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Suit of the Week: Veronica Beard

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. I was pleased to read that Veronica Beard has a new range of extended sizes — yes! As many readers have noted over the years, it's easy to find super “affordable” workwear in plus sizes (with the related problems of lower quality fabric, fit, and occasionally ethical “fast fashion” issues) — but we had to hunt to find designer plus-size clothing for professional women. So even though Veronica Beard is spendy, it's great to have more options. If you're looking for a basic suit, the scuba jacket and pants (available at both Nordstrom and Veronica Beard) are a good bet — but for today this dark green houndstooth is lovely. The jacket is $695, and the pants are $425, both available in sizes 00-24 in the pictured dark green and a more traditional black/white houndstooth, at VeronicaBeard.com. (I'm not usually a floral fan, but I'm kind of dying over the lovely blouse the model is wearing, too.) This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Sales of note for 12.3.24 (lots of Cyber Monday deals extended, usually until 12/3 at midnight)

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

114 Comments

    2. I’m obsessed with the slim crepe ankle pant. I’m sure they’re too casual for many offices, but for mine they’re just right. I’m usually a size 10 on the bottom and I wear a size medium.

    3. If you’re budget conscious like I am, the Uniqlo has relatively low priced, but good quality for the price pants that are pull on professional pants that look quite similar and are super comfy. The EZY Ankle pants are of a slightly looser fit, and the ponte slim pants are of a nearly identical cut (and I’m a size 12 and curvy so they can be worn by not-slim women but still look good – they have a slimming effect really). I literally have 6 pairs in different colors.

  2. Advice on whether to stay in biglaw or go in house? Why did you go in house or decide to stay and go for partner? If you left biglaw, do you regret it? Assume no/minimal pay cut.

    1. Best decision ever. More free time, fewer long days (essentially only as needed), no billables, no business development, still challenged. I did take a pay cut (nearly 40k) but still well into six figures which is plenty money for anyone.

    2. Left biglaw for small law and no regrets. Don’t count out small/midlaw if you enjoy practicing in a firm setting! I know lots of people like being in-house, but I would be bored out of my mind. I also hate meetings and really enjoy litigating cases, so ymmv.

      1. +0.5 I left biglaw for small law, too, and although it was a huge adjustment at first, I’ve gotten many of the same lifestyle benefits I would have expected to get from leaving firm practice (more free time!).

        1. I never got a job in biglaw, but left a job serving subpeenies (like a paralegal) for small law, and eventueally became a partner. I make decent money, tho not what the biglaw firms pay, work very hard, but DO have my evening’s and weekend’s free to do what I want, other then on Sunday night, when I must upload my billeings for Frank (our Accountant/CFO) if I have not already done so. Since I work pretty much all the time from M-F (including at home), my billeings reflect an increased workload of a law partner. However, I do have the flexibility to bill up to 20 hours on 1 day, and none on the next, if I decide to take the day off, but I generally don’t b/c I need to make my monthlies, so don’t slack off generally until the last 3 or 4 days of the month, when I have met my quota. I suppose I am “in the groove” so would not even know what to do if I went in house, and no longer had to do much. I think it all depends on what kind of drive and motivation one has. If you have a lot, stay in big law. If you want to work and do less, and have more free time, go in house, tho you will not make the same money.

    3. I’m weighing this decision too. I’m already a partner. I would welcome everyone’s thoughts on the following (recognizing that companies and roles vary widely):

      – Feeling like a cost center rather than a revenue generator.
      – Being beholden to the “business side” who may view you as an obstacle.
      – Having a “boss” (unless you are GC). As a partner, only the clients are really the boss. No one at the firm is my boss; it’s all about my performance (revenue and client satisfaction). I don’t have to report up or have my work reviewed.
      – Reduced flexibility due to more rigid working hours/face time/in-office availability to clients, vacation policies, etc. (I really don’t want to have to ask anyone to leave in the middle of the day for whatever reason. I really value the autonomy at a firm – answering only to clients, who don’t care where you are as long as you’re available as needed and get the work done on time.)
      – Only having one entity as a client – issues with work variety and job security (particularly with upcoming recession).
      – Having to deal with the “messy” side of an operating business – from the outside, I think about legal and business issues and give advice. The in-house lawyers have to chase down the businesspeople, make sure all the required actions get taken (so-and-so has to sign off, etc.), look for invoices and historical information, basically all the stuff that does not seem enjoyable.
      – Corporate politics. (Yes, law firms have politics too, but I’m fine with that and it’s what I know.)

      For background, I’m in transactional practice and also considering government, but don’t do litigation and would not want to do compliance or regulatory, which doesn’t leave much (at least in my city).

