Photo illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailer, Joe McKendry
Strategist Brain is a series where employees share what stores they’ve been to, what things they’ve discovered, and what additional anecdotes they’ve brought back from the stories they’ve worked on. Each week you’ll hear from a different author.
I’m getting married in a month, which is shockingly early for me to have a vague idea of what shoes I’ll be wearing. My clothes are picked out, but the shoes seemed like a bigger task. My first instinct was the Dries Van Noten cutout sandal, which has that sexy, deconstructed Tabi vibe. They cost almost $800, which could be spent on something else, like our flower budget or custom matchboxes. I also read Harling Ross’ Substack post, which advocates for sensible heels that you can walk and dance in all night. While the Dries shoes see comfortable, I can’t be sure my flat feet won’t be throbbing in the middle of the night. I did a lot of browsing on the Ssense sale a few weeks ago and added some Aeyde options to the cart, but ultimately couldn’t grab them after my cart swelled to over $1,000. Wedding shoes are likely to break and never be worn again, so I turned to my reliable wide-foot-friendly, affordable shoe source Asos and found some classic looking ivory satin pointed toe pumps that were inexpensive and not too high. They arrived a few days ago and after trying them on, I instantly felt like a bride.
I’ve been testing out the extremely popular EltaMD sunscreen, a Strategist favorite that’s also a dermatologist favorite. The “clear” version looks awful on me, and the tinted face sunscreen was OK, but still a little off. Now the deep tint version is here, and I’m happy to report that it blends in beautifully.
Stylist Anny Choi recently posted herself wearing a brown drop-waisted dress by Tory Burch. I wanted it when it came out, then quickly erased it from my mind when I saw the price tag. Now it’s on sale for $349, which is still expensive, but a much more tolerable pill to swallow.
Photo: Anny Choi
Earlier this week, I went to Target and left with two dresses: a striped sweater tank dress that feels heavy in a nice way, and an openwork maxi dress that would work well as a cover-up for the beach.
I also stopped by Old Navy to stock up on my favorite quarter crew pants. They’re skinny and have the right height: mid-shin. They don’t need to be bunched up and look great over leggings.
I also grabbed a pair of white mesh shorts that fit surprisingly well on the hips and thighs.
I went to Diptyque’s Christmas preview last week and although I was there to look at the candles, I spent a lot of time sniffing and testing the perfumes. My favorite of all was Tam Dao, which has this velvety, milky, woody scent. One of the main notes is sandalwood, one of my favorite scents (I regularly wear Armani Santal Dan Sha). I can’t wait to wear this perfume and am thinking of pairing it with Phlurs Gourmand Heavy Cream. Also on the scent side, Tory Burch recently released Sublime, an interesting floral, leathery scent. It smells good, but I’m also obsessed with the bottle, which has a cool, sculptural shape.
When I was in Ghana, I was fascinated by the beauty salon signs that adorned some of the shops I visited. Recently, when I was visiting my friend Jet at her home, I noticed she had one (she has an enviable art collection anyway) and it reminded me that I want one myself. Etsy has a nice selection. My favorite so far is this one, but this shop, the Niger Bend, has many options.
I need a dressing table for my bedroom and haven’t found one I like yet. I’m interested in this folding pine table from Muji, which is a good size and very good price.
I bought primary-colored Post-it notes from Staples because I wanted red ones (discovered on Emily Schuman’s Substack), in 2×2 format (better for annotating books without directly marking the page), and ended up having to add retractable Sharpies to get free shipping.
I’m constantly thinking about how to maximize storage space in my apartment, and right now my fix is the shoe situation in my entryway. I’ve been using the Open Spaces shelving unit for a few years, but I have too many shoes for that. This tall cabinet from Ikea, designed for bathrooms, seems like a good solution. It has a decent amount of shelves, but isn’t so deep that it would take up my limited entryway space.
Photo: Tembe Denton-Hurst
I agreed to read together If an Egyptian doesn’t speak English with one of my favorite Substackers and had to buy the book. I was in Ridgewood, so I decided to find the book in the neighborhood instead of going to McNally Jackson. My first stop was Mil Mundos, a bookstore with a nonprofit division called El Común that provides essential supplies and support to families in Bushwick. No luck, but I eventually bought The Black Jacobins, How Europe underdeveloped Africa, And The Gildedbecause I have no self-control. Then I went to Topos, a few minutes away. They didn’t have it there either, but I ended up grabbing Ralph Ellison’s Tenth of June, a novel he was working on at the time of his death, and hibiscus tea in the in-house café.
Photo: Tembe Denton-Hurst
I test a lot of lip liners and this week I tried the Tower 28 One-Liner, which, if the brand’s PR emails are to be believed, is loved by Hailey Bieber. After carefully lining my lips with the darkest shade, Draw Me, a chocolate brown, I understand the hype. It’s creamy but precise and blended well with my natural lip color. I even applied a little too much and managed not to look crazy.
The strategist is designed to provide useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Each product is independently selected by our editorial team, which you can read more about HereWe update links when possible, but please note that offers may expire and all prices are subject to change.
