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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!
Boden has some really fun prints right now, including in suits. As Tim Gunn would say, it's a Lot of Look for some of the prints (like, er, this or this) — but this brown suit with a pink check pattern is unusual and interesting without being OTT.
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They're picturing the suit with a pretty hot pink sweater; I'd also wear this with a boring white top and maybe a pale blue top. How about you, readers?
The pictured blazer is $235, available in regular and petite sizes 2-22; the matching pants are $140. (They have a very similar brown-and-blue check print on sale, but note that it's wool and the blazer is much shorter.)
Hunting for more brown suits? Some of our favorite brownish suits for women include this “mahogany” suit from Reiss, this brown linen from Brooks Brothers, and this very academic-looking, mid-brown suit at Banana Republic. (For plus sizes, there aren't any great options at the moment — Woman Within has a double-breasted brown check suit, as well as a single-breasted brown suit.)
Sales of note for 9.30.24
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- White House Black Market – 40% off select styles
Anonymous
Is everyone as panicked for Duchess Kate as Twitter is? Every time I open it up people are commenting about how she must be dead and her entire family hasn’t been seen since December and so forth. I’m not even a royal watcher in general!!
Anonymous
Not at all. I am a Royal watcher and she very clearly said she would be recovering at least until Easter and it isn’t Easter yes. Like of course yes vaguely concerned for her health but these weird conspiracy theories? No
Anon
It’s hard to imagine what sort of abdominal surgery would have someone in the hospital for months.
I don’t know any of them so I would not describe myself as “panicked,” just kind of curious. I get that they want privacy, but the story doesn’t make any sense.
Vicky Austin
I don’t think she’s still actually in the hospital. But my MIL’s theory was some sort of diastasis recti repair.
Anon
She’s not still in the hospital tho?
Anonymous
She isn’t in the hospital for months. She was there for under two weeks, which is still a long time, and is now recovering at home.
Cat
She was in the hospital for 2 weeks then is recovering at home. Apparently she was well enough for the family to relocate to the country for the kids’ school break. But people will find a conspiracy in anything!
Anon
Really? Something like a bowel resection has a very high complication rate. Abdominal surgeries terrify me.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4991963/
Anonymous
Recovery from a bowel resection is no joke and takes several weeks.
Anonymous
Crohn’s surgeries are often two weeks hospital and then multiple weeks recovery at home. With 3 young kids, I’m sure they aimed to overestimate her recovery time and have her come back early vs. setting an early date and then missing it if she had complications.
anon
Vaguely concerned, yes. Do I suspect that she is that skinny because of a medical condition like Chrons? Yes. Do I suspect it was a bowel resection? Yes. Is it unfortunate that she is not forthcoming with the issue to normalize chronic conditions? Yes. But, ultimately, that is her choice and she’s refused to explain other health issues like the scar on her scalp from a childhood operation.
Anon
sure, let’s require people *in the middle of a medical crisis* to turn their hypothetical chronic condition into advocacy. I get that she has a platform and tons of privilege but this isn’t the time and place.
Anon
Thank you.
Anonymous
This. She probably wants to recover before talking about anything. She was pretty open about mental health and post-partum struggles and has even made that one of her charity focuses on it’s not like she’s a closed book.
Anonymous
She doesn’t owe anyone an explanation any more than the random guy on the street does.
Anon
I am not a Royal watcher, and I knew very little about this until recently; however, I recently fell down the rabbit hole on this and it does seem odd!
Anon
They always said she would be off Royal duties until around Easter. She’s not in the hospital, she’s recovering at home. Abdominal surgery is not something you bounce back from super quickly. I don’t think there’s any evidence anything unexpected has happened.
Anonymous
It was clearly stated she is going to be taking it easy and recovering until Easter, and that is the end of March…
Anon
What I’ve seen on twitter is speculation that she’s had cosmetic surgery. Which seems ridiculous to me. They obviously would have scheduled something like that at a less busy time, and she wouldn’t have canceled engagements on short notice for it.
Anonymous
Also – What is there to correct?!
