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Travel + Leisure
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Travel + Leisure
I Can't Stop Thinking About These 12 Vacation Wardrobe Staples From Loft's Huge Semi-annual Sale—Up to 69% Off
I write about clothes for a living, so I consider myself well-versed in the world of online sales. Whether it be latest summer sale or top-rated Brooks sneakers on rare sale, the best deals are almost always on my radar—and I consider myself an expert. Needless to say, I'm a little ashamed to admit that I've been sleeping on one travel-friendly clothing brand that offers massive discounts: Loft. My colleagues have been raving about the old-school mall brand, and I decided to take a peek myself, only to find a jaw-dropping semi-annual sale. I found deals up to 69 percent off, including summer dresses, linen pants, and more vacation wardrobe staples. Take a cue from me and jump on these major savings; keep reading to discover the 12 styles worth packing for your upcoming vacations, all under $50. When it comes to summer vacation, no style is more essential than a breezy dress. I prefer midi or maxi silhouettes that won't risk a wardrobe malfunction, and this linen style is ideal. It features a trendy yet unique polka dot pattern, plus a stretchy smocked bodice for maximum comfort. Plus, this dress can be worn for casual or dressier occasions with a simple change of shoes. If your summer wardrobe doesn't include a pair of linen pants, you're missing out. Not only is the style so comfortable on hot days, but it's versatile enough to complement just about anything in your travel wardrobe. This pair from Loft has an elevated, wide-leg silhouette, plus an oatmeal hue that's just as timeless. They are made of 100 percent cotton for ultimate breathability, and one reviewer even said these pants kept them 'cool and comfortable' at a festival in 90-degree Fahrenheit weather. Bermuda shorts are one of the season's most in-demand styles, and I love this linen version that's as comfy as it is elevated. With a stretchy, elastic waistband and flowy silhouette, I'm willing to bet you'll swap your uncomfortable denim shorts for this airy alternative. I'd pair it with a white blouse and heeled sandals, although it can just as easily be dressed down with a simple tank and sneakers. This romantic, chiffon maxi dress makes me think of cobblestone streets, rustic dinners, and seaside relaxation. Of course, it will look just as fashionable as you enjoy summer at home, too. The ruffled detailing and fitted waist create an hourglass silhouette, while the flowy skirt adds a carefree feel. Pair it with casual sandals, espadrilles, or strappy heels for a night out. Don't be surprised if you find me at the beach in these poplin shorts. The roomy fit and drawstring waist make them an easy throw-and-go piece, and the breezy cotton fabric will keep you cool on August's hottest days. Reviewers can't stop raving about how comfy these shorts are, adding that you can easily dress them up, too. Flowy maxi skirts are the style of the summer. They're ideal for travel, since they're breezy, easy to style, and look on-trend in any destination. This on-sale Loft version has a unique, eyelet fabric that adds an ultra-feminine touch, plus a comfy elastic waist. Reviewers praise the airy fabric, which one shopper said kept them 'cool and fashionable in the summer heat.' Best of all, this skirt even has pockets to hold small essentials. In addition to shopping for summer staples, I'm already keeping an eye out for transitional pieces that I can wear in the chillier months, too. Exhibit A: this stylish, versatile denim skirt. It's a great alternative to jeans in the summer months, since it offers the same look but with an airier feel. I'd pair it with a white tank and white sneakers for a simple, laid-back ensemble. When fall comes around, I'd add a chunky knit and boots. Snag this three-season skirt for just $23 today. If you're building a capsule travel wardrobe, a romantic blouse should be on your shopping list. This stunning one has a bohemian vibe, flattering hourglass silhouette, and lightweight fabric. It's slightly cropped, so it will pair best with high-waisted bottoms and skirts. I love that it can be dressed up or down, and it goes with just about anything. Needless to say, it deserves a spot in your suitcase. If, like me, you aspire to look like you stepped out of Mamma Mia! during your summer vacations, then you'll love this embroidered mini dress. With blouson sleeves, an A-line cut, and floral embroidery, this dress feels nostalgic without looking dated. Reviewers attest that the linen-blend fabric is lightweight yet opaque, so it's perfect for hot travel days. I'd pair it with espadrille shoes, although a strappy sandal would look stylish, too. It's not too late to get in on the butter yellow trend, and this linen mini skirt is one of the most elevated options I've seen in the hue. It has a sophisticated silhouette and stretches far past the fingertips, so this skirt is ideal for all occasions. I'd pair it with a crisp button-up for work or dress it down with a white tee for weekend wear. One reviewer called this lace-trim dress 'low-key sexy,' and I couldn't have described it better myself. The lace detailing adds a flirty element without being overly revealing, and the modest midi length balances out the cut-outs. Plus, the breezy fit and linen-blend fabric are perfect for hot summer nights. Based on the reviews, I'd recommend bustier shoppers size up to get the perfect fit. A nautical striped shirt is always a good idea. Shoppers raved about the 'heft' of the fabric, which ensures this Harbor top won't look flimsy or thin. Nonetheless, it's still the 'perfect summer tank,' according to a reviewer. Style it with linen shorts, a pretty maxi dress, or classic jeans for an instantly stylish look. A white button-down may be seasonless, but I reach for mine most often in the summer. With a slightly cropped silhouette and breathable cotton poplin fabric, this standout one is perfect for warm weather. Throw it over a swimsuit, pair it with jean shorts, or opt for an elevated skirt for a dressier look. Snag it for just $39 today, and I promise it will be in your rotation for years to come. Love a great deal? Sign up for our T+L Recommends newsletter and we'll send you our favorite travel products each week.
