13 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: From Prada Coats to Off-the-Rack Suits

Whether she’s fighting a migraine or standing all day in brand-new shoes, actress Lilly Singh turns to Tiger Balm for immediate relief. (Smelling like a “minty old grandmother” on set doesn’t sway her, either.) “I love Tiger Balm so much that five years ago, my friends made me a birthday cake in the shape of Tiger Balm,” she told us.

When Vuori came on the activewear scene, Strategist contributor Katie Stone clocked it as very “Orange County dad” — as in, she thought the “joggers paired well with a pair of Allbirds and a trucker hat.” But since spotting Vuori’s little white squares on all the West Village–ites at her gym (along with Jack Draper and cool-girl trainer Kirsty Godso), she’s done a full 180 on the brand and tried several of its pieces in the process. Her shortlist includes the brand’s All the Feels leggings. They’re “Vuori’s take on the classic Lululemon Align, and even as a Lululemon loyalist, I have to say these are giving them a run for their money,” she adds.

Unlike a black sweatshirt (too streetwear) and a navy crewneck (overly preppy), a gray crewneck sweatshirt (versatile and not prone to fading) is just right for Strategist contributor Leon Hedgepeth. Still, after realizing the only one in his wardrobe was too heavy, a Strategist hunt was in order — specifically for his ideal gray crewneck sweatshirt (read: a lightweight piece with set-in sleeves and a ribbed collar, hem, and cuffs). His winner — this garment-dyed option from Merz b. Schwanen — is made from 100 percent organic cotton in “an ideal 11-ounce weight” and “the recycled brushed-fleece interior is soft and not the least bit itchy,” he adds.

[Editor’s note: Hedgepeth’s crewneck sweatshirt is currently out of stock in gray, but it’s still available in navy and charcoal.]

Strategist senior writer Michael Zhao will be the first to say that “in an era when dress codes have all but disappeared, buying a suit just to attend a wedding can feel more like a chore than a chance to express your sense of style.” But after attending nine suit fittings, he found more than a few options that will look good and won’t cost a fortune, including his top pick from Suitsupply. Though you should plan to shop in person, Zhao says, “With 37 stores spread across every major U.S. city (and four in New York alone), that’s easier to manage than you might think.”

Now that we’ve all stowed away our wrapping paper and (hopefully) thrown our trees on the curb, Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo thought it was time to ask the Strategist parents the perennial question: Which holiday gifts did your kids like the best? For senior writer Lauren Ro’s son Solomon, it was this LEGO Pixar lamp kit that Ro ended up putting together. Still, she says, “As I was putting it together, Solomon especially got a kick out of the hidden Easter egg–type callbacks to different Pixar characters.”

And if you’re still looking for a pair of boots you can (safely) stomp around in until we publish our Spring 100, you might consider one of the pairs Kim France suggested to a reader in search of a seasonally appropriate alternative to Blundstones. This pair, which she repurchased after wearing the first one for a decade, “is toasty warm and as cute as it could possibly be,” she says.

In this week’s installment of “Don’t Dillydally,” senior writer Liza Corsillo notes that Mattel made news when it announced the launch of the first autistic Barbie. “The doll comes with a pair of noise-canceling headphones, a working fidget spinner, and an augmentative and alternative communication tablet that lets her express herself without talking,” writes Corsillo.

If you’ve ever wondered what’s going on in a tech writer’s brain, our tech writer, Jordan McMahon, is here to tell you a big chunk is devoted to finding gadgets and gizmos that’ll help him decrease his screen time. Recently, that has included this physical keyboard that tucks away when not in use so it doesn’t permanently elongate his phone. And while this technically isn’t helping him unplug, he says, “You can use it with other devices too — I’m excited to use mine as an easier way to type on my Apple TV.”

For those who are struggling with rosacea and perioral dermatitis, Lukas Gage has a tip for you: Get some of SIV’s biome balancing serum. “The lady who developed it has perioral dermatitis herself, and she just cracked the code,” he says. “I’ve tried everything under the sun, but this is what finally did it for me.”