ByKat Hours Updated
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Weekend Open Thread

Something on your mind? Chat about it here.

Here's a kind of wacky idea for a Weekend Open Thread game: let's all hunt for outfits to wear for a crazy wedding dress code and see what we find. This dress (which I looooooove) would be perfect, I think, for a “beach formal” wedding — I'd accessorize it with some sparkly sandals (perhaps these) and a really structured clutch (perhaps this). Readers, what would you wear to a “beach formal wedding”?

The dress is $395, by La Ligne, at Nordstrom, ModeSens (in cobalt), and LaLigne.com.

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!

Sales of note for 12.3.24 (lots of Cyber Monday deals extended, usually until 12/3 at midnight)

125 Comments

  1. Recommendations for a cream to fix cracked heels? I have been using the Original Reinventing the Heel cream for a few months. It was great at first and now, I don’t know…maybe my skin has calibrated to it…but it’s not working as well as it used to. I try to put it on every day and wear those moisturizer socks over it.

    1. If they are really bad, I’d see your dermatologist. It can be caused by a fungus.

      1. Or a podiatrist. The only thing that works for me is a foot cream with a high % of urea that I have to get through my podiatrist’s office.

    4. Baby Foot Peel (or similar), then follow up post-peeling with your cream and socks.

      2. Is it possible to just limit the peeling to my heels? The rest of my feet are fine (actually better than fine, the skin is somehow great there) plus I tend to have sensitive skin anyway.

        1. Yes, just cover the rest of your feet with a thick lotion. I tnink if you wanted to be extra careful you could use petroleum jelly.

    5. Dr. Scholl’s Severe Cracked Heel Balm

      Great stuff- it really works.

      There’s also Heel-tastic from Hempvana. Similar product.

    6. Fun story: It was only a month ago that I learned that cracked heels can be a sign of thyroid issues. I’ve been diagnosed with thyroid issued for about nine months. No doctor ever mentioned it. I learned this on Tiktok! (And verified with my doctor.)

      Please go see a doctor.

      What works for me: neosporin ointment followed by Miracle Heel Stick followed by silicon-lined heel socks to bed, the latter two from Amazon. GL!

    7. Yes, it’s worth seeing a doctor for a proper diagnosis. I had to see one for a possible ankle sprain/strain, and she said “your ankle is fine, but about that athlete’s foot….”! I had no idea that my dry looking skin on my feet was a telltale sign of athlete’s foot. The traditional cream didn’t eliminate it after about 2 months, so I had to get a combination anti-fungus/anti-inflammatory cream but that beat it in a week.

    9. Heel Rescue Food Cream. My mom’s used the stuff for 30 years. Recently she couldn’t find it in stores anymore, I found a two pack on Amazon and she insisted I keep the second one. Pretty good stuff!

    10. The only thing that worked for me is Barefoot Scientist–I’ve gone through 2 entire tubes of their foot cream and their various other healing products are very effective at what they do.

  2. Looking for travel recs. We are taking a road trip through Northern VT and NH this summer: plan to stop in Burlington/Montpelier/Littleton although the details are not ironed out yet. We are a married couple with two teenagers. Restaurants/B & Bs/activity recommendations needed. Thanks!

      1. I have a trip booked there this fall and can’t wait but I’m not sure there’s much for teens?

    3. Not sure if your family is into museums, but Shelburne Museum (not far outside of Burlington) has a pretty cool collection, along with 39 historical buildings to wander through. You also will be less than an hour from Stowe, VT, which would be great for teens. During the summer, the Stowe ski resort has a gondola ride, rock climbing, and hiking that they might enjoy. There is also a great restaurant on top of the mountain that you take the gondola to get to – amazing views.

      Definitely plan to spend a good amount of time in Burlington-it is a fun place to explore-lots of great restaurants. You should also be able to find kayaking nearby. Almost a decade ago now, but when I was in Burlington, I booked a daytrip that was kayaking (all down stream so it wasn’t strenuous), and then you got out at a farm that had a winery for a tasting and, as an alternative, homemade ice cream tasting, and then they bused you back to your car upstream where you started. That was a definite highlight of the trip. Some googling might yield results of similar types of excursions if you are interested in that kind of thing.

