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Wednesday’s Workwear Report: The Long One-Button Blazer in Tweed

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A woman wearing a pink tweed blazer with white pants and white top. She is carrying a tan tote.

Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

This tweedy pink blazer from Ann Taylor is exactly what I’m looking for this spring. I always prefer the longline silhouette to a more cropped look, and this one is right on the mark. Wear it with your favorite trousers for the office, or find a miniskirt and fingernails that shine like justice for the weekend. 

The blazer is on sale for $146.30 (down from $209) at Ann Taylor and comes in sizes 00-18 and 00P-18P. (The matching pants are also on sale.)

Sales of note for 5/8:

  • Nordstrom – Savings event – up to 25% off! Good deals on Veronica Beard, Vince, Reiss (esp. coats), and Boss, as well as Wit & Wisdom and NYDJ
  • Ann Taylor – Mother's Day Event: 40% off your purchase. Readers love this popover blouse, and their suiting is also in the sale.
  • Boden – 15% off new styles with code
  • Express – $39+ summer styles + 25% off everything else
  • J.Crew – Up to 50% off swim, dresses, and more
  • J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything, and extra 50% off clearance
  • Lands' End – 50% off sitewide — lots of ponte dresses come down under $25, and this packable raincoat in gingham is too cute
  • Lo & Sons – Mother's Day Sale: Up to 40% off — reader favorites include this laptop tote, this backpack, and this crossbody
  • Loft – 50% off your purchase + free shipping, plus 2 for $28 tanks and tees
  • MAC – Enjoy 30% off lip products and receive a 4-piece Mother's Day gift with $90
  • M.M.LaFleur – Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off.
  • Ruti – Take $55 off your purchase with code 55ONUS
  • Sephora – Free same-day delivery for Mother's Day with code
  • Talbots – 50% off wear-now styles (5/8 only)
  • The Outnet – Extra 30% off select styles, including Veronica Beard, Victoria Beckham, and Marni.
  • TOCCIN – Use code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off!
  • Vivrelle – Looking to own less stuff but still try trends? Use code CORPORETTE for a free month, and borrow high-end designer clothes and bags!

269 Comments

  1. For anyone who has bought from Me + Em in real life, how do the clothes run? I think I am an 8-10 by the size chart, but I’m short, and have a short torso. Is this going to be like Boden, which I love in theory but is designed for someone who has a longer torso (for the dresses; jackets are fine). I feel like I can spend a bit more for items of better fabric (I am particularly tired of “tweed” items that pill within months of buying and other fabrics that just look like they are Temu-level).

    1. I have no idea how you will feel, but yes, their clothes are gorgeous and a cut above Boden, Ann Taylor and wherever else you shop. They run exactly true to their size chart.

    3. I would say if you’re short that Me&Em will be an issue. My 5’10 boss wears a lot of their clothing and the midi dresses are true midi dresses on her, my 5’3 self would be swimming in their things. They also tend to cut very straight up and down, which doesn’t suit my pear-shaped self as well as The Fold or even Hobbs.

      1. Does The Fold fit well for a pear shape? I love their stuff online but have never tried it on.

        1. Their stuff is slightly shorter waisted vs. Me+Em. Particularly their peplum-style tops

          1. Yes, the peplum shapes and thicker fabrics help a lot. I don’t love their jersey but the clever crepe line gives more coverage and is more flattering in my opinion.

    4. I’m 5f6 and short-waisted, and have a couple of ME+EM items, and they are well made and wash well.

      I think the UK size is true to what I expext from a UK size, no idea how that corresponds to US. You might find that bottoms and arms are too long for you. I don’t know if they do petite.

      1. I’m your height (a bit taller) / short waisted. Where do you like to shop, especially for things that work with your short waist (dresses etc.).

        1. In the UK, I quite like M&S for dresses. Hobbs. Phase 8 can work, but their fabric has gotten very plasticky. Vintage Laura Ashley (size up two sizes). Vintage in general.

          I’ve stopping trying on dresses from the Fold, LK Bennet, Boden (too long torso) and Nobody’s Child (too small bust).

          If you haven’t tried Hobbs petite, that’s where I’d start.

          Mostly I wear separates, though.

  2. I need something to wear to a morning Bat Mitzvah and afternoon luncheon reception at a restaurant.

    Details:
    Location: Long Island, NY, mid-May

    Budget ~ $200 or less.

    Size 12, need arm coverage.

    I’ve gained some weight recently and everything I have is either out of season or too small.

  3. Have you ever taken a newly-created position? If so, how did it work out? Were there any questions you were glad you asked during the interview process, or questions you’d wished you’d asked?

    1. I’m the first person in my role, been here 3 years! I love it. I get to define the role and lean into the my strengths, some of which were not part of the original job description.

    2. I did, but I was an internal hire and worked on a related project, so I already had a good idea of the position, supervisor, culture and expectations.

    3. Yes, I did. I took a position which started with kind of taking over a couple teams which had to basically be rebooted but then ended up with some really major new tasks. Unfortunately or fortunately, my department is kind of the ‘miscellaneous/other stuff’ department. Pros – I have a ton of face time and goodwill with the top brass. I have a reputation as a ‘fixer’. I had a lot of autonomy for a long time. My resume looks incredible because of my personal accomplishments. Cons – I often had to convince people I needed resources only when things were at the brink of collapse/failure. I worked a LOT to get this thing off the ground – think 60+ hours for 6 years straight and am probably too invested in my team. Another con is that I had so much autonomy and was working directly with our Exec team for so long that now that I am expected to go through ‘normal channels’, I am finding it inefficient and frustrating even though I play by the rules.

      I wish I had asked what they anticipate the reporting structure to be long term and I also wish that I had been able to better align the hiring timelines with the workload/projects expectations as we ended up being given the work first and then being allowed to hire the staff later.

    4. I did – a longtime client wanted to hire me to go in-house but didn’t have a vacancy, so they created the role. Because I knew a good third of the legal team, and had met a number of the business stakeholders over the years, I trusted the description and was happy with the decision! Would tread with more caution if it’s an org that’s entirely new to you.

