ByKat Hours Updated
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Suit of the Week: Brooks Brothers

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womens-suits 2For 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. If memory serves, this time period tends to be a stinker in terms of finding great suits — the pickings are so slim that I've even started a new Pinterest board for “Silly Suits” (because there are wackadoodle suits aplenty out there!). That said, of the slim pickings, this indigo linen one from Brooks Brothers is my favorite — classic single button, and while I shudder to think that cropped pants are part of the “new suit,” every designer seems to think so right now. (In our last poll, 46% of readers thought cropped pants are casual and should be saved for non-meeting days at the office.)  Considering the cropped pants and the linen, I think this suit is best saved for a casual day — I'd wear it with a pair of the new mini-wedges everyone is showing (stay tuned for a roundup soon!) and an airy blouse or tee, as shown. The jacket (Linen One Button Stellita Fit Jacket) is $328, and the pants (Linen Cropped Lucia Fit Pants) are $198 (both available in a khaki beige, as well as petites).
womens-suits 1 womens-suits 3
(L-6)

Sales of note for 4/24/25:

  • Nordstrom – 7,710 new markdowns for women!
  • Ann Taylor – Friends of Ann Event: 30% off your entire purchase, including 100s of new arrivals
  • Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 25% off
  • Boden – 25% off everything (ends 4/27) (a rare sale!)
  • The Fold – Up to 25% off
  • Eloquii – Spring Clearance: Up to 75% off + extra 50-60% off sale
  • J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Up to 60% off sale styles + up to 50% off summer-ready styles
  • J.Crew Factory – Extra 50% off clearance + extra 15% off $100 + extra 20% off $125
  • Kule – Lots of sweaters up to 50% off
  • M.M.LaFleur – 3 pieces for $198. Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
  • Rothy's – Final Few: Up to 50% off last chance styles; new favorites added
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – Friends & Family Event: 30% off entire purchase, includes markdowns

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

166 Comments

  1. My office is freezing so I am finding myself wearing my jacket at work. I’m getting comments like, “please, make yourself at home.” Does anyone have any suggestions for a good, comfortable top layer to keep at the office and wear all the time? I don’t think a blanket or a fleece jacket would look professional enough for my conservative firm, and I’m already wearing cardigans so something that I could wear on top of that would be appreciated.

    1. A thin quilted down vest? I believe you can find them in varying degrees of puffiness. I highly recommend something that covers the back of your neck – vest/scarf/whatever – I find that you usually helps in my cold office.

    2. Have you tried long underwear? It sounds crazy to put an extra layer on the bottom but I find they really helps with overall warmth. (I got a silk version at REI.)

        1. Definitely long underwear, or fleece-lined tights under your pants for really cold days. I also find that proper hiking socks (worn under boots, obviously) keep me amazingly warm.

          Signed,
          I Work In A Victorian Building Where The Heat Keeps Going Off All Winter

        2. Second long underwear. Macy’s sells nice silk ones with lace trim at the bottom. I wear it everyday in the winter under my pants and I have a space heater under my desk. I wear short sleeve or sleeveless blouses under my suit jacket and then I have a black sweater to switch from suit jacket to sweater if the jacket is not warm enough.

          1. Another trick is bodysuits. Snap one of those under your longjohns, put on a couple more layers (blouse, cardi), and you’re toasty!

    4. I am sitting here in my parka so I am the worst person to ask about this. It’s now a running joke in my office. I try to remember to take off my parka/peacoat/whatever whenever anyone comes into my office or I go to a meeting or get coffee. But when I’m alone in my office and it’s like the Arctic North up in here, yeah, that parka is ON.

    5. I don’t know if it would be nice enough for your office, but I have a chunky long cardigan that I wear even over other cardigans or sweaters. It’s long enough that it covers my rear when I stand.

      1. I’m a fan of a chunky 3/4 or short sleeve sweater over my typical thinner knit cardigan. Also scarves! I wear a scarf at work every day of the year. I find that summer can be worse than winter since you’re more likely to wear lighter weight fabrics but the AC is cranked up so it’s still cold in the office.

        1. I also drape (another) pashmina over my lap if I’m really chilly. You can’t see it when your legs are under the desk.

    6. Space heater? Of course this only works if you spend most of your time in your own office or cubicle.

      1. I shorted out my side of the floor (computers & all) with my space heater. Haven’t used it since.

        1. They have banned space heaters in my office for just this reason.

          Sigh. Whoever comes up with battery powered space heater is going to make a killing off of me.

    7. A warm, big wrap poncho. Basically feels like a blanket, looks a bit more presentable.
      Scarves also really help.
      And, I know this is probably not a long-term solution but if you’re just desperate, try to get one of those heat packets for back pains to adhere to your skin. That can provide a lot of warmth!

    8. Sipping a hot beverage helps me more than I realized, even if it’s just hot water with lemon.

      1. Or even just wrapping my hands around a warm drink helps. I also find wearing a tucked in camisole/tank under my shirt really makes a difference in keeping me warm (I actually keep a couple in my desk drawer for days when I just can’t get warm, then I put it on in the ladies room). I also keep a microwaveable heat pack in my desk for when my back is sore – I’ve used it more than once just to warm myself up by either putting it on my back or neck, sitting on it, or putting it on my cold feet.

    9. I keep warm using a spaceheater and pure wool cardigans instead of jackets when clients aren’t around.

      If a cardigan still isn’t warm enough, what about trying a wool “topper” – sort of a cross between a jacket and a coat that might look more like businesswear than outerwear?