UAE Moments
a day ago
- Business
- UAE Moments
♋ Cancer Daily Horoscope for July 29, 2025
You're entering a day of steady momentum: professional goals gain traction, and your reputation shines brighter. Efforts in your personal and work life harmonize, offering a sense of uplift and stability. Finance & Wealth Your financial prospects look promising. Unexpected business or reputation gains could land in your favor, especially if travel or new ventures are involved. Stay proactive and engaged in diverse pursuits to maximize rewards. Career & Professional Growth At work, your focus and depth help you press forward on long-term projects. Colleagues notice your dedication, giving you momentum and support. This is a time to take measured risks and build on ongoing plans with confidence. Love & Relationships Harmony prevails in your personal life. Time spent with friends and family brings comfort and deeper emotional trust. If you're considering a big decision—romantic or personal—trust your judgment; clarity and emotional confidence guide you well. Health & Well‑Being Your emotional equilibrium strengthens today. Hesitance fades, enthusiasm rises, and overall well-being feels balanced. Listen to your body and heart—they're aligned toward health and calm. Extras
Fast Company
3 days ago
- General
- Fast Company
How to deal with loneliness at work
One of the best predictors of your happiness at work is whether you have colleagues that you are close with. You don't necessarily need to be friends with your colleagues—that is, you may not want to hang out with them outside of work—but you do want to have people you feel you can talk with and share your experiences. Unfortunately, many people feel like they don't have anyone at work that they know well at all. Workplaces have gotten more efficient, and so there is less time for people to engage in small talk that solidifies their relationships with others. In addition, even at workplaces where everyone is working on-site, there are still many meetings done via videoconference, so it is hard to connect with your colleagues before or after to say a few words. If you're feeling lonely at work, there are a few things you can do. Make space and time for relationships Developing better relationships with your colleagues may seem like a waste of time, but it isn't. Not only does it help to predict workplace satisfaction, but having close colleagues also helps to build trust. Some amount of trust building involves demonstrating to people that you will carry out tasks that you promised and do your work well. But, a lot of trust is built through relationship development. You tend to trust people you know well. When you let people in on details of your life, you're showing some vulnerability, which also builds trust. Indeed, when you think about it, the people you are closest to in your life are people you share a lot of your life with. They know what you like, what you want, and what you have done. They have shared good times and bad. That sharing influences trust in the workplace as well, and so it is valuable to set aside some time to build your relationships with others. Take some initiative When you're feeling lonely at work, you may also feel rejected by others. You may look around and see other people having conversations and wonder why nobody has talked with you. You might even start to wonder if there is something wrong with you that is preventing other people from wanting to engage with you. Rather than wallowing in the feeling that you don't deserve to be close to your colleagues, do something about it. Invite a colleague for coffee or lunch. Bring in pictures of your kids, pets, plants, or the products of your hobbies. Create chances for people to get to know you better. Over the years, I have collected and built a variety of Lego models. I have brought the finished models to my office, and I display them there. They are there in part because I think they are fun. But, they are also here to generate conversations when people come to my office. It creates a light moment to talk about something unrelated to work that builds my relationship with colleagues. It is a small thing, but I think it has an impact. Build a group For many people, it can be awkward to try to build relationships with one person at a time. If you're socially awkward, you may not want to have sustained conversations but you would still like to feel that you're part of a team. In that case, you might want to find or start a group at work that gets together on occasion around an activity to build a community. Use lunch hours once or twice a month to start a book club or take time before or after the workday to do a volunteer effort. A group that has a common goal is a great way to feel connected to your team. That spirit can feed back on the workplace. Constructing a group like this is different than the traditional team building activity that workplaces often create. Those activities are often forced on a group. They are done once. They may be fun, but they don't create anything sustaining. The groups I am suggesting are intended to persist over time to develop a set of relationships and lay down a collection of memories that ultimately create a more cohesive workplace.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Instead of an Engagement Ring, I Proposed With This Instead — And It Was Best Decision