    5. I did. It worked out well, I was in the position for four years before moving on to something new. I would ask why they created the position (I.e., what needs are they trying to fill), what the goals for the new position are/what success would look like,, will the job responsibilities be new things or tasks reassigned from other people, and what challenges they anticipate will exist.

      In my case, it was job responsibilities reassigned from my manager and it was so he could take on something new. There were also some items that had to happen daily and it caused issues whenever he was on vacation, so the goal was to provide consistent coverage. It worked well because my manager was invested in the new role and was generally a good manager.

    6. Yes. A former colleague who was working at the company wanted someone in-house in my specialty and they created the position for me. I did not know anyone other than her, but trusted her assessment of the organization, team, and ongoing need for the work I would do. I echo 9:44 that I would tread with more caution and ask a lot more questions if it’s an entirely new-to-you organization. I would want to really understand why the position was created and how well they have assessed the need for the new position.

    7. It probably also depends on the kind of role. It sounds like the example above was pretty clear that the job was ‘lawyer.’ I took a chief of staff job once that was pretty poorly defined and it was a bit rocky. I would ask a lot of questions about the scope, how the job has been/will be communicated to others, what success looks like, whether this work was being done somewhere else or differently before, how you will check in as a team about how it’s going. It can be cool bc you can shape the role but it can also be bumpy if it’s getting into things that other people already own.

      1. OP here. The business itself I know fairly well. My concerns have been that I’ve met with a few different stakeholders at the company and each has described the role differently. It seems that they all have a shared goal, but different ways of achieving it. I can’t tell if that’s just each viewing things from a slightly different lens, or will create real problems for me.
        I will be a unit of just one person, taking on functions that have been historically done by several different people as kind of like side roles from their main role.
        The one admin seems to think I’ll be working for her, while the CFO was adamant I absolutely would not be working for her. Um ok does the admin know that??

        1. I think you kick the tires more. Figure out what exactly it is you want to know before accepting and ask. Ask about the org structure. Ask about who will be reviewing your work and assigning your work.

        2. I, uhh, have just accepted a job that sounds very like that, including the different teams describing the role quite differently. Am expecting it to be a bit challenging in terms of managing expectations. But if you know what you’re walking into, it’s not an uncommon position to be in in small/growing companies

    8. I did and I’m still in it almost 4 years later. I was the second hire, after my supervisor, for a project that was about a year old at that time and it’s been really great to be able to have a solid hand in building what was happening. I knew coming into the role that there was going to be a lot of building and setting up processes, but I also have a really great supervisor who respected my input and took a lot of it in (we come from different backgrounds so he was relying pretty heavily on my expertise during that first year or so.)

    9. I did – first and only specialist lawyer in a growing org. Be very aware of scope creep, esp if your job is one that can be interpreted broadly. I have other issues with my org, but in retrospect I wish I’d had less of a “can do/let me help” attitude as I became aware of topics that no one owned and suddenly I became the owner, as I am now overwhelmed by those topics and spend a minority of my time on actual “[topic] law” versus “everything else peripherally related to [topic] that no one wanted to be responsible for.”
      In another role, I was the second specialist lawyer hired in after the first specialist lawyer came in and realized all the work to be done, so I don’t think this is unique.

    10. Not a lawyer so not applicable if you’re in law. But tread carefully if the job title is one that’s not easily transferred. I’ve had roles created for me that were kind of a mix of things (think “VP of Innovation” sort of thing). With ATS now, having an easily recognizable title is way more important than it used to be.

    11. I actually got a fair amount of static from the head of HR. She was universally acknowledged to be a grumpy old lady, and she couldn’t comprehend that I was neither an X person nor a Y person that the company had always had, but a new Z.

      I would also ask what they think the future of the role is long-term. They’re thinking about needs right now for whatever right now problem. Have they thought about the future when the right now problem is solved? I got let go from my position once right now was solved.

    12. I did, and there was a lot of deception, to be honest. The responsibilities were almost impossible to accomplish within their current structure, and one of the high mucky mucks was against the position being created in the first place, as he felt it threatened his turf.

      I was set up to fail and ended up being laid off four years later, albeit with a nice negotiated severance.

    13. Yes, I have twice, as a corporate lawyer. Once as first in-house hire (baby GC) at a very fast-growing late stage startup with a billion dollar rev run rate. It was chaos in the best way, I grew a ton, would do it again. My current role is all corporate plus global employment at a late-stage startup and it’s also been fine. The departed GC tried to handle corporate and employment (in addition to being an executive) and it didn’t work. But I joined with a new GC and a clear remit, even though the role was new, and it’s been great. In both cases, would do so again–I think there was enough alignment on what needed to be done that things were fine.

  4. How do you motivate yourself to make a lot of boring calls? I have a million doctors to call for myself or my son to make appointments or change appointments because he’s fussy about dates/times.

    1. Does the fussiness need to be accommodated? I’m not used to doctors having a lot of availability for rescheduling.

      2. In this case it’s for a variety of reasons for his docs – but he’s autistic so I try to accommodate his preferences wherever possible b/c if not it’s a 3-day meltdown.

    2. I’m going to trust that your son is of an age where you really do have to make these calls on his behalf (ie, younger than middle school).

      Just do them! If you sit on hold for more than 5 minutes, you have my permission to hang up and move on to the next on the list. Our GI hold times are like 2 hours some days and 3 minutes some others.

      1. I feel like parents should deal with this stuff until a kid is at minimum 16, my parents noped out at 11 and I was too young. It was really hard for me to navigate the bus and insurance systems at that age.

          1. 11 is middle school though! So old enough according to whomever I was replying to.

          2. This would not be possible in this day and age. My teen’s pediatrician will not see her unless I am there.

        2. Navigating insurance calls is very different than calling to schedule an appointment. Don’t project your issues onto this incredibly simple task. A 12 year old can schedule an appointment.

          1. Sure, and they can probably hike cross-country, but it’s ridiculous to suggest that it’s a very normal thing to suggest.

          2. Scheduling an appointment for a 12 year old is normal, though! The skills are talking to someone they don’t know on the phone and knowing/being able to read one’s schedule, along with a little bit of logistics planning (calculating if they’ll have enough time to get there and factoring in parent’s schedule for the ride). A parent can be a backstop to ensure that it happens, but I think this is something that’s excellent for a kid this age to practice.

