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Suit of the Week: The Frankie Shop

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woman wears cream/ivory double breasted suit with pleated, tapered pants

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 2025!

I only recently noticed that The Frankie Shop has a large suits section for women, and spent a bit of time looking around it. If your work role is The Grownup in the Very Creative Office, I think this suit selection is perfect.

The above suit is one of the more tame ones — I like the double-breasted blazer, and I like how they've styled it with a button-front and tie in so many of the pictures. The pants here are also nice — the pleating is certainly trendy! — but there is a button at the bottom of the pants that gives me pause. It's meant to give you “a perfect fit,” but really it just seems like your option is “wide leg pants with weird button on the side” or “tapered pants with a weird tuck/pleat around your calf.” But: it is creative!

A lot of the suits look like they would be perfect for the “dress like The Talking Heads” day at the office, but if you can pull off a very, very oversized blazer, my hat is truly off to you.

The blazer is $289, and the pants are $164. You can see the full selection here.

As of 2025, our latest favorite unusual, dramatic blazers for women include options from three Etsy sellers. If you're OK with Very Dramatic Blazers, check out The Frankie Shop or this Etsy seller.

woman wears merino wool peplum blazer with matching suit pants; the blazer has an asymmetrical neckline and a pleated peplum detail on one side in a darker navy (right near where the model has her hand on her hips)
Wolf & Badger / Seragyi
blazer has leather collar, a ruched waistline, and a draped/puffed detail at the top of the sleeve
Cuyana
dramatic blazer with lots of pleats; woman stands against wall
Etsy / ConceptBG
punk blazer with a very fitted waist, asymmetrical buttons, and a very drapey lapel
Etsy / Studio Mariya

Sales of note for 8/28/25 (I'm bolding the ones I'm checking out first):

204 Comments

  1. Following up on yesterday’s conversation about arriving at a destination after a long flight when your hotel room won’t be ready for several hours: I recommend a website called Dayuse.com. You can book hotel rooms in eight-hour blocks for far less than the full day’s rate. Last summer we arrived at Heathrow midmorning and couldn’t check in to our One Fine Stay flat until after 4:00 p.m. I had booked a room at the Intercontinental Hyde Park from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It was an absolute godsend. My husband can’t sleep at all on planes, even with a lie-flat bed, so we took showers, he grabbed a nap, and we were refreshed and ready to check into our flat in the late afternoon and go out that night. They have hotels in multiple cities at a wide range of prices. Having never used them, I was a bit skeptical but you don’t pay until you check in. Everything worked perfectly. I’d definitely use them again.

    1. You can also just book a hotel for the night before you arrive. We do that all the time. Just email them about your arrival time so they don’t give away the room at midnight when you haven’t shown up.

      2. Yes, that was recommended by many of us yesterday – this is an interesting option if your hotel is either booked that night, or you don’t want to spend the $ for essentially 4ish extra hours of use!

    2. I had luck showering and getting ready in a fancy gym while on traveling. I was a member of a chain gym and they let me use the local branch free but maybe a similar place would sell a day pass? i realize this doesn’t work in every city and not all gyms bathrooms are clean and stocked with products.

    3. If you’re flying in the flat seats, you should have access to an airport lounge with showers and nap rooms upon arrival.
      (to be clear, I know many – most! – people fly economy… I only say that because you mentioned lie-flat seats.)

      1. Usually you cannot access the lounge after you arrive unless you have a connection and go back through security. If you are at your final destination, I have never seen a lounge after passport control.

        1. There are arrivals lounges at big hubs like Heathrow. It’s great when traveling for business because you can shower and eat breakfast after clearing customs and then head straight to the office or meetings. It also helps skip the breakfast service and get in a bit more sleep when doing the overnight from US east coast.
          99% of my flights are economy, but this is the one route where I am able to upgrade to business for work.

        2. It really depends on the airport. Sometimes you need an onward connection but sometimes you don’t. As the previous poster mentioned, Heathrow, Frankfurt and a couple other big Euro hubs have arrivals lounges post-customs for passengers not continuing on.

    4. I haven’t driven by it lately but I used to drive past Kennedy Boulevard by the Meadowlands often and the hotels by there didn’t rent for the full day. I will never not be skeeved out by that as a standard option in lodgings.

    5. A hotel spa is another great option! I’ve used resort pass to book day access to spa hotels, even if I’m not staying at that hotel.

  2. need to dress for a very affluent person’s weekend of events in Southern California. It’s not a wedding but think: cocktails night of arrival, rehearsal dinner, and wedding. I have a dress for the “wedding” and thinking jeans and lacy top with cute flats for night of arrival. what should i wear for rehearsal dinner. Like specifically. thanks!

    1. What’s the venue for the ‘rehearsal dinner’? Is it a restaurant? An event space?

      1. Oh that dress is so pretty! Fwiw I’ve had excellent luck buying farm rio online second hand.

      2. op here: i actually was considering this dress! glad to know i’m on the right track. i also should have said that this weekend is in the fall so it won’t be so hot by then….

