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Thursday’s TPS Report: Stretch Rayon Pique Jacket

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

STRETCH RAYON PIQUÉ JACKET-8-BLACK

This jacket is not for everyone — but it's interesting enough and has a chance that it might be flattering, and so if I were looking for a slightly different take on a black blazer, I would order this one to give it a try. (Alas, N.B.: it's marked down so much it's non-returnable.) I like the sculptural folds, as well as the “hint of stretch.” It was $298, but is now marked to $98 at MaxStudio.com. STRETCH RAYON PIQUÉ JACKET

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(L-2)

Sales of note for 12.5

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277 Comments

  1. i wish things like this looked good on me – the shape is different without being too out there. alas, i am shortwaisted and curvy, and this would make me look like a cartoon.

    1. I am hippy and this would look terrible on me if it looks this bad on the model.

    2. Usually peplum or peplum like detailing looks good on me (8 shape as oppossed to hourglass) but this would make me look pretty bad. Too bad because I think it’s pretty interesting.

    3. I feel like this is one of those items where you would have to try it on. On many, it would be a horror show, but on a few it could look totally amazing. I think it would have to do with more than just general shape — also long versus short waisted, whether you were wider versus thicker (not sure if I’m explaining what I am thinking). I really like the look of if, but am very unsure whether it would look good on me.

    4. Actually, this is interesting because I am short-waisted and hippy (I think an 8 like momentsofabsurdity?) and it is the type of jacket that I think would look good on me – fairly short jacket, cut with curves that would fit my body pretty well. But it is all about proportion so I would have to try it on.

      1. I think for me its the boxiness of the shoulders/torso – the bottom half is fine, but the top half would definitely make me look wider as my shoulders are already broad.

  2. also – don’t forget the philadelphia ‘rettes meetup tonight. 6pm, franklin mortgage on 18th between chestnut and sansom. i’m wearing leopard print for the occasion.

  5. Good morning Corporette ladies!

    I posted last week about being completely terrified about giving notice at my current firm and taking a new job…I finally gave notice to one of my bosses last night and while I pretty much cried the whole time (I can’t explain this phenomenon, just happens to me in stressful situations and I have guilt for some reason) and it was uncomfortable, I survived! THANK YOU so much to all of you who talked me through this! The worst part of it all is that my other boss (the main partner that I work for) is away from the office for the week and possibly next week due to his parent’s death. Horrible timing? Most definitely, but I didn’t know when I got the job offer and decided to take it. So he doesn’t know yet….will have to tell him when he gets back. Yikes. But, the other partner wanted to wait, and I agree. Sigh.

    Thanks again for being a wonderful support. :)

    1. I did NOT see your earlier post, but am SURE the other ladies hive was helpful. KUDO’s to the HIVE!

      The manageing partner is the only person at my firm that I work for so I just have to make sure he knows what I am doing.

      As for this jacket, I would NOT recomend RAYON as my old jacket tended to pill up after a few wearings at the ellbows. You do NOT want to have to shave your ellbows. FOOEY on that!

      This weekend, I am going to CA (Bodega Bay) . Yay!

      1. Dress warm, Ellen. The wind is pretty strong in Bodega Bay, so layers are key. Have fun!

    2. I remember your post and glad it went well! Interestingly enough, I was in the exact same boat this week – I gave my notice to a wonderful boss whose provided me with great training and told him I accepted a position in a nearby city in order to be with my husband (who works there), and our friends and family. I cried too. It was an incredibly difficult decisions, but ultimately I choose what was best for me and my husband. Ultimately, I realized that practicising law is incredibly hard and you need a good support system to keep you sane – despite being at a great firm, I couldn’t make it work without my support system. So I’m now moving to a wondeful city where I have a great support sytem, and starting fresh! Good luck on your new firm job and congratulations for stepping up and dowing what was right for you – each of us are the captain of our own ship!

    3. Glad it went well! Good luck with telling the other partner, but I think having told one of them, it’s like a dress rehearsal for when you tell the main partner that you work for.

    4. Just so you know you’re not alone, stressful siutations always make me cry too. I hate it. I sobbed when I quit my last job, even though I was so thankful to be out of there!

  6. Interesting cut. It seems like it could look a bit cheap in person, hard to tell online.

    Threadjack – can anyone recommend a personal trainer in Boston for my husband? Preferably in the city, but Cambridge might also work. DH has been in an exercise rut lately and not feeling the best about himself, so I’d love to treat him with sessions with a trainer. My experience with trainers from the past is that there is a LOT of variance in skill level, so I’d love a personal recommendation. Thanks!

  7. Looking at this jacket makes me think: there’s a good reason some things end up on sale.

    1. Oh, I don’t know. Sometimes wacky stuff like that can look absolutely smashing on the right person; it’s just that there aren’t that many people who can (or are willing to try to) pull it off. I think it has an interesting shape, and would try it on if I saw it in a store. Would not buy it online if I couldn’t return it, but eh, I think it has potential.

    2. I rather like the jacket, but am very tired of the trend where every “look” presupposes that the body wearing it will have very long, very skinny legs.

      I echo the poster who said, in many blogposts and threads past that most of the time, the real reason why most people say they like the clothes on someone’s Polyvore set or someone’s Pinterest is not actually about the clothes– they’re just drooling over the skinny body they picture themselves having while wearing said clothes.

      Those clothes could, potentially be utter crap or really great and anything in-between but it’s more about the “idealized” fashion-model body.

      3. I’z like Pinky of Pinky and the Brain: my overwhelming cuteness is all a front for my master plan of taking over the world via the internetz!

  8. I like it a lot. Alas, it is still Lent. And on that note, did anyone get the email today from Piperlime with Rachel Zoe’s suggestion for a work outfit? Gah.

  9. Would love opinions on whether the JCrew Viv Patent Flats in neon peach are okay as wedding slippers. I am looking for nice, simple flats; my dress is simple (long, ivory, one layer, one fabric, no puffs, no lace, no sparkles, no flowers, etc.). Not a shoe person, and I am sick of shopping for them. Link to follow. Thanks!

    1. These are the shoes:

      jcrew.com/womens_category/shoes/flats/PRDOVR~71801/71801.jsp

      3. I have these flats in another color, and I think they’d be lovely for a wedding. I like your color choice!

    2. I like them and think they are appropriate. You should get them if you like them and they are comfortable (the pointy toe looks like it could be uncomfortable to me).

    3. I think they’re adorable. I shopped for my wedding shoes for what seemed like an eternity. I had to have flats and I wanted them to be unique and comfortable… it was a nightmare. If these work for you, I say go for it!

      1. I love those shoes, and I think they’d be lovely with ivory.

        (one caveat: I have not seen them in person, and sometimes, J.Crew’s website is not good at accurately representing color. I’ve experienced some very, very bright clothing that looked more muted online — the color online is perfect, though)

    4. They are lovely! And good on you for wearing flats instead of super-tall-platforms. Being comfy will make one look even more radiant. :-)

    5. I think that’d be great! Buy them! I am so jealous of everyone who finds their wedding shoes…I am on a quest for something that doesn’t exist.

      2. One of my staff was so stressed about choosing wedding shoes (on a seriously low budget) that I offered to buy her shoes as a wedding gift. It actually makes sense since I am a known shoe fanatic and she would never spend this much on a pair of shoes (and I would).

        She is currently choosing between:
        http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/enzo-angiolini-smiles-platform-pump/3112068?origin=keywordsearch&resultback=0
        and
        http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/j-renee-petunia-sandal/3297030?origin=keywordsearch&resultback=798

        She’s leaning toward the sandals because she’s thinking something with a strap would be more comfortable.

  10. thanks for the tips last night about styling my new casablanca blue blazer for work! i now need some pale yellow tops. any other ideas from the hive? link will follow

    2. I bought that identical schoolboy blazer in cobalt blue recently but have not worn it yet. The J Crew salesperson suggested wearing it with a bright contrast colored top like coral but I am not that daring. I held it up to some Boden printed shells that I have and I think they would work. I plan to wear it with navy, black or pale tan pants (almost a light pebble color). If a neutral top like white or cream, I will add a contrasting jewelry piece (that’s where the coral accent might work).

      But I am very interested in all the suggestions that you get. It fits rather snugly under the arms but they told me to get the 4 because it will stretch and the 6 is too wide in the body.

      1. glad that they told you it would stretch in the body, i bought the 0 because it fit in the shoulders but is snug everywhere else (i usually never go smaller than a 2, but sometimes am a 4 in blazers)

      2. i think the bright contrast, sailor stripes, and patterns work casually (a la j crew styling), but for work it will have to be solid neutrals or pastels with pops of color with shoes and jewelry.