            I have a kid this age and am inspired to have kiddo make the next appointment they need.

      2. I cannot speak for the OP’s doctors, but I know that my child’s pediatrician would not allow her to make her own appointments before she was 18.

        2. In my state, children have the right from age 12 to make and attend their own appointments for certain kinds of issues, like mental health and reproductive health. I’m quite glad of it–if my kid doesn’t feel comfortable asking me about a problem, I want my kid to go to the pediatrician who will give good advice. I’ve told my kid as much. I’d love it if they came to me first, but if they don’t want me, the pediatrician is a million times better than ChatGPT.

    3. Is your son old enough that he calls the shots with you on his daily itinerary? If so, he gets to reschedule his appointments himself, no?

      1. yeah this was my reaction, and also, does your dr’s office not have any sort of portal or messaging system a la MyChart? Like, I need my pcp to order my mammo before I can schedule it, but that’s (1) a 2 second portal message to the pcp office inbox asking for it, then (2) a message back saying they ordered it, then (3) I can schedule the mammo (or reschedule) within the app.

        1. Then why do you schedule around his fussiness? Are you not an adult? Is he not a child?

      3. He is autistic. Reading is fundamental. I am going to guess that he had other activities and that a doctor appointment the same day at tutoring or music lessons is stressful for him.

    4. The post was about motivating yourself to do boring tasks and the first three comments all have some variation doubting that the poster (a) needs to make the calls at all and (b) should be doing it instead of her son. Some of you need to chill out with the nitpicking, a lot. Not everyone’s lives need to be explained and justified to you!

      1. But couldn’t this have a lot to do with the lacking motivation? I also would not be strongly motivated to do something unnecessary.

    5. I feel like hes either young enough that you can just make him go even if it’s not his preference or hes old enough he can make the calls himself. Or, if they won’t let a minor make the calls then he can take something else off your plate while you make the cals

    6. I try to make them all in a row — then I can consolidate the dread, and the little kick from getting one dumb phone task out of the way gives me the motivation to do the next one.

      1. Yes, this is what I do. And once I get going, it is often not so bad. And sometimes I give myself a reward at the end. Like come to this site!

        So OP – get off this site and start calling. You can come back when you are done!

    7. So I block out time to just get it done. If I’m really dragging on something I reassess whether it actually needs to happen. Sometimes that process alone just takes things off the list.

    8. Sometimes I try to tell myself that I will just do 1 of the 10 calls I need to do. One call seems very doable and at a minimum that is one done and often times, it’s enough to get me going and then I might do a few more.

      Or play a game on your phone/scroll while you call/get put on hold…

    9. Great American Cookie. Once I make all the boring calls, I can go at lunch and get a cookie sandwich with brightly colored icing. I find this is more motivating than a Frappuccino.

    10. Somebody posted it on here a long time ago and it is SO TRUE: It is much easier and faster to Do The Thing than to worry about Not Doing The Thing. I promise you will feel a lot better once you’ve done it.

      1. I have to do a combination of Do The Thing and Little Treat. So when I’m dreading doing something tedious, I get all stern with myself about just getting it over with, but also promise myself a reward for doing it. The relief of doing it isn’t enough.

        1. Nothing wrong with A Little Treat!!

          I saw something funny online a while back — somebody posted a video ranting about how everybody thinks they deserve A Little Treat for doing every single routine chore, and how it was so ridiculous and how we all need to grow up. And the first comment? “Sounds like somebody could use A Little Treat!”

    11. I do one a day. As in, I put on my calendar “Reschedule Dr. Smith” and I have to take care of it that day. It keeps it from being such a big job that I don’t feel I have time to do it.

    12. Omg just do it, why is this even something you need to post on the internet about.

  5. Tipping question – I have two guys in my 1200 sq ft condo in the DC area this week painting. Is there a standard rate for tipping painters? I was going to do $100 each. It’s 5 different colors if that matters, plus trim, doors, and ceilings (all one color). My parents never hired painters while I was growing up, so this is a first experience for me.

    1. Do they work for a company? If they’re independent, their rate is their rate and you don’t need to tip. If they work for a company, I’d say $100 each is plenty.

    2. I had no inkling that it is standard/expected to tip painters. I think most people would love an unexpected $100, though!

      1. Absolutely. Only when someone has really gone above and beyond.

        I think I tipped the guys who put on our new roof, as they were all immigrants, the rate for the roof was great, and I was sure they were being underpaid (relative to the industry).

      2. Same. While I do think the federal minimum wage should be high enough that an adult can support their basic household needs with that single job, I don’t think it is my responsibility as a middle class individual to guess whether everyone I hire has a fair income and then to make up that difference out of my pocket through tips.

  6. I just want to vent about porch theft. I had a package delivered from target yesterday. I was home when they delivered it, but they didn’t ring the doorbell or knock so I didn’t know for at least 15 minutes when I finally received an email notice. I immediately went to go grab the package, but it had been stolen. If the delivery people would’ve just freaking knocked, I would have grabbed the package immediately and there would have been no chance to be stolen.

    It was items for my newborn, so I doubt the thief even wants them. Target has said I have to wait 48 hours before they will do anything, in case it shows up. So I still don’t know if they will replace the items or if I’m out $150 because someone stole newborn shorts and a car seat adapter they are not even going to use.

    1. Are you sure it went to your house? That’s an awfully quick theft unless you live somewhere this is rampant. I’m in the middle of a major city so we have this issue, but usually in that timeframe the package is at a neighbor’s house.

      1. eh in my experience it’s either immediate (thief is trailing the UPS truck) or a package will sit there for hours undisturbed.

        OP, if Target doesn’t make you whole, dispute via your cc.

          1. I’m almost positive branded cards are run by a separate financial institution, not the company itself.

    2. I think delivery people have gotten used to people getting doorbell camera notifications and don’t take the time to ring the doorbell or knock anymore.

      The thief does want your items because of a resale market.