      Thank you :)

      1. you’ve accurately identified the downsides, but the upside is priceless to me — limited evening and weekend work except an occasional intense deal, and the ability to take your PTO without worrying about how you’ll make up the hours, mean my relationships have all drastically improved since switching.

    4. I wasn’t in big-law, but at a boutique that had grueling hours and expectations (but without the high pay), and I’ve been in-house for 4.5 years. I was tired of the long hours, didn’t want to litigate directly anymore, and had no desire to work on business development. My first in-house place was awful, and I even considered going back to private practice. I ultimately moved to another company in-house, and I am so much happier than I ever was in private practice. I work fewer hours, have a more predictable schedule, am encouraged to use all of my vacation, have opportunities to grow, am consistently challenged in my work, and I don’t have to worry about all of the things I hated about private practice (billable hours, business development, and constant arguing with opposing counsel about petty BS).

    5. In house and best decision ever for me. I’ve commented before but it’s important to understand the decision isn’t binary. In house positions vary tremendously; factors are company size, industry, law department size etc. All of those can impact your experience and make it a great or terrible job depending on your personality.

    6. Best decision ever. More autonomy, more growth, actual counseling and more strategic and business focused role. I felt like a document drone in BigLaw M&A. I’m at an F50 tech so benefits are MUCH better in terms of equity comp, employee stock purchase (hello discount!), bonus plan, 401k match, company card, tech and other perks related to entertainment and tech industry.

  3. How does everyone store casual clothes like t-shirts, jeans, shorts, jersey dresses — fold? hang? drawer? shelf? My system needs tweaking.

    1. T-shirts, folded in a drawer. If it’s a t-shirt I wear for work that would wrinkle when folded, I hang it.
      Jeans, same.
      Shorts, same.
      Jersey dresses: hung b/c they wrinkle.

    3. I fold in a drawer KonMari style so that I can see all of them. I steam out wrinkles before I put on.

    4. I hang everything but underwear, pyjamas and workout clothes. But I have a bigger closet and limited dresser space.

    5. I hang my knit dresses, no matter how casual, because they fold into wonky shapes.

    6. I don’t have closet or dresser space, so I hang dresses, fold t-shirts, and have a basket for jeans.

    7. I keep T-shirts, jeans, and shorts in drawers, jersey dresses get hung up. I also have a canvas “drawer” of sorts that I keep under my bed, and that’s where I keep the super casual T-shirts I only wear around the apartment on a lazy Sunday or after a shower in the evening.

    1. The sample photos look shady AF. Unless you’re buying skincare out of the back of a van, you’re probably okay.

      1. I don’t know about that. Cosmetics and skin care are almost completely unregulated in the US. Mercury, no, but overall we don’t really know the risks of what we’re using.

        1. I would be willing to bet people here are buying skin cream off of Amazon or as they so fondly call it the site of the river. And Amazon does not clearly indicate which products are coming from a 3rd party seller or stored in somebody’s home, for example, where mistakes/tampering could very easily occur. I’m very careful to only buy from Amazon directly, but once received an item with a note from the seller to ignore the damage to the packaging because it had been in her basement for several years. It did not inspire confidence. I definitely don’t buy food or cosmetics there anymore.

          1. I actually quit buying higher-end things from the site you cite due to concerns about counterfeits. (And generally disliking their business practices.)

          2. Yep I used to buy some medicine from A-zon and I quit when I heard about a child dying from tainted meds sold by a third party on there. Scary stuff! It’s not as convenient to go to a pharmacy in person but much safer, IMO.

          3. The site of the river shipped me a counterfeit toy for young children (sold by a third party, but shipped by them) and then took down my review of the third party accurately describing the counterfeit. I am very wary of third parties now and try to avoid the site entirely for items where safety is a concern.

      2. What photos are you looking at? I didn’t see any in my quick skim of the article.

  5. What home decor catalogs do you like? Particularly if they sell seasonal decor. I feel like I’m seeing the same stuff everywhere – maybe new catalogs are the answer.

  6. I need some shopping help, and I feel like there’s an obvious answer here that I am just missing. I need some casual shoes to wear when I take the dog out or run casual errands but it’s too “cold” for rubber flip flops. Slip-ons would be ideal especially if they work well without socks. I live in Texas, so it’s only truly cold for a month or so. I have Bean Boots for January and February (and snow boots with my ski stuff), but those feel silly when it’s in the 70s. They need to be able to handle dew-y grass, gravel paths, mud, etc. but nothing extreme. Grip on ice would be great but is not super important. I keep going back to the bean boot shoes (mocs) but am hesitating to pull the trigger. Basically, I need rain shoes. (Rain boots are hot and hard to get on and look absurd more often than not–because they’re inappropriate for the weather, not because there’s anything wrong with rain boots.) Ideas? I can’t even figure out how to g**gle it!