      3. navy would work well with it, as would a vibrant green for a more casual look (contrast in the same way coral would)
        If you want the contrast in colors without supervibrancy (not a word but it gets the point across) try very bright colors in a very pale saturation that would give you the color but without overwhelming the brightness of the blazer

    3. If i can jack your threadjack, I just want to throw a thank you(!) to all of the ‘rettes for the awesome color pairing education I’ve gotten here. I’m on a week long work trip, and I brought just one cardigan on the trip, in peacock blue, and a bunch of tops that go with it. So every day when I can take my suit jacket off, I have been able to wear this sweater with all my tops: bright green, burgundy, maroon, and a blue/brown pattern. I have felt so chic, putting a blue cardigan with all my tops, instead of defaulting to a black or grey one like I always used to. Thanks!!

    4. If i can jack your threadjack, I just want to throw a thank you(!) to all of the ‘rettes for the awesome color pairing education I’ve gotten here. I’m on a week long work trip, and I brought just one cardigan on the trip, in peacock blue, and a bunch of tops that go with it. So every day when I can take my suit jacket off, I have been able to wear this sweater with all my tops: bright green, burgundy, maroon, and a blue/brown pattern. I have felt so chic, putting a blue cardigan with all my tops, instead of defaulting to a black or grey one like I always used to. Thanks!!

  11. How do you ladies get motivated to do something you dread?

    I am supposed to take the GMAT in 6 weeks and I haven’t started studying yet. I think this stems from the fact I took it once before and invested a lot of time/money in preparing and totally bombed and I have no idea how to prepare differently this time. Just thinking about this is overwhelming to me. I can make the time to study, that isn’t really the problem. I just can’t formulate a plan that I think will work.

    Any suggestions?? I am not very skilled at putting together a study plan for myself, as evidenced by my terrible performance last time.

    1. No advice, but do you have to take the exam in 6 weeks? If you haven’t started studying, I’m worried that you might be setting up yourself for another poor performance, which will just get you more down. The folks I know who took the test seemed to study really hard for at least 2-3 months beforehand. Not a MBA, so obviously take this with a grain of salt.

    2. my DH is in a similar boat and also plans to take the exam I think around the same time. He has a study plan–he is working his way through all of the manhattan gmat study guides, math first (his strength), verbal next (his weakness). I don’t know if that helps you, but I think the best thing to do is figure out where you need to focus your energy and then set aside specific time chunks for it on a near daily basis. The problem is that he’s just not focused. I’m doing my best to help motivate him, but I don’t think it’s working. Tips for that?

    3. I have never taken the GMAT (or LSAT for that matter), so this may not apply to it, but I am skilled at putting together study plans so I will share with you my process and you may be able to adapt it. This is probably a little too regimented/OCD for most people, but I love this kind of stuff.

      1. Write out a list of all the topics you need to cover. Estimate for each one how long it will take you to study each one. The harder ones will take longer, easier ones will take longer. If you have already taken the test once, you probably know which areas you need to work on more.

      2. Work out exactly how much time you have to study. So e.g. if you have one week study, split each day into sections. When I was at University/Law School and had full days to study, I tended to split into three sections a day, am, pm and evening, which breaks etc. factored in. I am a total nerd and could study effectively for about 9 hours a day, but YMMV and you shouldn’t try and do more than you think you can feasibly do effectively. Block out times when you know you have something else on and include time for fun, too, or you will go crazy.

      3. Match up the topics with the available sections. The way I would do is is by drawing out a plan of all the available study days and splitting each day into blocks. A couple of days before the exam I would take out for doing practice papers etc. and/or memorising stuff. Then I would slot in topics depending on how hard they were (start with the hard stuff) and usually not having more than one hard core topic in a day and try to have as much variation as possible. So a plan for a day might look like this (from law school):

      AM – Contract law (termination)
      PM – Tort (negligence)
      Evening – Criminal (murder)

      This was slightly different in that I had several exams over a period of time, whereas you only have one, which should make it easier.

      I would also colour code the different topics, so the chart was v pretty. I liked having the routine and being able to tick off topics once I had done them and knowing what I still had left to do, so this worked for me but, again, YMMV.

      I would have thought that for the GMAT practicing questions is vital, so try and do that as much as possible and keep track of the types of questions you get wrong more than the ones you get right and try and work on those more.

      Good luck!

      1. Sorry just to add to that I meant in (2) that e.g. five days will give you 15 blocks of study assuming you have three per day, and if you have three topics, say, this would give you five blocks per topic.

        Also *practising* not practicing (although I suspect you Americans will disagree).

    4. I did a self-study program for the bar, and I made myself a separate Google calendar for bar studying where I would block off time for what I was going to study and/or put goals to get through each day. Would something like this work for you? You can make the blocks as small and specific as you need to.

    5. I took the GMAT twice — first time paid for an online course and got very sick the day before the exam. BOMBED the exam, which in retrospect wasn’t a surprise (running a high fever and coughing up a lung in the testing room!). That was in February.

      Came home (from college) in April and scheduled the exam for mid May (so six weeks or so). Prepped quite hard for those six weeks – somewhere around 4 hours per day. Was able to score in the 99th percentile that time.

      I should note I wasn’t working at the time I was prepping so I don’t know how feasible it would be to do what I did with a full time job. That being said, here’s what I did:

      1) Went through the OG cover to cover. (Note that the OG doesn’t provide much by way of 700+ level questions. If you are hoping to score in the 700s, definitely use the OG but you will need to supplement with other materials).
      2) Reviewed areas I knew I was weak in (I knew I sucked at geometry and permutations/combinations, so I spent more time on those). Pick one area per day to review and always make yourself do ~30 math and ~30 verbal questions from the OG every day until you finish it.
      3) Bought the Manhattan GMAT pack of 6 tests — this was invaluable. Try and do at least 1-2 tests per week once you have the basics down. Make sure to write the essays when doing your practice tests — otherwise your score is somewhat inflated.
      4) Signed up for private tutoring at my local Princeton Review. This might be overkill, but for me it was a godsend in terms of a confidence boost. It wasn’t cheap ($500 for 5 hours) but for me was absolutely worth it.
      5) Take the GMAT Prep tests 3-4 days before your exam.

      beatthegmat (dot) com is a great resource. I can provide you a link to my study plan/post-GMAT write up if that would be helpful, but really just poking around on the site is helpful in and of itself!

      1. Also — if you know why you didn’t do well, I would obviously focus on that. For example, if it’s a timing issue — the GMAT harshly penalizes unanswered questions and you face a score penalty for every question you don’t answer. Make sure you know what ~2min per question feels like and know when to stop and move on. If you scored below the 50th percentile in the math section, I would pick up a high school math textbook and review – the math is not fundamentally difficult, but it requires that you know the high school rules backwards and forwards. Basically, you need to target your weaker areas now that you’ve had the experience of taking the test and know what it feels like.

    6. I’d question why you are taking it. Having taken GMAT, LSAT, etc 15+ yrs ago, I can tell you it doesn’t get easier or more fun in the programs and much of the work you might be doing down the road. Gross generalization yes, of course there are exceptions, but I hear so many young people whine about the initial screening tests and wonder whether they should be pursuing xyz degree/job if one discrete test feels like this big a deal. Not trying to sound harsh just floating this thought.

      1. I don’t know if that’s really fair. Everything is a big deal while you are doing it – it’s only later that you can even get the hindsight to look back and say “Yeah, that wasn’t so bad.”

        I have a friend in med school who just took Step 1. She was miserable during her MCAT experience but can now look back and say, god, Step 1 was worse.

        Also depending on the program, it may/may not be at all similar to the format of the standardized test (just like college :: SAT) so someone that might do great in a particular program might find themselves struggling with the test.

      2. I think this is unfair. I had a hard time with the logic games section of the LSAT. I’ve found that my practice is VASTLY different than the LSAT, which was also vastly different than law school.

        The GMAT may be totally different, as I haven’t taken it. But I don’t think that feeling like the LSAT is a big deal/difficult means you’re ill suited for law.

        1. I don’t know… the first time I had to schedule witnesses for a trial, I felt like it was a logic game. i.e. X is only avail in afternoons on certain days, Y must testify first in am or first in pm because of her hourly rate, Z has to testify before A or A’s testimony won’t makes sense, etc. Not that this is a critical lawyer skill, but it was the most direct application of logic games I’ve come across!

    7. So…I’ve never taken the GMAT. But (and this is why I’m anon) I’ve done smashingly well on all of my standardized testing — SAT and LSAT — based on the following practices. It’s predicated on the fact that there are only a fixed number of types of questions that the test-takers will ask. It’s a very simple study plan, but it pays off:

      1. Take as many practice tests as you can without being burnt out. At 6 weeks away, I’d aim for about 3 a week, cranking up to 1 a night until 2 nights before the test, and then stop.

