Suit of the Week: Akris

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medium blue pant suit from Akris

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!

I always love this bright, happy kind of blue — and Akris has so many saturated blue suits right now. There's this one (“medium blue”), as well as this lighter “curacao” one, the sedate “petrol,” or the darker (but not navy) “ink” options.

This gorgeous one is down to lucky sizes at Nordstrom; it's still full price at $1,390 for the blazer and $595 for the pants.

Hunting for something more affordable? There are some great cobalt suits out right now — check J.Crew, Ann Taylor, Theory, Veronica Beard, Liverpool, and Tahari.

Sales of note for 2/7/25:

  • Nordstrom – Winter Sale, up to 60% off! 7850 new markdowns for women
  • Ann Taylor – Extra 25% off your $175+ purchase — and $30 of full-price pants and denim
  • Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 15% off
  • Boden – 15% off new season styles
  • Eloquii – 60% off 100s of styles
  • J.Crew – Extra 50% off all sale styles
  • J.Crew Factory – 40% off everything including new arrivals + extra 20% off $125+
  • Rothy's – Final Few: Up to 40% off last-chance styles
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – 40% off one item + free shipping on $150+

68 Comments

  1. I love Akris. But does the button of the jacket seem a bit high for a single-button jacket?

    1. The button needs to be close to the bottom of the lapel for it to close and hang properly. Are you unhappy with the length of the lapel, as well?

    2. Not for a single button jacket per se, but this shape is less oversized than what has been current, and the oversized ones do have lower buttons and a lower centre.

  2. For those of you chiming in on the morning thread about antique rugs, where do you get them? I feel like the episode of Downton Abbey where Lady Mary talks about people who buy their furniture. But I’m going to have to buy my antique rug vs inherit it. But where do you go and how do you know you are not just getting taken for a ride? I think that FB Marketplace is a good way to wind up missing on the 11:00 news, so forgoing that route even if it might be the least expensive.

    1. Etsy. I’ve had good luck ordering from Seller’s in Turkey with good reviews, same with Eastern Europe. Most items are shipped via DHL, which ends up way more reliable that most domestic order’s I’ve had lately. Returns are difficult so I have to realize that there is a sunk cost in if I don’t like it, it’s final sale.

    2. There are a lot of antique stores in my area so I would start there.
      As an aside, I’ve bought multiple things off FB marketplace and am still alive…

    3. There are antique rug sellers everywhere. The key is to really spend the time educating yourself about what you like and what you can expect to pay.

      Just know that everything is negotiable! You could easily spend used car money on an antique rug, but I’ve done fine in a much lower price range.

      1. Look for an oriental rug shop. (That’s what they are called in my city). The prices are negotiable. Be prepared to spend a little time looking, a little time chatting, and a little time negotiating. Much like buying a house, do not bird dog in on your favorite one and express how much you love it. Make the one you are aiming for appear to be your second or third choice and work the negotiation around to it.

    4. if you have $$$$$$ to spend go to ABC carpet! i still remember drooling over $10k antique rugs that had been dyed neon colors.

    5. I did marketplace (with attention to neighborhood). I haven’t paid more than I could have paid for a new synthetic rug! But on a bigger budget I could have spent more and been very happy.

    6. FB Marketplace is the answer. I buy and sell stuff on Marketplace all the time and have never had a bad experience or felt sketched out. Most people are using their real names, have profile photos, and if they buy and sell with any frequency even have reviews from past transactions. I totally get wanting to be cautious– my FB profile photo does not show that I’m a woman for instance– but the likelihood of being kidnapped for buying a rug is ridiculously slim.

    7. Join the U.S. military and win an all-expenses-paid trip to the Middle East and buy your own direct from the source 👍🏼 (Who are we kidding? You get multiple free trips to the Middle East!! YAY!)

      No? Not for you? Estate sales and auctions. I’ve gotten beautiful rugs for $250 in online auctions that weren’t well attended. Google for local estate companies that host their own online auctions. I also like CTBIDS.com.

      And yes, I’ve also bought several of my own in war zones. Not recommended, though cheap. Antique 9x12s for $600.

