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Suit of the Week: Argent

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.

Hat tip to Elizabeth for pointing out these lovely hot pink suits (with a great message!) from Argent. I haven't been to the indie brand's site in a while, and they actually have a huge collection of blazers and other workwear — interesting, with “smart scrunch” cuffs and “interior media pockets.” Oooh.

Here's the brand's description:

Accompanying the unmistakable shade are its external patch pockets and a limited-edition, interior “Ambition Suits You” patch—necessary for an extra jolt of confidence. It’s impeccably tailored from an Italian mid-weight wool twill with a touch of stretch for the perfect balance of polish and comfort. And of course, you can count on our signature interior pockets and smart cuffs for sleeves that scrunch and magically stay in place

The brand is also size-inclusive — not ALL of their pieces go up to size 24, but the pictured suit does. Huzzah!

The blazer is $250, the pants are $150. They're backordered at the moment, BUT, as the brand notes, they will ship in time for the inauguration.

Readers, have you purchased anything from Argent? What are your thoughts on the brand?

Sales of note for 12.5

Sales of note for 12.5

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

147 Comments

  1. Does anyone else who lives in CA see the new Thanksgiving COVID rules? I’m not planning any real gathering (just my family and a family we’re bubbled with already for childcare), but it seems…kind of insane? Trying to tell people what kind of plates and utensils to use (they must be disposable)? Setting restrictions on if people can use the bathroom?

    1. Link please

      This all sounds a bit nutty, but it wouldn’t be bad to springboard a discussion on safety and what we will actually do (stay outside forever! fire pits galore! order in chinese!).

    2. I think it undermines his leadership when he announces clearly unenforceable rules that no one is going to follow. I literally only looked it up because your comment sparked my interest. At this point, nobody I know cares what he says, even among my more liberal circles.

        1. “I think he would have been far better off discouraging large indoor gatherings generally, and setting out guidelines for how to make them safer.”

          That’s exactly what they did. What’s your issue?

        2. To me, these rules seem like the bare minimum that people should do when interacting indoors with people outside your household. I don’t see how this is absurd.

          2. I scanned the headings in the link because I expected to see something outrageous. Even reading the details, the restrictions seems smart and evidence-based. Not getting the outrage here.

        3. They’re absurd and clearly unenforceable. Only outside? I can’t have my mom and sister over inside? Lol nope dude nope. This just encourages people to ignore you entirely.

          1. I don’t understand this attitude – can you explain it to me? Why would you completely ignore all of the evidence-based guidelines to protest a part you disagree with?

          2. I’m not! I’m not running out licking strangers. But these guidelines are just going to be flouted, mocked, and discourage compliance. You don’t achieve public health change by imposing standards that are ridiculous. You need buy in from the population or a large scale not just anxious rich ladies reading blogs. How does this work if you don’t have any private outdoor space? If you’re old? If you’re disabled? If you’re poor! It doesn’t. It just makes the government seem completely out of touch with reality.

          3. COVID-19 is an airborne virus that spreads most effectively indoors. Spending hours with people inside, including eating and drinking with them, is a high risk activity as a result. Avoiding that transmission by spending time together outside seems very reasonable to me.

            Still not getting what the “Lol nope dude nope” is all about. I’ve been socializing outside for months and I’ve had a really great time with my friends and family that way. I lead a very full active life right now; it just doesn’t involve spending a lot of time maskless indoors with people outside my household.

          4. I don’t agree that “skip one indoor Thanksgiving“ is ridiculous. It’s common sense.

          5. “I don’t understand this attitude – can you explain it to me? Why would you completely ignore all of the evidence-based guidelines to protest a part you disagree with?”

            Not the person above, but I’ll happily explain why overreaching is bad public policy.

            Imagine that you’re 19 or 20 and talking to your parents or your aunt about gardening and such. First, imagine that they say something like, “I think it’s a good idea to wait until marriage and that worked well for us. However, life is complex, messy, and hard, and I find it important that you make thoughtful decisions. You’re young; get to know the person you’re dating for at least a couple of months before getting into bed. Learn if he’s a good person who is there when you need him. Before you become intimate, talk about contraception and how you’re going to handle that, from what type or types you’ll use, how you’ll pay for it, and what your comfort level is.”

            Now imagine instead that what you hear is, “You should not do anything more than kiss before you get married, and do not kiss until you’ve known each other for a couple of months.”

          6. I mean, most of my large extended family is poor/working class. Our family gatherings were in public parks, including in some fairly onerous weather conditions, because no one had a home big enough to host people. That only changed when I bought my home. I mean, I’ve gone to weddings in a normal public park. Maybe that’s why outdoor family gatherings are not some absurd, offensive idea to me like it apparently is for you. It’s what my family did…all the time.

            However, we agree that these guidelines are going to be completely ignored. People are going to have normal Thanksgivings and then be absolutely shocked when some people inevitably get sick. My state mostly has no restrictions whatsoever, and the ICUs are filling up. Rural folks are having to be transported to the cities for care because the rural hospitals are full, but cases are rising in the cities too. The hospital heads are increasingly desperate. This conversation helps me see that things are about to get really, really bad after Thanksgiving.

