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Updated: Nov 11, 2020 90 Comments · by

Suit of the Week: The Fold London

The Personal Shopper (TPS)

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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.

It's easy to fall down a dreamy rabbithole with Fold's website — everything is absolutely gorgeous and just different enough that it makes it fabulous if you're hunting for an investment piece (that you can still wear to work).

The origami-like Belleville top is still my favorite, but this asymmetrical blazer is a strong second. I am… not a fan of the way it's styled here (cropped trousers and slides), but do note that there is a simple pencil skirt, and you can get a few matching tops and blazers (including the Belleville) in that same navy fabric to make a bit of a uniform.

In fact, here's their whole “ultimate wool collection” with matching pieces in both black and navy. Nice. And lots of pieces are on sale at the moment!

The pictured blazer is $316 (on sale!) at TheFold.

Sales of note for 9.30.24

Sales of note for 9.30.24

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

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Comments

  1. Anonymous

    Suggestions for a Thanksgiving meal for one? I’m going to stay in my own little bubble of a house this year but I don’t want to miss out! I’m used to cooking for a giant crowd, so I really need to scale it back. Anything in particular people recommend?

    • Anon

      NYT just did something about a T-giving meal for 2! Should have some good ideas there.

      Personally, I would make 4 servings of all my favorites and call it a day. For me that would be brussels sprout hash, mashed potatoes and cranberry upside down cake. I don’t get the appeal of the turkey or stuffing, if I’m honest.

    • Horse Crazy

      I agree with Anon above, in that you should just make your favorites of the meal! Don’t feel pressured to make things you don’t like, just because they’re a “Thanksgiving” food. I’d make myself a roast chicken (chicken is better than turkey, fight me) and maybe gravy, Brussels sprouts, some kind of potato dish (probably this because it’s INSANELY good and you can definitely make it in a smaller dish than the recipe says: https://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/herbed-potato-gratin.html), and a dessert – no need for sweet potatoes or green beans or cranberry (just my preference). I saw this the other day and thought it sounded really good and cute: https://www.bustle.com/p/this-pumpkin-pie-recipe-for-one-person-is-the-only-dessert-you-need-this-fall-11928883. Finally, I’d definitely make enough of everything to have leftovers to enjoy over the long weekend.

    • Anon

      I’m also doing Thanksgiving for one this year. I plan to get takeout from a fancy place the day before and heat it up for Thanksgiving!

    • Anon

      I’m also having Thanksgiving for one this year and using it as an excuse to do absolutely nothing. I googled my city and turns out that the butcher nearby has a lovely menu of ~2 serving side dishes you can preorder, and I’m so excited to have everything made for me with no dishes to clean!

    • NY CPA

      1) Roasted chicken — Even a turkey breast will probably be too much for one, and I think there’s going to be a run on individual turkey breasts with so many people staying at home and cooking only for immediate families.
      2) All your favorite sides, but cut the recipe in half and cook it in an 8×8 baking dish instead of a 9×13 (stuffing, mac and cheese, green bean cassarole–whatever makes it feel like Thanksgiving for you)
      3) A bottle of champagne and drop in a few pomegranate seeds to your glass
      4) Mini tartlets with your filling of choice (pumpkin, sweet potato, pecan) and a scoop of vanilla ice cream
      You’ll end up with some leftovers but not an insane amount, and will still get to partake in the day-after-Thanksgiving leftover sandwich tradition!

    • Friday

      Three ideas: 1) gumbo! We made it for Christmas last year. It was delicious and easy but also gave DH and I something to “do” all day. I think you could freeze half as well.
      2) Order something. A bbq place near us is taking Thanksgiving meal orders.
      3) I also second just making a small serving of meat and sides you enjoy. For me that would be: a cornish game hen, oyster stuffing, cranberry sauce and a pumpkin pie. Yes, I would make and eat a whole pie by myself – come at me.

