Corporette.com

Updated: Oct 30, 2018 167 Comments · by

Suit of the Week: Reiss

Suit of the Week

This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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. Reiss has a bunch of really lovely suits right now, but unfortunately, many of them (like this one) are available in lucky sizes only. This bright blue suit — bright dusky blue, if that's even possible — looks great. We had a discussion a while ago about blue suits, since it seems there's a million of them out there, and I think this is the rare blue suit you can also get a lot of wear out of as separates. I will note that I love that it's styled here with a dark burgundy bag. So especially if you're usually a gray-suit person, I would give this a try as a way to get out of your comfort zone. It would be very easy to pair with a black or white top and an interesting necklace if you want. Do note that the trousers are a bit cropped — and I don't think there is a matching skirt, alas. The jacket (Verso Jacket) is $445, and the pants (Verso Trouser) are $245. This more affordable option is labeled as purple but looks like more of a bluish purple (or purplish blue). Two plus-size alternatives are at Macy's and Dillard's. This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Sales of note for 9.16.24

Some of our latest posts here at Corporette…

RSS Error: WP HTTP Error: cURL error 60: Issuer certificate is invalid.

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

About Kat

Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

  1. Panda

    How much do you pay for a hair cut? And how often do you get one?

    I’m trying to figure out if I’m being unreasonably cheap (probably). I recently moved to a mid-sized city in the Mid-Atlantic and the prices for just a cut here are twice what I’m used to paying.

    • Scarlett

      $300 for cut & color, every 12-14 weeks (not sure what the cut alone would be)

      • Case

        about the same total for cut and color at a high-end salon in Chicago. My stylist is relatively junior while my colorist is very senior — I think my cuts are around $55-75.

      • pugsnbourbon

        Similar here. Base rate for a cut (pixie) is $45, plus tip it comes out to close to $60. Every four weeks.

    • anon

      $20 at supercuts or best cuts or whatever chain is around. I just have them cut the gross stuff off the bottom (often about 2 inches) and it’s a straight cut, without any layering or thinning or anything else.

    • Anon

      $50 with tip, I get mine cut every 6 weeks because it’s fairly short and needs regular maintenance. When I lived in a bigger city, it was closer to $60 with tip.

    • Ms B

      Major Midwestern city. Devacut + color hair and eyebrows + deep conditioning + style = $210 if it has been over 120 days (because I need two vats of color then); $180 if it has been less than that. I usually get it cut two to three times a year (depends how much I am out in the sun over the summer).

      I used to pay $80 for a color, cut, and condition from my old stylist, but the Devacut is a vast improvement in every way and my new stylist’s color choices are so much better.

    • Anon

      Bay Area VHCOL (close-in)
      $75 for cut plus tip = $90
      Every 2 months (I have a layered lob)

      $100 for partial highlights plus $20 tip
      Not often enough but should go every 3 months

      This is a huge savings over my last salon which had crept up to $150 for a cut. That was in the City. Now I get the cut in my neighborhood.

    • anon

      this is very interesting. I pay $70 for cut and tip in DC suburb. $250 with cut and highlights plus tip.

    • CountC

      Central PA

      $55 for a cut and blowdry ($45 + tip)
      $190 – 210 plus tip for color, cut, blowdry (ombre – red on top lightened at the bottom, and depends on if I have done my own roots or not)

      I color every 16 weeks and touch up my own roots at home, cut every 8 weeks on a bob.

    • Haircut

      $105 plus tip in Dallas. It’s upsettingly high, but I have curly hair and bad $65 haircuts (the norm here and in Austin, I found) are so much worse. I only go twice a year, both to offset the higher cost and because the way she cuts my hair means it grows in quite nicely.

      I have grays creeping in but dread paying for color so haven’t started on that track yet.

      • Tfor22

        Me too. I get cuts very 6 weeks or so. When my hair was very short I’d also get cleanups in between to keep the edges looking good. Those were free plus tip. As I have been growing out my hair (it is past my earlobes now) I’ve mostly gotten cleanups all summer.

    • Yara

      I’m in a Southwestern city, and I go to a very in-demand stylist I love (she’s literally booked months out) at a higher end salon. Haircuts are $45 (plus I tip $15). Full color (with bleach treatment) is $120 (plus I tip $30), and when I go in and don’t want to change my color, just touch it up, they charge me $75 (and I tip $25).

    • Anonymous

      Atlanta
      $70 – cut
      $180 – partial color (full is ~$250)

      All before tip.

    • KS IT Chick

      $20 for a haircut, $40 for highlights & cut. Large town/small city, eastern Kansas.

    • Boston Legal Eagle

      You can tell my city from the name – I pay $60 + tip for a haircut. I don’t color so not sure what that costs at my salon.

    • CherryScary

      LCOL Midwestern small city, about $80 for cut+brows+tip. Nice salon (I get a mini facial while I get my hair shampooed, and its lovely.)

    • Panda

      Okay looks like I’m definitely being cheap thinking $60 for a cut was crazy high. My precious stylist who I LOVED charged me $25 and I go about 4 times a year.

      Thanks for all your input ladies!

    • DCer

      Okay looks like I’m definitely being cheap thinking $60 for a cut was crazy high. My precious stylist who I LOVED charged me $25 and I go about 4 times a year.

      Thanks for all your input ladies!