Anon
That too! I saw people on Twitter saying she got butt implants, which is just absurd.
Betsy
I think this is a prime example of how incredibly stupid the internet can be.
Anon
Yes
Anon
Agreed. Based on my Twitter feed, its liberals who seem to think they’re above conspiracy theories, which is even funnier to me.
Same anon
And just to be clear, I’m one myself! But its the same people who mock Trump supporters who go down rabbit holes – two different sides of the same coin!
Also, if anyone hasn’t seen the Mitchell and Webb Princess Diana sketch, now would be the time to find it on youtube.
Anon
“her entire family hasn’t been seen since December” is definitely not true. There were photos of Pippa holidaying in the Caribbean with her family a couple days ago. I assume Kate is just recovering at home as planned. They always said she’d be out until Easter, which is more than a month away.
Anon
This is where I land. If she were gravely ill and not recovering as planned, Pippa wouldn’t be so far away for so long.
Anon
HA. Was just telling my husband. I’m in the final weeks of my maternity leave from my very fast paced job. I’ve been blessed with a solid napper and sleeper, so maximum phone scrolling free time available to me at the moment. And, let me tell you…. I’ve gone off the deep end in the last 3 days trying to “find Kate.”
I read the Harry book, generally like to watch the royal stuff (it’s sweet relief from my day job…), so more of a watcher than most. There is something totally suspect going on. I’m fairly convinced.
I think the most plausible of “conspiracy theories” if we’re not buying the vague “abdominal surgery” is an eating disorder recovery. This is a woman who was made up, standing, and in front of cameras less than 24 hours after giving birth (twice?), for reference.
Anon
What does the last sentence have to do with ED? BTW, in her immediate postpartum pictures, she looks like a postpartum woman, in contrast to some other “celebrities”.
Anonymous
I think the point this poster is trying to make is that if it were just surgery she would have been seen in public, based on the fact that she made public appearances less than 24 hours after giving birth. The ED argument is that she is so skinny that she needs to be hidden until she’s put on some weight.
Anonymous
This makes no sense. She didn’t make ‘public appearances” after giving birth, she stood for a few minutes for an exit photo. And she didn’t try to conceal her postpartum belly any of the times.
As someone who is naturally on the thinner side I hate how it’s apparently free reign to be judgy about thinner women’s bodies but fat shaming if anything is said to overweight women. I don’t want to be told to ‘eat a cheeseburger’ on the subway anymore than an overweight women wants to be told to stop eating cheeseburgers. Leave people alone about their bodies.
Anon
Eh, thanks to the DM, I am pretty convinced that that family is just genetically thin, even after kids.
Anonymous
OMG yes, can we stop with acting like every skinny woman has an eating disorder? What happened to not judging people’s bodies? The genetic chips fall where they fall, and people’s bodies come in all shapes and sizes.
Anonymous
I am so sick of thin people being fair game for this kind of thing and yet it’s “fat shaming” when it isn’t a thin person.
Anon
If she had a bowel resection, that would be consistent with Crohn’s disease or colitis, which could also cause her to be extremely thin (even beyond the fact that women in her family are clearly naturally slim), so it’s really not necessary to go digging very far for alternative conspiracy theories.
Anon
Todays “thin” was perfectly normal and ordinary thirty and more years ago.
Anonymous
It’s amazing how quickly too much time online rots your brain
Anon
I feel like I’m seeing how people become Q Anon in real time. Obvious this is much lower stakes but it’s equally deranged.
Walnut
I’ve had three c-sections and also a partial colon resection and let me say whole heartedly that the former are not like the latter.
I was in the hospital for about a week with the latter, followed by spending basically another week or two in a chair before I could even fathom going up a stair. I was also surprised with a temporary ileostomy and that was a learning curve I wouldn’t wish on an enemy. If Kate had any sort of surgery resembling mine, none of the recovery time surprises me a bit.
Anon
Vaginal birth is NOTHING like bowel resection.
Would I have wanted to be on camera right after giving birth, no. I looked sloppy, which I was. But I also didn’t have hair and make up pros like Kate did. Physically it is not hard to stand up and pose for photos 24 hours after a vaginal birth. The fact that you think that’s evidence of some great conspiracy is really weird.