  2. I think ROSA should be a model. She look’s like this one, but before the bakery truck paid a visit. ONce she is done with the pregenency, I will recomend she go over to IMG or FORD, while she is still young, tho I think at her age (25) she may be to old to start a new carreer in modeling.

    For the LADIES in the HIVE interested in the GLASS CEILING, one of our female asociate’s just sent me an email with an invite to a local event about Women and the Law:

    The New York University Law Women invites you to attend its inaugural annual symposium, titled “Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Exploring the Continued Existence of Gender Bias in the Legal Profession and Understanding How it Can Change.” The symposium will take place on Friday, March 1, 2013, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Vanderbilt Hall, located at 40 Washington Square South. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m.

    I wonder if any one else in the HIVE is goeing, and if mabye I should ask to be a panelist? After all, I am in the middel of ALL of these legal isues. The troubel is b/c of my busy schedule, I can NOT go for all day, and there are events ALL day. FOOEY!

    I am NOT sure if there is CLE, if anyone in the HIVE know’s, please let me know and I will tell the manageing partner. If it is FREE, I am sure he will let my work slide (or tell me to come in Saturday). The troubel is that I have to go to BALTIMORE, and am only 1/2 done with my POWER POINT slide’s. I think the manageing partner want’s to look at them which mean’s I have to have them FINISHED before Friday PM b/c the manageing partner will NOT acess EMAIL from home, even on his CELL.

    Does anyone in the hive work from HOME? I asked earlier, but no one answered me. I hope the answer is yes b/c I want to work from home some days and do NOT like to come in here if it is raining b/c my dad make’s me walk, rain or shine until I am in a SIZE 2 again. I think it is unfair of him to compare me to ROSA, even after the pregnancey, b/c she is much younger, and did NOT sit for 3 year’s in LAW school. I am sure her tuchus would be as big as mine if she had a job like me, sitteing all dayat my desk and eateing to keep busy. FOOEY!

  3. Hollis, how about a drapy wool or cashmere scarf? When I think I’m going to be cold, I bring one of several scarves that match/coordinate with my outfit. When the office heats up, I take it off. I agree that the down vest and silk long underwear are good options, too.

    1. Second this. A nice cozy cashmere scarf or snood should warm you up. Bonus is that you can probably find a nice one on clearance right now.

      1. Can I just hate the modern hipster use of the word “snood”? Which, to my understanding, is a scarf+hood/infinity scarf thing. As opposed to the meaning it already had since medieval times as a hair net.

        1. Ha ha. So not a hipster. I just call it what the internets calls it. I had no idea it was a hairnet since medieval times. It also was a late 1990’s computer game that I was addicted to.

        2. It’s basically a cylinder, so you can wear it to cover your hair or around your neck.

  4. I love this, thought not sure how the linen would hold up, wrinkle wise, IRL.

    Also, just want to post a thank you to everyone who just helped me justify my rain boot purchase on the morning post (I posted one there but not sure if it was too late). I’m so psyched for my leopard booties!

    2. So adorable! My wellies are pink striped and they make rainy days (of which there are many) a bit better.

  6. I just looked at Kat’s “Silly Suits” board.

    I am still in awe that the Nonoo Botanical Print ensemble actually exists somewhere in the world.

  7. Personally, this suit seems unflattering. I don’t think I could pull this one off.

    2. It’s Olivia Pope’s trip to Hawaii, or Florida, or Facing the reality that DC is swampy in the summer.

  8. I’ll have one night on an upcoming business trip in Minneapolis. I’m staying downtown, but would like to see the town or go to dinner somewhere more “local” (to use a NYC analogy, I”m looking to have dinner in the West Village and not Times Square). Any tips? Recommendations?

    1. Check out TV Food Maps (website) for stuff like this. You can search by city and it will pull up restaraunts that were reviewed/profiled on any of a few mainstream shows (DDD on Food Network, some of the Adam Richmond/other Travel Chanel shows, etc). We used this when we were driving cross country to find places to go each night and it worked out really well. We used Yelp a lot too.

    2. Are you a foodie? Bachelor Farmer is a hot local restaurant in downtown Mpls. La Belle Vie gets great reviews. Will you have a car? If you wanted to go a little south of downtown where the locals go, go to Broder’s Pasta Bar in south Minneapolis, a couple blocks south of Lake Harriet. If you’re interested in St. Paul, I can give you ideas for that as well.

      1. LOVE Bachelor Farmer! Went there for brunch and it will be the first place I go when I’m back in Minneapolis.

    3. See if you can get into Alma — it’s just across the river in Northeast Minneapolis, which is a really cute neighborhood. You could even walk over one of the bridges if the weather is nice. Food is awesome there. Or, for something completely different, grab a cab to Nicollet Avenue just south of downtown and go to Quang — top quality Vietnamese (many people don’t realize that Minneapolis has awesome Vietnamese thanks to the Hmong population), and it’s a great cultural street food-wise.

    4. Butcher and the Boar is supposed to be fabulous, although I’ve never been.

      I always liked Vincent, The Local, 112 Eatery, and Brits. The upstairs cafeteria at Macy’s is also fun.

    5. In Minneapolis, it’s all local :) Are you wanting to focus on Minneapolis, or are you willing to branch out into St. Paul? They definitely have different cultural flavors.

      Off the top of my head, I’d say the 5-8 club for a Juicy Lucy (hamburger with cheese on the inside of the burger). It’s kind of a VFW/bar atmosphere, but I know it’s been written up nationally. It’s on Cedar Ave just north of the airport, so it’ll be a hike from downtown.

