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Thursday’s Workwear Report: Pointelle Cardigan

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A woman wearing a white knitted cardigan top

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

How pretty is this scallop-edge cardigan from Torrid?

As we’re cruising into the back half of summer, I’m looking for one or two pieces for those days where it’s brutally hot all day and then just a little bit chilly at night. A pointelle knit fabric adds just a little bit of warmth, but still feels summer-y. Wear this with a midi skirt and your favorite office-appropriate tee for a gorgeous business casual outfit. 

The sweater is $69.90 at Torrid and comes in Torrid sizes 0-6, which are equivalent to M-6X; most sizes are left in the white but the darker blue is down to lucky sizes.

Psst: we just discussed what to wear beneath open knits like this!

Sales of note for 9/5/25

177 Comments

      1. I thought maybe that was her actual finger and they are trying to be inclusive?

        1. To me the weird part is also that she’s posed like trying to lift it up? It’s a cardigan. Just unbutton it

        2. the longer I look at that thumb, the more I am convinced that it looks unnatural and also exactly like my own. Maybe time for another coffee.

          1. I think it’s just the angle of her arms. She has her elbows back and is, for whatever reason, hooking her fingers under the bottom of the cardigan as if she will lift it up. It makes the arms appear much shorter and disproportionate, and the fingers longer because they are closer to and pointing to the camera. The end of the sleeve falls right at the elbow crease so it’s obscured, giving the impression of a short upper arm. If you click on the link, there are other photos that show her arms.

          3. yeah that’s the angle — she has her arms bent at a weird angle back from her hips. as if she’s going to pull it up over her head i guess? it makes sense if you look at the other pictures.

      3. On the right side of the picture the arm has no elbow , just a wrist but not where a wrist belongs.

    3. I’ve been looking and looking and don’t see what you’re talking about – do you mind being more specific? I’m curious, and also, if it is AI, I want to get better at noticing it myself.

      1. This pic, looks like an extremely long thumb on her right hand. If you click through, in the third pic her right hand and fingers are very swollen looking as compared to left hand.

        1. I actually think it’s just bad modeling and photography, not photoshop. Based on my ANTM knowledge, she needs to learn her angles! You have to keep your limbs mostly in one plane so you don’t get weird stump-ifying effects. She’s bending her elbows almost straight away and her hands are going forward straight on to the camera, which distorts everything about her arms.

          2. I’m imagining this poor model is just scrolling through the comments on her favorite fashion blog and getting absolutely roasted on her posing!

    4. have you guys clicked through to see the other pictures with the model? agree that this one photo in isolation is strange but with the other pictures it makes more sense.

      honestly i think AI is better than this with the weirdness you guys are noticing, you really cannot tell AI photos these days if the NYT quizzes are any indication

  2. I’m on the petite side (5’2″, about 105 lbs) and am looking for a new office chair. Strongly considering the Herman Miller Aeron Size A or the Herman Miller Sayl. Can any other petite ladies comment on how either of these chairs have worked out for you?

    The Sayl is appealing because of the narrow backrest. I currently have a Steelcase Leap and the backrest overwhelms my frame on Zoom calls, especially when I’m wearing a dark colored shirt.

    On the other hand, I like that the Aeron’s seat is mesh instead of fabric. I have a cat who loves to sit on my Leap and I’m constantly lint rolling the fur. Seems like the Aeron might be easier to clean.

    1. Big fan of the Aeron Size A. Whatever you get, make sure you get adjustable arms, which are a total game changer for a smaller person. It had never even occurred to me that people were actually able to use the armrests on chairs before I got my Aeron because every other chair I’ve ever sat in had armrests so far away from my arms that it was completely inconceivable to me that they would be anything other than decorative. And even with the small size chair, I still need a foot rest, because my feet don’t touch the floor with the chair at the correct height for my desk. I’m not even that short, 5’3″ vs. 5’4″ for the average American women, office furniture is just very poorly designed for women.

      1. I could have written this exactly, except that I’m 5’6″. I always thought armrests on office chairs were just for show.

        1. Steelcase offers fully adjustable arms on some chairs, also, being able to slide the arms inward for a narrower torso is a gamechanger.