      1. Wow, that is an amazing price for a 9×12! I am partial to tribal/shiraz rugs, but definitely too late to join the military. :)

    8. You and my MIL share the same skepticism of FBMarketplace. I took her to buy a stroller the other day since she doesn’t have FB and wanted me to track one down with different features, and she wanted me to take my FIL instead to look at it since he’s “bigger and more intimidating” even though he has no idea what kind of stroller she wants. We live in a small town, we’re probably related to the seller somehow, haha.

    9. I have bought over a dozen rugs off eBay in the last 20 years. For myself and family. Never paid more than $600 or so, for an 10 by 14 wool rug.

    10. I’ve bought a few from sellers on Instagram. I’ve had particularly good experiences with Gallimore Fine Rugs, Azadi Mercantile, and Old Bones New Vintage.

    11. I haven’ tbeen in the market for years, but I know the co-founder of this place and they seem legit. Revival rugs

  3. For people who have to informally keep track of a lot of portfolio companies regularly, how do you keep track of your personal call and meeting notes? I am utterly drowning with the volume of calls and I’m curious what other people do. This is always been an ADHD thing of mine. I am on probably 2 to 3 hours of calls per day, but sometimes I’m on the road, so I take notes on my phone; sometimes I’m in front of my PC, sometimes I’m taking notes on a sheet of paper. I’m left-handed so I can’t use the Rocketbook style devices – the ink smears.

    1. If I’m host or comfortable with the host, I’ll ask to have it recorded so I can transcribe (I use Happy Scribe software or the built-in Teams transcript). If I’m taking notes by hand, I like to use the “notes” application on my Mac. It allows me to word search and I can often find things by date if the word search is failing me. I type much faster than I write. I used to be a newspaper reporter and when I had to take notes by hand, I would use a flip notebook (small vertical) and label each cover with the date and then either meeting name or rough topics.

    2. I’m confused – do you mean that as a shareholder you’re attending meetings? That blows my mind but maybe I’m just lazy

  4. How often is it reasonable to expect to have some maintenance done on an engagement ring? I’ve had mine for 14 years and it’s the third time a prong comes off. I have a three-stone setting that is more delicate than sturdy if such scale exists. I confess, I rarely take my rings off unless I bake/garden/work with heavy tools. Did I just pick a setting poorly suited to my lifestyle or should I have a lower threshold to remove it?

    1. Never; 4 prongs (platinum), 20 years and only remove it when using power tools

      1. Yeah, I’m considering that. When I floated eventually upgrading my diamond, my husband was slightly offended for sentimental reasons. That said, if I don’t wear it because it keeps breaking, that’s not a good trade off…

        1. What kind of metal is your setting? Gold is going to be softer, and might actually need more attention than something more durable like platinum. It will wear over time (so the prongs get thinner) as well as being susceptible to catching and bending.

    2. Ditto never. 14 years and it’s never needed anything other than cleaning. I’m afraid there’s some defect with your setting.

    3. Mine is 20 years old and I haven’t needed any maintenance until very recently. The prong isn’t loose or anything, but at some point recently I must’ve hit the edge of one of the prongs just right because it feels rough to the touch.

    4. 15 years with mine (how is that possible!), three stones, never had a prong issue and I’m hard on everything. Definitely get it re-set!

    5. 12 years, and I just this week noticed one of the prongs is bent, so that’ll make one repair for me. I also never take them off unless I’m going to the beach. I have a solitaire and six prongs so it seems pretty sturdy

    6. So I don’t wear mine for this reason. We got mine direct from a diamond dealer in nyc (friend of a friend) so the setting was always an afterthought because I wanted simple. Snagging x1000. Fixed it once, started happening again (and I got fat) so I took it off and it’s sat in a drawer. I think I’ll upgrade to a lab diamond, but might use the original diamond (1 ct) in a moi et toi or 3-stone setting. Tbd… husband doesn’t care but I’m sentimental!

    7. Do you have the kind of setting with many thin prongs instead of four or five thicker ones? I’ve mainly seen this kind of setting on stones like opals.

      I have had my ring for 22 years. It’s a single stone in a four-prong setting. There was one point about 15 years in where a prong kept catching pieces of lint and the stone seemed to have a little rotational play so I had the setting tightened. I don’t wear the ring for sports, cleaning, home improvement, or sticky cooking.