      If you want something closer to downtown, you can try looking in the Uptown area (which is kind of hipster central) – there’s a Famous Dave’s (BBQ), Chino Latino (asian latin fusion – but no name outside the door, just a big glittery thing).

      Downtown/North Loop – Bar la Grassa (Italian type), Haute Dish (modern twist on comfort food), Bachelor Farm (local sourced, owned by the gov’s sons). Red Stag or Bulldogs NE in the Northeast neighborhood, or something in the Mill District by the new Guthrie Theatre.

    6. OP here – thanks everyone! I’m definitely a Foodie & these suggestions sound great. I’ll be getting into town right around dinner time, so I’m guessing that venturing into St. Paul isn’t as much of an option. I haven’t decided about a car — necessary? Where I live, I just take cabs a lot — I’m presuming I could do that there too?

      1. Yeah – we have cabs :) The hotel will probably be able to call one for you, but if you’re going anywhere outside of downtown, you’ll probably need to drive, so you’ll probably want a phone number for a cab company to call to pick you up since I don’t think cabs are common enough outside of downtown to be able to flag one down. And again, your hotel can probably help you with that.

        Unless you want to try the bus (MetroTransit).

        Do you know where you are staying? Downtown/uptown/by the airport?

        1. Thanks! I figured I’d be okay downtown but wasn’t what would happen if I ventured away from that area. Do you guys have Uber?

      2. And keep in mind that cabs can be ridiculously expensive here. If you’re used to DC or NYC, you’ll be appalled. Especially if you’re originating from the airport. So if you want to do anything more than a short jaunt, it would probably be cheaper to rent a car.

        1. If you’re going from the airport to downtown, I recommend using the light rail if you don’t want to rent something.

    7. Haute Dish is fabulous — don’t be deterred by the fact that it’s right next to Sex World!

  9. Philadelphia ‘rettes….

    I’m relocating to your wonderful city. I’ll be living a little ways out in a suburb with a car but will be commuting daily to the city. Any tips/hints/suggestions? Like where the traffic gets really bad, what areas are not so safe, etc.

    1. i’m not living there now, but i grew up outside of the city and my family is still there.

      In terms of traffic, we’re directly out west, so i can only really speak to that (and year of listing to KYW 1060 on the radio). 76 (aka the schuylkill) does get backed up during rush hour, so learn as many back roads as you can to get around the problem areas (typically, the conshohocken curve by the rt 23/conshohocken exit, the city line ave / roosevelt blvd / rt 1 exit, Girard, and sometimes right before the vine st. expressway / 676). Roosevelt Blvd is basically always a mess from what I have seen, although I haven’t typically travelled on it during rush hour. The turnpike also can back up, but it really depends on exactly what time of day – I remember finding that 8:00 was vastly different from 8:20. I can’t imagine you’d need to take 476 (the Blue Route) much, but it can be bad around rt 3, rt 1 and by the merge into 95. All that being said, traffic is really not a huge deal in the way it is in many other cities. The areas I mentioned are mostly common slow spots, but are either easily avoided or just dealt with.

      Depending on where you are coming from, I would also look into the light rail system. The buses are terrible and the “subway” is a total joke, but the light rail can be really convenient depending on where you are working downtown.

      Safety…well, it depends on where you’re coming from. And where you are thinking about looking to live. There are some dicey parts, absolutely, but I’d imagine you won’t be spending too much time in them. I would be a little cautious when trying to find alternate routes, but the city has gotten much much safer (especially around the universities) from when I was young, and they are really doing a lot to make it better.

    2. Get yourself one of the _excellent_ street maps published by ADC Maps! Printed on pages the size of a placemat, these maps are organized geographically. Example: you can purchase a city map of Philadelphia or one for each of the three adjacent counties in Pennsylvania. The beauty of these maps is that if you get lost, you can find a street sign _and then use each map’s Street Index to locate that same intersection on the printed page_. This gives you the “Aha” moment of You Are HERE…and thanks to the map you can see exactly where HERE is in relation to your intended destination. They are available in many bookstores, sometimes in other retail outlets, and online:
      – www (dot) adcmaps (dot) com
      – choose ADC Map Books
      – this gets you to kappamapgroup (dot) com
      – you can search this site for specific counties. In Phila I’d look at–in addition to Philadelphia, PA (the city map): Montgomery County, PA (careful–there’s also a Montgomery County, MD), Delaware County, PA; also Bucks County and Chester County, PA. I don’t know if they also have maps for the New Jersey counties across the Delaware River from Philadelphia.

      I didn’t explore the full web site…but at a quick glance I could see that the company has grown and expanded its products since I first started using ADC maps some 20+ years ago.

      Seriously, I adore these maps. I’m not on commission, but I should be! I have moved twice into unfamiliar major metropolitan areas–first Phila, then DC–knowing Absolutely. Nothing. about the local geography. (Yes, this was in the years before GPS.) Both times I was totally saved by ADC maps. I kept them in my car for years. When I got lost (often after people gave me lousy directions) I would pull over, read the street signs, find my current location on the map, use the map to plot the route back to my intended destination, and then keep going.

      Even in the age of GPS it’s nice to have the visual overview of an unfamiliar area. When you get lost you have some real-life sense of where you are (“aha…I’m directly north of the place, but I need to circle around to the left”) instead of just blindly following the line on the GPS display.