      1. As a person who has tried to sell very nice items on resale sites, they are getting less than pennies on the dollar s l o w l y. OTOH, I am seeing people sell half-used Bath and Body Works items, so it must be the wild west with used / second hand things now.

        1. You’re honest though. They’re probably selling the items as “new” via a third party seller account on Amazon or Walmart, right?

          1. I feel that everything outside of known retail channels / off-season stuff at Marshalls / actual thrifting, everything is the gray market and I think a good way to get robbed (so for furniture, I really want there to be a brick-and-mortar store somewhere) when dealing in cash. “It fell off of a truck” is for mob movies, not my real life.

          2. Do people click through to see if you have a real seller or someone selling a few random things? When I see NWT luxe or nice items for sale very randomly, my first thought it that it was shoplifted or just stolen and my second is that it’s fake. My city just had someone steal a lot of wigs from a store and I get that there is some resale, but for a personal product, I want a clean, new item and not one that’s been shoved down someone’s shirt while they ran outside of a store.

          3. I’ve seen pictures of resellers who arrive at outlets when they open and buy up all the good inventory. So they are acquiring the merchandise legitimately, but they still have 50 pairs of lululemon pants or whatever on their listings.

          4. Of course, some people take the time to click through and check who the seller is and what they think of them. Many, many people just put the item in their cart and purchase, surely. I know I have to go out of my way to specify retailer, and I’m usually shopping from desktop. And that’s just Walmart.com. People I know shop on Marketplace and craigslist all of the time. All of the time.

      2. I doubt that it’s that delivery people expect doorbell cameras – they are common, but it’s not like 90% of people have them.

        It’s that the delivery services use tracking software to ensure that their staff are moving fast. I’ve had about a dozen signature required packages delivered in the past four years, and the delivery person has tried to get a signature for only one of those. All the other times, they just left the package without even knocking because they are more worried about time than the package actually being delivered.

        1. I’ve had the “rushing” problem with FedEx with my temperature sensitive prescription medications that are insured for the cost of a mortgage. Please give me more than twenty seconds to respond to the doorbell!!

          1. I don’t even expect them to wait. I would just love it if they would ring the bell, then run.

    4. I hate when they ring the doorbell or knock. I’m often in meetings or working on something, so I leap up to… get my cat treats and litter box liners off the porch.

      1. I leave stores that have this sign. They are so obnoxious, and I don’t need anything that badly.

    7. Just chiming in to say that our delivery people never knock or ring the doorbell anymore either. I feel like not knocking is becoming the standard. Probably is the fault of the over-tracking of the delivery drivers like the other poster mentioned. Maybe put a sign on your door saying, “Please knock for deliveries!”

      1. +1 to the sign. It still doesn’t always work (i.e., some people still don’t knock or ring the bell), but it does help.

      1. That hasn’t been my experience. Some companies (generally smaller ones, but not necessarily) just refuse to replace or reimburse for stolen packages given that their shipping rules say that risk of loss transfers to the buyer. Which is annoying. But I find particularly egregious because they don’t tell you this before you purchase something and don’t give you the option to purchase shipping insurance.

  7. I’m job hunting and likely to have at least one in person interview soon, and I’m not sure what folks are wearing to interviews in 2026. I got this job in 2021 and interviewed remotely so I haven’t been to an interview in person since 2017. I’ve also had a baby in that time and my entire body is different so while I have some pieces that technically fit, I’d rather go shopping for something that I’ll feel confident in.

    If it helps, it’s likely my interview will be in NY or Chicago though I live in the SEUS now.

    I don’t want to buy a full suit; is a sheath dress + statement blazer still appropriate or too fancy? And if so, where can I find good sheath dresses and blazers now? Ann Taylor has gone to crap, J Crew doesn’t make the same work clothes they used to. MM LaFleur is expensive though I own a few pieces from them and they’re decent.

    2. While I think you can never be too dressed up for an interview, I wouldn’t buy a sheath dress for this as they read prim. Get a blazer you feel great in, pair with slacks and dressy flats.

      1. +1 to this.

        If I had one in my closet already I might rotate a sheath dress in if there were multiple days of interviews. However, unless the role and industry merits a full suit I wouldn’t intentionally buy one for this purpose as it reads rather stale and stuffy.

    3. Consulting / finance so a bit stiffer. I don’t love the pants + blazer idea because I have such a hard time finding work appropriate pants that fit and are comfortable. I live in leggings or stretchy pants because nothing else fits great.

      1. I know you don’t want a suit but check out the JCrew seasonless stretch blazer and matching pants. It’s cut really well and is current and reasonably priced. Style with an interesting top and dressy flats. It’s the current wardrobe hero in my closet because the pieces are easily worn as separates too.

    4. Look on the company’s LinkedIn page for photos they’ve posted of employees and also any staff bios they have on their website. Are people wearing suits, or something else? You can pick up on clues on the level of formality that way. Also, of course, some industries and locations are more formal than others.

  8. Has anyone ever reported you to higher ups for discrimination that you suffered, as in you were the aggrieved party? This is a new one to me and I’d like some advice on how or whether to try to repair this professional relationship.

    I’m a law firm partner and I recently came back from maternity leave. I work closely with a male mentee. In one of my cases with mentee, I discovered that another partner did something wrong that negatively impacts my bottom line and he did it because I was on leave. I said to the mentee, oh that’s not right I’ll talk to the partner about that, we definitely don’t want to penalize people for being on leave. I know the mentee and his wife are currently TTC (because he told me, and he’s asked for a lot of baby-related advice) so I thought that he would feel good and supported to know that I would stick up for him if something similar ever happens to him. Well I seriously misread that relationship. He reported me to general counsel and I got a talking to by GC and by the head of my office about how it’s inappropriate for me to say something like that to an associate. No support on the thing that the other partner did wrong, unsurprisingly, but that’s another post.

    I feel backstabbed. I feel hurt. I guess I crossed a line, I’ve certainly been put through the wringer about that fact. I’m having trouble figuring out how to move forward. I feel like I’m walking on eggshells, like I can never let my guard down. And that’s fine, that’s how I am with plenty of people I work with. I know that dance. But is it petty of me to think that’s pretty much the end of that mentor-mentee relationship, at least when it comes to the more personal family stuff?

