Suit of the Week: Tahari

97 Comments

1. Oooh Kat! I LOVE TAHARI! You ALWAYS pick the nicest clotheing for me to show the manageing partner! Thank you!

   I have been sooooo busy trying to get all of my new cases in order. We took over the WC business of a guy who is retireing, and I was assigned all of his files. He has 330 active files that I am NOW responsible for. FOOEY b/c I need an associate to help me b/c I already have about 400 of my own cases, tho some are closed. The manageing partner gave me authority to hire an asociate, but I do NOT want to hire just any schlub. Is there anyone in the HIVE familiar with NY WC law who needs a job? I want 3+ year’s of expereince, and will hire either a Male or Female. We are an equal opportunity employer. Let me know. YAY!!!!

   1. I hope you get cancer and die

      1. Yikes.

2. Is it me or does that jacket reverse the sheathyness of the dress?

   1. Definitely not just you.

      Also, not to be a jerk, but this suit is T Tahari, not regular Tahari like the title says. Totally different quality/cut from regular Tahari (or Tahari by ASL or whatever else they’re calling it these days).

   2. I just bought this, but I agree, at least as modeled here. I expect to wear the pieces separately most of the time, so I went ahead anyway. I haven’t yet tried it on to see what the effect is on my body. I want a jacket this color to go with my favorite silk shirt and white or navy pants, and I think the dress will look great with some navy jackets/cardigans I already own.

      1. And white blazers. I love my white blazers!

      2. Remember the block heeled Naturalizer shoes featured here last week (or maybe week before) in a slate blue? Those shoes would be gorgeous with these separates?

3. Great pick. I have a BR suit this color, and it’s my favorite suit. Formal enough for any environment but a little different.

4. (x-posted from moms’ site)

   Hi all,

   Our first child is 2 weeks old today (!) and I wanted to solicit advice since I have low milk supply so far (I think it’s due to lingering postpartum edema in my breasts from getting a lot of IV fluids pushed during labor when I had the epi + pit, but this is just a theory… thoughts on this welcome! My breasts basically feel really engorged but despite being like this since a couple days after delivery, it hasn’t progressed to mastitis — knock on wood). Since baby wasn’t gaining enough weight, we started supplementing with formula about a week ago and she’s now gaining weight well which we’re relieved about! Have been working with a great lactation consultant on various options to up my milk supply so far, to no avail, so it looks like we’re going to be supplementing for a while. (Lots of emotions about this but I think I’m coming to terms with it.) I want to keep up some BFing as long as I can, so want to ask the experienced mamas here on how to best keep my limited supply up.

   Also, currently we’re feeding her about every 3 hours and a “cycle” of getting her up, changing her diaper, nursing at breast, supplementing with bottle, and then pumping, and then finally getting her back to sleep takes at least 1h15m, usually closer to 1h30m. This means not too much down time in between feedings! LC pointed out that this is likely difficult to sustain for the long term. Exclusively pumping seems like something that won’t work for now since I get very little milk when pumping currently (though maybe that would change if I weren’t also nursing…?). LC has suggested using a supplemental nursing system like the one made by Medela or by Lact-aid (basically you have a small feeding tube that goes to an expressed BM or formula source in a bottle or pouch, and the baby nurses at your breast and also gets additional milk from the feeding tube simultaneously, so this cuts out the step of making the bottle). From what I’ve researched online it seems like moms either love or hate these supplemental nursing systems. Does anyone have experience using one?

   Thanks!

   1. Wait are you waking her up to nurse? Why?

      At the very least, I’d downgrade to either nursing or pumping at each feed.

   2. For upping supply, I would try to nurse more often than 3 hours if you can, esp cluster feeding in the evenings (one side, then the other, then back and forth as long as you can) It is tough when they are little and sleepy, but your supply *should* continue to increase if you are feeding regularly up until 12 weeks or so.

      *Not meant to be a pressure thing! Many many moms can’t supply enough milk. This was just my experience, that my supply continued to go up until 12 weeks.

      1. Yes she’s so sleepy! Half the time is spent trying to wake her up/keep her active at the breast! Thanks so much for the tip.

