11 Things That Caught Our Eye Last Week: From Chopsticks to Fleece Vests

Designer Simone Rocha prefers hair ribbon — specifically this pale pink ribbon — over a classic hair tie. When we talked to her about her favorite things, she told us about this pretty one from VV Rouleaux, a London-based shop that Rocha used to visit when she was an intern and had to pick up meters of ribbons. Now she buys rolls for herself and says, “What I’ll do is wrap it around my hair. I’ve just got a tape here, and I would say around 45 centimeters at a time.”

Editor’s note: The brand lists its prices in pounds, so this is an approximation to dollars.

If your New York tote left you wanting more merch from your favorite magazine, you’re in luck: Zara just released two New York–themed items, which we included in our weekly roundup of newly released products. There’s a “Reasons to Love New York” classic crew and an embroidered hoodie.

Water bottles are one of the most frequently recommended items in our “What I Can’t Live Without” series, and this week, drag queen Nymphia Wind put a new one on our radar: the RhinoShield AquaStand, which is compatible with a MagSafe — meaning you can attach your phone to it. “There’s many instances where I have to do a little video and I just use my water bottle as a stand to hold my phone,” she says. “It’s been really handy.”

In case you missed it: Sephora’s savings event started this week. To help you make the most of the sale, our junior writer Bella Druckman compiled a list of every Strategist-approved product that’s on sale and our beauty writer Tembe Denton-Hurst rounded up all the products that she thinks are actually worth buying. Among her favorites is this gloss that Strategist beauty columnist Rio Viera-Newton describes as “extremely high-shine with soft subtle pigment that gives a your-lips-but-better wash of color with a juicy, high-impact glaze.”

Our beauty writers recently sat down to discuss the mascaras that they’re actually putting on their lashes. Kitty Guo, the steward of our best-in-class mascara roundup, is testing a couple “lash-enhancing” mascaras right now: “I use Colorescience’s Total Lash Mascara for a more natural everyday look, but on days when I want all the drama and volume, I go for Grande Cosmetics’s Intense Thickening Mascara,” she writes. “I can’t say which one deserves more credit, but with the two of them combined, my lashes are noticeably longer, fuller, and fluffier.”

“Oft associated with white button-downs, Excel spreadsheets, and Cava grain bowls, men’s vests can be much more than a gray fleece layer with a company logo,” writes Druckman. To prove her point, she chatted with a number of stylists, clothing-store owners, and generally cool and outdoorsy men to find some great, non-basic vests, including this sustainable option from Topo Designs. In addition to being completely made of recycled materials — from the fleece fabric to the zippers — it has an adjustable cord around the waist to keep heat in and a DWR coating for water and weather resistance.

It’s finally November, the socially acceptable month to start thinking about holiday gift giving — especially if you’re hoping to buy the season’s hot tech gifts, which tend to sell out way before the holidays. Strategist tech writer Jordan McMahon rounded up all the trendiest tech gifts from 2024 so you can get an early start. The list includes this case, which he says is “the only one that’s managed to stay on my phone longer than a month.” It’s available for several iPhone models, he adds, “and there are countless designs to choose from so you can pick the case that’ll suit your loved one’s style.”

To celebrate National Native American Heritage Month, Strategist writers Brenley Goertzen and Arielle Avila updated our list of gifts that you can buy from Indigenous-owned brands and small businesses. In it, you’ll find some French roast coffee beans, linen placemats, and these beautiful earrings. They’re handmade by Turtle Mountain Chippewa artist Jessica R. Metcalfe and feature an iridescent mother-of-pearl and black-rainbow shell.

“Growing up in Hawaii, where our cuisine comes from many generations of immigrants cooking and eating together, I used chopsticks for almost all foods, not just noodles or Asian dishes,” writes Strategist contributor Malia Yoshioka in her new guide to the very best chopsticks. After interviewing cooking experts of diverse chopstick-using cuisines and testing some herself, Yoshioka determined that these are the best high-end chopsticks thanks to their fine craftsmanship and glaze coating that makes them easy to clean. “Handcrafted in Japan, these dazzling chopsticks come in two color combinations and could make a night of takeout feel a little more special,” she writes.

With peak cozy season nigh, Strategist contributor Chris Black shared a few of his bathrobe recommendations while steering clear of anything silky or sexy (“I don’t think you are going for Hugh Hefner,” he writes). As a “sucker for a black-watch pattern,” he suggests this option in his latest column, writing, “I can see you throwing this bad boy on with some nice slippers and grabbing the newspaper from your lightly snowed-in porch with a steaming cup of third-wave coffee in hand.”

While a band tee is a perfectly acceptable way to support your favorite artist, “many musicians have taken their merch game a step further, putting their name on all kinds of objects,” writes Strategist contributor Matthew Schnipper. Memorable merch includes hair clips by Sabrina Carpenter, Funko Pop! dolls from the Cure, and this cowboy-hat-shaped incense holder by Beyoncé that pairs with her charcoal incense. “You know Cowboy Carter incense wasn’t going to smell like patchouli,” he adds.