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For busy working women, the suit is often the easiest outfit to throw on in the morning. In general, this feature is not about interview suits for women, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional. Also: we just updated our big roundup for the best women's suits of 2023!
I really like this purple-brown color — it actually reminds me of the heels that I adored so much that we had a zillion purple heel roundups. (It's really tough to find one that isn't quite burgundy and isn't a bright, annoying purple!)
I especially think it's an amazing color both as a pantsuit and as separates because you can wear so much with it. Neutrals are an obvious, easy choice (black, gray, navy, beige) but I think you can also go with a bright red, orange, or pink (or combination thereof), and just about any shade of blue (pale blue, dusky blue, duck blue, cobalt, and more…). (I'd avoid yellows and greens but that's my my $.02!)
The suit pieces are $160-$330 at Nordstrom and Reiss — I like that they have two different pant options.
Looking for burgundy, wine or purple suits for women? I'm in love with this Ann Taylor suit, and this affordable Anne Klein suit also looks great. On the darker, winey side, there's this Banana Republic Factory suit in “bright wine,” Eloquii suiting in maroon, this Reiss suit in berry, and M.M.LaFleur in “wine,” and this reader favorite suit under $75 in winey red. On the lighter side, Banana Republic has suiting in a violet lavender, and M.M.LaFleur has a pretty stretch tweed in lavender.
Sales of note for 10.10.24
- Nordstrom – Extra 25% off clearance (through 10/14); there's a lot from reader favorites like Boss, FARM Rio, Marc Fisher LTD, AGL, and more. Plus: free 2-day shipping, and cardmembers earn 6x points per dollar (3X the points on beauty).
- Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off sale (ends 10/12)
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything plus extra 25% off your $125+ purchase
- Boden – 10% off new styles with code; free shipping over $75
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off a lot of sale items, with code
- J.Crew – 40% off sitewide
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site, plus extra 25% off orders $150+
- Lo & Sons – Fall Sale, up to 35% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Neiman Marcus – Sale on sale, up to 85% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 50% off 2+ markdowns
- Target – Circle week, deals on 1000s of items
- White House Black Market – Buy one, get one – 50% off full price styles
Poster who was nervous about review
Just had the review that I was majorly stressing about. It went completely fine, my boss said I’m doing “great”. The strengths matched what I wrote in my self eval and the weaknesses were to upskill in a technical area that is new to me and to build stronger relations with a particular team – both very reasonable and not central to my role.
Davis
Yay! Great review! You were spot on about some aspects of your work and you have actionable areas for growth. I’m so happy it went well!
Senior Attorney
Hooray! Congratulations!
all over anon
Congrats on the great feedback! It is such a relief to get through that kind of thing for the first time in a new setting, and have it be so positive. I just had the same kind of thing happen, and I am kind of late career, with a lot of job changes.
Anon
Congrats! Sounds like a fair review.
Anonymous
Congrats! Looks like you can trust your new employer to be honest.
Anonymous
dumb question, but how do you find a place to tint your car windows? is this a mechanic thing? dealership thing? Groupon thing? after yesterday’s convo (and a bunch of others on this site over the yaears) i really want it now, but my googling has always failed me before.
Anonymous
Yelp
Anonymous
PSA some jurisdictions have laws around car tinting specifying maximum opacity, you need to look into this yourself as the body shops will just do what the customer asks irrespective of legality because they won’t be the ones receiving the ticket.
Anon
+1 in my hometown, people would get illegal tints and complain about being stopped, ticketed, and forced to peel off the tint before driving away. And the shops would gladly oblige them with too dark of a tint.
Anon
I found mine online. It was a mobile service that just did window tinting. He came to me (did it in my office parking lot) and it was great.
Anon
Google car window tinting to find a shop.
Anon
Auto detailer. I used Yelp. It was about $500 for me in a LCOL area.
Anon
My dermatologist gave me a list.
Anon
I found mine via Google. It was a stand-alone shop that shared space with a car wash. He did other things, too-car wraps, maybe? I don’t remember exactly. The guy I went to was very knowledgeable about what was legal and not legal in our state. My rear windows are a touch over tinted, but now that I know what I am looking at, so are 90% of the other cars driving around. His observations about what was enforced and not were spot-on. I have had 2 cars tinted, and it was under about $350 for each.
