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Weekend Open Thread: Ann Taylor

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woman wears crocheted olive midi skirt where the bottom half of the skirt doesn't have a slip

Something on your mind? Chat about it here.

I've been liking this crochet sweater skirt from Ann Taylor recently, which are not words I thought I would say a) ever and b) especially not during summer. And yet I've worn it several times out with friends. I like dressing it up with black and cobalt blue accents (I know, so 2010s of me) and really casual shoes — my Birks one day, my Converse the next. Of course, it would also look nice if I wanted to pull out actual heels or nicer shoes… perhaps with a navy top. Yes.

In any event: the sweater skirt is at Ann Taylor for $139, available in classic and petite sizes; it apparently is a bestseller right now so I'm not alone in really liking it.

Sales of note for 8/28:

118 Comments

  1. In the 2010s (do we call them the teens now?) I had a lined black wool lace skirt from Eileen Fisher shaped like this one. I had the hardest time figuring out how to wear it. As a textile person & knitter, I appreciated that it was wool lace and I wanted to make it work but maybe I’m not imaginative enough. I finally donated it.

      3. Similar useful advice – Plain jeans, plain t-shirt, simple shoes to go shopping. Dresses will never look right with your running shoes on.

  2. My boss just gave me credit for something?! Now to wait for the other shoe to drop

    1. Yay!
      In the spirit of sharing good but slightly suspicious news, my husband decided to power wash our outdoor furniture today in advance of our Saturday BBQ instead of the morning of. We’re mostly prepped on food/drinks already so this was his one ‘big’ to do, and it’s done early, so yay!

  3. Are there any good legal current events YouTube channels that are both legally correct and done well and good to listen to? I need something to listen to that’s not as dry as a CLE but doesn’t make my brain go to mush. It also has to be something I don’t have to watch (motion sickness), but it’s OK to glance at.

    Stacy London & Clinton Kelly have a fun little YouTube show reviewing fashion from various movies, but I feel like I watch it vs listen to it and it won’t work in this case.

    1. I enjoy listening to The Bulwark’s Illegal News. (Not says ng it is the best, just one I know about and think is entertaining enough with learned lawyers)

    3. Scotusblog was on TikTok like a year ago and was pretty good.

      I’d do Throughline (NPR) or anything Chris Hayes if you want to listen to something.

    4. Amicus, but sometimes its way too dense for me. It’s an education for sure, not pleasure.

  4. I was wondering if there are any updates from the poster whose daily-texter, weekly-visit-in-person friend suddenly stopped talking to her. Hopefully positive updates!

  5. I see someone else asked for a specific update — maybe we can pile on with an updates thread. I forever want to know what happened to our poster who was determined to date Mr. Red Flags. I think the majority of advice requested was fashion-related but the side conversation around the risks and rewards of courting heartbreak was fascinating.

    Any other update requests?

    Or anyone who posted and is willing to let us know how things turned out for you?

    1. I want to hear from the person who cancelled their furniture order but had a delivery scheduled for July 15 anyway. What happened there?

      1. Oh my god, that was me! They delivered it. I called to tell them that they’d refunded my money
        and tried to pay them. They said they wanted to come pick it up. It turns out it was a godawful color (less of a warm happy brown and more of a post-cyclosporia brown), so I let them take it without a fight!

        They offered no goodwill gesture or acknowledgment that I’d done the right thing by calling in (well, the call center woman apologized a bunch, but the company itself was kind of rude in the communication she was reading off to me). So we won’t be shopping there again, and I will be ordering fabric swatches before ordering any brown upholstery in the future!

        1. Oh, and I know some of you would’ve just kept it. I probably would’ve kept it if they’d honored the original discount because it was well built and throw pillows can help a lot. But I had an easy time emotionally letting it go based on the color.

          1. Thanks for the update, but ALSO thank you for the phrase “post-cyclosporia brown.”

    2. I’ve thought frequently about the poster who cut down on her coffee consumption, and whose husband then threw a temper tantrum because she didn’t brew him his own special second pot of coffee.

      I really hope world’s specialest boy figured out how to operate a coffee pot but I’m not holding out hope.