    1. I just ordered a pair of the Vessi waterproof sneakers everybody keeps talking about. They haven’t even got here yet so I can’t really speak to how I like them, but it sounds like the kind of thing that might work for what you’re describing.

      1. Interesting. I might try those if I come up short, but I’m thinking more along the lines of rinse-able vs washable… if that makes sense. From October through April I’ll wear them several times a day and don’t want to put on shoes that are wet on the inside because they got dew-y that morning in the grass. Thanks for the rec, though!

      1. That’s what I did last year. They work alright, but I end up having to wash them somewhat frequently because they’re fabric so they absorb mud and grass sticks more, but the treads also seem to be problematic with mud. They also aren’t really slip-ons. Which seems minor until the 4th time I have to take my dog out betewen 6 and 10 pm (seriously, dude, you can’t hold it?).

        1. Ha, yes! Garden clogs = rain shoes–woot! Off to do some search engine work with a new term. :)

      2. Which Sperry’s are you thinking? Crocs may fit the bill…I’ll go poke around their website.

    5. +1 that your search term is garden shoes or garden clogs. They’re a 3season style in the PNW.

    6. I buy my kids Native shoes for this purpose (slipping on and off often, rinse-able, waterproof, etc.) They make them in adult sizes too.

    7. Are you looking for boots or something that encloses your foot and mostly keeps out wetness?

      A rain boot is a rain boot, but I bought these from Amazon as my “walk the dog, run outside the house for a bit and don’t care what they look like” shoes. Super cheap so you can rebuy anytime but very durable (uppers are leather):

      https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9MCCHX/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_y7uEDbY8V064K
      and very similar alternative
      https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L93ASGM/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_C7uEDbQYZY2S1

      1. Not really boots, more along the lines of a shoe. Even a chelsea boot seems like too much shoe most of the time. And, they don’t really need to keep the wetness out, just dry off very quickly (like rubber or treated leather, not mesh).

        The ones you linked to are close, but I’m worried they’d take all day to dry and it’d be hard to get mud off (I can’t just rinse them in the sink).

        I think I may land on either Natives (had also occurred to me but thanks for the idea Anon at 3:40!), or garden shoes/clogs from Bogs, Hunter, or the like.

        Has anyone worn the Natives? They are so cute on kids, and kids seem to like them, but they look hot. Am I wrong?

        Thanks everyone for the help! I needed the hive mind for this one!

      1. Haha, thanks. I know, I feel like a dope for spending so much time thinking about it!

        1. Wasn’t implying that you’re a dope at all – the Bean mocs are just what you need!

    11. I use sheepskin liners for my sneakers. They keep my feet just the right temperature. Highly recommend.

    12. Two words for you: Dansko Britney

      I wore a pair of Tom’s canvas slip ons as my get out of bed go fetch the paper go grocery shopping indoor/outdoor shoes until they got so rank, I couldn’t justify keeping them. Looked around for a while and finally settled on the Dansko Britney – I put them on my feet when I get up in the morning, they have enough sole so I can muck in the yard and (eek) I’ll wear them to work on a Friday with skinny black pants (and usually slip them off whenever I’m at my standing desk). Even a Dansko backless clog is going to meet your needs – they are simply indestructible as far as I can tell. I’m a big Mary Jane fan, so the Britney scratched my cute itch (and I told my bf, “Hope you like these because you are going to see them a lot”) but I’m really a big fan of Dansko over Toms, Merrels or other water shoe type shoes.

  8. I’m a senior associate. A second year associate who hates her job is quitting today. She is working through the end of the month. I took her to lunch a few days ago, which is when she told me, but I’d like to give her something as a good wishes type of token. Not food, and not expensive. Would flowers and a card be OK? I know she has been really stressed and anxious, partly because of the partners she worked with but also because she has never quit a job.

    1. When I was quitting biglaw, the best gift was people who honestly told me I did a good job. Also, offering to provide a reference and staying in touch would be phenomenal gifts.

    3. I wouldn’t want to have to worry about taking flowers home on my last day, and it would be really weird to get them at a new job. A nice card is sufficient. And, assuming she is still job searching, the best gift is letting her know that you are willing to serve as a reference for her (assuming that is true)

    4. Card and small box of nice chocolates – she’s not going to want to have to deal with flowers on her last day.

    5. When my work BFF left, I sent her a nice leafy, flowery plant on her third day at her new job. I wanted to send something that would live for a while, brighten up her office, and not be weird or romantic or hard to transport. She really loved it.