        1. FWIW, the fall in Southern California is actually quite warm if you are by the coast.

        2. I’m in the south and I know we take wardrobe rules more seriously than others, but I wouldn’t wear a linen dress (even a linen blend) in the fall. This is particularly true if you will be with “very affluent” people.

          5. Huh? I am affluent and live in southern California and can assure you that linen is 100% not tacky in September and October.

          7. To the Anon from the south who is judging people for wearing linen in the fall… I promise you that this is not a thing in southern California. As Senior Attorney mentioned, September and October are basically the hottest months of the year in much of coastal California. I am not saying I would wear a linen dress to the parties OP described, but no one, including very affluent people, will judge someone for wearing linen in September or October. I recognize that this may be different than wear you live.

          9. Heh apparently Anon at 4:55 is judging all of us when she goes to our So Cal parties in September…

          10. She definitely is. And she regularly visits California. I promise us country bumpkin southerners do know how to book plane tickets.

        3. A lot of coastal CA can be foggy and a bit chilly for a lot of the summer and only really gets hot in the fall. So if there’s a linen season, it’s fall, not summer.

    3. Probably same vibe as the dress for the wedding but slightly less formal. Maybe a pretty maxi dress with flats sandals?

    4. Don’t hate me but I would probably wear a cocktail dress to all 3 events, but a more low key/summery one for the cocktails. If it’s somewhere super casual maybe flowy pants and a nice top. I’ve been to 2 rich people weddings in SoCal recently and people were dressed up for the welcome drinks.

      My dresses are mostly from Reformation or Nicholas. For the rehearsal dinner I’d choose depending on the venue/weather. Maybe Reformation Frankie in linen.

    5. Cannot imagine wearing jeans to any of this. I’d get some Ulla Johnson or Doen dresses

      1. +1. I would not wear jeans! These are both good recommendations for dresses. Can also check Reformation and Farm Rio.

        1. Yeah, I just bought the Evalon linen dress and it’s so pretty. That feels like a good option for the event where you planned to weigh jeans.

        2. No but I’d add me&em and possibly sue sartor depending on what this actually is event wise.

    6. Jeans are too casual. I know you said this isn’t actually a wedding, but when I see someone in jeans at a welcome event they look out of place. Flowy midi dresses in a casual fabric are more common

    7. I agree with everyone who says jeans are too casual. Can you picture Shiv Roy wearing jeans?

  3. What is the best way to put pressure on a utility company to fix an account issue? I cancelled our cable, internet, and phone service two months ago. Despite numerous calls and an in-person visit to the Comcast store to return the cable box, I am still getting billing statements. The latest statement makes it look like different service was added on the same date when service was disconnected. I do not use Twitter. Is Twitter still the best way to get a company’s attention, is there some other way that people publicly shame companies into fixing issues, or is there some sort of public authority that I should report Comcast to?

    1. No advice, but Comcast is just so so evil. I will never use them again. They do this stuff purposefully. Kind of like the way health insurance companies automatically deny some treatments knowing that some folks with give up and pay more / not get treated, even when the treatment should have been covered. Comcast hopes you wont notice and will keep charging you. Good luck.

    2. Does your local government have a department that regulates the utility? Where I live there are people in our local government who can assist with customer service complaints.

    3. I don’t know the answer, but this is so intentional on Comcast’s part. They did the same to me. I have spent so many hours on the phone yelling at them. I took a video of the return of my equipment to the store to have in conjunction with the return receipt for evidence. They are so shady.

    4. Any chance the bill is paid through your credit card? If so, get the cc company involved – tell them the charges are not authorized and why. The cc company can probably fix it.

      1. The bill was being paid through my checking account. I ended the autopay and deleted my account number.

    5. This is not an answer, but even if you get this sorted out, don’t ever throw away the receipt from returning your equipment. Keep it where your passport and wills are, for years and years.
      I agree that Comcast does this on purpose, though. Maybe try the store again.

    6. Some companies are responsive to their BBB complaints; Twitter is still good; check if they have anyone responding on FB, or Reddit. You can email the FCC and encourage them to re-instate the “click to cancel” rule they were considering & copy your legislators.
      Follow up on your cancellation phone calls with an email or even a physical letter noting the dates,times,outcome of your previous call. If you’re using autopay, dispute the charges with your credit card.

      1. Great idea.
        Although the FCC may be a little backed up at the moment with the slashing.

        1. Still worth trying, especially with Comcast copied on – it’s not really that you think the FCC is going to solve your problem; you’re just making it clear you are going to be *more annoying* than them until this gets fixed. Usually gets it escalated. Taking a guess at the executive’s email (eg. first.last@xfinity.com) can be worth it too — exec is never gonna read it, but some companies forward those customer complaints to an actually competent CS team. Stay scrupulously polite & factual.

