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Sales of note for 9.10.24
- Nordstrom – Summer Sale, save up to 60%
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Bergdorf Goodman – Save up to 40% on new markdowns
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lo & Sons – Warehouse sale, up to 70% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- White House Black Market – 30% off new arrivals
Some of our latest posts here at Corporette…
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And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- What to say to friends and family who threaten to not vote?
- What boots do you expect to wear this fall and winter?
- What beauty treatments do you do on a regular basis to look polished?
- Can I skip the annual family event my workplace holds, even if I'm a manager?
- What small steps can I take today to get myself a little more “together” and not feel so frazzled all of the time?
- The oldest daughter is America's social safety net — change my mind…
- What have you lost your taste for as you've aged?
- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
Anon
BR Factory has had great suits for at least a decade! I remember buying a few there in 2010. I guess it depends on the market.
Shopping related: I now think I’m both old and in need of a nap, because all the “artfully” posed models on clothes websites are making me cranky. Can you just stand normally and let me see the clothes? Thanks.
Silly Valley
+1 BRF has had suits for a long time, although they don’t always have more than one or two choices (in the women’s section) at a time.
anonymous
Has anyone tried the washable wool suiting from BR? Seems too good to be true.
lsw
Yes! It is very thin, and not lined. It shrunk a very slight amount, but nothing crazy. It is fine. I almost never need to wear a suit, so I have it for those rare occasions I do. Not sure how it would hold up upon repeat washings but for the price and convenience I appreciate it!
Irish Midori
I have. I don’t wash suits frequently, so YMMV, but so far I think it’s holding up great. Loving the cut, too. It’s by far my favorite suit currently.
Equestrian attorney
I have the navy blue and it’s nice enough – washed well. Not my favorite suit but decent value.
Anonymous
If you dry clean it does it last longer/look better? Or does it not matter whether you wash vs. dry clean?
EM84
I have 4 of those pants and wash them on 40deg and they are perfectly fine. Lightweight, unlined, perfect for summer.
Anonymous
What are good side trips from Vegas? Need to be there for 2 days for a conference – flying from DCA. I hate to fly 6 hours just to fly back 2 days later and I have the time off to be able to make a week of it. Thing is I think 2-3 days in Vegas is plenty even though I like it — I’ve been there a few times. No interest in national parks or in driving anyplace. Ideally I’d like a 2 hr max direct flight from Vegas to somewhere where I can spend 2 days and then fly back direct from that second place to DCA. I’ve spent 0 time in California so it seems overwhelming to even know where to go. Seattle/Portland? My ideal trip is a small city where I can walk around, stroll the shops, get coffee etc.; if it’s near/on a beach that’s great. I’ve heard though that a lot of Ca. cities have a huge panhandler/homeless issue and I’m really not wanting to deal with that.
Anonymous
I’m confused by this whole plan tbh.
Anonymous
Why? Have you never gone somewhere far and decided to explore another city in that general vicinity? Obviously OP isn’t looking for a true side trip because she’s fine flying to destination #2. But I understand wanting to spend a whole week out west rather than 48 hours.
Anonymous
FWIW, the drive from Vegas to the Grand Canyon is just breathtaking. But you do you. Tuscon has some nice spas. Should be a short trip. Not sure if you can get a direct flight back to DCA, but Tuscon is a 2ish hour drive from Phoenix (also beautiful).
Anon
I agree, but she said she has no interest in national parks.
Anonymous
Thanks. I’m a reformed NYer — driving on lonely (or maybe not if a lot of people go from Vegas to GC) mountain roads just isn’t for me. I’m not averse to driving generally — happy to get to a destination, rent a car and drive around there; just the driving through mountains and woods aversion.
Anonymous
No I get that, I don’t get going back to the airport and flying somewhere completely different.
Anonymous
San Diego
Even the airport is beautiful
Anon
+1
Portia
Yes! For that small town feel, maybe look at staying on Coronado.
SMC - San Diego
Yes – come to San Diego. Lots of flights from Vegas to our airport, easy to get from the airport to someplace nice to stay (unlike LA), lots of flights out to get you back home.