  2. Anonymous

    I can’t tell if the jacket sleeves are meant to be bracelet length or 7/8th or what. They end up just looking too short.

    • Anonymous

      This is my constant issue with Reiss (at 5’11). Their jacket arms seem to be consistently just a little bit shorter than almost every other suit brand.

  3. F-ing fresh

    Anyone have good experiences with Amazon Fresh?

    I’m giving it a trial and have had three deliveries so far. Everything pretty good except they don’t pick up the giant green totes at the next delivery as promised. It’s super annoying and inconvenient, not to mention unattractive, to have TEN of those giant things taking up my whole porch.

    I’ve called and chatted with Amazon and they were supposed to make a special trip to come pick them up during a three business day window, which, as of last night, they have missed.

    Not sure what to do. I need a service like this but this one isn’t working. I’ve tried instacart but the tipping and service charge and inflated special instacart prices just make it too pricey for twice a week.

    • Anonymous

      it’s better to have them deliver the groceries when you are home – that way you can unpack the groceries while the delivery guy is there, and hand him back the bags. that is what we used to do.

      • Anon

        So – do you have to tip the delivery person for in-person deliveries? I don’t mean to be stingy but my grocery deliveries tend to be $200 so I’m looking at $30 or $40 extra?

        Also, I do prefer the convenience of not having to be there

        • Anonymous

          I don’t do Amazon fresh, but you usually tip by the bag for grocery delivery service w/ a minimum tip if you only do 1 or 2 bags. 15 years ago in NYC, the going rate was $1-2/per bag, more if you were on a high floor in a walk up.

    • GCG

      I used Amazon Fresh for awhile and really liked it. I always chose the delivery option where you have to be home at the time because 1) there is a risk that unattended groceries would be stolen from my porch and 2) they take the green totes with them immediately.

      I only stopped using them because I wanted to start visiting the grocery store again and so I just use Instacart for those really crazy weeks.

  4. Wording Help

    Suggested wording to respond to an email from a kid I met with for an informational interview 3 months ago that went TERRIBLY? He wants referrals to other contacts so he can ‘continue to build his network in [niche industry] in [a small ‘big city’]”, and I can’t and won’t do that. He was awkward, unprepared, casual and it was an utter waste of time – I’m not subjecting any of my relationships to a meeting with him. I don’t know this kid from Adam apart from taking the 20-minute coffee meeting. I ignored last week’s email, and he just followed up again. I’m usually pretty good about replying to these – I meet with a ton of candidates, some still in college and others with multiple years of experience behind them – but I just can’t find the right response.

      • OP

        This is what I really want to do. I suppose I was ignored a million times by people when I was in his shoes, and I shouldn’t be worried about doing the same.

      • anon

        You’ve already helped him once by meeting him. You’re not in any way obligated to help him more by teaching him to act like a normal professional human being. Continue to ignore with a free conscience.

      • Anonymous

        I honestly just ignore things like this. I got ignored many times when I did informational interviewing, and I managed to soldier on. Better to just let it fade out than say something and have it turn into big drama.

    • Cc

      Hi Adam, thank you for your email. I do not have any referrals to pass on to you. Hope you are well and have a great week “

    • Eowyn

      If you were so inclined, you would be doing him a favor to give him some feedback. Something like, “I appreciate your interest in this industry, but the way you presented yourself to me was not professional, and as such I am not comfortable introducing you to more contacts. In the future, you should treat these as professional meetings and come prepared with questions and to drive the conversation (or whatever feedback you have). I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors”. Or something like that. If you think he would argue with feedback or you just don’t want to give him that, you could always just say “Thank you for your continued interest in this industry. At this time, I do not know anyone that would be appropriate for you to meet with. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.”

      • S in Chicago

        I’d be hesitant to share negative feedback as it is a niche area and there is no telling where you might meet up again someday. (Mind you, I share negative feedback in the work setting regularly with early careerists–but that’s a setting where you have a continued relationship with a training expectation.) Better to just reply that you don’t have any referrals you feel comfortable providing, as there’s only potential downside for you in being more frank.

        • Anonymous

          I agree with this, sadly. He’s likely to go around telling everybody he meets that you were a B-witch.

  5. Fran

    Hello! Looking for suggestions on things to do around the Wall Street area of NYC- would love a dinner recommendation too- staying at the andaz. Thank you !

    • Anon in NYC

      Stone Street is a cute street within easy walking distance with a bunch of restaurants/bars to choose from. I believe there is also a Westville (fairly healthy-ish) and a Sweetgreen (salads) near there, if you want lighter food.

      In terms of things to do, the South Street Seaport or Battery Park (views of the statute of liberty) are easy options.

    • Anonymous

      9-11 Memorial is walkable from there; the website says that the memorial (fountains) are only open until 9 pm but I know I’ve been there in the 10-11 pm hours (at the end of a long day for a business trip).

    • Anonymous

      If I’m at Wall Street, I love to walk up to Tribeca — next neighborhood up though bring your walking shoes. Super high end buildings/lofts, cute restaurants/galleries, can get lost on the cobblestone streets for a while and it feels nothing like the rest of NYC esp Wall Street bc it’s so much quieter and calmer esp at night.

      • Anonymous

        +1, also there is better food in Tribeca than the Financial District IMO. The restaurant at the Andaz is pretty good though.