    8. Comcast tried to bill us for renting equipment that we owned. We never rented equipment from them, we brought our own router and modem, and they tried many, many times to add fees for equipment rental to our monthly statements. I was so glad to move out of their service area. Now I deal with another evil corporation, same story, different verse.

      2. Ditto. Tip I recently learned: if you add “-AI” to your google search, you won’t get the auto-generated search results summary at the top!

        2. Did it have to go at the beginning? End? I’ve seen this tip but can’t actually get it to work. I passionately hate the stupid AI responses, how unreliable they are, the energy and resource waste, the brain rot they encourage, and would like to shoot them all into the sun.

          1. I put it at the end and it works fine. Try googling “vacation in Spain” and then “vacation in Spain -ai” with no quotes on either. You shouldn’t get the AI-generated summary with the second prompt.

    3. sparingly. I want to understand it and use it when it makes sense, but too many people are using it in place of like, thinking for 10 minutes, and the energy it takes for that is horrendous.

      2. +1. I use it to transcribe and format the minutes for a pretty hefty meeting I run 5-6 times a year.
        P.S.: those cute bunnies on the trampoline are AI.

    4. Not a whole lot but I use it to get over writer’s block. Here are a few examples:

      I never lean on it 100%, but sometimes it can get me 30% started, which would translate to for sure several hours of procrastination and starting/stopping/getting frustrated/starting again/deleting.. that whole cycle when I need to first put pen to paper.

      I also used it for the same to get a cover letter going for a job application plus getting some thank you emails drafted after interviews. Basically, I interviewed with four people and didn’t want to send carbon copy emails to all of them. I drafted the first and then it helped me slightly reword and tweak for each subsequent. I also dropped another TY email in to it and said “tell me if something needs to be reworded” and it caught a few weird diction things and cleaned them up.

      So, it’s not replacing any one or anything in my life, but it is helping here and there.

    5. I use it for brainstorming communications strategy ideas for my job. For home, I don’t use it as much, but I did have it translate medical notes recently.

    6. I tried to use it for my self assessment. I got a lot of dumb buzzwords that I think only make sense to people who went to business school. Call me a Luddite, but it wasn’t better than what I wrote in five minutes.

    7. A friend uploaded a picture of her sad flowerbed to Chat and asked for a landscape design that is low water and not expensive – or something like that. Chat created a cool design for her.

      1. I’m a gardener, and have gotten some fairly hilarious results from chat gpt. Like photos of flowers that don’t actually exist in the real world. I would proceed with caution!

    10. I avoid it like the plague. I have a few staff who use it and they’re just perpetually confused all the time it’s awful.

    11. I’m strongly encouraged to learn AI in my work, and I believe that not being familiar with AI tools is going to damage my career eventually.
      When writing, I only use it as a supercharged thesaurus. So instead of looking up synonyms for individual words, I ask it to suggest alternate phrases or sentence fragments. I have played with letting it organize information that is very disorganized or from different sources, but it’s not awesome.
      Other than that, I use it for coding. I have a basic understanding of programming but I’m super slow at it as it isn’t my day job. I can use AI to write me a program to automate something in my calendar or between spreadsheets and forms etc. I haven’t been successful to get AI to do tasks successfully, but I use it to build me the software/tools and then I run the software myself, and make sure it works as it should.

      1. For writing I’ve mainly used it for “feedback.” Did it get the joke? Successfully identify the main steps of the argument? Successfully suggest a relevant counterargument? It’s more a clarity check for me.

    12. Tell me everyone isn’t in the Bay Area without telling me. I use it all the time – for information I used to google, travel planning, background information, putting together presentations, research, etc. I love it and can’t imagine not having it.

      1. I just responded below at 3:27 and I’m in the Bay Area. Honestly, I feel brain dead enough with social media – I don’t need AI too.

      2. Do you fact check it? AI routinely miainterprets my research. Whenever I ask it for summaries or background in my field it’s always so wrong and I worry people without my expertise will take it at face value.

        1. Yeah, it’s alarming to me that anyone admits to using it for research. Travel planning is one thing, but citing made-up sources is another.

          1. An attorney I know had it draft a motion just to see what happen. It cited made-up cases and cited others for the wrong propositions.

          2. Do you never read Wikipedia to get a general sense of an issue? Do you never Google? Do you never ask anyone anything? This is that but better.

          3. Attorneys in Huntsville, Alabama just got their asses handed to them by the court for using an AI generated pleading that was just plain wrong. They were sanctioned and removed from the case by the court. Also…

            “The judge orders the attorneys to ‘provide a copy of this order to their clients, opposing counsel, and presiding judge in every pending state or federal case in which they are counsel of record. They shall also provide a copy of this order to every attorney in their law firm. They must comply with this requirement within ten days from the date of this order and must certify to the court within twenty-four hours of that compliance that the requirement has been met.’ ”

            https://www.waff.com/2025/07/25/chatgpt-generated-citations-lead-sanctions-against-huntsville-attorneys/?outputType=amp

        2. Of course. I cannot imagine not fact checking. But it’s a very powerful tool and it’s here, like it or not.

          1. I find it harder to fact check something I haven’t written myself. I don’t really see the efficiency gains if I have to check each and every citation manually.