   3. Congrats! I exclusively pumped for my twins and the only way I could keep the supply up was with a hospital grade pump. I rented one from Babies R Us on a monthly basis — it could be worth a shot for 1 month to see if it works for you.

   4. PBD I had almost the exact problem with my first and did use the tiny tube supplemental feeding system for a few weeks. (full disclosure “baby” is now 23yo) And it worked well while I did it except for my lifelong allergy to medical tape/adhesive (painful sores from tape). My milk supply was so low – never knew why but I had the same birth scenario. Anyway I used the tubes for a few weeks and was just about to give up nursing when my supply shot up and I didn’t need to use the tube (but still used some formula in bottles by caregivers). So if it’s encouraging you need, I’d say hang in there for a few weeks, relax and eat well, get lots of rest and maybe your supply will catch up.

      1. My memory was supply shot up between weeks 6-8 so like Diana Barry says give it some time.

      2. Thank you this is so helpful to hear!

   5. I think what helps the most is to have baby nurse very often. For a few days it will feel like it is constant. Drink lots and lots of water. Anecdotally, I thought it helped to eat oatmeal. Pump and let the pump run even if nothing comes out. That will help signal to make more milk.

   6. I struggled with #1 b/c I didn’t know what I was doing (so pump and bottle and nurse and give up and pump then she was hungry so bottle then full so pump — so hard!). With #2, she was a remora and basically attached to me, which helped. Can you just try keeping her on longer (I let mine just hang out sideways on a boppy).

   7. I thought that the SNS was pretty helpful – it was a little awkward to set up, but it at least got rid of that awful feeling that baby was just not getting anything and I couldn’t even tell. So, definitely try it.

      FWIW, though, I’ll add that I enjoyed having a baby SO much more when I switched to allowing regular formula feedings as well (I started doing that every other feeding, give or take, around 4-5 weeks.) It was just so much nicer for everyone and I felt more bonding with baby while bottle-feeding, personally (because it was so much easier and he was clearly getting something). I switched entirely to formula around 7 weeks because I did not want to pump. Baby is now 4, and just absurdly healthy and smart. So, don’t be afraid to go that route, too.

      Good luck and congratulations!

   8. You’re doing great.

      You’re still in that initial window where you can build your supply, so that’s awesome. Do what you can manage but just be sure to enjoy your baby and take care of yourself. It’s hard.

      I would try to nurse more often than every three hours, especially during the evening. Try turning on Netflix and spending the whole evening in some combination of nursing and skin to skin cuddling. I often nursed my little ones for 4-5 hours at a time during those first weeks.

      During the day, we would often do a quick feeding every 45 minutes or so. Lots of eating during the day helps them go longer stretches at night and boosts supply. Basically offer the boobs every time the baby wakes up or fusses.

      You can also try changing the baby’s diaper between boobs to wake them up and to encourage them to eat more.

      Consider skipping the post nursing pumping for the night feeds. You need sleep too. Pumping after the day feeds is already a ton of work.

      Put your pump parts in the fridge after pumping in a ziplock bag or Tupperware. They only need to be washed once a day and can be reused many times during the day.

   9. I did this for about a month after doing breastfeeding and bottles the 6 weeks with low supply.After that I was able to exclusively breastfeed. I found it much better with the aid, maybe mostly because I felt like I could relax and enjoy breastfeeding more – I wasn’t so tense wondering whether there was enough milk (which I think did help a bit with supply). My lactation consultant also encouraged me to continue with breastfeeding rather than exclusively pumping and then bottle feeding with expressed milk and formula as apparently that does not increase supply as well – no machine can be as efficient as a baby apparently. Certainly every time I’ve had blocked ducts they have only been cleared by my baby rather than pumping. She also suggested fenugreek and blessed thistle as supplements.

      Ultimately my supply only really increased with a prescription of domperidome, which unfortunately is not available in the US (but is in Canada).