    • Anonymous

      Schilling or Blue Smoke for a more expensive dinner, though they’re both more BPC than Wall Street.

      • Anonymous

        Also for food Brookfield Place has a good food court; in typical NYC fashion it is gourmet everything — so not your usual mall food court fare, the food is good and for interesting local restaurants but it’s food court style not table service. It’s nice for lunch.

    • Former FiDi

      SUTEISHI. I love it and miss it constantly. Interesting, fresh, good sushi and not far from you (good excuse to wander up the seaport and check out the view of the Brooklyn bridge from the waterfront pier park!).

  6. Constant Reader

    Re: Reiss and sizes — I wear a size 12 in UK sizes (US 8), which they never seem to have on the website, but the NYC store had plenty of (relatively) larger sizes when I was there in person, and they ship. Worth a call if you really love something.

      • Shopaholic

        I bought a size 8 dress from Mango (in Europe) and the corresponding letter size on the tag was a large…

        • Anonymous

          After the merino sweaters post, I checked the L&T site and saw that 8-10 was an XL in sweaters. No idea if that’s the case but I probably won’t purchase and don’t have an IRL store to check.

      • Constant Reader

        For more than a few European makes — yeah. The Reiss website only ever has up to a U.K. 10 — which is a US 6. Although I just double-checked the site and they used to be very very clear that the sizes were U.K., and now it is unclear. The fact remains is that their top size is a 10 in whatever system.

        • Anonymous

          They go up to a 10 in US sizes/14 in UK sizes on their website, at least within the last year or so. I’m a US 8 and I’ve bought from their website.

  7. Weight Watchers

    I posted a week ago, seeking thoughts on Weight Watchers. Circling back to thank the several commenters who shared their experiences and encouraged me to join. I did . . . week and 3.6 pounds ago! It’s a start. Thanks again.

    • Carrots

      If you’re using the mobile app and Connect and interested in being WW buddies, I’m on there as well. Shoot me an email at britbrit1228 at the google email and I can send you my Connect name.

    • Anon

      Yay! I’m so glad to hear it! When I’m feeling discouraged, I just scroll through Connect like I would my FB feed and I feel so inspired! Good luck!

  8. Wardrobe/Fashion Advice

    Has anyone ever paid someone to provide this for them? Sometimes I think I’d love to have someone come over, go through my closet, help me figure out how to make the things I own the most flattering in terms of styling, help me to figure out what colors to stick with, etc. so I have some sort of guideline to follow in the future. It’s not a career necessity but I apparently missed that learning experience in high school and undergrad and often feel like I don’t know how to dress my body or I don’t know a color looks bad on me until I see myself wearing it in a photo.

    Is this something worth paying for or are the people who charge for this just random people who like fashion and not people to pay for this opinionated experience?

    (If it matters, I’m super pale (Italian and Jewish heritage), green eyes, cherry coke colored hair, I’m about 5′, hourglass, and a size 14 at the moment though I’m working on getting closer to an 8 or a 10)

    • M

      If you check out the Female Fashion Advice sub on Reddit, they are always willing to give some advice and feedback.

    • Delta Dawn

      I think it’s worth paying for if it’s something you can’t do on your own. Like anything, it’s a skill that you can develop over time– after some initial help, you will probably be more comfortable styling yourself.

      Based on what you’ve said about yourself, I think you would look great in jewel tones– green to bring out your eyes, and a deep cobalt would have a similar effect. Maybe plum? As an hourglass I’d say things that emphasize/define your waist will look good on you.

      People here can be helpful if you wanted to post a few more specifics. Since you want to style some things in your closet, would you want to post some of the items that are giving you trouble and see if people have advice on how to wear them? Are there pieces you are considering getting rid of, and you could list them and see if people say keep or toss? I for one would be down for “playing closet” in the comments, and I bet others would too.

    • AKB

      Are you in Jersey? I’ve be following thirty-something fashion. She’s a stylist with a FB and IG presence and I love her. I plan on saving up and getting some of her services. If you’re local, she has a service where she’ll come to your house and review what you have.

    • Anonymous

      I have and it was wonderful and totally worth it. I did it ten years ago and learned things i didn’t know and still apply when shopping. I considered myself fairly fashionable but she truly made a difference. She gave me a color search book for colors that look good on me and an overall image consult that helped me k ow, for example, what length jackets are best for me. We then w ent shopping and she knew when sales were, had discoun ts, etc. She’s at Invent Your Image and does Skype consults as well.

  9. a hippie in Christina Hendricks' body

    Any tips for someone who loves hippie styles (the flowy comfortable nature) but who is hourglass shaped (and thus flowy things often make me look huge)?

    I know websites seem to say to belt everything, but how do I know what belt to use or where the belt should sit or all of those other details?!

    • Anonymous

      That’s me, and I would say no skinny jeans, and make sure even if it’s peasanty, flowy, make sure it has less volume. Belting depends on whether you’re short- or long-waisted. I am short so don’t belt. If you are longer you could get away with a wider one like yesterday’s pick. Sometimes I tuck the peasanty, flowy top in lieu of a belt.

    • Monday

      I have the same body challenge, and I rarely wear flowy things for this reason.

      The belt should always be skinny. A wide belt risks looking like a divider between your breasts and hips. It should sit at the narrowest part of your waist so you don’t get that straight-up-and-down cylindrical look at double your width.

