10 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: From Restocked Rollnecks to Silk Floss

“As a New Yorker between the ages of 25 and 65, I’m legally obligated to own at least eight tote bags,” writes our contributor Katie Stone. Still, none of her totes were quite right — as in, each lacked pockets, zippers, and organizational elements. That is until she discovered Loeffler Randall’s Dina tote, which is made from water-resistant fabric and has comfortable, padded straps. Her favorite feature, though, is that the bag has eight pockets. After all, she says, “This is 2026, and it’s about time your tote has compartments where every single item can have its own individual dwelling.”

“Now that it’s March, I feel my more energetic self scratching to get out and start dressing in brighter colors, like a perimenopausal butterfly,” says our senior writer Liza Corsillo. Along with some Le Bon Shoppe Arc Pants and a checked windbreaker from Uniqlo, she’s been wearing the recently restocked J.Crew rollneck in this springy lime green. “It’s as comfy as any hoodie but better at hiding the throw-on nature of my clothes,” she says.

Our tech writer Jordan McMahon had never been able to find a combination robot vacuum and mop worthy of the top spot in our Best in Class guide. Then, he tried Roborock’s Q7 M5+, an affordable combination model that could mop well and vacuum dog fur out of thick carpets, a notably tricky task for robot vacuums. “All of that, combined with a relatively low price and Roborock’s excellent navigation software and intuitive app, made naming this our new top pick an easy call,” he says.

As someone who lives in “one of those older New York apartments that is hot in some places and cold in other places,” writer Angela Flournoy says, “You can’t be inside in your outside clothes, so you need something in between that and your pajamas.” For her, that’s this cardigan and some pants from Muji’s cotton velour line. Best of all, she says, “If you have to answer the door, you don’t look like you’re in your pajamas, but you are.”

While Corsillo, our toy expert, was prowling the Javits Center in search of exciting launches at the annual Toy Fair, she came across a few innovative new STEM toys from Thames & Kosmos, including this solar-powered flower that spins when sunlight hits. (And if you’re wondering what exciting new toys are to come: Corsillo says to watch out for “countless collectibles, some butter-yellow slime that comes in its own dish, top-secret new Pokémon cards and LEGO sets, and KPop Demon Hunters merch.”)

Until this week, Alex Mill would stock other brands’ ballet flats in-store. But this week’s installment of “Don’t Dillydally” included the brand’s very first collection of its very own flats. “The silhouette is classic, made from a slightly shiny patent leather with a little fabric bow at the front, and available in seven shades,” our senior kitchen and dining writer Emma Wartzman reports.

As the new owner of a mouth guard, our junior writer Bella Druckman is suddenly conscious of the daily maintenance that goes along with wearing one (or a retainer or an aligner). “The upkeep isn’t exactly glamorous, but I’ve found it’s slightly less cumbersome if you have a stylish case where the retainer lives when you’re not wearing or washing it,” she says. To prove her point, she rounded up all the nice-looking retainer cases she could find, including this rhinestoned option reminiscent of Carrie Bradshaw’s cell phone.

After Strategist senior editor Crystal Martin started de-plasticizing her kitchen, she turned an eye toward other plastic-heavy areas of her life — most notably, her dental routine. “I learned immediately that plastic toothbrush bristles are extremely difficult to avoid,” she writes, so she focused her efforts on her floss and landed on BamBaw’s grippy silk floss that’s covered in candelilla wax, which is plant derived and vegan. After using it for six months, she says, “I don’t know how much it’s saving me on microplastics exposure, but what I have figured out is it’s just a superior floss.”

“My wife and I are big fans of Chinese food and Sichuan cold noodles are my favorite dish,” says pianist Emanuel Ax. While he often orders them when dining out in Chinatown and Queens, he also likes to make the noodles at home using Shorty Tang’s recipe and this chili crisp that his wife picks up from the Upper West Side H-Mart.

As a “die-hard supporter of the Rag & Bone Miramar collection,” our writer Brenley Goertzen owns five pairs: A few of these passable-as-jeans wide-leg sweats, a track pant version, and a Still-Here-esque drawstring pair. “People tried to say the trend won’t last, but here I am,” she says. “These are the only pull-ons that truly look like denim without feeling like it.”

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