Anon
And there was a reason for the post-birth photo op: people wanted to see the baby, especially the first time when the baby was the future king. Even if she were able to stand up and move around immediately post-surgery, there’s no reason they’d release a photo of her. It would just be weird and invasive.
Anon
The fact that the press isn’t speculating whatsoever and is actually affording her privacy is one of the biggest red flags I’ve read about this being something not insignificant. It’s just … different. From every other time.
Anonymous
This isn’t a red flag. They don’t get on like that. That’s the whole basis for the Royal Rota. They do set pictures at set times and get left alone the rest of the time.
Anon
She’s been resting at home and probably hasn’t left her own property since before the surgery. It’s not shocking that they wouldn’t be able to get photos of her. It’s not like she’s out shopping and running errands, and they can just snap a pic whenever they want. This is such a weird, nonsensical conspiracy theory.
Anon
You sound unhinged. She had major abdominal surgery which is a much bigger deal than V birth. It was always planned she’d spend up to 2 weeks in hospital and up to three months resting at home before resuming public duties. Nothing has happened so far that suggests things aren’t proceeding as normal, and even if there has been some kind of medical complication it’s not a conspiracy.
Anonymous
Oh please. It’s basically unofficially official that she has Crohn’s and needed surgery as a result. She has surgery during the slower season for her ‘job’ to impact the minimum number of events possible and during the longest stretch of
I hate how rapid people are about this. Talk about her clothes or events or whatever else but I hate the negative talk about female public figures bodies. Like she’s clearly super fit and active as she always has been.
Any chatter is an attempt to distract from Harry’s loss in court. Dude apparently cannot understand the difference between absolute monarchy and constitutional monarchy. Doesn’t matter if Granny thought you should have security, govt processes still apply to you just like everyone else.
RiskedCredit
Having had 3 children, I think she was very smart to get out of the hospital as quickly as possible. She took possibly 30-40 steps from the front door to the car. She had her husband holding the baby who dealt with getting the baby in the car before driving away.
She had a team of people get her ready for that 5min iconic moment. She then was able to recover in private where security could be managed so no pictures would emerge of her that invaded her privacy.
Whatever the reason she needed surgery, the real scandal is that she didn’t use the NHS. My family are struggling to get any treatment for anything right now. Not everyone can afford to go private.
Anonymous
She definitely wanted out of hospital ASAP post birth after that poor nurse was tricked by those DJs into releasing info and killed herself. So tragic.
It’s awful that even after that happened, only a few years later people are treating speculation about her health like it’s a game. It’s not fun maternity reading. It’s a person’s private health info. And her kids are old enough to read.
Anon
This — her kids and their schoolmates can read. What do you want your kid to hear about you at school? I bet she discusses when it can be done in the past tense.
Anonymous
There is nothing totally suspect going on.
This obsession that some people have is mind boggling to me.
Anonymous
You read a book known to have tons of errors and no fact checking but now think it’s suspicious that she stuck to a published recovery timeline for a known surgery? That makes no sense.
You need better hobbies on your maternity leave. I suggest the Nordic royal families – much more interesting recent drama – shaman boyfriends, title removals, abdications etc.
Anon
I was fine walking around after giving birth, and look perfectly fine to everyone from the outside, but I’m going to have pelvic floor reconstructive surgery. It will involve taking extensive time off work – more time than disability covered for a vaginal birth.
You never know what someone is going through.
Anonymous
She’s fine. She had her big Christmas concert charity event and was fine them. She had scheduled surgery and is recovering on schedule they announced.
Feels like a gross attempt to get her personal medical details released or maybe an attempt to distract from Harry messing up by commenting on Indigenous issues in Canada when there for Invictus and then losing his court case.