      Some flowy dresses have built-in tie waists or elastics at the waist. I’d consider those too.

      If you want to wear flowy skirts or pants, think about tucking a baggy blouse into them. Again, it’s about the defined waist.

    • Anon

      I wear comfy high-wiasted jeans with flowy shirts half tucked, so the definition of the high waist offsets the flowy shirt

    • Anon

      For one, you have to accept that you’re going to look larger in a floaty item than a tailored one.

      Secondly, balance your look by wearing something fitted with something floaty. Voluminous top with pencil skirt for example. I don’t think skinny jeans are a bad idea for this reason, as long as your top hits you at a good spot.

  10. Anon

    Oooooh, I absolutely love this. I almost never wear suits and this one is certainly out of my price range, but I am definitely drooling over it.

  11. Where do you get that?!

    I saw someone online post about how a well-fitting blazer ties even tshirt/jeans together well. Where does someone get such a thing? Do you just buy a regular blazer and go to a drycleaner that has a tailor in the shop or is this something you get specially made or…?

    • Anon

      I’m worried this will come across as either smug or flippant, neither of which is my intention, but i just buy them off the rack. I only buy blazers that fit me well as-is bc they are tricky to alter properly.

    • January

      Tailor at the dry-cleaner, or a standalone tailor/seamstress (they still exist). I don’t often have my blazers or suit jackets tailored, but when I do, I get a lot of compliments.

    • kiwi

      I wouldn’t get a blazer tailored at a drycleaner. In my city, it’s often someone who home sewing skills – great for hemming trousers but not up to a complicated garment like a blazer. I’ve gotten blazers from a variety of places. Low end: a ponte Olivia Moon blazer. I get a ton of wear out of this, both professionally and in casual situations. High end: a navy blazer from Brooks Brothers (inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow). I got it at a consignment shop and had it tailored. Through some magic of fabric and fit it really does elevate whatever I’m wearing.

      • tesyaa

        Many good tailors rent space in a drycleaning shop, which is what people mean when they say get it tailored at the cleaners.

    • Bonnie

      Look for blazers that fit in the shoulders, that’s the hardest and most expensive alteration.

    • Anonymous

      I only use dry cleaner tailoring for hemming pants – and even then I will give them one business casual pant and see how it turns out – before I give them suit pants. I’ve definitely had dry cleaners ruin stuff before. Never had a jacket done but if I did, I’d go to an actual tailor.

    • BB

      Buy a blazer that fits at the shoulders. Keep the tags on and go to a standalone tailor (not a dry cleaners) and ask for their advice in what to change. They may find something in the blazer that cannot be changed, hence keep the tags on in case you need to return it. They should also have advice on what to look for in a tailor-able blazer.

      • Torin

        Advice and a quote. If it’s $100 to alter, I’d return the blazer, personally.

  12. thrifting

    Is there a list somewhere for what can be tailored and how? I am in the financial place where I can’t afford many new items so I go to the thrift stores in town. How do I know what can be tailored and what needs to fit right initially?

    For example, is there a list somewhere that says something like, “when buying X, buy it so that part A fits correctly, as part B can be inexpensively tailored. If part A does not fit initially though, it would be very expensive to fix or may not be able to be fixed.” Am looking for something like that for all types of clothing items.

    • Flats Only

      Extra Petite has a lot of good info on tailoring. 99% of it will apply even if you are not tiny.

    • Bonnie

      Alterations can be pretty expensive, with a few exceptions.
      Shortening hems and sleeves and bringing in the waist are on the cheaper side.
      Blazers and anything lined will be harder.
      It’s always cheaper to take something in than to let something out.

      • pugsnbourbon

        +1. I’m lucky to work with people who have experience making costumes, so I’ve gotten hems or necklines stitched in return for a favor or in exchange for buying lunch, etc. I’d say for thrift-store items, it’s better to start with something a little too big and, like Bonnie says, have a tailor take it in.

    • Anon

      FYI, I’m in the DC suburbs and just picked up alterations yesterday. Hemming a skirt was $20 and taking in the waist on a skirt/dress was $25.

    • Delta Dawn

      Anything that involves redoing a seam is going to be more expensive. As mentioned above, shorting something (sleeve, hem) is not a big deal. Nipping in a waist is not a big deal. Anything that alters the seams (taking apart the back center seam of a jacket to let it out and add more space, then resewing the seam; letting out the side seam of a dress to create more room, then resewing the seam) is going to be more work and thus more costly. If the general shape of the item fits you correctly, but a sleeve or leg is too long, easy fix. If the general shape is not right, it’s going to be more expensive.

    • Anonymous

      Make sure anything with sleeves, such as blazers, fits in the shoulders around the arm holes, and across the upper back. If you need to nip in the side seams to make it less boxy or get a better fit in the waist, that’s fairly easy.

  13. Anonymous

    My husband’s (chatty!) dental hygienist’s mom works in role I’m really interested in long term, something he learned during a cleaning last year. When he said as much, the hygienist wrote down her mom’s contact information and told him to pass it on to me. It’s been hanging on the bulletin board in my office ever since. I’d love to call this woman up to see if she’s up for an informational interview. But I’m worried that 1) I’ve waited too long and 2) “your daughter cleans my husband’s teeth” is just too… weird in that context. Any thoughts?

    • anon

      just do it. “hi I’m Eve. I was given your number by your daughter, whom I know for X dentist office. She let me know that you work in….”

