Suit of the Week: Talbots

51 Comments

1. I think Talbots is designed for middle aged suburban moms, but my 20-something unattached urban self loves them anyway. Same for Lands End. Love. And I love these colors, but I don’t know anything about cotton pique. (I love their ponte).

   1. Be not ashamed! Talbots is the only place I’ve been able to find halfway decent plain black/navy suits lately that actually fit! (I have large — ah hem, “strong!” — upper arms.) And Lands End is the only place I can find quality cardigans in lots of colors.

   2. Haha, I think Talbots has a good collection this spring! And I’ve been disappointed with Banana Republic’s offerings lately, anyway. Maybe I’m just getting old (early 30s, unattached, and live in the suburbs).

      Incidentally, last night a friend made an offhand, joking comment that people must assume I’m already married because of the way I dress, which probably means I shouldn’t wear any clothes from Talbots.

      1. I have also been disappointed with BR. Their clothes are certainly not work appropriate for me as they are too casual. Also, my work clothes are very different from my “play” clothes.

   3. Great Pick, Kat and Kate!! YAY for Talbot’s I agree with Wildkitten. I also have some great stuff from Talbot’s that is NOT to flashy, but very colorful, like these blazer’s and sheathe dresse’s! And my MOM does not mind watcheing me try on their stuff, b/c it is NOT that expensive. I wear alot of my Talbot’s stuff in the summer, when cotton is the ONLEY way to go.

      For those of you in the HIVE that are NOT familiar with Washington DC, it can get VERY VERY HUMID in the summer, so if you do NOT like humidty, you will NOT like DC in the summer. When I was there, I had to work in the goverment offices, which were very musty–they did have A/C, but it was old and pretty much useless, unless it was FREEZING, like it was up on Capital Hill for the Congress. Myrna say’s they keep it cold there b/c the grungy congressmen like to see us women with goose bump’s. FOOEY on them. Those hornbags should NOT make us cold just so they can watch us shivver. DOUBEL FOOEY on them! But anyway, I bought and wore Talbot’s dresses for years down there, and they still fit me, even tho my tuchus is bigger then it was when I was a college junior. I totaly LOVE Talbot’s and now that I am middel aged, I will go back for more dresses once the Ann Taylors and Ann Klein’s and Zara stuff get’s to tight in the tuchus for me. DOUBEL YAY!!!!!

   4. I loved Talbots clothing this spring/summer. I think they have upped their game both in terms of quality and designs. My husband used to hate that I go there to shop because everything was frumpy. He used to point to old ladies (like in their 60s) who were always present in the shop and say that all clothing in that shop was catering to that age group. This time, I ordered a bunch of stuff online during their Memorial Day sale and he couldn’t believe that they were from Talbots !

   5. I like Talbots because I’m at least one and sometimes two sizes smaller there.

      1. Go try on a pair of jeans from White House Black Market. WHBM takes vanity sizing to 11.

         1. Very true! I am a solid 4, but regularly buy 0’s at WHBM.

   6. IME cotton pique wrinkles like crazy. I’ve tried their suiting but seem to be in some no-man’s land between regular and petite sizing.

      1. Noted. That’s what I was afraid of. Thank you!

   7. I too love Talbots. Been collecting their fit and flare dresses all summer long – on sale, of course. I’m an 8 in the dresses. I was simply swimming in this blazer. It seemed unstructured on me. I always need a structured blazer, being an extreme hourglass. But this was one loose bag on me. Back it went…

2. I’m attending a wedding with a 6-hour gap between the ceremony and reception. Should I wear separate outfits? The dress code is black tie optional, BF is not wearing a tux. I was planning to wear a long sequined gown, but that seems too fancy for a noon church service. If I have to pack something separate for the ceremony, what should I wear? A sun dress? Thanks.

   1. I agree that the gown sounds like too much for a noon church service (but lovely for the evening), so I’d pack that and something shorter and brighter in color for the church. There may be people who wear the same cocktail-type outfit all day where a sundress might stick out (this depends on your definition of sundress–to put my comment in context, my definition is sorority rush, spaghetti strapped Lilly prints), so maybe a solid A-line or sheath in something like silk that you won’t have to iron when you unpack your suitcase?

   2. If it were me, I’d skip the ceremony and just attend the reception in my fabulous sequined gown. 6 hours! What does the happy couple expect their guests to do in between?

