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Coffee Break: Lola Bag

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red 15" work tote bag

This brand is new to me, but they have a lot of beautiful work bags like this one.

According to the product page, “Teddy Blake is a New York-based luxury handbag brand that blends timeless Italian craftsmanship with modern style.”

This particular bag is 15″ wide, and features double handles, a shoulder strap, and a suede-lined interior.

It's also on sale right now (huzzah!) — it was $620 but is now marked to $465 in select colors, including this gorgeous red.

Sales of note for 3/15/25:

  • Nordstrom – Spring sale, up to 50% off
  • Ann Taylor – 40% off everything + free shipping
  • Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything + extra 20% off
  • Eloquii – 50% off select styles + extra 50% off sale
  • J.Crew – Extra 30% off women's styles + spring break styles on sale
  • J.Crew Factory – 40% off everything + extra 20% off 3 styles + 50% off clearance
  • M.M.LaFleur – Friends and family sale, 20% off with code; use code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – 40% off 1 item + 30% off everything else (includes markdowns, already 25% off)

99 Comments

  1. Any recommendations for funny podcasts or books? Like genuinely laugh out loud funny? I’m in a rough spot in my life, and I honestly can’t remember the last time I laughed hard. I usually get a good “hah” out of Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me and some good laughs out of crude comedy a la Bridesmaids. Looking for podcasts or audiobooks that I can listen while commuting, doing chores, etc.

    1. Best Friends with Nicole Byers and Sasheer. I recommend starting with an episode called Run Nicole, Run!

    2. stop podcasting yourself is that for me. You need to appreciate puns and dad jokes.

      1. Is that the one where the kids ride their bikes to Vermont? I love that one. It tugs at the heartstrings too.

    4. If you like British humor, No Such Thing as a Fish is a podcast where 3-4 hosts will dive deep into a weird historical fact, and sprinkle in a thousand jokes. It’s so great, and each segment is 10-15 mins (most episodes are an hour) and so it can be broken into bits too. It’s very, very witty. I love it.

      1. Also British – the back catalogue of Answer Me This would be fun. They stopped for a few years and just started back up.

    5. Very NFSW, but My dad wrote a p0rno is laugh out loud funny every episode. I recommend starting from the very beginning.

      2. +1 for My Dad Wrote a Porno.
        Are they still making new episodes of this? I listened to a few seasons a long time ago, and lol’d. And you get years of mileage out of it… I still chuckle at pomegranates and tombolas.

    7. Congratulations, The Best is Over! by R. Eric Thomas got laughs from me. I read it in the hospital one day postpartum so maybe I was loopy, but I remember he had some very clever observations on our current culture and hilariously specific descriptions

    9. Petty Crimes! fun, light, write in stories that are ridiculous and juicy. The hosts are great, one of them actually started as an SNL writer a season or two in!

    10. With the caveat that the are not everyone’s cup of tea, I find the solo podcasts by Erin and Sara Foster to be funny. Their podcast is called The World’s First Podcast. The episodes with guests are usually less funny.

    12. Try The Mortified Podcast. Adults read their teenage diaries out loud to a live audience. Each episode has its own theme, like Summer Camp or Teenage crush or Study Abroad. Truly hilarious. The tagline is “We were freaks, we were fragile, and we all survived”

    13. I was giggling while walking and listening to the Kevin Nealon episode of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. Like laugh out loud giggling loud enough for people to stare.
      Hope you get thru whatever you’re going thru.

  2. Starting a new job next week as an attorney in state government, mid/senior level. My interviews were all on zoom and I completely forgot to pay attention to what anyone was wearing. What should I wear for my first day? I’m 40ish, average height, slim, dress very simply/minimalist.

    1. What were the people who interviewed you wearing?

      I would lean pants (or skirt), blouse and jacket but pick a long sleeve blouse so you can take the jacket off if that’s too dressy. Or a sleeved sheath dress with a non-suiting jacket.

    2. I would pick a non-black suit with fun jewelry or a dress and non-matching blazer. I suspect the office will be more causal than that, but no one will fault you for being overdressed on your first day. But I’m a litigator, so I’m comfortable in suits.

      1. This is what I’d do. Maybe my tweed lady jacket with slacks.
        Congrats on the new role!

    3. I am also an attorney in state government and I would wear something like dress pants, a blouse and bring a third piece–either a blazer or nicer cardigan. Our office dresses super casual–jeans, sweatshirts, etc. But I have worked in other state government offices that are a little more formal (not full suits but no jeans).

