Everything I’m Trying On Via Amazon This Month

The rub of online shopping isn’t the inability to touch and feel—it’s how the joy of discovery and that special stumbling-upon-ness mostly gets lost. When I’m buying virtually, it’s nearly always for something I already know I want. That can be a need (like the perfect black crewneck sweater) or a specific desire triggered by something (as in a pair of shearling-lined sandals I saw three different cool girls wearing in their feed). It’s all super pragmatic, yeah, but way less likely to get my heart rate up.

In an attempt to reclaim some of the glory that comes with flipping through a rack and—ahhhhh!—unearthing a wholly unexpected treasure, I’ve started utilizing the Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy option once a month or so (up to eight items are shipped without a credit card charge; you return what you want and pay for the rest).

I might click into a specific category or lead with a broad search term—say, “denim”—but I’m never hunting for something. Instead, I just scroll with abandon and wait for my heart to leap and my mouse to stop moving.

Here, all the things that caught my eye recently and convinced me to give them a try.