If money is no object, stay at the Hotel del Coronado. Right on a beautiful beach, nice spa, and Coronado is a nice area with no major homeless/panhandling issues which you can walk around and enjoy. If money IS an object, still go to Coronado but stay at a different hotel!
Anon
I mean, Seattle and Portland are great cities but I wouldn’t call them side trips from Vegas. LA and Phoenix are the closest major cities.
Anon
I would find a spa somewhere in California.
anon
Carmel, CA is the first one that comes to mind, but I’m sure there are tons of cute towns like you describe that are easily accessible from LAX or the the San Diego airport. Or maybe something up in Napa or Sonoma?
Anon
Carmel and Napa aren’t near major airports though – she’d have to drive to them from San Francisco or San Jose and she said she wanted to avoid driving (Carmel is close to Monterey but I really doubt she could fly direct back to DCA from that airport).
The original Scarlett
Carmel isn’t that far from San Jose’s airport and Napa is close to SFO (both about 1.5 hours drive), you can fly Southwest direct back to BWI and to any DC area airport from SFO or Oakland. Both of those are great vacation stops. I’d also consider going to Miraval in AZ – it’s a great place to go relax by yourself. Santa Barbara is another favorite, but a little further from a major airport to get to DC, but they probably have a one stop from there.
Anon
Fly into Northern Arizona – Flagstaff is less than an 1.5 hrs flight away. The nature is beautiful and you are driving distance to Sedona (less than 1 hr – the spas!), and numerous natural wonders.
Anonymous
She doesn’t like nature or driving
Anon
Well that’s the only way to get to Sedona without a stupidly expensive ticket. She said national parks not nature (otherwise wouldn’t want a beach). Sedona is a beautiful quaint little city with great spas.
Anonymous
You can fly into Santa Barbara, it’s a lovely town on the beach, and not overwhelming like the LA beach towns. Or you could fly into Monterey and do Carmel.
UHU
I’d go to Colorado, Arizona, or New Mexico–lots of amazing, non-park places to visit.
Anonymous
Sedona! Probably not far from Dallas or Aruba at that point too.
Anon
Aruba!? Aruba is farther east than DC, where she lives. It makes no sense to combine Aruba with a trip where she’s flying west.
Anon
There’s a lot of interesting ideas about geography in this thread.
Anon
Santa Fe is a small city that you can stroll around. I think it would be an ideal side trip from Vegas.
Anonymous
Grand Canyon?
Breaking the Carbs Habit
For the past few weeks, I’m finding myself craving carbs more than ever before. As in buying 2 bagels at the store on a Monday while grocery shopping, then finding a reason to go for bagels every morning or every other morning the rest of the week, then not wanting to eat anything else til dinner. Not sure why this has begun as I’m not typically someone to go out of my way for a food (I tend to be too Team Sloth for that), but it’s not something great for my budget and it’s probably not good for my waistline either. (If it matters, I’m mid-30s, no other changes to diet or activity or something that I am aware of, no chance of pregnancy.)
Anon
With carbs, the more you eat them, the more you want them. I love bagels and bread and pretzels and pasta, but I’ve found I need to cut back on them because they make me feel cranky and like I could eat nonstop for weeks.
Try planning meals where a carb isn’t the main attraction and see if that changes your appetite.
Ellen
You need to eat smart, b/c once you get heavy, it will be difficult to get rid of the weight. When I was younger, I could eat as much as I wanted, and stay at a size 0. Now, I am very careful, and do all I can, but I struggle every day to stay @ size 2, and have bought some size 4s (UGH!) But I have so many beautiful clothes in size 2, that I must keep my weight down or I will have to give them all away. FOOEY! Also, your shoes get tight when you eat to much, so that is another reason NOT to eat to much. DOUBEL FOOEY!
So do your best to stay svelte, b/c men will also take notice of you if you are svelter! YAY!
Anonnona
I go through this sometimes. Can’t get enough bagels and go to the bagel shop like four times in one week. Then I get to the point where I don’t want bagels at all anymore. Not saying this is you, but maybe if you just indulge the craving for a while it will go away.
