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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, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional.
This suit caught my eye last week, and even though I have a few concerns about it, I was still drawn to it enough to post it today. First, the good: I like the dark charcoal color, the slight peplum flounce effect to the jacket, the fitted look in general, and the ladylike skirt length. The bad: I'm not sure about that pattern — could be great, but it could also be a bit too loud. Still, it's a good price if you're interested in a grayish skirt suit — now marked to $179, down from $280 (sizes 2-18 still available). The suit (Tahari by ASL Suit, Two Button Jacket & Skirt) is on sale for $179 at Macy's.
AT
Could be lovely, but would definitely have to see in person to judge how “loud” the print is. Might work better as separates, paired with solid counter-pieces.
On the subject of separate, can I just take a moment to complain about the plethora of designers and stores that make/sell most of their suiting in “sets”? I have a ~ 2 size differential between my top and bottom, and unfortunately the bottom half is the larger half, so these sets never work for me. In order to get the bottom to fit well, I would have to have quite major reconstruction done on the jacket, which just isn’t worth the extra cost and risk (as jackets are, as a rule, more difficult and expensive to resize than pants or skirts). Sigh.
AIMS
Same! I think in my entire life I have only been able to actually fit one “set” suit. Everything else doesn’t quite look right, even assuming it fits. And, to add to the frustration, it makes zero sense to me b/c my top measurements and my bottom are literally identical!
Bk foette
I feel your pain — I can never buy a suit set for this reason. My bottom is 2 sizes bigger than my top as well. Even when I lost 25 lbs a few years ago, my bottom was still disproportionate from my top. Every once in a while I think about getting augmentation to help proportion my top and bottom, but well, I am just not that vain.
Buying a dress is difficult as well, I very rarely can buy dress off the rack as my boob area looks completed deflated when I get a size that fits over my hips. Sigh, but at least I don’t have back problems right?
Me
Thanks for picking a suit that is still available in a variety of sizes! This is nice – it’s not fabulous, but for the price, it’s great.
Georgiana Starlington
I really like this suit, but I’ve never bought anything from Tahari before. Does it run true to size? Compare to Banana Republic and Ann Taylor – I’m a 12 in pants in both, a comfortable 14 jacket in AT, and a “slightly snug at the moment” 14 in BR.
Star
I wear an 8/10 at BR and I take a 6 in Tahari jackets and dresses and an 8 in their pants. HTH.
dw
I love Tahari. I think they run a little larger than BR, so I agree with Star.
RKS
Add one more for thinking Tahari runs a bit big compared to BR. You would likely be between 8 and 10 in Tahari ASL.
Anonymous
Not sure it runs this big. Maybe a 10/12?
Erin M.
I’m a comfortable 14P both top and bottom at AT, and wear a 16P in Tahari ASL, due to big boobies. With a smaller chest I’d be a 14P.
AnonInfinity
Random threadjack —
Does anyone have a Sonicare toothbrush (or similar)? I went to the dentist today and she said that using the Sonicare would lessen the coffee stains that I seem to be getting on my teeth. I had never really considered getting an automatic toothbrush. What do y’all like or dislike about them? Does anyone recommend a specific model? I looked on Amazon, and there is a big difference in price between the different Sonicare models.
kz
I have one of the cheap ones (crest, maybe?). I don’t use it every day because I don’t really like the way it feels (I have no explanation as to why. I just don’t), but it does clean really, really well compared to a regular toothbrush. You know that nice smooth feeling on your teeth after a dentist visit? Yea, like that. I know my regular brush isn’t removing as much plaque. I don’t know if a more expensive model would be any better, but my cheap one seems perfectly adequate.
Hairy
I also have a cheap one (an Oral B that was close to free after a mail in rebate) that I’ve been using for about 6 months and I really like it. I definitely feel like my teeth are much cleaner than before.
