13 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: Excellent Nordstrom Deals and Flip-flops With Arch Support

For the latest installment of the Strategist Swimsuit Project, novelist and contributor Sarah Blakley-Cartwright wrote about the only swimsuit she’s found that makes her feel free: Andie’s Malibu one-piece. Unlike the “decorative and fragile bandeaus, triangle bras, and string bikinis that give way after a single dive,” says Blakley-Cartwright, the Andie suit accepts that its wearer might “climb ladders at the water park and hurtle down the 70-foot free-fall slide.” And it stays put without being overly constricting and uncomfortable. “It feels like the freedom of wearing nothing, but with the reassurance of a hug, everything held in place,” she says.

Nordstrom’s annual Anniversary Sale opened to the public yesterday and is live through August 9 (though the best deals will sell out well before then). Deals editor Sam Daly rounded up the top deals from the sale so far, and one of her premier picks is this Osea set, which includes both full- and travel-size bottles of our Best in Class body oil and a tub of our favorite body scrub for dry skin. All three items would normally cost around $120, but right now they’re just $70 (and are great for achieving glowy summer skin).

“For the past few months, it has felt as if every other Instagram ad on my feed is for Archies flip-flops, the all-foam sandals with an added inch of arch support built into the shoe,” says writer Bella Druckman. Then she started seeing pairs in the shoe pile at her yoga class and on her friend’s feet upstate. So she decided to try them too. She spent the past few weeks in two pairs, walking thousands of steps around her neighborhood, Times Square, and the beach. They were exceptionally comfortable out of the box, even after particularly long walks when Druckman’s wideish feet would usually be rubbed raw. Her feet were never sore during or after wearing them, and now she can’t imagine wearing any other pair through the summer.

Although senior kitchen and dining writer Emma Wartzman’s spice cabinet is bursting at the seams, one category is severely lacking: what Wartzman calls the “innovative topper.” These are seasoning blends like the popular everything-but-the-bagel ones “that you want to sprinkle over a myriad of foods and that hit on both flavor and texture.” So she set out to find some. After calling in over 30 blends — but avoiding obvious ones like za’atar, furikake, and, yes, everything-but-the-bagel — she rounded up the seven winners, including several from Oaktown Spice Shop. Hat Trick is her favorite. It’s a mix of Aleppo chile, sea salt, sesame seeds, orange zest, crystallized lime, citric acid, onion, and nori. “There’s a lot going on, but the ingredients work cohesively together, giving you hits of tang, sweet, spice, and umami that sort of dance around your mouth.”

Wartzman also spent some time testing glass food-storage containers after the Pyrex set she’d previously named Best in Class was mysteriously discontinued. She wanted a budget-friendly set with plastic-free containers and lids, which turned out to be more difficult to find than she thought, but after trying the sets that fit her criteria, Bentgo’s took the crown. “Its set is the largest overall with nine pieces, yet it’s still the most affordable collection of the bunch,” she says. “They’re also the only containers I tested that let you microwave them with the lid on.” And important, they stack neatly.

Ro also solved a home-design problem of her own: her walk-through closet. “It’s not nearly as glamorous as it sounds,” she says. “It has a lot of shelves and rods for hanging clothes but only six small drawers. Open shelving is nice in theory, but unless you’re meticulous about folding your clothes and keeping everything neatly stacked (we’re not), it’s messy.” So she took Susan Orlean’s advice: containerize everything. She tried out several containers and found these to be the best for her closet. Neatly stackable pieces like jeans and sweaters could stay on the shelves, but slippier, thinner items like workout gear, tanks, swimwear, and hats went in the bins. “Where we once had chaos, we now have order thanks to these bins. And because they’re clear, they can be repurposed for just about anything — in any room.”

Senior writer Liza Corsillo chatted with singer Kelly Rowland about the day-to-day essentials she swears by, like the Aquaphor she keeps in all her bags and her favorite drugstore serum by Olay. But she never leaves her house without these toe separators. “I get foot cramps,” she says. “I’ve danced in heels since I was 11, 12 years old. And I have a bit of a bunion on both of my feet. These spread your toes out to allow more blood to flow. And they make it so that the second toe doesn’t go behind the other toe, you know what I mean? And it feels so good. It’s my favorite thing.”

For contributor Oset Babür-Winter, when it’s “too-hot-to-turn-on-the-oven temps,” it’s time to swap her fall jeans, loafers, and button-downs for airy satin pants, strappy sandals, and a camisole. But while trying to transition her wardrobe to entirely natural fabrics, she realized she lacked an entirely silk camisole, and so she started searching for a versatile (read: both office- and happy-hour-friendly) one under $300. That turned out to be trickier than expected; many brands advertise false blends, so Babür-Winter recommends paying close attention to the silk’s weave and finish. After trying nine tops, she found three favorites. This one, from L’Agence, is the most versatile, she says. “I’m confident this cami from L’Agence fits the day-to-night bill thanks to the unique U-shaped neckline, which offers enough coverage that you could wear it under a blazer and tucked into a pencil skirt or trousers in a (nonformal) office environment but also untuck it to grab drinks after work.”