      I followed my brother’s advice re ADC maps…but only after I spent an hour going in circles on winding, rural-looking (no place to pull over) residential roads with nearly identical names just off one of the main streets on the Main Line (bedroom suburbs built in late 19th/early-mid 20th century beside the commuter rail lines). I had a map with me during that misadventure, but it only showed the biggest roads. The neighborhoods in which I was lost were just blank spaces between the lines on the page.

      Have fun! It’s a great feeling when you learn your way around a new area.

      1. Probably too late for you to see this, but your post made me smile. I grew up on the Main Line (on one of those streets with nearly identical Welsh names) and my mom is an even greater fan of ADC maps than you. Whenever we hosted something at our house for people who hadn’t visited us before, my mom would trace the ADC map to include with photocopied directions for our guests. (This was the ’80s – pre Mapquest and Google Maps.)

    3. I agree with the Anon above about traffic, especially regarding the schuylkill. Take as many back roads as you can. Have you looked into commuting via Septa at all? If you are living outside the city, I would imagine you would need to look into if there is a regional rail station near your home. Once in the city – the subways and buses really are convenient.

      In terms of not safe areas – I would say that Center City is overall safe and the city has definitely gotten safer over the past few years. What part of the city will you be working?

      If you have any questions – I am happy to help. Here is my email: phillycorporette@gmail.com

    4. agreed on everything about traffic, and on strongly considering commuting into the city via septa’s regional rail.

      i grew up in the jersey suburbs and have lived in the city itself for 7 years now – i love it and can’t imagine leaving. if you’re working here, i’m assuming you’ll be somewhere in the market east or center city areas – you probably won’t need to worry about unsafe areas at all.

      i suppose it’s high time we planned another meetup here, isn’t it?

  10. I am travelling to Toronto in a couple weeks’ time for a conference which is taking place at a hotel near the airport. Because of the time difference, I’ll be arriving on a Thursday night but the conference doesn’t begin until late afternoon on Friday. I’d like to go shopping on the Friday (and especially visit Ann Taylor) but don’t have a clear picture of whether it would be better for me to head downtown or go to Yorkdale. I don’t want to rent a car so will be depending on taxi or public transit. I’m familiar with getting downtown from the airport, but am not sure whether it would be faster/closer to go to Yorkdale. Any suggestions?

    Thanks,
    Nonny.

    1. I don’t know that it would be any easier to do one over the other…You could take a GO bus from the airport to Yorkdale, which would be a bit nicer than the TTC, or you could TTC from the airport to Lawrence West Station which is a very quick subway to Yorkdale. The cab would definitely be cheaper than downtown.

      But to go downtown you could easily just do a shuttle or a cab or the TTC if you’re feeling adventurous.

      I’d say go to Yorkdale, since downtown isn’t much easier. Yorkdale now has LOFT and Ann Taylor, and it’s just generally a way nicer mall than the Eaton’s Centre, unless you’re planning other activities downtown.

    2. If you want to avoid the TTC (which I would generally recommend), there’s the Airport Express which is $40 roundtrip and goes from the airport to a bunch of places downtown, but may not necessarily be any easier.

      I agree that Yorkdale is a much nicer mall but I do love the Bay on Queen street so that may tip the scales towards downtown?

      1. Thanks to both of you! I normally take the Airport Express downtown when I go to Toronto, and am pretty comfortable with that. But I’ve never been to Yorkdale before and heard it was good. Not really planning to go to the Bay so that doesn’t form part of the equation….this is mostly an Ann Taylor and Anthro excursion.

        Looking at the GO website, it seems I could get to Yorkdale on a direct route from the airport, but it takes about an hour, which seems quite long, considering the distance. By way of comparison, how long/how expensive do you think it would be if I took a cab?

        1. I live fairly close to Pearson. I can’t speak to what the exact fare is but I’m guessing it would be around 30 bucks by cab?? maybe check with the desk at the hotel. You may also be able to get a flat fare- i think, but am not sure, that if you are picking up a cab at pearson, they will be open to providing a flat far.
          Avoid leaving in rush hour though if you are going to Yorkdale in the morning. I would not want to be travelling on the 401 anytime between 8 am and 945am. If you aren’t travelling in rush hour it should probably take you around 20 minutes. Rush hour all bets are off. :)
          Definitely Yorkdale is your best bet. IMHO. Great mall. Plus you’ll be avoiding the after school onslaught via subway.

          1. Fare not far. And, I guess as you will likely be leaving the mall before mid afternoon, the afterschool ttc crowd won’t affect you. Regardless I still agree to take a cab.

        2. Probably around $50?

          Time will depend highly on what time you go- during rush hour- yes it could be an hour. Otherwise, 30 min?

        3. 40-50$ I’d say to cab to Yorkdale, but outside of rush hour it would only take about 10-15 minutes in a car.

          1. Yikes, well, guess I’ll be taking the GO bus then. $50 each way is too rich for me for a one-day shopping trip.

      2. Laughing because “TTC” is a commonly used acronym for “trying to conceive” on mommy boards.

  11. I’m using Chrome and the pink lines from the right side of this page (and the home page of this site) have grown — they now go clear to the left side of my browser window. Anyone else having this problem?

    1. I’m using IE (for sure) in windows 7 (I think) and I am experiencing the same problem. Just noticed it today.

    4. I’m on my iPhone right now and have this issue too. Also the comment input field shows up in the middle of the comments and so you can’t tell when you’re at the bottom.

    1. I definitely got that feeling. I like my career, my waistline, and my cleaning lady, thankyouverymuch.

    3. I had such a visceral *shudder* reaction to the photo that runs with the piece. Something about those sad capri pants and slipper-sandals… and a wedding ring. I think I really read something into what this poor (headless) lady’s marriage must be like.