      2. (just as important as #1 and don’t skip this part) – review the questions and answers that you got wrong, and commit to memory the reasoning that the test makers use to get the correct answer.

      #2 is all about pattern recognition, un-learning the incorrect understanding that you have of the test questions, and learning what the correct reasoning should be. In my test prep, there were a lot of questions that I didn’t really ‘get’ or thought should be answered otherwise, but I just ignored what I thought the answers *should* be based on my understanding of grammar and logic, and applied what the testmakers thought the answers should be instead. Since there are only limited set of the types of questions that testmakers typically ask, doing many, many practice tests will expose you to all of those types of questions and allow you to practice your application of the testmakers’ reasoning.

      1. Hmm, I don’t care so much about being Anon–but I too have done very well on the SAT/LSAT etc., and I wholly second this. Take a test every day, if possible. With the GMAT, the difficulty is recreating the conditions of getting the harder questions at the end (if you want to score in the high 700s). So, if that is your goal, try to find the hardest problems available that might come at the end (when you might not have very much time either! And you don’t want to guess/skip!).

      2. THIS!

        Definitely buy a review book if you haven’t already (the official one was great, can’t recommend any others but I’m sure they’re fine).
        #2 above is the key. Knowing the steps that they expect you take to solve each problem is the most important thing!

        Timing is another obnoxious part of the GMAT.
        I used a split timer app. I pressed a button when I finished each problem and it marked it. Then I went back and walked through the explanations of the problems that I got wrong AND that took me the longest. Try this on your second or third practice test.

        I’d also say knowing your strengths and weaknesses is important. What are your weak points and how can you best tackle them? Is it the test format, your vocabulary, grammer or mental math?

        I think you can do it in 6 weeks, but it’s probably better to cancel if you think you’re going to receive a less than stellar score.

    8. I’ll step in here…the GMAT’s main difficulties are timing, mental math, and whether or not you’re good at verbal stuff (sentence correction is particularly tough), unless you are a whiz at English (as in native speaker) and grammar/sentence diagramming.

      Definitely invest in the GMAT Official Guide, affectionately known as the “OG”. Definitely check out my friend Eric’s highly regarded website, beatthegmat.com. It’s awesome and has great forums on how to tackle specific issues.

      The OG has a million practice problems ordered from easy to hard. If you need help on math, there is a special math guide. It will go through all the math you haven’t thought about since high school–algebra, geometry, etc.

      You don’t need to take a course. Most of my friends didn’t. We all went to top schools (700+).

      As you do more problems in the OG, you’ll see what you need to work on.

      Also, take a week off work and just drill.

      Note that the test is computerized, so you need to start getting used to using scratch paper and not circling or doodling in any of your test books. You should also order the official software and get used to how the test “gets harder” and how doing harder questions takes more time than doing, say, thirty random questions.

      My last piece of advise is: know when to cancel. A score in the 500s or 600s will not get you where you want to go, so if you know you bombed (you can tell pretty easily if the questions stay easy in any section), cancel. You can sit the GMAT many times, but only once per month (check the test registration rules). I know it’s expensive to fire up another exam, but it’s worth it to get the score you want.

      Good luck!

  12. I was the one who wrote a few weeks ago about moving to Boston and wanting recommendations on where to live. Thanks to all of you for your responses. To recap, I have a job in the financial district, DH will work near Alewife, and we’ve lived in big urban cities for the last 10 years and love walking to good restaurants, bookstores, and coffee shops.

    Based on everyone’s comments, we looked at Porter/Davis Square and Beacon Hill. We took the T from Porter to my work and it is 45 minutes door to door, which is way too far for me. I’m hoping to be within 20-25 minutes of my office. Brookline is also out. My friends who live there say that it takes them 45-50 minutes door to door on the green line.

    We liked Beacon Hill and are strongly considering that area. But for you native Bostonians, do you have other suggestions on neighborhoods in the city? I’ve heard a lot about South End, is that a feasible commute for DH? Thank you all again!

    1. ..there’s the seaport. That would be an awesome commute for the financial district and it is close to the Redline. It might not be your thing but is worth a look IMO.

      FWIW I’ve worked in the financial district for 15 years and my commute has never been less than an hour. Regarding Brookline, if you live on the D line it is much faster than the B or C (avoid B at all costs as it cuts through BU). But Brookline to Alewife would be tough.

      1. Thanks Well. Is the seaport the same as the waterfront area? Would that be close to the Downtown Crossing stop on the red line or another stop?

        1. The redline goes through South Station, which is the closest. The Silver Line goes to the Seaport (but here it is sort of an above ground bus and it connects to South Station but doesn’t have a lengthy route. It also goes to the airport).

          The Seaport is near the World Trade Center/Convention Center. I have a few friends who live in the Seaport and they really like it. It depends on your lifestyle and what you’re looking for. There are stores in the financial district if you want to run errands and you can grab some grocery items in various places (North End, Chinatown, CVS etc.) plus do Peapod for larger orders or even Amazon for bulk items. Single or childless me would probably look to live there.

          Also, don’t rule out the bus for commuting. I hate taking the bus but one of my fastest commutes was via bus.

      2. I second the Seaport area. I would also recommend the area around the Broadway T stop on the red line, which is in the westernmost part of South Boston. Like the Seaport, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but there are some gorgeous new buildings around there and the area is close to everything. I used to live there and walked to work in the financial district during the week and to the South End for fun on the weekends. The red line is right there which would work for your husband. Definitely a more up and coming area than Beacon Hill (I also lived there for a few years, and liked it) but I loved it.

        1. Thanks so much. Can you tell me why Seaport and South Boston are not everyone’s cup of tea? I don’t know anything about those areas so any advice would be appreciated.

          1. The seaport is a relatively newly-developed neighborhood. There are some high end loft type buildings there, and a few new restaurants, but there is really not much down there. I bet in 10 years, it will be great, but the neighborhood has a lot of growing up to do. Also, things like getting groceries would be really inconvenient.

            South Boston –Southie — not to be confused with the South End. It has changed a lot in recent years. Historically it was very working class, very Irish and very dangerous (this is where the movie “The Departed” was set.) Recently, however, there have been a lot of young professionals moving in b/c of its proximity to down town. You get more for your money, and it has a neighborhood feeling, but in my view is not very cosmopolitan. But, I have friends who live there and *love* it.

            Also, I hope I don’t get in trouble for saying this, but I vaguely remember you saying you were of minority heritage. You might want to go walk around Southie and make sure you are comfortable with the vibe. Historically, this area was not welcoming to minorities (this is where the big riots about busing students to integrated schools took place in the 60’s and 70’s). But, that was a long time ago, and a lot has changed. But I would still want to check it out.

          2. Former Bostonian – I really appreciate your comment. My husband and I both people of color, and I just heard from another friend who echoed your comments. Like you said, things may have very well changed but it’s good to keep that in mind while looking around for housing.

    2. South End would be a commuting nightmare for him, and not that great for you either. Back Bay close in to Boston Common could work if he’s able to take the Red Line (via Park St). It’s similarly expensive to Beacon Hill though.

      Central Square and Harvard Square could be good too – closer than Porter and very walkable.

    3. South End is great but probably not feasible for the commute. My guess is you want to be somewhere on the Red Line.

      If you took the T from Porter I think the underground Red Line might still be shut down after Harvard (don’t know if someone can confirm, I don’t get up much beyond Harvard often anymore) — if you had to take a shuttle bus, that would substantially increase your time. This construction is (I think) scheduled to be finished in the next few months.

      You can look at Central/Kendall and Harvard, which would shorten the commute time. The West End would also be a good in-between spot.

    4. You may also want to check out South Boston. It is a very quick bus ride to the financial district and most housing is close to one of the two redline stations. Plus, it’s a super fun place to live and not as expensive as Beacon Hill.

    5. You could consider Central/MIT area. Central is more fun-feeling these days, but there are nice apts near MIT (you want to look near the Kendall stop).

      Then, Beacon Hill is your best bet. It is close to your work so you can walk, close to Park St or MGH stop so your H can take the red line. The apts will tend to be smaller/quainter there.

      The South End is great (I lived there for a long time), but it is not good for commuting to Alewife – you could take the Mass Ave bus to the Central stop, but that is a long commute.

      If that doesn’t work, try Southie, but that also makes it a long commute for your H on the red line.

      I work in the seaport – there is really nothing there. No grocery stores or CVS, etc., and only a few restaurants. You would have to have a car to get groceries, or else get delivery all the time.

    6. Thank you all so much for the helpful responses. It seems like Beacon Hill or Back Bay near the Common is our best bet. We looked at Kendall/Central/Harvard and didn’t really like what we saw, but perhaps it’s worth looking into it more. Kendall seemed really dead/quiet, and Central sort of grimey. Harvard Square was the cutest of the three neighborhoods but definitely seemed overrun with students, naturally.