          7. Anon at 4:04, this analogy is spot-on, I have been thinking it myself for quite some time. I have no idea why liberals like the ones on this board who rightly disparage abstinence-only have developed such a blind spot when it comes to COVID. “But it’s a global pandemic!!” Well, that doesn’t change human behavior, as we have amply seen these past months. Pragmatism is overdue.

        4. I dunno man, these seem like fairly reasonable guidelines, especially if you live in southern CA where it may be warm enough to eat outside as long as everyone’s properly dressed.

          1. I agree. This isn’t feasible here in Chicago where we are teaching the limit of being able to stay outdoors for hours on end — but in a warm climate, why not?

      2. Hey Kitten, please do help us all by following guidance, or we will all end up in shutdown again two weeks after Thanksgiving.

        1. +1. If you’re going to ignore the guidance, can you at least stay off the internet so you don’t encourage others to ignore science too?

        2. People have been playing the “OMG if you don’t do what they’re saying we’re going back into lockdown!” card for months and it hasn’t happened. In my state they have said that there are not going to be any more widespread or extreme lockdowns because it likely won’t work, people will just ignore the restrictions. There’s a real disconnect on here between what people say will happen and what really happens, in the real world.

          1. Do you read the news? Or do you just not care that ICUs are rationing care again and people are cramming hospitals to the brink and Europe is shutting back down?

          2. I agree. I fully intend to ignore another lockdown. Didn’t work before, won’t work now.

          3. “Golly gosh, I ignored the previous lockdown and the lockdown didn’t work. I wonder why.”

          4. I mean you can tell yourself they don’t work but the evidence is they actually do – see New Zealand and Atlantic Canada. You close at the first sign of community spread and stay close until community spread is stopped then you can open and have a normalish life if you also require quarantine for non-residents. The US never fully locked down and never had decent testing, contact tracing or compliance.

          5. Well, let’s read the writing on the wall. Lockdowns are purely being used in the US to keep hospitals from reaching capacity. So most of us won’t be asked to fully lockdown until that critical capacity is inevitable. If you don’t listen to the lockdown warning at that time, the hospitals will truly be overwhelmed. As they were in some areas in March. Morgue trucks will fill the streets, ambulance staff will decline to take severe patients (with even heart attacks and other non-Covid patients) to the hospital and let them die at home if you can even get an ambulance to come … simply read the news about what happened in dense populations during the most severe levels of the outbreak in March/April. That is what is coming for you, your family, and local community. The real disconnect is you thinking it can’t happen to you — and that you will be able to continue to ignore all the associated horrors.

          6. Well, I do think many northern-hemisphere jurisdictions (also here in the US) will follow large European states like France and Germany into a second lockdown. It’s all about optics. Politicians can’t be seen to be doing nothing, so they will do lockdown, because that’s what we’ve decided as a society is “doing something.” Nevermind the massive collateral damage (which is IMO greater than the damage of the pandemic itself, though it will take time to prove that). Citizens and the media are determined to blame politicians for COVID deaths, rather than for the damage their actual decisions cause, so they will attempt to reduce COVID deaths at any cost. I rather think Republicans wouldn’t have taken the gamble of being anti-lockdown at all if Trump hadn’t made that decision for them (this should not be construed in any way as a general approval of Trump. I think he’s a terrible person and leader, obviously). But many fewer people will comply, there will be many more court challenges, absolutely.

        3. Hospitals are nowhere near capacity where I live so that’s not a concern currently. This isn’t about me, but since asked, my family will follow the guidelines because we’re in a warm climate, I have rich relatives with a big property suitable for outdoor entertaining, and most of our family lives abroad so there will only be 3 households present.

          It’s just my opinion that the governor is not taking into account the realities of the people who live in California, particularly the lower income population. There are millions of people in low-income essential jobs where they are forced to be around hundreds of people every day. They aren’t going to avoid each other for a year just to lower their exposure by a few extra people. I live among and am close to many immigrant families who depend upon their extended family financially, for childcare, elder care, etc. Not everyone in California is a rich white person who can sit around in their big house all day. It also doesn’t line up with the fact that in many counties, schools, gyms, etc are open, yet Newsom thinks people should avoid the added exposure of seeing their own families.

          We needed MUCH stricter measures in the beginning…unfortunately COVID has spread within the community to the extent that many people see this as a long term thing that they just have to live with.

    3. I am a California resident and I completely support the governor and the state department of public health’s attempts to try to make gatherings safer. Can you blame them for trying when we know people are going to resist the call to stay home and meet up with family for the holidays? They are simply hoping to prevent an absolute worst case scenario. They’ve been working around the clock for months and months.

      1. Also, it’s ridiculous that a bunch of B-list celebrities are apparently mocking the guidelines. They need to grow the f up and think of someone besides themselves.

        1. Totally agree. California has done relatively well with COVID (compared to other states, especially right now) specifically due to regulations like these. They’re based in science, and they work. I think it’s irresponsible to roll our eyes at them. We should be supportive.

    4. I’m not in CA. I assume disposable means less handling of dishes so less opportunity for hand-to-hand contact. Bathrooms are small rooms, often with poor ventilation. If you are gathering with people you are already bubbling with, I assume restrictions should be no different on T-giving than on any other day you gather.

