“Strategist Brain” is a series where staffers share the stores they’ve stopped into, stuff they’ve spotted, and extra tidbits from stories they’ve worked on. You’ll hear from a different writer every week.
We’re now post-vacation, post-holidays, post-post-Christmas sales, and I’m trying to do an informal little-to-no-buy this January. While austerity is not really my thing, I need to give my bank account (and my brain) a little time to recover from the monthlong spree I went on. Not that I won’t be thinking about shopping, because I’m going to take this time to consider and plan for this year’s bigger purchases.
In the meantime, I’ve really been enjoying the purchases I made since Black Friday, particularly my Babaà sweaters. I usually buy a new one each year during the brand’s Black Friday or winter sale, and this year (because I’m mildly concerned about possible tariffs) I bought two, growing my collection of Spanish-made knitwear to five pieces. They had a bit of a moment over on TikTok, and if this cold snap is making you consider a purchase of your own, I have some answers to a few of the common questions I’ve seen. On the itchiness question, I have only one response: It’s wool, you’ve gotta tell it. However, if you have really sensitive skin, don’t sleep on its cotton sweaters. I reach for my cotton pullover maybe even more than I do my wool ones. Now, if you’re considering a turtleneck, I actually prefer the No. 67 to the No. 17. At first, I was a little intimidated by the balloon-shape silhouette and oversize collar, but I find that I really like the drama it brings to my outfits. And, lastly, while the brand is known for its cropped-sleeve cardis, I prefer the full-sleeve versions of its knitwear. I’m five-six, and I’ve realized it’s just slightly too cropped on my build, but do with that information what you will.
[Editor’s note: The “natural” colorway of Babaà’s No. 17 sweater is sold out, but it’s available in the “arce” colorway.]
Here’s everything else I’ve seen recently …
Fellow Strategist writer Lauren Ro came into the office sporting a pair of Belgians, and this might be the push I need to finally pay a visit to its Manhattan showroom. Lauren scored them for a ridiculously low price on The RealReal, but I’m not sure I’ll get that lucky. And since my feet are quite wide, I really want to take advantage of the different widths it offers in-store. Yes, they are pricey, but I have bad feet — my podiatrist keeps telling me I need to wear better shoes — so the orthopedic-ish nature would allow me to justify the splurge. You know, for my health.
I’ve been seeing alpaca hats on everyone. And this frigid weather is really making me want one, too.
This martini light has been my secondhand decor white whale for a long time, ever since I saw two of them at the Berriez showroom. And stories of people finding them for five bucks at Goodwill have haunted me. I had been so caught up in my eBay and Etsy hunts searching for a vintage one that — and I’m embarrassed to admit this — I only very recently discovered that the designer, David Krys, still fabricates new ones. He drops them in limited quantities on his Etsy, and a new drop is nigh, so I’m keeping my eye on his Instagram for the announcement. And the beauty of the brand-new lamps is that there isn’t a cracked pimento light or scratched base in sight.
Speaking of cocktails, how cute would this chrome snail be sitting on my bar cart?
I first saw this gilded oyster-shaped clutch at a fancy-schmancy boutique in Northport over the summer. And then I recently saw it again in a TikTok of a seriously stylish shopping addict. (Hot tip: Though they generally advise shopping less, reformed shopping addict content creators have the best taste. And you know they actually bought everything on their own dime.) I have a wedding in May this would be perfect for, but there are a ton of shell clutches like this one on Etsy and I’m trying to decide if that would scratch this peculiar itch for a fifth of the price.
Speaking of Christmas gifts, my brother and his girlfriend got me this amazing (currently on-sale) Advent calendar from my favorite perfumer, Marissa Zappas. While I’m generally over the Advent-calendar hype, fragrance-filled ones are still great in my opinion. It’s been such a pleasure trying out a new sample each day and getting to sit and revisit each one as I plan my full-bottle purchase later this year.
I also checked out the new Trove showroom in the West Village, and its lacquer jewelry boxes are really something special. I’m usually saving up for a new addition to my jewelry collection, but this visit made me think I should save up to have something to put my growing collection in.
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.