      Never considered South Boston, will check it out. For anyone who knows the area, is it neighborhoody where you can walk places, or do you need a car? What’s the closest T stop? Thanks again.

      1. South Boston is cut off from the rest of Boston by a waterway/bridge. Although it is quickly gentrifying, it definitely retains a lot of its Irish “mafia” roots (the infamous Whitely Bulger is from Southie). It would work for the financial district, but would increase your husband’s commute by at least a few stops.

    7. there’s a bus that goes from the south end to harvard square, up mass ave. I live in the south end and I take it when I have an evening event in cambridge. I walk to my job in the financial district.

    8. Chowda powa — you may also want to consider the Kendall-Square-MIT area, if you’re interested in “luxury high rise” type apartment buildings (there are a bunch down there and its right on the red line.)

      The South End is a great neighborhood, but its really going to be a nightmare of a commute for your husband.

      1. Thanks, we did look at Kendall but the area seemed really dead and like a concrete jungle. :) The nice thing about Beacon Hill is proximity to so much green space with the Common being so close.

        1. Well, I was just throwing it out there, since you seemed to want “urban” (which sometimes I think of as concrete jungle, lol). One thing that I think takes some getting used to for people who move from other cities to Boston is that it doesn’t have too many neighborhoods that have that really dense “city” feel that many other places have — you know, its not NYC. And every neighborhood does really have its own personality. It can take a couple tries to really find the best match (but Beacon Hill is a good bet if you can tolerate the lack of square footage.)

          1. Yeah, I know that I sound really picky. :) And I’ve actually never lived in NY (instead, in SF, Chicago, and Philly). Moving is such an ordeal that I’m trying to do as much research on the front end so that we can get it right the first time around. As for square footage, you’re right, the apts in Beacon Hill are small but we were surprised to see some that were 1200 and 1300 sq ft, which is a good size for us.

    9. Chowda powa – I recommend the Back Bay (Commonwealth Avenue or Marlborough Street). Central location, close to everything that you need and like. You can walk to work, and it would not be too far for your H to commute.

      1. Thanks so much. That area is so beautiful, we are definitely looking into it. Would H take the Copley stop and then transfer to the red line?

        1. probably faster just to walk through the common to Park street. The green line is slow. The closer you live to the public garden (as opposed to the Mass Ave. end of back bay) the easier this would be.

  13. Young Corporetter here, in my first office job. Do I need different fabrics for winter-ish v. summer-ish pants? I have been wearing the same kinds of pants all year, and now suddenly I am wondering if I need different fabrics/colors for this warm weather. I feel comfortable (pants aren’t flannel-lined or something, so not a temperature issue), but I am wondering if dark plaid, darker brown, etc., pants are not appropriate in spring/summer. If so, what colors do I need to switch to? I tend to like dark pants, and I will be sad if I have to switch to khaki and light gray for the next six months. My bank account will be sad, too. FWIW, I live in the northeast. And do I have to stop wearing my jewel-toned lighter-fabric sweaters (purple, green, etc.)? TIA!

    1. I wear dark brown and jewel tones year-round. I think the fabric is more important than the color, but I’m not really a stickler on matching fabrics to seasons.

    2. I agree that fabric/weight is more important. I have maybe one pair of pants and one skirt that are winter-only, and then a shorter, pastel skirt that is more summery. The rest of my wardrobe is year-round, or at least that’s how I treat it.

    3. like other commenters, i think fabric matters more than color. personally, i’m uncomfortable with any sort of lining in pants when it’s warm out, but as long as your outer fabric isn’t heavy (like a tweed or wool), you should be fine. jewel tones are absolutely appropriate for the summer.

    1. The zippers are interesting but I don’t think the bag looks good when they are unzipped.
      I think it is too expensive too.

    2. I think it’s gorgeous. I would probably wear it with the zippers up rather than down, but it’s lovely either way.

  15. So interesting what different views we have – I don’t like it at all with the zippers up, but prefer it with the zippers down.

  16. Ladies – a small shout out to you all for the fantastic discussions lately on “not leaving before you leave” and other comments on not disclosing a pregnancy while interviewing. While I’m not interviewing for a new job, I am 8 weeks pregnant with my first and just had a wonderful new promotion and opportunity come my way at work. Six months ago, I would have considered turning it down based on my upcoming time out of the office. Or worse yet, felt compelled to tell people I was pregnant before I was ready. Thank you all for making me realize that this pregnancy and leave is but a blip in my career. I’m so excited about what the future holds (sorry for being cheesy!)!

    1. :) Good! I noticed that everyone around me thought of the pregnancy as much less a big deal than I did- more of a blip. Was surprised pleasantly by that- they assume you’ll be back, effective, etc. and I too got a promotion about 10 weeks in. To them it’s just an aspect of employee life, to us it becomes all-consuming. Congrats!

  17. Meh. I can’t get really excited about it. Not sure if it’s the boxy shape or the zippers. A great bag should get you exicted everytime you look at it; you should feel like a million bucks carrying it – if it does that for you, get it.

  18. I think I’d be one of the rare people that might look good in that suit jacket (short and curvy), provided it was paired with a skirt.

    I’d love a little interview suit advice since the weather’s gotten warmer (DC). I’m wondering whether or not I should wear my regular navy wool pantsuit, or my double-breasted short-sleeved grey skirt suit. Both look sharp and are tailored. Would the latter be too casual? The interview is with a government agency. Thanks!

  19. We’re about to start building an ark here this morning. Too bad I didn’t take my rain boots when I went to teach at 8:30, but I’m wearing black tights and black shoes so it doesn’t show that my feet got soaked.

    1. Baton Rouge was terrible yesterday – it was a veritable monsoon. But when I woke up today, there was no power so there is that.

      I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for the weekend; goin’ fishin’ somewhere in or around Opelousas!

  20. Did y’all see the article “How Doctors Die” that caused quite a stir late last year? I’ll link to it in another post. It’s pretty interesting.

      1. Great article, very thought-provoking. I’m emailing that link to lots of folks I know.

      1. My family is dealing with my grandparents’ declining health, and this article is really enlightening, albeit kind of depressing. I thought it might help someone else here going through the same situation.

      2. Sorry to hear about your grandparents. *Hug* My husband and I have a loooong-standing dispute about end-of-life care. He’s in the “save me no matter what” camp and I believe in pain management and going quietly. This was super-enlightening. I’m eager to share this article with him.

        1. My husband and I are the same but reversed. He wants no DNR, even CPR. I’m not “save me no matter what” but I would like some heroic attempts. I wouldn’t want to be left alive on life support for 5 years or anything. My favorite doctor recently died of bone cancer. I noticed that he never lost any hair and died at home. He must have taken “the doctor’s route.” This article is certainly eye opening and makes me re-think some things but I just don’t know where that line should be drawn.

          Lots of people have cardiac emergencies and live. The doctor says only 1 in his career. I know three people in my personal life but I don’t know how severe they were. One poster on here said she collapsed in a marathon and woke up to paddles in the ambulance. I just don’t know how to decide what is reasonable and what isn’t.

          This also reminds me, I need to know my parent’s wishes. If this prompts other readers to inquire into others wishes also ask if they want to be organ donors. Lastly, if someone wants to be true DNR, a lot of states require a lot of hoops to protect doctors. I know of one state that will only honor it with a notarized doctor’s note on file and a bracelet.

          2. Second the organ donor question. Please consider donating your organs and being open to following loved one’s wishes to donate their organs.

    3. Thanks for sharing this – there are few families today who don’t face these kinds of decisions about loved ones’ declining health. We run into this all the time with my 86 year old mother who is in rapidly declining health – clinicians want to do tests, test, tests, to get to the bottom of this or that health concern when the reality is, to treat the concern would make little sense. When we say we don’t want to go through the tests, they often look at us in disbelief. It’s a constant struggle.

    4. I’ve definitely seen this before. My mom was a nurse and was diagnosed with breast cancer. At first, she fought tooth-and-nail in the beginning when she still had a fighting chance of beating it or extended her life without significant cost to her quality of life. When it became clear that she wouldn’t survive the cancer and that continued treatment would leave her in worse shape, she was done. My dad took it the hardest – I think he saw it as giving up (she was only 53, he was 55). At one time she had worked as a hospice nurse and had always been adamant that she didn’t want “heroic” measures used. She wanted to die quietly, with dignity and peace. Looking back, I’m glad she was able to hold my hand and tell me that she loved me before she went, rather than laying in a hospital bed cut open with tubes and needles stuck in her.