    5. Look at Yankee Magazine. they’ll have suggested itineraries and hidden gem articles for eats, hotels, which highways to take, and shopping.

      You can also stay at Moosilauke Lodge, which is owned by Dartmouth. It’s gorgeous and really in a great location.

    6. There’s a great cycling route from Burlington through the Hero islands all the way to Canada. It’s flat and beautiful. In Burlington, I loved Honey Road, Trattoria Delia and Bluebird Barbecue but you won’t go far wrong at any restaurant. The Spirit of Ethan Allen cruises are a good way to see Lake Champlain.

  3. I just attended (officiated, in fact) a wedding on the beach last weekend, and the dress code was described as “Cocktail/Beachy/Dressy.” This dress would have been perfect. I ended up wearing a more-casual-than-I-would-have-otherwise-chosen jumpsuit I already owned, because it was the same color as the wedding color scheme and the bride really liked it. Along with metallic leather flip flops, of course.

      1. I’ve done it a few times now and it’s so great!! Have Universal Life Church ordination, will travel! ;)

        2. SA, thank you for doing this. I thought it was impossible to like you even more but now I do:)

      1. Haha no, alas I wore that one to rags and regretfully retired it last year. RIP, navy jumpsuit.

    3. I don’t know why, but I find this idea a of a small, colorful and fierce corporette having the power to legally wed people being very satisfying.

      And it inspired me to research (also known as quick and dirty googling) what would be necessary to become similarly empowered where I live, in Norway. Not that much, it seems (I never knew!). Somebody employed by the county (read: smallest possible civil service level) could, by the power of the mayor. Nobody cares about any religious tie-in for the records, but a membership in the humane society would do the trick, if bureaucracy should slow . Mind blown!

    4. Senior Attorney, congratulations on becoming a licensed officiant! Did you have to take a test to do this, or can you automatically wave in as an attorney to get it automatically, like a Notary Public?

      I found out I could automatically become a NY Notary in Manhattan just because I was already admitted to practice and in good standing in NY City! This is a great tip for other attorney’s in the HIVE who are admitted to the bar and in good standing in NY. All you have to do is pay the notary fee every 4 years!

      I have a notorial stamp and a seal so I am official for all signatures, but only in NY. This really helps me get things done b/c I do not have to rely on Lynn to notarise things for me. I also notarise things for my family for FREE!

  4. Interesting podcast on The Daily about long COVID today, for those who are interested.

  5. Health care vent…

    I just had my 1st ever pelvic ultrasound, for a non-pregnancy related issue (irregular bleeding). The billing department actually called me a couple weeks before the test, to tell me the cost, after getting prior authorization from my insurance company (Blue Cross Blue Shield). They told me it was about $600 (I have a very high deductible plan) and asked if I could pre-pay the balance now. I actually really appreciated the heads up regarding the price. I’m not working right now. I asked if I could pay it after the test is done and insurance processes it. I have learned the hard way that it is a pain trying to get your money back if you overpay. The billing rep said that was fine.

    So I got the bill for the test. I owe $3000. $3000. Technician fees + radiologist fees to review + hospital fees. Test was done in outpatient clinic adjacent to a local hospital.

    I have called my insurance to confirm that is the correct allowed amount and have seen the detailed itemized bills. I called the billing office and asked me how this costs 5 times as much as the price they quoted me prior to the test. They said “prices quoted are just estimates….we cannot guarantee blah blah blah blah…..” Nothing they can do.

    I think I just cried on the phone.

    1. Call your insurance back and see if they coded it incorrectly. I had an ultrasound done several years ago and they coded it as “infertility treatment,” which wasn’t covered by my plan. I would also call the billing department back and speak to a manager (if you haven’t done that already).

      I’m sorry this is happening. You could also go back through the archives of NPR’s series on medical bills. There are stories in there of how people have successfully fought back against exorbitant bills. Good luck. I would have cried on the phone too.

      1. Improper coding would explain the mismatch between the bill and the estimate.

        OP – if you cant get the bill down, look into the hospital’s financial assistance /charity care policy. If you aren’t working, you may qualify. A hospital once waived a $40k bill for my uncle after I helped him write a letter to that department.