   10. You’re doing great. I couldn’t BF my first (contraindicated medication for Crohn’s) and never had enough to feed the second. Started supplementing him around 3 weeks, when he hadn’t gained back nearly enough weight. Kept up both BF and formula until I got the flu when he was around 6 months old and it pretty much killed my milk supply. Even without my personal experience though –

       Fed is best. Period. End of story.

       http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2016/09/29/fed_is_best_foundation_is_trying_to_undo_the_damage_of_breast_is_best.html

       https://expectingscience.com/2015/11/02/breastfeeding-benefits-the-real-the-imagined-and-the-exaggerated/

       1. Thanks for sharing this! My little guy is doing great on formula but the guilt is almost unbearable sometimes.

          1. Thanks so much everyone for all the great advice and sharing your experiences/commiseration! It helps so much to read all the supportive comments.

             @Surburban I totally hear you on the guilt re formula! I know it’s irrational but it’s so hard.

5. Not sure what I’m hoping for but…has anyone had this happen? I feel like I’ve developed a crush on a friend of mine. BUT it feels like a middle school crush or something. Like, I want him to be my boyfriend and like me and cuddle with me…but maybe because he’s been my friend, I’m NOT thinking “ooh, want to make out with you and get freaky” which normally I would with a crush? So it’s like, romantic but not sexual? Wtf, brain? (I have no idea if he’s into me, but probably not? But I feel like I definitely wouldn’t push it and potentially ruin a friendship if I’m not even sure if I want him like that? But meanwhile every time I’m around him or texting him I’m all giddy.

   1. I have a platonic crush on someone I know professionally. I’m married too. Platonic crush is one of those guys that just looks like a big teddy bear. He has a great personality and is funny and sweet. I just want to hug him and cuddle him. I have no desire to “get” with him or leave my spouse for him lol. I just want to snuggle.

      1. Oh, I had one of those on a client a couple of years ago. He was just so great. I used to imagine what it would have been like if we had met as teenagers and could have gone on cheesy teenage no-s e x -involved dates together. I love my husband and have no desire to cheat (plus – weirdly – this guy was not physically my type at all!) and he was married as well so the platonic crush was definitely not going to lead to anything dangerous…but it was kind of fun while it lasted. :)

   2. I have a longtime male friend about whom I feel this way. We dealt with it somewhat indirectly, long ago, and my takeaway was that if you don’t want to get freaky, don’t bring it up. If he’s interested, then he’ll be embarrassed and frustrated that you don’t want to jump him and any attempt to make things happen will ultimately be unsatisfying for him. (And no, you can’t fake it til you make it, especially since he knows you so well!) If he’s not interested, then the friendship has been interrupted without any worthwhile reason. I’ve been friends with this person for over 10 years and I just have to shrug. I’m glad he put up with my clumsy exploration of feelings.

      1. Yeah, that’s my suspicion–if I don’t want to get freaky it would be extra bad to bring it up. There’s a small part of me thinking “maybe it would be hot, and I just have a bad imagination”, but I kinda don’t want to ruin a friendship based on that kind of hope.

         But I’ve been feeling this way for a few months now and keep hoping it’ll go away and instead it’s been worse. Sigh. Had high hopes I’d instead develop a crush on a recent date and get over it, but that date went off the rails….

         1. Well, do you actively not want to get freaky (like, you think about it and your gut reaction is “Ew!”), or is it more that you don’t actively want to get freaky (because you haven’t really thought about it, but if you had, your reaction might be more like, “hmmm, maybe”). I’m not saying go full speed ahead – if it turns out that he’s interested and you don’t actually feel physically interested in him, he’s going to be unhappy and it might damage your friendship. But… on the other hand, giddy’s usually a good thing. :)

   3. You are emotionally attached to him, and you want to continue to explore emotional intimacy with him. The intimacy is why it feels like a crush rather than just a friendship even though it isn’t really s*xy. I feel this way about someone I know professionally. We’ve, um, hung out in the flowerbeds but never actually gardened, if you will, but dating isn’t realistic. That said, I feel close to him based on our shared work experiences, friendship, and these little trysts we’ve had. I also feel “safe” and comfortable with him v. some rando I found on the internet to date. So I really wish we could just spoon and be sweet.

