Suit of the Week: Tomorrowland

56 Comments

1. This entire suit looks like it’s too small for the model. Look at the sleeves! Plus the pants are awkward – not quite tapered enough and also too short to even be ankle pants.

   1. If someone showed up to a meeting like that, I’d assume they picked it up at a thrift store and bought the wrong size. Just no, no, no! All sorts of wrong.

      1. Agreed.

      2. If it’s good enough for Macklemore, it’s good enough for me.

         I was so distracted by the shoes that I didn’t realize how shrunken the suit looked.

   2. Apparently cropped flares are a thing among casual pants (shudder) – maybe that’s what they’re going for here?

      1. I think I’ll sit this trend out. Hopefully it passes by quickly

   3. Agreed- I just came on to say that that suit is awful.

   4. If this is what is in now, I fully regret getting rid of all the suits I had from 2000. I could have just shortened the pants and been good to go.

   5. I like the blazer but the pants are awful.

   6. It also looks like there’s a turbo power fan blowing the jacket up, because there’s a weird air pocket over her belly where she almost looks pregnant. If a model with flat abs looks like she has a pooch, it’s a hard pass for cookie-loving me.

   7. ew those shoes….

2. I don’t understand these pants at all.

   A few months ago I started a new job and I’m just not really feeling it. It was a “dream job” in the industry I’ve always wanted to work in at a prestigious place, and required moving to a new location to do it. But I can’t seem to drum up the interest in the work now that I’m here. I can’t help but feel like I made a huge mistake moving far away to do this, but I’m not sure what to do about it. I want to give it at least a year of really trying here before I make any drastic decisions, but like I said, I have no interest in the day-to-day. The work doesn’t challenge me, the people don’t interest me (or perhaps I don’t interest them). What can I do?

   1. Can you share any details about what is so different about it compared to your expectations?

      1. I expected a fast-paced environment working on lots of different kinds of deals (I went from big-law to in-house), including some top level deals, and I expected that there would be more support underneath me to deal with more of the lower level stuff. Turns out the group’s infrastructure has shifted since I got here, and even though I’m at a mid-level, there is no one really junior to me so I’m the person doing lower level stuff (as well as occasional top stuff). I think I also expected that there would be more ownership of the work I have as well, and that when I finished whatever I was working on I might feel some sense of accomplishment. But I feel almost more like a fast food worker – someone gives me an order, I hand them back something quick and easy, and before I have time to blink I’m getting another order. It seems a little mindless. I have no sense of accomplishment, and I don’t even feel like I’m learning anything. Part of the problem is also my bosses – they’re not great at teaching, and I’m trying to ‘manage up’ on that to get more out of them but in the mean time, I’m just finding it hard to do drum up any interest or inspiration.

         1. This honestly sounds like just about every in-house gig I know of. There is a ton of drudge work, and the occasional super-cool project, but far more of the former than the latter. Give it time to see if learning more about the job and the industry improves things. Also, it’s really, really helpful to build solid relationships with the business teams. Once they know and trust your judgment, you will get pulled into more of the strategic discussions for your input rather than just getting the “quick turn” rote requests. It takes time, but in most roles it can be done.

         2. Maybe you are actually one of the people who is just made for BigLaw. There are some people who just thrive when challenged all the time; many other people are happier doing some grunt work occasionally in order to have a less stressful job that gives them work-life balance.

   2. It is good that you gave your dream job a try. If you had not given it a try, then you would have always felt that you were doing something not ideal for you . Now that you know your dream job is not for you, start looking for a different job, may be even your old job. I think it is good to wait for one year if you can bear it so that you don’t have to explain why you left/leaving so soon in the future interviews.

   3. Yay! I love this Tomorrowland suit, Kat, but would HAVE to wear the skirt–not a chance that I would wear those slacks (or those shoes!) FOOEY!

      As for the OP, give it time, b/c time cure’s all evil’s (or whatever some doosh once said). You can NOT tell now wether the job will truley be your dream job or not, but you MUST give it a chance. You have moved along way to a new place, and you should put a good face on to make the best of it. Hopefully, you will find a boyfreind there so that you DO have some after hour’s fun, but for now, focus on WORK like I did.

      Once you have another year under your belt, you should be better abel to assess the job and if it is what you want to do. Also, you could find that the boyfreind is worth MARRYING, and you can just marry him and not work at all. That is YOUR choice to make, so go out and do it!!!! YAY!!!!!

      1. I only wish that marriage was an option for me. Men are not interested in me at all. I will need to work until I’m 67 to get Social Security. Fooey foo foo!