    • AIMS

      How about “your daughter gave me your number. I work in X position and would love to hear about how you ended up in Y role. If you have a few minutes to chat, I’d love to meet you for lunch/coffee”

    • Bonnie

      Just call but avoid some of the details. Your daughter gave my husband your information and suggested that I get in touch…

    • Anonymous

      Uh you waited a year? I wouldn’t call now. However if your husband goes back and she’s just as chatty, he can say — hey I think you mentioned before that your mom works in X, is she still there? If she says yes, she may re-offer the number or if she doesn’t, he can say — would she mind if my wife reached out? It also “takes the temperature” a bit — if she suddenly acts like she doesn’t want to discuss it, you/he know not to bring it up or reach out. If she’s still chatty cathy — then you’ll get the green light again. If she’s really chatty, can’t he say — hey my wife will reach out next week, do you mind mentioning it to your mom than Brenda will be calling? Chatty people chat with everyone so likely she has already told/will tell her mom again about you.

    • Fonts

      Why not call? When I found out my dentist’s kid was working to enter my field, I offered to talk to him, and liked him, and then helped him get a good internship. People use all sorts of connections!

  14. Anon

    What exactly does business casual in LA biglaw look like? Lateraling from an LA midlaw firm, with older folks who all wear wool pants and blazers, to true biglaw. I’d love to look a little younger and feel more comfortable. Skinny pants ok? TIA!

    • CCLA

      Skinny pants (not leggings, and ponte would be pushing it some places) are fine. When I was in biglaw here (spent time at 2 biglaw firms here in LA, moved to small law a couple of years ago), most women wore some sort of blouse or other nice top plus pants or skirt, or a dress. Full suits were very uncommon, though I’m transactional, so lit may vary on that front. But definitely know your office for this, so I’d probably wait to stock up on a new wardrobe until you get a feel for the place. And that first week, ask a trusted new colleague about casual Friday – most offices on the west coast have it, and most embrace jeans on Fridays, but beyond that the level of “casual” for casual Friday can vary drastically.

      • LAJen

        This sounds right for my LA Biglaw firm. We don’t have casual Fridays, though, so no jeans, no skimmers, and one partner is very anti-ankle pants. I’m lit and I would say that the transactional folks are slightly more casual than we are. I always have a suit on the back of the door in case for some reason I need to unexpectedly go to court.

  15. Hair Color Q

    I’m in my mid/late thirties and am beginning to have a few gray strands. I’m not really interested in committing to regular, elaborate appointments with a colorist at the stage, so I’m thinking of picking up a box of drug store color. Does drug store color tend to look super low end? Or if I stick to my own color, can I decently DIY this? TIA!

    • Bonnie

      It can definitely look decent. I color my own hair with a semi-permanent dye that lasts 8-12 weeks. Wear a disposable cap during the curing time for better color absorption and distribution.

    • anon

      I do this. My gray hairs are mostly localized around my temples and forehead hairline. So I prepare a small amount of dye (mixed fresh each time from Wella developer + dye bottles), and brush it through the strands where the grays show up. Then I randomly pull a bit of dye in some streaks through the rest of my hair. I fell like this helps avoid the fake, monochromatic look you can sometimes get by dunking all your hair in dye. Overall, I use like 2 tablespoons of dye – far from covering all of my shoulder-length hair. The dye is permanent (covers gray much better than semi-permanent), and as close of a match as possible to my natural color.

    • Anonymous

      You can definitely do this. While you’re figuring out what works, generally, go a touch lighter than your hair rather than the same or darker — I have more often been surprised by a hair color turning out darker than I anticipated, rather than lighter.

      The box will give you a squeeze bottle for applying the color. I’ve had better results buying a flat brush to use instead. You can find one in the hair color aisle at a beauty supply shop.

    • Anonymous

      I use John Frieda Foam Color from the drugstore and get compliments on my color all the time. I got sick of spending hundreds of dollars on salon color every few weeks – I’d rather spend money on other things. The John Frieda color is only 15 dollars, it’s really easy to use, and you can buy it at Walgreens or on Amazon.

  16. Anon

    Has anyone gone in-house and regretted it? I am at a small-ish regional firm where I am liked, respected, and treated very well. I am eligible for partnership at the end of the year, and I expect the vote to be in my favor. It would likely be non-equity partnership for now. We currently have no non-equity partners; they have all been elected to full partnership within two years.

    About a month ago, an in-house position basically landed in my lap. It is in a different state with a higher cost of living and would require relocation (at new employer’s expense). As a courtesy, I told my firm before I officially accepted the position, and they are trying to convince me to stay by telling me that I will eventually make far more money as a partner than I would in-house and that I will get used to the administrative aspects of partnership (which I do not think I will like at all). I am very close with the senior partners here and this has become an extremely difficult decision. What will I regret if I leave my firm?

    • Anonymous

      If you like the work, I would NOT leave. You have the best of all situations – assuming you like the work + working with people who like/respect you + want to promote you + more money as a partner than in house. I wouldn’t do it — unless you really really dislike your work or REALLY desire to live in the new location.

    • anon

      How valued is this in house position? I assume it’s GC not AGC? I miss the level of respect I got at a law firm. I’m much more of a service provider in house and frankly do not get as much input as business lines do. Also I find the work less challenging. I miss the law firm but didn’t have partnership in me – I’d just be very clear about the job and all of the soft culture factors.