    1. Wait, why do you think the mentee reported you, and what did the GC say you did wrong?

      1. The mentee told me he was going to talk to the GC about what I said because it made him uncomfortable. I clarified to him that I didn’t think he did anything wrong. He went to GC anyway.

        GC said it was wrong of me to tell an associate that I think one of my partners did something wrong to me.

        1. I’m imagining that this guy was a total gunner during law school if he is running to the GC that fast over his feelings. This is a “grumble over been” item with the Trad-bros if I’m being generous.

          1. Many trainings emphasize the obligation to report claims of discrimination and harassment. Mentee probably thought he needed to based on OPs statements. GC is wrong to chastise OP, and should take the situation seriously, but mentee didn’t do anything wrong here.

          2. He didn’t report it. He reported his feelings (negative) about it. Bro’s not on her side here.

    2. He reported you as in he reported that you did something wrong, or he reported the incident of discrimination with you as the victim?

      1. He reported that he was uncomfortable that I suggested I was the victim of discrimination.

        2. What in the world?

          “He was uncomfortable” is at this point all I need to know about this person having not one iota of critical reasoning and judgment. But I feel that it must be contagious with your firm’s management, which is even more troubling.

        3. So he is reporting you for harassment. Are you effing kidding me? That should end the mentor/mentee relationship.

    3. I’m so sorry. I’m not totally following the initial situation but yeah, I wouldn’t have trust with someone who reported me to a GC.

      1. Same. Especially when it seems that you were the initial victim vs wrongdoer. I’d go in with “can I see what the complaint actually was, because something does not seem right here?” and with the documentation of what you were talking about in hand and .pdf’d over.

        I cannot say that I’ve ever heard of an underling going to the GC directly for anything but am aware of one office busy-body who overheard something, interpretted it the wrong way, and reported it and a lot of people caught heat for essentially being in a difficult position where they were arguably the victim but not wanting to mix it up at all. I’d just be strictly-business at work going forward. Once burned.

    4. Wait. He reported you for discrimination because you said “we don’t want to penalize someone for taking leave?” How is that inappropriate, let alone discriminatory? I feel like you might have left something out.

      1. He didn’t report me for discrimination, he reported that I made him feel uncomfortable because I suggested that I was the victim of discrimination. And I was hauled into GC’s office and the head of my office to say I shouldn’t tell an associate that I felt I had been wronged.

        1. I’ll bite. If you felt like the other partner was treating you poorly or discriminating against you, what you should have done is to raise that internally with the proper channels (GC, department head, that partner, HR). Raising that concern with an associate employee was not the right path or avenue for complaints. I understand that you were probably caught off guard and just reacting in the moment, but if I were your firm, I’d think that you shouldn’t have been pulling the associate into the process or airing the partners’ dirty laundry in front of him. So I am not surprised if the GC talked to you about the proper way to handle going forward and agree with the GC on that point. But the GC should have also taken your complaint seriously and looked into it.

          I also don’t think the mentor did anything wrong. He heard you say that you thought you’d been retaliated against for taking leave, so he reported it to the GC. The phrase “I was uncomfortable” is odd – it could mean that it’s all about him and his feelings (which is inappropriate), but it seems more likely that he was saying he was uncomfortable that he was aware of a possibly retaliatory situation and he felt like he needed to report it.

          2. It is so obvious that this all came up in normal conversation and she thought she had a good trusting relationship with the mentee. Of course, partners should not habitually talk trash to associates but this was a normal human action on the part of the OP. Mentee sounds like the worst of GenZ.

    5. I’m sorry, this whole situation is bananas. So you said to your mentee that another partner did something discriminatory, and the mentee reported YOU to the firm’s GC? But what on earth did you do wrong? Of course you should not mentor this person any longer. And I’d be looking for a new job.

      1. +1. If I understand this correctly, the mentor-mentee relationship is over, and you should also consider looking for a new firm.

    6. This sounds very weird. Are you sure he didn’t misunderstand and thought you meant, Well, things like that happen when you are on leave?

      I am having a hard time understanding what complaint he had.

    7. Was the associate trying to do the right thing (reporting the other partner) and just did not read the room on the process?

      1. I feel like the mentee is a gossip and a very poor judge of things that it seems like you handled. So he’s left with not liking knowing that women get the sort end of the stick and reacts by making it shorter. Unsubscribe. I need team players on my team and ones who take direction vs stirring the pot.

      2. Agreed. OP raised a concern about unlawful behavior at her firm to mentee. Mentee then potentially has an obligation to do something about it and reporting to the GC is absolutely appropriate. GC’s reaction is wrong, GC should investigate what happened. OP needs to be careful going forward – casually tossing around Tradwick claims here is one thing, doing it at work is much more serious. Don’t complain to anyone unless you intend to make it an issue.

    9. Mentee is the one who needs a talking-to, not you. He gossiped about you, or that’s what we would say if he were a she. But to answer the question, yeah, that’s the end of the mentor-mentee relationship.

      1. With someone junior, I’d say, if they were the victim, do you want to report this or if you don’t, do you want me to speak up about it? But I’d never do it behind someone’s back and never pull rank like that with someone senior to me not asking for my “help.” Ick.

    10. I’m struggling to see how this, as described, led to a serious talking to with the OP by the firm GC and office head.

      1. “Sheila has a victim complex and isn’t supporting Tradwick who was busy working while she was on leave. I am not comfortable working for a woman who sees every man as set against her.” Dress that up how you like.

    11. It sounds like you should not have opined to an associate on firm leave policy, and should have left that to the team that handles these programs for the firm. So I am with them on how they handled this. Let the people who know labor law do their jobs.

    12. This happened to me at my last firm. I returned from leave and was asked to participate in meetings to address my billables (which were, admittedly, low for the performance year). I must have confided in the wrong person because someone approached the GC and disclosed that I was complaining of discrimination or retaliation. The GC launched an internal investigation, and sent an equity partner to interview me under the guise that she was “seeking input on how to improve” our section. I later found out about the investigation and was strong-armed to participate. I resigned four months later because I was so put off by how it was handled. I learned a hard lesson though. I would be careful in what you disclose to your mentee moving forward.