        1. Thanks so much for your your thoughts.

          I’m going to call again on Monday and ask to speak to a billing supervisor to step through in detail why it is so different from the original estimate (only an oral estimate was given). But I think the codes are right. Insurance accepted all of the codes and agreed they were all medically necessary and decreased all the charges to lower allowed amounts. The original amount charged for the ultrasound was over $10,000, which of course is utterly insane. The bill is actually broken up into literally like 10 subcharges.

          What worries me the most is that now the doctor is going to want to do a scope and biopsy, since the cause of the bleeding isn’t clear (although she admits the bleeding issue could just be normal for me!). I am sure it will be much more expensive than the ultrasound. I was told they would give me the price estimate before the procedure, but now I know that the estimates are useless.

    2. I don’t know if you listen to the Jean Chatzky podcast HerMoney, but she just had a guy on who negotiates these bills for people and his fee was incredibly reasonable. Worth finding and listening to.

    3. Oh wow, that’s awful. The last thing you need when you’re having health issues is to also have related financial worries.

      Some thoughts, since I’m in healthcare finance:
      – When the billing office first contacted you for a pre-payment, did they give you anything in writing? Or was it just a phone call? If you have anything in writing, that could bolster your case that you are being overcharged.
      – Did they bill for a visit in addition to the ultrasound? Since the ultrasound was scheduled in advance, the radiologist should have only billed for the reading, and the hospital should only have billed the facility fee. If there’s anything in the bill for a visit – it will say something like “outpatient visit” or “established patient 15 minutes” or use a 5-digit numeric code starting with 992 – then you should dispute that (and BCBS should have denied it)
      – If the bill is truly accurate, definitely call the customer service number on the bill and ask about charity care. Hospitals are required to provide discounts to patients who have trouble with their bills and receive federal funding in return. Most hospitals will apply their charity care policy to high out-of-pocket costs for insured patients.
      – If they cannot write the bill down with charity care, ask for a payment plan. You can pay it over time with no interest and no hit to your credit rating. There is no reason to go into debt or stress your finances for this.

      If you want to talk in depth, post a burner email and I’ll reach out.
      –

      1. I really appreciate your expert knowledge, and questions. It was an oral estimate, and they didn’t charge inappropriately for an associated doctor’s visit.

        My fear is that I am going to owe this, and that this is a great example of a clinic/hospital/doctor group loading every billing code/procedure code/whatever code they can get away with for one test, and it is a surprise to me that Blue Cross processed them all. Honestly, I think I need to find doctors in the community and not affiliated with the major hospitals.

        I will have to dip into my savings, but I have to keep reminding myself that is what this is for, I guess. I am just so anxious since I am not working, and wont be for some time. I will not qualify for charity care. The hospital affiliated actually has a huge patient population that is quite poor.

        1. Please post back after you call next week. And don’t be shy asking about charity care. The worst they can do is say no, and then you’re back to the same place. But their policy may be based on income. If yours is nothing currently, you may qualify.

          For the next procedure, ask your doctor’s office to include everything in the estimate, such as facility fees and ancillary services like pathology and radiology. And ask for it in writing with line item charges and contracted fees.

          My offer stands to look at bills and eobs. I’m happy to help any time.

    4. Please also call your physician’s office and let them know this happened and see if there’s anything they can do to help. If I found out this happened to a patient I’d be horrified and ask my office manager to investigate and see what the heck happened and if anything could be done. It might not help at all, but it doesn’t hurt and someone may be able to get some traction or answers from the other side. Oh- and file an appeal with your insurance too so they double check and make sure everything is right.

      I’m so sorry this is happening.

  6. Anyone know who makes the red res worn by the new press secretary in the NYT today?

  7. I work in academia, and am attending a gala to celebrate a nationally-recognized retiree. It’s black-tie optional, with a suggestion of school colors. My dressier pieces have a lot of black, and I was thinking that a corsage with the school colors as an accent might add flair without investing more, especially since I’m at the top of my size, and only have a month to drop back to my pre-pandemic typical weight.

    So – is this flair still done? We have a few florists locally that have been great – as in artistic and lovely – for…proms.

    Also, it’s being held in the school’s Arena which is very cold in contrast to the summer evening until attendance drives the temp up, so I have a textured silk black jacket that will play well over a summer sheath style dress.