      1. His thinking has evolved to now believing I’m improving myself ‘at’ him to make him feel bad, so he’s in a one sided competition with me for self improvement. He’s down to one coffee a day too and has eaten only plain brown rice, chicken and broccoli for the past month. It’s exhausting, just take care of yourself and run your own race dude.

        1. This is interesting. Why has he eaten only plain brown rice, chicken and broccoli for the past month? You guys each cook your own dinners? odd.

          2. My husband and I are happily married but each cook our own dinners because we have very different dietary needs and preferences. I agree it sounds like there are some issues in the previous poster’s marriage, but in and of itself this isn’t necessarily problematic.

        2. Does he want to run his own race or does he want to run the race with you? Can’t you two just communicate?

    3. I posted a while ago (2 years maybe) about my antiquing friend who ghosted me because their partner thought we were too much gushing about antiques together. They broke up, then got back together, now they have moved in together and I’m invited to the house warming next week (I’m not sure if the partner knows I’m invited?). I haven’t decided if I’m going.

      2. That was the reason? I think at the time you posted, you didn’t know the reason. So odd and controlling…

      3. Okay, but if you do go to the housewarming, please tell me you’ll bring a fabulous antique as your gift :)

    4. I always wonder about the Job A vs B vs C threads and what the poster chose, espec if the responses were heavily favorable to one of the options.

      1. I had one of those about 3 years ago. It was A vs B (stay or take the risk) and it was a resoundinggg response to take the risk.

        Friends, I should not have taken the risk. Did the job for 3 years until my contract ran out, then bolted.

    5. This is so random but years ago, I posted that NYT article about a woman’s experience sailing with toddlers and talked about how I thought it was totally doable to have adventurous hobbies as a mom. I got roasted by some posters for being what is now called “the perfect parent before you have kids” (understandable…lol). I now have a kid and I certainly have a new appreciation for how much harder it is to do things. I’m still doing all my old hobbies, but at a lesser frequency and I’ve found it hard to get to the level I want, even with targeting that level to be lower than in the past (e.g., I’d like to ride my bike 3x a week and think it’s realistic but in reality it happens once).

      Also, I now have a friend who literally sails internationally with three toddlers. The original article only involved two!! My friend said her mom joined them for a week this year and complained that the kids were too dirty.

      1. IIRC the pushback was not really about moms continuing to pursue hobbies post-kids, it was people saying how unrealistic it is for anyone in the US, mom or not, to take 10 weeks off to go sailing. I’m aware some people can do it – my husband is a professor who could take an entire summer off if he wanted to – but it’s definitely not typical, and I thought the discussion mainly centered around the author’s privilege and her lack of awareness of it.

  6. A light question going into the weekend.
    I am flying solo to Paris (CDG airport) next week. Does anyone have any good tips on if pre-booking a taxi transfer a head of time is worth it? If so, any particular companies? I’ll be heading to hotel in the left bank.

    1. The train from the airport to downtown is very easy! Would recommend that over a taxi, unless work is paying.

    2. Not necessary. The taxi line at CDG is quite well organized (not like Rome!) and there is an added charge for booking in advance. Just be sure you end up in the actual taxi line. Follow the signs OUTSIDE to the person in the vest. There will be scammers hanging out just inside the door that goes outside pretending to be the official person and trying to lead you to another door. There are a lot of videos on You Tube if you are anxious about it.

      There is a flat rate (65 Euro) and the taxis are required to take credit cards, but it does not hurt to confirm because I have heard stories about them trying to be cute about their machine being broken. However, I have flown into CDG multiple times and never had a problem. Taxis are regulated in Paris.

      No judgment on wanting to use a taxi – if I am tired and have luggage I usually do myself, but you can take the RER into Paris, which is much less expensive and frequently faster.

    3. If you’re generally in decent shape on landing, and don’t mind public t-port, the RER is likely faster and way less expensive than anything else.

    4. I always find it worth it and love getting picked up by a car service. No specific recommendations but it makes arrival 10/10 easier and starts a trip off right.

  7. This skirt is not crocheted, it’s knitted.

    I’m sure some people don’t care (including marketing at Ann Taylor), but it matters, since crochet can’t be done by a machine, and knitting can be – if this really had been crochet, some poor worker had been hand-making every stich, at least this fabric is machine made.