      1. This. a 6 hour gap is cray

      2. A 6 hour gap is annoying but it’s not like the guests are incapacitated. I’m sure they’re perfectly capable of going home or to the hotel for a nap, games, drinks, etc. I’ve attended several with a 2-3 hour gap and the couple arranged for a “hangout” room at the hotel for those people who weren’t staying in hotels but didn’t want to drive all the way home in between, though we usually just congregated in the hotel bar and caught up with family. When I didn’t know many people, definitely nap.

         1. its just so rude though- I dont understand the gap thing at all. if you want a noon ceremony than you get a lunch reception.

            1. there’s a pretty huge difference between a 2 hour gap and a 6 hour gap. So. Totally. Rude.

            2. I don’t know that many people “want” a noon ceremony. They get stuck with it because it’s all the church has available. And if they did a late lunch reception, people would be complaining either (1) that there was no good hard cutoff to leave like there is at evening events (from the “I’m only here because I have to be” folks) or (2) from the “PAR-TAYYYYY” folks, that it was an awkward time to get schtotally wasted and hook up with a random bridal party member. You can’t win. If you are annoyed by the couple that much, pick one of the two to go to, or skip altogether (tbc, it doesn’t sound like OP is exhibiting that annoyance, just the peanut gallery).

            3. I would give the couple the benefit of the doubt. I know that some Catholic churches won’t allow afternoon ceremonies due to Saturdau afternoon mass. Everyone will be fine and still have a great time.

         2. A 6-hour gap is unusual, but I don’t think it’s more annoying than a 2-3 hour gap. In fact, if the wedding were in my current city, a 6-hour gap would be better because I could treat them as 2 separate events and just go home and/or carry on with my normal Saturday in between the ceremony and reception. A shorter gap often doesn’t leave quite enough time to go home (unless you want to spend 1/2 the gap commuting), but it does leave a long period of time that needs filled. Sometimes this can be fun, sometimes it can be exhausting or boring or expensive, depending on how many people I know (and like) are also there killing the gap time with me.

            1. solution: no one should have gaps!

            2. I don’t get how the gap is “rude”. I’m sure it happens because of scheduling, as a couple of posters pointed out. Maybe it isn’t how you (guest) would prefer it, but honestly, if it annoys you that much, don’t go. Or don’t go to one or the other. My goodness!

      3. We’ll probably have a boozy hotel room picnic. Bring some wine and snacks for the room to cut down on cost and calories. But yeah you can’t leave us to our own devices for 6 hours in podunk nowhere and expect us to emerge sober.

         1. That is awesome.

         2. I’m going to a four day wedding next weekend and plan to do this for the entire time.

         3. If I drank with nothing to do for 6 hours I would not make it to the reception!

         4. My bff and her husband had a Friday ceremony that was for family, but others could come if they wanted to. Our close friend group all went up Friday night, went to the ceremony, and went out to dinner Friday night (bride and groom had family dinner that night). The next morning we ran in a memorial race and then day drank and played cards at the hotels until the evening celebration that night. It was fun, but probably not the smartest idea!!

   3. I would definitely wear something else for the ceremony. Maybe a silk dress in a happy color?

   4. I would wear something simple for the ceremony, like a sheath dress or skirt and top, and change into the sequin gown for the evening reception.

      1. Me too.

   5. Sheath dress with fun necklace for the ceremony.
      PJs for the boozy picnic/buzzed nap.
      Gown for the reception.

   6. My wedding has a 3 hour gap between ceremony and reception. I have no idea what to do with my guests, it wasn’t my idea, my future in-laws insisted on it so their families could change in between. I will recommend boozy hotel room picnic to my close friends too , great idea. Damn the stupid in-laws and their planning, can’t wait for the wedding to be done and over with.

3. I am about 98% sure that I have fibromyalgia. I haven’t discussed it with my doctor. I’ll bring it up the next time I see him, but my question is this: for you ladies who have it/know people who deal with it, is there any benefit to being diagnosed?

   I don’t want to deal with all the appointments, tests, etc., just to get a diagnosis when there’s not much that can be done to ‘cure’ it. I probably wouldn’t take many pain killers I was prescribed, just because I don’t react well to any of the strong stuff I have been prescribed in the past.

   1. I have a fibro + lupus diagnosis and I think it is definitely worth speaking with your doctor about it. Fibromyalgia is a tough one to diagnose and it might be something else. They are also making progress with meds to manage the symptoms so your doctor would be able to tell you more.