      1. I still see a lot of suits and dress + blazer or dress pants + blazer outfits in state government offices.

    4. I would wear black pants, a top or sweater that looks good with or without a blazer, and a coordinated blazer. If everyone is formal, I fit it in. If everyone is business casual, I can leave the jacket off.

  3. has anyone had a Dexa scan? i can get one through work for $30. is there any reason for me not to do one?

    1. Yes. I think the only reason not to do one is the risks of osteoporosis meds, but a bad DEXA scan doesn’t oblige you to go on a bad med.

    2. Definitely get one so at least you have a baseline. I got one done at age 45 and was pretty happy with my current bone density, but I will repeat maybe every other year now to keep an eye on it.

      1. Help me out here. I have a very small-boned aunt who had osteopinia, but I am built “strong, like ox” as someone once said. If my wrists are much larger on the bony part, am I likely to need one or do you really need a scan? I am hoping that decades spent schlepping heavy backpacks and taking transit are where this pays off.

        1. The relative size of your bones has little to do with whether they are weak. You still need a DEXA scan.

    3. I limit my tests to those that are advised by my doctor for me. I trust her and she has great knowledge of the tradeoffs of risks and benefits. If I had concerns leading me to want a test she had yet to recommend, I’d book at least a video visit to ask her advice.

      2. My doctor said I didn’t need one, I got one anyways, and had osteoporosis. Know a few others with a similar story. Most doctors won’t order one until it it too late.

        1. Interesting. How old were you? Did you have risk factors/family history of this or a sudden unusual broken bone? It is helpful to explain so people know if it is relevant to them.

    4. I had one a couple of years ago. It was simple as far as tests go, and it has come in handy as a measure of my baseline. Was it necessary? Not really, but it’s been nice to have.

    5. How old are you?
      Are you active? Get plenty of calcium and vitamin D in your diet?
      Do you have a history of osteoporosis in your family?

      I have a high risk of cancer so I try to avoid extra radiation. Dexa scans are xrays. That being said, I had one because I had reached menopause and my GYN wanted my baseline. I was 54. That’s a good time to have one. It did find that I had osteopenia.

      Insurance doesn’t usually pay for one unless your 65, which honestly, is too late for many women.

    6. I’ve had two to check for osteoporosis after a couple of unexpected bone breaks (no known accident/moment where I hurt myself) but the results were fine. My primary care doc ordered both tests.

      So they may not be the same as what you get from someone selling them, but at a hospital-affiliated imaging center, where they measured a couple of my bones via x ray and compared them to statistics for my age, height, and weight.

      My grandmother had osteoporosis pretty badly, and my mom probably had it, though she died of other, more urgent, disease before she ever got diagnosed.

      Anyway, I am in good shape and don’t need to go on any meds.

    7. Idk how old you are, but if it’s only $30, I would do it if just for curiosity. And if you are post menopause, I would definitely do it.

      If you have osteopenia, that information might motivate you to change diet and exercise habits to stave off osteoporosis.

      If not, then you just got a bit of xray radiation and you can resume routine screening at 65.

      I asked my mom’s pcp to screen her before 60 because I’d noticed height loss. She had been told for decades to take ca-vitD and didn’t. She has osteopenia and it was enough info to get her to start taking Ca-Vit.

    8. I got one at 35 and already had osteopenia. My doctor has relied on that information since (e.g. to advocate against prednisone use). I was also diagnosed with a risk factor for weak bones only after the DEXA already showed an issue (so basically a bad DEXA score helped undercover a risk factor condition vs. a risk factor informing the choice of when to get a DEXA). My understanding is that it was lower radiation than the average x-ray.

      1. So you had a history of prednisone use? That’s different and a reason to get one early.

        1. No, I’ve never been on prednisone in my life. It was suggested at one point after the DEXA scan, and my doctor said that since I already had osteopenia in my thirties, he’d rather I didn’t take it. If I’d never had the DEXA scan they might have prescribed it since they wouldn’t have known.

  4. YOU GUYS! I have been interviewing since early January, and submitted my resume to a position in October…and I finally got an offer today. HUZZAH! I’ve been between jobs since October.

    Full remote. Good salary. Holy grail.

    Hang in there all y’all going through funemployment! And my fedgov friends, know that we’re doing everything we can to get our elected representatives to hold the administration to following the law, not whims of unelected oligarchs.

  5. Has anyone here been to Belgium at Christmas time? We’re interested in doing European Christmas markets, but for various can’t travel until right before Christmas, so we need to go to one of the countries with markets that are open until January, and Google tells me Belgium is a top candidate for this. I’m also interested in Belgium because it’s one of the few European countries I haven’t been to as an adult. Is it a terrible idea to base ourselves in Brussels and just do day trips from there? I know Brussels isn’t the most exciting city in the world, but it’s very convenient for day trips to Ghent, Antwerp, Bruges, Liege, etc., and my husband strongly prefers to stay in one spot and do day trips vs. the “different hotel every night” kind of travel.