      I really wish people would avoid any Thanksgiving in-person gatherings with people they are not already living/bubbling with (aside from college students who have to come home anyway), but it seems like lots of “regular” Thanksgivings are being planned and I expect a huge number of new infections will result. It seems so not worth it.

      1. Right. Normally my boyfriend and I go up north a little ways to see his family in the early afternoon – mom, dad, brother, aunts, cousins, etc. – then down to my family to see my mom, dad, sister, aunt, uncle, cousins and their partners, and my grandmother if she’s visiting. I have no idea what the plan is this year, but I do know it won’t look like the usual ritual at all and I’ve made peace with that.

        I anticipate that if we see *any* family, it’ll be either my parents or his (not both), and no extended family. And again, that’s if we see anyone at all, I’m starting to suspect we might just be staying home and having our own Thanksgiving, with Zoom calls throughout the day to see everyone.

        But I also know there will be people doing whatever they can to keep things as normal as possible while still technically following their local ordinances, so that if anyone gives them a hard time for their family gathering, they can say “well we followed the law, so eff off!” so I can’t blame some states for erring on the side of being a little *too* strict, in the hopes of avoiding a post-holiday explosion of cases.

    5. WHy is it crazy? If you insist on having a thanksgiving celebration, these are good rules to follow

      2. Idk because of basic constitutional rights and liberties? These rules mean I, who live alone, cannot invite my mother and sister, who also live alone, over for an indoor thanksgiving. No way on earth am I following that.

          1. You forget we’re in AMERICA!!! where people would literally rather die and cause others to die rather than miss the chance to make a self-absorbed political statement. Pushing back on guidance to stem a deadly pandemic because FREEDOM is an awful look.

          2. I’m not looking to die. And I’ve been following the guidelines. These new rules mean my family of three who live in separate households cannot gather for indoor thanksgiving. That’s crazy. They mean people without outdoor space have to go to a public park? Which also isn’t workable. I’m not a red hat wearing idiot but public policy is supposed to care about public buy in, and this isn’t going to be followed.

          3. I feel you, Anon at 3:47. I’m in Chicago, and we’re holding Thanksgiving with one other household in a garage with the door open and space heaters. Would a solution like that work for you? We also considered doing separate meals but coming together outside for cocktails and dessert so it would be a shorter, more bearable amount of time in cold weather. Perhaps something like that could work for you?

            I know it sucks, but indoor eating really is risky.

          4. No it wouldn’t. I don’t have a garage. The three of us are gathering inside. As we’ve been doing for months.

          5. People are acting like the police are going to break down the door and drag everyone to jail for having dinner. It’s not that intense. Follow the guidelines as best you can, prioritize safety over tradition, be mindful of how you might be trading germs, and don’t go Black Friday shopping the following day. No one’s really going to care unless a) you make a big ruckus or b) a case cluster ends up being traced back to your Thanksgiving dinner.

        2. LOL I don’t think the constitution guarantees you a right to an indoor Thanksgiving celebration.

          3. They can if it poses an imminent threat to public health or safety. I don’t know that this would qualify as imminent, but I’d get off my high horse and follow public health guidance. Also, this is GUIDANCE, not the state breaking your door down to haul your grandmother out.

          4. I guarantee you constitutional scholars there @3:39 and @3:42 that public health mandates have been vetted. But go on, ignore public health guidelines and make the situation worse for everyone else. Hope the turkey isn’t too dry.

          5. FFS I’m not seeing anyone outside my household for Thanksgiving but take issue with people just pretending there isn’t a constitutional right to assembly. But thanks – I’m sure the turkey I enjoy with my nuclear family of 3 will be delicious.

        3. OH SWEET BABY JESUS

          (1) The government can absolutely prevent people from gathering (or at least regulate those gatherings). There are literally dozens of regulations that existed pre-Covid (ever seen “maximum occupancy” signs?)

          (2) Clearly these are not enforceable for someone who lives alone having (for example) their mother and sister over for an inside dinner and I leave whether that is wise to the good sense of the three people involved. However, that is not who these rules are aimed at. They are aimed at situations involving multi-household gathering of larger groups of people. And by the way, a lot of good laws are essentially unenforceable. That does not mean we should not follow them.

          (3) I have yet to see a single public heath person criticize these rules. And they make complete sense (get together with three generations but do it outside, use paper plates, and while you are at it, maybe put some disinfecting wipes in the bathroom.

          Almost a thousand people a day are dying. Stop whining.

          3. Seriously? Because paper plates get tossed in the garbage by the person who ate off them. Washing dishes or loading the dishwasher brings you into contact with dishes that other people used.

            Our area gave this guidance in APRIL for EASTER. How are people still not aware of the basics on covid transmission?

        4. Science doesn’t care about your constitutional rights. You don’t want to get covid you follow the guidelines. #itsnothard

    6. The thing I find confusing is how does this track with the tier-system by county? Many bay area counties are just crossing into the tier of lower spread and starting to allow indoor dining etc. Conflicting sets of rules are poison for compliance.

    7. If being given science based guidelines for gatherings makes you feel ragey and causes you to endanger yourself and others out of spite, welcome to the Republican Party I guess.

