On My Mind: Souvenir Tees and Midi Skirts
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“Strategist Brain” is a series in which staffers share the stores they’ve stopped into, the stuff they’ve spotted, and extra tidbits from stories they’ve worked on. You’ll hear from a different writer every week.
Two friends and I recently read the English translation of Vincenzo Latronico’sPerfectionas part of an informal group-chat book club. Afterward, I was compelled to pick up the novel that inspired it,Things: A Story of the Sixties,by Georges Perec. Both books are essentially about our stuff and what it says about us, how members of the creative class accumulate tasteful things to strive for higher status and decorate our rented living spaces as though we could ever afford to buy them. The theme popped up again when I sawMaterialiststhis past weekend and found myself clocking a set of pricey Tekla sheets on the bed of a struggling late-30s actor who still lives with roommates. Chillingly good set design.
So what do the purchases below, complete and pondered, say about me? That’s up to you to decide. There are no Tekla sheets to be found, but only because I’m loyal to Brooklinen.
Here’s everything else I’ve seen recently …
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My favorite outfit this time of year is a baby tee (often a child-size tourist T-shirt I’ve acquired at some souvenir store) with a midi skirt. I have been wearing a ridiculous glittery “I Love Paris” one sized for 3-year-olds lately, rotating it between a couple of vintage skirts from Stella Dallas.
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I’m also eyeing one of Brooke Callahan’s voluminous tie skirts, probably in this neutral milky color?
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I don’t care for hydration bladders. A scenic sip-stop is simply preferable to suckling on a rubbery teat while pounding the trail like an endurance athlete. So it’s exciting to me that lots of brands have recently come out with water-bottle-holders that attach to a backpack strap so you don’t have to take your entire bag off in order to drink water. I’ll be testing out the Fjällräven one on my next hike.
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Wild Alaskan Company White Fish Box
Kayanoya sent me a few of its dashi kits to try out, and I was impressed by the gorgeous packaging as well as the taste. This ramen made for an extra-deluxe work-from-home lunch and came together in minutes. I fried up some cod from Wild Alaskan Company to use as the protein alongside two boiled eggs as I am worth it.
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I have been to Greece exactly once, but that vacation has really stayed with me. Whenever summer comes around, I start fantasizing about pine trees and rocky beaches and strands of purple octopus drying in the sun. There is only one tolerable snack to accompany my yearning: this highly addictive (but not too sweet) sesame brittle imported from Crete.
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It simply won’t stop raining right now for some reason, but proper beach weather will surely set in next week. As someone who likes to start the day with an efficient ocean swim before work, I’m interested in this sand-removing tool recommended in our guide tosummer-camp supplies. That sticky, salty feeling between the toes is no fun on the subway ride home.
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Every few months, I disloyally consider replacing my Pentax K1000 with Fujifilm’s compact, travel-friendly mirrorless XT-30 II, which has “film simulation” technology for nostalgically graded colors right out of the camera — no messing around on Lightroom. It can’t possibly compete with the real thing, but film is an expensivehabit and I’ve got a few trips coming up that deserve better than iPhone photo quality.
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The Strategistis designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read abouthere. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
