Erin Schwartz

Brooklyn, New York

Writer at The Strategist

I'm the drama queen? I didn't toss a bag full of shampoo

Articles

Wait, Do We All Hate Linen Sheets?

1 week ago | nymag.com | Erin Schwartz

By Erin Schwartz, a Strategist writer covering décor, gardening, and garment care. They previously worked as an editor at Garage magazine. 5:12 P.M. 17 items in this article 1 item on sale! 17 items in this article 1 item on sale! Photo: Louise Beaumont/Getty Images Occasionally a golden Apple of Discord rolls into the Strategist Slack and ignites debate so vigorous that you have to drop what you’re doing and enter the arena.
Don’t Skip the Kitchen Section at Wayfair’s Memorial Day Sale

2 weeks ago | nymag.com | Erin Schwartz

14 items in this article 14 items on sale! Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers Furniture and home-goods retailer Wayfair is having a big Memorial Day sale — a gazillion items are on sale, with deals up to 70 percent off. Wayfair can be hit-or-miss in terms of quality, so I went through the sale for items we’ve tested and loved before, like a solid wood bed frame that looks more expensive than it is and durable French drinking glasses.
Secret Strategist: Janicza Bravo’s Hats

2 weeks ago | nymag.com | Simone Kitchens |Lauren Ro |Erin Schwartz

By Simone Kitchens, Lauren Ro, and Erin Schwartz 10:15 A.M. 5 items in this article 1 item on sale! 5 items in this article 1 item on sale! Janicza in Maryam Keyhani.
On My Mind: Airbrush Tees and Poetic Realtree Caps

2 weeks ago | nymag.com | Erin Schwartz

By Erin Schwartz, a Strategist writer covering décor, gardening, and garment care. They previously worked as an editor at Garage magazine. 9:00 A.M. Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers, Joe McKendry “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.
Secret Strategist: This Summer’s Mary-Kate Olsen Tevas

1 month ago | nymag.com | Simone Kitchens |Lauren Ro |Erin Schwartz

Photo: Retailer This roundup of things we liked this week originally appeared in the May 8, 2025 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. Every summer an awkward-chic sandal rises; we’ve found this year’s.
58 Mother’s Day Gifts Under $100

1 month ago | nymag.com | Erin Schwartz

Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers Mother’s Day is coming up (it falls on May 11 this year), and while a lot of great gifts are last-minute — flowers, a fancy food item, or an experiential gift like a trip to a museum or a spa day — it’s always nice to have something ready to go without the rush. I’ve rounded up 57 ideas from the Strategist archives (and my own list of memorable gifts) for all kinds of moms, from gardeners and beauty nerds to movie buffs.
Secret Strategist: Kate Berlant’s Merrells

1 month ago | nymag.com | Simone Kitchens |Lauren Ro |Erin Schwartz

Photo: Naomi McPherson This roundup of things we liked this week originally appeared in the May 1, 2025 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.
I Found a Solution for the Bag of Bags

1 month ago | nymag.com | Erin Schwartz

Photo: Author Despite what the home-organization industrial complex might have you think, it’s normal if many things in your home look the way they do through randomness and inertia. You move a plant to dust and it stays in its new spot for months; you leave a book on a shelf and a cluster of small objects accumulate around it. There’s nothing inherently good or bad about these little domestic elephant paths — I find them comforting, a sign that I’m not treating my home like a museum.
The End of De Minimis Will Change the Way I Shop

1 month ago | nymag.com | Erin Schwartz

Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photo: Rodrigo Arangua/AFP/Getty Images If you’ve ordered something from another country sometime in the last ten years that was worth less than $800, you’ve benefited from the de minimis exemption. The policy, which comes from a Latin phrase meaning “the least,” exempts low-value shipments from the duties and taxes you’d otherwise pay for importing goods into the United States.
Secret Strategist: Spring Skirts and Y2K Lamps

1 month ago | nymag.com | Simone Kitchens |Lauren Ro |Erin Schwartz

Photo: Retailer This roundup of things we liked this week originally appeared in the April 24, 20205 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.