Showers -- adding a seat
I hate hotel showers that don’t have a ledge. I am female; half of the planet is. I might want to shave my legs, which I really need a ledge for (ideally, a seat, so I can put things there like shampoo and other stuff).
I finally get to have a bathroom with a shower and want to put in a seat. Dumb question, but I want this to be horizonal (across the width of the shower stall), not some weird diagonal going across a corner, right? It’s a 3×4 shower (not full tub size or spa sized or anything), if that matters.
I had a molded shower before, so I couldn’t customize at all. I never thought about it until some recent work travel where there was no ledge made me realize that I have Feelings but I can’t articulate to a tile guy beyond “must have seat or at least a foot ledge” but I think seat would be better.
Honey
I have a seat in my similarly-sized (4’ x 4’) shower for accessibility reasons. I’d recommend one that goes horizontally—this also gives you a place to put your stuff (shampoo, conditioner, etc). If they’re building it custom, think about how high you want your seat to be. I’m tall, so mine is 22” in height).
Also, if you put in a seat, make sure you can reach all the controls from it while seated!
The Original ...
Do you want a ledge to put stuff on OR a ledge to put a foot up on for shaving OR a place you can sit down OR a combination of some or all of those? If just the first, a diagonal corner spot keeps the most floorspace in the shower and should work unless you have huge bottles. If you want a spot for a foot, you may be fine with diagonal but may want it lower so your foot doesn’t have to be up so high (or you may want it deeper to have room for bottles and a foot). If you want to be able to sit, horizontal may make the most sense for purposes of having room to sit without feeling wedged in the corner. You could also do a horizontal seat and have the diagonal cut outs behind that, so that it’s a combo area, but only if you have a big enough shower space not to have it be a tiny shower when you’re standing and not using the seat. Hope this maybe helps!
Anonymous
Thanks — one thing is that I don’t know how a 3×4 shower feels inside of it. I can measure it out, but you never know until you know, right? My kids like to sit on seats and my parents are old enough that maybe at some point they need to sit and use the shower wand thingie? I am leaning horizontal, as the diagonal ledge seems awkward as a seat.
18″ is what I think standard seats are. We are not tall (and the kids are roughly my size, which helps with figuring this out), just average.
anon
I can confirm that diagonal seats are awkward as a seat. My advice to the OP is to not make it too big (because if one has true mobility issues, they might need TWO places to sit in the shower–one to sit on and one to keep the hurt foot/leg/ankle off the floor and out of the water, or room to maneuver around grab bars and whatnot, which will be very important for elderly people), and to find someone who has something like what you want–awkward but seems worth the exercise for something built-in.
Never too many shoes...
I have a shower bench built in that I love so much. It is great for leg shaving, or just sitting when exhausted and letting the jets wash over you.
I will offer one tip – if you think that you might ever want to use it for shower fun time with a partner, use the measurements of a trusted chair to make sure you have the right height and depth. We did not and it is just a bit too low and narrow for comfort…opportunity lost.
Anon
Make the ledge a full seat. As you get older you might need it, or if you’re injured or whatever. It’s also attractive to buyers. Make your shower head handheld-optional for this reason.
azcpa
I looked at a ton of options to build in when I built my house, and ended up going with a bamboo bench that wasn’t built in. I liked being able to move it – I have a couple things sitting on it (Costco size products) but where i like it for storage isn’t where I actually use it for shaving.
Senior Attorney
I have a teak bench that I like very much.
The Original ...
Just a reminder that, even when it looks like someone is failing or selfish or lazy or stupid or whatever, it doesn’t mean someone isn’t fighting like he11 to keep their head above water. It can be so easy to make assumptions based on what we see or think or experience but we may never actually know the demons and circumstances someone else is battling. It’s likely that we’re all guilty of judging another and that we are all likely of misjudging ourselves too. Please be kind to yourself if you are fighting and please be kind to others because you don’t know what they are fighting.