    1. I can’t speak to the corsage question, but I keep seeing photos of my alma mater’s dean in a beautiful floral silk scarf in the school colors. She wears it to a lot of events and it always looks polished but fun.

    2. That sounds like a great plan and I think if it’s not still done, people will think that it’s “Fresh” and cool and should start to be done!

    3. When I think of corsage I think or prom or mother of the bride/groom. What about a black dress with some fancy colorful earrings? I’m thinking Angelina Jolie in that black dress with green earrings.

    4. People may think you are being honored in some way if you wear a corsage. I like the scarf or bold earring suggestions!

    5. I have not seen a corsage in the wild since I went to prom but what about a colored shawl instead of the black jacket (although the jacket sounds lovely). A scarf is also a great idea but I can never figure out how to wear one.

    6. I don’t see corsage use done outside of proms. I would skip the black jacket since it’s summer and wear a bright scarf instead (doesn’t have to be expensive if you don’t have one).

      1. Thank you all, I had skipped some of the social graces of designation – I am LOVING the floral/scarf idea. The colors being black and gold had put together The textured jacket will likely be an arrival item until the place warms up.

    7. It’s fine to just wear a black dress and skip the school colors too, I wouldn’t do the corsage. Wear something that looks good on you. Plenty of people will ignore the school colors instruction because they only have a baseball tee or a cap in that color.

  8. A post about divorce earlier this week (the one with the sister – not the one where the divorce was not actually finalized, although that happens more often that you might think; there is a step that gets missed a lot) has been stewing in my brain for the past few days and I want to get something off my chest. So here is my throwing this into the universe for anyone who might someday need it:

    (1) If you are thinking about divorce, talk to an attorney BEFORE you tell your spouse. Make a list of your assets, including documenting the current balance in any accounts where you have access to the information BEFORE you tell your spouse. I cannot emphasize this highly enough.

    (2) Do not engage in any self-help without talking to an attorney. That includes, but it not limited to. locking your spouse out of the house, emptying your joint accounts, or taking or sending your children out of state. That is not to say that taking some money out of joint accounts is never appropriate – indeed it might be advisable – but talk to your lawyer first.

    (3) Be realistic about what divorce entails from a legal standpoint (consulting an attorney can be helpful here). I cannot count the number of women who walk into my office and think that they will be able to keep their family house, will get primary physical custody of their children, will be able to get alimony/child support, won’t have to pay alimony/child support, etc. No – you cannot lock your spouse out of your marital residence or force him to move out; you cannot empty your joint accounts; you cannot pack up yourself and your kids and move in with you parents three states over without the co-parent’s permission. And those things will actively hurt you when we end up on court.

    (4) Unless you have no joint assets you are not willing to walk away from and no children, you need a lawyer.

    Now obviously this does not apply to a couple of 22-year olds with no children sharing an apartment with a lease that is about to expire. And it definitely does not apply to any situation where there is abuse going on (in which case PLEASE call the police both for your protection and because abuse allegations that come up for the first time well into a contentious divorce can be problematic). But for the demographic of this board, unless you have to leave now for your own safety, please, please, please talk to a lawyer FIRST.

    1. Amen! Sing it, sister!

      My only slight quibble is that while you can’t take ALL the joint money, it’s wise to put at least half the joint liquid assets in a divorce war chest. I scruptulously took exactly half when I left and wished I’d taken more and let it come out in the wash when we settled.

      1. SA sorry but heartened to hear you’re divorced. I’m mostly through with a very high conflict with custody and tricky ex who I can’t prove was abusive. It’s so isolating. I’m trying to find female role models who have built a life for their family with 3 kids, a high conflict ex, and a career. I have all those factors but it looks pretty grim right now. Suggestions welcome!

        1. I am so sorry you’re going through this. I cannot be of help but wanted to say that even though it is hard now, you will get through it. Senior Attorney always says “the only way out is through.” And it sounds like out is the direction you need to be going! Stick with it. You will be better on the other side.