      • Maudie Atkinson

        Oyster dressing is the one thing I have to have for Thanksgiving. Without it, it’s not Thanksgiving to me.
        I make mine with (homemade) buttermilk cornbread, and last Thanksgiving, I shipped cornmeal and White Lily flour to my in-laws’ in California because when I’d tried to make cornbread in SF at New Years, I couldn’t find any good corn meal!

    • Horse Crazy

      Comment with links in mod.

      I agree with Anon above, in that you should just make your favorites of the meal! Don’t feel pressured to make things you don’t like, just because they’re a “Thanksgiving” food. I’d make myself a roast chicken (chicken is better than turkey, fight me) and maybe gravy, Brussels sprouts, some kind of potato dish (probably Williams Sonoma Herbed Potato Gratin because it’s INSANELY good and you can definitely make it in a smaller dish than the recipe says), and a dessert – no need for sweet potatoes or green beans or cranberry (just my preference). I saw a recipe on Bustle for pumpkin pie for 1 the other day and thought it sounded really good and cute. Finally, I’d definitely make enough of everything to have leftovers to enjoy over the long weekend.

    • anon

      I’m going from hosting 20 to cooking for my immediate family of 4. Not quite the same, but my plan is to go with our standard favorites in much smaller quantities. You can always freeze turkey or dressing if you end up with too much. Mashed potatoes are pretty easy to scale down so you’re not left with a mountain of ’em unless you want that. Sweet potato casserole? That’s going to be full size, per the usual, because it’s my favorite and I’m the cook. :) Instead of having a smorgasbord of desserts, we’re doing one pumpkin pie and one chocolate dessert for the kids.

      Another thought is to pick up a T-Day meal for 2 at your local grocery store, but if you enjoy cooking, that’s probably less appealing.

      • anon

        I should also mention that if you use whole cranberries, you can freeze leftover cranberry sauce. At least I’ve done it pretty successfully in the past!

    • Me!

      If you want something easy and not totally traditional that still feels a bit “holidayish” I’m a big fan of roasting winter squash and filling it with a mixture of sage heavy sausage, diced jalapeno, and dried cranberries.

    • Anon

      A remarkably addictive and super easy dessert is whole fresh cranberries rolled in (pasteurized) egg white and then white sugar. Let them dry for a bit on a cookie sheet so they don’t stick together. They look like beautiful snowy Christmas tree ornaments and are a huge hit at holiday meals and potlucks.

        • Aunt Jamesina

          Not the Anon who posted this, but no, they aren’t cooked in any way, you just let them air dry. I’ve made them with just water instead of egg white. They make gorgeous decorations for cakes, too.

    • Anonymous

      I really like turkey roulade. You pound a boneless skinless turkey breast thin, spread stuffing on it, roll it up, and roast in the oven. It is delicious, feels very special, doesn’t make a ton of leftovers, and is less fuss and mess than a whole bird or even a whole breast.

    • Thanks, it has pockets!

      I’d probably roast a chicken, and make some baked mac and cheese, with a side of green beans, and pecan pie for dessert.

    • Aunt Jamesina

      I love cooking and I love allllllllll of the Thanksgiving dishes, so I’ll be cooking the full feast for the two of us. I won’t hear of any other alternative in my house :-). Cook whatever you want! Nothing! Everything! Order carryout from a fancy restaurant! Sushi!

      • anon

        That’s how I feel about it. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, so THE COOKING MUST GO ON. Do whatever brings you joy this year!

    • Anonymous

      im gonna make it a thanksgiving food WEEK and cook sides all week, roast a duck at the beginning of the week and sort of each some of all dishes every day. this way i can have sweet potatoes and mashed regular potatoes, two types of stuffing, brussel sprouts and green bean casserole, etc. i love thanksigving food and i am ridiculously excited to make a ton for myself all week

    • Anon

      You could do a sides only thanksgiving.

      You could buy just a turkey breast or just turkey legs, depending on whether you like white or dark meat.