Sarah
I’ve really enjoyed my tea advent calendar experience – I got the one from pukka tie, and its basically a cardboard sheet I hung from my fridge with a magnet. I WFH so its a nice experience to pick up a different type of tea every afternoon. I want to do this every work day. Of course I can have tea, but I think part of it is the experience of 1) having the tea displayed 2) different types of teas. Any ideas on how to replicate this going forward?
Maybe I’ll just keep the advent calendar sheet and re stock it.
Anonymous
Are you mildly handy? If so get a project board from your local hardware store (the ones with finished edges that are pre sanded), add some screw hooks evenly spaced to hang the tea bags, then add picture hanging hardware to the back. Should basically be a fancy version of what you have that will be durable and wall mountable.
Senior Attorney
That sounds like a good idea! Or maybe re-create it for each month of the year, if you want to get fancy/crafty.
Anonymous
Easiest:
Get metal hinge clips, ribbon, magnets.
Tie metal clips to piece of ribbon, leaving space at the end to fasten each end with magnets on the fridge.
Put one teabag in each clip.
You can have 5, 7, 10, however many teas you like. I would go for 1-2 weeks.
Pretty easy:
Piece of wood, or small cork board (IKEA?), small wood clothes pegs, glue.
Glue pegs to wood or cork board (or picture frame).
Ridiculously easy:
Get a plastic sheet with pockets, the ones made for collectors’ cards. Cut off the ring binder holes. Put tea in pockets. Put on fridge with magnets.
Also easy: look for advent calendars on Etsy, the ones you fill yourself. Lots og hanging ones.
Anonymous
Tea Forte has sampler boxes that would be perfect for this.
Anonymous
How to get the tea – buy sampler packs and boxes. Twinings have these, Lipton, Pukka, English Tea Shop, etc
Search for sampler, assorted and gift boxes.
Anonymous
The pants for this suit are lined! Unfortunately they are not wool, which kind of renders the lining moot. Womp womp.
Anon
That is too bad. The lining probably helps with the drape, though.
Mpls
I’m not sure why the lining would be moot? Lining is there to provide slip between the outer fabric and what is underneath that garment (either other fabric or skin). Helps with drape, as mentioned above, because the fabric doesn’t stick to your skin. But wool isn’t the only fabric that is lined.
Anonymous
Because I am not buying polyester suit pants. Only wool.
Anon
Agreed.
Lining ?
Just curious what is the appeal of lined pants skirts etc? I find the lining annoying, bunches up, tight in places, and pretty much means it’s a dry clean only item.
NY CPA
If the item is wool, it makes it less itchy. Even if not wool, I’ve found a lining tends to smooth out the item a bit, so it looks less tight/bunchy on your body (unless it’s already really tight).
Anon
This is me. My skin cannot stand touching wool. But wool just drapes so much better and doesn’t get the shine that polyester does.
Anonymous
It can make the pants hang nicely. Unlined can show more lumps and bumps.
Anon
It feels way nicer! And depending on the outer fabric, can make it look much smoother as well. I don’t ever have a problem with linings bunching up.
Anon
Clings less and moves more nicely when you walk.
HFB
if the lining is well made (s big of these days) it shouldn’t bunch up.
for pants, i think it makes them drape better. for skirts, it eliminates the need for a separate slip when wear the skirt on top of tights- and then avoids accidental peekaboo slip.
Anon
I love lined pants for the warmth and for smoothing things out (no VPL).
Anon
In addition to what others have said, a lining helps keep the public-facing fabric from bagging out (so you don’t end up with droopy knees or a saggy seat).
Anon
I posted a few weeks ago asking about thyroid conditions — I had a minor but visible swelling in my neck and was waiting for an appointment with my PCP to get her opinion. You all reassured me it was likely nothing, and it appears to actually be nothing, so thank you!
PCP referred me to an endocrinologist; I saw him yesterday. He did an ultrasound and saw a decent-sized nodule, but it appears to be fluid-filled vs. solid, which is a good indicator that it is likely benign. I am a fairly cyst-y person anyway (pilonidal cyst in my teens, lots of sebaceous cysts in weird places, hidradenitis suppurativa, plus generic cystic acne) so this feels like the kind of thing my body would do. We’ll watch it for a few months and do a biopsy in February to make sure it is nothing to be concerned about, but I am very relieved. Thank you for the info and kind words.
