This project does not imply that NAACP_LDF endorses the Strategist or eBay.
This month, eBay, in partnership with the Strategist, went back to some of our favorite celebrity shoppers — including actress Debby Ryan — to ask them about things that they can live without and would be willing to sell at auction for charity. All proceeds will go to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (eBay is receiving and donating all proceeds and matching every dollar the auction earns). Click here to see all the stuff you can bid on.
The jacket was a gift from Madewell. I got it about five years ago, and it was my go-to until I donated it. It’s the perfect color, cropped just enough, and the fabric is so soft, even though I’ve only washed it two or three times. It has taken me to many places, and every time I put it on, I’d experience memories from those travels. Since I’m not traveling very much at the moment and generally just separated from my friends and professional community, I tried to honor my memories of those things by decorating the jacket with souvenir pins and other stuff that captures the spirit of those experiences.
It has a pin that says “We Are StarFoxy,” which I created as a wrap gift for the cast and crew of Cover Versions. I wanted it to look like band merch. A pin from Atlanta — my home away from home — is on there. I included a blue bandanna that I bought about five years ago at a 7-Eleven on the way to an audition. (For a year of my life, I had a bandanna with me everywhere I went.) There’s a pin from Secret Midnight Press, the publishing company my sister-in-law co-owns. They hold these really cool, special events all over the country. I’ve been crafty since a young age, so I bleached the right chest pocket and the flap over the left chest pocket using a makeup brush and a little bit of sunshine. LaCroix sparkling water changed my life; I either purchased that patch on Etsy or received it from a friend, but I actually put it on the jacket years ago. I got the “I Love GR” pin in Grand Rapids, Michigan, while on tour there with my husband, Joshua. There’s another pin I got at an airport in Guatemala, where I went for my friend Adria Arjona’s wedding. I have no idea where the lightning-bolt pin came from, but it’s been on every jacket that I’ve worn for the past five years. The Insatiable pin was also a wrap gift I had made for the cast and crew of that series. It feels equal parts Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and 2020 Instagram Girl. There are some beads I sewed on that spell “NOPE”; they were left over from my time filming the movie Night Teeth — I had almost wrapped filming but then quarantine hit. And the little heart character was created by friends, the Australian husband-and-wife artists who go by DABSMYLA. He’s trippy.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
