10 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: From Mesh Bug Suits to Mustard Mary Janes

Instead of going to couples counseling to come to terms with her husband’s grape-flavored Spindrift obsession that was slowly covering their home in purple cans, Strategist contributor Leah Finnegan got a can crusher. Compatible with regular-size cans, tall boys, and mini-cans alike, “this particular can crusher purports to reduce your recycling load by 20 percent, but I’d wager it’s even more,” writes Finnegan. “Our recycling can go a week without being emptied now.”

In the 35 years that Sarah McLachlan has been wearing Birkenstocks, she has collected about 20 pairs, the most recent acquisition being these all-suede ones. “They are really beautiful. Even the outside foot thing is all suede. It’s kind of like if Rick Owens had designed a Birkenstock,” she says. “I should have bought three pairs because they only seem to last about a year and a half with me because I wear them every day.”

When Strategist junior writer Bella Druckman was in Paris with her mom earlier this summer, they found themselves among a gaggle of 20-somethings ogling the velvet mary janes and espadrilles that lined the walls of Flabelus. “Sizing was limited, so I left empty-handed,” she writes in this week’s installment of “Strategist Brain,” but the newly opened New York location means she has another chance to call them hers — “and just in time for fall.”

“It feels like once a month, I get a text message from a friend desperate to know if their hair looks thinner,” says Strategist writer Dominique Pariso. In some cases, they’re not imagining it: “As our hormone ratios shift over time, the hair-growth cycle gradually changes, and this process can start as early as our 20s,” says dermatologist Dr. Nicole Lee. To calm the general hair-thinning panic in the air, Pariso tapped a few hairstylists, trichologists, and dermatologists (including Lee) for product recommendations. The shortlist includes this hair serum that comes recommended by almost every beauty editor Pariso knows for its efficacy.

“I deeply appreciate products that grow with a child,” writes our expert on the kids beat, Liza Corsillo. So when looking for cups to test for her new toddler-cups guide, this one, which is basically three cups in one (a sippy cup, a straw cup, and an open cup), stood out among the rest. With an insulated stainless-steel interior, a leakproof lid, and removable handles, the cup “checks a long list of boxes that don’t usually come together in a single cup,” she writes.

This week, some of our favorite dinnerware got an earthy-colored upgrade when Heath Ceramics released its new collaboration with Herman Miller. “The seven-piece assortment includes everything one might need for hosting — from candle holders to shallow salad bowls,” says Strategist writer Tembe Denton-Hurst in this week’s edition of “Don’t Dillydally.” If you can buy only one thing in the collection, though, go for the plates; Strategist senior editor Winnie Yang’s set has endured nearly two decades of dinner parties.

Though Strategist senior writer Michael Zhao expected his Keen Uneeks to be a conversation starter when he wore them to a casual wedding last weekend, “as it turned out, no one noticed or cared,” he says. He elected to wear them the entire weekend simply because “they’re just fun and sensible shoes that are much more comfortable than they have a right to be.” The lack of break-in time helped, too: “I walked almost 43,000 steps between Friday and Monday without feeling a single hot spot, let alone a blister,” he reports.

[Editor’s note: The first run of Uneek loafers was a limited release and is currently sold out in all sizes. But you can sign up to be notified when they return.]

If Strategist senior writer Lauren Ro invited you into her home, you might find yourself gravitating toward this salmon-y pink ottoman in the corner of her living room. At least, she says, that’s the case for everyone who walks through her front door. The Chunk is made up of a main doughnut-like “hoop,” two inner stacking “pucks,” and a soft pad that goes over everything like a lid, which makes its use cases nearly endless. While Ro uses it primarily as a footrest and extra coffee table, her kids love hiding in it during a game of hide-and-seek. And for the more adventurous kids, she says, “It turns into a hamster wheel they can roll themselves.”

“In the Hudson Valley, people talk about ticks like city folk talk about subway delays: They’re annoying, but inevitable,” writes Strategist contributor Sylvie Florman. So, when a surprisingly stylish take on bug protection called Zapware started popping up along the Hudson, word got around: “David Gensler, the founder of Vanish Outdoor, heard about it from Sal Fabbella, the owner of Catskill Outpost. My friend Addie saw hints of it on Instagram, and others were intrigued when they passed Zapware’s stand at Basilica Farm & Flea,” Florman reports. Fashion designer and shop owner Nikki Chasin is a fan, too.

In the ten months since we first reported that bag charms were officially a “thing,” we’ve seen every brand from Loewe to L.L.Bean drop their version of the viral accessory. Accordingly, Strategist writer Erin Schwartz thought it was time to get a pulse on where the Strategist stands on the matter: Are we bag-charmed out? While they found 70 percent of Strategist staffers are bag-charm skeptics, “even the skeptics had to admit that some of them are really cute” — including this hand-knit sweater one for fall bags.