   4. Could it be like the equivalent of a “girl crush” just… with a guy? I’ve had plenty of times (mostly as a teenager) where I’ve wanted to spend all my time with a girl friend, I don’t have any interest in anything if they won’t be there, etc., but I’m not physically attracted to them. It sounds like those are the feelings you’re having. It might be easier to think of it in those terms than to think it terms of a romantic crush.

6. I’m curious how other ladies handle this. I have made an effort to reduce clothing buying so that I get more wear out of fewer pieces, and I have a decent work rotation that probably isn’t quite a capsule wardrobe. But my issue is dressier family events. I’m usually with the same people (my family or my in-laws) and I wonder how often I can rotate in a baptism/ bridal shower/ rehearsal dinner dress that I’ve worn before in the same crowd? I only have a few that fit this bill. (I realize that the answer should be: do whatever you want, no one cares. But I’d like to know how others approach this.)

   1. I do what I want and no one cares. I have maybe 3 baptism/bridal shower/Easter outfits. Rehearsal dinner to me is not in the same category.

      1. Same. No one will notice.

      2. Totally. And ya know what, I notice some relatives’ outfits when they are repeats and I kinda like that that is their look. I can definitely think of a few aunts and my soon to be MIL and some of their go-to outfits for nicer dinners or holidays. I definitely have some holiday outfits I repeat. It’s 100% ok to repeat in front of coworkers, in front of haters, and definitely in front of family and friends who love you.

   2. I either just wear the same thing again or I use Rent the Runway.

   3. I have a classic longer wool crepe dress that can be worn for all dressier occasions. I mix it up with accessories, scarves, toppers to dress down.

      1. Yeah, that’s what I do. I have about 3 basic dresses and then change them up with the jewelry, blazers/jackets, scarves, shoes, etc. Or a fun skirt and change it up with the shoes.

   4. I stopped buying these kinds of dresses because they would only get 2-3 wears max, and just use Rent the Runway instead.

   5. I have a party dress that I didn’t intend to become my go-to but I honestly wear it for every single dressy event. It’s sleeveless but high in the neckline, has a lovely shape and is made of a forgiving but nice fabric, plus the hemline is long enough to be formal but short enough to be fun/ for me to be comfortable in bare legs. The only thing that stops me going instantly to it as the dress for a wedding is that it’s predominantly black.

      1. link??

   6. I have a few dresses that are appropriate for a baptism, family party, etc. and I will repeat those with no worries. For very dressy events like weddings, I use RTR and have had very good experiences.

   7. I try to worry less about repeats and more about looking great. Good fit, nice fabrics, quality pieces.

      1. I’ve moved to dressy separates, and like the ability to remix for different events.

   8. I have a couple of dressy blouses (one is black and sheer with scattered sequins, one is muted blue and satiny) that I wear with my work separates for occasions. I have very few items dedicated to occasions because I don’t wear them often enough and I get sick of seeing them in my closet.

      I have literally worn the sheer sequin thing with a black work skirt (sometimes with fancy hosiery) to every xmas and new years type event for the last 3 years. No one notices.

      1. Maybe too late for this but I honestly do not believe that no one notices, it is just that they do not say anything to you about it. For people that are comfortable with that, rock on! For me, the effort of buying something new and not worrying about what people might be saying is worth the expenditure. But I love clothes and have no desire to be a minimalist about it, which is ok too.

         1. Huh, I don’t really worry about anyone noticing or not, but what do you worry that people will say? Like, “Oh, there’s Dora in her same black dress again!” I just can’t really imagine anyone I actually care about saying (or even thinking) anything unpleasant because someone is wearing the same dress they’ve worn before.

         2. I just assume they do notice and think “oh nice, Persephone is wearing her lovely red dress again.”

            I don’t need an endless wardrobe to prove anything to anyone.

         3. I don’t notice if someone has worn the same thing twice. I do notice lame trends, cheap looking fabrics, and lack of personal style (and I don’t think you have to spend tons of money to look stylish or even expensive). I’m in the camp of when the clothes are wrong you notice the clothes, when the clothes are great you notice the woman.