      2. And lumbar supports, what are those for? My spine never hits the back of a chair.

  3. I’ve decided to embrace my natural love of a cozy, sporty New England “prep” aesthetic – fisherman sweaters, primary colors, good blue jeans, LL Bean, etc. Jackie Greaney on Instagram is basically what I’m aiming for, but she doesn’t often list brand names. I have some great older pieces handed down from family (including a fabulous Patagonia sweater they definitely don’t make anymore), but need to find some good new brands that fit my postpartum body. Title Nine has some good options for the athletic side. Any ideas for the casual side?

        1. I think you’ll like Faherty and Marine Layer for sure. Marine Layer does go on sale so keep an eye out for that.

    2. I feel like this is the perfect aesthetic for thrifting. Part of the old money look is obscure brands and sweaters that are 30 years old. Newer clothes are often easy to spot because the fabric is thinner and construction is not great.

    4. OK, this is exactly the kind of aesthetic I’m drawn to as well. How have you interpreted it for workwear?

      1. OP here and I’m afraid I can’t help with that because my current office is super casual and I mostly WFH anyway. Would be interested in others’ takes though!

          1. Where do you get good loafers these days? So many are too fashion. The SE Loraine’s were a bust for me. What else will not regret in a year or two?

        2. This is my aesthetic. For work (semi-casual office) I do a lot of classic J Crew sweaters and shirts, pearl earrings, loafers, Breton striped tops, nothing too trendy or colourful.

          1. +1, lots of Brooks Brothers, scarves, tartan, cashmere sweaters, pleated trousers, silk shirts, cap toe heels, tipped blazers.

    5. I echo Marine Layer, especially the men’s line.

      Other brands in order of price:
      – Saint James for Breton tops
      – J McLaughlin for dresses
      – Quaker Marine Supply Co.
      – Seasalt Cornwall for sweaters
      – Brooks Brothers
      – Talbots
      – Boden
      – Vineyard Vines

    7. Buck Mason
      Alex Mill
      Everlane (esp Oxford shirts)
      Bass Weejun loafers
      LL Bean is good now

    8. Sail to Sable for sweaters and midi dresses. Saint and Sofia has some good blouses.

    9. This has been my style for years.

      LL Bean for sweaters and fleece

      Orvis for pants and dresses, believe it or not!

      Lands End for Oxford shirts with just a bit of shaping for that “guy’s shirt but cuter” look

      The Crown and Ivy line at department store Belk for affordable chino shorts (generally $20 – and hard wearing!) and colorful, feminine tops and dresses

      I love looking at J. McLaughlin and James Kiel Patrick, but I’ve never bought anything from either.

      1. I bought a patchwork madras wrap skirt with pockets that was very well made and my mom (who sewed) thought it was lovely. It was one of our last virtual shopping trips looking at it online. They do a similar one every year with slightly different coloring.

  4. What’s bringing you joy these days or something you’re looking forward to? Can be big or small, a physical item or an experience.

    For me, it was stumbling across the perfect birthday present for my niece. I’m looking forward to seeing her reaction to it at her upcoming party!

    1. My garden is bringing me a lot of joy, even though it’s buggy as heck and watering is a chore by the time August rolls around. Still very much worth it for me to have a backyard full of flowers.

      1. +1 My gladiolas have new multiplied a bit and I have a second wave of flowers just blooming now!

      2. yes, me too! coleus are popping and some of the things that should have been going earlier (dahlias, roses) are finally getting going now.

        1. We’ll see. There’s always way more than we can actually eat and we like to try the new foods. But thinking about the falafel waffle, some form of cheese curds, and one of the kinds of donuts. Pretty much anything you can think of fried or on a stick, which is not what I usually eat, but delicious at the fair.

          1. I think we are going to the same state fair this weekend. Falafel waffles! Green apple sucker ice cream! Shrimp toast on a stick! Let’s see what I can get my family to sample this year.

    3. We are going to see Oasis this weekend (in Toronto). Possibly niche, but my teenage self is very excited, and I like concert dates with my husband.

      1. Oasis was just in my city and it was a big to do. And my son’s school music class is learning Wonderwall. My son was very confused how all the adults he told this knew the song.

        1. drove by the fraternities in this college town yesterday. Their drinking music is Mr Brightside, from good old 2004.

          1. I enjoyed Anne Helen Peterson’s coverage of #rushtok and that she pointed out so many of the sororities were using songs from the mid-2000s for their dance videos.

            To be fair, Mr. Brightside is a banger.