      You could roast a chicken instead, or maybe a duck if that would seem more special.

      I would definintely make any dish that feels special to you – for instance, it wouldn’t be thanksgiving to me without the green bean casserole, and I’m perfectly happy with the one on the box of fried onions, though smitten kitchen’s version from scratch is also good.

      I also can’t do without gravy and mashed potatoes.

      For me, I could skip the stuffing/dressing, but that is my family’s fave.

      Definitely drink some champagne and call some friends and family that evening. A nice fall walk after the meal is also really festive to me.

    • Anonymous

      I would eat a 3 course meal of pie. And wine. It’s what I’m thankful for.

      Meanwhile I’ll be cooking god knows what for my family and mom and fielding cross country drama via zoom.

  2. Anon

    I remember a thread on desk chairs some of you bought for WFH. I’m looking for a white one. I can’t find the exact thread.

    If you bought a desk chair you love that comes in white please drop me a link!

  3. Anonymous

    has anyone tried colorstreet nails? I’m intrigued since they say you can remove with nail polish.

    • Anon

      I have a sample of them on right now and will be buying a few sets. They look quite nice, and I say this as someone who is marginally competent at best in putting the things on.

    • Bonnie Kate

      My best friend has tried a few different press on nails, including color street, but she REALLY likes imPRESS press on nails the best. Bonus to those is that you can pick them up in the store. I tried them but don’t like the way they felt on my nails. They would have lasted a lot longer if I wouldn’t have picked at them. Best friend has had hers last 10+ days though and she has kids, so really puts them through the tests.

  4. Anon

    If I have a recipe for a cake or a casserole that calls for an 8″ square dish and I have a 9″ square dish, what would I need to adjust, if anything?

    • yum cake

      Reduce baking time – since it will be slightly more spread out it will cook faster. I’d start checking 10 minutes sooner than I would usually. A casserole would be much more forgiving than cakes in general, though I often bake 9 inch round cake recipes in an 8 inch round. Some cakes can be very finicky.

    • NY CPA

      If you’re ok with your cake being thinner, nothing. If you want the same thickness as with an 8″ square dish, you need about 25% more batter: 9×9 / 8×8 = 1.27
      If it was something like brownies, I’d probably just double the receipe, because I’d rather they be extra-thick than too thin.
      That could probably work for cake too if you didnt want to do the math for each ingredient, but would likely take much longer to bake so just make sure to account for that and check it regularly. Also make sure the pan didn’t get more than about 2/3 full height-wise, so you may have leftover batter.
      For casserole, you’re probably fine with keeping it the way it is.

    • anon

      I would keep the quantity the same but reduce the bake time. You COULD adjust the ingredient amounts, but they’re not going to be nice, neat numbers and I’d find it more trouble than it’s worth.

  5. Horse Crazy

    Comment with links in mod.

    I agree with Anon above, in that you should just make your favorites of the meal! Don’t feel pressured to make things you don’t like, just because they’re a “Thanksgiving” food. I’d make myself a roast chicken (chicken is better than turkey, fight me) and maybe gravy, Brussels sprouts, some kind of potato dish (probably Williams Sonoma Herbed Potato Gratin because it’s INSANELY good and you can definitely make it in a smaller dish than the recipe says), and a dessert – no need for sweet potatoes or green beans or cranberry (just my preference). I saw a recipe on Bustle for pumpkin pie for 1 the other day and thought it sounded really good and cute. Finally, I’d definitely make enough of everything to have leftovers to enjoy over the long weekend.