Mella
My husband has a Sonicare and loves it – sorry, I don’t know the model, but I think he got it at Target so I can’t imagine it cost a lot. He loves it, and will go into the bathroom during commercials and come out brushing his teeth – there’s very little water involved, so splashing and spitting isn’t an issue (for him). He follows a structured routine of 30 seconds top, 30 seconds bottom, and so on. I don’t think toothpaste is required with a Sonicare, but he still uses toothpaste. The intent with him is to prevent plaque buildup and not to clean stains as in your case; he’s said it’s made a huge difference.
He got me one. I hated it. I don’t like the feel of all that vibrating against my teeth. Plus, it was a pain to travel with, since you have to bring along the recharging base and find an outlet to plug it into, and then hope your wife doesn’t knock it over in your parents’ guest room (he now covers his toothbrush with a plastic bag while it’s recharging). And I can feel like I can manipulate a manual toothbrush more easily.
I guess I answered the “what do we like or dislike” part of the question. Hope it helps!
Maddie Ross
I had a Sonicare and thought it was kind of “meh.” I got it as a xmas present from my parents, who are true believers. While it was fine, I didn’t think it was necessarily any better than a regular toothbrush. I also didn’t like paying so much for the replacement heads, which I felt like I needed fairly often. I also didn’t notice any marked improvement in my oral health or the color of my teeth. Then again, I’m a vicious, fast tooth-brusher, so part of my problem was that the Sonicare felt kinda slow after so many years of going it alone 2xs a day.
SusanM
I love my Sonicare and have used one for years. I can’t remember the particular model I have. It makes my teeth feel much cleaner and smoother. You should use it for the full two minutes and change the brush head as often as recommended. I recently went too long without a new brush head and, after I replaced it, there was a big difference in how my teeth felt and in my gum health (per my hygienist). I imagine it helps reduce coffee, red wine and other stains.
Anonymous
I use a Sonicare. I love love love it. What I like the most: 1. the nice clean feeling I have in my mouth – smooth teeth front and back; 2. the limited amount of scraping I now have to endure during dental visits; 3. the compliments I get from the dentist and hygienist about how little tartar/plaque there is on my teeth. My hygienist knew immediately that I was using a Sonicare when I visited for the first time because of how clean my teeth were despite not having seen any dentist for . . . longer than I am willing to admit here. My only dislike is that the brush heads are a bit expensive and I find I need to replace them a little more often than they recommend. I buy on Amazon and for me they are well worth the price.
I use the Advance model with Elite brush heads, which fit both models. I think this is one of the less expensive, and I am happy with that. Do a close comparison of models. I remember that one more expensive model just had a timer on it to tell you to move to a different quadrant of the mouth, which I was not willing to pay for. (I do like that it automatically turns off after a full brush cycle and has a feature with shorter brush cycles for the first few uses as you got used to using it.)
In response to other comments: I don’t always travel with it, depending on length of stay and available space in bag and at destination. I would not compare a Sonicare to the cheap vibrating bristle brushes like Crest or Oral-B. I have used those, too, (sometimes for travel) and they don’t come close to Sonicare in terms of results.
bw
Love my Sonicare. For travel, I’ve found that I can take it for a long weekend without needing the charger. And it came with a nice travel case that doesn’t take up too much room.
The brushing itself certainly takes some getting used to but the results are worth it!
I’m pretty sure this is the one I have: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-Sonicare-Essence-Power-Toothbrush/dp/B000AMRII0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299103417&sr=8-1
Anonymous
I finally broke down and got one a year ago and now i swear by it. They are expensive — like 100-150 for a 2 pack plus 40 bucks for 3 replacement heads, which you need to replace every 3-5 months — but totally worth it. My teeth have looked much, much better (i also use a whitening pre-brush rinse which helps).
The Sonicare works way better than any of the cheaper models and is totally worth spending the money on.
SF Bay Associate
I love mine, one of the four quadrant timer models. I got it at Costco, which has periodic coupons which make it a great deal. I find that it holds its charge for about a week (I store it on its stand, not on the charger because that destroys battery life), so it’s not a big deal to take it with me on trips. My teeth are definitely cleaner with the sonicare, and dentist visits are less scrapey. Totally worth it.