    5. Really interesting article, thanks for sharing. Those who enjoyed it might also like the book “Enjoy Every Sandwich” (Lee Lipsenthal, MD). As described on Amazon:

      “As medical director of the famed Preventive Medicine Research Institute, Lee Lipsenthal helped thousands of patients struggling with disease to overcome their fears of pain and death and to embrace a more joyful way of living. In his own life, happily married and the proud father of two remarkable children, Lee was similarly committed to living his life fully and gratefully each day.

      The power of those beliefs was tested in July 2009, when Lee was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. As Lee and his wife, Kathy, navigated his diagnosis, illness, and treatment, he discovered that he did not fear death, and that even as he was facing his own mortality, he felt more fully alive than ever before. In the bestselling tradition of Tuesdays with Morrie, told with humor and heart, and deeply inspiring, Enjoy Every Sandwich distills everything Lee learned about how we find meaning, purpose, and peace in our lives.”

  21. I am the ultimate not leave before I leave-er:

    Any advice on how to tell a managing partner that one is pregnant (11 weeks right now) at a job one has only been working for two months, in a way that will protect one’s job? At a small firm (9 attorneys) with no maternity leave policy in place and not subject to FMLA? After one year, they pay for a disability policy that covers salary for 6-10 weeks after giving birth, depending on complications, but that will definitely not apply in my case.

    This pregnancy was unplanned (but we are financially stable and been with DH several years, thank goodness), and we’ve only known for 3 weeks. There is an anomaly in the shape of my uterus that evidently made my birth control less than 99% effective, and explained why I still had a spotty period the first and second month after I was in fact pregnant. Part of this, we’ve learned, is that I will almost certainly need a c-section – so I will likely need a solid 8 weeks leave, at a minimum. Financially, we can afford to take unpaid leave for 2-3 months. Does anyone have any tips on:

    When to tell? It’s not noticeable yet, unless I’m nekkid.

    How to tell? I feel like they almost won’t believe that this was an accident unless I go into my newfound medical history in detail. I know I wouldn’t believe it was an accident, if I were in their shoes. For background: There is a male managing partner (mid 60’s), and four partners all together (2 male, 2 female – all over 50, none had children while involved with this firm). I am the only female associate in an overall 6/3 ratio.

    How to request/negotiate leave from what seems a very disadvantageous position?

    Finally, I just wanted to say it’s been really neat to read all they “yay, I’m pregnant!” posts from the last few weeks. After several days of completely freaking out, I’ve begun seeing this is a good thing to celebrate. I know everything will work out for the best – but I could definitely use some collective wisdom in deciding how to approach this situation.

    1. It’s none of their business whether or not it was an accident. If you think telling them it was an accident could help you get more leave, then maybe just say something like, “We were pretty surprised!” when you tell the partners, but I wouldn’t feel any obligation to do this, and definitely don’t go into more medical detail than that.

      Regarding the leave issue, I would start by asking what their policy is for employees who have been there less than a year. In a firm that small they might not have a policy, but they can formulate one, and maybe you can bargain from that (like, if they’ll give you a month paid, ask for three months unpaid). At the same time, can you just say your doctor has said to expect complications, so you’ll need at least eight weeks’ leave?

      At any rate, congratulations!

    2. That’s the central issue – there is no specific ‘maternity’ policy in place. There’s just always been the disability that is effective after 1 year. Because the firm is so small, the official ‘leave’ policy has been 2 full weeks leave, in addition to whatever you need for doctor’s appointments, etc so long as you meet billables. But there’s no checking in or recording days off – other than billable hour sheets.

      So that’s why I’m working on – how to negotiate the firm’s first-ever maternity leave when I’m already pregnant. There’s the line between the leave I need, and the fact that the firm is small enough (and has enough work) that other people are genuinely affected by taking time off, and I want to strike a balance there.

      1. My best friend went through this at a similar firm, and the best advice I can give you is to get whatever you decide on in writing.

      2. I see what you’re saying, and this is tough. On one hand, it seems good to ask them, basically, to devise a policy for you. I understand they don’t have one now, but you’re pregnant, so something has to happen. On the other hand, if you leave it entirely in their court, they might decide the two weeks of leave is a good policy.

        Ok, after thinking about this, I think the best thing to do would be to figure out maternity policies at other small firms. Firms in your area, if possible, though I realize that is more difficult. I know this will take some research, but I think you’ll come in stronger if you have some research backing up what you think is a reasonable policy (and shoot high, in case they then bargain down). If, after that, they say they can only give one month or something, then I would pull out the fact that a c-section is likely, so you absolutely need 8 weeks.

        I also agree with anon, below, who suggested doing a great job now. That will probably make this whole process easier. I think waiting until you’re six months along to say anything to anyone is kind of extreme, though; it’s always so odd to see a woman on a regular basis whom you *know* is pregnant based on her appearance, but you can’t say anything about it because she hasn’t yet. Especially in a work context, where your leave is going to affect other people.

        1. Thank you for this. Maybe this afternoon I’ll take a Corporette poll, because the local research option, while ideal, isn’t going to work out. I love the firm and the people I work with, but I’ve looked around in our local (small with a smaller bar) city and I cannot find a single practicing female attorney with children. Which is, of course, terrifying. That said, I cannot over emphasize the quality of people that I work with – there are places in this city that I might as well quit as try to be pregnant, and I know this isn’t one of them.

          I think I need to do my research and negotiations, then tell them. From what I have seen in friends, it seems like there’s a magical week in which they transform from not seeming pregnant at all to looking obviously pregnant. I think it’s in my best interest to surprise them with the news and simultaneously impress them with my planning and consideration. I don’t want them wondering at all, so I’ll probably be telling in the next two weeks. Needless to say, I’m reading and learning a whole lot about pregnancy very quickly.

          1. oh, you mean when you “pop”. For most, it happens around 20-22 weeks. Up until then, people may just wonder, or think you’ve gotten a little plump. Then one week, POP! Unmistakable pregnant belly. Don’t worry, you have lots of time until then.

          2. Caveat – depends on your figure and core muscles and all that. I popped almost right away since the weight I put on was extremely localized to my belly. People guessed even before I could tell at 13 weeks.

    3. Congrats!

      I would focus on making myself absolutely invaluable to the firm right now (quality not quantity), so that they will absolutely want you to come back after maternity leave. I would also not tell anyone until it is absolutely, ridiculously obvious, like at 6 months or so — don’t want to counteract any goodwill by being “the new person who is going to leave soon”.

      As for the leave itself, I’d assume that three months unpaid would be standard in this situation. I was inhouse counsel at a Fortune 100 company and this is what I got, FMLA and “one of the best places for moms to work!” award and all.

    4. I’m also in a small firm so I totally understand the temptation to say it was an oops. Basically, you are afraid that you are going to be judged for not following the policy and waiting until you are a year in. I find that a lot of small employers say some pretty dumb things because they are not bound by the EEOC or their state’s version of the same. They don’t get the training, don’t realize what is illegal, or just don’t care. Also, I totally understand your feeling that you owe them something since someone is going to have to handle your case load. I often wonder what would happen if someone at my firm was just hit by a bus. We are all overloaded with work as it is. It would be a bad scene.

      Anyway, if I were in your shoes I’d have some pat response ready in case your boss makes a comment about the timing. The response should be whatever you are comfortable with but I don’t think you need to come close to getting into your BC specifics. So, say boss says “you know, that is what the STD policy is for.” You could reply with a sincere “I know, but life had other plans for me. How can we work this?”

      Good luck and please let us know what you end up doing.

    5. First congratulations, what exciting news. I agree with others that you want to negotiate for at least 2 to 3 months leave for both yours and the baby’s sake, baby’s feeding and sleeping schedule is crazy during that time period . I would caution you on saying that 8 weeks is medically necessary, however, unless your doctor will put this in writing for you. Having had 2 c-sections myself, you are pretty much back to normal within four weeks, at least in terms of mobility. I was up and out of the house within the first week or two (though not working), everyone’s experience varies of course. If all else fails, perhaps you can negotiate a p/t schedule immediately following your leave for an additional month or two to help ease you back in, and still give them a person to get work done.

      I’d also wait another few weeks before telling. Each week gives you more time to establish yourself at the firm.

  22. It looks like something from Express that is trying to be professional but does not get there.

  23. Those of you who have the Tippi sweater from J Crew, I’m thinking about ordering one and have a couple of questions. How is the fit? Is the cut fairly form-fitting? Has anyone ordered the heather graphite or sandstone? Do those colors look too “sweatshirt-y” for work? Thanks!

    1. I have it! It’s slim but not clingy, and the neckline is perfect. I’m about 0/2 on top and a 34B bra size. Can’t speak to those colors, though.