  6. State and counties s*ck

    My state has a lot on lockdown and some essential businesses that were open since day 1. Schools were punted on to county boards. Mine is dysfunctional — others are larger and others are poorer. We just s*ck. Had they said they were taking the year off last Feb I could have gotten my kids into private school that they’d be attending (they were in person since August with no drama or tragic outcomes). County schools were a joke I. The spring but they promised to be back in the fall. Until they suddenly weren’t, but would in a month. In another month. In another month. Now — maybe 2021, but I’m just done. So many times I’ve had hard convos with work. And I’m not done. I need to have yet another one. I can’t move my kids to even expensive private schools because the lines to get in are miles long. I can’t really home school because I work, but I’m limping along, so maybe I will get fired and then I will have time (but no $ for tuition if spots did open up). Ugh. We can open liquor stores and cosmetic surgery centers and gyms (still no bars). Some counties have figured it out in my state but my county isn’t interested — it just has excuses that are a day late and a dollar short. I hate 2020 and will likely hate 2021 too.

    • Anonymous

      Are they not doing virtual school? Do day cares where you are not offer virtual learning pods?

    • Anonymous

      The comparison of schools to liquor stores, cosmetic surgery centers and gyms isn’t a good comparison, it’s just a good sound bite of a complaint. Liquor stores never closed in most places, for sound reasons including that if you allow people to buy alcohol to drink at home they will stay home and alcohol addicts that suddenly stop drinking without medical supervision will die. Surgery centers are open, and some are cosmetic. Who gets to be the judge of which surgery is necessary, and which isn’t? When I needed emergency stitches on my face, I was sure glad the cosmetic surgeon was available. The Washington Post had an article on September 21 that stated data on spread of the coronavirus within gym environments is scarce.

      Liquor stores, cosmetic surgery, and gyms are all very different from a school environment. Focusing on why those are open isn’t helpful, the focus needs to be on why schools n your town aren’t. But certainly, no school is closed because someone went into a package store and bought a bottle of wine.

      • Anonymous

        Says something about our priorities that social services for kids (basically: schools) you can can just dump on moms. Who cares about moms. At least they can go to the package goods store and day drink their pain away.

    • Aunt Jamesina

      I am so sorry, this is all so frustrating. Is there a college kid who’s home this semester or someone else you can pay to supervise your kids with e-learning and other things during the day? A neighborhood pod? Other employees at your workplace in a similar situation you can talk to?

      • Anonymous

        Pods are really for K-3 here (where they all learn the same thing), but we don’t know anyone older than first grade doing it near us (they lucked out with 5 first graders over 2 blocks, so all the parents were OK with all the other families’ risk profiles). Some schools have a weird A-B day rotation of different classes, different lunch times, etc., that it doesn’t work with older elementary kids and middle school kids at different schools, with different programs. And day cares are hard hit and barely open, so not opening up for older kids who maybe shouldn’t be next to infants. Lot of theoretical options; not a lot of actual options.

        Local colleges have a bit of partying and are beyond our risk profile and they send their kids home in a week or two anyway. We tried to find a PT nanny in Before Times with no success (have to pay on the books, which is often a deal-breaker, and do a license check for insurance, which scares off some people, too).

        I just think moms are a constituency that you can ignore — there was no will to figure this out. Our governor decided ABC stores had to remain open and so they did. I get why that happens (and the cynic gets the $ too), but was it unworthy to have schools remain with no-in person option on the table 9 months later?! Much less nothing on the horizon for next year? My state abdicated leadership on this and punted; our local officials are a joke.

        • Anonymous

          This has nothing at all to do with liquor stores. Continuing to include that comparison makes you sound unhinged and takes away from your otherwise reasonable comments.

    • solidarity

      Solidarity. I’ve lost a lot of faith in my public school district because of how they’ve handled this – lack of communication and clear metrics. It’s the constant goal-moving that’s so stressful. I don’t think we will be back until fall 2021 and maybe not even then.

      (I have partially solved this problem by throwing money at it – hiring a nanny to oversee my kid’s school. But I don’t think you were asking for advice, just commiseration, and that’s not financially feasible for many people. Demand for nannies has also gone WAY up where we live.)