      1. I was actually being a little facetious in my last sentence. But the pants are very sad; I stand by that.

    4. Didn’t get that read on it at all. I feel like the author went out of the way to make sure you weren’t getting that from it. Our grandparents did a ton of things we don’t do today that resulted in a lot more calorie burning. The point isn’t that we need to vacuum but that we burn fewer calories now and are, surprise, fatter than we used to be. Also, Carla, I think you’re being a little judgemental re the photo. A married woman who keeps house doesn’t necessarily have a bad marriage. It’s not for me — we just re-hired my old cleaning lady and I think there were angel choirs singing the first night I came home after she’d been there — but I know plenty of women who LOVE being home makers (or women who work but wish they could stay home, not necessarily with children, just to keep house).

      1. You know married women who wish they could stay home “just to keep house”? That blows my mind!

        1. Last time we did a poll like half the site did. I would love to stay home and keep house. I’d volunteer a bit too but I hate going to work everyday and I like doing interior designy/cleaning things at home.

          2. My mom is still convinced that having the choice to work is no choice at all because we all have to work now.

    1. We must have very different definitions of fantastic reporting — the article is so incredibly one-sided. He makes wild pronouncements about the costs of care for the uninsured vs. those covered by Medicare, but doesn’t mention anything about non-payment by the uninsured or the volume of each of these types of patients, which are just two of many reasons that costs are different.

      Admittedly, I only read two pages because I found it infuriating, so if it gets more balanced, good on the author. Meanwhile, changes in the medical system absolutely have to be made but the author isn’t helping with this article.

      1. Ugh, and apparently, I really enjoy irritating myself, because I continued to read…

        When he goes on about choosing the more expensive, possibly overkill tests, well yes! Of course, medical practitioners are going to run those tests. If they don’t, and they miss something, then they are going to be sued. It’s CYA medicine, but it’s turned into a necessity. Fix the legal system and watch healthcare costs drop.

        And now I seriously am done with this. Promise.

        1. I STRONGLY disagree with the whole idea that malpractice lawsuits are driving up costs. It has become increasingly difficult to bring meritorious claims in court and these doctors are backed by insurance. I’m not saying people aren’t filing frivolous lawsuits, but that the pricing issues the article discusses are not caused by the cost of malpractice lawsuits. That is an ignorant and unfair comment.

      2. Mmm, his point wasn’t exactly cost to uninsured v. Medicare. A major point of the story is that even those who are insured pay wildly arbitrary prices. Nobody’s getting a good deal, but he thinks Medicare seems to get the closest.

        1. Totally agree that that wasn’t his point. I didn’t really flesh my point out that well, partly due to my desire to not write a dissertation here… Insurance companies and Medicare/Medicaid negotiate rates and hospitals know those bills will be paid, so they are willing to accept lower rates because it’s guaranteed. However, with the uninsured, there is going to be a percentage that doesn’t pay. To account for that percentage, they charge more. That’s also why if you get an insane bill, you can call their billing departments and individually negotiate your costs down (this is where he was getting the cagey answers about the chargemaster) and set up payment plans. Hospitals are more willing to do this because it shows them that they will get some of their costs recouped this way.

          1. I think one point the author was trying to make is that not all people are sophisticated enough to know you CAN bargain with the hospital. The hospital presents it as a bill, and most people take it at face value that it is what they owe. In fact, it seems there is a whole industry of these so-called advocates who will do the negotiating on your behalf b/c the process is so one-sided.

      3. The article irritated me as well. Beyond the tone (which struck me as though he wants prices to be displayed ala Target), it makes a number of leaps without exploring the current methodology (however flawed it may be).

        To claim that Medicare rates are the most efficient is hilarious. Seriously, Medicare only is able to pay what it does because of the sheer volume. And Medicare is anything but efficient. See the millions of dollars we’re pouring into demos to try and make Medicare more efficient and improve quality.

        In addition, they explore the “perverse” incentives of selling medical equipment to hospitals, while the doctor glosses over the fact that the ENTIRE system (except for a few standout clinics) is designed around volume based payments. Yeah, kind of a problem. Oh and the US model has always been this way (in one form or another) minus a few demonstration projects.

        So yes, health care needs to be reformed. But lucky for us, we just started that process. And will probably have to make more tweaks in the coming years. But this article pretty much restates the obvious for those of us who deal with this issue.

  14. Ladies – anyone have the Tippi cardigan from J crew? Or the “featherweight cashmere” cardigan? I want a couple new colors and they have free shipping right now.

    1. I have several of the Tippi sweaters and cardigans – and like them both (hence the several). The cardigan has a nice long sleeve length (says the girl with the long arms).

  15. Ladies, I interviewed a summer candidate today and noticed that she hadn’t opened the vent on her jacket, so there was a full vent that was sewn down just at the very bottom of the jacket At the end of the interview (which was her last interview of the day), I politely told her that she’s supposed to cut open the vent; it’s just shipped sewn to maintain the jacket’s shape. She was surprised, and had no idea. I think she was also embarassed. Was it wrong for me to tell her? How do people not figure this out on their own? Why would a fully sewn and finished vent be sewn shut at the bottom??

    1. I think a lot of people forget to cut the vents on their jacket/skirts. I see it around the city all the time.. I think a skirt with an uncut vent would be hard to walk in, but alas it persists. I don’t know if I would’ve told her, that’s a little embarassing. And now she’s probably really nervous about how she was perceived for such a minor detail. Maybe she comes from a family/social situation where no one owns a suit.