May our biggest problems always be figuring out which water bottles to carry, where to hide a scrunchies (not on our wrists!), and what color nail polish is acceptable. <3
UHU
<3
Anon
Love this!
Never too many shoes...
The other day I saw a Facebook poster that said “Just because someone carries it well doesn’t mean it isn’t heavy”.
I almost cried. As the mother of a child with significant special needs, it really resonated.
CoolSculpting or Mini Lipo or?
After numerous lower abdominal surgeries for medical issues, my doctor said a few years ago that I won’t likely need any more. However, I now have some fat over my lower two abs, just in that front middle area. (I have an upper 4 pack visible, to give an idea of the shape I am in). That spot of fat makes me self-conscious and it makes clothing fit weird, since it’s not proportioned around my entire middle or the entire front half of me, just that spot. I asked the doctor and a trainer about this and was told that, because this came from medical situations not from unhealthy habits, no amount of activity or diet will remove it.
I don’t consider myself vain but the spot consistently reminds me of my medical issues and it bothers me when I try to wear clothes that flatter everywhere else, so I am considering trying to have it removed. I’d love to hear your experiences and advice on this. I don’t have a lot of money by any means, but after being ill for so long, I want to like all of my body rather than to be reminded of when I was sick, so this may not be an issue of self-acceptance as much as it is wanting to remove a reminder of a very long traumatic illness.
EM84
I have a lipoma on my 6-pack abs and am making an appointment to have it removed. It bothers me enough visually. I don’t consider this an issue of vanity. I deserve to feel good in my body and this is not my fault. Neither is your extra fat/skin, which is a result of surgeries. Go for it. Consult with plastic surgeon what would be the best option given your medical history.
anon
If the goal is to feel good in your body and you do not based on looks–that is vain. Vain is not a bad word! It’s okay to be vain! It can motivate us to stay healthy and take care of our bodies in all kinds of beneficial ways. Being vain does not make one vapid. /rant over ;)
Anonymous
Definitely get your lipoma removed! I had one too (on my upper back) and it just bothered the heck out of me in pictures, but it felt vain to do something. I can’t tell you how much better it feels to have it gone.
anon
Now that my “vain” rant is over, my reco to the OP is to do some real research, starting with a visit to a plastic surgeon. A consultation is probably very affordable and they can give you a lot of information, even if that is not the option you go with. I’ve heard good things about cool sculpting so would also get a consultation there, and solicit opinions…as you’re doing here :). Good luck!
Editor
Would love if more people could weigh in about Coolsculpting!
Anonymous
For those of you who eat a lot of red meat, can you share any ideas for cold lunches? One kid loves meat, and the other is low on iron, so… sigh.
Anon
Roast beef sandwiches is the most obvious one.
anon
hamburger patties, meat pie/pasties…I mean, I’ll eat just about any cold left over but there aren’t many traditional cold options.
Anon
Steak salad
Anonymous
Maybe some cold, leftover quesadillas with meat in them? Or leftover taco fixings?
Anon
Pasta with ground beef like spaghetti with bolognese sauce, lasagna, or “goulash” (not actual goulash, the American noodle dish called goulash)
Paging Smelly from AM Thread
I live an a 1 bedroom apartment with 2 cats and 1 litter box. We don’t have great air flow; since our place is built into the side of a hill it’s half basement. the other side has east faving windows, so the sun beams into our place and it gets stuffy really easily. Our kitchen sink doesn’t drain well, so that gets gross.
At the beginning of summer I bought a GermGuardian air purifier on sale, and would gladly pay full price for a second. It adds freshness without adding odor.
I got the GermGuardian https://www.amazon.com/GermGuardian-AC4825-Sanitizer-Allergens-Guardian/dp/B004VGIGVY?th=1 from amazon. It’s still on sale from $150 to $90.
Cool Shower
Moved into a new condo. The water in the shower doesn’t really get very hot even if turned all the way up. The water that comes out of every other faucet, etc. is much much hotter (when turned all the way up too hot to put your hands under). All of the water comes from the same water heater. Does this mean there is some safety mechanism in the shower that needs adjusted or what? Would a plumber be the right person to call to fix this?