    1. It’s a good location for that kind of travel. Lille is also only a half hour away by train. You can even do longer day trips to Paris or Amsterdam which are 1.5-2 hrs each. For those kind of longer day trips, I tend to take an early train and eat breakfast on the train in the dining car and then take the last train back after dinner. And do a more local day the following day.

    2. My husband, son (age 11) & I did a river cruise through Belgium in December for its holiday markets. This was my 7th Christmas market trip, but first time to Belgium. We had an amazing time! We went to each of the towns on your list and enjoyed them all. For the flight, we flew in & out of Paris. We did a long weekend in Paris when we landed and then took a train to Brussels. Because we enjoy the German Christmas markets so much, we were a little concerned that we might not enjoy the Belgium markets the same, but didn’t find that to be the case. There’s less shopping, but more “activities” (ice skating, Ferris wheels, etc.) and a wider variety of foods.

      1. Oh that sounds lovely! I have an 8 year old, so I’m glad to hear about the good experience with kids.

    3. I’ve only been in the summer, but that’s basically what we did and I thought it worked well. We did Amsterdam and Utrecht on the same trip but we had 10 days so we spent ~5 days in the Brussels area + 5 days in the Netherlands.
      I don’t really get the hate for Brussels. I mean, sure, it doesn’t have the romance of Paris or the history of Rome, but there’s plenty to see and do there, especially if you plan some side trips, and I thought the food was excellent.

    4. I lived in Brussels for a few years. I do often caution people that Brussels isn’t a terribly exciting city – but I actually think it would be a great spot for this kind of trip. I took so many day trips during that time, including several to each of the places you named, and others.

  6. Can anyone point me to a cognac suede ankle boot or bootie with a crepe or lug sole that is zero-drop (so the heel is not lifted relative to the ball of the foot; lots of running shoes like Hokas feature this flatness even if raised on a cushy sole). Thanks to recent foot issues, I am needing some new footwear and much is sold out for the year or has a noticeable heel even if there is the cushy lug sole.

    And am I right that what goes with pants crop or full straight leg or slightly wide legs will look silly with dresses (and vice versa)?

    I swear I am not a WFH person, but if I ever switched, it would be because of having feet that need crocks and a job that forbids them.

  7. This is gorgeous. I could buy, but I swear my crap clothing and shoes would also need an overhaul. Who carries this and where in 2025? I want that life. I am sort of tired of being a hot mess and want a reboot (a glow-up won’t be sufficient at this point).

    3. I carry fancy bags. I have a very casual job and small children. On most days you could go hiking in what I’m wearing. Putting a nice coat over everything and picking up a pretty bag makes me feel connected to a part of me that is on the back burner for now.

    4. I carry designer bags and wear fancy clothes. Lawyer in a big city, no kids and I make money I enjoy spending on clothes and accessories. Just cause lots of people went the way of athleisure for every day doesn’t mean I have to.

  8. Talk some sanity into me. I have a frankenhouse with mostly old plaster walls and a newish powder room. It took years to get the shiny striped and embossed wallpaper off of the plaster walls and rehab and paint them. It feels a bit sterile now. I maybe want some wallpaper back, maybe just in the powder room. Should I put up some on a wall (wall behind toilet, opposite the mirror; wallpaper the whole powder room; maybe just frame a 4×5 section of it (or whatever size makes sense, given the width of a roll) or put that on a stretched canvas? I am gun-shy but apparently I don’t have the cool moody blank walls I see in catalogs (all of which seem to be shot in a Paris apartment with great soft lighting, heavy moldings, and exactly the right paint).

    1. I am generally anti-wallpaper, but I do really like wallpaper on one or two walls of a powder room.

    2. Try hanging a bunch of framed artwork first – much easier to repair holes in the walls! And I think artwork is more interesting than framed wallpaper. Do a mini gallery wall or frame a bunch of prints from a book of vintage botanical illustrations or something that appeals to you.

    3. Are the new walls still plaster, or do you have sheetrock now?

      If it’s plaster, I’d paint it a great color and hang artwork and see what I think from there.
      If it’s sheetrock, and therefore easier to deal with wallpaper, I might consider that. But I’d still probably start with paint first.

    4. Some of the peel and stick removable wallpapers are very plastic-y looking in person, and some are not. I would order samples and try removable wallpaper in the powder room as the first option, just because you don’t have to fully commit to it.