      1. I have seen this play out at my old firm where only the dudes got to golf with clients even though the women could golf.

        1. Same here. I left the firm for in house where I regularly get invited to golf with our CEO. Those law firm dudes do not get our work.

      2. Ok, I am naive. Thanks Anons at 11:05. OP, sorry this happened to you. Definitely do not confide on this person and consider moving on from the relationship while remaining professional.

  9. We are moving soon and we’ve decided to get the interior painted white before move-in and anchoring all the furniture (earthquake country with a toddler, so that’s happening on day 1). While I would ideally love to spend time being thoughtful about color choice in each room, I know myself and that I need to at least slap some white paint on at the start so I’m not stuck with the dingy gray that’s there now for the next 15 years. If possible, we will do a blue or green for our toddler’s room.

    Can anyone recommend a good white paint to use for the main house? The living room (with a dining nook off it) and two bedrooms are north-facing and get poor natural light, while the kitchen, master bedroom, and family room are on the south side and will get much more. We want something that comes in a low VOC option. I’m no paint expert, but we’re looking for something that will brighten up the low-light areas without feeling too stark or blinding either there or in the higher-light areas. What would you use? Any tips for what kind of finish (eggshell?? I don’t know these terms) to get? We would also get the trim done at the same time.

    For our son’s room, any suggestions for a muted blue or green? Our house isn’t historic (more’s the pity) but I love a classic, vintage look for children’s rooms and would be happy to lean into that here.

    2. Atrium white by Benjamin Moore. Has a nice pink undertone you won’t see but is very flattering and it works in pretty much every home I’ve ever had.

      3. PS – the best money you will spend is getting samples of paint colors on contact paper sheets from sampilize – get a few in leading contenders and put them up in your new space before choosing. Light makes so much difference.

        1. we spent a fortune on sampilize for a room we wanted to paint dark cobalt, but when i went to the paint store to get chips for soemthing else they have the most common paints available in store. sherwin williams had nice displays of their bestsellers for light blues and offwhites and so forth.

          1. The beauty of samplilize though is not needing to paint anything and potentially having a weird patch to paint over

    3. When we needed a softer almost off-white – Benjamin Moore White Dove. When we needed a brighter white – Sherwin Williams Snowbound or Alabaster.

    5. Simply White is a classic for a reason. Swiss Coffee (often cut to ~40%) seems to be what a lot of people in my town are using now too, and was what our realtor recommended.

    6. I really like (have used it in 2 houses now) Valspar’s Swiss Coffee. Anyone can match it, though if you have a preferred brand or store. It does a great job of lightening up rooms with north facing windows, but isn’t institutional looking.

          1. The color name Swiss Coffee has been around forever. We inherited many cans of old paint in the garage when we moved into our house 20+ years ago, and one of the oldest, rustiest cans was Swiss Coffee.

    7. We’ve just used agreeable gray pretty much everywhere and I don’t really care. We have some rooms painted or wallpapered but everywhere else agreeable gray is fine.

    8. before you move in seriously assess the floors — it’s such a PITA to replace carpeting and flooring later. If there are wood floors look carefully for splinters, if not your toddler/baby will find them.

    9. I like Benjamin Moore Chalk White. No yellow or pink undertones; it’s a tiny bit cool, and very a clean white without being too bright.

    10. Do they have Hirshfield’s where you live? We scheduled an in-home consultant to come look at our house – it’s $225 and then you get a $75 credit toward paint. It was SOOO helpful – she laid out a bunch of different colors and showed us which ones “threw” pink or yellow in different lighting. Well worth the money.

      1. I used a similar service and it was great. I think Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams offer something like it too.

    11. Sherwin Williams Westhighland White on all the walls looks good in all light, all day long. For the blue walls, try Sherwin Williams Lauren’s Surprise. For bathrooms, Sherwin Williams Nebulous White is a very subtle blue-brown undertone. For brick (exterior or if you want to paint a red brick fireplace white), try Sherwin Williams Greek Villa.

  10. Tortoise shell-colored buttons need to go. They’ve become ubiquitous regardless of fabric color. There are 9 on this pink blazer (4 each sleeve) and they ruin the look. Am I alone in thinking brown/beige buttons look best with ivory-to-brown fabrics and are out of place with pink, blue, grey, purple, etc.?

    1. Personally, I like the look of tortoise shell or brown leather buttons against cool colored blazers.

    2. I love tortoiseshell buttons, and pearlescent shell buttons, but I don’t think it’s a good match for this jacket.

      Tweed looks good with a fabric coated button or something shiny metallic.

    3. I prefer tortoise shell to the garbage shiny gold flimsy buttons I seem to run across a lot these days. Looking at you, Ann Taylor.

  11. At what point do a lot of job moves become problematic? For example, how would you view the below:
    Job 1: 2.5 years
    Job 2: 2.5 years
    Job 3: 2 years
    Job 4: 3.5 years

    1. in this day and age, not so problematic, there is also so much over-hiring and layoffs in recent years. also depends a lot on industry

    2. Depends on industry and role. Would also depend on whether you can explain your skill development and progression. I’m a lawyer, and law is an apprenticeship profession. People move around much more than they used to, and law firms can be very difficult places to work if you happen to get stuck with terrible partners, so I don’t automatically assume someone left because of a problem with their performance. However, you learn by doing and gaining progressive responsibility. If you’re constantly starting over in new places, that can have real impacts on your progression. Whatever your concern is (are you worried they’ll think you’ll jump ship after a few years, so why invest in you? worried they’ll think it’s performance issues? worried they’ll think your development is truncated?) Be prepared with a “story” that would ameliorate these concerns and weave it in proactively throughout your answers in any interview.

      1. +1. I worry when I see a resume like this for a litigator. My first assumption with that many short stints is that they keep getting asked to leave, since I’ve seen that happen often. But even if that’s not the case, I worry because they have likely never seen a case all the way through and that they have skill gaps.

        But I understand it’s probably different in other fields.