      1. If people expressing concern about unrealistic public health guidelines makes you feel like self righteous insults have fun with that I guess.

        2. It looks like there is a just a fundamental difference of opinion in whether having a family gathering in a backyard or a public park is unrealistic or not.

          1. Yup. Because my family doesn’t have backyards and the bathrooms in our public parks are closed or nonexistent. It’s not a difference of opinion. This is a fact about my life. I hardly think I’m the only one.

          2. If it’s not realistic … then the takeaway should be that it’s not possible to gather for Thanksgiving this year. Not “F that, I’m gatherin.”

          3. Having a family gathering in a backyard or a public park is unrealistic for many people who have access to neither or where the weather won’t permit that. Also, you can scream “then don’t have a gathering” all you want but that is also not a realistic option for most people. The fact is that most people are unwilling to go as long as they have already without seeing family. You have to address public health recommendations to the public you have not the public you wish you had. FWIW, I am personally not seeing anyone who doesn’t live with me for Thanksgiving so please don’t tell me to stop whining. I’m just pointing out it’s unrealistic to expect this of the entire population so we should tailor our public health recommendations accordingly. The poster above made a great analogy re: s*x education. Abstinence is of course the most effective way to avoid teen pregnancy and STD transmission but we all know that messaging of abstinence only doesn’t work. Not sure why people think a pandemic is going to magically be any different in terms of risky behavior that humans will participate in – let’s figure out a way to make people act as safe as reasonably possible, not demand perfect compliance.

          4. I know this sounds crazy, but from the beginning my parents have been adamant that they rather get COVID than not see their kids for months. I feel like a lot of baby boomers have this attitude. My parents are fairly liberal politically and are not in denial about COVID, it’s just a calculated risk for them. They said this even when we thought the death rate was higher. Now that treatments have improved, hospitals are still not full, and the death rate is even lower, there’s no question in their minds. They both have to be around people for work so they see the addition of 2 more exposures (their 2 kids) as worth it.

            Not saying I agree, and my sibling and I still take precautions (ie isolate before going to see the parents, get tested, stay outside, etc.)

          5. Kitten – I don’t think that’s crazy at all, my in-laws are the same way. Their view is they have maybe 5-10 years left to live anyways and they don’t want to lose out on 1-2 of those years with grandkids.

    8. I just recently celebrated an early Thanksgiving and followed the majority of that guidance. It went longer than suggested and we had a couple more households gathered, and we used the good china although I did make sure to wash my hands very carefully after handling dirty dishes. It was a really lovely celebration and while I missed having more extended family there, it was a really nice way to celebrate since I don’t think we’ll be able to do anything next month. I think it’s really important to have the government taking some steps to prevent the wave of infections that is likely to come out of the holidays. I wish that was happening on the national level. I think it’s fair to say most people won’t follow that guidance to the letter, but at least give people a framework to aim for.

    9. I’m honestly confused by the outrage. This is largely the exact same guidance that we’ve been given for months. Have you all not been following similar guidelines this entire time? Have you been meeting up with people inside?? I see why Covid is not going away (getting worse, in fact). Public health guidelines are not the criminal code – public health guidelines are are largely an honor system based on the (apparently incorrect) assumption that most people will do the right thing so that they don’t harm their elderly and immuno-compromised family members/neighbors/friends. Obviously not everyone can follow every guideline perfectly at every moment, but not holding an indoor gathering with multiple households for a single Thanksgiving is a pretty easy one. The lack of compassion for our fellow community members at this time of unprecedented global crisis is embarrassing, frustrating, and frankly immoral.

      1. +1. The “screw you, you can’t stop me” attitude is childish and embarrassing. Skipping one freaking dinner with family is not a human rights violation.

        1. Except it’s not “one freaking dinner.” That’s the same nickel and diming attitude that has been going on for 8-9 months. “14 days to slow the spread.” Everyone has a limit to what they think is a reasonable personal sacrifice for solidarity, and many people have reached it. This is not a debate with two poles, yes or no. This is a continuum, how much personal freedom should be sacrificed for public health. The more people have to sacrifice, the more people will be converted to the “this is not worth it” camp as they hit their limit. And I seriously hope there is no behavioural psychology gymnastics that can separate people from their common sense indefinitely.

          1. It’s just not a hard sacrifice to miss indoor Thanksgiving. Do it outside! Make zoom work! Meet this weekend instead in a backyard or a public park (which is definitely not impossible like some are suggesting)! Meet with family, but wear masks and don’t share a meal! People who are unable to adapt to the times are going to be really miserable when the pandemic continues. It’s cutting off your nose to spit your face.

            FWIW, we are all in this together. It’s hard for me too – you think I want to miss the big family meet-up in a beautiful beach town we’ve done for 20 years? Yes, it’s hard – but we can and need to do hard things right now so our future, for ALL of us, can be better. I’m staying home this year and I hope that others will too.