4. Does anyone have any experience with putting a Longchamp Le Pliage tote in the washing machine (and/or dryer)? My lunch leaked, and the bag is now a bit gross.

   Thanks!

   1. No, but I’ve soaked mine in the sink with dish detergent, scrubbed with a brush, and hung to dry – good as new!

   2. I soaked mine in the sink with woolite and it turned out great. I wouldn’t put it in the washer. Maybe the dishwasher, but the sink prevents the handles from getting wet.

   3. I would not put it in the washing machine or dryer but it’s probably fine to flip it inside out and rinse it out in the sink. That would be much gentler on the leather trim.

   4. I have, probably five or six times now. No problems at all.

   5. I have washed it in the machine. It is clean but the zipper blocks often. The leather part was not affected.

5. Trying again (having trouble posting…) –

   Does anyone have personal experience (self, close relative/friend) with filing for bankruptcy? My in-laws will likely be filing in the near future. We are committed to staying out of the details as much as possible (we want to make sure they always have safe/clean shelter, food, etc., but it is not our job to rescue them from chronic poor decision making), but I still want to know what to expect, aftermath, etc.

   1. I say this with all love and respect: You should expect them to handle their own affairs and you should expect to handle your own affairs, and you should not expect to be privy to the gory details or get a vote in any decisions they make.

      That said, very generally speaking you should expect life to proceed as normal and at the end they will get a discharge and that will be that.

   2. They no longer brand petitioners with a “B”. (kidding)

      They will have the BK on their credit record for 7-10 years, depending on the state, so will have impacts from that on buying houses, renting apartments, applying for credit, applying for jobs (in some states). If they own a home, they can “exclude” it from discharge if they can continue make the payments or sometimes the judge will adjust the payments (called a “cram-down” in that the lender is forced to accept the payments if judge orders). Some states may have different exemptions. They can keep some assets (cars sometimes. 401K or IRAs or retirement/pension accounts normally are kept and are not required to be liquidated).

      So in most cases, they will have to buy only in cash until they reestablish credit.

      Best of luck.

   3. My inlaws have done it.. twice. Life goes on as normal. Stay separate. Talk about other things. It really doesn’t change your life unless you choose to get involved.

6. I want to love Talbot’s and Land’s End. They have great sales and great basics, and their dresses always look nice on the models. But I’m so pear-shaped that whatever I do, I look like I’m wearing a giant vibrantly-colored bag over my head. I learned my lesson on tailoring, which is that I shouldn’t buy things intending to get them tailored, because I will just never get around to it. (And because women’s tailors in DC are strangely expensive and difficult to find!)

   Anne Taylor Loft used to be my go-to for “close enough” proportioned workwear, but skirts and dresses there seem to get shorter every year. Fellow pear-shaped peeps, have you found anything promising at the Loft/Talbot’s price point lately?

   1. I am a pear. 30″ band size; 29″ waist; 39″ hips.

      I have had good luck with BR (tolerable waists, but have gotten them taken in lately), Halogen (waists are roomy but tolerable), and Land’s End (fit 2 pants only and swimwear and their rashguard material dresses that they market as pool cover ups).

      Sometimes Talbots works, but I need a petite size b/c I am short-waisted and that can make the skirt too short. Just got some ponte sheath dresses altered (taken in above the waist), but they were tolerable before (esp. with a jacket / cardigan over top).

   2. If you go to JC Lofton on U Street he will tell you what it costs to tailor things and you can decide if it’s worth it for the item. (Other tailors will tell you too, but it’s probably never worth at those tailors at these price points.) I’ve seen him tailor some really cheap stuff at a really low rate, so you might want to bring in one item with tags on and ask what it would cost and you can either return it or bring back 10 more.

7. In prior years, about 90% of my wardrobe was from Talbots but their quality has slipped and for some reason their petite jackets and sweaters have gotten really long in the arms (at least in size 16). So I can wear a lot of their dresses but won’t pay to tailor jacket sleeves (or would pay, but it’s impossible to hem jacket sleeves that have buttonholes in the cuff). I mentioned it to the staff at my local Talbots and they said that they knew and suggested I roll the cuffs up. Um, no won’t work in a business formal dress environment.

   1. Pear here, I used to love Talbots but the quality is now so poor! I like Tahari and Anne Klein dresses.

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