          2. It sort of weirds me out when the kids are into songs that were released before they were born

          4. Yeah, I never liked my parents’ music, but I’ve always listened to lots of music older than me and still do. When I was in college in the late 90s, early 00s, music from the 70s and 80s was common at parties, so it’s not surprising that kids now are playing music from the 00s.

          5. The frat parties near me are a lot of classic rock and 90s/00s rock and rap songs. It’s remarkable how seldomly there’s a song too new for me to recognize (as someone who makes zero effort to keep up with music).

          7. For me it just hits different if the kids are listening to music from *my youth*, vs when we are all listening to “objectively old” music e.g. the Beatles or Frank Sinatra.

        2. Liam Gallagher’s tweets went wildly, wildly viral with people much younger than me, some of whom are now apparently invested in the whole history of drama with Noel, going back to the Wibbling Rivalry recording.

          To be fair there aren’t a whole lot of alt rock or rock n roll acts that are younger! Even what we have (e.g. Pretty Reckless) sounds so retro that it’s more like a throwback than a current sound.

    4. Tomatoes and peppers from the farmers market. I made a Tuscan-style tomato sauce last night, and my husband made smoked pepper sauce. I’m going to make a fresh salsa this weekend for a neighborhood get-together.

        1. Tonight is grilled tuna steaks and a Mediterranean pasta salad. We usually eat around 6. :)

    5. I went to the tailor yesterday and they had the ~2000 radio station on. The elderly cashier woman was ROCKING OUT to How You Remind Me, singing along and dancing behind the register. I loved it!

      2. Oh boy, 90s and 2000s music is getting me every time.

        I just hope you wouldn’t call someone who’s solidly millennial in their mid-40s “elderly” :D

        1. I’m the tailor OP. No, I’m an early 40s millennial. The cashier is 80+ Maybe when I’m 80+ I will consider only 95yos to be elderly :)

    6. I’ve reached my first milestone for a huge hobby project!

      This first stage was digital design work, printing, and planning on and off over three years.

      I’m so excited for the next stages of this project because its not just digital anymore, but physical materials I get to hold and play with.

      It’s all I want to work on and think about at the moment.

    7. People here will probably look down on this but I used to really love PC gaming but I haven’t had a decent computer in years. I just ordered one and I’m excited to get back into it.

          1. Ha, same! During COVID I started playing the Sims again – funny to find as an adult I still prefer to spend time building houses vs. game play with characters.

      2. I am in final stages of interviewing for a new job with two companies! I am over 50 and really thought I would spend rest of my career in my current position having been passed over promotion. Now I have a new pep in my step! I should have looked for a new job sooner!

    8. I was told by far too many people that outdoor hobbies would be impossible after having a baby. I just finished my second excursion in his first year and feel like myself, only with an adorable little buddy to share it with.

      1. Go you! I’m currently expecting my first and still running (but can tell it’ll be time to take a break soon). It’s encouraging to hear about moms getting back into their hobbies post birth!

    9. We have been doing expensive and largely invisible home repairs and improvements. I am looking forward to starting the planning for some garden improvements; that will be a lot more fun, and since we have a small yard, not too overwhelming.

    10. I started feeding birds to keep my cat-hostile only cat amused during the day. When I quit putting seed out after the cat passed away, the cardinals and mourning doves started to show up in my exterior window sills to peer right into the house. So now it’s been a bit of a comfort to set out some seed for the birds again.

        1. Likewise. I’m sorry for your loss. I’m glad you have such a lovely way to remember your cat’s memory.

    11. I’m doing an art class with my son, and look forward to two hours of quiet creative work every Friday night.
      Something about turning your brain off and just thinking about colors, proportions, and brush strokes is very soothing.

      Also, due to the extremely early school start in my son’s new school (bus comes 7:15am), I’ve been walking for 30 min with my husband every morning before 8am – it’s been great to have time for each other in what would otherwise be busy meeting schedules all day.

    12. I started playing the guitar again after a hiatus of 20 years.

      I’m nowhere near peak technical ability and probably will never get near that again, but it brings me joy. And bonus joy because I found arranged classical music for guitar and piano, so now my son and I can play duets of Beethoven, Schubert and Chopin.