    5. For a small powder room I like wallpaper on all the walls for that “jewel box” look.

      1. Me too. Also have an old house and plaster walls. Get real wallpaper and have ir installed professionally. Makes a room come alive.

  9. Curious how other people’s personal style has evolved in their 40s and beyond. My body shape has shifted, and rather than wallowing about how nothing looks like it used to, I feel like it would be healthier for me to focus more on reinventing or evolving, if that makes sense. Many of the styles I gravitate to (sporty, classic, streamlined) do not look the same as they used to. I don’t think I can go full Eileen Fisher and still feel like myself, but I would love to make some tweaks to take the emphasis off my waistline, or are cut to allow for more room there. Just sizing up isn’t necessarily working. Then it’s sloppy on my shoulders and chest.

    1. Try changing up brands. I need more specific fits as I’ve aged so I’ve had to accept that certain brands I used to love just don’t work for me anymore.

      And tailoring. I got out of the habit during the pandemic but I’m trying to let go of the idea that it’s not worth it to have a $100 pair of pants tailoring by nipping the waist or whatever else they need to perfect the fit. It’s worth it if I love them and wear them more.

      1. Not the OP but can you suggest some brands that work better for the aging female body, in your experience at least? Talbots seems like a good candidate but I’m not sure what else.

        1. Chico’s. I know it might have the reputation as an old lady store but if you can find something reasonably fashionable, the fit is great for an older body.

        2. It’s just about trying different brands. Banana Republic suiting pants used to be workhorses for me pre-kids but I just find that they are too tight on the thighs and too loose in the waist/hips no matter which style of pant I pick.

          JCrew and Theory seem to work much better for me as a taller midsize person. And let go of size labels. Sizing is all over the place for different brands. There’s no consistency anymore.

    2. 30s – working mom, wore basic suits.

      40s – upped the femininity factor and was more thoughtful about purchases and how they worked in my wardrobe and with my body shape.

      50s – until COVID, boss lady, lots of travel. Feminine but luxurious fabrics. Less waist emphasis due to changing body. Lower heels.

      50s – since COVID, self employed, WFH. Much less dressy, body is more fit. I wear sneakers daily. (In keeping with general trends, I think.) Almost never wear skirts or dresses.

    3. Sounds like you need tailoring and clothes that fit you, rather than a completely new type of style.

    4. I’ve undergone a style transformation and here’s what’s helped me. 1) Looking at my shape from a more academic perspective. I’m no longer saying to myself, “Oh, that doesn’t work for me, or I can’t try XYZ.” Instead, I’ve looked at a lot of videos and blogs about styling my shape and taking more tips from them (since what worked on me 10 years ago doesn’t necessarily work now). 2) Finding style inspiration from influencers/public figures and studying enough of their outfits to look at how they put things together (for example, Elyce Aarons with Frances Valentine posts OOTDs often and while she’s a little more colorful than what I want, I love how she layers/combines/styles more subdued outfits. 3) Used Indyx to photograph everything I own, which was shocking. I don’t own brown shoes! Or a navy bag! Etc. So this forces me to think about what holes are in my closet. 4) Shopping, but focusing on shoes and accessories, and taking the time to add them to my outfits. 5) Relentlessly working on doing my hair every day. This plus accessories makes me feel more pulled together. Hope that helps.

  10. thank you to all of the judges, attorneys, paralegals, staff, etc. working what i’m sure is late nights, weekends, etc. to file and argue against the various executive orders.

    3. I would wear with black knee high boots or lug sole combat boots with a leather jacket. And forgo tights.

  12. I need some help with an outfit/dress code!

    I have a dinner with clients coming up in about a week to celebrate the end of a massive file that has just finally settled (lawyer). The dinner is at a higher-end steakhouse. Clients work in the construction industry, overall our city leans casual and its likely to be cold. I don’t think the occasion calls for a suit, but I’m stumped on what level of formality is required. All my colleagues are men so they are no help at all – they will all wear jackets no ties I’m certain. Please tell me what you would wear in a similar scenario!

    3. A long sleeve, high neck silk blouse with a neutral color pair of pants and heels.

    4. I usually do a sweater with an interesting texture or detail and nice pants or a skirt. I don’t like to eat in a blazer, but if blazers are your style, that would work, too.

      1. Oooo! I would live all winter in that cashmere sweater in Hazel! It looks so light and cozy!

        I think the drop shoulder and looser body is more casual though. The neck line precludes a scarf or necklace.

        Ugh I really like it.

    6. Blouse, classic cardigan (like crew neck) and dress slacks. Honestly I’d even wear socks and low ankle winter shoes or low boots.

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