The 23 Best Things Strategist Staffers Bought in September

I’m a bit of a ramen fiend. Packs of Buldak are usually my guilty pleasure, but Fly by Jing’s chili oils are delicious, so I grabbed these on a whim at Whole Foods recently. Dare I say the noodles are better than the brand’s chili oils. Nothing about them suggests instant noodles, from the thick and wide noodles themselves to the add-ins — sauce, oil, and dried chives. (The amount of fiber and protein is also a plus). I dressed up my portion with soft boiled eggs, seaweed, kimchi, and some protein for a fuller meal and will buy more in other flavors as soon as I can for lazy dinner nights.

A recent pajama drawer overhaul left me wanting a fresh set of baggy boxer shorts, à laComme Si(minus the price tag). I opted for these — a no-brainer after a 40 percent off in-store discount — and bought them in several perfectly oxford blues. They’re breezy with a wide, comfortable waistband, and perfect to sleep in after sizing up. While I wouldn’t venture out in public in them, they were a cheap and easy refresh to get me through the next few weeks of in-between weather.

Even though I periodically end up with chafed thighs, I’ve never been able to bring myself to wear bike shorts under my skirts or dresses (as many of my friends do) because it seems too hot and bulky. I was complaining about this earlier in the summer when my friend told me she had bought some shorts that were thin like tights and made specifically for wearing under dresses. Intrigued, I did some Googling and found Thigh Society. I ordered a few different styles, but ended up wearing these cooling shorts under a dress at an outdoor wedding recently. They were exactly what I had hoped: The shorts are very thin and don’t feel like you’re wearing much at all. I got the 7-inch length to avoid the legs riding up and chose a color close to my skin tone, so they were invisible under my dress. I also liked that my dress lay smoothly over the shorts, but they aren’t tight or restrictive like shapewear.

My cats are just about to turn one, and the older and bigger they’ve gotten, the more rambunctious they’ve become. To help them get some energy out and to get some additional enrichment, my husband and I have been training them to wear harnesses and walk on a leash. I started out with some hand-me-down harnesses — they were a little too big and the cats didn’t love that they went on over the head, so they only wore them indoors to get accustomed to the feeling. I ended up buying each of them a harness and leash set from Travel Cat and they’ve been working great so far. We’ve been able to take the cats out in our small front yard, while feeling pretty confident in the cats’ safety despite living on a decently busy road. (I learned in my research that pretty much no harness is escape-proof, but these feel pretty secure to me.) The Travel Cat harnesses fit like a vest, so the cats have to step into the front leg holes. From there, it wraps around them with a Velcro closure on the back and an additional buckle closure, which can be adjusted for a more secure fit. It took some practice for the cats to get used to the harnesses, but now they get excited when they see me pull them out. Plus, they look so darn cute wearing them.

I spent a lovely 10 days in France earlier this month and naturally brought back a handful of treasures, including this dainty stainless steel bread basket from the concept store Merci. I could spend hours (and hundreds of dollars) browsing the store’s three floors of dinnerware, sweaters and handbags, and European stationery, but I limited myself to just this bread basket and some newPlasticana clogs. (Even though the Euro is stronger than the dollar, it’s stillmuchcheaper to buy the clogs in France.) I only regret not buyingthe rainboots, too.

Editor’s note: Merci lists all prices in Euros, so this is an approximation to US dollars.

One of my favorite museums we went to was Picasso’s, and I found this lovely glasses case in the gift shop. When I showed it to my boyfriend after I checked out, we went right back and bought two more to gift to friends and family. It feels like something an artsy grandmother would cherish after a lifetime of traveling, and I hope to use it for decades to come.

After two years of contemplation, I finally bought one of Youswim’s suits when an end-of-month beach vacation coincided with the brand’s (very good) sitewide sale. Best of all, it arrived quickly. The fabric feels luxurious, and while I was initially worried about the non-adjustable straps working for my short torso, the suit fits perfectly. I shouldn’t be surprised after reading aboutLiza Corsillo’s high-praisesearlier this year. I’m looking forward to wearing it on the beach this weekend.

My blacksweatercollection is extremely lacking, so I’m finally seeing whatCashSoftis all about.

We bought a lot of stuff this month to help us organize the new house after our recent move, including this solid woodshoe rackfrom Wayfair that I am quite pleased with. Our old shoe racks, which we stacked in the previous house, were too narrow on their own but then too wide to fit side by side in the mudroom closet. I needed a standalone rack that was close to the width of the closet without being too tall so that it would be out of the way of hanging coats and jackets. It’s made of solid oak and looks really nice, so much so that it feels a bit of a shame that it’s hidden in a closet.

I cannot resistZara Home. Continuing my organizing andbeautifyingstreak, I bought this hand soap dispenser and a matching toothbrush holder (now sold out) for the primary bathroom, and aMonsters, Inc. toothbrush holder, two of these blue tumblers, anda ladybug soap dispenserfor the kids’ bathroom.

I’ve wanted a new everyday tote for a long time (the one I mostly use is super old) — but I wavered on this purchase for a while. It’s such a ubiquitous bag and I kept hesitating, waiting to see if I found something different I liked just as much. But I kept coming back to it. Finally, I decided to stop by the Alex Mill store in person and that sealed the deal. It’s the perfect size (it fits all my essentials, laptop, a book, extra layers, and accessories, which I imagine will become even more useful in the winter). I absolutely love the navy color. It’s comfortable on my shoulder. I went un-monogrammed, since I think that makes it feel a little more inconspicuous.