        1. +1 to anon at 10:51 and Anon at 11:33. Also a lawyer, and I would question if the person has been shown the door at the previous places and/or if they truly have the skills that match the perceived number of years of experience.

        2. Yep. I’ve also seen this with M&A lawyers. 5 years of preparing signature pages and inputting redlines at 3 different firms does not make a 5th year M&A associate.

    4. it depends. 2 years in some industries looks like you keep leaving around the time when people figure out someone is not a good fit (the first year they’ve given grace for being new, but then they’re not showing enough signs of really owning the role).

    5. Normal-ish, if there is a logical progression. If you had 6 or 7 jobs following this pattern I would be a little concerned, or if the jobs were wildly unrelated, lacked any apparent growth or trajectory, I would question why you weren’t sticking around at any of them longer than that.

      1. Same, and agree with others that it depends on the industry. Also on stage in career. I had a good friend who did a series of moves like that in their early career, and then started to stay longer at jobs longer in their mid career and now just moved from a director level position that she was in for 5+ years to a new VP position. I thought she was hurting herself in our 20s, but now in our late 30s I can definitely see how she used each of these moves really strategically to move up and increase her salary benefits.

    6. Depends on the industry – I’m always most curious why they want to leave their current position. I’d say the four jobs, as opposed to three in that time period is a bit more curious. Yellow flag to be explained (e.g., followed higher ups to new company, tried new industry/city and it didn’t work), but not a per se red flag.

      1. +1. First job gets a free pass, but after that I ask why they left. If they’re prepared for the interview they’ll have a succinct explanation. The next question is why they’re interested in this role and this company.

    8. I think having your last job being the longest of those 4 is helpful.
      In law (so stodgy), as a hiring manager, I’d want to know why you think the next job will be one you will stick with and grow, and have a good narrative about each of the moves (e.g., increased opportunity/growth, problems at the co that don’t reflect poorly on you, etc.) If some of the moves were not directly your choice (e.g., layoff, or extreme financial difficulties of the company) even better.

    9. Tech, and this is like the epitome of stability on a resume, so it definitely varies by industry! I would only be concerned if you weren’t showing progression/increasing ownership (and even then, maybe not – progression matters in some career tracks more than others)

    10. I have moved about this often for more money. In the past 10 years, I’ve jumped nearly $100,000 doing this.

      1. FWIW, my base salary increased by more than that with internal promotions within 6 years.

  12. What color should I recover my living room couch? It is currently off white, which I like but my husband doesn’t (and in fairness we have little kids). We have lots of chestnut colored wood trim/fireplace (it’s a Victorian), light green walls, a red/navy/tan/Blue green Persian carpet, and two mid-blue armchairs I inherited that don’t really match anything else. I don’t mind color but I don’t want the room to be too dark (so not navy or red) and there’s a lot going on already.

      1. Pink would look amazing in this room but would require a new carpet. Maybe I should just go for it…

    2. I would do with an earth tone to not add another color. Can you match the tan tone in the rug or the chestnut trim? I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how sturdy performance velvet is – we have a 2 kids, a cat, and a dog and it’s stood up well to lots of wear and tear.
      If you haven’t ordered swatches yet, we’ve liked the JB Martin performance velvet line.

      1. So you are absolutely right. I just really hate browns and fans that aren’t actual wood.

    4. What do you like best in the room? Make the sofa coordinate (either same shade different tone, or complementary shade) with that.

    2. It’s fine as long as the can hasn’t started to inflate. If the can looks poofy then throw it out.

      I’m pretty sure there’s some miller light that’s been hanging out in the back of my fridge since a friend brought a case to our housewarming 5 years ago. It’ll make an appearance at our next pool party. And if no one drinks it, it’ll go right back in the fridge for the next time people come over.

    3. Six months or so. Can may have a “best by” date as well that might say “bb” with a date.

    5. If you don’t care about the taste, it’s fine. If you are hosting someone you like, get fresh cans and don’t serve them skunk juice.

    7. It depends.

      Beer with a higher alcohol content will keep longer than low or no alcohol beer.

      Filtrated and pasteurised will keep longer than not.

      A commercial lager beer at around 5 percent will IMO taste perfectly fine 6 months after the exp date. A live ale may taste horrible and yeasty by that time. An eight percent IPA will be fine, a nonalcoholic one not.

      You will only know by tasting, and if you know what it should taste like. If you’re serving guests, just buy fresh beer.

  14. it has been refreshing seeing all the clips from Jenna’s interviews with the former living presidents, particularly of the clips from outside the interviews of the presidents interacting with one another like normal, kind, respectful humans. i miss the good ole days of politics

  15. Any tips or remedies for a strained hamstring? I think I did squats and lunges with weights that were a bit too heavy (grr social media for pouring these ideas into my brain!) and strained or pulled my hamstring. I’m extra bummed about this because I just returned from an indulgent vacation and was looking forward to jumping back into fitness.

    1. Rest, rest, rest. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but strained hamstrings really need to rest — you don’t want to tear it.

    2. If it lasts a week or more, I would go to the doctor. My sore, tight hamstring turned out to be the beginning of a herniated disc (L5-S1). Two years of PT and surgery later, life is good again, though I get passing pain in my hamstring when I am not good to my back.

      1. Thank you for mentioning this. I had a sneaking suspicion that my hamstring issue is related to my lower back feeling really tight recently.

  16. Random story – my brother uses chatgpt all the time for health stuff so I decided to do it with my longlasting hip issues, hoping i could upload old PT plans and go from there. (my old PT retired and I hated the new one.) almost immediately chatgpt told me 2 events in my distant past (pregnancy pelvic issues + torn ACL) were huge reasons why i have problems now (instability that never recovered properly and then asymmetry). I had told those factors to PTs in the past but they never explained it like that. Chatty also said that if I always strain my neck trying to do ab/core work then I probably have pelvic floor problems. The recs: see a pelvic floor PT with ortho/sports background, stop doing bilateral strength training like RDLs and hip thrusts (single leg only). I spent a bit of time today trying to just stand on my ACL leg without hiking my hip and I can barely do it. So: 10+ years, 3-6 PTs, and chatgpt for the win.