          2. These are just empty platitudes, Anon at 8:16. We’re not all in this together; some people can isolate themselves from COVID in financial security, while other people are facing existential financial peril and/or are already in contact with a large number of people every day because that is how they work and live. Maybe they had COVID already and get to go broke anyway. Kitten at 6:45 describes this well.
            Furthermore, I disagree that lockdowns and compulsory social distancing measures are hard things in the service of a better future. I think we had one problem, a pandemic, and now we have two, a pandemic and a looming economic depression. Not to even mention the collateral damage due to unnecessary disruptions in healthcare and education, and the precedents that have been set for the curtailing of civil rights. What Democrats do, Republicans will do as well for their own purposes in their turn. So now we have more problems, but it will have been for nothing, since by the time a meaningful number of people can be vaccinated next year, half the country (and probably half the world) will have had COVID. Only the well-off people who WFH or don’t need to work anymore at all and thus can isolate for a year will benefit in large numbers from the vaccine. The WHO estimated that 10% of the world had had COVID already a month ago, and cases are accelerating since then. I’m honestly shocked at how quickly cases erupted in Europe just because it got cold, but that is the final nail in the coffin of lockdowns for me. Sweden effectively flattened the curve, most other European countries suppressed it way too far with lockdowns and now cases are compressed into a smaller timeframe that the healthcare systems cannot handle once again. Counterproductive. Literally the opposite of the (reasonable) stated goal at the outset. Economically devastating.
            I’ve adapted to the pandemic itself just fine by making my peace with the idea that I and many people I know will probably get COVID eventually. We in the first world, the safest people to have ever walked the planet, are for the foreseeable future slightly less safe than we were last year. That is the reality. I’m happy to wear masks, be outside, socialize normally or not at all. Whatever makes other people in my life comfortable, I just go with the flow. But this thread was about people’s perceptions of CA’s holiday guidance. Actually abiding by all these rules seems to nullify the intent of the celebration. No loud talking? All this work for a two-hour time limit? Might as well not have Thanksgiving at all. “But that’s exactly what people should do, cancel!” you say. The rules are disingenuous, meant to nudge people into giving up. This exacerbates disillusionment and distrust of government and public health. Counterproductive. There’s plenty of hand-wringing in the media about pandemic fatigue, but no will to address its rational basis along with the emotional. And this brings me back to my original point. Everyone is weighing sacrifice against the public good like they have a vessel filled with water. And why shouldn’t they? How effective they think their sacrifices will be, how much they believe authorities who assure them these sacrifices are definitely 100% helping on a macro scale, contribute to the size of the vessel. But whether it is a cup or a bathtub, once it’s full, a single drop like Thanksgiving will cause it to overflow. It’s a bell that can’t be unrung, and public health guidance that is so onerous it seems insincere is just making it worse.

    10. The guidelines seem pretty reasonable to me. I was so happy when my granddaughter who is in the first grade was able to return to in-person class last week. Unfortunately I doubt she’ll be able to continue in-person much past Thanksgiving due to the attitude voiced by the OP which likely will result in increased COVID-19 transmission. This is why we can’t have nice things such as in-person education for our children. Very sad state of affairs.

  2. Well, the COVID-15 has happened (well, half of that is going back on BCPs). I went up a size in SML sizing for a couple of bottoms and one tunic and some athleisure items. OMG, it is worth spending $ on right now. I look good in a mirror — things fit. No sausage-in-casing effect. The muffin top has gone. I am bigger, yes, but looking better and feeling better in my own skin.

    1. I love this last sentence: looking better and feeling better in my own skin
      Enjoy your new and improved you! It’s a nice thing to look in the mirror and look good, just as you are now. A bright spot in this pandemic, election cycle, etc for sure.

    2. Buying clothes that fit is so key. I’ve never been able to hate my body thinner by squeezing myself into uncomfortable clothes.

      1. I posted similar in response to a covid 15 poster yesterday and kind of got my head bitten off by a couple of posters. Yes, look into sudden unexplained weight gain if you’re concerned about it, but do it in clothes that are comfortable and don’t make you feel miserable.

        1. That response is common here, perhaps because many readers have invested large sums in their clothing and are terrified that they can’t afford to replace it. Maybe they take pride in their taste and their ability to get high-end brands at great prices, and are really concerned that they won’t have anything to wear. I personally don’t disdain fast fashion (although I admit it usually works better for thinner people), but it’s also exhausting to try to lose 5-10 pounds to fit into treasured clothing that, if they looked, might be a little dated style-wise and can use a refresh anyway. Even “classic” styles aren’t really classic and change over the decades.

        2. I gained a ton of weight on antidepressants a couple of years ago. I met with a dietician at my specialty clinic, who was going on and on and on about health at any size. OK, fine, sure. But my issue was that none of my f-ing clothes fit and I hated getting dressed. My psychiatrist said something like “I mean, yes, you can have healthy habits at any size, but my recommendation would be to just buy new clothes that fit and we’ll work on switching you off this antidepressant. That’s going to help you cope more than platitudes.” It did. I only wore them for a couple of months but suddenly I just felt so much better in the mornings because I had clothes that fit.

          1. Oh, and most of it came from Old Navy. I was pretty sure that I was only going to be in it for a few months because of the reason I had gained the weight, so I bought fast fashion stuff and used it as an excuse to experiment with styles and colors I normally wouldn’t wear- I finally bought a pair of burnt orange skinny jeans that I’d been considering buying for probably 2 years but could never justify.