Anon
That’s good news! Question about the HS-I’m fairly certain I have it. My sister has been diagnosed, but she lives across the country in a small city where the PCP does everything. I’m in a big city where a non sick PCP visit takes 3-4 months. I feel very embarrassed and don’t know who to talk to about it. Did you bring this up to your PCP? Dermatologist (I don’t even have one)? I’m healthy, basically never see the doctor, and don’t know where to begin…
Cat
Call your PCP’s office and based on your description of what’s going on, the nurse may schedule you for a sick visit as opposed to a well visit?
Anon
Hm, it’s been so long since diagnosis that I don’t really remember! I’m fairly certain it was a dermatologist. I had my first nodule right when I turned 21 (just after finishing a course of Accutane, which amuses me bc some people recommend Accutane to treat HS), and through my early 20s I saw a dermatologist when I had a flare, never really knowing what it was until someone called it HS, rather off-handedly. I think it is much better known now, though, so a PCP should know about it. I would mention it as the reason for the appointment — something like “I’d like an appointment to discuss a possible case of hidradenitis — is that within Dr X’s scope or should I see a dermatologist?” — just so you don’t wait several months to be told “oh, that’s not my area.” Also, check this list to see if there is a specialist in your area – https://www.hs-foundation.org/hs-specialty-clinics
FWIW, I don’t really do much for mine — it’s a very mild case these days, and I get single flares maybe 4-6 times a year. I don’t even see a doctor anymore, bc all they would do was lance it and give me antibiotics, and I heal at the same rate without the abx. I am all in favor of getting an official diagnosis, but for me that’s all it is — putting a name to it. But biologics are getting approved to treat it all the time, so it can be manageable. I hope you get some helpful news!
Anonymous Canadian
I’m in Canada. My family physician diagnosed me after years of suffering. I too was embarrassed (thinking I was maybe a bit too heavy, not eating well enough, too sweaty, not showering quickly enough after a workout, whatever). I mentioned my symptoms to her in passing and she knew right away what it was. It was absolutely LIFE CHANGING. My case is quite mild and I manage with antibiotics on an as-needed basis but I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have a plan I can follow when I feel a bump starting. The years I wasted dreading (with good reason) the 10-14 days after that feeling! I hope you get to pass on some of that with this internet stranger cheering you on!
Anon
Yup fluid filled nodules are no big deal. I have one and it’s monitored yearly by ultrasound but I’ve never needed a biopsy. Glad it was good news!
Anon
Fluid filled nodules was my sign it was Hashimoto’s, which is very common. Auto-immune-ish (my rheumatologist says not really.)
Anon
Hashimoto’s is really autoimmune. It’s not rheumatological though and doesn’t involve elevated ANA, so rheumatologists don’t usually have anything to do with managing it. (And as of yet there is no “autoimmunologist” specialty so it’s kind of hard to get any help for the autoimmune component of the condition.)
Anon
Just to be encouraging, hopefully. Having Hashimoto’s is really the least of all my problems, given that I have a rheumatologist! I take a pill daily and get my blood tested once in a while. It really has been easy to manage.
Anon
Hashimoto’s is on my radar as a thyroid-related issue, but I don’t seem to have any of the other symptoms — or at least, any symptoms I do have could also be a sign of perimenopause or just being human in 2023 (I mean, who isn’t fatigued these days?). Vague symptoms are so frustrating.
Anon
Get your thyroid numbers checked. It’s easy bloodwork.
Anon
They can do labs to check for the antibodies, and if there even are any, they can keep an eye on things by doing thyroid labs and other routine labs (cholesterol can get really out of whack even when symptoms remain kind of vague, and I was told that more aggressive treatment can calm things down and preserve thyroid function, but not everybody with the antibodies is already hypothyroid so they can wait and see).
Ideally it’s not a factor at all, but it’s a pretty common condition that can be quite manageable if managed, so it’s probably worth knowing if it’s on the radar.
My symptoms started off vague (fatigue, greasy hair, thinning eyebrows, different weight distribution), and I can see how they’d be easy to confuse with perimenopause! Eventually I was cold and tired all the time and more clearly unwell.
