Wednesday’s TPS Report: Draped Top Mix Media Dress

25 Comments

1. A little low in the front, no? Although I do heart the fact that it is machine washable . . .

2. I like it, especially because it’s so hard to find good long-sleeved dresses. I’m wondering about the fabric, though. It looks like it might be a little bit shiny?

3. On second thought, those sleeves aren’t long, but I will settle for three-quarter length. I also think the neckline would require a camisole, like everything else in the stores these days.

   1. I was looking at the sleeves too… but for me, since I’m petite, 3/4 sleeves usually come about 1/4 inche from my wrist, which gives me an incredibly unattractive wearing-clothes-that-are-too-small-or-got-shrunk-in-the-wash look :-(

4. Sold out now. I saw this, but thought it looked a little “mature” for me. Also, high-waisted skirts/dresses don’t work for my build. Dunno; didn’t tickle my fancy.

5. So perfect. So sad gone.

6. I know this is no Anne Klein, but here’s something to get your “2fer” fix in the same concept. I was looking at this site last night (I’ve been dying for some COLOR), but alas, am not on an Anne Klein budget at the moment. Thoughts? http://www.chadwicks.com/clothing/Two-in-One-Turtleneck-Dress.aspx?PfId=181720&DeptId=8407&ProductTypeId=1&PurchaseType=0
   I suppose the turtleneck might be too warm for the spring/summer climate…

   1. You might be disappointed with it, once it arrived. Chadwick’s quality isn’t very great, their cut can be hit and miss.

      1. @TallTexGrl: It looks fine to me; the hem looks like it needs a good ironing… But for $25, you can’t beat that with a bat (as we say in Arkansas!).

      2. Delta Sierra, I second your warning. I’ve been burned by Chadwicks a time or two. Their clothes are basically disposable- wear once and they’re trashed no matter how you launder them.

7. I’ve seen a lot of these “mixed media” dresses lately. I just don’t know; it looks to me like a dress trying to be a blouse and skirt. Along the same lines as a “dickie” trying to be a turtleneck, or a false button-down collar sewn into the neck of a sweater. Not at all classic, and maybe even chintzy or trendy.

   Am I alone here?

   1. Nope, @Jill. No likey, no matter how hard they’re being marketed as a “simple” solution to the skirt/blouse quandry. LOL.

      1. My concern with mixed fabric items is how they will launder/dry clean. Will one part fade or stretch when cleaned the way the other fabric needs to be?

         Also: how hard is it to put a blouse with a skirt?

         1. Agreed. This seems like a less flexible version of two basic items of clothing.

   2. I have a “mixed media” wool/silk J.Crew dress that I got on final sale last year, which has a wool, highwaisted skirt and a silk shell, and I love it. It fits great, is comfortable (don’t have to worry about it looking messy or bunching under the skirt), and it looks great with a blazer. Also, the lines are very classic.

8. Thread hijack – I am looking for advice on staying motivated through law school. I am a 2L For some reason I am having a really hard time willing myself to kep up with my reading, pay attention in class, etc. In the past a “study buddy” system has worked for me but 2L year, everyone’s schedule is so different that it’s hard to find one of my friends who has time.

   I also know that getting more exercise would probably help, but my tie is already limited and since my motivation/willpower is already lacking, it’s even harder to get myself out for a walk or over to the gym.

   So…how do you ladies pull yourself together when you just don’t want to? Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

   1. I’m sure most people can relate to what you’re experiencing. Someone once told me that the way to succeed in law school is to realize it’s a marathon, and to just be tenacious and hang in there.

      You too can do it. You might be in a funk right now, which is fine. Give yourself room to be in a funk for 1 more day. Then, get out. If you need a new system to do your work, make a new system. Get out a sheet of paper and literally write down that you’re going to get up in the morning at a certain time, take a shower, and read 20 pages (or whatever). Go to class. Don’t go home after class. Stay at the school, go to the undergrad library if you have to, do some more work. You’ll start feeling better about yourself and want to keep it up.

      Also, you might look into seeing if the school has a counselor. It sounds like your ennuie might be a symptom of something else going on in your life? My law school had a masters level counsel which I talked to a few times, and it was just the thing to do the trick. Good luck!

   2. I know it’s hard and you feel like you don’t have any time, but force yourself to make time for the gym or to take a walk every day. It will become part of your routine in less than a week and it makes you more energized, believe it or not.

      I ran into the same kind of road block during 2L and decided it was partly because my whole life was consumed by law school. I felt boring. My solution was to develop a hobby that had nothing to do with law school (hiking, which has now led to mountain biking – I live in a warm area where you can do that in the winter). That helped because it gave me something else to think about and let me meet people outside the law bubble.

