12 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: Plastic-Free Undies and Cordless Sconces

The latest early-aughts item to captivate Gen Z? Rainbow flip-flops. Two decades after they first peaked in popularity, the sandals are once again the shoe of choice for those under the age of 24. “Over on the West Coast, University of San Diego freshman Avery Simon says she sees every other person wearing a pair of Rainbows, and the same phenomenon at UMass Amherst prompted former ‘Birkenstocks stan’ Ezra Holt to think, Wait, I need a pair of flip-flops, specifically Rainbow flip-flops,” reports our junior writer, Bella Druckman. For now, there are seemingly few places where the students won’t wear the sandals. “As for if the trend lasts beyond this summer — only time will tell,” Druckman says.

Our sandal specialist, Ambar Pardilla, is predicting a toe summer, and she highlighted a contender for this year’s Mary-Kate Olsen Tevas (a.k.a. the shoe of the summer) in this week’s installment of “Don’t Dillydally.” A collab between Tkees and J.Crew, the flip-flop is “inspired by a style in the J.Crew archives but updated with grosgrain ribbons in colors I can only describe as Firecracker Popsicle red, sunset orange, and poolside blue,” Pardilla writes.

For our updates coordinator, Najwa Jamal, trousers never fit quite right. That is, until she found this wide-leg pair from Cos that she describes as having “a slightly masculine ease to them.” Along with an adjustable waistband and pleats that lay just right, the pants are “made of a fine twill weave and a wool-polyster blend, so they don’t have the dreaded sheen and flatness of a more synthetic pair or the scratchiness of an entirely wool one,” she says. So far, she’s worn them with cashmere to the office and with a baby tee and sandals to the store — they have “both enough oomph and casualness to wear almost anywhere,” she says.

If you take away one thing from Lena Dunham’s expansive press tour, let it be these sleep earbuds that she learned about from Susan Orlean in our “What I Can’t Live Without” column. “She was describing my exact situation, which is that she goes to bed listening to true crime — which is something some of us do, and we can’t be ashamed of that — and she was losing an earbud or getting tangled in her wired headphones,” Dunham told us. In comparison, these stay in and, perhaps most important, can also tell when you have fallen asleep and switch from true crime to white noise.

Anyone who subscribes to our daily newsletter knows that we regularly share exclusive tidbits, including reviews from our staff and contributors that you won’t find anywhere else. This week, we shared a few of our recent favorites, like this lip tint that gives Strategist contributor Margaret Eby “that elusive smudged-lip look and actually stays on all day.” Aside from the drugstore price point, she appreciates “that it’s buildable from a sheer wash of color up to a bolder lipstick look.”

Sure, our beauty writers try their fair share of makeup, skin care, and hair care, but it turns out the latest pills, gummies, and powders in the wellness world are part of our testing diet, too. This week, they shared their supplement stacks, one of which includes a probiotic from Halle Berry’s supplement brand. “Around week five, I noticed changes in appetite and regularity. I wasn’t as hungry or inclined to overeat, and I became more regular,” senior editor Crystal Martin says. “I’ve tried many probiotics, and this is the only one where I felt a difference.”

Last year, our writer Erin Schwartz tested two Quince curtain panels that were right in the middle — as in, “solid, not amazing.” So when they learned that the brand had expanded its curtain range, they tried the rest and actually found one they love: these velvet curtains that are available in eight colors. Compared to the Anthropologie velvet panels it’s probably duping, this set is 100 percent cotton and has a smooth, weighty hand feel. (“Velvet is a weave, not a material on its own, and can be made of any fiber: cotton, silk, viscose, or mohair,” Schwartz says.)

Wall scones, long a logistical nightmare because of the accompanying hardwiring, are now more accessible for renters thanks to the ever-expanding market of options that can be plugged in or recharged. To help anyone trying to improve the ambience in their space, our senior kitchen and dining writer, Emma Wartzman, chatted with home décor obsessives about their favorites, like these completely cordless ones from Pooky that are a favorite of decorator Madeline Scalzi. “She liked the idea of bringing in some shine with the antique brass, the curve of the neck, and a patterned shade to catch the eye,” Wartzman writes. “Plus she can easily change out said shade for a new look if so inclined.”

“When a guy goes to his closet and selects a lumpy blue sweater (because he’s trying to tell the world that he takes himself too seriously to care about what he puts on his back), chances are it’ll be navy, indigo, or some other shade of neutral blue that blends into the backdrop,” says senior writer Michael Zhao. Lately, though, he’s found himself gravitating to what seems to be this season’s haute blue, a primary blue that’s decidedly electric. Whether you go for this polo from L.L.Bean or splurge on some Sabahs, “these primary blues dominate any outfit they’re a part of, and that’s what I love about them,” Zhao writes.

“No tote bag is quite as classic as the L.L.Bean Boat and Tote,” says our deals writer, Cassie Hurwitz, who spotted a markdown on a black-and-white cross-body version. “We’ve loved and used nearly every derivative of the bag, from the Zip-Top to the Tall Small, and named it a favorite bag for planes, the beach,” she says — and this one is no exception.

We may only be about halfway through the month, but the Strategist team has been busy testing products for potential Best in Class inclusion, finding the newest releases in their respective beats, and reassessing old favorites. On the plastic-free beat, we’ve been trying out all-cotton underwear, like these compostable thongs from Kent that are thicker and more substantial than our update coordinator Najwa Jamal’s longtime favorite undies from Intimissi. “They’re comfortable, too, almost like wearing sweatpants, with no tags, scratchiness, or awkward digging,” she adds.

Those entrenched in the faux-fur-blanket space know there are, more or less, two contenders for the top spot: Lola Blankets and Minky Couture. Phoebe Gates, it turns out, is team Minky. Along with traveling with a mini-version, she says, “I also have one in the office, like sometimes if I have a day of back-to-back calls or interviews, I’ll lay it across my lap and get work done.”

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