    13. I am excited to help my daughter move in for her sophomore year of college next week. Last year she was so sad and nervous that move-in was absolute torture for all of us. This year she’s excited to return to what is now her happy place, after a very successful summer. We have a few extra days to play tourist in the adorable storybook college town and get all her things sorted out and cleaned up from storage. She has even volunteered to let me post drop-off photos to social media to brag about how much fun she is having at her dream school with her awesome roommates and cool activities. (Mostly for her adoring fan club but partly to stick it to a couple of high school rivals and their tiger moms, ha.) Her dad is staying home with the dog, so it will be a mother-daughter trip.

    14. Ice climbing is bringing me joy, especially watching ice climbing videos on sweltering summer days, haha. The sound of the ice tools swinging into the ice is like ASMR for me. And I just got back from ice climbing in Alaska so I’m feeling even more obsessed with it at the moment. Planning my next ice climbing trip is also bringing me joy on hot days. (Iceland? Greenland? Norway?)

    17. I bought a Speed Queen washing machine based on discussions on this board. It was installed Monday. I am in love. It is whisper quiet during the spin. My old Maytag would make the house vibrate!

      So so happy. Kinda want to replace the Maytag dryer now. It seems to work fine, but maybe I don’t know what I am missing?!

      1. Funny I also recently got a speed queen washer and kept my Maytag dryer (from 2003!)

    18. A company just posted a position that would be a major step up, and I’m not getting my hopes up. But I was working on a cover letter and it helped me realize that I really have a fair amount of relevant experience. So right now I feel pretty good about myself, even if there might be more fantastic candidates out there.

    19. I look forward to the new episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty each week. I’m 41 and way too invested in this love triangle, lol (I read the books years ago).

    20. I signed up for two singing groups and sn acting class this fall. Very excited to get back into some old pastimes!

  5. Does anyone have a toaster/air fryer combo that they love?

    Wirecutter likes the Breville and Cuisinart. Consumer Reports likes the Ninja. They all seem huge, but we have space and I like the idea even though I’ve never used an air fryer.

    1. I have the Cuisinart and don’t love it. I don’t think it works as well as a regular air fryer (though that’s speculation, b/c I don’t have the regular one) and the basket is a huge pain to clean. It’s also very slow as a toaster, unless its pre-heated.

      1. I will agree, the basket is a pain to clean. But I had another air fryer first (a relatively generic brand from amazon) and it was also a pain. I think that’s a problem with all air fryers maybe? I know some people use liners or parchment paper?

    2. We have the Cuisinart and have for about 2 years and it’s great. I’ve always loved a toaster oven, and we mostly use it for that. The air fryer aspect is a good bonus, especially as people who just don’t use it a ton.

    3. My parents have the Ninja toaster oven/air fryer and it’s pretty good. It is not great at making toast, but as an air fryer and for heating other things it works well.

      If anyone is in the market for a new oven, I’ll put in a plug for the GE induction with an air fryer feature. We use the air fryer button almost daily and it is fantastic

    4. I have the cuisinart and LOVE it. But I am also a long-time toaster oven person who doesn’t toast much bread (I find toast people love toast out of toasters, and I respect that). It is visually larger than my old toaster oven, which almost made me not buy it, but its countertop footprint isn’t much larger.

      It is great at reheating leftovers, and is AMAZING at making crispy vegetables (which is my preferred way of eating vegetables). It also makes chicken nuggets and fish sticks fast and I have kids. I use it multiple times a day every day (but I also used my $40 toaster oven multiple times a day before). I love it and it absolutely improved my day to day kitchen life.

      For cleaning the basket, I’ve found that dawn power wash spray and a scrubby sponge is the key, but it is annoying. Worth it to me for the crispy veggies though.

    5. My partner and I are obsessed with our Breville. We have the Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, though in retrospect the standard Smart Oven Air Fryer would have been enough for us. It is quite large, but it doesn’t feel obtrusive — and I think all decent air fryers are pretty big.

      1. Also have and adore the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, especially during the summer, since I can avoid heating up the kitchen. The air fryer function is fantastic.

    6. we have the cuisinart toaster oven as well as a separate air fryer. personally i use the toaster oven for almost everything, but my teen son likes the ease of the air fryer. ours is a round air fryer though so you can barely fit anything in there — any significant amount of like green beans or fries would need several batches, ditto for more than 2 chicken breasts.

      our toaster oven though we use ALL the time. it replaces our oven in the summer whenever we can because it heats up so much more quickly, cools down more quickly, and doesn’t raise the entire room temperature like our double oven does. We reheat leftovers like pizza and fries in it all the time (350 for 10 minutes). A 9×9 baking pan fits in ours so we can even do brownies or a small casserole.