            1. Amen.

7. I could use some fashionable but functional footwear recs.

   For one of you who are on your feet a lot during the day, with no office to drop off items, what are your winter/summer/fall shoes that you wear all day? That work inside and outside?

   Professional dress, but flexible. Work in a hospital. Not a drug rep. I wear mostly pants (ankle, tailored flaring leg) in summer, and some skirts/dresses with tights in fall/winter.

   1. I’m a fan of loafers and low heel booties. I’m especially fond of Munro at the moment.

   2. My physical therapist, who is up and down and walking all day I presume, but probably not going outdoors often, wears really cute loafers and boat shoes.

   3. Thanks for the suggestions.

      I recently splurged on some very pricey Italian leather loafers, and they haven’t worked. Not only are they extremely uncomfortable (blisters….), they make my feet look HUGE (I do have big feet for my size) and don’t look good with my pants. Not sure what is so off….

      Not a fan of boat shoes. Just…. not chic at all. Too casual, I think.

   4. Check out the blog barkingdogshoes dot com. Kristen writes about exactly what you’re looking for.

   5. These are really cute on and look good with dresses: http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/dansko-louise-round-toe-derby-women/4302625

8. Has anyone washed Calvin Klein suiting in the washing machine? What setting and how did it go?

   1. I’ve washed my lined pencil skirt several times. I do t on gentle and cold. I may have even dried it? It’s doing great. It’s part of the separates line if that matters but is the suiting material.

      1. Same here. I don’t have a gentle cycle or anything on the washer in my building but it did fine in either cold or warm water. I’ve also dried it. It did fine although eventually did start to show wear.

   2. Regularly, gentle cycle, cold. After 5ish years of this, it’s lost a bit of the finish, and picks up lint really easily, but it’s never shrunk. Line dry, of course.

   3. I find this very helpful information, i may have to experiment with washing mine now.

9. Just got home to find that my puppy chewed a hole into my go-to black booties. I’m devastated! And I need a replacement fast, since those are what I wear for pretty much every winter outfit. Anyone have recommendations for a replacement? I am looking for a 3inch heel and the ability to tuck skinny jeans into them. I’ll upload a link to the favorites that were destroyed in a reply to this.

   1. http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/vince-camuto-ristin-leather-bootie-women/3821395

   2. These look similar: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FUOZ1SQ/ref=asc_df_B01FUOZ1SQ4849246?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&linkCode=df0&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B01FUOZ1SQ&tag=wwwshopstylec-20&ascsubtag=2396581267

   3. Is it terrible to suggest that you replace the puppy with a kitten? I impressed that some people have the patience to take on an animal that without thought destroys valuable property.

      1. My cat ruined my couch by rage peeing on it about 30 times. It cost rather more to replace than any 10 pairs of shoes.

         Seriously, this comment is bizarre.

         1. Haha thanks, Torin.

10. I’m experiencing a lot of roiling emotions after a therapy session today and I’m wondering if anyone has dealt with something similar. It sounds stupid to write out. We had a long talk about diagnoses and she said she thought I was on the cusp of a couple of different illnesses essentially because I’m highly functional. My brain seems to have interpreted this as their being nothing wrong and me having been stupid to complain all these months. Anyone dealt with something similar? I feel like this sounds kind of cray

    1. It doesn’t sound crazy at all. As a veteran of a lot of therapy, I really think if it doesn’t push you or upset you some even afterwards, you haven’t been working hard enough. Having a lot of emotions makes a ton of sense.

    2. It tells me you have a lot going on, you are in touch with your emotions enough that you can express them, and thank goodness… You got yourself to therapy soon enough so that your life hasn’t been functionally devastated by your situation.

       It sounds just right. Give yourself a break.