    2. This makes a lot of sense! Thank you! When I read this, I actually am relieved that I never married my ex boyfreind Alan, b/c I am sure I would have divorced him by now. All of the complications I read makes me wonder why some of us even marry these schlubs in the first place! In my case, I wanted a baby, but he was not interested in doing anything other than pleasing himself, which included over imbibeing in beer and wine. We have to be extremely careful before we allow men to get into our apartements, b/c once they do, they are difficult to get rid of.

  9. Recommendations for things to do with elementary school aged kids in Lake George area? I’m going to be there Memorial Day weekend.

    1. There’s a nice museum and cute shops up in “Bolton Landing” that Myrna recommends. It’s a few miles north, but fun to visit she said! (Note: I was never there, but she knows what she is talking about).

  10. Hello from a heat wave! In the interest of keeping my kitchen cool does anyone have any summery crockpot/instant pot recipes to recommend? Most of my go-tos are stews, chilis, pot roast type of dishes, which is not what I want to eat when it’s hot. My only current ideas are pulled pork or chicken for barbecue sandwiches or tacos. I’d appreciate any inspiration!

    1. Meatballs for sandwiches? I’ve also done bone in chicken thighs either skin on in a slow cooker – no extra liquid added.

    2. Meatballs in either cream gravy, maybe with dill for a Swedish style, or tomato sauce like tapas albondigas for a Spanish style.

      Summer minestrone soup.

      Chickpeas for hummus or salads.

      Curries, for example slow-cooked rendang curry.

    3. a hybridized version of paella and arroz con pollo in the instant pot. i use the washington post’s recipe as a base and generally add a lot more summer veg to my version, but there are plenty of other recipes out there to start off with.

  11. Just a note, but if you have an activist in your life, please love on them extra. Send flowers or texts of love or offer to run errands or feed them. We are not okay. While everyone has varying levels of emotions about covid, we are figuring out how to balance risk of exposure with need to protest or canvas or the like. We get no rest because our hearts are bleeding from the ongoing atrocities. Those who are at risk of pregnancy are now also dealing with that, even if this isn’t the area of our activism. Our closest friends are also activists so we not only fight but we worry about the others who are fighting. We are exhausted and heartbroken and there’s no time for self-care because the fights keep raging and even those of us in therapy are struggling because things really are this bad. Our inboxes are filled with stories of deaths or harm, requests to work for free, sometimes hate messages or threats, and most of us earn little to nothing in our work because we work in industries or schedules that allow us to do the activism work we know we are on this planet to do.

    This is not a post to solicit sympathy nor tr0lls to tell us to find new jobs, we are the ones doing the boots on the ground work so that so many of you can rest easy knowing others are on the frontlines of these fights. As important as your donations to causes are, please don’t forget the individuals and please support those in your life and your community who are so exhausted but won’t ever quit. We are feeling more discouraged than ever and more unseen and undervalued than ever. Please do what you can to help us not feel so invisible while we work so hard to better this world and to stop those who keep trying to take people’s rights away.

    2. This post won’t actually help someone who knows you help and love on you this weekend. You sound really burnt out, and I know your impulse will be to debate me, but you should log off and focus on self-care for awhile.

      1. Huh? You said something not helpful and then said that their impulse would be to debate you? Not being helpful is not something to debate, it’s just.not.helpful. If someone is saying they need support, why would you pile on and be what is clearly intentionally not helpful? Yikes if you are real, worse if you are a tr0ll. Either way, if you can’t be helpful, be quiet- especially when someone is outright saying they aren’t okay.

        1. Now you sound like the person who needs to get off the Internet and engage in some self care. Flying off the handle at someone isn’t productive either.

    3. Thank you. I realize you probably don’t have the time or bandwidth to read or follow up on this post, but I really appreciate that you made it. I’m old enough to have the feeling the world has somehow started to spin backwards, even in the face of a lot of positive change throughout the world, and I’m thankful for everybody who’s doing their best to correct the course.

    4. I see and appreciate you. I hope you are able to take a moment, feel supported, feel loved, and that others in your life are able to show up and give you a shoulder to lean on.

      1. Kudo’s to activists in these days b/c there are so many things to protest:
        1) the war in Ukraine (the Putin problem)
        2) the Supreme Court’s expected ban on abortions (bodily freedom for women)
        3) the inflation problem/food insecurity/supply chain issues etc
        4) sexual inequality against women (#metoo movements)
        5) anti-Asian, anti-Semitic, anti-other minority attacks
        6) covid-19 and monkey pox and other health problems (including anti-vaxxers)
        7) illegal gun violence (nationwide)

        I am sure others can add to this list to protest, but I think I have hit the major ones for those who need a reminder.

