teacher who runs it told me I’m a good teacher, so I”m not just making it up. I’m really enjoying it so far.

   5. I’ll be volunteering at our local food pantry next week! I’ll wear a mask and am excited to see if I could volunteer on a semi-regular basis.

   6. I have been volunteering at my city’s food bank, no-kill animal shelter, and at road races. The food bank is pretty well ventilated and takes the pandemic seriously, so I have not had any concerns there. I have even fewer at the animal shelter — I am either in a room alone or outside with the pups for walks. I only interact with other humans if I want to, and everyone is masked. Volunteering at road races does not feel as altruistic perhaps, but I am a runner and enjoy giving back to that segment of my community in a very discrete, needed way.

   7. All of my volunteering is zoom or zoomish but it’s intrinsically rewarding so the format doesn’t bother me as much. I do Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work for my professional association.

4. This looks like a date outfit when you’re sick of dresses! I agree that technically it’s a suit and could be used as such with totally different styling.

   1. Really? It’s a hideous plaid suit. For a date? Yikes

      1. That’s rude.

      2. Obnoxious, doubt you even have dates.

5. I am WFH and just learned that some random dude who used to work at my org more than a decade ago found out from his network about a project I am directing, showed up unannounced in person at HR, and basically demanded to be hired as a consultant on the project. Fortunately, HR didn’t know who was directing the project and gave him the wrong name. I searched the dude’s name and can’t be sure I’ve found him, but there are two people with the same name who might be him who have been disciplined by the bar. My spidey senses are tingling. What, if anything, should I do to keep this situation from turning into a movie of the week? HR is of no help–they seem to want someone to talk to him about the project.

   1. Sheesh.

      My advice is to just say no. Tell HR that you don’t interview random people who walk in off the street. And his behavior is so far outside the norm that you would not consider hiring him in any case. Get your boss onboard with this approach if you need to.

   2. Why wouldn’t you just say “no?” Tell HR that you are directing the project and he should be informed that the org will not be hiring any consultants and best of luck in the future.

      1. I absolutely told HR no, but I get the impression that he might show up or try to make contact again.

         1. Don’t spend a lot of energy trying to solve problems that haven’t happened. You made yourself clear to HR. If he shows up again and they call you instead of turning him away, just reiterate “we have no room on the project for this person, please tell him not to contact us again” and leave it at that. You can’t stop someone like this from doing something off-the-wall. There’s obviously something off here, if that’s how the person approaches trying to get hired. Put it behind you and keep moving forward. Trying to anticipate how irrational people will behave is a good way to waste a lot of time.

         2. Tell the head of HR and your boss the truth- it frightened you that he turned up at work uninvited and you expect the company to prioritize your safety by instructing security not to let him in.

   3. The hubris of some men, I swear. A guy who used to work at my company used to regularly scream at me and lie to me and try to go over my head on my decisions.

      He left the company and then tried to get re-hired. He confidently told the HR manager that I would vouch for him, even using a diminutive of my first name,when I never go by that (ie “Katie will vouch for me,” when I only ever use Katherine).

      The HR manager asked me, sort of doubtfully, if I would vouch for him, and I honestly told her about my experiences with him. That was the end of that.

6. I have an appointment with my GYN tomorrow because I have been having a month long period (perimenapausal). This is TMI but any advice for how I can manage the appointment when I have to change into the smock for the exam? Usually they have you remove your underwear too but I will be wearing a pad. Sorry for the question but I figured someone might have done this before!

   1. Ask them! I’m sure you won’t be the first person who’s asked.

   2. I would call the assistant and ask.

   3. Just keep your undies on and then quickly whisk them off when it’s time.

   4. Just ask them what to do, you’re not the first person to be bleeding at the gynecologist’s office.

   5. I would just ask when they take you back to the room.

   6. I recently had a GYN exam while on my period. They told me to put on the smock backwards, sit on a large pad on the exam table, and just bleed on that. No big deal to them apparently.

   7. If you tell them you are bleeding they can put a special waterproof pad-like cover on the exam table (called a chux pad). Most gyn offices do this on every exam table every time because many people in the office are bleeding or having discharge. After the exam you can whisk it into the trash as you are getting dressed or the nurse will. They have done this plenty of times. Don’t worry! Most offices also have new pads for your underwear if you need them while you are there.

   8. Sorry to hear this. Uterine ablation for the win. Life changing for me. Highly recommend for all us women who no longer want to have a pregnancy. I’ll be sending good thoughts your way.

      1. Thank you so much and I appreciate all of the other replies too! I was feeling so mortified about this so these responses have really helped!

   9. Second that you won’t be the first person to ask! The last time I was at mine they placed what looked to be a “puppy pad” on the exam table over the normal paper lining. They said they did it for everyone now.

      1. +1, I’m sure they have the puppy pad. I did IVF and the first ultrasound of your cycle is always on Day 2/3 of your period so there’s always a pad on the exam table. I was also bleeding at my post partum checkup with my OB/GYN, so I’m positive they must have them available.

         1. I was also still bleeding at my 6 week appointment. They’re prepared for it.

   10. Just tell the person who ushers you into the room. They are set up to deal with this. Probably 15% of their patients are menstruating at their appointment time. They know what to do.

7. I need a suit. Probably size 18-ish. My favorite suits have pants that are high-waisted and wide legged, and jackets that are close-fitting and a little shorter (long blazers are awful on me). I cannot find this at any of my standbys – Banana, Talbots, Nordstrom, or JCrew. Help!

   1. What about Dillards?

   2. Maybe Pendleton seasonless wool? I’m pretty sure the pants fit your requirements, but the jacket might be too long.

8. I would definitely wear this for weekend/casual evening with a non-cropped top, but not to work. I’d be very tempted to buy it if the jacket were on sale, and I am considering buying the pants to pair with a black blazer I already own.

9. Just finished giving a CLE I was nervous about. It went well, which I’m hugely relieved about but the dudes who introduced me were being such…MEN about working with a young woman who is the expert. They were reading me the questions that came in (the platform sucked, I couldn’t even see the Q&A) and one of them kept incorrectly answering the questions and then trying to move on to the next question before I had a chance to give a correct answer.

   1. Uggghhhh that sucks.

      1. Also one of them practiced their introduction right before introducing me. Very happy they did because they got my name wrong. Not mispronounced. They very confidently introduced me as a different name and when I said “Uh, no, it’s Jane” they said “Oh, really?” Yes, really, my name isn’t Sarah, dude, we’ve been in a dozen meetings together over the years.

         1. JFC what a prick.

   2. Gah. Sending commiseration.

10. I am in urgent need of an entertainment lawyer to draw up contracts for my production company ASAP. I am willing to pay what it takes to get it done. lawyerentburner@gmail.com, will consider a referral fee for a successful referral. Thank you.

    1. I like Rob Thony.
       And Jennifer Justice.
       Both in NYC.

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