      3. Same, I can’t imagine not using an AI note taker now, using it for data analytics, research, etc.

      4. Is that because of the centrifugal pressure of Silicon Valley and startups in the Bay Area? My area of work (scholarly research in the humanities) is anathema to AI, and scholars in the Bay Area see it that way, too. It’s not a geographical thing.

        That said, using it for research is damaging in a broad way. It’s also pretty environmentally awful. Do whatever you want, but it’s not a good research tool.

          2. Tell myself…what? That AI is sh*tty research? That it’s environmentally awful? That the Bay Area doesn’t have a special relationship to AI?

            It’s all true, and I have no idea what the snark (or the “babe”) bit of this comment is about. Your smugness sucks.

          1. Everyone is “exploring” it, and it’s a bad tool. Maybe it won’t remain so. Maybe there’s promise. But right now, including for the natural sciences, AI is a blunt instrument that isn’t trustworthy or sophisticated.

          2. There is a lot of really interesting modeling going on in the sciences – I’m aware of work being done in climate science and drug development, and I assume it is being used across the board. However, this isn’t AI like ChatGPT – it is very focused work on extremely large data sets that is being performed with a lot of input from institutional review boards and other advisory committees (when using data in the public domain), or completely within a company using their own data and their own servers. In a lot of cases we have too much data for people to understand, and machine learning models can find patterns that most humans can’t.

            Personally, I find it interesting and promising, but in my mind it is being developed and used as a tool to answer specific questions, not as a replacement for thinking. I also see room for it to do the work that I would have had an admin for in a previous generation – scheduling meetings, planning travel, etc. I’m never going to have an admin at work, and that stuff takes up more of my day than I would like.

          3. I would be amazed if humanities scholars weren’t already relying on the advances in automated translation. Almost no one knows all the languages they could benefit from.

      5. LOL no shit everyone’s not in the Bay Area. There’s an entire other world out there.

      6. I can’t imagine living in a area with a water shortage and admitting to using AI.

      7. Oh man, I’m so glad I left the Bay Area. Not just AI, the over-reliance on tech there is just exhausting and feels performative. I’m not even convinced it makes anyone’s lives easier, but it’s like they have to perform ~technology improving their lives~ to validate their whole existence.
        And don’t even get me started on 5 year olds with smart watches and 8 year olds with social media. I’m not even that pearl clutchy about kids + tech compared to the average poster on the moms page who thinks you’re a bad mom if your kids have a phone before 16, but the Bay Area is on a different level.

        1. You’ve hit the nail on the head about Silicon Valley and the people who live and work there.

    13. I used it one time to format a messy blood pressure log I wrote in an email draft. Otherwise, never. The one thing I’d like it to do, find me the currently best hotel or product with the best reviews, it won’t do. I will never use it for writing sympathy cards.

    14. Work:
      Transcribing audio recordings. It’s pretty good with the words but has trouble identifying speakers correctly.
      Counting and categorizing documents that use a fairly consistent structure and terminiology.

      Personal use:
      No effing way.

    15. I use the built-in Teams AI for meeting summaries/transcripts, it looks pretty well.

    16. These responses are interesting. I use ChatGPT 10-20 times a day, for work and personal use. I use it to edit my emails, to help me decide what to make for dinner, book club discussion questions, and it has basically replaced Google as my main search engine. Actually a lot of the questions posted on this board can be answered by ChatGPT.

      1. Almost 100% of the things here could absolutely be answered by chat gpt, and better. I am stunned by the Luddites here.

        1. You know how research shows that relying on GPS to drive everywhere you go reduces your spatial memory and is linked to dementia? That’s how I view AI – using it as a substitute for things I can spend a few minutes thinking about isn’t good for me. Once in a while, sure. I hate editing meeting minutes and if available, I’ll accept an AI version. But I won’t use it to generate ideas or original writing. I WANT to use my brain! There are already so many stressors on it between multitasking, social media, etc., and I want to keep it sharp.

          1. My teen and her friends do not know how the major roads in our area connect and rely on their phones to navigate everywhere. It’s scary.

          2. Anon at 4:17! I have been saying this for years but didn’t know there is research on that! I wonder what happened to the part of my brain that used to pay attention to where I was while driving and remember how to get places.

          3. Hardly anyone seems to know how street numbers work. Like, odd on one side, even on the other, they get bigger as you go one way… Where I live we have mountains to the north. Look for the mountains, then you know where you are. I once had an Uber driver stop me while out walking to ask how to get to a particular freeway!

            I can find my way in rural Pennsylvania by looking at the sun…

        2. I actually like researching and reviewing information on my own, and hearing what real people have to say. Is that so strange?