Anonymous
There is a safety mechanism that functions exactly as you described in my condo, and it was installed by a plumber.
Cat
We had this problem in 1 of our 2 showers and it turned out the valve for the hot water was the culprit.
CHL
There is sometimes a little plastic dial inside the shower handle that prevents you from actually turning it ALL the way up — take the handle off and see if you can see that.
Anonymous
Yes. Search for a You Tube video that will show you how to adjust the dial behind the shower handle for your specific control. I fixed mine this way. I needed to get a specific tool, but that was easy to find on the river site.
All time favorite tv shows for binging
In the vein of the newbie to GOT the other day: what are your all-time favorite shows to binge, that you’ll watch again or recommend to others? Mine would be:
Buffy
Battlestar Galactica
The Wire
Breaking Bad
The Americans
Anonymous
I plan to re-watch The Good Place approximately eleventy million times.
Anon
I tried and tried with that show. It seems a bit saccharine. Is that the point? Just cheery and uplifting? I don’t recall anything that had me laughing.
Anon
I typically binge/repeat watch light-hearted shows where you don’t have to follow plot super closely to enjoy the show: Friends, The Office, Gilmore Girls, SATC, Veep, Younger, Superstore, etc.
There are lots of shows I like that are more serious and/or plot-driven and I definitely recommend them to others, but I don’t find myself watching them over and over again, eg., Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, The Good Wife, The X-Files, Dexter, etc. All great but once I watched the complete series I felt like I was done.
Anonymous
Call the Midwife
Schitt’s Creek
Big Dreams Small Spaces
Great British Baking Show
Baby Ballroom
DCC making the team
Downton Abbey
Editor
Six Feet Under*
Enlightened
The Jewel in the Crown*
*Was bereft when these two ended
Anonymous
SATC and Parks and Recreation.
anonymous
Re-watched True Blood earlier this year and Dexter when there was a marathon last year on Showtime. I like Start Trek too. I’ll watch reruns of Three’s Company and Married with Children on TV. Both are horribly outdated, but I’ll keep them on in the background. Same thing with Friends.
Anon
Any of the housewives.
I immediately turn on Bravo when I get into a hotel room. Which is weird because I don’t have the tv on much at home, and I never watch live TV.
pugsnbourbon
Hahaha same! We cut the cord years ago so when I stay in a hotel, it’s a race to find out what fresh hell of a reality show TLC has out. Or Antiques Roadshow. Or Forensic Files. Or House Hunters.
Never too many shoes...
The West Wing. Over and over. And Buffy.
Anonymous
Yes! Hello, fellow Wingnut!
Never too many shoes...
We just need Gail the Goldfish to stop in!
anon
The Americans is SOOOO GOOD
eertmeert
Party Down
United States of Tara (starring Toni Colette with fabulous supporting cast)
Endeavor
Inspector Lewis
Forensic Files
Mindhunter
Derry Girls
Frasier
Black Mirror
Nailed It!
The Office (duh)
Eddie Izzard standup specials
Midsomer Murders
Granchester
Workaholics (so crass)
Third Rock
Dwight Schrute
Buffy – all time favorite and have watched the entire series too many times to count
The Office
Mad Men
Schitt’s Creek – this might not be everyone’s humor, but it makes me laugh out loud almost every episode (final season to come)
The Fall (on Netflix – so dark, but so good)
Six Feet Under
Anon
What are good sources for robes? I want a pretty robe for getting ready in.
Anon
The best robe is the Natori Shangri-La. Accept no substitutes.
Flats Only
I got a lovely one off Etsy a few years ago. I don’t remember the seller, but there were tons to choose from. I submitted measurements so it fits really nicely.