  12. TLDR: How do you tell the difference between a startup/early stages company with real potential and one that’s not likely to go anywhere?

    I’m a lawyer in an established company with reliable bonus payouts, 401k match, etc. I’ve been thinking about a job at a startup. It would pay a lower salary, and I’d have to give up the non-salary comp but get equity instead. If the company is successful, the trade-off will definitely be worth it, but how do I judge the likelihood of success? I know the industry generally but don’t have the technical knowledge to know that the product does what they claim. The salary would cover my bills but I won’t really be able to save (but already have a solid emergency fund and pretty good retirement savings).

    1. Is it venture backed? If not, I would give it a pass. If it is venture backed by reputable VCs, it has greater odds, but still only a subset of their portfolio companies really take off. Someone on the VC side can give you stats on that.

    2. Tread very cautiously. Far more fail than become big successes. I’ve seen a lot of regret from people who made that move chasing phantom equity.

    3. If you go this route, negotiate a very generous severance package at the outset. Private equity can be fickle, unpredictable, and brutal.

    4. I would be reticent. Even if venture backed it is coming off of historic high valuations and the equity price might be artificially high so the upside will take longer to materialize as we head to a bear market. And it sounds like you’re giving up sizable cash comp for equity comp.

    5. From someone who worked at a VC… 1/10 do very well, 4/10 sustain but we get out because they are not the growth rate we thought, the rest fail. We stayed in business based on the 1/10.

      When we’re looking at management teams, being part of one of the 1/10 is a great thing to have on your track record. Being part of the 9/10 is something that would be examined.

      Think more in terms of the management team’s competence than the product. If they’re great, they’ll adapt the product etc to make sure the company is successful. We saw that tons of times. Also expect some degree of M&A.

  13. Recommendations for a cream/white semi-casual blouse that isn’t totally see-through? They always look great in the online photos but then are paper thin when they arrive. I always wear a cami but some of them are so see through you basically look like you’re just wearing underwear. Budget prices please! eg, there’s a great looking one at BRFactory right now but one of the reviews said it’s see through. It’s called “essential crew neck top”. Something like that!

    1. I tend to go for white blouses with a textured fabric or a white on white pattern (eg white floral pattern/texture on white background). Usually the fabric is thicker and the texture makes it less see through.

    4. And you probably know this, but it took me until my mid-twenties to learn that you want a nude bra for these slightly sheer tops, not a white bra. Much less likely to show through. So just throwing that out for anyone else who missed this lesson.

  14. Why are ALL the clothes so ugly right now?! I just want some nice business casual short sleeve tops, not too formal, not too frumpy, and they are all HORRIBLE. Unflattering sleeves, frills, terrible colors and patterns. What has happened?

    1. I’ve gone to a dozen stores in the past two weeks looking for hot-weather work clothes for a big work trip. Nothing.

      I ended up just spending $500 at nordstrom rack yesterday and am doing a full try-on today with the assumption of returning some of it once I see what fits into my existing pieces and what doesnt. But my god, it’s bananas out there.

    2. I like the tops from Antonio Melani at Dillards. They have some sleek silks that work well with suits.

    3. It’s like fashion took the worst trends of 1990-2012 and was like “LET’S DO ALL OF THESE RIGHT NOW AT ONCE.”

  16. Annoying coworker rant.

    If you want to be included in work meetings and social events, don’t complain and flounce around about how you are too [busy/tired/shy] to join, then complain when we leave you out, only to ghost at the last second when we have bent over backwards to accommodate all your “constraints” for these events. You are a junior team member whose work product is lackluster at best, and while you fill a hard-to-hire niche, you are thiiiiiis close to going on a PIP.

    1. So exclusion didn’t work and then the insincere invite didn’t either? Shocking.

      1. Inclusion didn’t work, exclusion from meetings that don’t require her attendance but that would be fine for her to sit through if she had time caused offense, then confirming availability and interest and seeking out an acceptable meeting location didn’t work, because she didn’t want to attend after all. And when those of us who participated went to lunch together after our meeting, she acted like we excluded her even though she had made herself unavailable.

