Everything We Bought to Survive This Long, Cold Winter
If you follow our monthly “Strategist Haul,” you’re familiar with the idiosyncrasies of our editors’ and writers’ shopping habits. While we think of those as the highlights, there are plenty of other, less glamorous things we buy — and love — on the regular too. So whether you’ve wondered how we pack for our vacations or which brands of underwear we’re most loyal to, this is the stuff we buy ourselves. In this edition, I quizzed my fellow writers and editors about the stuff they’ve bought to survive this year’s incredibly harsh winter. The findings are below, including blizzard-conquering snow boots, one editor’s pop-up portable sauna, and numerous niche brands of herbal tea.
Writer Dominique Pariso
After spending years yearning for an alpaca fur hat, writer Dominique Pariso picked the perfect winter to finally invest in one. Her other essentials include a delightful pair of frog-shaped Wellington boots (“They make people really happy when they see them, which helps keep spirits high in the bad weather”) and cozy Hefstra mittens. She also swears by O’Keeffe’s overnight lip treatment, saying it’s the only thing that has saved her from chapped lips over these past few months.
Senior editor Hilary Reid
Senior editor Hilary Reid calls her Diane B. Shoes Stormytwos “a truly good New York winter boot” with excellent grip, a shearling lining, and waterproof suede exterior. She also purchased Caledonia’s wool-and-cashmere socks (after fellow staffers Najwa Jamal and Lauren Ro sang their praises on Slack) and has been sipping peppermint tea all day long.
Senior editor Winnie Yang
Merrell’s Thermo mocs are so warm that they don’t require socks, “not even when temperatures reach the single digits,” says senior editor Winnie Yang. Although now that all those big piles of sidewalk snow are melting into puddles of slush, she’s swapped them out for the tall Xtratuf boots that we learned about from an Alaskan park ranger. And while staying inside, she’s been drinking “a ton” of High Garden’s Wildly Healthy blend.
Deputy editor Simone Kitchens
“I wear this Cos merino turtleneck tank layer multiple times a week,” says deputy editor Simone Kitchens. “It adds warmth without making you overheat, and it’s also kind of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy–ish.” She’s also been running multiple Carepod humidifiers at a time, drinking ginger tea, and swapping between her “snow UGGs and house UGGs.”
Managing editor Kelsie Schrader
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Uniqlo’s classic and affordable Heattech leggings have been as reliable as ever this winter, according to managing editor Kelsie Schrader, as have been the second pair of extra-warm Aerie leggings she bought for workouts. And she says that our best overall heating pad “is on some part of my body every night.”
Senior writer Lauren Ro
A big discovery of senior writer Lauren Ro’s winter has been the brand Minus 33, which makes relatively affordable merino-wool clothing in lots of cute colors. Its base layer leggings have a clingy fit that’s ideal for layering underneath jeans, whereas the Paka bottoms are looser and better for wearing underneath ski clothing. She’s also been shuffling around in Bombas slippers, which are a longtime Strategist favorite. And here’s another strong tea recommendation: Solomon’s Seal, which she “drinks like water.”
Senior writer Michael Zhao
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Senior writer Michael Zhao oversees our best men’s slippers guide, and he stands by Glerups as the top pick. He’s also something of a sweatpants expert and has found himself reaching for a wide-leg Gap pair the most. His secretly fleece-lined winter jeans have been a staple, too, and when venturing outside to shovel snow or take out the trash, he wears a pair of “stupidly tall” Muck boots. He starts every day with warm water from his Zojirushi boiler “even before coffee,” and his Dreo warm-mist humidifier “has been really nice for our tall ceilings in Brooklyn.”
Senior writer Liza Corsillo
Arc’teryx’s Venta gloves are “great for protecting from cold wind and light enough to keep in my bag all the time,” says senior writer Liza Corsillo. She’ll pair them with the Marmot jacket she purchased last winter, which is also “incredibly warm without being bulky, and has a two-way zip, which should be required on all coats.” Other staples: Ricola drops and UGG slippers that “make me feel very fancy, like Miss Piggy.”
Senior editor Jen Trolio
It’s certainly sauna weather, and what if you didn’t have to trek through the snow to get there? Senior editor Jen Trolio has solved the problem by investing in a portable one. She’s also been rotating between two pairs of slippers, which are “both very nice in different ways.” The Bearaby boots are for when she has her feet up on the couch or in her bed, whereas the Bombas grippers are more ideal for padding about the house. And speaking of the couch, her current throw of choice comes from Chappywrap: “It’s a nice mid-weight fleece and easier to care for than wool or some of the faux-fur blankets that are so popular.”
Kitchen and dining writer Emma Wartzman
Bucking the staff UGG trend, kitchen and dining writer Emma Wartzman “lives in” shearling-lined slippers from Birkenstock all winter. She’s also been rotating between a few of her “forever favorite” Everlane turtlenecks, which she says are very breathable. As a fingered-glove hater, she’s become obsessed with this fingerless Katie Mawson pair that her mother sent her. And perhaps relatedly, preventing dried-out and peeling cuticles with Essie’s Miraculous Oil.
Sleep writer Amelia Jerden
When her heat briefly went out at her place earlier this winter, sleep writer Amelia Jerden was forced to invest in this Dreo space heater, which she says is very effective, especially when oscillating. Also crucial for surviving the cold were her “warm and fuzzy but not overly thick” Cozy Earth plush socks as well as base layers from REI and Smartwool that have been useful while learning to ski.
Writer Tembe Denton-Hurst
Anyone who has hung out with writer Tembe Denton-Hurst this winter will be acquainted with her collection of fourcashmere sweaters from Aritzia. She’s been rotating between them for nearly every outfit and has become something of a sweater snob as a result: “It has turned me into a real cashmere girl — now I can’t stand scratchy knits or anything less plush and comfortable.” She’s been holding her own against the dry winter air with moisturizing products from CosRx and ATOBARRIER365, but she says the real secret to surviving the cold and warding off illness is drinking a cocktail of “vitamin-C packets, Greek mountain tea brewed with a little ginger, and a nip of Jamaican rum.”
Newsletter editor Ashley Wolfgang
When newsletter editor and highly dedicated runner Ashley Wolfgang signed up for two early-spring half-marathons a few months ago, she was “never expecting to train in some of the harshest winter conditions New York City has had in years.” She couldn’t have completed any of her runs without her favorite base layer from Tracksmith. “Made out of merino wool, it’s light, breathable, and can be easily layered under a heavier jacket or vest,” she explains. “My husband loves it too.” Other essentials: Hot Hands, always, as well as bath salts to soothe those cold bones and tired muscles.
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- The Strategist Fall 100
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