    2. i really like the tippi and its cousin, the online-only merino v-neck. i am usually a 4 or 6 in pants at j.crew, 32dd, and wear a small in the tippi. it’s a slim cut but is not tight – i wear them under blazers a lot. i own the tippi sweater in four colors and the v-neck in two. i don’t have either of your two colors but would have a hard time seeing this sweater read as sweatshirt-y.

    3. Yay Tippi! It fits extremely well, with, as anon said, a perfect neckline. An XS is form-fitting but definitely not tight on me (33-28-34, with delightful A cups). Can’t speak to the colors you like in person, but from the website I don’t think they look sweatshirt-like.

      I’m so sad that it’s getting too warm for sweaters in VA; I don’t know how I’m going to be able to dress myself, without having my Tippi to default to at least once a week…

  24. Settle a silly argument for me please: is it pronounced “Pin-ter-est” or “Pin-trest”? I’ve been saying the former, but my friend says it’s the latter.

    5. I agree with everyone who says it depends on how you pronounce “interest.” FWIW, I heard the intro to a story on NPR the other day and the reporter said “pin-trest.”

    6. I say “Pin-trest”, and haven’t heard anyone call it Pin-ter-est, but it could easily be a regional thing based on how interest is pronounced in your area.

  25. Emergency threadjack: Several people in my group are suddenly leaving for various reasons and the work is being reassigned to me with no plans for replacing them and no raise for me. Would you leave on the spot or would you hang in there until you find another job? My fear about hanging on is that I’ve been set up to fail. I’m afraid I will sacrifice my mental and physical health and damage my reputation if I start making mistakes and not have the time or energy to look for another job. The reason it’s an emergency is that I have to talk to my boss today. In the short term, I can “afford” to be out of work, my husband can cover the basic bills. In the long term, I have to find something else before something major comes up (need a new car or things of that nature). Although my field in general is not doing well, I have the experience to find a decent job within a few months I think. If you vote for hanging in there, what would you do/demand to make it more bearable?

    1. I would try demanding that they hire someone new before making this decision. Explain that it’s unreasonable for you to do all of that work. Otherwise, I would stick with it but start looking for a new job right away.

      1. Agree + demand that your boss prioritizes your workload for you as there is no way you can get it all done on time with acceptable level of quality. Do not accept new work until you are given a clear dealine and priority level.

        1. Ditto. Definitely get the partners you’re working for on board with helping you to prioritize. This should take some of the pressure off you too til you can find something else.

    2. i would document the issue now, before it becomes a problem, and ask how they plan to handle it. i would not leave before finding a new job, no matter how quickly you think your job search will go.

      1. Agree x 100 on documenting it. You may even want to throw together a “memo” — just organize the number of projects that are yours and then also a list of projects/extra work that will be dumped on you. May even be more compelling all written down.

        1. Prepare, prepare, prepare for the meeting. Bring a chart, outlining your projects and the other individuals’, who used to be the lead, and for each project the status OR top 1-3 things that need to be done. Add an empty column for “Priority”, which hopefully should guide the conversation with your boss as to what the priorities are since you are doing a lot more work. It guided my past supervisor to the (obvious) conclusion of “HEY – you DO have a lot of stuff going on”

          If at all possible, make sure you spend enough time preparing or else try to reschedule the meeting. Let us know how it goes!

          1. After re- reading my comment – I feel like I should add that the conversation should be handled v. carefully, so you don’t come across like you’re being confrontational, but instead like it’s clear that you have the firm’s / company’s best interest in mind.

    3. Have you talked to your boss about hiring more people or giving you a significant raise? If you have, and s/he said it’s not happening, I would vote for hanging in there while you look for a new job, but without killing yourself trying to get it all done. Just do a reasonable amount of work for one person until you can find something better. I know this flies in the face of the corporette I-must-do-everything-perfectly-at-all-times mentality, but that doesn’t sound possible in this situation, and it sounds unreasonable and unhealthy of your company to put you in this position.

    4. Is there a reason why you think you’re being set up to fail? And do you need to have this discussion with your boss about workload today? Maybe it’s just the tone of your comment, but I’m reading it as sort of panicky and ready to just quit (and I don’t think that’s the best frame of mind to have when having a serious discussion with your boss).

      That said, during the conversation with your boss, I’d outline how many people have left, and the added responsibilities that you’ve taken on, and the impact to your job (i.e., hard deadlines, you need to put in more hours, etc.), and that you feel a raise would be appropriate given how much your job description has and will change. Something along the lines of, “Chris, as you know, Jerry, Tom and Ann left, and I am now responsible for the Pawnee Parks Department Annual Fair, which will require a lot of time and effort. I’m excited about the opportunity, but this is a significant expansion of my role in the department, and I think that my salary should reflect my new responsibilities.”

      The worst he or she can say is no. And at that point, you should definitely start looking for something else.

    5. Thanks everyone. We have already had a conversation about hiring and/or raise and the answer to both is no. My immediate boss has no control over this, so it’ s not his fault. He is already aware that I am thinking of leaving. The reason I sound panicky is because I am. I don’t want to take on additional work even for an interim period. There is no way it can go well. The work is being reassigned today. I’ve decided to ask him more about the big picture and how realistically the work is going to get done because it’s insane to expect it to and then make a decision by the end of the meeting.

      1. Non replacement of staff is the sneaky way to increase the workload of existing staff and save the company money. You need to manage the expectations, tell him that these are your work priorities at the moment and if the new work is to take precedence then the existing work will be dropped down your priority list. Make it clear that this is how much work you can do in a week etc and either the quantity of work has to drop or the time-frames for delivery are going to pushed out by you.

  26. PSA – There are several pairs of Apepazza Lulu shoes still available on Amazon in a few lucky sizes.

    Today I have thrown away my much-beloved Apepazza slingbacks that had the same Lucite ombre wedge as the Lulus. I have worn them to pieces, they were beautiful, unusual, and insanely comfortable. I found the Lulus but my size is already sold out – maybe the ‘rettes will benefit! Oh, and they are at half-price, too.
    (You can tell I am seriously grieving!)

  27. Exposed zipper yay or nay?

    I found this awesome skirt (link follows in a reply), I don’t think anybody in my office would say something if I wear it, I work in a business casual office in the marketing field and we can actually wear sweats on casual days. Not that I would ever do that, but we get away with a lot.

    Still, my inner conservative thinks that the zipper would draw the eye to all the wrong places. Just because the dress code allows it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea, right?

    Ignoring the fact that thinking all this might just make me uncomfortable enough to not wear the skirt I would like to hear other opinions.

    2. i am all about exposed zippers along the spine of dresses and it never stops me from wearing the dress to work. but an exposed zipper over my behind would stop me. i’d be uncomfortable with people’s potential thoughts.

      1. Ditto, since this goes all the way down it’s in a whole other category than your run of the mill exposed zipper. The color is already a stretch, combined with the zipper, this screams UNZIP ME! Definitely not the message I want to send at work. I can’t get on board with this one.

        1. Well the color can easily be changed, it’s a pattern not an actually skirt, but yeah I agree with you.

      2. If it’s the shape of the skirt you like, since it’s a pattern, why not just make it a hidden zipper that only goes part way down? Would require a little reworking of the pattern, but shouldn’t be too hard if you (or whoever is making it for you) know what you’re doing. I think the shape is really nice, but agree about the zipper being too much. Also, it seems like it would be uncomforable to sit on all day at work!

    3. I like it, but experience on c*rporette has shown me that I trend less conservative than many. I would keep it mostly zipped though (very little open vent) and pair it with longer sleeves.

    4. I have no issue with exposed zippers in general – especially in a business casual environment. And because this one goes all the way down the length of the skirt, it seems more like a stripe, in visual effect, than an arrow to your derriere (which I agree would be less than ideal). But if just the thought of wearing this makes you uncomfortable, then you won’t wear it.

    5. I had a skirt like this once, and it was a PIA. Unless you leave the zipper completely closed, it will work its way higher and higher whenever you move, until you are indecently unzipped. There is nothing keeping the zipper in place to allow you to customize the slit height. If the skirt is stretchy enough, you may be able to leave it completely closed and still be able to walk. I had to get rid of my skirt because it was not stretchy, and there was no way to adjust it so that it was possible to walk without getting involuntarily unzipped.

    6. I recently saw someone waiting for the subway wearing a skirt with a zipper like this, and it looked weird to me. Too much “unzip me.” To me, an office that is casual enough that you wear sweats sometimes does not really make a difference–it’s a s*xiness issue, not a dressed down issue.

    7. Have you already located it in this color combo, or are you planning on making it/having it made?

      If you’re going to cause it to be made, don’t go bright for the skirt- that totally limits your possible outfits. Instead, go with a dark heathered grey, with an all-black zipper. The zipper won’t stick out as much, and you can wear all sorts of brights colors or neutrals with the darker skirt to make your outfit pop.

