This roundup of things we liked this week originally appeared in the August 24, 2023, edition of the Secret Strategist newsletter, a weekly email where we share the stuff our staff — plus a rotating cast of writers, design-world people, and various others with very good taste — would otherwise keep to themselves. If you want to get our picks straight to your inbox each week, sign up here.
We learned Heidi Gardner was a big vintage fan through our editor Simone’s hairstylist, Teddi. Teddi was like, “Simone, you and Heidi are both lovers of great vintage and cool clothing,” and next thing you know, Heidi was generously sharing her recent buys and favorite shops with us!
This Week’s List
* I don’t like the layout of Poshmark; I think it’s ugly and all over the place. But one thing I found on there — this is taking a left turn — were vintage cheerleader tops. I watched Cheer, and all their tops say “Cheer” — so I was looking for tops with egregious sayings. I found one that said “Powerhouse,” which I ordered; another said “Celebrity.” They’re really cute under a blazer and baggy jeans. You basically just want to search “vintage cheerleader uniform” — like, this would be cute to wear out.
* I usually turn to Etsy. My friend Amanda has a vintage shop called DryVtgAnd. She lives in Dayton, Ohio, and shops stores there. I also love Le Grand Strip in Williamsburg. I got a pink Mugler there, and I wore it on Watch What Happens Live. I was on with Paris Hilton and I felt like I had to wear pink. I also got this black vintage Hermès suit. The blazer is interesting and just has a good wide-leg pant. And there’s actually a place here in Kansas City called Story Boutique. The women there recognized me and were like, “You have to try on the green Chanel.” It was this iridescent lime-green Chanel haute-couture sequin dress from ’97 — I wore it with a pair of boots. That’s my favorite piece recently. There’s another place in Kansas City called Glenwood Antique Mall. I was there last week and they had this vintage light-up Lanvin perfume sign that says “My Sin by Lanvin.” I’m renovating a house here in Kansas City, and I was like, This is going to be the best part of my home.
* This is very poser, because I’m not a big fan of this band, but I have been getting into the art of vintage Grateful Dead tees. This skeleton with the flower crown, “Bertha,” is an iconic image they used on lots of their merch, and different iterations of it. And, of course, the dancing bears. More bears. Also this opened-up universe skull, I love. I would say ’80s and ’90s are both cool for Dead tees — they were still touring a lot in the ’90s. My mom was a Dead Head and would go. But yeah, most loyalists would be loving on the ’70s and ’80s as most classic. The other things I’ve been looking for recently are vintage Metallica shirts. I got a good one from Front General Store in Dumbo.
And Six Other Things
* One of our editors “finally went to Habibi,” the new members-only club in Bushwick by the Palm Heights people, and found they had these Magis lamp vases on each table, stuck with a pair of calla lilies! “The effect was very chic, because it’s a lamp and vase in one,” she says.
* These silverish Home Depot plates are kind of … handsome.
* Especially if paired with this Nagao cutlery.
* For anyone who really wants Forbes & Lomax switches, Buster & Punch makes similar ones for less than half the price..
* One of our editors recently needed to replace her Asics that she’s had for eight years — and ultimately landed on these. (After anxiously considering these, these, and these.) They’re cool without being too cool, and (she thinks) they work for running and work and night.
* Cindy Sherman seems to have been spotted at Hauser & Wirth in the Hamptons in a Nili Lotan top! This one.
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.
