Corporette.com

Updated: Nov 11, 2021 43 Comments · by

Gift Idea: Tsava Totes from RoHo Goods

Coffee Break |

This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.


I recently met a young founder of a company, and I was totally fawning over her bag — not only was it distinctive and interesting (and large and sturdy), but it's part of her business model. After college she accepted a Princeton in Africa fellowship and worked with the International Rescue Committee, and upon her return to the States she realized some of the Kenyan sandals and bags that she had bought for herself and friends were getting rave reviews from friends and strangers. So, she reached out to some of the local artisans in Kenya to see if they would be interested in going into business. Now, her company RoHo works with Kenyan artists to ensure they earn fair and equitable wages, and work in a safe environment — and rewards employees with educational grants for their children, investing in education in the region. This cowhide tote looks incredibly sleek with an all-black outfit, and it's always nice to know your purchase is supporting artists equitably. It's available in both a short hair and long hair version (as well as other colors), all for $329. Tsavo Tote

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Pictured on Pin: one / two / three / four / five

Pictured on Pin: one / two / three / four / five

Sales of note for 10.10.24

  • Nordstrom – Extra 25% off clearance (through 10/14); there's a lot from reader favorites like Boss, FARM Rio, Marc Fisher LTD, AGL, and more. Plus: free 2-day shipping, and cardmembers earn 6x points per dollar (3X the points on beauty).
  • Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off sale (ends 10/12)
  • Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything plus extra 25% off your $125+ purchase
  • Boden – 10% off new styles with code; free shipping over $75
  • Eloquii – Extra 50% off a lot of sale items, with code
  • J.Crew – 40% off sitewide
  • J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site, plus extra 25% off orders $150+
  • Lo & Sons – Fall Sale, up to 35% off
  • M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
  • Neiman Marcus – Sale on sale, up to 85% off
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
  • Talbots – 50% off 2+ markdowns
  • Target – Circle week, deals on 1000s of items
  • White House Black Market – Buy one, get one – 50% off full price styles

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

About Kat

Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

  1. anononon

    I’m in the mood to buy something. What would you pick for a mid-September trip to The Hamptons?

    • Anonymous

      Caveat that I have never been to the Hamptons, but I went into a store with a lot of Gretchen Scott on sale (still spendy for me) and it was just sooooo cute. Like Lilly Pulitzer, but more grownup.

      • anononon

        Great rec. My other question is will people still be in summery, Lily-type clothes in mid-September?

        • Ellen

          There are a lot of Lily Pultizer knockoffs out there that I see; many people cannot tell the difference, but I can b/c I have the real stuff. The cheap stuff has bad stiching and it does not wash well. So stick to the real label summer dresses. I have very good luck with men in my Lily Pulitzer dresses, tho I have to keep men’s dirty hands from where they do NOT belong. FOOEY on them for taking liberties with our bodie’s just b/c we are out bar hoping. We do not stand there grabbeing at their crotches, so they should not be grabbing at ours. DOUBEL FOOEY!

  2. Anon

    I really, really like this bag. It suits my lifestyle exactly zero percent, but I love it.

    • Anonymous

      Opposite! It looks like someone skinned my cat and made him into a purse

      • Anonymous

        It freaks me out that there is a long hair and short hair version, apparently. I like the backstory but no thanks.

      • Anon

        My cat is a gray tabby, but I totally agree with the sentiment anyway. It looks like a calico cat has a second life as a bag.

        • SueDC

          Is it just me, or is there something troubling about a company touting its fairness and equity that’s making money out of slaughtering animals? I actually clicked on the site in hope that the hair was faux, but no. I’ve been reading this blog for years, and I can’t believe this is what Kat is featuring so enthusiastically. Maybe it’s time to sign off.

          • Anonymous

            How is this company different than cole-Haan or Tory Birch or any other bag or shoe maker? Fine if you are vegan but leather is OK for most of us. And it is good that these people have jobs and their kids go to school — otherwise it seems like their options aren’t great. It is bad to starve for the virtues of others.

          • AIMS

            This bag is not my cup of tea whatsoever but what is the difference between this bag and any other leather purse? Is there something I’m missing? I get the fur vs leather distinction but this is not made out of chinchillas.

          • Anon

            Agree that it’s no different than any other leather bag. But the white savior-y backstory is gross.

