The Strategist Haul: What the Editors Bought in October

I had a pair of Rod Lavers in middle school (inspired by the cooler older kids who were dressing like or were extras in the movieKids), and thought it would be fun to revisit them many years later. I have not been disappointed — they look great, I think, with acropped pant, and are just as comfortable (but less ubiquitous) than theStan Smith.

I, of course, had to pick up a few pieces from Uniqlo’s new “U” collection. I got this mock-neck sweatshirt in black as well as this T-shirt in bright red — both of which I have already worn multiple times. And while I was at the store, I also picked up a J.W. Anderson for Uniqlo white sweater turtleneck with sweet little ties around the wrists, which was on sale.

I truly have a mock-neck addiction, but this one from Everlane is great; it’s cotton, which means I can wash it easily, and I won’t overheat when our offices turn into a sauna come wintertime.

Judi Rosen, late ofthe Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, recentlyopened a new store in Williamsburgand is selling her famousbutt-flattering jeansagain. I checked out the shop the other weekend and couldn’t resist getting a pair of these cigarette jeans.

Finally, I bought the cheek tint that Rio Viera-Newton featured in herno-makeup makeup-look guide. As RVN promised, it is the perfect blush for those worried about looking too clownish, and instead are going for the “just a little bit sun-kissed” look.

I’d read about Uniqlo’s newcustomizable Easy Care shirtsand decided to test one out. Really, “customizable” is generous — Uniqlo lets you choose a standard shirt size as a base and then adjust the collar size, sleeve size, and whether the collar buttons down. The process was quick, though, and if, like me, you have gorilla arms and need a slightly longer sleeve, it’s a nice option for stocking up on affordable dress shirts, which inevitably need replacing in a year anyway. (Be warned: If you wear it without an undershirt, the thin material will expose nipples.)

After years of my sad iPhone 5s, I finally upgraded my phone to an 8 Plus and needed a new case. Itpainsme to have to obstruct it, so I chose thePitaka phone caseas recommended by our friends at Select All, Jake Swearingen and Paris Martineau. The thing’s already saved my phone from several drops, including a heart-stopping moment when it almost slid down an office elevator shaft. Just this last weekend, it protected my phone from mashed legumes when I dropped it into an open tub offauxgras at ourStrat stoop sale.

Yes, Ialready have these in leather, but I couldn’t resist the incredibly comfortable, slightly lifting Swedish sneakers that were very much on sale on aBritish site(shopping foreign sites will save you on tax, friends!). Now I just need to protect them with someJason Markk Repel.

I like a goodblack teefor wearing to thegymor running to the bodega, so when I saw a take onFrank Ocean’s T-shirton Amazon, it was an instant add-to-cart. Ireallywish there were a comma after “racist” (and “homophobic” for that matter), but I think the point gets across. I like it in black, butthe originalcomes in white, pink, blue, and gold (though you may have to resort toAmazonas Green Box seems to have put a pause on online orders).

This month, I learned about Hem, a simple, stylish Swedish furniture line, and I also moved.[Editors’ note:Architect Ming Thompson highly recommends Hemas well.]The perfect excuse for me to buy two of theseside tablesin rust red. They’re also on wheels.

I also bought a Chromecast because the one in my old apartment belonged to my roommate, and I needed another so that I could continue streaming HBO from my best friend’s boyfriend’s parents’ account.

I ordered myself a copy of the new, forthcomingBroccolimagazine because it’s free (!) and I’m all about designer-cannabisculture and gorgeous still lifes of botanicals.

I also got six of these 15-ounce bad boys (a.k.a. Hasami porcelain mugs in gloss gray).

And lastly, I needed a pair ofsneakersthat had some height, and I managed to find one of the few last pairs of Nike Sky Hi Dunks on Amazon in all-white. They’re overpriced, but no longer available anywhere else, so once again, Amazon for the win.

I happily got stuck in the rain at Bird over the weekend and bought two things in a similar color palette, both of which I love. First, these earrings, which are Lucite, more fun than my usual gold hoops, and allow me to wear tortoiseshell on my ears in addition to on my eyes (sunglasses) and in my hair (barrette). And second, anail polishfrom J. Hannah, which is apparently “seven free” (I looked it up: It means it’s made without the seven most common chemicals found in nail polish), but is mostly just a really pretty red-orange-brown color that I imagine I’ll never grow sick of.[Editor’s note: There arelotsofothershadesto check outfromJ. HannahatNeed Supply, too.]

Also, not to brag, but I had a Maryam Nassir Zadeh gift certificate, so I bought these beautiful, too expensive brown boots and wore them to myHalloweenparty. I was a package.

Given how much my colleagues rave aboutthat Google doc, it only feels right that I bought some Rio-recommended skin-care items during my first full week at the Strategist. As a perennially pimply adult, I was particularly taken by her emergencyzit-zapping beauty routineand bought both of the sheet masks she recommended. I’ve yet to open the vitamin C–boosting masks, but I tried theLeaders Clinic AC-Dressing Skin Clinic Maskthis weekend and fully understand why it averages 4.6 stars on Amazon. My skin felt moisturized, less congested, and generally calmer.

This month, I entered into the cookie phase of my personal (and admittedly procrastination-fueled) journey to become a better veganbaker. And after spending too much time scooping pumpkin-walnut sugar-cookie batter onto a baking sheet with a regular spoon, I decided it was finally time to invest in a quick-release stainless-steel cookie scoop. I know this isn’t the most novel recommendation, but I’ve been surprised by how much I like using it, especially because the messiest step of baking cookies is now so much easier and cleaner.