          2. Any tips on how to lose that weight? I’m struggling with about 8lbs that I put on in less than a year on Zoloft, and while I know it doesn’t sound like a lot for some, it’s a lot on my smaller frame. I had hoped the weight would fall off once I went off the meds, but it hasn’t budged despite some (admittedly modest) efforts.

          3. This is the correct repsonse–buy new clothes that fit for now, and fix the underlying health problem that caused the weight gain. Not just accept being a size that is not correct for you.

          4. I am in the same boat, so not really. Dropped 8 of the 15 pounds I gained in about 2 weeks after stopping Zoloft. Also a small frame. Now I’m stuck at about 7 pounds above where I’d like to be and where I was pre-Zoloft and have been for awhile now. To be fair, I’m on two other antidepressants that might be making it hard to lose weight and have also put in relatively modest efforts. It’s stayed exactly stable, within a pound, since about 2 weeks after I went off Zoloft. :| I’ve kind of just accepted it, but it’s irritating.

        3. Totally agree with this. The weight isn’t going to come off overnight. Buy some clothes that fit in the meantime so getting dressed isn’t a miserable experience.

        4. You didn’t just tell her to buy new clothes that fit for now while she is figuring out the reason for the weight gain. You just told her to accept her new body, implying that she should ignore the health concerns. Big difference.

          1. I did not. I told her to buy some clothes that fit her now. Any further reading into that is imagined by you.

          3. Anon at 4:41, several people thought you were recommending that she just buy larger clothes and not try to figure out why she was gaining weight. It’s understandable that you would be upset because you didn’t mean that, but it’s how several people read it.

        5. People get annoyed by that when it’s written in a way that implies that people should not care about the weight gain and must accept their body with the weight they don’t want. I recall that that’s the sentiment that people objected to.

      2. I don’t think it’s about hating yourself thinner, it’s about not giving up on being comfortable in your own body. I rarely size up because when I’ve done that I end up staying that size because I’m not uncomfortable at that size. I want my pants too tight at lunchtime. That keeps me from saying yes to the second cupcake.

    3. I need to do this – I ordered some jeans in my usual size without really thinking about it and it was comical how small they were. I’m also bulking up in some parts of my body that I don’t normally (usually everything just goes to my belly) due to a combination of exercising a lot more and actually letting myself eat enough calories to put on muscle (and then never getting to the cut phase after the bulk, lol). I’ve never before had problems with sleeves being too tight or pants being too tight in the calves before so I basically just need a reset on what silhouettes I like, what cuts are flattering, etc.

  3. Are infrared heaters safe/good? I want to get a small one for our balcony, which has an electrical plug. I also really dislike the idea of having to buy/keep propane or other burnable fuels (and it’s like a 50 sq ft space). The infrared heaters seem like a great option but like…they sound like the parody “human heater” thing from Silicon Valley!

    1. They’re fine – and if your electricity comes from renewable sources there’s then a MUCH lower footprint to using those than a gas burning stove. There’s an article about this on the Guardian today.

    2. I bought one earlier today for my back porch. Based on what I’ve seen, the advice is to buy soon. There were a lot that were out of stock or wouldn’t ship for a few weeks. I am hoping that this will keep the porch warm enough that college kids (coming home from all over the US) will be able to socialize outside in December in the Chicago area. I am thankful that my porch is big enough for them to maintain some distance, now I just need to be sure that they don’t freeze.

      1. Hi fellow Chicagoan! :) The ones I’m looking at are already sold out everywhere (also oddly there’s only like 3 models of tabletop infrared heaters?), but Wayfair seems to think they’ll come back in stock some point in November, so fingers crossed!

  4. I am on the board of a small not for profit org. We have one paid employee, an office manager. Today she posted something political on her personal facebook page. In the post she did not identify the organization or say she was speaking for it, though she was speaking about not for profits in general. Her post was relatively benign, all things considered — it was regarding her concern over a political tax issue (e.g. “if xyz party gets elected blah blah tax consequence which would impact not for profits at a time when they’re already struggling”).

    My job on the board is basically to be the HR function. The president of the board messaged me with concern over the post and said a couple people had contacted her about it and said she thinks I should ask her to take it down. I am very hesitant to tell our employee what she can and can’t post on her personal facebook page. It would be different if she were saying something racist or if she were posting on the organization’s facebook page. FWIW I do not agree with this woman’s politics, but this is truly a situation where I think it would be an overreach to tell her to remove it. I could see maaaaaaaybe having a big picture conversation with her about making political posts in general to make sure it doesn’t sound like she’s speaking for the org, but even that feels a little overreachy-y.

    What would you do?

    1. I would go with my gut (which, incidentally, is saying the same thing yours is).

      If the president of the board is concerned about random comments from the public, maybe you can help her come up with a script? “Yes, we’re very glad to have someone on our team who is an informed and engaged citizen!” That kind of thing.

      If the president is worried about offended potential donors, maybe that requires more damage control.

    2. I agree with the the prior poster – if it’s scaring off any funding your org depends on, then you need to say something to her. If it’s just her personal view, she needs to make it about her personal views, but she brought her workplace into it by mentioning non-profits, which makes it seem like she’s taking a stand on behalf of the non-profit. I do think you need to deal with this.