Yes, toothpaste is required for a Sonicare.
Lee
I have the same one and love it too! It does take some getting used to though, at first all of the vibrating feels really odd.
denise
I have an electric that is neither the cheap kind nor Sonicare (can’t recall the brand at the moment, but it was recommended by my dentist). It was $75 for three heads and the base. I also don’t always take it when I travel, but it holds a charge for a week or more to accommodate travel (and it came with a travel case).
I love it for the same reasons others have mentioned, and the timed quadrants make a big difference for me. I tend to brush much less than the recommended time if left to my own.
Miriam
I have one! I got it for my birthday this past summer. I love it. Before I got that I had the cheaper drugstore kind to see how I would like it, but it was impossible to take the brush off to replace. I would just splurge for the $100 ones. The price of a cavity is a lot more plus the pain!
Louise
My dentist explained to me that the reason he recommends a Sonicare or other modern electric toothbrush is the built-in timer. The Sonicare kind of beeps/buzzes every 30 seconds and you are supposed to brush one quadrant of your mouth in that 30 seconds. In other words, 30 seconds for the outside of your bottom teeth, 30 seconds for the inside, etc. for a total of 2 minutes.
2 minutes is the MINIMUM recommended time to brush.
Most people don’t brush their teeth anywhere close to 2 minutes. Like Maddie Ross said, it seems very slow until you get used to it, which is an indication of how quickly we usually brushes on our own. If you set a timer or check your watch and brush for 2-3 minutes, a regular toothbrush does as good a job as an electric one. But very few people do that.
I definitely have slowed down and am brushing longer because of my Sonicare. I also use the time between beeps/buzzes to do various 30 second exercises, like trying to stand on one foot with my eyes closed to improve my balance, or wall-sits to build my quads.
Louise
Oh, and good dental hygiene is like wearing SPF every day: something that your older self will thank your younger self for. By the time you have gum disease or skin cancer, it’s way too late to develop good habits.
SF Bay Associate
I do balance exercises during my 2 minutes of Sonicare too!
rg
I think this is a good point. I just asked at my dentist if I should buy one, and they said I didn’t need one because I was already doing a good job brushing with a normal toothbrush.
The one thing that has really changed the result of my dental check ups for me is flossing regularly (and completely) every day. Since I’ve made it a priority, I have never had the dentist caution me about how well I’m cleaning my teeth.
a
Ditto this! I have one of the more expensive Oral-B models ($75-ish?) and I really think the greatest benefit to my teeth and oral health is the 2 minute timer. And I also have to endure very little scraping at the dentist. To contrast, my husband also uses it but rarely brushes for the full 2 minutes. He has significantly more plaque build up than I do (though to be fair, he may be prone to it and I might just be lucky).
anon
I highly recommend the Oral B Triumph. They are kind of expensive, but very effective. They have the timed quadrant thing, and really get your teeth clean. I’m embarrassed to say I frequently forget to floss, but when I go to the dentist for my 6 month cleaning, there is barely any plaque to remove, and they always compliment me on how good my teeth look. Not sure it does that much for stains, I drink coffee and red wine, but also recommend those Crest White Strips.
AnonInfinity
Thanks for all the thoughts! I think I am going to go for it when DH and I are off the spending freeze. Now I’m getting all excited.
lawstudent
I have used Sonicare, and found that a manual toothbrush worked better! Braun electric toothbrushes are much better than Sonicare, in my experience.
Ann
I’ve had Sonicares for years and I really like them, but they are not a panacea for every tooth problem as some people say. For me, I build tartar easily, but tartar-control toothpastes make my teeth really sensitive (and they are sensitive enough already). The Sonicare toothbrush really seems to help with plaque and tartar build-up without my having to use a control toothpaste, which makes my dental checkups a lot easier. They used to have to scrape my teeth a lot, now they hardly have to do anything. As far as staining goes – I am a big coffee and tea drinker, no soda or red wine. The Sonicare does seem to keep my teeth pretty white, but I still have to use Crest Whitestrips every few months to “brighten” them a little.