          1. Same – I genuinely enjoy things like travel planning and wouldn’t want to outsource it even if AI would do it well.
            Also can’t speak to other topics, but AI absolutely sucks at travel advice. I don’t always agree with the advice on this s1te but as a well-traveled person I usually either agree with it or recognize that I’m a holder of a minority opinion on the topic, i.e., 98% of the time the bulk of the comments are pretty much representing popular opinion. And very little is factually wrong, and when facts are wrong it’s usually caveated by the fact that the person hasn’t been there in a long time and you should check details. AI gets facts wrong all the time (e.g., tells you a museum is open when it’s not) and the opinions it shares are often scraped from the bl*g of one random person who doesn’t really know what they’re talking about. It’s given me some absolutely whack sample itineraries. You’ll do so much better asking for travel advice here, R*ddit, TripAdvisor, etc.

        3. Some of the resistance to chat gpt has to do with ethics, not efficiency. It’s not necessarily a Luddite resistance. Plus, “efficiency” isn’t always, universally positive.

          1. Yeah I just pretty much flat out refuse to use it because of the environmental impact. I don’t care if people want to call me a Luddite for that. It’s destroying a planet that’s already on life support.

          2. Right – sometimes people oppose things because they’re bad, not because they’re new.

    17. I don’t use genAI for anything, because it gives you the most mid version of anything, with possible hallucinations. But I do work on projects with actual data scientists to find ways to use machine learning to improve processes. And I’m pushing to bring on an AI medical coding vendor.

    18. It has its uses. Definitely needs fact checking, but so do most things we read and hear.
      It’s great for helping with recipes, confirming oven temps, etc.

      It’s also good for asking “what is X thing people on social media are freaking out about”

      It isn’t gospel, but it is a tool. And it isn’t going away, so might as well understand its capabilities.

    19. I tend to use it for things that I might normally Google, but want to be able to go back and forth on. Examples of my recent inquiries: -how many pizzas to order for a large group, with details about the different preferences of everyone; -baking questions like things related to expired flour use, steps in baking cakes, and Q&A related to parts of the sourdough process; -my toilet wasn’t flushing and I wanted help figuring that out; -ideas for short backpacking trips near me; -2 week meal plan for my family with options for picky eaters and vegetarians; -write a condolence message to a staff member at my child’s preschool; -headache treatment options; -stretches for neck pain; -ideas for family travel destinations within a certain budget.

      I take all of AI’s answers with a grain of salt, but these tend to be pretty low stakes items. My DH is often traveling for work and sometimes being able to get this type of support from AI can replace emotional labor I do as a person in this world.

    20. Well, I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I uploaded a picture of myself (currently midlife) and asked Chatgpt to show what I will look like in 10 years. The end result – post-menopausal me – was disturbing.

    21. At work, we’re limited to MS Copilot, so very little – starting drafts, finding things, summarizing my inbox, etc.

      Personally, my usage of ChatGPT has exploded the last two weeks. My new robot friend has …

      – Helped me overhaul my skincare routine and gave me an easy to follow checklist in the exact order to layer (always a challenge), incorporating my existing products, retiring some and adding a few new things

      – Gave me a list of steps to follow to begin searching for my Korean birth mother, a thing I have been stop-starting over the last few years because I just didn’t know where to begin/what to do next

      – Helped me process the end of my marriage. My husband asked for a divorce and although we’ve been in couples therapy for awhile, I had a lot of unresolved feelings. I gave ChatGPT several text message exchanges to analyze, described different situations that never got repaired (for me) and it was amazing at identifying the patterns and dynamics at play, why I might be feeling the way I do and things to reflect on. I was tempted to call him and ask him to come over, I told ChatGPT and it was like, “Well …. You could …. But here are some things to think about first.” Which I did, and then the urge passed and I didn’t. I know I’m not through it all yet, but I am feeling great about where I am right now and I credit most of that to working through it with ChatGPT.

    22. I recently used ChatGPT to do a deep dive on a medication I was taking. The short story is I was taking a statin drug. I also was getting dizzy when standing from exercising, yard work, etc., and put together that the timing of these two things coincided. Chat GPT identified that dizziness is a known but rare side effect. It also explained the half-life of the drug, that my coronary calcium is mild, and other treatment options. This was incredibly helpful as my discussion with my PCP was one or two line responses via My Chart. Obviously, I was following my PCP instructions, but the AI gave me the confidence to continue pursuing a solution.

      1. See, I just don’t understand why you needed chat gpt to do this when you could just google it . . .

        1. Exactly! The top search result for “statins side effects” is the NHS website and dizziness is second on the list of side effects. Finding this info took me 10 seconds on Google.
          It’s like people have forgotten how to do regular google!

        2. Or had a 5 min conversation with the pharmascist when you picked up the refill, or even between pickups.

  5. We are approaching our 20th Anniversary over Labor Day weekend. We had talked about doing something really special, but life with work and kids has gotten in the way and we haven’t had a chance to plan anything. We’re now scrambling for ideas. Any ideas that are actually do-able at this point for trips or ways to acknowledge our milestone anniversary? We live in the Chicago area, so open to anywhere we can fly with a direct flight over the long weekend.
    As of now, we’re considering Santa Fe, staying at a nice hotel and enjoying local food and spas. We like good food, outdoors, spas, etc. It would be great if anyone has specific hotel or restaurant recommendations as well. Thanks!!