Anonymous
No. Because I remember how awful things can happen when people try to find out personal medical info. Would be nice if more people didn’t die. https://www.cnn.com/2012/12/08/world/europe/uk-royal-hospital-death/index.html
Anon
It is wild to me that people keep saying “she NEVER disappears for this long!” when she literally has before. Every time she has had HG, she wasn’t seen for weeks/months, and even for regular summer breaks! The last few years has just been nonstop conspiracy theories about the royal family (honestly, aided by Harry and Meghan – two British courts have ruled Harry mislead the public about offering to pay for security, one literally TODAY, and Meghan has also had to apologize to a court for “accidentally misleading the court,” and people still think what they say is gospel somehow), even though the truth is these are some of the most boring people on the planet.
In current pop culture terms, Kate and Will are Joe Alwyns – they actively try to separate their personal lives as much as possible from their public responsibilities. Not to mention the fact that she’s previously had vile breaches of medical privacy (look up the Australian radio hosts prank). She did a podcast (Happy Mum, Happy Baby) a few years ago talking about how she didn’t mind giving birth because her pregnancies were so rough, and talks about going out to see the public after her births and frames it as being happy to show off her baby. That is not at all the same as a major surgery, likely involving painkillers.
She has made a statement thanking the public for support after she left the hospital, and Will has spoken about her recovery at recent public events. And her family has been seen – her sister was on vacation with her husband’s family, her brother posts regularly on social media. Her kids are in school. There’s nothing going on that would contradict the idea that she had a serious medical issue that requires a long recovery time. She might be having issues in her recovery, but the public is not entitled to every piece of information, and her office originally said “medical advice requires her to recover through Easter, and while the Princess appreciates the interest the statement will cause, we will not be giving any updates unless there are significant developments.” That’s what they’ve done.
There are people online who have haaaaated her for no reason for 20 years now (every famous person has deranged haters but hers have been particularly awful, and their ranks swarmed with the “Meghan vs Kate” online discourse). What’s horrible to see, as someone who has followed this for years, is that those conspiracy theories have now made it into the wider discourse based on literally nothing. And she’s got kids who have definitely seen or heard about it by now, extra gross. The speculation is QAnon-level, and I beg everyone to get a grip and let this woman recover in peace.
Anonymous
I find it awful that Harry and Meaghan made such a big deal about privacy and have made NO statements demanding that people stop speculating about her personal medical information. They only care about their own privacy and only when it suits them.
Anonymous
This is a pretty dumb comparison. Harry and Meghan making a statement about something would probably just further erode Kate’s privacy and invite more speculation. And what good would such a “demand” (lol) do anyway?
Anon
I think not making a public statement about a person neither of them has had a personal relationship in years with is probably the wisest thing they’ve done since they married.
Anon
This. Not an H&M fan at all, but I think staying silent about this is one of the best things they’ve done in years. They clearly don’t have a particularly warm relationship with Kate and I really doubt she wants them to comment on her medical situation.
Anyone going?
Has anyone been to SXSW? This is my first time and I am clueless as to what to wear. I will need an outfit that is the right level of speaker-on-aserious-topic formal while not being too stuffy/not a full suit but i also am lacking ideas for what to wear to other “cool” events: screenings/ panels/ music/book signings etc. Im short curvy size 12 and jumpsuits dont look great on me, otherwise that’s what id pick if i was dressing a different body type.
Also I’d be up to meet any c’rettes out there if of interest!
Nesprin
Dark jeans, interesting top (think more band t shirt than blouse), light blazer.
anon
Ladies, a reminder to schedule your colonoscopies if you’re over 45. I did one on my 45th birthday (least fun birthday activity ever?) and they found and removed a pre-cancerous polyp that was completely unrelated to the issue I was trying to get to the bottom (no pun intended) of. I will now have to have annual colonoscopies to make sure it doesn’t grow back, but I’m thankful it was found early. Don’t put it off.
Anon
I’m glad it was caught early and removed! Thanks for the PSA
Anon
Yes, colonoscopies are no fun but the good news is that if they don’t find anything, you can go for another 10 years without another one. I am hoping that they will come up with a better prep method in that time, though.
Anon
There are better and worse prep options now (insurance hates to pay for some of them).
