The Strategist Haul: What the Editors Bought in November

The only thing I bought during the Black Friday–Cyber Monday madness was this pair of leopard shorts from Outdoor Voices. They’re sold out in most sizes now — they were 75 percent off, which is a huge deal for OV — but there are more available in other colors. They have basically everything I want in a running short: a just-right length that won’t creep up; deep pockets to fit my phone, keys, and energy gels; and a fun pattern that makes me happy.

Since I started interning with the Strategist, I’ve been seeing the name Baggu float around. Most recently, I read about Baggu collaborating with the Met and went to check it out on the museum’s site. I didn’t realize how many different varieties of reusable bags, totes, lunch boxes, and products Baggu sells. Since I don’t need all the space that comes in the Standard Baggu, I opted for getting the Baby Baggu, which is roomy enough to fit my lunch or a few items of clothing but small enough to stow in the front seat of my car or even on my lap. Smiley faces are Baggu’s signature print, so I had to go with the Raspberry Happy one.

I traveled to the Outer Banks this past summer and came across a really cute boutique. I was eyeing these jeans the whole time I was shopping but ultimately ended up leaving with a blazer instead. Five months later, I still can’t get these Agolde jeans out of my head. I found them on sale and knew I had to snatch them up right away. They’re made from quality denim and feel really comfortable, especially for being a high-rise jean. I’m not one to spend a lot of money on jeans, but I’ve discovered it’s better to splurge a little on a quality item than to buy an inexpensive item that’s not as well made.

Whenever I’m in Chicago, I make a point of stopping at Store B Vintage, which has supplied me with off-the-rack-perfect wool trousers, Saks Potts–ish outerwear for a tenth of the price, and, on this most recent trip, a sheer Emanuel Ungaro Parallele Paris skirt. According to the tag, it’s a 1970s piece from the French designer’s prêt-à-porter line, but the structured, see-through tulle reads thoroughly modern à la Molly Goddard and A.W.A.K.E. Mode. I plan to style it for the social season like this Sandy Liang look, with a cardigan, sporting underwear and some knee-highs from this up-and-coming brand called Duane Reade (you probably haven’t heard of it). Per my personal policy, I have to think of at least three ways to wear something before I insert chip, so I’m also envisioning it with a nothing button-down and fancy shoes for a daytime look and over the Marine Serre catsuit I own in my head. All these ideas would work equally well with this Ungaro Parallele skirt that is available for purchase now.

I’ve been a Revlon One-Step devotee since I bought into the hype a couple years ago. But as my hair grew and my patience shrunk over the past couple months, the hot brush just wasn’t doing it for me anymore. It took forever to style my hair, even when it was closer to dry than damp. And the brush was literally too hot to handle — I could see my hair burning. After months of research (ahem, reading reviews) into a replacement, I decided to splurge on the Supersonic during Sephora’s pre–Black Friday sale.

It’s unlike any blow-dryer I’ve ever used. I can get a smooth blowout in ten minutes flat that lasts for days, rather than just a day (an oily scalp means limp-looking strands seemingly overnight). And it doesn’t take much heat for hair to dry quickly, either — with the styling-concentrator attachment, I never have to use the hottest (or even the second-hottest) setting to get smooth waves. For someone who doesn’t like to spend a lot of time on their hair (but not look like they just rolled out of bed), the Supersonic is perfect.

On the more frivolous front, I didn’t realize until the start of the month that I somehow own every color (green, yellow, orange) jacket but black. I spotted this one at & Other Stories soon after that realization, and it’s been my go-to coat since. The wool is just warm enough for the not-quite-freezing-yet weather, and the pockets — which sit right at my waist — can fit my phone and a few other essentials. As for the cut, the cropped length works especially well since I’m petite (some coats on me can feel very two-people-in-a-trench-coat), while the buttons actually button up, a rarity for someone with a bigger bust. On top of that, the faux-fur collar keeps it from looking like just any other black jacket.

I picked up a few odds and ends during Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Boy Brow, a Material cutting board in eggshell blue, and a new Cuup bra. I got my first Cuup mesh bra a few months ago and have worn it more than all my other bras combined in the time since, so I figured adding another one to my rotation was overdue.

Santa hats are the one style of hat that my 4-year-old son will willingly wear. But our polyester drugstore versions fail to actually shield his head from the cold. I searched for “warm Santa hats” and found this crocheted option, which turned out to be quite cozy and even sort of reminiscent of my grandmother’s knitting. The best part about it for my son, though, is that it comes with a detachable face mask that looks like a beard — so he can really commit to his character impersonation (up to this point, he was taping paper towels to his face to achieve a similar effect). And the fit works for kids and adults alike.