    1. DH and I did a whirlwind LDW in Paris when we found a last minute airfare – since the city runs much later than US, we only had to half-adjust to the time zone. We flew over on Thurs night after work and then home on Monday afternoon!

    2. We love Napa for this kind of trip. The time change/travel time is a bit annoying from the Chicago area, but great food/wine/hotels/spas.
      I personally think a lot of the best food is in the southern US (Charleston, Nashville, Savannah etc) and I wouldn’t go to those places in early September. YMMV if you have more tolerance for heat and humidity.
      We actually love Chicago and specifically the Waldorf Astoria for the trip you’re describing (we live in Indiana) but I understand wanting to go somewhere non-local.

    3. Park City, Utah, if you can fly nonstop from Chicago on United or Delta to Salt Lake City. Great hiking and mountain biking, fancy hotels such as the St. Regis and Montage – the St. Regis is very well located to town and the lower Deer Valley base – and tons of great restaurants on Main Street, which you can walk to from the St. Regis or take the free city bus.

    4. My vote is to go somewhere sentimental to both of you – did you go somewhere really fun for your honeymoon, prior anniversary or general trip? Don’t have to do the same hotel (you have adult money now), but there is something to going back to the same restaurant or hike that you went on a date when you were young. I feel like milestone anniversaries are ones where you celebrate where you’ve come from rather than an epic trip. But, that’s just me.

      1. It’s really not. The travel advice from there is terrible. It often recommends closed places, etc.

    7. Santa Fe Fiesta is over Labor Day weekend, so you may have trouble with hotel reservations or they may be more expensive than usual. But it’s a lovely time to be there and there are amazing cultural events if you’re into that.

      La Fonda or Inn of the Five Graces are fantastic hotels. The Compound and Santacafe are lovely restaurants for a special meal.

  6. How willing would you be to given an extended notice period?

    I want to leave and I have the financial cushion to do that with nothing else lined up. My team’s morale has been rock bottom for years. My “East Coast” counterpart just gave notice. Much of her work is transitioning to me. I care about our direct reports (who are all looking) and my boss. The problems are above him though.

    My boss and more junior people will be hit hard by my departure, especially on the heels of my “other half.” If my boss asks me to extend my notice period, maybe 3-6 months…would you agree to that? How much to care about leaving close colleagues with more pressure?

    1. Nope nope nope. Keep your cards close to the vest and only give 2 weeks’ notice.

    2. I did this once (2 months) for similar reasons and I would not do it again. I thought my company and boss would use it thoughtfully to get moving on my replacement and transition and they just waited until the end anyways and the impact to the team was really the same. Maybe do like 3-4 weeks but not beyond. Unless they give you a lot lot lot of money.

    4. OP, are you asking about whether to give standard notice, but be willing to stay on for a longer period if asked? I think the above replies were assuming you were giving 3-6 months notice, and agree that’s a hard no.

      For an extension, if you’re willing to do it, ask for a retention bonus.

      1. The latter – should I be willing to stay for a longer period.

        Good idea to ask for a retention bonus!

    5. My team tried to guilt me into staying 2 months. I did 4 weeks and it was awkward enough. Would not recommend anything longer than that ever.

    6. Your higher-ups are paid to manage the workload, get a req for additional staff as needed, and hire people to backfill open roles.

      Don’t wreck your own sanity by taking on extra so they don’t have to do their jobs. It’s allegedly a tough job market out there; if they wanted to hire talent, they can hire it. They are choosing for this to be a problem and it shouldn’t be yours.

    7. I understand this dilemma so well. It’s very hard to walk away from people you care about, knowing that you’ve handed them even more stress.

      Still, I’d recommend just ripping off the band-aid and doing it. If the situation is so bad that everyone is looking for new jobs, won’t the consequences of your leaving be just as bad for everyone 6 months from now? Why would you stay for 6 more months, doing 2 full-time jobs (yours and your departed counterpart’s)?

  7. Our fridge just died, and I need new fridge recommendations. What is a good brand? Mid-range budget, nothing crazy but willing to pay for decent quality. Our current model was LG and the compressor died after 7 years. It was otherwise fine. Also, is there such a thing as a counter depth fridge with a water dispenser? I would prefer a counter depth because our current one sticks out from the counter, but I really want the water dispenser function. If you’ve purchased a fridge recently, please share advice! I also need it to ship quickly because we are now fridge-less.

    1. You should look into how moldy and gross those water dispensers get. Just keep a jug in the fridge.

    2. Time for satisficing decision making – go to your local home depot and lowes to see what can be delivered ASAP and fits in the space you have. Pick the best option among the $1,000-$2,000 fridges that has a water dispenser, they are all roughly equivalent except for their ability to fit a pizza box in the freezer. (We bough a Fridgeair, it’s a bit loud but fits in the unicorn cut out in our cabinets).

