Weekend Open Thread

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Sales of note for 5/30/25:

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

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

550 Comments

  1. Hi ladies, I’ve heard that big jaw clips to put up one’s hair aren’t appropriate for work – what are your thoughts on these small ones? link below, and thanks in advance!

        1. I don’t particularly like butterfly clips in general, but they also don’t hold my hair up, so that might be why. My big issue with butterfly clips is that some wear them in ways that look very little girl-esque. If you use them to hold some hair back and avoid this look, I don’t think it’s unprofessional. I do think there are better alternatives that I would consider professional, however.

        2. I don’t love them and personally wouldn’t wear them, but if they make you happy, I don’t think there is anything terrible about wearing them to work on a regular day. No one is going to go, “gee, Marie is awesome and we would promote her but those darned claw clips!” That said, I agree with Nutshell, there are so many better alternatives for putting your hair up.

          1. Haha, good to know they wouldn’t be considered for my review, AIMS. :) Will further explore hair clip options regardless – thanks, Nutshell and AIMS!

          2. Can you suggest some specifics? My hair is about at my collarbone and I don’t have good, professional-looking strategies for putting it up (sock buns look ridiculous, scrunchies will do only for emergency very messy buns … and that’s as far as I get.)

          3. Depending on your hair, perhaps a tight braid (French or German would probably hold better) would work? Normally with short hair, I think it is difficult to put it up in a neat manner.

            Another option for keeping it out of your face would be to take a chunk from the front (top of head to top of ear or so) on each side, having them meet in the middle with a tiny hair elastic. Again, depends on your hair on if that would work/stay in.

            This is with the caveat that I’ve never had hair that short (well, I suppose I did when I was <5), so I don't know if these will stay or not. I would think both of those would be professional and have seen them done nicely on women with shorter hair.

    1. I’d say go with the black or tortoiseshell, perhaps matching to your hair color.

    2. Be careful to ask before wearing scrunchies. The Manageing partner got mad when I kept wearing schrunchies even in the SUMMER when it is hot and sticky!

    3. I dont start out the day wearing a claw clip, but i often end the day wearing one. It’s my I’ve Had It Today get this hair out of my face look. It pretty much signals that to my staff and they laugh at me. I dont think it looks particularly professional and if i end up going to an external meeting (vs say departmental staff meeting) i take it out. I wear black or tortoise clips that look like the link you provided. I would never wear a brightly colored or bedazzled model – that’s what 11 year old daughters are for.

      If you are starting your day with your hair in a claw clip i think you need to either figure out a different way to put it up or ask yourself if your current haircut is reallly working for you.

      1. Thanks, mamabear.
        What about barrettes like these ones below to clip up my hair? In a pseudo French twist?

      2. I do the same thing and the meaning is the same, as well (ditto to the taking out for external meetings).

        1. Thanks, eek and mamabear — what about a barrette like in the link above, to put my hair in kind of a french twist?

      3. Reposting bc of moderation–

        Thanks, mamabear.
        What about barrettes like these ones below to clip up my hair? In a pseudo French twist?

  2. I bought 2 maternity dresses at dept stores, got a couple things from my sister, had a conference in LA when I was 2 mos preggo and went to the Fashion District & bought billowy dresses with empire bodices & pants with stretchy, not firm, elastic waistbands. That’s what got me through most of it. And honestly, between the exhaustion & hunger, moving & starting a new job, sartorial concerns were even lower in my priorities than usual.

    1. Whoopsie! That was meant to be a reply to the comment just after this, obviously. Sorry

  3. I have recently begun to break out in hives under my chin and along my jawline, and I think it might be a food allergy but I cannot for the life of me figure out what I would be allergic to. I first noticed that my jawline would itch in the afternoons at work, usually after eating a sandwich I’d packed for lunch. I stopped packing the sandwiches and haven’t had an issue since. Then, about a week ago, I had a veggie omelet and toast at a restaurant and had my lower lip and the inside of my cheek swell up and go sort of tingly. That has never happened to me before (and I’ve eaten the same food at the same restaurant repeatedly over the years), and hasn’t happened since. I thought I might have developed a sensitivity to some kind of preservative since the reactions happened after eating processed foods, but I just had another outbreak of hives after eating all natural carrot-ginger-cashew soup with no additives or preservatives in it. Just carrot, ginger, cashews, spices – stuff I eat all the time, albeit not typically out of a box. I’ve never had a reaction like this from anything I’ve cooked at home. Anyone have any similar experiences?

    1. You might be allergic to more than one thing, and some skin reactions can take several days to show up. The only way to be sure is to go on a hypo-allergenic diet and then very gradually add foods back in. If you are having a reaction that involves swelling in your mouth, your next reaction could land you in the emergency room. Please go see an allergist NOW, before something serious happens.

      1. Yes, this is what scares me. I’m going to call my doctor tomorrow, but meanwhile I think I’ll start keeping Benadryl on hand. No idea how I could have developed an allergy overnight, although I do have seasonal allergies and have read that some foods cause itching around the mouth and throat because they mimic pollens that are the real allergens. Hope that’s all it is. This stinks.

        1. This sort of happened to me. Never had food allergies and then started having major reactions to certain stone fruit and certain raw nuts. Basically lip and eye swelling, and major itchiness. Keeping benadryl on hand is a great idea, but get to an allergist and get yourself tested. The biggest thing with food allergies is that they tend to get progressively worse so you have to be really careful. If you’re in NYC, I can recommend an allergist.

          1. Yes, a friend of mine developed a scary, life-threatening seafood allergy in adulthood. She had grown up in south Louisiana eating seafood her whole life, then she moved away when she got married, came back to visit and almost died eating seafood. She couldn’t even touch her mouth with a fork that had touched seafood.

  4. There is a full Scottish band (bagpipes and drums) practicing in the backyard two doors down from me. Probably practicing for Mardi Gras parades. Makes for interesting entertainment on a Sunday afternoon…

  5. Picks for best dressed at the Golden Globes? I vote Leo DiCaprio. I was not really impressed by any of the women. Maybe Megan Fox or Clare Danes as best of the worst. Worst: Lucy Liu, closely followed by a tossup between Jessica Chastain and Lena Dunham.

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