Eberjey slipper socks, leather touchscreen gloves — every year, I seek out one practical yet luxurious (and also basically sizeless) gift and buy it in multiples to dole out to various women in my family. This year, that gift is the Nordic Beach Wrap. My sister-in-law discovered the brand at a shop near her home on the South Shore of Massachusetts and gave me the wrap as an early Secret Santa present over Thanksgiving. I’ve pretty much not taken it off since. The product shots don’t convey how irresistibly soft the fleecy fabric is — like your favorite fluffy robe, only better, because you can wear it for school drop-offs, too (and with the oversize hood, I can even have wet hair and not freeze). They come in one universal size and a range of colors, including the gray, navy, and frappe shades I purchased for three of my aunts.

I’m four months pregnant and needed one more easy dress to round out my winter wardrobe. One of my favorite places to shop is this tiny boutique in Philadelphia called Rennes that sells flouncy but casual dresses and other Eileen Fisher–esque clothing from designers all over the world. I love everything the store carries, but many of its wares are pricey. If I’m being honest, what I usually gravitate toward are formless sack dresses with very simple silhouettes anyway, and I recently discovered there’s no shortage of such dresses on Etsy for a fraction of the price, like this one I ordered from U.K.-based designer Yaya and Pony. I loved the dark check pattern and the weighty linen, which together make it great for the fall and winter when paired with tights and a Heattech turtleneck underneath. And because of its oversize, swingy shape, it’ll accommodate my growing bump. Even though it came from England, shipping was free (though it did take two weeks), and when it arrived, I was impressed with how beautifully it was made. Although I don’t need it, I am thinking of getting this longer style in this Yves Klein blue …

Speaking of bitters: A habit I’ve developed to mark the end of the workday is making myself a lazy bitters-and-soda, i.e., shaking a few dashes into a can of Canada Dry while I shut the bad screen and open the good screen. I used Regans’ orange bitters for my fancy evening soda until I ran out and resolved to branch out to other flavors. I bought wormwood bitters, evergreen bitters, and smoky-pear bitters — all of which were great — before I caved and bought another bottle of Regans’. They are just the best: fruity and bitter with subtle non-orange notes, some of which allegedly came from a trip to a witches’-supplies store in Greenwich Village.

I got a little overwhelmed this year and only bought one thing on Black Friday. Usually, I try to make a plan ahead of time so that I buy things I actually need rather than act on impulse, like going grocery shopping while hungry. But I am still very excited about my spur-of-the-moment sneaker purchase. I have been looking for a pair that I could wear to the office or to meet up with friends that wouldn’t look like I just came from the gym. They haven’t arrived yet, but I think they’ll fit the bill.

As a transplant from the West Coast, I’ve been soliciting guidance from pretty much everyone I’ve met about how to prepare for my first real winter. The best advice, however, was a nugget of wisdom I stumbled across on Reddit: When it comes to winterwear, you pick two of three from fashion, function, and cost. Unfortunately, fashion is a nonnegotiable for me, but I also don’t want to catch frostbite come January, so I bit the bullet and splurged on this insanely cool, insanely expensive PH5 puffer jacket. It’s quite oversize, so it comfortably ensconces all my bulky sweaters, and it’s made from an ecofriendly viscose sourced from sustainable forests. Plus, after a mildly unnerving experience last month during which coat check confused my generic black jacket for someone else’s, I can confidently say this puffer will never get lost among a sea of Patagonias and North Faces.

I went in during Girlfriend’s 30-percent-off sale and bought an array of sports bras and leggings. Most exciting, perhaps, is the unitard. I gifted it in green to my best friend for her birthday, and after stellar reviews, I’ve been dreaming about it ever since. I got one in a red shade the brand calls “geranium.” My particular unitard has limited stock (there’s only XS left), but there are plenty more colors to choose from.

I also picked up this coffee-table book that documents the making of the cult-classic reggae film Rockers. Director Ted Bafaloukos was able to capture a sense of late-’70s Jamaican cool that made it an enduring favorite, so I’m excited to have a book about the movie in my collection. I’m half-Jamaican, and reggae music was an integral part of my childhood, so this feels like a little part of me.

I lost a beloved navy baseball cap in October and immediately started searching for its replacement. (I also have the salmon Cervo’s one, but sometimes you want to move a little more quietly.) After trying on plenty of too-stretchy, too-small, or too-boxy styles at my usual stores, I found just the thing by walking into a place I’d never heard of (during its Black Friday sale, no less) and picking this out of the extensive cap collection. The heavy twill cotton is very durable but very soft, and I can’t wait to get it as broken in and sun-faded as my last one.

This Thanksgiving, I was a houseguest at my cousin’s, so I bought him the best winter candle as a thank-you gift. It was so well received that I’m now fearing for my bank balance, as I want to elicit that very same reaction from all my friends and family this Christmas.

H&M wasn’t the first place I wanted to shop for a wedding-guest dress, but for a couple I barely knew who were having an outdoor ceremony in freezing temps that I wasn’t thrilled about attending, the price was just right. I was surprised at how many options I found that could pass for cocktail or semiformal. This was on the more casual end, but it worked and can be dressed up or down, which means I’ll get more wear out of it.