As far as models go – I have this one currently:
http://www.amazon.com/Philips-Sonicare-Essence-Power-Toothbrush/dp/B000AMRII0/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1299164568&sr=1-1
My dentist is not big on things like built-in sanitizers and all that. When my old Sonicare wore out, this is the one she told me to get and it works great. I would buy a model where you can buy brush-head replacements at your local Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, CVS etc. so you don’t always have to re-order them and wait (which is what I don’t like about my Clarisonic face brush sometimes).
L
Threadjack – can someone tell me what color “nude for me” should be? I just got a pair of “taupe” pumps that are v nice, but are darker than my skin tone. It wouldn’t be visible if I am wearing pants, but I prob wouldn’t wear them w/ skirts if they are supposed to be the same color as my skin. Advice?
They are these
http://www.ninewest.com/Jennifer/5874868,default,pd.html?cgid=7006&itemNum=1&variantSizeClass=&variantColor=PORCILE
The shoes definitely appear darker in person.
lawyerette
I don’t think anyone can tell you what is nude for you without seeing you in person … but even if they don’t match your skin tone exactly (I have yet to find a pair that does), there’s really no reason not to wear them with pants or anything else!
TCFKAG
Really, also, are you going to wear them with or without hose? Because, I guess if your going to wear them with hose, they need to match the color of your hose more than your actual skin.
Just a thought. But I agree with above that they don’t have to match exactly.
:-)
Elle2
I don’t think they need to match exactly, but they need to be relatively close (either lighter or darker) and in the same color family as your skin. I have pinkish tones in my skin and need a nude shoe with pinkish undertones as opposed to yellow undertones.
Even though they don’t match her skin tone excatly, I would consider the shoes in the Tahari suit picture a “nude-for-her” shoe.
CaribbeanGirl
I bought a Tahari ASL suit at Macy’s last year and this suit was in the same general area of the store. The one I bought was a black pinstripe skirt suit and I’ve been really happy with it (check it out here: http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=530087&CategoryID=39096&LinkType=#fn=BRAND%3DTahari%26sp%3D1%26spc%3D29).
It has a label inside with something like “stretch” (sorry, not wearing it today and am basing this on when I wore it two weeks ago). One plus is that it doesn’t wrinkle and it’s washable – I’ve packed it in a carry on roller bag and you don’t have to worry about steaming it when you arrive. It’s pretty incredible. I think it also looks expensive and wears well. I bought mine for about $120 or $140 on sale and am considering going back for another one.
Erin M.
Yep, I have 2 Tahari ASL suits and neither one wrinkles. They’re my go-to travel suits for that reason. Love them.
newatty
Help please. while waiting for full time employment, I am helping out a friend for free (for now). Friend is planning on buying a very small business and the seller want earnest money. Purchase is willing to pay that earnest money but wants it back if the deal falls through after due diligence.
Myt question is, do we keep the amount in escrow? If so is it acceptable / or advisable to keep it in the Seller’s broker’s escrow account or should I open an non-IOLTA escrow account for this purpose?
All help appreciated!
lawtalker
Many banks have escrow services (for a fee). That could be a good option to put the money in a 3rd party’s hands.
E
I have a trouser suit with near-identical colour and pattern to this! It looks lovely and not loud at all, promise.
This one’s gorgeous. Wish mine came in a skirt as well as trousers.
Bonnie
Did we come to a decision on a DC get together?
Alias Terry
Here is an interesting short read about updating your business image:
http://www.phxfocus.com/2011-03/update-your-image/
Bk foette
Threadjack: does anyone know of a legitimate resume critique service? I would like an outsider to view it before I start submitting to firms for my after clerkship job.
Thanks,