It was a brisk, sunny day in March 2016 when a stack of packages arrived at my desk. Underneath the PR mailers and unsolicited product samples was a large brown box with a shipping address from Wisconsin. 'It's here,' I whispered to the cluster of writers typing away at the communal table around me. My colleagues broke out in applause. Tonight, I thought, I will be engaged. My partner, Beth, and I had been together for about three years when we decided to get married. One thing (of many!) that convinced me we were right for each other was how intentional our relationship was, and is. If one of us cooked dinner one night, the other donned an apron the next. If someone handled vacation accommodations, the other planned the itinerary. We tried our best to work as a team. Rethinking Tradition When we talked about marriage, we were faced with all the traditions that came with it. The dress, the rings, the shockingly overpriced cake. We wanted something different, more like us. 'What if we just threw it all out, pretended we'd never heard of weddings, and instead did whatever feels like it commemorates our love?' I asked her. 'What would our party look like if we were raised on a desert island and had never known about the veils and awkward speeches?' She got me right away — she usually does. The first order of business was the engagement. A surprise proposal didn't feel quite right. I saw my friends get so stressed over popping The Question. A date night in Central Park or a random dinner became loaded with anticipation: Would he propose? The idea of the proposal being one partner's responsibility didn't fit our relationship. Besides, Beth isn't a big fan of surprises (I can't imagine anything she'd hate more than being surrounded with a mob of tourists as I get on one knee in front of the Eiffel Tower). As for rings, we knew we would exchange them on our wedding day, but we wanted to don them together as we entered a new stage in our relationship. Besides, the history of the engagement ring (and many other elements of traditional weddings) never sat quite right with me. Historically, women wore engagement rings to indicate an impending transfer of ownership from father to husband, and as a marker of relationship status and the resulting uplevel in her social standing. Meanwhile, a man who was engaged remained unmarked; the status of his betrothal less critical to his identity. Still, we did want to mark our engagement with something special that we could experience and enjoy together. Enter the mysterious brown box from Wisconsin. In it was our (much less expensive) version of an engagement ring: a quilt! A Keepsake We Could Share The idea for an engagement quilt came about as we were decorating our first shared apartment together — we both wished we had more original art, but we were working with a modest budget. One idea we batted around was a custom quilt, but the price tag felt hard to swallow. Fast forward to discussing our engagement. The quilt idea reemerged, and this time, the price felt appropriate given what the finished product would represent. As an author of craft books, I knew a lot of incredible crafty folks in the Brooklyn arts scene, including Kim, whom I'd met at a DIY event in Greenpoint. We stayed in touch when she moved to Wisconsin, when I saw she'd picked up quilting, I knew she would be perfect for our project. I emailed her with our idea, and she was immediately in. Our instructions were simple: Make a quilt of your choosing (we picked the color palette) and, when you finish it, stitch the month and year into the fabric and send it to us. The day we received it would mark our engagement. History in the Stitches Everything about the quilt was a perfect symbol of our growing relationship. Born in Mississippi, with many years spent living in Alabama and Tennessee, Beth noted the deep cultural and historical roots of quilts and quilting in the South. She spoke of Gee's Bend (where bold, modernist quilts made mostly by Black women gained national recognition) and of a friend from Birmingham who asked guests to contribute a customized quilt square that she had sewn together for her wedding. I loved the idea of cozying up in our engagement quilt for years to come, our family evolving underneath its cotton patchwork. Plus, the act of this keepsake being stitched together slowly and deliberately felt like the perfect representation of our relationship. The first time I saw Beth, I caught my breath as she walked past me in the lobby of the building where we both worked. Then, in a twist of fate, we began working at the same company. From there, we became close friends, our stories weaving a closer and closer knit until we started to date. Kim got to work on the quilt in December of 2015. We told her to take her time — we wanted it to be something she loved as much as we would. The seasons passed in a blur of crowded subway rides, illegal grill-outs on the roof of our apartment and shoveling out the downstairs tenants in the winter (we were the acting supers of our building). A little more than a year later, that unsuspecting box landed on my desk. The Engagement Night That night, I left work early so I could beat Beth home. I picked up some flowers, candles and fresh ingredients for a special dinner. When I got home, I laid out our wedding rings (we had already purchased them to exchange on the big day) and the flowers next to the brown box with a pair of gold scissors that I bought especially for this night. Dinner was almost ready when Beth got home and saw the display. She beamed in the candlelight. Together, we opened the box and withdrew the quilt. It was perfect. Peach, gray and black shapes punctuated the white fabric in a slightly staccato pattern. We kissed. We were engaged! Almost a decade later, the quilt has become a part of our family in a way a diamond ring never could. It festooned our bed in Brooklyn, moved with us to our first home together in New Jersey. It got piled into a ball as our new dog, Olive, joined the fray. We've read beneath it, snuggled side by side in the winter and have let it air-dry on the clothesline in the summer. Instead of slipping on rings, we wrapped ourselves in something warmer — stitched with intention, and soft enough to carry us through the years. You Might Also Like 67 Best Gifts for Women That'll Make Her Smile The Best Pillows for Every Type of Sleeper Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
The urgent financial lesson ALL parents must teach their children
Let's face it, pensions – work pensions, self-invested pensions – are not sexy. Whenever I mention them to friends over a drink, they look at their watch and say they have a train to catch.