        1. I get the feeling that I have this co-worker, too, so we must work at the right place. I hear you. I so hear you. Management asked me how it was working with “Jill” and I said something like Jill manages to drop half of the balls thrown to her, wants training, accepts training invites, and then shows up late with no notice and a huffy explanation; I would never send Jill anything time-sensitive or important.

  17. Would it be weird to wear the same type of unique black pants every day for a week-long conference with a small cohort (<50 people)? Trying to simply my outfit plan and want to build a conference uniform of black spanx faux leather leggings (multiple pairs of course), cute tops and statement blazers. Attire is "smart casual" and days are really long so comfort is key.

    this is kind of the vibe –
    https://www.pinterest.com/pin/520376931959713979/

    1. If they were plain black dress pants I don’t think anyone would notice, but faux leather leggings are likely to be noticed. I have never seen anyone wear leggings or leather pants at a conference.

      1. Agree with this. And if you’re going to take multiple pairs of pants,take different ones. I’d assume you were wearing the same thing every day not changing into identical pairs of pleather leggings (owning multiple pairs of pleather leggings would make me judge you a bit too).

      2. +4? 5?
        You can definitely get away with wearing plain black dress pants and a different top every day. But faux leather leggings will stand out too much to be worn more than once.

    2. I think those pants are too unique to be worn everyday. I’m not a huge clothes notice-r but I’m pretty sure I’d notice multiple rewears of those. Agree that plain black pants would be better if you want a uniform for the week.

    4. I wouldn’t wear these to a conference at all and would definitely notice if someone else did… I’m not saying I would be clutching my pearls because I don’t feel super invested in dress codes, but you would definitely be pleather leggings lady in my mind.

    5. Yes, I think it would be weird. One day, or even day you arrive and day of or day before you leave? Fine. But not every day. If it’s casual, maybe bring a maxi or midi dress with sleeves? Only one item to pack, comfy, flowy, can be worn with sandals, flats, tennis shoes, or wedges you’re already packing, and people often read a dress of any kind as “dressier” than it really is. Even if you wear pleather leggings day 1, olive pant day 2, dress day 3, pleather day 4- not much to pack.

    1. DH’s is currently collecting dust on our dresser. Depends on your lifestyle. He used it almost exclusively when he ran. We had kids and he is busier at work now so no time to run.

    2. Great for being in the office, nice for flagging important calls when out and about if your phone’s in your bag.

    3. You can pry my AppleWatch out of my cold, dead hands. I resisted it for a long time but love it. Let me count the way I use it. I workout almost daily, “close my rings” on steps and exercise and standing 99% of the time. I like it when I’m driving my older car without bluetooth – I can answer calls even if I don’t have my earphones on. I can speak to text easily. I use the timer for making tea, remembering to take clothes out of the dryer, remembering to start a work meeting or things like that daily. I do the short 2-3 minute meditations when I have a quick minute. I use the calculator quicker than taking out my phone. I look at my heart rate during/after exercise.

      The only cons are the size (I’d rather wear a smaller watch) and cost.

      1. Cost is the con.

        I love being able to track and control my workout apps, Spotify, and podcasts. Being able to quickly glance at emails and texts in a meeting and see my calendar without pulling out my phone is nice. I use the timer for exercise, cooking, laundry, and home COVID tests (because this is the world we are in these days). I have several work related access apps in my watch that make me feel like a super villain, too.

    4. I have a Fitbit Versa. It does what I need and is much slimmer on my wrist then an Apple watch.
      I love iPhones, but Fitbit watches are compatible 100%. Granted I can’t respond to emails or answer my phone on my Fitbit watch, but who wants to? People ask me all the time about my Fitbit, which I have had for years, because it is so cute and slim (which I wish I was). It’s also much less costly, which is important. Have a Look at the latest Fitbit Versa, which may cause you to become a Fitbitter, not another Apple follower.

  19. What’s the quality and sizing of Maxstudio brand clothes from Nordstrom Rack? Not familiar with this brand but there’s some cute summer items I’m thinking of ordering (but trying to limit the order and return cycle).

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