I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Vermont towards the end of this month, where nighttime temperatures are already in the low 40s. I can confirm that the newest Nuptse is as warm as it is strikingly colored (I got the electric teal version). It’s 25 percent lighter than the Retro 1996 Nuptse that I’ve had for years, and its ultralight exterior fabric is much softer and cozier feeling — like a high-end sleeping bag. Unlike the original, the Summit Nuptse’s stowable hood is actually insulated, so it keeps my ears much warmer. We have a ways before the snow arrives, but I look forward to busting it out during transitions while ski touring.

Merrell’s collaboration with Korean menswear brand Eastlogue is as comfortable as it is unconventional. They took theirHut Mocultralight camping slippers as a starting point, then combined it with a suede moccasin upper — similar to the Clark Wallabee — to create a super flexible and nimble shoe that feels like a slipper, yet looks more put together. I love how they pair with jeans and trousers alike and plan to live in them this fall. These collaborations typically sell out pretty quickly, but there are still a few common sizes left in stock.

Other People’s Clothes is the only consignment store I’ll bring my closet clean-outs to, and at this point I’ve amassed an obscene amount of store credit. Luckily for me, clothes aren’t the only thing they offer; they also stock plenty of very cute, very giftable tchotchkes, including candles, ceramics, snacks, stationery, and magazines. I recently picked up this adorable DIY Build-a-Rat kit on the way to a friend’s birthday party and foresee myself doing a lot of my holiday gift shopping there as well.

I’ve always just brushed my teeth with classic minttoothpaste, but I recently tried Cocolab’s strawberry-flavored toothpaste and it’s actually delicious — not overpowering or artificially sweet, and still fresh-feeling. Then when I went to restock, I realized it also comes inlycheeandpina coladaflavors? It’s about to be a fruit cocktail up in my mouth.

I feel the same way about Merrells asKate Berlantdoes: “I once regarded them as sexless, but now see them as a direct portal to the erotic,”she toldSecret Strategist. I’d argue that this Moab is sexier than aJungle Mocthough. It has something to do with having the back of your heel naked (if you so choose). It means no break-in time, either.

I bought a set of these letters and numbers back in 2017 for my oldest child, who is now a few months shy of 11. Somewhere in the last decade, we lost the 5 (I think our previous dog left enough teeth indentations in it that we threw it out), but the rest of the set has been in pretty regular use and has held up well all these years. My youngest, who is 3.5, loves arranging and reading the numbers in the tub during bathtime and has been asking for a replacement 5 for weeks. I figured we’d gotten our money’s worth with the first set, and he deserved to have the full complement (also nice to be able to spell out words with duplicate letters). I’ve never seen anyone so happy to see a 5 in their life.

My kids ate their way through the10 pounds of these black beans I’d orderedover the last year, and it was time to restock. I got 4 more pounds of these, plus a pound each of theNegro de SueloandSantanero Negro Delgadobeans to try. I might just feel about beans the same way my toddler feels about the number 5.

This past rainy Sunday, I had 20 minutes to kill before meeting my friend at Film Forum to seeUnzipped — the very delightful documentary that follows Isaac Mizrahi as he prepares for his Fall 1994 fashion show — so I went to C.O. Bigelow. After lightly elbowing my way to the counter, I noticed the new “Coco Vanilla” flavor of their salves which seemed to be nearly sold out. I don’t typically like coconut or vanilla scents, but I gave it a sniff and discovered that it smelled more like a delicious, freshly torched creme brulee. And so, I bought it.

We moved into a new apartment earlier this month, and replaced our old queen bed with a king. Since then, I’ve been swapping out all of our bedding, and ordered this duvet insert from Bloomingdale’s house brand without knowing much about it. It’s turned out to be truly excellent. The weight is perfect — not too heavy or too light — and the down alternative feels plush and luxurious. It’s also sewn with a gridded pattern that should help the filling stay in place. I’m impressed!

I have long been looking for a storage solution for the many pairs of running shoes I rotate through (andreview) in my small Brooklyn apartment. The shoe rack by my door was already full, so in a corner of my room, I would just stack them on top of each other like a pyramid, which would frequently collapse into a messy pile. I’ve seen over-the-door shoe organizers before, but many of them were the type with pouches that never seemed large enough to fit a pair of running shoes with big foam soles. After some digging, I found this one from Whitmor which has a net-like shelving design that allows me to secure two pairs of shoes (sometimes three, with a squeeze) per storage unit. Assembly took 10 minutes, and now it’s nice to see all of the different shoes I’ve been testing in one tidy place.

I’ve also spent a long time searching for a simple black commuter backpack that can work as both a gym bag and a laptop bag. I found it in the Speedpack from On, which has been a delight to use. The main highlight is its exterior storage compartment with a vertical zipper that’s meant for a pair of running shoes. No matter how much I stuff the pack in other areas, there’s somehow always still room to fit my pair of shoes. The zippered side laptop sleeve access is great for stashing and re-stashing a book while I’m on the subway, and the simple pocket design throughout (for keys, water bottles, toiletries, and sleeves for books and folders) has made it the backpack I use daily for work commuting — and the gym or track afterward.