      • Scarlett

        My experience in-house has been the exact opposite, but I’ve heard this from some people. Personally, the move would be the biggest concern to me – if you’re going to uproot your life, is it to go somewhere you like and want to live? If that answer is yes, then some factors to consider before going in-house are:
        – do you like day-to-day operational type questions more than hard to solve legal problems. Most companies have a lot more of the former & no matter what your practice area is, you have to learn the business and get into business issues
        – do you like facetime – as in, do you like a job where you need to be there all day but your evenings/weekends are generally your own (this will vary widely by company, but in broad strokes, I think there’s more of an on-call/always on expectation at a firm but you have more flexibility to work elsewhere whereas at a company, you usually have some level of office hours/in-person expectations).
        – are you comfortable making decisions yourself? can you say “yes” or “no” without a thousand caveats or checking with someone? If not, in-house might not be right for you
        – are you good at internal politics? It matters at a firm, but a little less if you bring in business whereas at a company, being politically savvy can make or break your career
        – is the company stable?
        – do you know enough about their philosophy to know if they will react well to the kind of legal advice you give? if not, reconsider this particular opportunity

        As far as the firm talking about compensation, that really is just going to depend on your industry & how far you go. I outpaced what I would have made at a firm a long time ago (& I was in biglaw) and in level/title/prestige, etc. so take that with a grain of salt & know for real what your firm is actually offering you. There’s often a much larger bonus potential in-house than at a firm and GC’s (should you aspire to that) and AGC’s (depending on the size of the company) can easily equal most midlaw partner salaries & match (& in some cases outpace) biglaw partners.

        Personally speaking, I like the work in-house much better than I liked law firm work – it’s much more front-end/fix the problems before they start and way less janitorial clean-up.

        • Another in-house

          +1. These are excellent questions to consider before making the jump. Don’t underestimate the last one re: philosophy of the company and how it aligns with your own style of legal practice a and risk tolerance.

          Caveat in that I am pretty junior and in a TINY legal department, but I will say where my experience has departed from Scarlett’s is that: (1) I took a 50% pay cut two years ago and have not caught up with my firm salary; and (2) I do feel as like I am in a service role. My clients are my departments and while they are less demanding (in certain, not all, ways) than my clients when I was outside counsel, I do not have the resources at my disposal to make my life easier (i.e., an assistant, word processing, access to ALL the legal research sites, etc.).

          If nothing else, these comments demonstrate what a mixed bag in-house jobs can be. It is absolutely critical that you learn as much as you can about the contours of life in the proposed in-house role.

    • Anon

      I have no personal experience, but a friend went in-house, hated it and went back to private practice after less than a year. It’s definitely not the right job for everyone.

    • Anon

      When you’re deciding, keep in mind that this is not the only in-house job out there and not your only opportunity to move. So don’t take it just because you feel like this might be your only chance.

    • Anon

      My husband is in house with a very large telecom company. It has not been good for him as an attorney as far as maintaining skills and interest in the profession. And because it is a major corporation, it involves moving around a lot and when you keep declining, your stock goes down. He is now pretty stuck with no viable options – too old to go back into private practice with no book of business. Of course, this could be a different situation with the company you’re interested in but it has not been a good decision from my vantage point.

    • OP

      It is probably way too late for any of you to see this, but I want to thank everyone for the very insightful replies. To answer some of the questions, this is not a GC or AGC position. It is hard to say without potentially outing myself, but it is a much more focused and industry-specific in-house position. There are more resources than at many companies (support staff, Lexis and Westlaw), but not at the level of a firm.

      All things considered, I think I am going to stay at my firm, at least for now. I do like the potential new city. I have friends there and already know the people I would be reporting to in-house. But I have wanted to be a partner at this particular firm since the day I started practicing law, and I think I would be very sorry that I did not at least give it a shot.

      Thanks again, everyone!

  17. Pompom

    Pep talk, please.

    I have to go to a networking event tonight on behalf of my org. I think I’ll know maybe 1-2 people there, but not very well, and no one else from my org is going. And I am just having one of those blahhh days where I can’t even fathom speaking to more than one human being at a time, let alone being in a room full of them and expected to talk to a ton of people. And, like, I don’t wanna.

    Current plan is attend for 30 minutes, meet 3 new people, go home.

        • Pompom

          Thanks, ladies. I can DOOO THISSSS.

          I just brushed my hair, put some mascara and lipstick on, and lint-rolled myself. I feel better already (but mostly I still don’t wanna).

  18. Overthinking phones

    Thoughts on the iPhone 8 vs. the Samsung S8? I have a iPhone 6 now that I really like (although I’m constantly running out of storage – 16 GB seemed so big years ago) and will be replacing in the next few months. If money were no object I’d get the iPhone X, but I don’t know if I can bring myself to spend $1000. The Samsung screen looks amazing (like the X) but I’ve loved every single one of my Apple products so I put a lot of trust in the cult of Apple. I feel like the technical specs and pricing tell me to go with a Samsung, my heart really wants the iPhone X, and I feel ambivalent about the iPhone 8 (because of the shiny newness of the iPhone X).

    Also, if the answer is Apple, any thoughts on whether to spring for upgrade storage? Clearly 16 is way too small, and so now I’m wondering if 64 is going to be too small in a few years.