          • anon

            Why is that gross???? People are so ridiculous about this. Should she NOT help those less fortunate than her???

  3. Anon

    I just bought a pair of sandals from this site! I’m very excited to receive them.

  4. Anon

    Ladies for whom your weight is a lifetime struggle, when the scales have gone back up to I Don’t Feel Comfortable in My Skin Anymore, how do you find the motivation to lose those pounds AGAIN?

    I don’t feel good, I want to lose the weight, but…woof, it’s hard.

    PS – I’m not interested IF. It’s not for me. Thanks.

    • Anonymous

      I think remembering what feeling good is like and wanting to work towards that. Not sure if you have kids, but I also have a lot of motivation to be healthy (exercise + eating) from wanting to be very active in my grandchildren’s lives in 30 years.

    • Anonymous

      For me, the easiest and fastest way for me to lose weight is to count calories. So I just force myself to log everything at first and don’t worry about coming in at a particular amount. A week of this and I can usually see where I need to make adjustments. So I do and I know it kind of sucks but I just do it. I am NOT always motivated to do it but I know if I want to feel better I have to.

    • NOLA

      I had gotten to that point last spring. I was stress eating and felt terrible about myself. I’ve yo-yo dieted for most of my life. My weight wasn’t the highest it’s ever been, but 20 lbs below that. A few of my friends were talking about using Myfitnesspal. One was counting calories and one was doing low carb/macros. I decided to give it a try, talked through it with my friend who was using it, set it up, and went for it. A year later, I had gone down 7 pants sizes. I hit my original goal (a size 10) at Christmas, which I thought was a good goal for me, but then decided that it wasn’t that bad and I should keep going. I had gotten on a metabolism roll where it was actually hard to for me stop losing, but I’ve hit a sweet spot now and I only fluctuate about 2 pounds. I can’t afford to buy more clothes! Still tracking my calories, just to be sure I’m in a good range, but have added in a bit more flexibility and snacks. Email me at nola r e t t e at gmail, if you want to commiserate or if you want to ask me any questions.

      • NOLA

        I should mention that I work out a lot and many people think that had something to do with my weight loss, but it didn’t. I *always* worked out a lot and it didn’t help one bit. It was all about what I was eating and quantities. Because I work out a lot, I need to eat a fair amount. The only way I can do that is to eat quality. I don’t do low carb or keto. I drink wine and eat chocolate every day.

      • Ellen

        This is great, NOLA, I had no idea you had such an experience, so thanks for sharing. I think I am also in a place where I need to get my tuchus smaller, tho I don’t think all the pounds I need to loose are in my tuchus. Were you in that position to lose 7 sizes? I figure most of people who lose like that are pear shaped–is that you? I am not pear shaped but still have a tuchus that is really for a woman who weighs 160, and I am only 120. I hope someone in the hive can tell me how to spot lose if that is possible, as I do enjoy food and do not want to do the calorie thing.

    • anon

      YMMV, because my weight issues are minor, for me it’s mostly food issues. But Ive been losing significantly (for me) since I started working on cooking good food for myself, that reasonably healthy stuff that I LIKE to eat. I actually crave less junk food (some days).

    • Anon

      I found the only way to refocus to lose the weight was to lower my expectations.
      I focus on one or two things at a time. For example, I knew it would be impossible for me to eat a super restricted food list, so I only concentrated on one thing, whatever my biggest weakness was at the time. Ex. not drinking for X amount of time, not eating foods with added sugars, only sticking to natural carbohydrates (i.e. oats and fruit but no bread), or portion control without too much focus on food. But I only focus on one goal at a time.
      I also focus on moving more. Reframing it as “moving more” instead of “exercise all the time” was helpful to me. Any kind of added movement and told myself no matter what it is, it will happen at least four times a week, and will fit into whatever time I have. It’s easier when you fit it into your existing life than trying to scratch out an hour and a half four times a week in an already busy life. If I wake up early or it’s still light outside when I get home from work, I might I go on a walk. If I want to lift at the gym, I go lift. If I can’t get out of the house, I run around the yard with the dog for 15 minutes twice a day or I will walk in place for an entire TV episode. I go to Zumba or whatever community group class is available. Anything for a sustained period of time counts.

      And I don’t expect the pounds to come off quickly, but any movement downward, even two pounds a month is good.