    2. It doesn’t sound like you were magically healed by reading those words, so what exactly is the win here? That AI gave you different information than professionals have given you in the past and that you have no idea whether that info is even based in sound science or has actionable steps for you to take that produce beneficial results?

    3. Sounds like you’ve had some mediocre physical therapists up to this point, and I’m glad you found something helpful.

      As a second data point – I tried to just normally exercise my way to recovery after having a baby and things never did figure themselves out. After I weaned I saw a good PT, who diagnosed me as having a very asymmetrical pelvic floor and gave me exercises to build back up the one side. Actually followed the recommended exercise plan, was as good as new 2 months later.

      1. Because it’s the amalgamation of a lot of information and research. It is much much better than nothing, and oftentimes better than what an overworked doctor w limited time to think about you, specifically, can give. But I’m answering in good faith, assuming you aren’t being reflexively obtuse.

        1. It’s not that though. It is a predictive text model. That’s all. I would research what it CANNOT do before presuming accuracy of anything. It is good at producing text that sounds good but often has substantive flaws.

        2. This seems to presume that AI is answering in good faith, which I don’t believe for a second.

        3. It also amalgamates misinformation and general internet search results. It is really bad at differentiating between legitimate sources and junk ones, and it has no duty to do right by you. You may feel better getting lots of words from AI, but your feelings of being heard by an LLM do not mean it is giving you safe, real, or relevant information that you should put above that of actual medical professionals.

          1. A majority of the county cannot afford the medical attention they need. This is better than nothing.

          2. OpenEvidence is a better AI than ChatGPT for medical stuff (it’s also ~50% wrong so you could flip a coin too).

            UpToDate, Medscape, etc. are better.

            Buoy Health may be better for some things.

            The alternative is seldom nothing.

          3. A google search where you can use critical thinking skills to evaluate whether the info on the Mayo Clinic page is relevant to you is better than nothing.

            LLM results are far too often wrong in ways that can be very dangerous, not just irrelevant. That is worse than nothing.

    5. Hopefully this will help get you on the road to recovery. Finding an excellent PT is tough and I had the best luck with one who focuses on sports rehab, treats a lot of high school and college athletes, and was private pay so I got an entire hour to myself. He also put together injuries from 20 years ago to figure out why I was having my current issues and how to resolve them. I was out of pocket about $2k in total for the sessions, and that was money well spent for me.

      If you post where you’re located, I will share the name if you happen to live in my town.

    6. Oh interesting. My neck always bothers me when I do ab/core work. And I do in fact have hip/pelvic floor issues. Are those connected?!

    7. I’ve also seen AI confirm delusional people that their delusions are accurate (think chemtrail style conspiracy theories), so please take all AI with a mountain of salt. It often hallucinates or tells you what you want to hear. I’m really concerned that well educated people here are falling for this.

      1. It’s a real tool with real benefits. It’s not an actual scam. You might have legitimate arguments about whether it’s good for humanity, but don’t discount what it can do.

        1. OP really exhibited a LOT of trust in unverified, substantive responses from an LLM that just… predicts what the next words will be. I think a lot of people REALLY want it to be a font of knowledge but it’s not that and we should be cautious to verify. If you use it, verify what it tells you. That should be just common sense.

        2. But also don’t discount its terrible drawbacks and definitely don’t ignore what it can’t do. Please don’t equate what it gives out as an “amalgam of research.” It’s an amalgam of a whole bunch of stuff, including research, bunk science, conspiracy theories, misinformation, etc.

          1. Sure, and it leads to wrongful arrests when law enforcement doesn’t do follow up homework on AI results. It can absolutely be a menace. But it is quite good at answering in-the-weeds questions.

          2. Really disagree, and I think it’s truly dangerous to think of it as collating data and/or research. It just can’t assess anything. Does that mean it’s always going to give you something stupid or wrong? No. But I think it’s ignorantly optimistic to think of it as good at answering “in the weeds questions.”

          3. It’s quite good at producing an answer to just about any question. It is not good at critical thinking. Just because it spits out a response doesn’t mean the response has merit.

        3. I am very concerned that you don’t have the ability to safely process the results you’re getting from an LLM. To the extent it is a “tool,” it must be used properly. Describing it as a tool with benefits indicates that you don’t understand its limitations or function.

      2. I’m pretty cautious about ChatGPT/any chatbot; but to be fair:
        1- find a really good PT, sports-focused is often important for active people
        2- Single leg strength exercises (any “strength training for runners/any other sport that uses your leg” type article will make this point)

        seems like big standard advice. So not groundbreaking, but also not dangerous – that’s what you’re going to get from reddit, google or a mildly informed friend

    8. I need to dig it up, but I read the abstract of a study the other day that said that LLMs were wrong about medical issues over 50% of the time. I get the urge to consult it when you feel like you aren’t getting the care you need, but it’s not a good alternative for info.

      1. Sounds better than my doctor “hmmm, I don’t know. Maybe monitor it. Have you thought about eating less red meat and losing weight?”

        1. Both things can be true. The medical field SUCKS and is dismissive. But AI is also glaringly inaccurate.

        2. Pretend your doctor wasn’t allowed to say I don’t know and had to give you an answer that just sounded good.

          1. OMG, that is the best generative AI for health advice summary I’ve seen. Will be using.

          3. Took a screen shot of this, thank you, will use this analogy in other fields too

        3. But why in the world would a PCP be the right person to advise on this type of problem. I think folks on here are generally young and healthy and are to aware of what a PCP is supposed to supply in this situation other than a referral.

    9. Lots of elite athletes have torn their ACL and do not go on to have hip problems. One injury doesn’t automatically result in another problem. It depends on how your body recovers and functions. I think we all want definitive answers, and that’s why AI is so compelling. It will happily give us those answers, but ChatGPT is not looking at how your muscles perform like a PT would and analyzing your abilities and strength. I think AI can give you a perspective worth considering, but it’s not like, OH NOW I KNOW!

    10. Isn’t the meaning of this really that the internet is full of content claiming that pelvic floor issues are the root of every problem?

  17. Took a screen shot of this, thank you, will use this analogy in other fields too

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