Anonymous
Second this. The age just lowered from 50 recently and not sure how up on it every primary care physician is. The reality is colon cancer is happening much younger. And when you remove common factors, scientists still don’t know why. (I suspect ultra-processed food plays a big role, but I’m clearly no expert.) Mine was caught at Stage 2 at age 46 after my primary saw I was anemic during a routine physical. I had even wanted to skip the colonoscopy but she insisted. I had no symptoms, no family history, and had been a vegetarian for 20 years. The colonoscopy wasn’t bad. And since surgery to remove my ascending colon, I’ve had one more colonoscopy a few months after the surgery and am due for another in two years. (Only saying that so you realize even if cancer is found, it doesn’t necessarily mean. yearly colonoscopies.) As I get farther out from my surgery date, the screening time will lengthen again–though honestly, I’d rather have the piece of mind. DO NOT PUT THIS OFF.
Anon
Also please, PLEASE do not ignore blood in your stool. My best friend’s dad died from colorectal cancer because he ignored/didn’t want to talk about the blood in his stool. The cancer would have been very treatable if he’d raised it with his doctors earlier vs. waiting and hoping things would get better – it was stage 3/4 when he was finally treated.
Anon
The FDA process definitely hasn’t included the microbiome since the science wasn’t there yet.
The list of additives to consider avoiding for colitis patients effectively excludes an awful lot of foods! A lot of them are additives associated with inflammation of the colon, “but maybe they’re still fine.” Maybe.
Anon
+1 to this. I found out via a genetic scan for the BRAC genes that I’m a very high risk for colon and pancreatic cancer and sure enough there were suspicious polyps removed in my first scan. I’m 38 and have two kids and have been telling all of my friends to not skip their scans, it’s such a relatively easy thing to do with such high rewards.
Anonymous
+ a million!
Stage 3c CRC survivor here (10 months and counting). Age 45 at diagnosis.
Getting a colonoscopy saved my life. Even if getting the is inconvenient or icky, it’s nothing compared to how chemo, radiation and a permanent colostomy will ravage your body. (But, I’m alive & thriving!)
Pro tip for the prep — get it super cold & drink it through a straw put far back in your mouth so you don’t have to taste it.
Anon
HA. Was just telling my husband. I’m in the final weeks of my maternity leave from my very fast paced job. I’ve been blessed with a solid napper and sleeper, so maximum phone scrolling free time available to me at the moment. And, let me tell you…. I’ve gone off the deep end in the last 3 days trying to “find Kate.”
I read the Harry book, generally like to watch the royal stuff (it’s sweet relief from my day job…), so more of a watcher than most. There is something totally suspect going on. I’m fairly convinced.
I think the most plausible of “conspiracy theories” if we’re not buying the vague “abdominal surgery” is an eating disorder recovery. This is a woman who was made up, standing, and in front of cameras less than 24 hours after giving birth (twice?), for reference.
Anonymous
Both of those times it was like 15 mins of standing for pictures and then post partum recovery at home. Most UK women give birth and have post partum recovery at home.
Most UK births are with midwives (trained medical specialists). Hers was a black British women who she still has a good relationship with which is why I never bought that she made racist comments. I think it was Camilla maybe but that might just be me jumping to ‘elderly racist grandmother’ conclusions.
Anon
Not even 15 mins – there are videos online of the times she popped out of the hospital, and it was maybe 3 minutes for George and a minute and a half for Charlotte and Louis.
Anon
I don’t even think it was 15 minutes – more like a couple minutes. She literally just stepped outside, held the baby and smiled, cameras clicked and then she was ushered into a waiting car to be taken home to recover there. There’s video of it online, or at least was at the time, and you can tell it was a very brief photo op. It’s REALLY not a big deal and not evidence that anything is amiss here.
Anon
Even if it was eating disorder recovery, why in the world would we need to know that information? How would it be suspect to tell the public she’s had a medical issue and is on leave? Twitter is being 1000x weirder about this situation than the royals are – they announced the issue and a timeline for her leave, same as any person entitled to medical leave.