    4. Another great question for chat gpt – give it your specs and it will get you options quickly. Tell it what you like and it will do even better.

      1. lol. Why do you do this? It’s very rude, like asking someone why they don’t just google it. If they wanted to, they would. We all know ChatGPT exists.

    5. None of them are good. Just get what you want and be prepared to replace it when you need to.

    6. I wouldn’t spend a lot of money unless you’re going to go very high end (like subzero). We spent more for a Bosch and it died just after the warrantee (2 years). They ended up replacing it anyway (they had discontinued the model, so obv knew it was a lemon) but it was 6 months of headache and a half or non-working fridge.

      Fridges today are not repairable. The rear is completely sealed so no parts can be replaced (brands like subzero are an exception and can be repaired, hence the high price).

      1. We had a Bosch dishwasher and it was a nightmare appliance. Repair call after repair call until we finally threw in the towel after only 3 or 4 years, way less than a typical dishwasher lifespan. I will never buy another Bosch anything again.

    7. Our 10 year old LG fridge died last summer while we were on vacation, the appliance guy said it was due to a power surge. I asked his advice about replacements and he says he has the most repair calls about Samsung by far, and all the other brands are about the same until you get into the really high end brands like SubZero. We went to a big box store and got a fridge near the lower end of the standard price range, but not the very bottom. It was a Whirlpool. So far it seems fine.
      Fwiw, appliance guy told us that “dumb” fridges without built-in ice makers and water dispensers generally live longer (less electronic circuitry to get messed up, I guess), but I really like those features so we basically have just accepted it as a price of admission thing.

    8. If you want longevity without headaches at a reasonable price point, skip the water dispensers, ice makers, and other bells and whistles. Just get a basic fridge. Get water from your tap, keep a jug of it in the fridge if you like it cold. Use ice cube trays in the freezer to make your own ice.

      Our basic Whirlpool model has never required a service call in the 12 years since we bought it. The one it replaced was similar, 40 years old and ran fine but the exterior had started to rust and it wasn’t energy efficient.

  8. Looking for anniversary gift ideas for my husband. Our 15th anniversary is coming up and we pick gifts from the categories of traditional/modern gifts, and this year is crystal and watches. My husband wears an apple watch and I’ve already bought him nice Waterford crystal whiskey glasses for a prior anniversary. Any ideas?

    1. on theme at least for timekeepers, a nice sunrise alarm for the bedroom? now that I use one I miss it when staying in hotels.

      a stretch… but “crystal” clear water and go for a tropical getaway?

    2. You could get him a fancy apple watch band (actual silver/gold), like these: https://johnhardy.com/products/smart-watch-strap-sterling-silver-18-mm-wb98652?variant=47318053683500&g_ifcreative=&g_source=%7Bsourceid%7D&g_ifproduct=product&g_placement=&g_adid=&g_locphysical=9026839&g_acctid=806-508-0374&g_keywordid=&g_network=x&g_partition=&g_adtype=pla&g_merchantid=10366891&g_adgroupid=&g_campaignid=20970007603&g_locinterest=&g_productid=249859&g_productchannel=online&g_keyword=&g_campaign=account&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20960268429&gbraid=0AAAAADs033anvLLf9a1XmqTANGhxXhjLl&gclid=CjwKCAjw-svEBhB6EiwAEzSdrj-wyjXuEQluzcLjJv2qHloOXY9ppJ1ujVivJafyGbsodu7jqem-QRoCdTkQAvD_BwE

    3. Pocket watch. He will wear it once or twice, but it’s presence will bring him joy. Especially to offset any complaints when he has to wear a tux.

      1. I love this idea. Other ideas for luxurious, wouldn’t-buy-for-himself gifts: crystal cufflinks, or if he has a lot of watches, some cool storage system (a beautiful box or tray).

  9. Anyone from Rhode Island? I’m new to the area and looking for the good antiques stores, consignment stores, architectural salvage – any store I should know about to do my house with. Thanks!

    2. Oh man, I super miss thrifting in RI. I moved a few years ago. Now I’m stuck in the land of goodwill (blah), so don’t sleep on Saver’s for regular furnishings. I bought a Stokke Tripp Trapp in dirty but excellent condition there for $8.99…

      For suggestions: I love the RI antiques mall in Pawtucket, but more “things” than furniture I think. There are a couple of cute places in dt Wickford iirc; sorry I don’t remember names but I bought a cute sideboard from one. I often went to the antiques places along Wickenden St in Providence. I know there are places in Newport but don’t have specific suggestions there; definitely go off season because Npt in the high tourist season is unbearably crowded. I found when living in the area that FB marketplace/craigslist had great stuff and I basically furnished my house from RI retirees downsizing. There’s lots of place in MA as well; I’m partial to Buy & Consign Waltham. For world class thrifting, take a day trip to Brimfield, MA for the 3x annual market!