      Also doing all of the reading and keeping up in class is exhausting and the benefit is not all it’s cracked up to be. I got my best grades in classes that I didn’t do much studying for until the last month. As C (wait, Kat!) puts it, just my $.02. :)

      1. wow this post really hits spot on. i am also a 2L and literally had a mini panic attack last week while studying for finals (we’re on tri-mesters). i just looked at some random friend’s picture on facebook from thailand and i was like, why am i not enjoying my 20s and traveling instead of working my butt off day in and day out in law school. plus the added stress of the recession and actually finding gainful employment after graduation doesn’t help. i felt like i was on this path that i had chosen and there was no way off!

         but then i took a breath, called my best friend (a teacher) who reminded me that why i wanted to go to law school in the first place and gave me some encouragement. honestly i think it helps to have friends who are outside the law school environment because they provide perspective when everyone around you is freaking out. i also agree about the gym/ exercise thing; even while studying for finals i tried to get to the gym at least 2 or 3 time a week, just to keep me sane.

         so yeah, that is my advice, from someone who is RIGHT there with you. although i have to say, now that my finals are done and i am on spring break, i am THRILLED to not be reading this week. and i just did some spring shopping as a reward, which always helps. :)

         1. I wish I could say this gets better after you graduate, but … it doesn’t. At least, not if you go to a firm. There will continue to be friends’ pictures from Thailand (Europe, Cancun, Vegas, etc.) and trips that get cancelled or that you never get to plan in the first place. So far this year, I’ve already cancelled one trip, had to decline an invitation for another, and worked New Year’s Day AND Valentines Day. It helps me to focus on the major trips I know I will get to take in the future.

   3. Also a 2L here. I struggle with the same issues sometimes. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to go to the library. The key for me is not to allow yourself to rationalize why you shouldn’t go — just go to the damn library like you are on autopilot.

      Make a list of what you want to get done, and then set a time that you are going to stay in the library studying until. As for internet distractions, leechblock (previously recommended on this site) helps a lot.

      It’s also good to find a personal motivation. For me, I come from an immigrant family.. so I think about what a tremendous opportunity I have to even be enrolled in a law school in the US… and how stupid it would be for me to waste it.

      1. I was a 2L once … it makes me feel a little queasy to think how long ago it is. First of all, don’t beat yourself up. This isn’t some referendum on your motivation, generally — because you’ve got no boss, and almost no internal deadlines, law school is one of the most self-motivated things you will ever have to do. It’s hard for almost everyone. In terms of motivating yourself, make deadlines and concrete tasks. Find old practice tests from the classes you are taking, and try to do the questions on them that cover the stuff you’ve already learned. Flip through those study cards they sell, anything to give you a more tangible goal in the short term.

         More generally, though, for those of you wondering if you should be teaching English in Thailand instead, if that’s a serious wonder, take it seriously. Being a lawyer is NOTHING AT ALL like that. I happen to like being a lawyer, not only because it is well paid, but also because I actually like the work, but the life of the lawyer is generally speaking not suitable to someone who still experiences wanderlust.

   4. It’s been a number of years since law school, but here goes.

      To-Do Lists. Seriously, I live by these. It gives me a sense of accomplishment to write 10 things that have to be done, and tick them down. Work-related, personal life-related, you name it. It also forces me to acknowledge and avoid procrastinating on the unpleasant stuff. Small rewards also help. Doing reading for 1 class == 15 minutes of guilt-free Facebook time, or whatever your poison may be.

      I also swore by my friends outside of the law school bubble to get through. It helped keep my sanity and give me perspective (getting a B in evidence WILL NOT be the end of the world). If you don’t have local non-law friends, schedule a weekend visit. It sounds like you need something to break out of the rut; maybe that would help. It could also be motivation: I want to go away this weekend and forget about law school, so I must finish X, Y and Z now to be totally free.

      If you think this might be more than a brief bout of exhaustion, then a visit to the school’s couselors may help. Are you happy about being in law school? Enjoying it? Looking forward to being a lawyer?

      1. Thanks to everyone who gave suggestions. Being reminded that other people deal with this too is really, really helpful. It’s true that there are a lot of “bummers” in my personal life right now, (and the scary legal market news isn’t helping!) but I’ve been through worse and it doesn’t make sense that those things would get me so down…but they are.

         Also, I just came back from a short walk down the block in the sunshine (after weeks of rain!) and it was really helpful.

         I used to be someone who lived for productivity – lists, calendars, organizational folders, etc…in recent months all my systems have been failing me. But as one of you said, sometimes I guess you just have to put yourself on auto-pilot and do it.

         Thanks again everyone!

9. JAS, I loved seeing your post just because I don’t have to feel like such a failure for barely surviving law school right now. I barely have the motivation to drive to school – much less to pay attention when I actually get there. I feel totally overwhelmed in every class and yet the stress does NOTHING to kill the overriding apathy. The only thing I have found that helps (at all) is limiting my distractions. I found the one coffee house in town without internet and go there all the time to work. I’d like to say I have will power to avoid facebook and blogs – but, alas, I don’t.
   Hang in there. And know that you are not alone – at all.

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