Anonymous
Exactly. It’s pretty clearly colitis or something based on her body type and the surgery timeline. But even if it is ED then we should leave her alone. People have learned nothing from how Diana was treated and the speculation about her ED.
Anonymous
This.
Do people honestly have nothing better to do than be online gossiping and wildly speculating about celebrities?
I’m not entitled to my coworker’s reason for medical leave, a celebrity should be no different.
CK
I’m headed to Paris in May. I’m on team carry-on only and want to take just two pairs of shoes. I was planning on taking an elevated pair of sneakers for sight seeing during the day. For dinners at night I was thinking of bringing a pair of loafers so I could be comfortable. Any thoughts or feedback?
CK
By elevated sneakers – I mean nicer sneakers that are comfortable yet stylish.
SMC - San Diego
It depends on where you are planning on having dinner. I went twice last year and could have lived in nice sneakers the whole time except for the opera, but I was eating in nice but not “fancy” restaurants. Personally, I would go with something lighter weight to pack than loafers – more like my Rothy flats. That said, loafers would certainly not be out of place.
My only warning is to check the weather right before you leave and have a plan for footwear in case it is going to rain. Paris can be rainy in May and you do not want to end up with one pair of wet shoes and a second pair that are not super comfortable for walking.
Cat
yeah no need for heels. I would consider bringing a 2nd pair of daytime sneakers though – my feet and my shoes both appreciate alternating after long days of walking.
NYCer
+1. I would bring two pairs of sneakers and a pair of ballet flats.
Anonymous
I got a pair of Vince Demi loafers and love them so much. They’re very, very comfortable, feel on trend as a loafer-ballet hybrid, and delightfully springlike in the tan color. They feel like perfect Paris shoes!
Gail the Goldfish
How many days are you there and how much walking will you be doing? If the answer is a lot, I am a fan of taking at least 2 pairs of sneakers to rotate through site seeing in case one starts to give you blisters, unless you’ve really done a lot of all day walking around in the pair you are planning to take (this is what I did for trip to Paris last May-one pair of Vejas, one pair of actual athletic sneakers for some really long walking days (Versailles, eg), and one pair of Rothy’s flats for dinner)
Anon
Agreed that it depends where you’re going for dinner. Paris is more casual than it once was, so nicer sneakers would be fine at most bistro/casual places. I usually pack a lightweight pair of nice ballet flats for nicer dinners. Loafers would probably be fine if that’s your preference. If you’re going to say, a Michelin starred restaurant, I would avoid jeans. But nice leather loafers or ballet flats + a dress or nice pants and a blouse would be fine. And yes, it can rain in May (but it might be really warm – it’s unpredictable!). I would pack a compact umbrella and shoes that won’t get completely ruined in the rain.
nuqotw
Take a pair of elevated sneakers and buy a second pair of shoes in Paris.
Anonymous
I was in Paris over Christmas and I had two pairs of shoes – Veja sneakers and then loafers for dinners/nicer events. I felt entirely on-brand with everyone else there.
Anonymous
I would look at all the lovely Parisian outfits on the Leonce Chanel blog for ideas.
Anonymous
ChEnal. I hate autocorrect.
A
Bring Tods. They’ve got sneakers too.
anonymous
I’d personally take more than two pairs of shoes. Paris is the perfect place for a classic ballet flat (obviously weather dependent) and I’d take a couple of extra pairs of flats as they’re easy to pack and it’s nice to change your shoes.
Anonymous
what would you do in san francisco if you had a day? considering tacking on an extra day to a napa trip…
Anonymous
Leave. Gotta keep it real I hate the city. It’s ugly and gross and doesn’t feel safe to walk around in.
Anonymous
+1. I would go to Monterey, Muir Woods, the Redwoods, basically anywhere else.
Anon
Yup. Bay Area resident here and I agree.
anonymous
You might not feel safe in some areas, fine, I agree with you that I’d avoid the tenderloin, but most of the city is perfectly safe. But it’s absolutely far from ugly and is one of the most beautiful places in the world. With a day, I would do as the locals do and shop in a neighborhood and have a great meal. There’s still amazing restaurants and charming neighborhoods to explore.