    2. I think you could have approached it differently— you assumed she didn’t know to cut the vent (and your assumption was right, but you didn’t know that). It would have been less condescending / embarrassing to proceed as though she just didn’t realize that the vent hadn’t been cut. Your way probably made her feel stupid, and as such was not really “polite.” (Politeness/ etiquette is really about making others feel comfortable, not enforcing “rules.”)

      You might have said, “I wanted to let you know that I noticed that the stitches on your vent haven’t been removed yet. It’s so easy to forget that! Would you like to use my scissors?” Or something.

    3. Someone in line behind me a store recently told me this, and I didn’t like how she did it. “Oh, your jacket is still sewn up!” And then she touched it. Ergh. A quiet heads-up would have been more appreciated, if she needed to bring it up. But I’m a huge introvert, so the idea of a stranger talking to me, especially loud enough that others look over, is kind of my nightmare anyway.

      If you feel compelled to point something like this out, I think it’s important to be a little self-deprecating about it. It bothers YOU that it’s not cut, so act like it— not like it’s the other person’s problem / personality flaw. (Which isn’t to say that they’re supposed to leave the stich in— it’s just invasive to enter other peoples’ worlds like that.)

      1. Huh? Its invasive to enter someone’s world by politely pointing something out. I must offend people like you on a daily basis when I enter their world to tell them I like their bag, hold a door for them or tell them to have a nice afternoon when I get off the elevator. I also don’t understand why she should have been self-deprecating about it. I’m sure she thought that she was being nice and did it for that reason. Not because it was bothering her. She wasn’t going to lose any sleep over it.

        I think its fine that the OP told the interviewee. It sounds like she did it in a nice way.

        1. Simmer down! I didn’t say there was anything offensive about it. Also, there’s a big difference between pointing out a wardrobe mistake and giving a compliment or holding a door, so I don’t understand your analogy. (Although, like I said, for someone like me, conversing with a stranger can be scary…doesn’t mean I’m “offended!”)
          For mistakes, if you want to “politely point something out,” go for it. I happen not to think the OP’s example was polite, because there’s way to do it without making the person feel foolish.

          1. My comment about speaking to strangers was directed toward your comment that its invasive to enter peoples’ worlds like that. The situation you described did not seem invasive to me. It seemed like a normal, every day interaction. And someone can’t make you feel foolish. The feeling is your own. To feel foolish about something so insignificant and then blame the person that was simply trying to help you is absurd. She didn’t point and laugh at you. She just told you that your jacket was still sewn. She made no judgment on it at all. You implied judgement and you unnecessarily allowed yourself to feel foolish.

        2. Politely telling someone that their vent is still sewn shut is not invasive IMO. But it is definitely invasive to TOUCH someone’s jacket vent, considering that that means touching a strangers low back, or even lower depending on the length of the jacket.

      2. I see this as the same kind of thing as telling someone they have spinach in their teeth or toilet paper stuck to their shoe — a lot of people dont say anything, but really should and I would certainly appreciate it of someone told me.

    4. This definitely would have embarrassed me. I think Kim’s right that you should have framed it as if she must have forgotten, not that she didn’t know. That would make me feel like I’m an idiot.

    5. I don’t think an interview is an appropriate situation to tell someone there’s something wrong with their clothing. It would have been better to tell her once she started working there, if it were still stitched, as others describe above.

      1. Doing it then potentially saves her from having it stitched up at another interview, though. She was embarrassed for a second. Now she knows and everyone can move on. If she gets the job, no harm. If she doesn’t, I’m sure it will be for a reason other than the stitch on her skirt.

        3. Sure, but she’ll wonder if it was the stitch that did it, and if she’s anything like all the law students I know, probably drink for a week to try to forget that she just lost a job because she didn’t know about suit vents.

    6. I agree that you should frame something like that as, “oh, you must have forgotten, I know I do that all the time…” I think Kim says it perfectly above. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with saying politely (and maybe somewhat casually) if it’s just the two of you and you can do so in a way that doesn’t make her feel like you’re judging her for it. At least now she knows and will not repeat that mistake on future interviews.

    7. I’m sure she’ll be grateful in the long run since it sounds like she had really no idea, but in the moment of an interview she’s probably going to build it up so big in her head as the fatal flaw if she doesn’t get the interview, or a stupid moment that will loom over her if she moves on in the interview process.

      And from all the huge business fashion gaffes I’ve seen in OCI, I’m not in the least bit surprised people don’t know to cut open the vents.

    8. I agree that she might not have come from a background where she encounters professional people who would tell her she needs to do this. And it isn’t obvious to everyone.

      I do think you should have pointed it out in a little more of a “I liked interviewing you, but wanted to let you know (just between us) that you forgot to cut the vent thread off”

      That way, it is less embarrassing, lets her know you weren’t holding it against her, and she can move on.

      I have a concern that you really are holding it against this candidate – are you?

      1. If she does hold it against her, so what? I would. Not a ton but it goes to how you present yourself

        1. I wouldn’t. If you come from a background where you aren’t exposed to people dressing daily in suits/interview attire, you can definitely learn about What to Wear and figure out that a dark suit in a conservative cut, a conservative top, polished shoes, neat hair/makeup, etc. are standard. But it would be a lot harder to know that you’re supposed to cut those little “x”s unless you’ve bought suit jackets before.

          1. Thanks for pointing this out (and nicely). Appreciate being reminded to be inclusive, rather than assume that everyone else in the world shares my experiences and world outlook.