    6. Card on the last day. If you want to do a gift then I’d do card + flowers or card + chocolates (I think chocolates are better — less obvious to the rest of the office) on her 2nd to last day. On the last day sometimes people aren’t going straight home — some head out to the bar, some head straight to the airport for a vacation etc. — they don’t want to have flowers along. More importantly though if you like her/think well of her — keep in touch. Leaving biglaw often means leaving a big part of your social circle since you worked 24-7 with people and those people move on/don’t keep in touch because they are busy. So it feels nice to be remembered whether 2 weeks later or 3 mos later.

  9. I just need to rant: had a few health issues this week (nothing scary, I’m fine), and have been keeping my family up to date by text. And my mom, instead of saying nice supportive things like “you’ll figure it out, you’ll be good, just make sure DH takes good care of you,” etc., has put on her Amateur Medical Know-It-All hat and just wants to ask three thousand questions about do I suppose perhaps my allergy medicine caused it. I don’t know, Mom, I’m a little busy. And yet I cannot tell her to please take off said hat without hurting her feelings and probably getting scolded by somebody for being rude when Mom was “just trying to help.” Why are moms so complicated?!

    1. I just think of a text as a postcard.

      And when I get 10 in a day from the same person . . . at the end of the day I just say “OMG so busy today hope your day was good” as a non-reactive response that should say “I acknowledge receipt” to the recipient.

    2. “hmm, something to think about” is my standard response to all sorts of unwanted mom advice whether health/financial/relationship/etc

      She’s trying to help. Even when they are grown up, moms want to take care of their kids when they are sick.

      1. Totally this. You can respond to her good intentions without engaging with the medical “assistance.” Use “Yes, and…” style responses to move the conversation along, and avoid “No, but” responses so she doesn’t double down on the inquisition.

        “Thanks for thinking of me, love you!” “Interesting, huh.” “I wouldn’t have thought of that, huh” “that could be a possibility” “hadn’t thought of that – we shall see!” “I wonder. Hmmm.” “Can’t respond now, in meetings, but feeling okay” “Gosh, I feel overwhelmed right now, can we discuss this later this week when I have gotten some rest?” (and then don’t bring up the thread later that week, and use the ‘interesting’ line if she brings it up again).

        Sorry you haven’t been feeling well – I hope you get a handle on it soon.

      1. Me too. Something in the air. At least I have sisters to commiserate with. Yeesh, she’s been a lot.

  10. I’m the poster having a catheter ablation next month. What should I be doing to make sure I understand financially what is going to happen and what needs to happen so that we don’t end up with giant unexpected medical bills? We have good insurance and we’ve already met our deductible for this year. I know a little about avoiding out of network care. Any other tips? We have emergency money if push comes to shove but I want to have some idea of what this looks like in advance if possible.

    1. Make sure your provider does precertification/predetermination with your health plan. Don’t take the provider’s word for it – call the plan yourself and verify if precert was done and the services approved.

    2. You can see if the facility will provide you an estimate by telling you what codes they will bill, and then you call your insurance company and ask them to tell you what will be covered and what your co-pay will be. It’ll be an estimate at best.

      Often, unexpectedly, some parts of a procedure will be treated as out-of-network providers even if you’re in a facility that’s covered – for instance, hospitals often contract with ER doc-providers or contract anesthiologists, and you won’t know it because you think your hospital is in-network. You can check for any potential out-of-network parts of the procedure.

    3. If you will be getting sedation for the procedure, check to make sure that the anesthesiologist is also in network for your plan.

    4. I didn’t read your earlier posting, but I would recommend that you verify that your Electrophysiologist – or other cardiac electrical system doctor is in-network if possible. Or that you at least know ahead of time whether the doctor is in-network or not. Are you on a Beta-Blocker right now? They often add a betblocker or similar for at least a year after a procedure. My husband had three such ablations and one of his medications is $1,000 every three months. My husband’s first abalation cost $75,000, with an overnight stay for monitoring. The other two were similar cost. Midwest Cardiac Specialty Hospital.

  11. Anyone here a Hobonichi planner user – which one do you use? I’ve been using the Weeks for the last two years and adore it but am considering switching to the new date-free for next year. Curious if anyone has thoughts (don’t know any planner nerds IRL!).

  12. Has anyone had weird twingey pain at the bony part of your jaw, by your chin? Both sides have been weird for a few weeks. Not an ache or a sharp pain, just… weird.

    1. I’d ask your dentist whether you have any signs that you’re grinding your teeth. I was doing so so subtly that neither I nor my sleeping partner noticed until I got a nightguard. Don’t hesitate to get said nightguard adjusted, either.

