The Strategist Haul: What the Editors Bought in September

Merrell Hambleton actually introduced me to this DVF wallet and when I saw that it was on sale, I pulled the trigger and bought it. I must admit that I was slightly concerned it would be too small, but it’s actually bigger than it looks in the photo, and fits all my cards, change, and bills perfectly. It is so cheerful-looking and I have gotten many compliments on it.

It’s the sisterhood of the traveling bathmat! After Jason wrote last month that he bought the bathmat that Katy recommended in her bathmat roundup … I felt left out and wanted one too. It has changed my entire showering experience. No longer must I step on a sad and flattened terrycloth bathmat, and my bathroom suddenly feels like a spa. I was a little worried about water seeping onto the floor, but it’s only a minimal amount that drips, and I’ll wipe it up if I remember to (and if I don’t, it’s no big deal).

So I’ve been thinking about this “Birdy” side table for months now — Katy featured it in her side tables–with–animal feet roundup — and on one otherwise uneventful Sunday night a few weeks ago, I said, “to hell with it!” and bought it. My jade plant now sits daintily atop the table, and its spindly little legs make me smile every time I look at it.

So I already mentioned buying my COS shirt, but I actually liked it in hunter green so much, I went and got another. I wasn’t sure about this gray one since my vibe is more blue or black, but I actually love how the powdery, paintlike color looks with a pair of dark jeans. As a bonus, it was (and is) on sale, too.

Talk to me at a cocktail party after a glass or two of P.G., and you’ll likely get an earful about the underrated genius of Heartburn. Tbh, I found this book a little light on actual insight or dish (especially if you’ve already heard Rob Reiner deliver the same anecdotes on the When Harry Met SallyBlu-ray like seven times), but I’ll take any Nora nuggets I can get.

I bought the much-lauded Bormioli glasses that both Joanna Goddard and the Mimi Cheng’s founders recommended, but I find them to be a touch shallow and small for everyday use. I ended up also going a size up with the tumblers (second from left in the photo above, versus the ones on the right) and consider them just the ticket for a vodka-soda or plain water. Designer Katrina Hernandez likes them, too!

Further evidence that Strat takes up most of my shopping brain, I bought this insanely cheap coffee table we featured to fill the long but narrow space between my couch and TV. It doesn’t hold very much, but is just fine as a surface for Seamlessed Thai. Shout-out to the boyfriend for putting it together in an as-speedy-as-advertised 15 minutes.

After reading the original Skin-Care Doc I became low-key obsessed with how I should be washing and caring for my face, but I was too shy to go all in and buy everything. I just didn’t believe it would work for me. Then I interviewed four guys with glowing skin and after a military vet (and Soko Glam founder) told me a proper cleanse could cure everything, I decided I was seriously lacking. So I mixed and matched from all those articles and have spent over $100 on face stuff in the past week. Here’s what I got in addition to the items below: Cosrx Low-pH Good Morning Cleanser,Etude House moisturizer, EltaMD SPF, and Kate Somerville’s goat’s-milk eye balm.

Some Klairs vitamin C drops I also got for that extra glow.

I got some Missha essence (which I was told is just as good as the much more expensive SK-II).

I got some My Beauty Diary masks from Rio’s sheet masks story.

I scored some Weleda Skin Food while I was at it. Now pray for me.

I also bought this book called Diaspora Boy by the cartoonist Eli Valley because I’m all about the weird, often-uncomfortable and always-complicated relationship between American Jews and Zionism.

Perhaps in an attempt to summon fall by way of my feet, I bought bright orange Converse high-tops last week. I’ve since worn them almost every day, with a rotating cast of cropped, wide-legged pants. For a less Halloween-y (but equally autumnal) vibe, I like these burnt-orange guys.

And for a non-retail purchase: I read the frightening Evan Osnos piece about his time in Pyongyang and then promptly went out and purchased Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick — an equally frightening look at daily life in North Korea written through interviews with refugees from Chongjin.