Anon
If you like history, Alcatraz(it sounds touristy, but it’s pretty cool). If you like art, De Young museum. If you have kids, the Exploratorium science museum or the Academy of Science. You could also drive out to Muir woods National Monument (I think that’s the name?) and see the sequoias. There are moderate hikes but also a boardwalk that’s very easy. Or Point Reyes National Seashore, if it’s whale migration season.
Anon
I’m a local, second Alcatraz or the Exploratorium. Angel Island is also really interesting.
Anonymous
I’d do the Museum of Modern Art, cable cars, and Chinese food.
SF rette
currently live in SF. some more niche recs:
– go see Dear San Francisco, a circus show that is a tribute to the city with many tremendously talented performers who are originally from the Bay Area. drop by City Lights Bookstore + Chinatown + North Beach afterwards
– eat Burmese food – Burma Kitchen is my personal favorite; many like Burma Love
– go to a farmer’s market (the Fort Mason one is great)
can provide more suggestions if you provide more context.
Anon
omg Burma Love! Amazing food!
anonymous
Great suggestions! If you do Dear SF, I’d start with dinner at Tosca.
Anon
COIT tower murals + cannelloni in North End/Little Italy nearby
Anon
Day trip idea that doesn’t involve driving: if the weather is good, you could take the ferry to Tiburon. I actually love staying in Tiburon and taking the ferry into the city, but that’s a different story.
anonn
Golden Gate Park and surrounding neighborhoods.
Anonymous
Do you ever feel as if you are the only person in the world who is expected to do their job right?
FormerlyPhilly
Yes. All day, every day.
Anon
I don’t know about the whole world, but definitely as one of the very few women at a company in a male-dominated field. It’s not just my colleagues, but the stuff that passes as acceptable from some of the men at partner or vendor companies (that I doubt any woman could get away with). And it’s been getting worse since COVID.
Anonymous
Yes! COVID was such a major career hit to so many female peers (and to me personally) and it’s been really hard to claw back the lost ground. Anyone else see changes since the start of COVID?
Anon
Daily. I feel like I’m the only person who can write a coherent sentence. You wouldn’t believe the horrific quality of professional writing among the recent grads…
Anony
I’ve been reviewing engineering documents all day and can confidently say that’s it not only recent grads. The level of writing that I’m seeing is shockingly terrible. Not just bad grammar but incorrect sentence structure, missing punctuation, using the wrong word (think bash’s instead of bashes), and tons of misspellings. These are seasoned (mostly male) engineers and everyone acts like it’s fine to deliver these docs to our customer. Some times, I feel like I’m the only person who cares if I do my job right!
Anon
Oh, I believe you. We had a UCLA grad write sentences Like This with No regard for Rules of punctuation and capitalization. I was honestly thunderstruck.
Anonymous
No. Never.
Anon
I know it is 4 years past the start of COVID but I feel like my career is in free fall. Just me? I feel like remote work just makes it hard to connnect the dots. Anything not routine is hard. People (not just newbies) go dark and not reachable as deadlines approach. Web-based outlook and imanage are IMO garbage. Everything feels broken.
anecdata
What field are you in? I think it’s fine to say remote is not for you, and look for your next job in person or hybrid.
Also some companies are better at remote than others – you /can/ have remote or even asynchronous effective teams with great communication, but it takes actual management work to build those practices. So if you really want to stay remote, it might be worth checking out other companies. Ask questions in the interview about how XYZ works.
Anon
It’s not even my company — it seems like I’m chasing every person everywhere all the time. Like the person I need to talk to doesn’t answer the office phone or respond to emails for weeks now, but works for another company. IDK if he is on vacay so I have to delicately try to get that from teammates — hey, is Paul in today? I need to talk to him about a deadline. Everything is exhausting.
Anon
I’ve found that the people who were unreachable and low-performing prior to COVID have stayed exactly the same, whether remote, hybrid, or RTO.
Anon
The ADHD medication shortage has affected some people in my world.
Anon
Have you been working at the same place the whole time? Or maybe it’s your industry? Because that doesn’t describe my professional experience at all.