    3. I would first see what your internal policies are. If you don’t have any sort of employee handbook, you should have one (yes, even for one employee). Absent that, you’re operating in a grey area.

      My suggestion is that all members of this Board as well as any volunteers and employees use FB privacy settings such that their public Facebook posts are benign and apolitical.

        1. She has 100 FB friends and somehow multiple people complained to your board President? That does not make much sense.

          That said, your org still needs a social media policy.

        2. The fact that your board President doesn’t like it means you should talk to her. Better to have it out in the open air rather than talked about behind her back.

    4. If I were in your shoes, I would probably say something to her. Depending on what she posted, I might not ask her to take it down, but I’d make sure she knows she needs to be crystal clear that she’s posting her own personal views on social media, not those of the organization she works for. To me, that’s the price of admission of working for a non-profit. I work for a huge multinational company and they are vehement that we cannot post anything about or referencing the company without it being screened first, even (especially) on our personal social media. If I were on my personal account posting “our industry is evil!” (which, honestly, I kind of think it is) I’d be fired so fast your head would spin.

  5. Can anyone comment on the sizing of the Ugg Ansley slippers and how much they stretch out? I only plan to wear them on my deck and to go get the mail so I’ll probably have thick socks on with them. I’m usually a 7, sometimes a 7.5, but they only have whole sizes. My instinct is to size up to an 8, but Ugg did add the disclaimer that they will stretch out, so I’m having trouble deciding.

    1. I’m wearing them now- I’d size up. They stretch in that the lining packs out a little, but I’d prefer not to squeeze my toes in, when I’m wearing slippers.

      1. Thank you! Not the OP, but I just (at lunch) returned a pair to size up and was a little unsure I made the right choice.

    2. I’m a size 10 with wide feet. Bought a 10, too small, returned it. Bought an 11, too small, returned it. 12 wasn’t in stock, so I gave up. I’m seriously considering buying mens Ugg slippers instead.

  6. Any tips or gems to share about interviews for MBA programs? I’m an RN by background and work in healthcare administration. I’ve been out of school for 10+ year. It’s the right move to continue growing my career and I my resume shows that. Yet, I’m still nervous about the whole things.

    1. My interviewers mostly wanted to talk a little about my background and then the focus was what I wanted to do with the degree, why I was interested in that school, etc. If you’re getting the MBA to progress your career in healthcare administration, that will be an easy story to tell, but if you’re hoping to branch out to something other than healthcare, then I would just make sure you have a solid elevator speech about why, what you want to do, etc. In either case, some standard practicing in front of the mirror will be helpful, but I’m sure you’ll do fine!

    2. I don’t have tips specifically but am curious why you are looking at the MBA path. I work in health tech and have worked with countless ex clinicians, most were pulled out of a clinical setting vs went back for the MBA.

      I do know many BSN/MBA or MD/MBAs but they went to school for everything early on.

      At a minimum id want a crisp story on what you want to do post grad. Hospital admin? Tech? Pharma? Nothing remotely clinical at all?

      1. I meant to do it sooner but a few things got in the way. I want to grow in the administrative ladder in hospital systems. I have a very strong clinical background and I’m really looking to fill the business gap, hence the MBA.

        1. Ok, so I’d narrow (if you know) a bit- hospital admin like management of staff? Finance/billing? You could go lots of directions so if you have an idea now it would be good to share that vision.

          I love hospital execs – post here once you are in and looking for an internship! I know so many. Or I’ll buy you a drink at an industry event.

    3. Do some basic objective research ahead of time into the function–job titles, roles, tasks–you think you want to move into so that you can speak realistically about your career pivot and how the program will support that goal. Not everyone leaves bschool as an MBB consultant or an associate in IB, so you’ll need to have some objective sense of where you are going and how you can realistically get there. Your move sounds like it makes a lot of sense, fwiw! Just be able to articulate awareness of gaps, strengths to build on, etc.

    4. What does an MBA get you career wise and why the institution you’re interviewing with? How does this fit into your long term plan? What aspects of the program do you have questions about?

    5. Don’t overstress the interview. The biggest thing they’re looking for in the interview (at most schools) is whether you’ve done the research to know that an MBA is what you want and that that school specifically is the right fit for you. If you don’t pass both those things, it means there’s a better option out there for you.

      Your interviewer will likely be a second-year student. Take advantage to ask them questions about what their experience has been.

    6. Most focus on “Why an MBA?” “Why [this school]?” and “Why now?”.

      In general, many business organizations look for STAR on resumes and in interview vignettes – Situation, Task, Action, Result. Try to frame your stories this way.

      You’ll do great!

      If you want more backup check out the How to Get into Top MBA Programs book by Montauk.

    7. Don’t have an MBA, so can’t help there, but did go back to do a Masters in Health Sciences in Health Administration. That is the degree that most clinicians pursue where I am to move up in management. Mine was structured like an MBA program, but the content was geared towards the health sector and other high performing organizations. At my interview, they were mostly interested in why I wanted to pursue the degree. I really enjoyed going back as an adult learner. Good luck and have fun.