    3. I don’t think I understand your concern properly. When I was in therapy, I went week after week without much progress. Then I was in a book store one friday evening and a self help book caught my eye. I read few pages in the book store and bought it. I started reading the book at home and I couldn’t keep it down. I had so many emotions racing through my mind, I was crying non-stop, I couldn’t breathe some times. Next day, I had tension in my neck, shoulders and still boat load of emotions and crying. For the first time in my life, I felt some compassion towards myself. I needed human touch so much, I got a massage, took a long hot shower, ordered in a nice meal. It was as if the book was written for me and I just knew why I ended up in therapy. It was like a huge burden has been taken off from my shoulders. Next week, I went to therapy. I told what had happened. We could make rapid progress and I stopped going to therapy within months. So, my opinion is it is good.

       1. what book??

          1. https://www.amazon.com/Nice-Girl-Syndrome-Manipulated-Standing/dp/0470579900/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

    4. I know this feeling well. It is a form of the imposter syndrome, the thought that we’re faking or overreacting or just want attention.

       1. Yes this is it exactly. Thanks for naming it and thanks for everyone’s nice words.

    5. This doesn’t mean nothing is wrong! Think of it this way, let’s say there were 3 illnesses and, for each one, you needed to meet 8 of 10 criteria. Except that you meet 7 of the criteria for each. Does it mean nothing is wrong? No. Does it mean you don’t easily fit into just one of those boxes/diagnoses? Yep. But it means you have things to work on together but not so many as people who fit 8, 9, or 10 of the criteria!

    6. Also, you don’t need to be The Worst Off to get help. I think the only criteria for “deserving” therapy is that you want to try it out.

       If I had ongoing respiratory problems that made functioning difficult but not impossible, and I was prevented from doing things I liked to do, and I was like “eh idk I don’t reeeally need to see a doctor. I mean, people are *choking* in the world. People have lung cancer! I’m probably just a big faker” you’d presumably tell me that I deserved to go to a doctor and get help too, until I could breathe comfortably. The same applies to you and your mind and emotions.

       Talk to your therapist about this next week. Therapy is hard, but it’s worth it.

    7. Just because someone else has a shattered spine doesn’t mean you can walk on a broken ankle. I know what you’re feeling, and I know it well. Tell that impostor syndrome to have a seat and give yourself permission to get better.

11. I’m a candidate for an in-house position at a large corporation. I had a second interview. It’s been over two weeks. There is an online system to see your status and my status is still listed as “interview.” In addition to the people that interviewed me, I have a contact with internal recruitment that I can reach out to with questions about the position.

    I forgot to ask at the end of the interview what the next steps were / their decision timeline. I know the general advice is to wait it out. At the same time, I want to look interested and eager. Should I keep waiting? At what point should I follow up? 1 month? And if so, it would be to the internal recruiter, right?

    1. You can follow up at 2 weeks via email to the internal recruiter. Try again in another 2 weeks if you don’t hear. Or even one week, but definitely not more frequently than one week.

       FWIW, my company took well over a month to get back to me, after estimating a week. Some companies move slowly with hiring.

       1. Eh – you can follow up ONCE with the internal recruiter. I wouldn’t do any more than that. Especially if you don’t have anything to ask other than “have you made a decision yet?”

          This stuff takes so much time – 2 weeks is a drop in the bucket. Do your best to put it out of your mind (impossible, I know), and hang in there.

          Ask A Manager has some good advice on the hiring process if you absolutely need an outlet for stress of waiting to hear back.

12. I actually bought this dress two weeks ago. It’s super soft and stretchy, which is great for my post-baby self. The jacket is also much softer than expected, but because it’s so soft it looks a little unprofessional when paired with the matching dress, IMO. But they’re both great pieces to be worn separately.

13. A friend told me she is considering applying to this program http://www.wgu.edu/education/master_science_curriculum_instruction I am seeing a lot of positive things online and it seems from the surface like a solid legit thing but I know some here are better at knowing about this area.

    Any thoughts/feedback I could share with her?

    1. I found this, which seems like it might help your friend https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/07/a-college-without-classes/400115/

    2. Long story, my dad was on an advisory committee when Western Governors University was being chartered a number of years ago (he was community college administrator at the time). It was originally founded to offer education degrees and continuing education to teachers, to improve educational quality. It’s a legit institution and my dad really wanted me to apply to it when I went back for my master’s a few years ago (I ended up going to a different online-only university). Tuition is very affordable compared to other online schools, including the for-profits.