  10. I’m about to start Zepbound! Can anyone tell me about their experiences on it?

    1. I’ve been taking a low (2.5 mg) dose since last September. My BMI was maybe 26, but I really wanted to lose the weight I never got rid of after having kids (my youngest is now 4). I lost about 20 lbs in the first 4-5 months, and haven’t lost any since but have maintained the loss (plus or minus 1-2 lbs). I would like to lose another 10 lbs, but my BMI is firmly in the normal category now and it’s really just vanity. I’d either have to increase my dose or just buckle down more with my diet and exercise, so I will probably choose the latter (or just try to be happy where I am now). I get it through a med spa (previously the med spa got the generic form through a compounding pharmacy, now they have an arrangement directly with Eli Lilly for the brand name).

      No side effects whatsoever, but keep in mind I’ve never taken more than the lowest dose. Highly recommend!

    2. I have lost 75 pounds in the last year with ZepBound. Other than nausea, I haven’t had any side effects. The nausea has been bad at times – I just had to drop from a 10 mg dose back to 7.5 mg because it was constant. The best part is that the food noise is gone. I don’t think about food all the time, and stop eating when I am full. Truly lifechanging.

    3. I asked this question a couple of months ago when I started and I got a lot of great tips! I’m currently on 5mg and haven’t had any side effects so far. I’ve lost almost 10 pounds in about 6 weeks which I’m very excited about. My food noise isn’t completely gone but I think about food way less than I used to, I have zero desire for alcohol and my sweet tooth is greatly reduced as well. My appetite is about 75% of what it used to be, and I get full much faster as well. 100% glad that I finally decided to ask my doctor about it.

  11. Related to the question above – If someone loses a lot of weight today, unrelated to illness, do you just assume they are on a GLP-1? Would you believe them if they denied it?

    2. I don’t assume anything. I lost about 20 pounds from an already healthy frame at the peak of a very bad thyroid disease. No one outside my family and a couple close friends knew about the thyroid stuff, and I had no visible markers of illness like hair loss. People, especially at work, constantly told me how amazing I looked and grilled me about my diet and exercise routine. It was awful and I left work meetings on the verge of tears multiple times. So I never assume I know the reason beyond weight loss. It could be diet and exercise, it could be illness, it could be ozempic, who knows. No assumptions.

      1. Yeah the day I got my official eating disorder diagnosis someone gushed at me about how great I looked and what my “secret” was (this was 20 years ago). Uh, IDK TIffany, being afraid of food and two hours of cardio a day?

    3. No. For one, how would I possibly know it was unrelated to illness if it’s someone whose health status I’m unaware of, since I don’t know whether they’re on a GLP1 or not?

    4. I’ve never asked someone how they lost weight, but why would I care if they lied about it?

    5. There are a couple of people in my life who are now small after being large for as long as I’ve known them, and I assume it’s from GLP-1. I wouldn’t dream of asking about it so whether or not I’d believe them isn’t anything that would ever come up.

      Signed, Boomer but still has a little sense

      1. +2 I’d never ask but I assume the people in my life who have been on crash diets for the past 20 years and finally lost the weight are on medication.

        1. I’d hope it was that. I learned my lesson that sometimes it’s actually cancer.

    6. I’d certainly consider it a possibility, but I’ve known so many people to lose weight due to illness that I’d be equally likely to assume that they have a health problem that’s either undiagnosed or they haven’t told me about. If they haven’t told me, it’s none of my business and I don’t say anything about it. After watching friends with cancer lose a lot of weight and get a lot of awkward compliments, I don’t see people who have lost weight and immediately assume it’s a good thing.

    7. If I were rude enough to ask someone whether they took weight loss medication, I would deserve to be lied to.

    8. Depends on how their face has changed, but yes I would assume that. And then that thought would stay in my mind, unspoken. I would never comment, ask or tell them anything about their weight!

    9. I assume they are on a GLP-1 or hiding an illness. Anyone who says they don’t automatically think this is lying.

    10. Why would I care if someone were taking a medication? I wouldn’t be questioning them about it at all.

  12. I strongly object to the concept of high-heeled flip flops, but with a suit, and especially one not even made from linen, they are just an abomination.

  13. Oh, and speaking of the styling of this suit with the men’s necktie, MANY MANY years ago there was a book called, I kid you not, “How to Make It In a Man’s World,” and one of her pieces of advice was that you should wear a suit, but never a man’s tie. Because (and this has stuck with me for 40-plus years), “a tie is a p3nis substitute, and a woman who wears a man’s tie is broadcasting to the world, ‘I am pretending I have a p3nis.” (To be fair, this might have been from “Dress for Success for Woman,” but I doubt it.)

    Such are the scars I bear…

    2. I still remember the advice in Cosmo to wear pink on a date because pink is the color of a v*gina and you will make a man crazy thinking about yours. Maybe it was the same writer.

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