“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.
A slim black turtleneck is my winter wardrobe staple. Until recently, my go-to was a trusty one from L.L.Bean, purchased secondhand off Depop, that was perfect for layering under sweaters; it was just the right length (hit at the hip bones) and weight (breathable ribbed cotton). But after three winters of frequent wear, fraying seams and thinning patches forced me to concede that I was due for an upgrade. I started hunting for a replacement in the fall, and after much deliberation, settled on this mock-neck from Une Heures. I was fully prepared to buy it new, but lo and behold, someone was selling the turtleneck in my size on Poshmark.
Since the seller was based in Brooklyn, I thought I’d receive the turtleneck in a few days, but after a series of unlucky mix-ups and delays, the package went missing. I was prepared to write it off as a loss when the seller notified me that it had been returned to sender and asked if I wanted to grab it IRL.
Nearly four months later, I finally picked it up in person last week, and it pretty much hasn’t left my body since. The sleek silhouette tucks seamlessly into everything from miniskirts to high-waisted jeans. The Italian silk yarn is luxuriously soft with a tight weave that shields against wind chill. The mock-neck is fitted but not suffocating. While I did buy it at a discount secondhand, I think it’s well worth the full price at Une Heures — and hopefully you won’t have a saga on your hands like I did.
Some other turtlenecks I considered …
L.L.Bean was my very first stop when looking for a replacement. My particular style had long been discontinued; the Signature Rib turtleneck was the closest match I found, but the collar appeared to have a looser, floppier fit, which I anticipated would look messy when peeking out from another sweater. I also contemplated a silk version but was put off by its knit cuffs — I’d rather have a straight sleeve.
I came close to getting this turtleneck from Flore Flore, which makes excellent, smartly cut basics. It fulfilled nearly all my criteria: a snug fit, enough length to tuck, 100 percent organic cotton. My only gripe was that I wished the fabric had a slightly thicker, more pronounced rib.
Of all the options included in our black turtlenecks roundup, this Baserange one spoke to me the most. I was charmed by the lettuce hems and exposed seams, but those details made it seem more like an elevated basic than a basic basic, and I was worried the fit would be lumpy when layered. I might still buy it to wear on its own once spring rolls around.
Here’s everything else I’ve seen recently …
I just got back from visiting my parents in California — specifically Orange County, so named for the citrus groves that used to blanket the region. Every day of my visit, I enjoyed giant glassfuls of juice, freshly squeezed from navel oranges sold at a nearby farmer’s stand. Back in New York, I picked up an orange from my neighborhood supermarket, and it promptly revealed itself as the driest, pithiest orange known to man. Now I’m thinking about ordering a box of oranges from Pearson Ranch, the same California farm where Strategist writer Emma Wartzman gets her Meyer lemons.
My mom was eager to give me a demonstration of her nut-milk maker, which she’s been using to whip up various almond-, oat-, and soy-based milks. My favorite of her concoctions, however, was corn milk, a blend of cooked corn kernels and water with a mildly sweet flavor. I do not have the capacity to bring a nut-milk maker into my life, but it did get me wondering whether I could buy corn milk anywhere. I did some research and discovered the brand Maizly, which bills itself as the “world’s first corn-based milk alternative.” Its website shows that it’s carried at various gourmet health-food grocers around the city — I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out on my next run.
Somehow my dad got wind of the Trader Joe’s tote-bag craze and managed to procure four mini-totes for me in red, blue, yellow, and green. I don’t exactly need all four, but I couldn’t decide which color to bring back with me, so I just took the bunch. (In my defense, they’re all cute!) They’re just the right size for days when all I need is my book, my headphones, and a snack or two.
In the depths of winter, perfume is my lifeline, serving as a sensory jolt when I’m anhedonic from interminable gray or as a vehicle for escapist fantasies. These are the scents in my current rotation:
I want to wrap myself in warm, comforting scents right now, and Juliette Has a Gun’s Pear Inc. very much fits the bill. It opens with an ebulliently fizzy, fruity note from the pear, followed by a musky, powdery drydown. It’s also divine on clothing — I like to spray it on my favorite scarf.
When I spritz this and close my eyes, I come this close to convincing myself that I’m lounging poolside in a bikini with a banana daiquiri in my hand and not on my couch in sweatpants and an itchy wool sweater.
Here’s another good one for pretending I’m on a tropical vacation. With its notes of freesia, jasmine, coconut, and vanilla, Juara’s Candlenut instantly transports me to a beachy bungalow in Bali.
In the winter, I like to apply a mint perfume before going for a walk. When mingled with the chilly air, it simulates the sensation of chewing gum and then drinking a glass of water — an icy, bracing rush. Etat Libre d’Orange’s “You or Someone Like You” is basically a mojito in fragrance form, fresh and green and crisp as an Arctic breeze.
Another way I’ve been keeping my spirits up is popping into record shops and buying a record just because I took a shine to the album art without knowing anything else about it — very much an exercise in judging a book by its cover. So far I’ve picked up Inside Sauter-Finegan, The Roland Kirk Quartet Meets the Benny Golson Orchestra, and Gal Costa’s India; while I liked some of it more and some of it less, it’s been a rewarding experience to spend time listening to music I never would’ve discovered via the Spotify algorithm.
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