Annony
I don’t recall your original post/symptoms but thought I’d mention that my husband recently had a lump in his throat that grew increasingly uncomfortable and he ended up going to the ER for a scan, etc. As it turns out, he has a thyroglossal duct mass, which apparently are present in a lot of babies, then go away. His stuck around to adulthood with no issue until it got infected. So, lots of antibiotics and he’s going back in a few weeks for surgery to have it removed. It could have stayed, but the chances of it becoming infected again go up, so he opted for the removal.
I had never heard of it, but it’s not uncommon!
Anon
So glad it wasn’t something worse! I hadn’t heard of these either.
Anon
I’m surprised at how many people here won’t eat food prepared at other people’s houses, but don’t think that their reusable grocery bags are dirty.
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/reusable-shopping-bag-health-risk_uk_64db2b79e4b06b5d9bad5c5f
I use nylon bags so they can be washed frequently and they dry quickly. I think that most things that come home from grocery stores are pretty grimy/germy. I remember that at the beginning of Covid, the germ factor of bags was pretty heavily covered as many places that had pack your own groceries, use recyclable bags, etc were asking people not to bring their germ laden bags in with them.
Anon
But then turns out that people weren’t getting sick from their grocery bags or things they bought at the store, right?
I agree the bags probably aren’t the paragon of cleanliness, but I’d love to know if anyone has actually gotten sick from one? Versus people I know who have definitely gotten sick at potlucks. (I do eat food prepared by others, btw)
Anon
No, I think the concern is about norovirus and bacteria, not anything that’s 99% airborne transmission.
I have an immune deficient + immune suppressed household so I have to think about what could be coming in on the groceries no matter what bag they are in…
Anon
Exactly. We wash the food as it comes into the house because who knows whether the person who delivered the groceries to our front door coughed/sneezed on it, and that’s a big no for our immunocompromised person.
Anon
Exactly. There’s a big difference between food you’ll personally rinse and cook once it gets to your kitchen vs. accepting food from that Thanksgiving poster who wanted to leave a potpie at room temp for several hours. And it turned out the early Covid grocery quarantine was wholly unnecessary, I don’t see how that’s relevant.
Anon
As I recall from the beginning of COVID, we weren’t clear how much surface transmission there was, and it was basically unfair to make checkout clerks and baggers handle everyone’s grody bags from home, which still seems reasonable to me.
I’ve been back to bringing my bags for a long time, but I tend to bag my own stuff these days.
Anon
Do these people never eat in restaurants or buy bread or peanut butter or anything that isn’t a side of beef or whole banana?
Anonymous
At the beginning of Covid that was because the routes of transmission were not clear. That’s why people were wiping down groceries but not masking.
I live in a jurisdiction that bans plastic bags. There are still exceptions like small thin clear plastic bags near the meat counter to pop your meats into if you wish. It’s a non issue to wipe down bags with a lysol wipe or toss them in the washer on occasion if they are dirty.
anon
i’m on an endless quest to look more polished. i’m intrigued by this rule of 3 idea (that a look is more intentional with three pieces) but what constitutes a third piece for a sweater (not a cardigan) and pants?
Cat
A blouse layered under the sweater
a scarf (maybe used as a belt for high-waisted pants)
a bl-zer
a noticeable necklace
Anon
Interesting accessories or shoes? Maybe not technically a third piece, but makes the whole outfit look more interesting.
Anonymous
Put a shirt under the sweater and the sweater becomes the third piece. But I don’t think you need a third piece with a sweater.
Anon
Belt or jewelry. I agree that a sweater doesn’t need a third piece in the same way other outfits do.
ALT
A belt with an interesting or chunky buckle. Interesting jewelry. A headband or other hair accessory that’s intentional rather than a plain hair tie. A chunky bracelet.
I’m wearing a cardigan and matching sweater tank today and plain pants…my outfit feels fine but not great so these ideas are things I wish I as also wearing :)
Anan
A hat. I work in a pretty casual environment and I find if I’m feeling kind of unfinished, a hat will do wonders. Usually a beanie or a tam or a newsboy hat.
Anon
What?
Anon
Ooh, I love a hat! Also great that they are practical for keeping your heat warm or keeping the sun off. I need more hats.
Anonymous
ladies with an apple shape, who are you following for style inspiration? i feel like everyone i can think of is too old for me (ina garten, oprah, etc) i’m a size 16/18… thanks!
Mrs Luke Danes
Wardrobe Oxygen and Fashion Fix are both apples