    1. This is not something I know about at all, but I want to say that I appreciate both your expertise and your explanation.

    2. It always warms my heart to find someone else who sees this and knows what’s up.

  8. Can anyone comment on Alex Mill – sizing, quality, etc? I’m looking for some button downs in fun colors and they seem to be a good option but I have no idea what they’re like IRL. I’m the poster who was horrified by BaubleBar quality the other day so I’m a bit anxious about internet shopping from new to me brands in general.

    1. I have purchased several things from Alex Mill — jeans, a few sweaters, a rugby shirt, and a tote bag. I have been very pleased with quality of everything, and I wear the roll neck sweater a lot. Sizing has been true to size, but if you have a question, use the contact us link. They answer with 48 hours, and are actual people.

      1. I’m also interested in this brand but turned off by the prices. Would you say that the quality is a step up from say, LL Bean or a similar brand where sweaters are more like $100 than $200?

        1. I would say this (different poster), it’s closer to LaLigne than LLBean and a definite step up from the JCrew category.

      2. Love Alex Mill. Would recommend you go to a store to try on things to figure out your size if you can because they have great sales from time to time.

  9. does anyone else have wacky creatine (creatinine?) readings if you’re the slightest bit dehydrated?

    1. I mean, how wacky? I would expect we all have somewhat elevated creatinine when actually dehydrated (which should show up in other numbers).

    2. Maybe an obvious question, but do you take creatine supplements? That alone can cause wacky readings. I’ve had slightly serum creatinine levels (not taking creatine) but nothing crazy.

    3. What do you mean by wacky? That’s not a very quantitative descriptor.

      Of course it is common to have issues with BUN and creatinine changing if you are dehydrated. But no it is not common to have them be very unstable if you are just the “slightest bit” dehydrated. But how would you actually know where you are on that spectrum? If you have diabetes or hypertension or autoimmune disease or anything known to affect the kidneys than I would pay attention. And if you have a UTI that could be a contributor. And of course if your creatinine is abnormal, the test should be repeated when you are normally hydrated.

      Are you on a very restrictive diet? Possibly overdoing it on the protein? That can be rough on your kidneys. So stop that and tell your doctor what you are doing.

      And hopefully you are not taking a bunch of over the counter mystery vitamins/supplements/herbs/meds as many of those can affect the kidneys or have contaminants that can be problematic.

  10. my aunt just got back from galapagos – she told both daughters to pick a “bucket list” trip and they would all go; my cousin chose galapagos. where would you go?

    1. I’d do a super high end, luxe safari.

      For a bucket list trip I might actually do, I want to go to an agriturismo in Italy and take cooking lessons for a week.

    2. Depending on who is going with me, I think safari or skiing somewhere really special like the Lofoten Islands or Portillo. Or a heli-ski lodge in BC.

    3. Antarctica is #1 for me. Galapagos might be #2. I’ve been on safari; it was fabulous.

      I told my daughter she can go anywhere in the world for high school graduation and she currently wants to go to Australia (which would be awesome) but she’s in third grade so it will probably change.

    5. I am on one right now — traveled to Mallorca for the total eclipse and it was totally worth it!

      Also I didn’t know Antarctica was on my bucket list until I went, but it remains the best trip ever.

  11. What’s your little life hack?

    I started keeping packing tape and scissors in my center console of my car, and it makes returns so much easier. Strong recommend.

    1. This one is new but I’m keeping a bottle of cleaning spray and a roll of paper towels in every bathroom. Makes it so much easier to do any quick cleaning between larger cleans if I don’t have to go track down the supplies.

      Also, slip-on shoes are the best for life with a toddler.

      1. This reminded me to pick up an extra can of glass cleaner on my way home (for the upstairs bathroom mirror).

      2. This is such a good idea. I find the concept of friction in performing tasks (including enjoyable ones!) interesting. Why is it so much harder to walk into the kitchen, grab supplies, and take them back in to the bathroom? Even one more step, no matter how small, can make me want to skip some things.

        2. Exactly why I implemented this. If I have to take the stairs again to do something (even though I like exercise!!) it’s just not going to happen. Same with exercise – the second we moved from a tiny apartment (where I had to store my bike in a very inaccessible place) to a garage where my bike sits in the open, I started riding it more.

