14 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: From Status Track Pants to Comfy Clogs

As a child, Strategist beauty writer Krista Bennett DeMaio learned how to style her hair from her mom, a hairdresser who cut and styled hair in the foyer of their home. Now, she’s taking notes from her own tween daughter, who told her about one of the newest tools that makes styling hair easy: This curling wand that can churn out bouncy, Old Hollywood–like waves at the press of a button — literally. “All she had to do was slip a section of hair through the slit at the top, press a button, and the hair wrapped around the inside chamber. It beeps when it’s done, unraveling perfect curls,” DeMaio writes.

It doesn’t take the eye of a fashion reporter to notice that just about everyone has been wearing track pants recently. However, after spotting a few tasteful people — including Mya Gelber, Ella Emhoff, and Erika Veurink — in distinctly colorful trackies, our writer Kitty Guo realized all the fashion girls are wearing a certain pair of track pants from Relax Lacrosse. They’re “not exactly athleisure, but they’re kind of Sporty Spice,” says writer and podcast host Hunter Harris, who owns two pairs. “I’m waiting for Hailey Bieber to wear them, and then they’ll really take off.”

[Editor’s note: If your preferred color or size is sold out, you can sign up for individual product notifications and subscribe to email updates on Relax Lacrosse’s website.]

As one of our Vuori experts at the Strategist, writer Brenley Goertzen was immediately intrigued by Vuori’s latest launch: denim. “The first thing I noticed when the jeans arrived was that the denim felt especially soft, which makes sense since they’re made from a combination of cotton, stretchy Tencel lyocell, and a dash of elastane,” she writes. After wearing them everywhere from a pizza night to dinner at a 19th-century mansion resort, she was sold. “I’m even considering placing an order for the cream-colored versions,” she writes.

When Strategist contributor Sari Botton’s arthritis started acting up, she had to say good-bye to her 20-pair collection of wooden-heeled clogs. And so she began hunting for clogs with orthopedic properties, like light rubber soles and comfortable memory-foam footbeds, in order to help her feel like her old self, “someone with a million clogs.” So far, she’s accumulated a variety of classic clogs, modern options, and even a few going-out clogs like these from Dansko. “It’s the best of both worlds, looks-wise: a classic clog, with a little something to make it chic, plus they feel great on,” she says.

After learning that Chloë Sevigny went to Petit Bateau to buy cotton undies before heading to Dior’s Fashion Week show in Paris, Strategist writer Lauren Ro poked around to see if she could get some pairs for herself without flying across the Atlantic. As it turns out, they’re available through a third-party seller on Amazon. For research purposes, of course, Ro ordered some and was pleasantly surprised when they arrived a few days ahead of schedule, especially because “the underwear is pretty fantastic,” she says. “They are not granny undies, nor are they skimpy (if you must know, there is a tiny coquettish bow on the front).”

When Weezie sent Strategist junior writer Bella Druckman a towel wrap to test ahead of her next Dorm 100 update, she could have never predicted it would become one of her favorite towels. While she’s a few years past worrying about towel malfunctions in a communal hallway, she says, “I love how the elastic at the top makes it feels like a hug when I drape it over my shoulders.” Not to mention “the floral pattern makes me feel extra cute (and secure) when I’m walking around my apartment,” she adds.

A surprising takeaway from Strategist senior writer Michael Zhao’s silent retreat? That Ginger Lily Farms’ ZeroDerm shampoo and conditioner, the products stocked in the showers at the retreat center, are pretty great. “As a longtime Hairstory devotee, I feared that switching for even a week would leave my scalp an itchy, oily mess, as it often does when I travel without New Wash,” he writes. “But I was happy to be proven wrong by this nourishing, clean-rinsing, and surprisingly affordable combination.”

“I’ve forever admired people who can just throw a leather jacket over anything they’re wearing and make it look cool,” says Strategist contributor Angela Tafoya, who, until going on a hunt for a leather jacket, had felt that the style made her look like an extra in The Matrix. Her search led her to this bomber jacket from Quince that’s “heavy and substantial in a way that makes you instantly feel like you’ve done well by ordering it,” she says. While it’s listed as a bomber, it felt less boxy than ones she’d tried in the past. “Once I played around with styling — pairing it with wide-leg jeans and a light sweater — I will say this one surprised me,” she writes.

After Strategist writer Jordan McMahon canceled a few singing lessons due to a bronchitis-induced shaky voice, his coach suggested he pick up one of these Vicks Sinus Inhalers, which many singers swear by for clearing their sinuses. While McMahon mostly uses it before and after karaoke — “one run before heading out ensures my voice feels nice and fresh for my first song and that my lungs are relaxed,” he says — it also comes in handy when he’s sick. After a few days of uncomfortable breathing and coughing fits, he plugged in his “trusty Vicks” and says, “Three minutes later, I could breathe again.”

As seen in this week’s installment of “Don’t Dillydally,” Prada released its first-ever blush, a cream-to-powder formula designed to blend intuitively. It “comes in the luxury brand’s signature triangular packaging and looks rather lovely on the face of ambassador Bella Hadid,” our writer Katherine Gillespie says.

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