      Are things like fries and breaded chicken as crunchy as they are in the toaster oven? i guess? they might be marginally more crunchy/crispy in the air fryer. but so long as we use the convection setting it’s a very very close call.

    7. I just don’t get the air fryer love. I had one and returned it. I could do all the same things, in bigger quantities, in the oven.

      1. Same, they seem like a college dorm novelty. We have been given several over the years and I have either returned or donated all of them. We also don’t eat much fried food in the first place, which may be why I can’t really find a use for the things.

      2. I think they’re great for people who don’t already have a convection setting in their oven.

    8. No experience with the specific appliances; we found an air fryer to by kinda useless for the type of food we actually eat and I have a real oven that I don’t mind using. Instead, I present for your consideration my opinions of the brands listed:
      Breville is always solid, although for its price point you are usually able to find more features elsewhere.
      Cuisinart is a massive money pit of disappointment, featuring cheaply made things that break often and don’t work well. Customer service is awful. It sails along on a reputation for quality that just hasn’t been there since my grandma’s generation (if then).
      Ninja is magic, hits well above its price point and lasts.

  6. Any recommendations for Athens or Istanbul? I’m heading there on a trip with my husband in October. We’ll have about 4 full days in each city. We enjoy good eats, cafes, walking around different neighborhoods, museums, and unique shopping/markets. We’re staying in Kolonaki while in Athens and Cihangir in Istanbul. We also plan to do an overnight stay in Hydra during the Athens portion. Thanks in advance!

    2. Athens- we loved doing the tourist things late in the day (like we went up the Acropolis about an hour before sunset) for heat and crowd purposes. In theory going first thing could have worked too, but tour buses are way more likely to be on that schedule than on the “late in the day” schedule. Had an incredible dinner at Thes (Greek Creative).

    3. My top recommendation would be Topkapi palace. I really liked the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul. Of course, the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia are incredible (but with four days you might have to pick one). Rick Steve’s guide might be a good buy for a short trip. He skips over a lot of smaller attraction but has a lot of detail for the major ones – there was a lot of explanation of the different murals in the mosques, for example (caveat, I had an old edition of his book). We also took a commuter ferry across the Bosphorus to the Asian part of the city. I think it’s mostly a residential area but it was a fun trip and a fun place to walk around.

    4. In Istanbul there is a restaurant next to the Chora church called isitane that serves food made from really old Turkish recipes. Combining the two together was a great day. We also did a cooking class that was fun. And the cataloglu hammam was great.

    5. I just got back from Istanbul! I loved it. If you are not seriously into mosques or history check out the New Mosque (500 years old) by the Spice Market to check the mosque box. I thought it was as beautiful inside as the Blue Mosque but it wasn’t crowded. Hagia Sophia is great but takes several hours and is crowded.

      If you like fake designer things definitely shop at eh Grand Bazar – tons of deals . Quality varies, but it was fun to look and bargain. Look at the stores outside the bazar to the left (facing from rhe tram stop) for the best deals.

      For better local flavor type shopping poke around rhe markets north/behind the spice market.

      If you want a food tour look up Yummy Istanbul – I did two and they were top notch.

      I did a Turkish bath at Cağaloğlu Hamam – pricey but very pleasant. I did another one at Kadirga Hamam close to my hotel and it was cheap and local and I was the only customer.

    6. Athens – We stayed in a lovely apt owned by our travel agent. It was our last stop of a long trip (nights 9-13) and it was fabulous to stretch out in a larger space. Their site is real greece . com (no spaces).
      Day trip out of Athens to Napflio was lovely and picturesque.
      We did an Athens Food Tour that was really great to center the history and culture. It ended up being our last day, but I wish we had done it earlier as it was so informative. I can’t find the name of our tour guide but will post back if I find it.
      Have so much fun. I loved Greece.

  7. I’ ve just posted a job and am getting a lot of LinkedIn direct messages and emails with people “expressing interest” in the role. Yeah you applied, I know you’re interested.

    After I replied to one person saying to apply through the main process (he hadn’t), he doubled down and said that there are websites of employers email addresses and that is was easy to find mine. Okay but why are you telling me that? Does he think this helps his cause?