      • anon

        +1 Our school district is beyond incompetent. I fully appreciate teachers, but have concluded that teaching is a totally different skillset than crisis management/FEMA relief. They really need to bring in business and scientific consultants to help or we’ll never reopen.

        If you haven’t hired help yet, you really should. We have a college aged nanny and she’s allowing me to keep my job. It’s not perfect–she can’t seem to get my kid to do her school work or pick up after the kids at all, but at least she is a moderately entertaining warm body.

        I won’t comment on liquor stores, but I am very disappointed that our county is allowing large groups of people to congregate in indoor bars and gyms. In Germany, they closed bars and restaurants to slow community spread, but kept schools open. We need to adjust our country’s priorities.

    • Anonymous

      How old are your kids? Do you feel like they are behind? It sounds like maybe older elem school. What are their friends doing? Could you pair up with a set of their friends and at least divide the pain? We ended up with a local dance studio that converted to a learning facility (the owner should win an award, she is amazing) but had contemplated swapping days wi eh our neighbors.

      One of the saintly women in my neighborhood has kids in 2nd/5th/8th and they have taken in a neighborhood kid in 3rd whose parents both work full time and one is essential/in person. She also volunteers as a sub at an elem in town that is drastically understaffed. Because like I said, she is a saint.

  7. Anonymouse

    Can anyone recommend resources for body acceptance?
    I’ve gained weight this year, partly due to an SSRI, partly more cooking and baking due to covid, partly being in a better place mentally (thanks to SSRI). I’m still what most people would call thin, but I’m bigger than I was in the past.
    I have had issues with restrictive eating previously and got down to an unhealthily low BMI. The weight gain is definitely triggering some of those restrictive thoughts and I’m looking for ways to challenge those and shift my feelings towards weight gain. I don’t think it’s bad enough for therapy, so more looking for books, online resources, etc.

    • anon

      Solidarity. I could’ve written every word of this, from a medication change, to the cooking and baking, to really struggling with anything involving restriction. I keep repeating the mantra that I’ve been doing what I need to do to be OK on all fronts: physically and emotionally. That means my weight isn’t going to look exactly the same right now, but I’m here, I’m healthy, and that’s Enough.

      • Anonymous

        I really like this. I’ve also had weight gain and have struggled with my clothes not really fitting me. I’m trying to appreciate my body and the fact that I am healthy. In pandemic times, that is no small matter! I like your mantra and plan to use it.

    • Anonymous

      If you haven’t already done this, buy clothes you love and that make you feel good at your current size. There’s nothing more disheartening than feeling terrible in too-tight clothes.
      Follow body-positive bloggers on social media (they can be found at all sizes).
      Try to find some new things about your body that you like and can focus on–for me, my b**bs fill out much better when I put on weight and they’re the first thing to disappear when I lose it so I enjoy them while they last.

        • KW

          +1 I’ve put on some weight too and at least some of it must have gone to my booty because DH has complimented my butt several times recently. And also a +1 to buying new clothes that fit.

    • Anonymous

      Real Life RD (blog) is one great place to start. Dana Monsees and Happily Fed are two other good ones on Instagram.

    • Anonymouse

      Thank you for your comments! It’s really nice to hear that I’m not alone in this, that helps a lot. I’ll check out the resources you’ve mentioned, thanks – and it might be time to buy some new pants/skirts/clothes I feel great in.

      I agree that b**bs are definitely an improvement with weight gain. I and my BF have been enjoying those :)

    • Anonie

      I feel you, girl. My SSRI has made me gain weight, but I am happier now around a size 8 (occasionally a 6) than I was before at a size 4 (occasionally a 6), so I’ll take it. I just consider it a win that most of my size 6 items fit both then and now! I also had a childhood eating history of anorexia; diet talk and even some workout talk can be very painful for me. My advice:

      1) Unfollow social media accounts that trigger feelings of inadequacy and intentionally follow influencers/bloggers who look a little closer to your current size and seem unabashedly proud of their appearance.