Ariadne
I’m fortunate that my immediate family are all amazing, intelligent and very unique individuals— I love them all dearly. I’m trying to figure out a way of not feeling so pressured and reframing the way I approach making plans to see them. My parents — who are not together ,but on friendly and amicable terms, do not make plans until the last minute. A conversation may be “ want to meet for lunch tomorrow?” And their response is, “no pressure, let’s see how we all feel.” I call one of them the next day, and sometimes, after many calls, there may be a plan, or they may not feel well— which is fine, but the same conversation repeats the next day, and next.
both my mom and dad are lively people whose company I enjoy, yet who have chronic flare ups, so I understand from a health perspective, but the result is that they call me at two or three in the afternoon to get together. If it’s a weekend, sometimes a walk or dinner at my place or out works. Other times, I’m already out somewhere with my husband, and have plans. They don’t pressure me but because I am close to them I feel awful, and sometimes end up running to meet them, which drives my husband nuts.
I’ve tried explaining how I feel, making set dates and times, but unless it’s the same day of, they wiggle out of the plans, or the plans change. When we do meet, we have a great time, but the pressure of pinning something down is starting to make anxious and a bit upset. Not sure what I’m asking, or if I’m posting too late, but I’m wondering if anyone is from a family with a similar dynamic—we are close and get along, but can only seem to plan at the last minute, which makes me and my husband super anxious.
Anonymous
You need to stop doing this. “You free in two hours?” If you are, great! If you aren’t “nope”! “Let’s keep it open” “actually that doesn’t work for me, because I’d like to make other plans if you aren’t available. This work or not.”
You being close to your parents does not mean you need to be at their beck and call and it doesn’t even sound like they want you to be!
Senior Attorney
This is not a “them” issue, it’s a “you” issue.
They have been like this your whole life, and you have explained and you have tried to get them to change, and they haven’t changed. And they aren’t going to change.
So you can continue to make yourself crazy, or you can go with the flow, which means you meet them when you can, and you don’t when you can’t, and you figure out a way not to feel awful and run yourself ragged to accommodate them.
It kind of sucks, but there it is.
anon
My in-laws only plan at the last minute (same day). On weekdays, my FIL asks DH to meet for lunch on the same morning. Sometimes, FIL, who works near our house, texts on a weekday evening to ask if he can stop by for a few minutes. On weekends, we often get morning texts and calls from either FIL or MIL (who are not together) asking us if we’re free for lunch or to come over for the afternoon or whatever. We enjoy seeing them and also want our son to see his grandparents.
I’m a planner, but I’ve adapted. First, I’ve stopped planning things with them unless it’s a special occasion, like a birthday party, and even then, they’re invited, not planned around. Having plans disrupted is more difficult for me than just being spontaneous. Second, I don’t feel guilty or anxious if we’re not available or if having them stop by or meeting them for lunch would be too inconvenient or uncomfortable. Third, we accept spontaneous invitations and go with the flow when it’s truly no big deal, which, honestly, is most of the time.
Anonymous
My parents are very similar, except they live out of town and come to visit for a couple of weeks once or twice a year (staying at a hotel). I usually take some vacation time so I can spend time with them and the grandkids. They can never commit to anything ahead of time and during their visit it’s morning-by-morning planning, which is very annoying. I’ve started just making plans to do what I/the grandkids want to do and telling them ahead of time. “On Tuesday we’re going to the playground and then lunch. We’d love to have you join us.” Sometimes they come and sometimes they don’t, but at least I’m not stuck waiting around for them to make a last minute decision.
Ariadne
Thank you for all the great advice; I know I’m an anxious worrier and have lots of acceptance to work on! especially as my parents get older— both In earlier70s— I feel really anxious when plans do not work because it feels like a lost opportunity. I also appreciate that my parents are not pressuring me, or worried— it all seems to be my fear and anxiety, which I am working on:)
Anonymous
Early 70s is not old. Unless your parents are actively dying, it is never a last missed opportunity. But this is a great thing to discuss in therapy!
Ariadne
Thank you— I’m working on my anxiety, which is increasing in my late forties! My parents don’t want me to worry, but I do get frustrated, as I like making the plans:)
Stephanie Caraway
I went to my local BR Factory store two weeks ago looking for an interview suit and was super underwhelmed with the quality of the fabric I encountered. I tried on two jackets, two skirts, and a pair of pants, and they all looked cheaply made. Disappointing.