    8. I tried on a very similar skirt at Zara a month or two ago. It was black, so I was hoping that would tone down the look a bit, but I still didn’t feel comfortable in it – the zipper followed the curve of my backside a bit too closely. Great for a dinner date or party, but not the impression I’d want to give at work.

  28. Hunger Games tonight! And horray for living in Europe and getting to see it a day or two early!

    So excited.

    1. I’m seeing it tomorrow and I bought a t-shirt (it says LOVE and the “O” has a mockingjay inside!) — so excited! I need to avoid media tomorrow so I don’t get spoiled!

    2. Hurray! I am waiting for a few weeks to see it with my sisters. I’ll have to pretend the premiere is really not for another two weeks. That won’t be difficult at all..

  29. The flowers were appreciated. The lipstick was tolerated. Some of it got on his shirt. #AIMSwasright

  30. Got stuck in moderation yesterday: after much flailing about for months over what to do with my life, I went back to ATL for a visit this weekend and realized that my parents are getting older and I don’t want to be 3,000 miles away from them. And that maybe, just maybe, I’m actually a southerner at heart. I have an extensive network in the city, but would love to get corporette input on the legal market for transactional attorneys – any thoughts? My email is linked above if you’d prefer that.

    1. I’m not a lawyer, much less a transactional one, but welcome back to Atlanta! I know you have a network here already, but if you have any Atlanta-specific questions post them here and I’ll do my best.

      P.S. I don’t think your email is linked in your username.

      1. Argh! I thought it was. It’s cbackson at the mail service google brings us (I think that naming it got me moderated last time).

        1. If you want your email to show up as a link, then I think you have to put it in the “Website” field.

    2. Yay Atlanta!

      I’m a 3L living in Atlanta, and I will be doing transactional law at a large firm here. I believe you are currently in BigLaw? My sense from interviewing (I didn’t summer here as a 2L) last fall is that the transactional practices are slowly recovering – even some real estate practices. Of my friends who will also be going to large ATL firms, I think a fair number are doing transactional so business does seem to be getting better. That said, most attorneys I’ve spoken with have said they think Atlanta has lagged a bit behind the curve.

      Let me know if you have any specific questions, although since I haven’t started practicing, I’m not sure how much help I can be.

      1. Yup, Biglaw, mid-level doing M&A and securities work. My preference is in-house at this point rather than jumping to A&B, K&S, TS, etc. – just hard for me to get excited about going from Biglaw to Biglaw. I have a niche subspecialty that I’d love to work in, but it’s more likely to be luck more than anything if I find a job in that.

        Did you find it hard to get a job after not summering in ATL? I’m trying to figure out, in general, if the market is tough to get into as an “outsider” – I grew up in ATL and went to Emory, but my JD is not from a Georgia school (although it’s from a top-5 school, so hopefully not TOO much of an obstacle) and I’m not admitted in GA. I’m one year shy of being able to waive in, presently.

      2. I would think that Atlanta would be a good city for in-house work given the number of large companies HQ’d or with major offices here.

        I didn’t find it too difficult to get a job, and I didn’t go through the normal OCI process (long story), so I was searching for jobs on my own. I’m from the South, but I have family here which I stressed in every interview because firms were clearly worried that I would want to go back to my hometown shortly. I would think that growing up here + parents here + Emory undergrad would suffice to show your connections as that is even stronger than my less immediate family here + Emory Law. In short, this is a much less insular legal market than many Southern cities.

        In case you think of moving before being able to waive in, the GA section of the bar is only one day and from what I understand, is not very difficult (at least I hope so!).

        1. Awesome, this is really helpful. I would probably have to take the full bar, because I’m from a non-MBE state (ugh).

  31. So we are buying a house (from a condo) and I am currently obsessed with outdoor furniture and beds. Because I have to buy both.

    Anyone have any reviews/input on:
    Target Smith & Hawken teak outdoor furniture
    and/or
    Saatva mattresses? They keep popping up in my sidebar ads.

    1. Stay far far away form Target Smith & Hawken. We bought some for our back deck (in shade) and our roofdeck (in sun), oiled it when we first got it and repeatedly thereafter, nad took cushions in in the wintertime . . . and it really did not hold up well at all. The stuff in the sun particularly turned gray and cracked. Plus, we noticed that the “identical’ pieces we got (like, multiples of the same chair) came from different factoreis, with different screws / assembly instructions, which made me feel like the product hadn’t been designed thoughtfully.

    2. no input on that particular brand of mattress, but i will implore you to spend as much as you can afford. husband and i replaced our very, VERY old and saggy mattress a few years ago, during my first year of practice when i hadn’t had actual income for very long. spending a couple thousand dollars on a mattress just about made me cry then, but once we started sleeping on that thing, tears were forgotten. you will be spending a third of your life on that mattress for many, many years – invest!

    3. I have bought outdoor furniture from Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. The regular prices are absolutely insane. But sale-stalk and you can get a crazy deal. The furniture has held up well — I’m especially happy with some faux-wicker chairs from PB, which are super comfy and holding up really well.

  32. At the request of my lawyer bro-in-law, I have agreed to be part of a mock trial competition. It’s this afternoon, and I’m realizing I have no idea what to expect, and thus starting to freak a little. Anyone have any tips for me? Or can you give me some insight into what it will be like? Thank you!!

    1. What will your role be? Usually participants act as jurors or play witnesses, reading from a script. It should be fun.

      1. I am a witness. I’ve been given a copy of my deposition and two exhibits. But I don’t have a script. They said in the instructions to be consistent so they don’t try to impeach me as a witness. Nice.

        1. Your “script” will be a copy of your deposition transcript – if you said at your deposition that the car was blue, you should say the same on the stand, etc. Although it could be fun to make the attorney impeach you.

        2. I was a witness at one of these once, and it was a lot of fun. Just try to remember everything in your deposition and look over the exhibits. They didn’t ask me anything that was terribly terrible. I did accidentally add a word that probably made a difference — in my dep, I said there was “blood” on a shirt, and on the stand I said there was “a lot of blood” on the shirt. This caused the participant to try to impeach me, but it wasn’t horrible. I just said I misspoke or something like that and she eventually moved on.

          I’d do it again!

    2. I’ve been a mock witness and a juror. If you’re a witness, it’s very helpful to know your story (I did not read from a script). As a juror, it was interesting for me to see (as a lawyer) how passionate people get about the actual evidence presented (as opposed to what they think the lawyers should have presented). Both experiences were quite fun.

  34. I am cold emailing resumes/cover letters to various law firms of various sizes. Is it typical to get no response? In the old days, I would at least get a letter (before email) thanking me for my interest and letting me know that they would keep my resume on file. Now things seem to go into a big black hole. Is this hopeless, or does anyone have any encouraging stories about hearing from someone much later?

  35. Thank you so much to everyone who made recommendations and gave advice re: Belize and Guatemala yesterday – I got sucked into mediation and didn’t get a chance to check back until today. I will definitely keep the safety warnings in mind – I did look at the state department warnings before we booked our plane tickets, but at least at that point in time there wasn’t anything overly worrisome (nothing beyond what you would expect). I will definitely look more into it and plan with caution. Does anyone have a sense for whether some areas are safer than others (or if there’s anywhere I just absolutely need to avoid)?

    1. When I went we stayed in heavily touristed areas and took the touristy buses between locations rather than public buses (we flew from Tikal back to Guatemala City, and didn’t wander around the latter willy-nilly either). We felt pretty safe doing that (and did check the state department warnings for up-to-date info).

    2. I just went back and read the state department site again, not sure if I was overly optimistic before or if the information has changed… or if I looked at Belize and forgot to ever look at Guatemala (not normally something I would forget, but wedding planning has fried my brain). We may be spending the majority of our time in Belize…

      1. Do you speak Spanish? Something else to think about since knowing the local language allows you to be more aware of your surroundings.

        1. My fiance is passable but not fluent in Spanish, I’m not even close to competent.

    3. We went to Guatemala about a year ago and were slightly oblivious to the danger aspect. I felt safe the entire time I was there, however, largely because we were always with guides who knew the country very well. I think Antigua is perfectly safe (although I’d avoid the volcano hike, mostly because it’s not worth it) as is the Lake Atitlan area. Tikal is also very safe because it’s so touristy. We went to see more remote Mayan ruins, which was totally worth it (although I will never sleep in a jungle lodge again), but I wouldn’t do that unless I was with a very very reputable and experienced guide. And boat driver. (Our boat driver had a machete, which was both reassuring and frightening.)