   4. Too soon. There have been a lot of comments lately from people within a few months of starting a new job who are having misgivings of one kind or another. This is totally normal. You’re right in thinking you should give it a year. That is long enough for you to really tell whether what you are going through now is just an adjustment or if the job is truly not a good fit.

      1. +1 – new job + new location + time means the shiny has worn off and reality is sinking in. Starting new is hard work and most of us don’t have to do a lot of that as an adult.

3. Hi all, I’m attending an open house on Saturday for an executive one year MBA program. I will be meeting with the Administrative Director of the program and was told to bring my resume. What should I expect from this meeting? I don’t think it’s an official interview since I haven’t even applied yet. Do I wear business casual clothes or is casual fine?

   1. Business casual

4. NYC meetup TOMORROW at 6:30 at Grey Dog in Chelsea (16th St, between 7th and 8th Avenues). See you there!

   1. Fun! Wish I was in the area.

5. This looks like Peewee Herman’s suit. Anyone need a Halloween costume for next year?

6. I’m feeling very defeated right now. I’m a researcher and a male colleague senior by age only asked me to do his admin work. To which I replied that I was working on my research and he should ask an assistant. Well apparently my work place prefers submissive women and fired me. I guess I don’t know what to do, why would they even hire me if they were looking for someone meek? I thought I had found a good thing

   1. So sorry you’re dealing with this. And find an employment attorney in your area, stat.

      1. Unfortunately it’s legal because it was within my probationary period

         1. That really $ucks, but at least you got out of there quickly! Find yourself a better job where you’ll be valued! Just trying to look on the bright side.

         2. Is this true? Are you in the US? I doubt that being in a probationary period would make it ok for your employer to fire you for a discriminatory reason. Establishing that it was for a discriminatory reason would be your struggle, not that it was during the probationary period. If you have some doubt, speak to an attorney.

            That aside – I’m sorry, that sucks!! Brunette EW is right – bullet dodged.

            1. A probationary period does not mean you can be fired for an unlawful reason, e.g., sex discrimination. A good employment lawyer may be able to get you some severance, a neutral letter of reference or other things of value to you.

         3. They may be able to fire you for a stupid reason during your probationary period (i.e., without cause) but that does not mean they can fire you for a discriminatory reason. You should definitely consult an employment lawyer. Even if you have no desire to actually bring a lawsuit, a lawyer can negotiate and get you severance, good references, etc.

            1. Where I am on probation they don’t need cause or notice when firing. He just said he was “disappointed in the incident” and I “wasn’t a good fit”. So it’s he said vs she said at best, and a lawyer would cost more than severance.

            2. Basically all employment cases are “he said she said.” I would really encourage you to consult a lawyer. Many work on contingency (i.e.they will take a portion of whatever they get you), so you don’t have to pay up front. Most do free consultations so you really have nothing to lose by speaking with one.

   2. Wow – this is awful. I’m so sorry….. I’d be fuming and drinking a lot of wine right now if I were you.

   3. This is awful and unfair. You need to call a lawyer. And have a glass of wine.

   4. May I ask, what field are you in? And is this a graduate program or an assistantship or a post-doc position?

      I ask because in many fields when you are lower on the totem pole you do grunt work, especially at the beginning. Not everything is educational and inspired. Not everything is doing novel research. Actually, much of the work is a chore and sometimes gets divided. But it has to get done and it shows you are a team player to pull your weight.

      I’m just curious what was involved here. I also find it hard to imagine not doing everything in my probationary period.

      I’ve certainly worked with my share of people in the early stages of research who felt they deserved autonomy when they were not at that level yet. Not saying that is you, but your story is quite odd to me.

      1. Already done my school. Private research lab, not saying the field. Why ask a researcher to do copying and correspondence when we have assistants and secretaries? If I wanted to be a secretary I wouldn’t have gotten the education I have

         1. Science or non-science? What is male colleague’s actual relationship to your job…. is he chairman/director?

            I understand you don’t want to reveal too much, as I would too. But I can’t figure out the structure/relationships involved here.

            You come across a bit entitled to me. I did copying and correspondence when I was new/lower down… and higher up. Obviously if he has handing you all of the handouts for today’s meeting … every day……. to copy, you can say…. “I’ll give this to my secretary”… or “can I ask your secretary for some help with this?” But if he asks you to copy something before sending it to a collaborator, or order something that you might share/use together… I don’t know…. you do it. You ask your assistant/secretary to do it if that’s appropriate. And if you don’t have your own assistant/secretary, there’s a chance that this is an appropriate thing for you to be doing anyway.