      2. Thanks for your thoughts, ladies. No, I am not holding it against her. I haven’t mentioned it to anyone I work with nor did I put it in my evaluation form. I just thought she should know since she is also interviewing at other firms, and someone might in fact hold it against her at one of those interviews. I am not comfortable saying “oh, I forget too!” because I don’t forget, and I’m not going to lie. I’m not going to offer her my scissors – that seems pretty high pressure to me, plus I wouldn’t use regular desk scissors on a nice suit. I did say it was common to overlook it. I really hope she doesn’t feel badly.

        1. Well, I hope you never said “feel badly” during the interview, because then the interviewee is probably the one who left feeling like it’s you who is not-so-smart.
          But as long as you’re the type of person who would never forget to slit open a vent, who needs to speak properly?

          2. Umm, anon OP, what’s wrong with correcting someone if they are making a mistake? You didn’t think it was wrong to correct your interviewee

          3. It can go both ways. You can use “feel” as a copulative to link the subject to the subjective complement (“bad”), or you can use “badly” to modify the subject’s state of being (“feel”) with an adverb.

            anon OP, I am the kind of person who would be really embarrassed to be told, but ultimately grateful to have learned. You did the right thing by letting her know, and I think you did it relatively considerately. FWIW, I learned about this stuff the hard way, too (and my mom is a professional — I just never wore a suit until law school).

    9. I did not know this either!

      Thank you.

      When I get home, I have 3 suits to cut the vent on! No one told me at work (and I took one in for tailoring and he did not cut either of the 2 vents at the tailor), and I have been working now for 8 months!

      Perhaps it’s a style thing? People want to have a new clothes look?

    10. I think what the OP said was fine, and saves the candidate from repeating the same mistake.
      On a related note, what about stitched up pockets? I undid it on pants side pockets once and regretted it because they didn’t lie smooth. I’m thinking of stitching them back up, is that a faux pas?

    11. I would not bring this up in an interview. I have, at times, contacted a school’s career services office to alert them to embarrassing conduct, emails, outfits, etc., but not by name of candidate — just a “please give your students a heads up about x behavior.” There are so many places you can’t go in an interview, and I think clothing choice is one of those things not to discuss with the candidate.

      1. I can’t imagine a school telling all its students to cut the vents open on their suits! Then again, I can’t picture not cutting them ever being held against someone. It’s a strange world you lawyers make up.

        IRL, I think this, awkwardly folded lapels, spinach on teeth and TP on shoes all belong in the same category of trivial things that should be discretely brought to the victim’s attention, a couple steps down from mistakes in the resume or cover letter.

    12. This has come up here a few times before and some people have spoken up saying that they prefer to leave them closed. I agree that I’d like to be told about it in a “just in case you hadn’t noticed… I always forget that myself” sort of way. But know that some people know they are there for shipping purposes but like to leave them there.

      1. that’s really weird. Why would anyone prefer a giant sloppy X holding their vent shut while knowing that the people in the office think that person is clueless?

        1. Perhaps it’s similar to stitched pockets? Some people cut them open but others leave them stitched because they lie flat that way and I wouldn’t judge the latter group as clueless. I do cut the vents on my suits and skirts but wonder if I should give more leeway to others who feel differently.

  16. Just wanted to say thanks everyone for all the helpful information/support re TTC and fertility treatments on this morning’s thread! I’m not really that freaked out yet since I figure we still have a long way to go, but I also think knowing this community is here to talk to is a huge help. Thanks everyone!

  17. Every summer, each practice group at my firm does a presentation to the summer associates intended to explain what the group does and highlight some of its more interesting aspects. I am trying to come up with some creative ideas for my group’s presentation this year. The presentation could be either a lunch or a happy hour. In the past, some groups have played games or made videos. I am in the insurance practice group at a large firm, and I am struggling to come up with creative ideas for presenting (insurer-side, if that matters) insurance coverage work. Does anybody have any suggestions?

    Thank you!

    1. You could try and explain the concept of risk and premiums. Maybe at a happy hour and give everyone dollar bills (say like 5 $1s to start) and then take some away and give some back (based on MLR rebates) or may someone the hospital etc. Then at the end have one or two people end up with all the money and they have to go buy the next round.

      1. Ugh my comment is in moderation, so I’ll rephrase. Go to happy hour. Do something with money (premiums). Pass out money to people and create scenarios where it’s taken and given to one or two people who represent something (say hospital) to make your point. At the end those people buy the next round.

    2. Is this something you could cartoon or storyboard? Or even do a Pictionary type of game?

      (We’ve had fun doing this at mixers at my employer as a kind of getting to know you better and how your job/specialty impacts the whole. )

  18. Having the most obnoxious rich-lady email exchange ever. The housekeeper put two of my cashmere sweaters in the wash and I’m discussing with my husband how to handle it. Yes, that sentence involves both “the housekeeper” and “cashmere.” Sigh. (But seriously, who thinks it’s appropriate to put cashmere sweaters in the wash?)

    1. My boyfriend probably would think it is perfectly appropriate, and hot water to boot – which is why I’m in charge of laundry :)

      Seriously, though – that s*cks dude. I’m sorry :(

        1. Yeah, I could see my husband making this mistake too. We basically both do our own laundry for this very reason.

          I wouldn’t hold it against the housekeeper–she may well NOT know that cashmere requires special care. I agree with the poster who said that if the sweaters were with the rest of the laundry she was supposed to wash, it’s really your fault and you just need to be more careful in the future. If, on the other hand, the housekeeper picked them up from somewhere on her own, I would just tell her that she shouldn’t do that in the future, and to only wash what is in the hamper because the other stuff needs to be dry cleaned/handwashed/whatever.

