The Strategist Haul: What the Editors Bought in May

I swore fealty to a white T-shirt from Cos the day that I wore one to my final in-person interview atNew Yorkseven years ago. It was 90-odd degrees outside, but that tee worked for both walking in the muggy June heat to the office and wearing inside an air-conditioned space. (I wore it with a Ganni-ish skirt from H&M, if you’re interested.) Cos has since changed the design and weight of its tees, but I remain loyal to whatever iteration it produces. I picked up two more over the weekend: The T-shirt now has a thicker ribbed neck, and the cotton is made in Portugal. Good value for $49!

If you, like me, experience tingling or jaw tension — often leading to pain — while wearing over-ear headphones for extended periods of time, you’ll be glad to learn that the Sonos Ace headphones produced none of these sensations for me after hours of continuous use. They also have great sound quality, effective noise cancellation (as well as a clear transparency mode), and analog buttons — instead of confusing tap or touch controls. But so do many of its competitors, almost all of which make my head hurt.

The Tracksmith Charles look just as elegant and stylish as any other Wayfarer-inspired frames — they’re even made in Italy — but at 32 grams, these polymer plastic frames weigh about 30 percent less than your typical acetate specs. They also have spring-loaded hinges that keep them firmly on my head while running and biking. I appreciate that there’s no loud lettering or logos to be found anywhere on the exterior; just a tiny brass rabbit on each temple tip that gets discreetly covered by my ears when worn.

I’m not alone in saying that one of my favorite activities while visiting a different country is exploring its grocery stores. Last time I was in Paris, I bought my boyfriend some of this sea salt from the local Monoprix, and he never stopped raving about it. This time, I bought three tins, so we could have some in reserve — and for three euros a container, I’d say it was more than worth it.

As Lauren mentioned in last week’sSecret Strategistnewsletter, I recently got back from Paris where I shopped, munched, and walked around with my mom and aunt (girls’ trip!). Throughout the week, I was on the hunt for two things: a little neck scarf (which I found atFleux) and a woven bag that I could use throughout the summer. I thinkSézane’s targeted Instagram adsplanted the seed in my head, but this bag from French brand Kate Lee had everything that I was looking for: a clean weave, colorful leather accents, and a zippered pocket on the inside to keep my valuables secure.

[Editor’s note: Kate Lee lists all prices in euros, so the price shown is an approximate conversion to U.S. dollars.]

I’m eternally on the hunt for low-key, chill hobbies to do instead of being an iPad baby. Coloring is one of those things. Until this month, I was using random colored pencils and markers from my “art supplies” bin, but I wanted to upgrade. So I consulted my mom, who got deep into coloring while recovering from an injury last year, and she put me onto Ohuhu markers. Turns out people are obsessed with these — there’s a wholeReddit communitydevoted to them, which I read thoroughly to determine which set to buy (there are many choices!). I settled on the Honolulu B series, which has a fine tip and brush tip on each end of the marker. The color options are plentiful, and they are super-vibrant on the page. Be warned, though, that the alcohol ink bleeds easily.

Emma’s piece aboutingenious kitchen gadgetsconvinced me to get this julienne peeler, which will be put to good use as we head into peak salad-making season.

I’ve resisted trying Patagonia’s pantry offerings for a long time — an instance of my being uncharitably stay-in-your-lane — but you know what? I was very wrong.MichaelDM’d me to rave about the brand’s dried pasta, which led me to order a bunch of items out of curiosity. As aBean Club memberand collector of special tinned fish in my travels and at home, I’m kind of a snob about both, and this particular combo is really good.

I wrote about a couple of things I bought in Paris in last week’sSecret Strategistnewsletter, and here’s a few more. I found myself in Agnès B and got the Classique snap cardigan in red, which is boxier than theRosana, which I have in black. The Classique has snap adjusters on the waist but none on the sleeves (the Rosana has both). It was on sale for 146 euros.

At Charvet, my mom, sister, and I looked at just about every tie it had displayed (hundreds and hundreds of them) and settled on two for my dad — he wears a suit and tie to church every Sunday and loves them. The first is in this paisley pattern (with different colors — light green on a pale-pink background), and the second is in a patternsimilar to this onebut without the lines (it has white diamonds with blue centers on an orangey red background). They were much cheaper in Paris, about 220 euros each — and I got the VAT refund.

I’m going to a wedding in the Berkshires next month, followed by a week visiting my fiancé’s parents. There will be lots of driving and lots of lounging, and for the duration of the vacation I wanted a pair of easy, breezy lightweight pants that I could dress up (enough to wear to dinner) or down (for hanging around). These cotton ones from the Gap fit the bill supremely well, and I’ve already pulled them out multiple times at home since I got them a couple of weeks ago. They’re super-comfortable, the texture is cute, and the fit is flattering. (Along with what feels like the rest of the world, I’m loving the Gap right now,clearly!)

I had these in an open tab for almost the entire months of AprilandMay and finally decided to buy them a couple of weeks ago. (Of course, now they’re on sale.) I haven’t actually worn them out yet (only tried them on) — but I love that they combine a Birkenstock-style bottom with a simple, non-buckle strap. The amount of foot coverage is nice, too.