            Also, sometimes it takes time to build relationships with people and see where they stand. They are learning about you too, and I tell you, these early day impressions will stick. Give it time. I’d be careful about generalizing about someone being sexist off the bat. Keep your ears open, get to know your colleagues and see how others have relationships to this person, and make sure your expectations are not a little unrealistic.

            Ask me how I know.

            1. Soft science, think psych with equal parts lab and people work. We had equal titles, as per my original post he was senior by age only

   5. everything happens for a reason.

7. I’m a mid-level/almost-senior associate. I have a number of new matters with all different partners who refuse to take 5 minutes to get me up to speed on the matter. They flat out ignore my calls, emails, or my request for client contact information.

   I’m doing everything I can think of to make it as painless as possible for the partners to get me the information I need. I get anything I can from the secretary, offer to call the client directly, ask mostly yes/no questions, anything more complicated than a yes/no I request a time for a call (with a list of topics for the call). Most of the time the partners just refuse to answer my emails. Or they say they’ll call me and don’t. Or they’ll answer one item on a list of 3. I’m incredibly frustrated and I don’t know what else to do. There are no other partners I can approach for advice or to intervene, so that’s totally out. How am I supposed to do my job when no one will answer me???

   1. Why not swing by their office and say “Hey, could we chat about the XYZ matter? Is now a good time or is there a better time?” You’ve mentioned all these routes of contact except for in-person! It’s possible that you got these new cases because they are too busy and while it’s annoying they aren’t being as thorough as you are, you may have to grab their attention in-person.

      1. They’re in different offices all over the country. They also apparently aren’t actually in their home offices very often. I contact the secretaries for their schedules so I can try to time my calls for when they’re likely to answer.

   2. Stop emailing and requesting calls. You need to show up at their doors. And yes, this is confrontational and likely not how they tell you to do things at your office. But they all have more pressing items vying for their attention, and you will continue to be ignored and fall to the bottom of their to-do list until they can literally not avoid you any more. Face time sucks sometimes, and no one wants to feel like a nag, but if you have tried multiple times to call and email and set up appointments, you need to be more in their face (literally). And tell them you cannot work — cannot BILL — until they give you this information.

      If they are in different offices — good luck. They only start paying attention when it hits the fan.

      1. I would if I could! I’m not shy about being a nag. I have reiterated to them multiple times that I cannot get the work done without this information but they continue to ignore me until the actual day it’s due.

         This is seriously no way to do business and I’m getting fed up. I really don’t know what else I can do other than move firms and hope it’ll be better elsewhere.

   3. They sound like my old boss. I have a new job now and the salary is less, but my boss is amazing and provides enough guidance that it will make me a better attorney in the end. Continue with e-mails to document your efforts, but I agree that you should show up at their door. If they can’t talk then, ask them for a specific time when you should come back. Don’t settle for something like “later”. We all know later never happens. If necessary, see if their secretary can schedule a meeting in his calendar. If none of that works, I would get my resume together.

   4. Do you know any associates in their offices who you could ask to bug them for you? Or can you befriend their secretaries? I have often employed others in attempting to stalk partners in this situation.

      1. Do their admins manage their calendars? If so have them fit you in for a 15 min call.

8. I am a California girl traveling to DC conference next week for an academic conference and to visit friends. My work style is basic blouse, slacks and flats for work, but my personal style is very casual- patagonia jackets and workout pants. Can someone in the DC area please advise me on what to wear/pack for my free time so I can be comfortable and still polished? I will mostly be visiting museums and happy hours with friends. Boots? Booties? How heavy of a coat? TIA!

   1. Dress is more formal here than in CA. If you’re going to regular bars (vs. lounge-type places) jeans and a nice top and booties are fine. It has been in the mid/high 50s, so a light trench or short peacoat is fine.

   2. Athleisure is also huge here, for serious – if you want to wear lululemon pants to wander around the museums, you will be totally fine. DC is not like NYC where people put on a polish every time they leave the house. There’s basically nothing I can’t accomplish with a silk blouse, a chambray, black wunder unders and black boots.

      1. Thank you for your feedback! And the athleisure outfit you described, anonymous sounds perfect!

9. Just wondering if anyone has tried Betabrand’s clothing, specifically the pants and skirts? How did you find the fit/quality?

10. I’m hoping it’s just the picture, but that is the ugliest, absolute worst-fitting suit I’ve ever seen! Those shoes certainly don’t do it any favors, either. Wow….

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