    (I feel like I need a disclaimer here: Yes I’m using exaggerated language and overthinking this way too much. Yes it’s a total 2017 first world quandary to have. I promise I spend far more time worrying about real life issues like how hurricane devastation/cleanup, healthcare bills and Ray Moore and the alt-right than what fancy new phone I’m going to get.)

    • AIMS

      I’m fully on board the apple bandwagon. To me, there is no other smartphone.

      • Anon

        Same. I am loyal to the Iphone SE bc it is the only one small enough for work blazer pockets/dress pockets. And jeans. I have two (personal and work).

    • Anonymous

      Get the Samsung S8 as it has an expandable micro SD card slot . So you can update your available memory as needed.. Id still get the S8 with as much internal memory as possible, but then you can store photos/videos on the SD card instead of your internal memory.

    • Torin

      I switched from the cult of iPhone to the cult of Android a few years ago and have been pleased (other than the first month of the transition, which was a major PIA because iPhone wouldn’t stop stealing my texts even though I did everything they say to do to prevent this in exactly the way they say to do it). I don’t have a Samsung phone so can’t comment on that, but I have actually come to prefer the Android operating system. It offers all the same bells and whistles, with more customization.

    • Anon

      Honestly, I wouldn’t go with the 8. There’s not enough of a bump up in features to make it worth the extra money over the 7. So unless the few different features are really important to you, save money and get a 7 or just go for the X. I priced out the 8 vs. the X in a true apples to apples comparison (same screen size, same memory), and the X is only $200 more expensive. For $200, I’m getting the X over the 8.

    • Anonymous

      Man, I switched to a Google Pixel from years of iPhones and it is so. much. better.

      But, I’ll caveat that with I don’t have an Apple computer or tablet, so the integration didn’t do anything for me.

      • AZCPA

        What is better about it? I have heard a couple people say this, but never with any specifics.

    • Aunt Jamesina

      I’ve always used Apple computers and love them, but had only purchased Android phones until I got an iPhone this summer, and… there’s not a real, appreciable difference between them anymore. Honest. You can set your phone to automatically back up to the cloud (mine saves everything to my Google Drive, where I pay $1.99 per month for extra storage). I’m never, ever worried about having enough storage space, because my photos and other data doesn’t need to stay on my phone. I feel like too few people know about this and end up overbuying. I think spending $800+ on a phone is ridiculous unless you have all financial obligations and goals met.

    • Anon

      Just go with 128 GB. Max out, because you’ll only ever need more storage, never less.

  19. London

    Any good book recommendations for London? Fiction, non fiction, travel (but not guidebooks). Planning a trip and want to do some fun reading. Only newish books I’ve read the classics.

    • Pompom

      Londoners is a collection of several essays (profiles might be a more appropriate term?) about people who are…Londoners. Explores a lot of diverse povs, people, neighborhoods, etc.

    • Flats Only

      Are you going to London and want books about it? I would read Wellington: The Iron Duke, and then visit Apsley House (his residence). The book is a fascinating light weight military history, and the house is spectacular.

      For book shopping in London I recommend John Sandoe near Sloane Square – it’s wonderful.

      • Amberwitch

        In the urban fantasy genre there are a few very atmospheric Londoner series I would recommend – but you probably have to like urban fantasy to some degree.

        Ben Aaronowitch – Rivers of London series
        Kate Griffin – Matthew Swift + Magicals Anonymous
        Mike Carey – Felix Castor
        And of course Neil Gaiman has a book sendt in London – Doors I think it is named

  20. Anonymous

    Hello, well read and cultured ladies. I thought I’d bounce a baby name idea off you to see if anyone has any positive or (more importantly) negative reactions. The name is Adrian (for a boy). Seems classic but not super common. Am I missing any terrible connotations? Any reason I’m going to regret naming my kid this in a couple years? I don’t know anyone with a kid with the same name so hope I wouldn’t accidentally be choosing a particularly trendy name. Happy to hear your anonymous thoughts and criticism (so much easier than with family!)

    • Aunt Jamesina

      I think it’s a nice name without baggage and not so trendy that it’ll feel overly dated in a few years.

    • Anonymous

      I feel like “ian” names are really ubiquitous at the moment. I’m not aware of any problematic connotations, unless you have a lot of Rocky fans in the family.

    • Anonnn

      Ginger Zee (chief meteorologist for ABC news) named her baby boy Adrian, and he’s probably 1-2? Only Adrian I’ve ever heard of, and I’ve only heard of this particular boy because I like Ginger Zee. I think it’s a solid choice and can picture an 80 year old Adrian the same as I can also picture a 14 year old Adrian or a baby Adrian. If you like it, go for it!

    • Blonde Lawyer

      Love the name. I know one male Adrian that is in his 60’s and several female Adrians that are in their late 20’s early 30’s. Only negative would be if people assume gender from a name and that’s possible with so many names now-a-days.

    • Anonymous

      It’s my grandfathers name and also my name in the feminine form (“enne”). I like it because of the connection to my relative but otherwise it’s a bit cumbersome. Hard to spell, hard to say (I get addressed as Andrea or Andrienne – which is not even a name!! – on a near daily basis) and I haaaaate the Rocky thing. Female Adrian(enne)s probably get that more than men though because the movie character was female. In elementary school I hated having a weird name but then I gave my daughter a super common name (Emma) and already in preschool she is whining about being one of several Emmas in her class, so I think you kind of can’t win with that. I think boys with unusual names do get teased about it more than girls and I know my grandfather was teased about his name, but that was almost a century ago in the U.K. so maybe it’s different now. He also had kind of a weird/funny last name.