Anonymous
Yes, not typical for me. If anything, I think things have swung much more the other way about everybody always being on. I know the exact time my coworkers were last on teams. Folks have no qualms about continuing meetings until it’s nearly 7 p.m. in my time zone since there is no “train to catch” anymore. And folks don’t think twice about texting personal cells. If someone is out of office, then you’re likely to get a personal cell or assistant. I kind of miss ancient times, when you came in and left and being on vacation meant you weren’t expected to be monitoring and responding to emails. But that’s been so many years ago now since work and home were viewed so separate. Employers have seen they can push for around the clock availability and covid times only blurred the lines more, and folks have stepped in line.
smurf
I haven’t felt that way at all tbh – once my company got thru the initial switch of full WFH then back to 2 days in-office, it’s been fine. As someone who worked with people in a different office location, it’s actually better now that everyone is used to Teams, etc. and uses that to reach the proper person, not just asking the person sitting next to them who *might* have the right answer.
sounds like a company culture issue not a remote work issue?
anon
admittedly I am not nearly as financially savvy as I’d like to be, hoping for wisdom from those who are on here!
My company sends out reminder of the deadline to adjust 401k contributions before our bonus payout date. Is this because people typically like to sock away more of their bonus in 401k? Or does it have a different tax impact?
I looked at last year’s – my take home was 57% of my bonus (33% taxes, 10% 401k); usual paycheck is 62% take home, 4% benefits, 10% 401k, 24% tax. Does this all seem normal? (tax rate on bonus v. regular paycheck?)
Walnut
I don’t know about most people, but when I get non-recurring income, I like to fill up all my savings buckets with it. I’d love a reminder to bump up my 401k contributions so I don’t forget to do it too late.
Anon
My take: if you can afford to max your 401k by taking the same dollar amount out of every paycheck throughout the year, you should do so. This is called “dollar cost averaging” (you can read it about it on legitimate financial websites). Your firm is probably sending those notices for people who cannot/do not max their 401k through regular paychecks and want to max their 401k by contributing lots from their bonus.
As far as I know (but I am not a tax person), your regular paychecks and your bonus paychecks are taxed the same. If your firm is witholding less tax from your bonus, I can think of two reasons: (1) your bonus comes at the end of the calendar year when you’ve already paid all of your OAISD taxes (I think that’s the one that maxes out), or (2) the firm withholds differently from bonuses than from regular checks. I hope a tax person will correct me on this part.
Anon
+1 on all accounts.
OP, I withhold the max for my 401K out of my usual paychecks, and then bonuses are money that is to be used to help meeting savings goals, including outside of 401K investing.
In my experience, it can be pretty complicated to make a big 401K contribution out of a bonus payment and then go back to your regular withholding schedule, but that may be the way our payroll system is set up.
Anonymous
They are withholding more from the bonus. Bonuses are treated differently from regular wages for tax withholdings, both at the federal and state levels. For most people, the withholding is at a higher rate. One way to avoid having a higher tax withheld from the bonus is to direct it to a tax-deferred 401k. This does not work if you are otherwise maxing out contributions.
test run
I think they remind people because an incentive can be significantly larger than a typical paycheck and people forget that they have their 401(k) set to a specific percentage and then are unhappy when 10% (or whatever) of their bonus gets sent to their 401(k) when they weren’t expecting it. So it gives them the opportunity to temporarily adjust it down (or up if, as you mention, they want to use the bonus as an opportunity save more). I think bonus income has taxes withheld at a higher rate (because it’s based on what the rate would be if that was your normal payrate), but when you actually go to file it’s just treated as regular income.
Cat
It can go either way. Some people like to use that ‘extra’ money to fill up savings goals in one fell swoop; others have those planned out based on the year’s normal paychecks and wouldn’t want a surprise extra 401k contribution throwing off their math.
Anonymous
Some matching plans don’t match contributions you make from a bonus. So timing dependent if you make a huge contribution from your conus, you might wind up maxing out your own contributions but in a way that doesn’t get you the maximum matching value.