Intelligencer - My Search for Sambas Alternatives

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For her latest hunt, Mya Gelber set out to find a new pair of sneakers that were not (“the at-this-point-ubiquitous”) Adidas Sambas. Her ideal shoe is low-profile (like the Sambas), a neutral color, made from canvas or leather, and under $200. “The goal was to find sneakers that are stylish, easy to pair with any outfit, comfortable, well priced, and — crucially — in stock.” She tried on 11 pairs of shoes before landing on two favorites, and, best of all, they passed the “rushing down subway steps” test.

Today’s Tabletop Week stories are all about the beautiful things to decorate your table with. We found 25 cloth napkins to consider and the practical (and not-so-practical) napkin rings to accompany them. There are also Sandeep Salter’s (of Salter House) favorite tapered candles and some stylish candlesticks to plop into them. (And if you’re inspired to zhuzh your tablescape after all this, there’s a big sale going on at Sur La Table.)

Also on the site: Kitty Guo rounded up this week’s most exciting new releases, including the return of John Derian’s Halloween collection for Target and “Grazola” (that’s granola by olive-oil-makers Graza); 13 nice shirtdresses, according to people whose taste we trust; an explainer on how (and when) to use energy gels; and there are a lot of things for your teeth on sale at the moment. —Ashley Wolfgang, newsletter editor