    4. My husband and I went to Guatemala about 3 years ago. Although we were with a friend (ex-pat) who now lives there, we teaveled all over the country – Lake Atitlan, Lago de Izbal, Tikal, Antigua – we never felt any more unsafe than, say, across the US/Mexico border, and we had a once-in-a-lifetime trip. I would highly encourage you to go. Most Guatemalans are such warm people who truly want you to enjoy their country that I wouldn’t think twice about going again. For what it’s worth, we speak minimal Spanish. Especially in Antigua and Tikal, this was not a problem.

  36. Long time reader, first time poster…

    I am a mid-level associate in Big Law and just received an offer from a large university for a quasi-legal position. (I’m not certain that I’m going to take the job.) In any event, I have never had “vacation days” per se at my firm, so I’m curious to know if the university’s policy is pretty standard.

    They told me that you accrue 1 day of vacation for every month you work (not sure when this maxes out — I guess I should find out), plus all of the standard holidays. After four years, you get 1.5 days per year. Is this normal?

    1. That seems a little low to me. At my university, hourly staff (secretaries, etc) with less than 5 years seniority accrue about 1 day per month, and salaried staff accrue much faster. The cap is somewhere over 300 hours.

    2. You might also want to look at their sick days policy. Whereas most companies now combine vacation and sick into “PTO” some universities still have sick days separately, which does make a difference. My husband works at top university and has like 87 sick days that he’s accrued over a couple years.

    3. Do you get sick days on top of that? If so, that’s fairly comparable to fed govt (in my experience, at least), although I think it’s not a lot. Can you negotiate for more–or at least maybe only one year of accumulating at 1 day/month, since you’re coming from a mid-level position?

    4. I earn 2.9 days/month but don’t have any additional company vacation days or sick leave so all time away from work is treated as PTO.

    5. I work at a state university. I got 15 vacation days/year until my fifth year, then I got 18 days/year. Sick days are different: I accrue either 12 or 18/year (I forget).

      Pay attention to what happens when you max out your vacation days. Once we max them out, we stop accruing. When you leave the university, you get paid for yourunused vacation days.

      Also, what happens when you leave with unused sick days? Ours morph into service credit to increase our “years of service” for the purposes of calculating our pension payments. (Yes, we still have an old-fashioned defined-benefit pension.)

      The policies of all public schools should be online (ours are), so you can find some comparator schools to the one where you got your offer (try to find out what schools they compare themselves to when they want to benchmark themselves) and see how their policies compare.

      Another thought: find out what the “usual” holidays are and when the campus is closed. Our campus is closed for the week between Christmas and New Year for “Winter Recess.” Two of those days are paid holidays, we have to use our vacation days for the other three. This was news to me the first December I was there: I wanted to use my vacation days for my holiday (Hanukkah, which was not contemporaneous with Christmas that year) and instead had to use them for Christmas (which I don’t celebrate). I might have been less aggravated by being forced to use my vacation days for a religious holiday I don’t celebrate by a government entity that isn’t supposed to be involved in religion if I had known about it in advance. /end rant here/

      1. That’s terrible that you have to use leave for the “extra” days between Christmas and New Year’s! If the campus is closed, you shouldn’t be expected to take leave!

    6. Thank you everyone for your comments! They are all very helpful. It is a private university, but I will definitely look at some of the state school policies for the sake of comparison.

      I got my current job during law school, so I have never had to think about any of this stuff. One day per month just seems so low to me…. I need to look in to the sick day situation as well, because additional “sick” days on top of the 12 vacation days per year could be OK. Eeeeeks!

    7. This is about what new staff get at my university. The amount of leave increases with longevity. We do get the week between Christmas and New Year’s and Good Friday and Easter Monday off, most of the usual national holidays, plus three “personal days” per year. Sick leave is different, but also increases with longevity.

    8. Remember that with a university, you may get other days off other than “standard” holidays. We get the usual holidays (including both the Friday and Monday around Easter) plus the whole week between Christmas and New Years. That makes a big difference when you look at total days off.

    9. My dh works for a college as an instructional designer. He accrues 1.67 vacation days per month worked in addition to having a flex day per month, 5 days he must take around Christmas time, and a very generous sick leave policy. He is not a union employee, and even though we live in Canada, the policy at his institution is generous compared to corporations. I believe they are extra generous in leave time because their wages are not very high considering the education requirements of his position (Masters degree).

    10. In the state of Texas, that’s the standard government worker vacation policy…at least at the 2 state institutions I worked. If the university is a state school, it may be the standard policy.

  37. I went on a job interview this morning and now I can’t concentrate at work because all I can think about is how it went. Ahhh. I hate interviews, I feel like I just babble on and on.

    1. same thing happened to me 2 weeks ago. I’m still thinking about the interview (I don’t expect to hear anytime soon – which is normal). I completely commiserate with you. I’m still replaying the worst answer ever to come out of my babbling mouth for a fairly simple question. ugh.

  38. Someone posted about a beige Elie Tahari top at Nordie’s not long ago (385116) and was debating pulling the trigger in part because of price. It’s on sale now, FYI.

  39. I am getting marred in June and can’t find wedding shoes. Corporette, I need your help!

    My dress is the Dolly Couture Avila Bay in ivory over champagne with the champagne waistband. I’ll post links below to avoid moderation. I am looking for a fun pair of heels to go with this that have no more than 3″ heel because the future Mr. Lucy Stone is only 2″ taller than me. I was thinking about gold glitter shoes but am worried that might to be too wild for my conservative in-laws. The ceremony is a Catholic wedding outside the Mass and our reception is at a golf course. Bridesmaids are wearing teal dresses, groomsmen are wearing tan suits. I’m willing to spend up to $300 if I think I can wear them again.

    2. First of all, this is a lovely dress! My wedding dress was a similar length and I wore pale gold sandals—albeit without sparkles.

    3. I think gold glitter pumps would be adorable, but if you think it might be too out there, what about silver glitter, which would “blend” more with the white of your dress?

      1. My dress is the ivory lace over champagne, so it’s a little less white and a little more gold. I am the world’s palest blonde (I think the Twilight kids are tanner than me).

    4. With your budget, check out the options at Milk & Honey – you design your own shoes, get to pick out all the details to make them perfect for you. If I had money in my budget for them, that would have been my choice hands down.

      1. I am overwhelmed by the options there! I keep going back to it but I think I need to see an actual shoe before I order it.

    5. Oooh. I’m going to love/hate you. That was going to be my wedding dress. Great minds think alike.

      Congrats on your big day!

    6. that is a fabulous dress. please don’t choose your wedding shoes to make your inlaws happy – there are only a few times where you can wear gold glitter shoes without anyone batting an eye.

      1. My in-laws are a bit off (see, can you reschedule your honeymoon for our hastily planned wedding?) but I think you are right.

    7. I pinned 81 pairs of 3″ heels on my Pinterest board for my wedding. I ended up buying the Jimmy Choo Logan d’Orsay ($495) at Saks and love them to pieces. Front runners were Kate Spades (note that Neiman sometimes carries different styles than the KS site) which were around $300, the Badgley “Salsa” d’Orsay, Hey Lady shoes, and Milk & Honey.

      Your in-laws can get over it :). Gold glitter are not too much, especially if it’s not super flashy glitter a la Jimmy Choo style as opposed to Steve Madden -style. Are you going to be walking on grass at all though? You don’t want to be aerating the golf course all day.

      1. Thanks for sharing! What is your Pinterest, if you don’t mind my asking?

        I don’t think we’ll be on grass much and I do have fun flip flops to wear while walking around to take photos in between shots, so I don’t make any extra holes.

    8. Kate Spade Charm shoes. They also have a flats version, I believe. BHLDN, Anthropologie’s wedding store has ADORABLE shoes including blue which make me want to get married all over again (same guy, better shoes!). Congratulations!

      1. The Kate Spades are just a little too high for me or I’d be all over them. BHLDN has great ideas, thanks!

    9. Curious about the ceremony? We want to do a Catholic ceremony outside but we thought it wasn’t possible? Are there other options that you know of?

      1. I meant outside the Mass in that there won’t be Communion since my fiance is not Catholic. Our wedding will be inside at a church.

        1. That’s a great way of working around the different religions thing.

          My DH is Catholic, I’m not, and we had an outdoor wedding ceremony, but performed by a family friend who is also a Catholic priest and seminary prof. So, we did not have a Catholic ceremony, although it was nice to have a Catholic priest (and presence) to it.

    10. Saw a neat DIY project on pinterest- the person glued gold glitter (say that 5 times fast) on her heels. It was on the visible part of the soles, like Louboutins but glittery. So you could do more conservative cream heels with a kick. I can’t vouch for how well the glitter will stay though. I’m having visions of a glittery-footprinted aisle runner

      1. I like this idea very much! I was going to write our initials on the bottoms of my shoes but perhaps I’ll glitter them instead.

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