Hybrid House Shoes, the Perfect Work Tote, and Other Recent Strategist Finds

“It fits my laptop, my workout gear, a change of clothes, my knives. I’ve had it for three years now, and it’s been super-durable. People always compliment me on it or are like, ‘Yo, I got that same bag.’”

“These eye masks are incredible, especially if I’m shooting. I’m so shameless with them. I was just doing
a Clint Eastwood movie in Savannah, and I would throw them on, jump
in my rental car, and go to the coffee shop. These are not cheap, but they do work.”

“If I wear sweats at home, it reminds me of being sick. And I feel the same way about slippers. I need a shoe with structure that makes me feel like I’m capable of more than sitting on my couch. These shoes have a really good hybridity. You can take the trash out or go get your mail, but they’re great indoors, too. I have three pairs.”

It started with a conversation about the Stanley water bottle. Specifically, my 8-year-old had a friend over who asked me why my daughter doesn’t have one. We’re an Owala household, I explained. “Everyone at school is into those telephone water bottles anyway,” she said. I, of course, had to find out what a “telephone water bottle” was, so I Googled. The water bottle in question looks like an old rotary phone and popped up in multiple listings on Amazon: It holds 13.5 ounces, and the whole top twists off to reveal a straw. It also comes with stickers to decorate it. I asked the girls who at school had gotten it first. “It was T.,” they both said, and she had camera, watermelon, and doughnut versions, too. I texted T.’s mom about where she had come across the water bottles. “T.’s aunt bought her a milk-carton water bottle for her birthday,” she said. The rest of the bounty followed at Christmas. We’re still a die-hard Owala family, but I’m glad to know exactly what to buy for the second-grade birthday-party circuit. —Winnie Yang

Delphine Anton, maître d’ at Ilis in Greenpoint, loves these square-toed heeled booties. She has been wearing her current pair for over a year and says they’re “very chic but extremely comfortable, even on eight-plus-hour days.”

After an extensive hunt, Michael Cecchi-Azzolina, owner of Cecchi’s, landed on these Cole Haans. They’re a bit dressy, making them ideal for moving from work to nonwork activities, and two pairs later, he cites zero break-in period.

These slip-ons have the perfect amount of arch and lift, says Cerise Zelenetz, owner of Cherry on Top, a natural-wine bar in Bushwick. They also have a padded footbed and “look like clogs and Blundstones had a baby,” she adds.

Toussaint Stackhouse, wine director at Heaven and Earth, a wine bar in Greenpoint, swears by his Air Force 1’s. He loves the comfort and the “flyness factor” they have. He keeps at least three pairs in his closet at all times.

Because I personally do not need any more broken crayons lying around the house, I opted for these neon half-pencils last year. I was imagining kids drawing quietly or pretending they were detectives jotting down clues.

A friend bought these hardcover sketchbooks for her daughter’s art- themed birthday party, where the kids would be creating their own books.
The cover is great for drawing on.

For a smaller party, consider these felt bananas that Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo recently gave out at her son’s 1st-birthday party. My kids, who attended, were happy to receive them — especially because the banana comes out of its peel.

When my younger son turned 1 last year, I got a bunch of these mini tiger puzzles from Mudpuppy to go with the party’s tiger theme — the Chinese-zodiac sign of the year he was born.

Novelty candy, as long as you don’t give out too much (lest other parents resent you), is another fun favor. I like these gummy burgers. I had a hard time holding myself back from eating them before finishing the gift bags for my 5-year-old.

I bought my parents, who live in Virginia and have become avid bird-watchers, the Netvue Birdfy smart bird feeder in hopes that it would photograph their avian friends better than their iPhones. I knew I chose the right gift when our family group chat started to feature more updates about birds than humans. “European starling,” my mom texted us one day, accompanied by a video. “He’s dancing!” my sister-in-law noted. The gadget is fairly simple — a plastic perch and food trough attached to an auto-recording camera with a motion sensor that charges via a solar panel. It’s similar to the more popular Bird Buddy but is cheaper. I like to think of it as the lazy person’s way to bird-watch. —Jeremy Rellosa

In a single morning commute a few weeks ago, I spotted over 100 tote bags, and many were enviable, including a Longchamp Le Pliage tote, several Baggu Nylon Shoulder Bags, a striped Isabel Marant tote, and leather bags from Coach, J.Crew, and Madewell. But of all the ones I saw, the Cuyana stood out. I talked to multiple people with this bag, including Liz Goldberg, who works at the Met. She told me it’s lightweight but holds its shape, is made from the softest leather, and still feels balanced even when it’s packed. I ventured to Cuyana’s Soho store and bought the brand’s Zipper Tote. So far, it sits comfortably on my shoulder, even while carrying my thousand-page law-school textbooks. —Mya Gelber