Cervo’s Coupes and Polo Bar’s Lamps
This roundup of things we liked this week originally appeared in the April 10, 2025 edition of the Secret Strategist newsletter, a weekly email where we share the stuff our staff — plus a rotating cast of writers, design-world people, and various others with very good taste — would otherwise keep to themselves. If you want to get our picks straight to your inbox each week, sign up here.
Believable silk flowers, new Merrells, and our tariff-panic purchases. Much to get in to this week! —Simone Kitchens, Lauren Ro, and Erin Schwartz
This Week’s List
* Our friend director Elizabeth Wood just told us about the Flora Magnifica silk-flower shop in Paris. She went in and gasped when she realized the blossoms were all fake. “The owner had me touch them — the tulips I ordered feel real.” Gather a forever bunch of dahlias and mimosa or anemones, which are all shipped internationally.
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* These Bessarabian flat-weave kilims — with flowers on a black background — have a pretty, botanical-illustration look to them.
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Toyo Sasaki Coupes
* A loophole to use before tariffs (maybe) close it: chic, unbreakable Toyo Sasaki glasses are around $45 for a six-glass set via Amazon Japan, half of what they cost in the U.S., and they ship for free. Erin just bought the coupes after spotting them at Cervo’s. (They also own these and these.)
* Lauren discovered that the wireless brass table lamps at the Polo Bar, engraved with Ralph Lauren at the base, are custom-made by Marietta, Georgia-based Table Décor International.
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* Strategist senior writer Michael Zhao told us he’s been getting lots of compliments on these Merrells. “They’re barefoot-style shoes meant for hiking and walking, but they don’t scream ‘I am a fitness freak with heterodox opinions’ the way a lot of the more running-oriented sneakers (or five fingers) do.”
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* Found out about a Japanese line (often tagged with Yohji Yamamoto) we weren’t aware of before: Inéd. A lot of cute vintage, like a yellow linen shirt, angora coat, $5 deadstock windowpane stockings, and this checked trench.
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* Truly, we live in a golden age of knits. Erin just learned about London designer Khanh Brice Nguyen, who makes these amazing drop-stitch shirts and diaphanous tanks that look like the future. (Similar textile to these wool Creatures of Comfort T-shirts that Lauren found on TRR.) Also love July Li’s delicate cutout sweaters.
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* Freaky little Kaiser Leuchten vintage lamps.
* Perfect 1960s French iron, brass, and copper coat hooks that M. Kardana is currently selling.
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* Yellow Knoll dining table, blue Knoll side tables.
* Lauren saw these woven pendant lamps at Golden Rock Inn in Nevis. They’re actually replicas of traditional fish pots that Caribbean fishermen used to make to bring in their catch, according to the hotel’s manager. In the Seychelles they’re called kazye. (The shades’ hexagonal-weave style reminded her of Pali Xisto Cornelsen’s George Nakashima–inspired basket lamps she wrote about a couple of years ago.)
* P.S.: The Strategist Two-Day Sale is back — April 15 and 16.
More From The Strategist
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- The Best Things Strategist Editors Have Bought This Year (So Far)
- 63 Things You Should Never Buy Full Price
- The Strategist Fall 100
The Strategist is 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 about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
