Strategist Circular: 9 Things That Delighted Us Last Week

Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers

We write about hundreds of products each week. Here, in our version of the Sunday circular, we’ve plucked some of our recent favorites: expert-recommended essentials, life-changing stuff you didn’t know you needed, newly launched gizmos, and very good deals we uncovered while trawling through the vast online-shopping universe — including some delightful mustard-colored linen napkins, a versatile hot-pot set, and a deceivingly realistic faux olive tree.

In stylist Sahra Brandt’s master recommendation spreadsheet, she has a tab just on jeans, and when she takes clients to Madewell during a shopping session, she always has them try on the Perfect Vintage Jean first. She guesses that of the 150-plus clients she’s recommended the pair to, about 90 to 95 percent buy them, a surprisingly high number for something as personal as a pair of jeans. “Madewell jeans are made to fit the body really well and so that all different bodies can wear them,” Brandt says, noting that the Perfect Vintage is available in petite, tall, and plus sizes.

“I’m much better at wearing a hat than I am at sunscreen,” actress Julianne Nicholson told us this week. Her preferred hat is this one from Wallaroo Hat Company, which she wears almost every day and says is easy to take on the go. “I can shove it in my suitcase and it pops open fine,” she adds. “Being able to pack it up is everything, because it’s such a bore wearing a hat on a plane.”

When Meg Strachan, the founder and CEO of Dorsey, was a kid, she would watch her grandmother set the table for “really beautiful” dinner parties with linen napkins. After her grandmother passed away, Strachan started her own collection of linen napkins, including this delightful mustard-colored pair. She likes them as an alternative to white napkins, which “everyone is afraid to use.” Not only do the mustard napkins look great on a placemat, “they wear really well,” says Strachan. “They’re great for wash and tumble-dry and don’t show many stains.”

You might think of hot-pot as something you can only get at a restaurant — but not so with this Hot-Pot starter set, which Strategist senior editor Kiki Aranita put to the test this week. She says the electric hot-pot — which comes with chopsticks, a slotted spoon, and a soup base — was sizable enough for a meal for two and versatile enough to act as an extra burner for weekend brunch, keeping her potatoes soft and warm while she cooked other parts of the meal.

Linen bedding tends to be more expensive than standard cotton (a reality we’ve noticed while our guide to the best sheets), but you can get this linen duvet cover on sale for 25 percent off during CB2’s Midseason Sale, which ends June 27 . Strategist writer Erin Schwartz notes that thanks to the pretty burnt-orange border, this is ideal if you “avoid patterns but still want some details on your bedding.”

Unfortunately, we weren’t all born with a green thumb, but deceivingly realistic faux plants are a great alternative to the real deal. To help you find some particularly believable ones, we came up with a list of 60 artificial plants, trees, and flowers, including this faux olive tree that has a wood trunk and adjustable branches that’ll bring a little bit of the Tuscan countryside to your home.

Well, not literally. But the Loftie smart lamp, which Strategist tech writer Jordan McMahon tested out, emits light from two color wheels that can fill your room with solid colors or custom gradients. “The lamp looks good in each color and gradient setting, and the light it casts is pleasant and can completely transform the room,” McMahon says. “At its brightest, it’s enough to be my sole source of light in the evenings. At its dimmest, the light glows just enough for me to make it to the bathroom without bumping into things.”

Sleep masks are one of the most frequently mentioned products in our “What I Can’t Live Without” column, and we’ve tested lots, too. The Manta stands out as one that works particularly well for those in need of a few more hours of sleep. “Even on a bright morning, when I usually wouldn’t be able to sleep in, I can thanks to this mask,” Strategist junior writer Bella Druckman says. DJ, producer, and designer Steve Aoki is also a fan and estimates that he owns 15 to 20 of them.

The process of converting a bike into an e-bike seemed a bit too involved for Strategist fitness and outdoor-gear writer Jeremy Rellosa — until he tried the Clip, that is. Rellosa describes the device as one “you can attach to almost any bike’s front tire — without any tools — to power a regular bike like an electric one with pedal-assisting power.” He says the gadget was intuitive to use and made it “easier to power up long climbs (especially on bridges),” adding that the “auto-roll feature gives me a constant nudge forward, making me feel like I’m zooming.”

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.