      I think you need to put the stones in a sturdier setting or reserve this ring for special-occasion wear.

    8. I don’t wear my ring often, so I’m not a good judge. But in addition to getting it reset, I’d also think about taking it off when you shower or swim.

    9. I got a new setting after 20 years when was getting it resized and the reputable jewel shop I was using suggested it, because the prongs were worn down. They also suggested taking it off for tasks such as washing dishes, so for the past 15 years I only wear it when I’m leaving the house.

  5. What’s everyone having for dinner? Whether it’s Valentiney or not, I need inspiration.

    1. Celebrating Valentine’s Day with sushi takeout! (Context: My kids don’t like fish – full stop – so we rarely get sushi. But tonight, we’ll put them to bed and eat sushi for two.)

        1. Truly. A restaurant in our old town used to serve a grilled ham and cheese on their extra garlic bread with tomato bisque. I dream about it sometimes.

    2. Leftover chicken and lentil soup…not at all festive. I think I’m going to get some good bread and good wine on the way home though.

      1. I’ve got a baked sweet potato joining you in the non-festive category. It will be slow baked until it is ridiculously soft and silky. Yum. Your soup sounds delicious too.

    3. I stopped by the fancy grocery store and got their ‘dinner for two’: hanger steak, roasted squash and potatoes, salad and chocolate tarte. Will be sharing Valentine’s dinner with spouse and small child (although advertised as ‘for two’ it’s enough food for four).

    4. We did bacon wrapped ribeye medallions, a bib lettuce salad with a strawberry vinaigrette, a cheese plate, bottle of rose, and chocolate strawberry mousse. And we had it last night since today is also Ash Wednesday, though I might make scallops today!

    5. One of our favorite meals when we can’t deal anything time-consuming or complicated (like tonight): charcuterie. We use the name but it really just means piling some kind of cheese, crackers, fruit, cut-up veggies, maybe hummus if we have it, maybe deviled eggs if someone feels like making them, all on a giant platter and letting people have at it. Easy and always a hit.

      1. Definitely not charcuterie, but satisfying, fun, and easy all the same. Enjoy!

      1. +1. Vegan for me, pepperoni for him. And I made his favorite coffee cake for breakfast.

    6. My husband is out of town. My parents are coming over and my dad is going to make us all biscuits for dinner. Our 6 year old has decided he’s using heart-shaped cookie cutters to make them.

    7. Went out to lunch and had 2 martinis so maybe popcorn for dinner? We’ll see what kids want

    8. I am a church musician and have to be at Ash Wednesday services (side note: the cognitive dissonance of this day is wild) so we are having last night’s leftover eggplant rollatini: https://asimplepalate.com/blog/baked-eggplant-rollatini/

      I used Rao’s jarred marinara and doubled the filling for 2 eggplants and it tastes really fresh and delicious. It was surprisingly easy to make, easier and less messy than stuffed shells or lasagne. Don’t slice the eggplant too thinly or it will disintegrate after the pre-bake step.

    9. I’m taking my dog to the vet this early evening (west coast time) which means I’m going to smell like wet dog.

      Rain + vet-nervous dog being all up on me, the opposite of appetizing. So I don’t think anything special!

    10. Catholic husband (I am not) just reminded me that today is Ash Wednesday. Whoopsie! So the pumpkin chili I was going to make will now be vegetarian :)

    11. Berbere shrimp and crudites with homemade hummus.
      This week I am using up things I got/made for my SuperBowl party but never put out.

    12. Leftover tofu stirfry but I ran to the French bakery and got tarts for dessert and pastries for breakfast!

    13. Late add, but I had bought a whole beef tenderloin at Christmas (on sale!) and had them trim it into a center cut (Chateaubriand) and then both ends I had the butcher trim into a bunch of small steaks…aka filet mingon. So we had those filets along with a dijon pan sauce, mashed potatoes, and Ina Garten’s roasted broccoli.

      And a brownie pudding for dessert. Kids ate it with minimal complaints, so… Win!

  6. Does anyone here have a good walking pad they recommend? Looking for something small I can use in my home office. Thanks!

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