An occupational hazard of working on ourStrategist Summer 100was that it made me want toshop. Big-time. And so I ended up buying a few things that were on that list, including these linen pants — in chocolate brown — from the Gap. I wore them to the park on the sunniest day of Memorial Day weekend and they were truly perfect — the linen feels high-quality and the cut is comfortable and flattering.

I also kept close tabs on the J.Crew sale over the holiday weekend, and I ended up buying this cover-up. I’ve found that cover-ups can run long in a way that feels a little dowdy to me, but I love that this one is a nice mini length and isn’t too sheer. I could easily see myself wearing it as a dress with flats, too.

I really like Buddy, a New Zealand hemp clothing brand. I’ve followed the owner for years — she’s also a big vintage lover and seller. And true to that spirit, the fit of these mini-tees is quite retro and tight in the right places. The fabric still has a soft looseness, though, and I think the tees will be getting a lot of wear in the coming months. I went with lilac, light blue, and wasabi green. They’re all very pretty pastel shades, just like in the product photos.

In the last two months, my son has become increasingly interested in play kitchens, especially the pretend coffee machine in the waiting area at our local Tribeca Pediatrics. So, we decided to get him a toy kitchen and coffee maker. Because I write about toys, I overthink all of my own toy purchases. I finally bought this barista set because I saw it in person at a bookstore and liked that it’s wooden and cute with buttons you can push. He loves asking us what kind of coffee we want — red, yellow, or pink — and if we want milk in it.

There is a J.Crew Factory store near my parents’ house in Westbrook, Connecticut, that I love because it’s often empty. While visiting them this month, I realized I had packed all the wrong clothes, so I went there with my mom to buy jeans. I did find a pair, which are fine but not remarkable. I’m more excited about this button-front top that I picked up in hunter green. I love that it is vestlike but not an actual vest, can dress up jeans, and will look good with skirts and shorts, too.

I was initially hesitant to buy this $40 ceramic bowl, but it has done wonders for my budget and diet. I went from buying lunch at the office and grabbing takeout on the way to friends’ houses to bringing some sort of homemade rice dish with me everywhere. It’s blate- (bowl and plate) depth, so it’s deep enough to hold a good-size dish or salad but shallow enough to slip sideways into my medium shoulder bag. It’s technically not leakproof, so I only do this with dry dishes, but the lid’s silicone interior suctions the bowl closed, and an exterior silicone strap locks it shut — I’ve yet to have any spills. It’s so boring, but this salad bowl brings me so much joy and lowers my sodium intake by probably 1,000 milligrams.

I finally caved and also bought avocado huggers on sale at Ban.do. All I can say is I get the hype and should have bought these ten years ago. I’m no longer wrapping up my avocados in tinfoil and forgetting about them in the back of the fridge. It’s also great since I have roommates and stuff gets moved around in the fridge all the time. And, somehow, the two sizes fit every avocado? A mystery.

Ahead of a beach trip, I purchased these Levi’s on a whim. I have plenty of denim shorts with longer inseams but wanted a pair that was short (but nottooshort), well fitting, and comfortable. These checked all the boxes. Even though they’re my tightest pair of denim shorts, the one percent of elastane makes them easy to move around in and never feel restrictive.

I forgot my sunglasses during a weekend trip in Austin, so I stopped by a mall on the way there. I ended up at Uniqlo and remembered this perfectly timedarticle by Katie Stone. I was able to snag the last black pair of the narrow sunglasses, and I love them. They’re flattering for my round face, compliment almost everything in my closet, and don’t feel super-cheap. They’ve quickly become my go-to sunnies, and I see myself wearing them through the rest of summer.

Editor’s note: The black sunglasses are currently out of stock, but you can sign up to be notified when they come back. The style is currently available in a cool clear gray.

We first started using a compost bin (see below) bagless (big mistake). It got so gross, so quickly, so I asked my friend who’s been hauling compost bags to her local farmers’ market for years what she uses. She immediately dropped this link. The bags fit in our bin perfectly and haven’t leaked or broken on the way to the trash room (so far).

Our building finally got those brown compost bins in our trash room. To help us stay committed to composting (and to save us from too many trips back and forth), my fiancé and I got this little bin to stick in our freezer. It’s the perfect size to leave out on the counter, so I can throw scraps in while I cook and stick it back in the freezer when I’m done.

Everyone and their mother has evangelized about this Embryolisse moisturizer, and I’m afraid I must join the chorus. I purposefully went light on the skin care when packing for my Paris trip, with grand plans to raid the shelves of the French pharmacies; of all the products I picked up, this was the one I used up the quickest. It has a lightweight texture; a pleasant, non-overpowering scent; and, when mixed with water, pulls double duty by dissolving into a milky emulsion that effectively acts as a makeup remover. Thankfully, due to its overwhelming popularity, it’s very accessible Stateside as well.

I finally finished up the enormous 25-pound bag of jasmine rice I boughttwo yearsago, and, on the hunt for a slightly healthier option, took a shine to this wild-rice blend from Lundberg Farms. It had all the right buzzwords —non-GMO, organic, sustainable, habitat-providing for migratory birds— and, naturally, came with a concomitant price tag. Which is unfortunate news for my wallet, because it’s very good — nutty, nutritious, with a delightfully chewy texture. It’s good enough, in fact, that I’m about to abandon all prudence and go in on another 25-pound bag.