    • Delta Dawn

      I think it’s a great name. I have a 2 yo and don’t know any Adrians among his contemporaries. According the to the Social Security Administration, it’s been hovering around #60 since 2005. Popular enough to be normal, not so popular as to be trendy, and no spike in popularity to make it sound dated. I would go for it!

    • Anonymous

      Not popular right now I think – but still normal. Last person named Adrian I can think of – Adrian Dilley of the Dilley sextuplets in Indiana. I believe he is now 22-23ish — which sort of lines with my idea of when the name Adrian was popular — in the mid-late 90s.

    • Anon

      I’m 33 and know two male Adrians and one female my age; I met one in high school and two in college.

      I don’t think of it as an uncommon name. Go for it!

    • Anon

      A lot of adults may associate the name with the TV character Adrian Monk who was lovable but mentally ill and…challenging, to say the least. Normally I wouldn’t put too much weight in names of fictional characters, but I don’t know any Adrians in real life and when a name is that unusual and there’s a relatively famous fictional character with the name, people may make that association.

      • Anon

        Oh, yeah. I watched that show, but honestly I didn’t even think of it until I saw your comment. I don’t think that was enough of a cultural phenomenon to be a big deal for a 2017 or 2018 baby Adrian.

        • Nudibranch

          There’s also Sue Townsend’s “Adrian Mole” series, but I think that’s less known in the US. (They are hilarious, btw.)

          Like the name choice.

    • OCAssociate

      Not sure where you’re located, which can make a difference. There are 2 Adrians in my son’s kindergarten class, so they go by “Adrian [Last initial].” But they’re the only 2 Adrians we know. (Coastal Orange County, CA.)

      • OCAssociate

        Also, Baby Name Voyager shows that Adrian peaked as a boy name a couple years ago and is declining, so it’s probably not crazy trendy.

    • Anonymous

      I knew an Adrian and he didn’t like the historical origins of his name. The name is derived from the Roman emperor Hadrian who is maybe not terrible as far as Roman emperors go, but definitely was not a good guy. Although the name is traditionally British, among younger (<40 yo) people today in the United States I tend to associate it with the African-American community but that may just be anecdotal based on a couple of individuals (the football player Adrian Peterson and an African-American elementary schooler I know).

    • AIMS

      I love it. The only Adrian that comes to mind is Adrian Brody and I love him, too. Google it in conjunction with your last name just to make sure that it works as a name generally.

    • Cb

      I wouldn’t worry too much and think it is a lovely name. We thought we were being original with our baby name and there was another baby with same first, similar middle in the bed opposite me in the maternity ward.

  21. Ugh, being a newbie lawyer is hard sometimes

    Need moral support and reassurance that I’m not totally incompetent. Working on something with my favorite senior associate (who was out of town when I took care of most of the required docs) and wrangling a million signatures is proving difficult. Basically everything that could go wrong has and any time I am asked about it, I keep explaining that it was because of X, Y, Z (all real, valid reasons, but I sound like I’m making excuses–at least to me). Sr. Associate has remained gracious as ever, but has taken back some of the work to work on (traditionally gives me lots of slack) and I feel like I dropped the ball big time, even though I technically didn’t.

    Is this normal? What do sr. associates think when this happens?

    • Anonymous

      We think — she tried her best but wasn’t ready to handle this; she isn’t used to managing upward or managing timelines. We don’t black ball or anything — we just realize we need to be more involved, esp when we are not physically present.

    • Anonymous

      Sometimes it’s easier for senior associates to do the ‘wrangling’ on signatures and other minutiae because of credibility with the client (I’m assuming?).

      As long as you’ve explained (thoroughly, preferably in writing) the background as to why all of the signatures are necessary, I wouldn’t worry too much.

      I’d also follow up with senior associate after the project is over and the fire drill has ended to see if you could do something differently in the future. Send an e-mail in advance (to give her a heads up and let her collect her thoughts), and then sit down and talk face-to-face. It’ll show you want to improve and recognize that even though you did everything you could, the project didn’t go as smoothly as you’d hoped.

      Signed, mid-level associate

    • cbackson

      Senior Associate likely doesn’t think it’s your fault, but because she is ultimately responsible to the partner for you, she’s stepping in to make sure that everything does get handled and you both come off looking well. That’s her job, and you shouldn’t be worried about it. She will have a lot more experience than you do in advanced cat-herding, as well as in soothing any ruffled feathers that result from bumps in the signature wrangling process.

    • Anonymous

      You’re not totally incompetent! If it makes you feel better I have been advanced cat herding (thanks cbackson!!) on signatures for almost 10 years and just today I had to complete redo a signature page after the customer signed the agreement because counsel (I’m in a non-legal position) didn’t tell me that two of our European subsidiaries required two signatures. I don’t often work with signatures in EMEA, so I didn’t even think to ask. It just goes to show these things happen. I explained that I needed to make a change to the signature page and would recirculate. You’ll get the hang of it!

Back to Top

About

Work with Corporette®

Serious Stuff

work fashion blog press mentions