    • Morningstar

      I buy fancy/prepared fruit to replace some of the dessert I’ve slipped into eating. That’s the one thing I find easy to do. I recently lost a few lbs from being sick, which was just enough to take me from the overweight to normal range. I actually feel a lot better & am glad to be rid of the big tummy, so I’m trying to use the fact that I feel better to motivate me to keep it off. Like, it feels good to indulge but actually feels better when I don’t.

    • Daisy

      Keto works for me. It’s a lot easier to control sugar consumption when I abstain completely.

    • Anonome

      I’m never motivated to lose weight, it’s just constant mind games and trickery to get myself to do it. I can have cake, but I have to have a salad first (at which point I’m usually full). I only have to do five minutes on the treadmill, then I can stop (I rarely do). Knowing that I’m deceiving myself doesn’t seem to matter; present me is apparently much stupider than future me.

      • Vicky Austin

        “Present me is apparently much stupider than future me” – I laughed so hard, and so true for me too.

    • cbackson

      Honestly, the thing that has helped me the most when it comes to weight is reading stuff from the fat acceptance movement. Because getting to a point where I loved myself and believed my worth had *nothing* to do with my weight was the only thing that got me to a place where I could manage it. You can’t hate yourself skinny. You can love yourself to better habits and health.

      • Ellen

        Kat/Kate/Elizabeth, Do any of you know anything about the brocollini or brocolli diets? I was told it has a lot of antioxidents and can get your entire digestive system cleaned out, tho you get a lot of gas. If anyone has tried this, Kat, have the hive take a survey with the pluses and minuses of this diet to loose weight. I love brocollini and broccoli, but do NOT want to eat 2 pounds of it every day. I think that is to much but will do it if I can get my tuchus in check using it! YAY!!

      • Anon

        +1. Look for intuitive eating resources as well. It was important for me to recognize that I don’t have to LOVE my body and that it’s okay to prefer the appearance of my thinner self from 10 years ago. That doesn’t mean that dieting works or is worth it or that it means anything about my self-worth. Life under intuitive eating is so much freer.

        • Anon

          I first heard about intuitive eating a few months ago, and realised that it’s what I’ve done for my entire adult life. (Ironically, this may have been a function of being forced to clean my plate as a child: eventually, I was allowed to put my own portions on my plate, and have a strong aversion to being stuffed or overfed.)

          I’ve found that the recommended portions just make me feel hungry… I would rather portion out food that makes me feel satiated but not full. I also try to think of what I am craving and why I am craving it – is it hunger? thirst? desire for a nutrient that I haven’t had all day (e.g., protein)?

    • Anon

      Weight watchers. More specifically, seeing progress of any kind, and the fastest way for me to see that is WW.

      I’m perpetually 20-30 lbs overweight, prob a little more now after giving birth last year. I have PCOS and weight loss and maintenance is a constant fight. I have clothes in my closet ranging from size 8-14 (from the same store), all purchased in the last 5 years.

      So, I feel you. So hard. The one thing Ive learned over the years is you can’t out-workout a bad diet. It starts and ends with food for me and that is why when I hit any sort of breaking point (which I’m rapidly approaching right now..) I find myself back at WW for a hard food reset.

    • anon

      This time I hired a nutritionist. So far, it’s been really really helpful. I like the idea that I’m not just bandwagoning on to some other random diet that *should* work, and might even actually work, but then what? I’m so over the constant yo-yoing that leaves me higher at the end anyways. If I were doing it again, I’d actually research her credentials, but she came highly recommended from someone I trust and I had been heel dragging for way too long so I just jumped. At some level, it’s all about personality anyways. I saw my gyn recently for an annual and told her about what I’m doing and she said that she’s given up telling patients what works best because it’s different for everyone. What works is what you’ll do.

    • Lily

      Piggybacking off of this question. Can any vegetarian ‘rettes who are on the low-ish end of normal BMI (which I recognize is not a perfect measure of health) weigh in with a typical day’s menu? Bonus points if you don’t rely heavily on eggs, which I dislike. I’m 8 months post-partum and still 12-15 lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight, which puts me at the very high end of normal BMI/slight over, which I am not comfortable with. I’m still bf’ing but trying to slowly wean.

  5. Anonymous

    Can someone help? Looking for a super long bag strap that clips on to the bag. My dog chewed up the one I had. :(

Back to Top

About

Work with Corporette®

Serious Stuff

work fashion blog press mentions