       I am an instructional designer…is your friend looking to become an ID? Job prospects are pretty good but these days, she MUST have some competencies related to digital design and designing e-learning to get a decent job. She should make sure that the program at WGU is going to include not just ID theory for e-learning but hands-on experience with an authoring tool like Adobe Captivate or Articulate Storyline. It is very difficult to get jobs in ID these days without hands-on experience developing e-learning using one of those tools.

       1. I’d like to know more about instructional design. In particular, are full-time jobs common in this field or is it a lot of temp/contract work? And what would training to become an instructional designer look like? Do I need to have content knowledge in a specific area? I already have an MA in English, and I’ve taught a little but don’t have a teaching certificate. Where would I start? Would learning the technology be enough, or would I need to get a degree like A Master of Science in Education (MSEd) in Learning Design and Technology? Just starting to think about this and would appreciate any input.

14. What’s the deal with hair dryers? I have been using the T3 for several years. It seems to take forever to dry my hair (drying my hair is my least favorite anything) so I replaced it in July, reasoning that my old one was just old. I thought I experienced a speed up in drying time, but then we stayed in a hotel this weekend that had one of those standard hotel dryers – the Andis 1850 or 1875 or something – and my hair dried so quickly!

    Are the expensive dryers slower to protect your hair or prevent frizz, or just generally, what is the deal? Should I just get the Andis on amazon for like $20?

    1. The Sweethome dot com has a good article about hair dryers.

    2. Some hotels have hard water, which I find dries out my hair and results in far faster drying times, just for what it’s worth. My go-to dryer for fast drying times and smooth hair is a porcelain ceramic BaByliss Pro, and I’m not sure I’ll ever buy another hair dryer. I’ve had the same one for five years with no dip in performance. (For reference, I have extremely thick, almost waist-length hair, so speeding up drying time while preserving the health of the hair is paramount to me).

    3. I just get the cheap ones on Amazon and they work fine.

    4. I just get the cheap ones on Amazon.

    5. I just bought a Barbar 4800 for $58 on Amazon and it’s changed my life. I think it’s typically closer to $120 or even more (my cousin had it, I used it and decided I needed it – she said she paid $120 and it was on sale at the time a few years back). I used to allot 15 mins to hair drying alone in the morning (my old hair dryer was particularly sh!tty), but my thick and long hair is now dry ASAP. Like. Count-on-one-hand minutes.

    6. BabyLiss. You can buy it on Amazon. It’s the best!

15. The creepiest thing happened this week. Over the weekend, I realized I needed a better fitting pair of glasses and looked at Warby Parker’s location in Washington DC. I live 4 or 5 hours from DC, but was going to be in the area soon. All I did was look at their store location page. I did not provide any information about myself or call the store. I also looked at Google Maps to see how far the store was from our hotel. Well, 4 days later, I received my very first piece of mail ever from Warby Parker and it said “There’s a Warby Parker store in your very own backyard! Visit us at: [insert address for store 40 minutes from house].” WTH? Mind you, I live in a very down market zip code (for reasons that are too long to explain). So we are not the target market for WP. This is soooo creepy. I looked up how to change tracking and privacy settings on Google Chrome. Here’s the most helpful article I found.

    https://www.howtogeek.com/100361/how-to-optimize-google-chrome-for-maximum-privacy/

    If anyone else has any other suggestions, I’m all ears.

    1. There are some companies that match the cookies set on your browser with your real-life identity. So, if you went to some other website and provided your name and address, they would say “aha, cookie 12234 lives at address x.” Then they partner with companies like WP — WP “sees” you on their site, allow these companies to see “this is cookie 12234” and then look up address x and send an ad there. There’s very little you can do to stop this. Blocking third party cookies is a good start. I would also ask WP to remove your personal information from their lists and register your displeasure with them. When companies get complaints like that, they take them seriously, as they all have concerns about veering too far from “personalized” and “helpful” to “creepy.”

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