    2. I had something similar to this just yesterday. Feared it was a tooth crapping out, but I think it was maybe just lymph nodes/a cold brewing.

      I also couldn’t sleep last night, which for me is often a sign that I’m coming down with something. But I’d consider your teeth and maybe even ears – I feel like I’ve had ear congestion that manifested as jaw pain.

  13. I just paid off my student loans!! Woo hoo!!! It is so satisfying to receive a “your account has been closed” email from EdFinancial.

  14. fyi Costco has a ton of nice beauty sales right now — tons of stila, bare minerals, and lipstick queen for under $15.

  15. ISO recommended articles for discussion for a group of female attorneys (fwiw, internal group ranging from junior associates to partners at a small-midsized law firm). We are starting a regular series of meetings and will probably mix it up between bringing in speakers and having a focused discussion topic. Obv there are the classics like Lean In and Slaughter’s piece. Any other recs for something more recent?

    2. I don’t have a recommendation, but if this is a an open-invitation meeting, I would recommend circulating a meeting notice with the articles for discussion to every lawyer in the firm regardless of sex. I am so sick of women circulating enlightening reading material and news of a woman’s success only to one another.

    3. If you’re litigators (and maybe even if you’re not), the ABA’s woman advocate committee has a quarterly newsletter that has some great material.

  16. Please tell me I’m doing the right thing. I have been trying to get to the eye doctor for almost three months. I’ve had to cancel the last two appointments because of work (biglaw). I always try to schedule early in the morning. They gave me an rx for enough contacts to last until my next appointment but said they could not give me any more after that. I have glasses but not Rx sunglasses so I can’t really go outside comfortably or drive to work in the morning unless I have contacts.

    Work just scheduled something during my appointment (at 8:30 am) and asked me to cancel. I said I’m sorry I can’t, and I got a lot of grumbling in return. Now I’m feeling guilty and anxious. Tell me it’s ok to keep my appointment?

    1. it’s already done so keep the appointment but keep an eye on your email and get into work stat
      make sure they give you your PD at your appointment (one of your eyeglasses measurements) so you can order RX sunglasses online – under $200.

      1. Seems like you’re suggesting that OP is doing something wrong. Which she is not. I mean it might be a good idea to have Rx sunglasses anyway, but not to enable you to cancel your 8:30 am doctors appointments three times in a row. There’s a reason they need to see you every year! I swear the sky will not fall if you’re out of the office for 30 minutes of normal business hours!

    2. Absolutely. Your health matters. You only get two eyes. Do this and feel proud not guilty.

    3. Of course they’re grumbling. You’ve trained them to know you’ll cancel everything to accommodate them.

    4. Ugh – I’ve been through two health fuckups from being in big law in the go go ’90s and not taking time for myself.

      1. Had an earache that I let go until one night I found blood on my pillow. Went into the doctor who (of course) diagnosed me with an infection behind the eardrum. The pressure essentially perforated my eardrum which is where the blood came from. Doctor wryly noted (as he was writing a prescription for antibiotics), we don’t usually see this in adults, usually it’s young children who can’t communicate what’s happening. Adults usually come in before this point.”

      2. Had a toothache that I let go and eventually it stopped hurting. Visit to the dentist, needed a root canal and a crown. Comment from the dentist, “Well, when you let it go on long enough that it stops hurting that means the nerve has died and the tooth is dead. Usually people come in before that and we can save the tooth.”

      Don’t be me – although I can hear fine, I’ve had two teeth pulled due to not addressing issues. You may be able to find health care providers with evening hours (which is what I ended up doing) but otherwise make appointments way in advance and ensure you let partners and staff know when you’ll need to be out. Like if you make an appointment six weeks out and they know about it – then it’s on them if they schedule something you *have* to attend at the same time two weeks before your appointment.

  17. What is with the shoes on this model? Open-toed shoes with a suit with floor-skimming bootcut pants is hideous.

      1. THANK YOU! If that is the “model” version of that suit, I will definitely pass. Faux double breasted jacket (and what is with all those buttons?) can you actually button it up? Pants that are too tight until you get to the knees and then billowing over your feet? I initially thought “OK the pants covering the feet is a thing, you can just hem them up” until I realized that hemming those pants would actually make them worse.

    2. The outfit is designed for plus-sized women. I do think she looks fine, and tho I wouldn’t wear open toed shoes, even with slacks, I think that all women should have a choice, and we should not discriminate against plus sized women.

  18. Does anyone know how Veronica Beard fits? Pear with swimming shoulders seeking guidance.

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