          1. I have a four level townhouse and I keep a full set of cleaning implements and supplies in every floor for this very reason including two cordless vacuums on the “dirtiest” floors. I hate dragging things up and down, I just want to grab the tools and clean as I go!

    2. Similar, keeping a box cutter (1) where I usually open packages on receipt, and (2) next to the recycling bin, since sometimes I don’t want to break down the box immediately (like if deciding on what to return).

  12. Have we had the bear vs the man discussion here? My 14yo son could not wrap my head around the statement that most women, when given a choice between being stuck in the woods with a bear or a strange man, would choose the bear.

    1. So I get where the idea is coming from. And when I’m camping alone, I am cognizant of who’s around, who’s observed where my campsite is, etc. But I can tell you from experience, I sleep easier knowing there’s a solo guy camping 100 yards down trail than a bear. If I’m waiting for a bear to cross the trail, I feel more comfortable, not less, if there’s other hiker near me, including when they’re all unrelated guys.

      And of all the ways women get killed by men, by a stranger in the backcountry is a very, very small set

    2. I would pick the man. Being EATEN ALIVE sounds worse than what a man could do to me. I think women who pick the bear have all never been seriously bitten by a dog.

      1. It depends what type of bear. Black bears almost never attack humans unprovoked. They have lots of other food sources and wouldn’t try to eat you. Grizzlies are more aggressive.
        That said, I think man is the objectively correct answer even vs a black bear because the bear will at best ignore you and the man might help you.

        1. It’s also not being locked in a cage with Ted Bundy.

          Men are more helpful than bears. I can’t believe I even have to say that.

          3. Does anyone lost in the woods need help? I don’t think it’s insinuating that men are more competent than women, just that having a second person around can be helpful.

          5. I don’t know where “lost” came from. Women go into the woods on purpose sometimes!

            I think the “stuck” just means that feeling of “okay I’m in the woods, and no one else is around except [man] or [bear], and so that is the other entity I’m stuck with now.” Like the same kind of stuck as being stuck with someone at a bus stop. Not that you can’t eventually find your way out of the woods.

          6. I’ve always heard it framed as “stuck” which to me suggests an element of confusion or not being able to get out immediately.

            Even if it’s just “who would you rather hike with in the woods?” statistically wilderness activities are far safer in pairs than solo and while surely a random female companion is safer than a random male companion, you can’t convince me that being solo is safer than being with a random man.

          7. Exactly. The biggest risk to me on the trail is an accident or getting lost. Seeing another human gives search and rescue more information about where I was and when I was there. It overall redounds to my benefit to encounter other people on the trail.

            A bear has never once heard about a missing hiker and called the park service to report a sighting.

          8. The entire point of the question is to compare potential threats, not weigh them against a third unmentioned threat.

            I think it should be clear that it’s simply never possible to immediately “get out” from the woods, a trail, or even a good sized park. You’re on foot!

          9. Idk, I think the point of the question is to find the women with anxiety disorders.

      3. Now I’m thinking about bear vs. domestic dog. (Abused, neglected dogs are so dangerous and have no fear or common sense!)

      4. Seriously, that sounds like a hot take for a NY Magazine article not a real study. I’m 10/10 picking the man every time. But I also don’t hate men so there’s that.

    3. Bear for sure. I live in bear country and come across them on hikes all the time, it’s pretty easy to keep yourself safe. Men on the other hand? Nope nope nope, I’ve had to run from men several times.

    4. Bears have simpler thought processes than people, so there’s fewer possible outcomes that you’d need to predict/react to.
      That’s less stressful than the infinite loop of trying to predict how a strange person will behave.
      (Of course, if you are in the woods of Alaska, chances are you’ve got both strange people and bears within range.)

    5. Is it an “encounter” or being “stuck?” Either way, I’d take the bear. Have encountered too many strange and very likely dangerous men in the woods. When you get a prickle on the back of your neck the moment you see a certain man, respect it. Take it seriously and don’t share your itinerary.

      1. Yeah I know park rangers at greater risk since it’s often their job to deal with the men in the woods, and I know they are prepared against bears, but still… there are way more men than bears who have killed or will kill a park ranger, just to go by one stat.