      2) Gently let your close friends know that diet talk/body bashing is off-limits for you right now. It comes up SO often in groups of women, especially. If you’re around a group and everyone is discussing diets, leave the room (or, in Covid times, leave the social happy hour).

      3) If you’re partnered, let your partner know that you need extra words of affirmation right now.

      4) Identify a few “power outfits” in your wardrobe that make you feel good no matter what.

      5) Do you love your hair? Your face? Your eye color? Celebrate the things you love about your appearance by playing them up. Find a great hair conditioner or learn how to use some new styling tools, order a fancy face mask or some high-end foundation, watch YouTube videos about a new eye makeup technique, etc

      • Anonymous

        These are nice tips, but one thing that works better for me is de-emphasizing my body. I don’t need to love it or talk about it – it’s just a tool I can do the things I love with. Rather than finding things I love about my appearance, I like to think about things I like to do with my body (like skiing or surfing).

        • Anonie

          That’s fair. Those have worked for me, but I definitely agree that different things work for different people :) OP, I hope you can weed through these comments, find what’s useful, and discard anything unhelpful. Rooting for you!

    • Mal

      I found BodyImageWithBri on instagram really helpful with her ideas around reframing your thoughts around your body. She is a counselor with experience with those recovering from eating disorders, and uses that and her own experiences to help everyone understand the thoughts they have around their bodies. Good luck! I’m in a similar place this year, and understand the challenges!

  8. carollyn

    U’ve worked mainly in the nonprofit space, but I’m job searching now and my skill set is very transferable so I’m looking at roles in private companies as well. Today I have a phone screen for a shoe company. They make good shoes, but honestly, how do you answer “why do you want to work at X consumer good company?”. They will pay me and the work doesn’t seem boring. I don’t have a deep felt passion for socks.

    • AIMS

      I tend to think those questions are intended to be about what you bring to the company as anything else so I would just focus on your skills. I want to work at X shoe company because it would be a chance to utilize my Y skills to achieve Z results.

  9. Anon

    Inspired by a post yesterday or the day before, I finally did the thing I was putting off today, and it wasn’t as bad as I had made it seem when I was avoiding it. Thanks for the tip and the unintentional encouragement!!

    • Aunt Jamesina

      Good work! I had a bunch of annoying work tasks that have been on my to-do list for probably two weeks that I knocked out first thing this morning. I feel so much better.

    • anon

      Yes, their stuff is gorgeous and I want all of it! It’s true to size unless the website tells you otherwise for a particular garment. I wear a US 4 (or 0 at places like Loft with crazy vanity sizing) and am almost always a UK 8 at the Fold.

    • Anon

      5f5i pear, 135lbs, small shoulder straight torso, curvier derriere. I’m usually an x-small/2 on top and size 4 bottom with Banana Republic but I’m a definite US6/UK10 in The Fold. They’re probably similar to Boden where I’m mostly a 6.

    • CountC

      I found their sizing charts to be very accurate. I am 5’5”, 125 lbs, small chest, larger shoulders, defined waist, mildly curvy hips and a UK 8/US 4 is a touch too big. I am afraid to go a size down because I’d prefer it to be a bit big than a bit too tight!

  11. LaurenB

    Oh joy! Here’s my day so far:
    1) Accompany 77 yo mother to cardiologist appointment and find out she needs a pacemaker and defibrillator.
    2) While in with the cardiologist, receive a text from my sister that my 78 yo father and his lady friend have Covid (my parents are divorced, father lives in Florida). Only mild symptoms, but my father is asthmatic and has weak lungs.
    3) Sister and I want so badly to tell father who voted for Trump for his pocketbook that he can thank DeSantis and Trump for his Covid, but just vent to one another instead.

  12. Anonymous

    Does anyone know what “RVH Notice Attempted//Not known” means on a criminal court docket? Still cannot find an answer after much googling and court is closed today. Thought someone on here might know. Thank you so much!

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