  7. I need Christmas present ideas for my boyfriend. He does like when I buy him clothes normally, but they just aren’t getting worn right now due to covid. We usually do trips, but that’s out. He does read, but books seem a pretty boring to give a significant other.

      1. +1 – My husband wants more washable sweaters to wear around the house, for instance. Admittedly, this is a pretty boring Christmas gift.

        1. I already know that when my parents and my in-laws ask, I’m just going to ask for piles of socks. Boring Christmas gifts you actually want for the win.

    1. What’s amazing to me is that he said this knowingly to a journalist. Someone’s got a screw loose on a number of dimensions.

      1. No, I just think that in general, members of the lucky sperm club cannot conceive that they would be wrong about anything, or that anyone would disagree with them or challenge them on their assumptions. I mean, they’re rich, so they must know everything about everything, right??

        I lean atheist, but I do find myself hoping for a special place in hell for Kushner and his fellow travelers.

  9. I love argent generally, have a few of their suits, and have vague regret for not getting an earlier version of a suit in this shade. Thus, couldn’t resist this when it first launched a few weeks ago. I ended up only ordering the blazer as I’ve been between sizes in their pants and the first run of this collection was non refundable (I believe the backorders can be returned). I found it runs slightly larger than their sizes normally do and fabric was a bit rougher (it’s also about $100 cheaper than most of their blazers), but in such a fun color for a good cause, was glad to have it in my wardrobe. It’s perfect for Zoom/virtual conferences and cheers me up on dreary days.

    1. Whoops I’m also posting as Pink but I usually lurk so I’ll pick a different name. Can you give a brand equivalent for the feel of this? My office, to which I may never return, skews business casual but I’d really like one of these blazers. But it’s a lot of $ for something I’d only wear occasionally.

      1. When Pinks collide. I typically just post under a name related to the topic so happy to cede the name back after this thread :)
        I’d say that this one feels more J Crew/Anne Taylor. Their normal stuff at a slightly higher price point would be a step up in quality from that. But rather than supporting a mega brand this goes to a small, women-owned label that’s not afraid to be creative and interesting in their design choices. This particular purchase also funds a donation to Supermajority
        This is my fourth blazer from the brand and the others have held up well. They also make an amazing jump suit that is designed to facilitate easy bathroom breaks that I adore. It’s no longer on the site but pops up on Poshmark and the like.

    2. How would you rate their quality? Is it more like super fast fashion H&M level? Or maybe like an Ann Taylor level? Or Brooks Brothers?

    3. I have a fuchsia suit that I love, but is not quite as hot as this hot pink and I really want this one, too. But I do not need two pink suits. Probably.

  10. Oh god I’m so sleepy today. I got like 6-7 hrs sleep but I think I mainly ate too much pasta for lunch. I literally can’t keep my eyes open. Any tips?

    2. Your preferred method of caffeine consumption, a 10 minute walk (especially if it’s cold out where you are), energetic music on headphones, and wiggling your toes inside your shoes while you work.

    3. Chew gum and drink lots of cold water! Try to keep your house on the cool side today, too! Good luck :)

  11. So my kid just sized out of his boots and the local independent kid store has two pairs of the brand we buy. One looks like this https://www.bogsfootwear.ca/shop/style/78674-009.html

    Basically most of the boot is black but there are some purple details. The other pair is plain black. I always get him two pairs (between school daycare cars they come in handy). Thoughts? My kid won’t care about the purple. The sizing is identical so they won’t be too small.

    4. It shouldn’t matter, but they do read as feminine. If your son had picked them out and wanted them, great. If not, though, I’d wait and buy a different pair that won’t set him up to potentially be (unfairly) teased.

      1. I’m trying not to take him shopping lol ( he is a grabby kid who won’t keep the mask on). I think we will buy the boring black pair and I’ll have to order a second pair online. Cheers! Appreciated the feedback.

      2. I agree with this. If he wants the purple boots, go for it. Otherwise, I would only get the all black ones right now and look for a second pair elsewhere/later.

  12. Final update on the Aquaphor (slugging?) regime, in response to questions I saw too late on Monday — my pillowcase is just fine. I even let my hair go 36 hours without washing and it was fine. This is impressive, because I wash it every day, and if I go longer I’m normally going mad at the greasy feeling around hour 25. My skin looks about 3 years younger, which is a big difference (my skin at 29 was much nicer than it is now at 32). Thanks again for the rec!

    1. Which version of Aquaphor did you buy? I went to local Walgreens and there were 3 different ones. So, I did not get it.

      1. That’s intense. Mine says “Aquaphor healing ointment advanced therapy — for dry, cracked, or irritated skin.” It also expired in 2018. *makes amused shrugging face* Still seems to work!

      2. Very late to this I hope you see it. I started the original slugging thread. Curious, I’m delighted it’s working for you!!

        Re: Aquaphor I get the one in the tube. The one in the tub is the same stuff but I don’t like the idea of jar packaging and potential contamination

        Aquaphor Healing Ointment – Dry Skin Moisturizer – Dry Hands, Heels, Elbows, Lips – … https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0107QPFBU/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_i_q-HMFb69ZX2M1

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