    6. It just seems like math to me. More men are actively hostile to women than bears are actively hostile to humans. No bears are hoping to r-p- human women in the woods. It’s just better not to be threatened at all. The hope is that the wild animal will leave you alone altogether.

      If they’re doing the math, I think men would also choose the bear, if not for the fact that they think they can physically take another man. (And I know some women can overpower some men but again, the odds.)

    7. Depends on the mental health of the man and of the bear.

      Are they both well adjusted?

    8. Black bear vs. man: Black bear by a mile
      Grizzly bear vs. man: Grizzly by a narrow margin
      Polar bear vs. man: Man

    9. Trying to figure out whether there’s a reasonable answer to this is obscuring the whole point of the exercise: it’s not about whether there’s a right answer, it’s that it can be debated in the first place. No one is asking a man if he’d rather face a bear or a woman in the woods.

    1. I am in my mid-40s taking a small daily dose to regrow eyelashes and stop hair thinning. Am about 5 weeks in. Side effects (for me) have been some lightheadedness and faster than usual heartbeats at times. Eyelashes have already grown back noticeably. I can’t tell on the hair thinning yet, but it doesn’t seem to be getting worse.

    2. Yes, I take a small dose of the rogaine pill version – minoxidil. Cheap. It helps. But I have low blood pressure normally and this drops it a bit lower so I have to stay well hydrated and be careful.

      My derm also recommends adding latisse on the brows, but I didn’t want to get into that commitment yet.

  14. If you have a TV on a stand and high ceilings, do you put any art or a mirror above the TV? Decorate with molding and trim? So much blank space.

      1. I disagree that this looks better, but there’s still blank space above a mounted TV.

        I wouldn’t want to have a mirror above the TV if it would show anyone or anything moving while I’m trying to watch TV (maybe it wouldn’t).

        I’ve seen people hang wall hangings before.

      2. Interesting. I dislike most mounted televisions because people tend to hang them way too high.

        1. I dislike them, too, but becuase I think it gives the TV pride of place, which is not my vibe. I think you should mount if it’s the focal point of the room– i.e., a TV room as opposed to a living room. If you have two such rooms in your house, great, but if you have only one, a mounted TV makes it a tv-watching room. We only have one of these kinds of rooms in our house, so we have a TV on a table top, off center, and the furniture arranged for conversation rather than for viewing. We we do watch TV, the sofa chair has to be physically rotated around to face the TV.

      3. Agree that a TV sitting on a small stand in the middle of an empty room screams college apartment, but you don’t need to mount it to have it look grown-up. We have a TV wall with floor to ceiling cabinets and shelves and it looks fine.

        1. I think just putting a TV on real furniture makes a difference (not something designed and intended for a TV). The stand that is part of the TV itself is often barely visible. My TV rests on a narrow coffee table that I no longer had another use for, and is framed by a fireplace (so I can easily put art on the mantle). I don’t think TVs are ever great decor, but I think it’s actually easier to ignore than a wall mount.

      4. Look how it’s handled in nice homes. TVs are out of sight or mounted. Stands and such definitely seem like college.

    2. I’m not sure what you mean by stand, but I have my TV on a solid cherry cabinet
      (this sort of thing: https://www.barnfurnituremart.com/products/49-flat-wall-tv-stand-red-oak, https://vermontwoodsstudios.com/products/cherry-moon-49-tv-media-console?variant=42173131489339). I have 9′ ceilings and have a large monochromatic, textured painting above the TV. I found detailed, multicolored artworks or a group of smaller artworks looked great with the TV off, but were distracting while watching. Play with the height too. I don’t have much space between the bottom of the painting and the top of the TV, i.e., not hung very high.

    3. In my previous home I used cabinets to create a TV wall with amazing storage. You can use open bookcases but I prefer everything being closed off.

      All my holiday stuff, gift wrap, cards, art supplies for the kids etc.

      If you don’t need the storage you can use glass cabinets and display stuff.

      1. Cabinets or a modular bookcase wall that looks sort of like built-ins is the answer. The modular systems usually have an option for a bridge piece that goes over the TV and connects the bookcases or cabinets on either side. You can get them pretty tall.

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