        2. +1

          I don’t put anything in the hamper that I wouldn’t want the housekeeper to put in the wash.

          Actually, the cleaning crew doesn’t do laundry for pretty much this reason. If my clothes get ruined in the wash, I want it to be by me.

          1. Yeah, I discovered that, too. I once threw a dress/jacket combo in the hamper that really needed to go to the cleaners. My then-husband washed it and it looked like a child’s dress. Lesson learned.

      2. My husband definitely thinks it’s appropriate, and has done it in the past. And now I do all the laundry.

        1. If your husband messed up, why is the solution that you do *all* the laundry, not just your own? It sounds a little like the “breaking dishes” method of getting out of housework.

    2. Well, did you put them in the pile/basket of things to be cleaned? Then I wouldn’t have expected her to know… as 99% of people do not own cashmere sweaters. If she picked them up ?randomly from your closet and washed them, then of course this is a problem and you need to tell her not to do it.

      We have a housekeeper that comes to help my father. She only washes what is in the “laundry hamper” and has explicit instructions for anything that needs special care. We have found that with people who help you at home, you must never ASS-U-ME anything. Everything has to be explicitly explained. Again. And again….

      And even when you do explain, mistakes happen….. as the homemaker put all of my father’s prescription high-grade compression stockings into the dryer after being instructed not to…. so that’s almost $700 down the drain. Yup.

    3. Actually, cashmere and other fine woolens do best if hand-washed or gently washed on the cold cycle, then laid flat to dry.

      The only problems I’m seeing here are (1) you put it in the washing (as opposed to dry-cleaning) hamper, and (2) there’s no info re: did she put it in the dryer. Dryer is bad.

        1. Did NOT put it in the hamper. It was in the living room. Also, if I pay someone to do something, I expect them to know how to do it. Whether random person on the street would know not to wash cashmere is irrelevant. Her company offers laundry as part of their services. They sent her to perform the services we ordered (housecleaning and laundry). I expect the service I buy to be competent. She may not have wood floors in her house, but I would be upset if she scrubbed mine with steel wool and scouring powder. This is kind of the same thing. Anyway, we emailed the company and they said she now knows not to put anything in the washer that we didn’t put in the hamper. (This is also the second time we had to request this — she also picked up one of my husband’s wool sweaters off the floor and washed it in hot water and then put it in the dryer. I now have a nice new wool sweater.)

  19. Has anyone ever had maternity clothes tailored? I bought a maternity suit and the jacket just doesn’t fit quite right through the sleeves and bust. It’s so hard to find maternity suits that I don’t think buying a different size would fix the problem, and I’d like to maybe just have it tailored. Any experience with this? Will tailors even look at maternity clothes?

  20. Need to vent. There’s a young woman I work with who is basically the posterchild for “how not to act in a professional environment.” She shares extremely personal details about her life with everyone (our VP? why not?), constantly talks about her mid-week partying, drinking, and late nights (“I’m sooooo tired today, I’m basically a zombie, I can’t think at alllll!), and writes email like “don’t hate me!!!!!!!, but I [caught a typo in this document/want to suggest a new title/changed the font].” Argh.

    Today some of us attended a small presentation by a fairly important person. She loudly made it clear that she had not read any materials in advance, was texting/on her phone half the time, twirled her hair the other half, and then left the presentation early. But the presenter, an older gentleman, was apparently so charmed by her that he paused in his remarks to walk over as she left, shake her hand, and ask for her business card.

    I want to throw my copy of NGDGTCO out the window, but I only have it on my Kindle so I’ll have to settle for a petty post here instead.

    2. Frankly, this sort of thing is one of the things that makes it so difficult to change both behavior and perception.

      She sees her behavior as effective. She does not see that ‘charmed by her’ and ‘interested in her business acumen’ are not the same. She does not see that her progress will be limited to how long she is cute and charming. She does not see that she will get positions which require her to be ‘around’ because she is cute and entertaining, but will not be given anything real or important to do. she doesn’t see this, because right now it seems to be ‘working’.

      At the same time, she makes it more difficult for other women, particularly those that are younger. First, because she is an example of a woman in your field, and a bad one. Second, because then women who simple behave in a professional, businesslike manner are seen as ‘bi!c&y” or grouchy or aggressive because they are compared to people like her instead of other business(men).

      1. Those last points are what really get me. I’m close to her in age, and I do worry that I just seem like a grump next to her… or that senior people we don’t see very often might confuse us.

      2. I disagree a little bit. I’ve seen older male partners who were charmed by particular women take them under their wing and given them a lot of work (presumably because they like having these women around?) which in turn leads to these women’s professional experience to far surpass that of the other female or male associates in their level. I’ve seen this happen at a couple different firms and have heard of it happening at a couple of others.

      1. or maybe, just maybe he was trying to demonstrate how a true professional behaves? I am probably stretching too much. But while this kind of behavior may work in her favor for a short time, it stops being cute and gets old really quickly. So time is on your side, friend.

      2. I thought similarly. Doesn’t want to work with her, but reached out to give her one more chance.

  21. Gail the Goldfish, this was pretty much my thought. Or that he may have wanted to get her name so that he could be sure of never working with her/have her working on his account or such. Or that he was going to out in a call to a higher up in your company along the lines of “thank you so much for the opportunity to give a presentation (etc etc etc), by the way, the oddest thing happened and you may want to address it.”

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