    Basically, is this normal and am I overly annoyed by it, or is this odd?

    1. I think linked in and all the rest of social media is saying that it’s hard to get a job, that it’s not enough to just blindly submit through automated systems, that you should work your network and reach out directly. That said, I don’t think messaging a complete stranger through linked in is the answer. I also agree that the ease of contacting you is a bit of a non sequitor. All of which is to say I don’t think you want to hire this guy. You don’t need to engage with him any further. I give you permission to not respond to his last email and, if he actually does apply properly that you don’t interview him.

    2. Unfortunately normal. The job market is hard, people are looking for a way in. LinkedIn makes it really easy. The last time a job was posted for my team (not by me!) I had candidates reaching out to me wanting to chat even when I had nothing to do with hiring.

      1. We had an entry level job listed in my department and a candidate reached out to every single person in the company who was on LinkedIn.

    3. When I was job searching last year, I started lurking on some recruiting subs. What you’re experiencing is normal and be prepared for a ton of applicants. A lot of them may not even be experienced for the role. Be prepared to weed out a bunch of junk.

    4. It is normal *and* you are right to be annoyed by it. But yeah, people are bombarded with advice recommending they reach out to anyone they can find on linkedin ~especially~ if you posted anything about the job, guess the hiring manager’s email, etc. It is this decade’s version of your parents recommending you walk right over to the office with your resume printed on nice paper and a firm handshake. (Except given the way all news+social media algorithms work, even more pervasive – anyone who the algorithm thinks is looking for work gets bombarded with this, and if they stop & scroll through *one* post where some wanna-be-influencer is announcing they just got a job this way, the next day they are going to see 1000 similar posts, and it very quickly starts to seem like both everyone is doing it, and you have to do it to ever get a job).

      You certainly don’t have to respond to the messages, and I wouldn’t interview anyone who ignored or pushed back on a request to stop, but the advice is SO ubiquitous online that I wouldn’t hold a normal, single outreach against a candidate. You can copy+paste a generic “Thanks for reaching out; I’m unable to respond to individual questions about the role but the best way to get your application in front of the team is apply through our careers link” if you want, or just ignore them.

      1. This is what I’m thinking. One normal message, I”ll just ignore it. Weird responses etc get you dropped off. I was wondering if I should do them the favor of telling them its weird but I guess why bother.

    5. At least he let you know up front that he’s not willing to follow explicit directions, which is helpful for weeding him out.

    7. This is normal and also annoying. If you’re inclined to reply, you can copy + paste a standard message.

      Mine is, “Thanks for your interest in [company]! Please apply directly at [careers link], our recruiting team handles all candidate review and communication.” I respond with this once and ignore 99% of future messages with no issues.

      I’m very active on LinkedIn and I work for a large enterprise company, so it’s in my best interest to at least acknowledge the message. I also get tons of connection requests if I post a role, regardless of whether they’re in a relevant field. I ignore those without any concerns or backlash.

    8. The outplacement firm I worked with pushes doing this. They coached us that you need to reach out to people! Network! Make connections! Although there is some truth to a connection might be helpful, usually these approaches are ignored or, at best, you get an email telling you to follow the posted process. The outplacement firm had you track all the contacts you made, follow ups, etc. and then did metrics. I think the outplacement firms focus on activities to make you feel like you are doing something, and that they add value.

      So, I did give this person a little bit of grace, tell them to follow the process and ignore any emails after that.

  8. have a final interview for a job at the place i already work. last week of summer or very fall september.

    i would like a not too corporate like dress with a blazer, polished and professional but not overly corporate. Moderately priced, macys kind of thing…. anyone like a challenge? i’m a size 6-8 and 52. thanks!

    1. I don’t usually shop them, but this year Calvin Klein had some good looking dresses. I think it’s the quiet luxury trend influencing their designs. They are at Macy’s

  9. has anyone seen a decent shorter black blazer? mid pricing (loft, BR, macys or nordstroms) that hits at the hip or above? most of what i’m seeing is that sort of overside 80s but i think id prefer shorter with full pants,,,,

    4. Not OP, but what is the average price you will pay for a third piece blazer? Not part of a suit. I’m curious what people are spending on this these days.

  10. I’m probably going to Algeria in November for vacation/fun. Has anyone been/have any recommendations?

  11. I’d love to listen to some new, friendly voices.
    Mine are: 1) If Books Could Kill; 2) Smartless; 3) The Rest is History. Honorable mention to the pandemic era episodes of You’re Wrong About.

    1. Good Hang with Amy Poehler; Here to Make Friends with Liz Kaltman and Jessi Klein; Garbage Sesh with Casey Wilson and Danielle Schneider

    2. Amazing Tales About History.

      It’s a bit of a misnomer – it started out Amazing Tales About Connecticut and he ran out of CT tales, so he broadened it to New England 🤭 But the host has the best ever “Grandpa reading stories in the library” voice; he was a radio man for his whole life, so production quality is very high; and you’re almost always completely absorbed by his stories about something you have probably never heard of for 20 minutes.

    4. Gastropod! Also, a ton of pediatrician podcasts, but only if affiliated with the AAP or a major children’s hospital.

    5. Friendly Gossip

      I just watched a couple episodes of Amy Poehlers Good Hang podcast and was pleasantly surprised by how visibly touched Amy seems to be by her guests and the conversations.

  12. does anyone have a good source for reading about recharacterizing IRAs into Roths? i had thought you had to take out the entire IRA at once but i’m clearly confused.

    1. I’d post your question on Bogleheads. They will give you good sources, and answer your question immediately.

    2. Not a source, but if you are trying to convert a regular IRA into a Roth, you don’t have to take out the entire IRA at once, but you are treated as converting a pro rata portion of your regular IRA across all contributions. So, if you contribute $6k this year, and you have a total of $60k in your IRA, only 1/10 of the conversion is treated as coming out of your 2025 contribution. 9/10 comes out of your pre-2025 contribution, so you will be taxed on it. The contribute and convert backdoor is only tax efficient if you have no existing IRA.

  13. grr…i just tested positive for covid. i dont feel as bad as when i had it the first time in May of 2022, which is good, but i had so many fun plans with my kids this weekend…

    1. There’s a significant wave right now. Here’s a reputable dashboard based on wastewater: https://pmc19.com/data/

      We are Covid (and other sickness)-cautious and were still masking indoors. Over the summer, my husband, my kids and I all got C19 at different time points, every time after international travel (and we don’t eat, but take sips of water on a 10+ hour trip). It was our first infection and took us out badly for about 2 weeks each.

      Anecdotally, about 1 out of 10 people at my workplace has had confirmed Covid in the past 8 weeks or so – and that’s only the people who still test.

      1. I’m sorry; I really wish there were more of an effort to make transportation more accessible in terms of respiratory infection risks!

        1. It’s not uncommon. Masks work well but the few moments when the mask is down to eat and drink is enough (anecdotally, this is especially true if you haven’t had the virus before). My husband and I both got it on international trips when we briefly removed our masks to eat on planes, him in 2022 and me in 2023, and my parents, who are still very Covid cautious and masking indoors, both caught it for the first time this summer on an international trip where they only took their masks off to eat. None of these cases resulted in intra-household spread though. And my husband and I have never gotten it again, despite being much less cautious and doing things like cruises where we basically had guaranteed exposure.

    2. Also, I’m sorry you’re sick, and hope that you feel better soon and can resume fun stuff again.

  14. Help a coastal grandma who doesn’t wear florals understand a request for “mountain formal” attire for a summer event at an outdoor farm/wedding venue in the Rockies. Where should I be looking?

    1. Sundance Catalog maybe? They are going out of business and everything is on sale.

    2. I would take it to mean the very low end of cocktail attire. I’d go for an Anthropologie-style dress and perhaps Mary Janes or a studded flat. Steer clear of fancier fabrics like chiffon and lace. I’d definitely wear flats because walking outdoors in heels sounds miserable.

    3. If I were to receive an invitation that specified “mountain formal” I would assume nice jeans and cowboy boots are acceptable. But also just formal dress that can stand up to the conditions, and most importantly SHOES that can handle the uneven ground. Plan your outfit around the shoes and keep it dressy and I’m sure you’ll be fine.

      1. To me this is the best reason to not use these silly dress codes because if I went to a wedding where the dress code had the word “formal” in it and people were wearing jeans, I would be very confused.

    4. You can always go with a solid, dark-colored dress with lots of turquoise jewelry. A low espadrille or boots are good for footwear.

      1. This is the right answer. FYI — anything open-toed will be disgusting on a farm, so go for closed-toe shoes!

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