2023 Gift Guide as a treat

Escaped from Google Docs.

I’m giving last years gift guide a life somewhere other than Google Docs in preparation for this years much more extravagant edition. Though if I do say so myself, this one was damn good. I’m pondering putting half of this years behind a paywall. While I sit on that—here’s last years for free.

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What are people actually giving as gifts? Because I’m going to freak out if I see another deck of cards on a gift guide. Are people truly giving a deck of cards to their friends? WHO is playing cards???? I guess men play poker…but who has the time?!!?? This gift guide could fulfill all of your fantasies or none of them at all. Some items mentioned take months to manufacture, some are no longer available, others you can buy on Amazon. Maybe something here will inspire you. There’s something for everyone… (people love saying that)

My favorite ever pair of jeans are from Dries Van Noten and I just discovered they have soap?? One of the best gifts to give is soap. Here are some more all, along, the, spectrum (more on soap below…) I also suggest their perfect refillable lipstick.

My boyfriend won’t read this so I got him these because he keeps losing his sunglasses and he should have another pair. He’s a California boy and looks like my husband wearing wayfarers. Thistle is brilliant and so are all the styles. I have my eye on these myself. I also got him an Olivia Irja beanie from Chickee’s Vintage, the only vintage store in NY that counts. I’m looking for a good black men’s trouser to give him, too. If you have any recommendations send them my way. I love the Maryam Nassir Zadeh Abdou, but he doesn’t wear anything with a label besides Connor McKnight even when it comes highly recommended by me. For about 2 months now he’s been telling me he needs a haircut. Usually he goes to a random barber, but on the set the other day the HMU said men should only really go to a barber if their hair is already relatively short, if the hair is longer they should really go to a stylist. That said, I’m thinking of gifting him a haircut from Ryann Bosetti who’s located in LA, but makes occasional trips to New York (relatable). I got my haircut by her a few months ago and I’ll never go to anyone else. I got him a few other things (gift giving is a love language), but they’re for our eyes only.

Give these to your friend who loves to bake chocolate chip cookies for a more opulent experience. I have been thinking about this marzipan that I purchased in 2019 for a holiday party. I messaged Marco, the founder of Kiosk Kiosk and asked where I could find such a thing, he told me that André, who made them in the Corbusier Unité d'Habitation, retired and shut down his patisserie, Regency. “Now there’s a lousy cafe in its place,” he told me. Sadly, the marzipan is only in their precious archive of items. Through my research I have discovered that this marzipan is highly coveted, and perhaps we should not have casually devoured it at our Christmas party 4 years ago. You can read more about the building here and here is a picture of Christiane, André’s wife at Regency. You can buy marzipan and DIY if you have a rolling pin. I just bought this one.

Lucky for you, there’s lots more from Kiosk Kiosk that would make exceptional gifts such as this lavender oil or this key baggie made from reindeer leather. 

I have a collection of toiletry bags that I have gathered over the years, but none of them can really fit everything. I always find myself packing 3-4 small bags of serums on my travels. I need one solid durable chic bag and CAP Beauty and Autumn Sonata have just collaborated on this one that’s really sexy. I think it’s the perfect gift for your mom or girlfriend, or yourself. Also from CAP I love this salve from Zoca. It’s been famously dry in LA and my hands are flaking away into nothing.

Gala Colivet Dennison is a jewelry maker based in London. I have been following her for a few months now and am always awed when she reveals something new. This is a holiday gift guide, but thankfully for you I’m giving you this tip for future gifts, as all her treasures are only made to order. I love the sterling silver ring and the pill box. For commissions or enquiries studio@galacolivetdennison.com

If you’re in New York, the SC103 store No. 2 is at 39 John Street/3D until Friday December 15. They’re open 12-8 daily and have handmade pillows filled with ribbons which is enough to pay a visit to feast your eyes on something handsome.

My acupuncturist Rachel Day has been adorning my eyes with flax lavender eye pillows during our sessions and they urge me to fall into deep REM in seconds. I want this one from Bodha if anyone who loves me is reading this. While I’m here I have to recommend a treatment with Rachel as a gift for a loved one. I have been seeing her now for two years and her continuous care has changed my overall well being. She sells gift cards here.

I believe anything having to do with a morning ritual is luxe,,,including your coffee and/or tea routine. Sorry in advance, I do not drink matcha because it tastes like grass, so I will not be recommending you a whisk or tiny matcha bowl. I am here to recommend you ***coffee accouterments***. The most important drink, something to look forward to when you go to sleep every night. OK?? Kate Berlant of Poog publicly endorses the Breville Bambino so I am obviously curious about it. I got a text from my friend today, “Do I need the Breville bambino??” For now, I make my espresso in a Moka Pot, a chic Italian classic (how many times can I say classic in this gift guide!!??!) that you can have on your all-American stove. I love using the Sant'eustachio Moka Grounds. A few years ago I got my brother this Alessi one which reminds me now looking at it that I think my next purchase from Alessi will be this one. People love this Gemini one, too. My bean grinder is a vintage Braun one. I love how it looks on my countertop. A lot of people love the Encore ones, but it looks like a huge tank to me. 

Speaking of morning ritual, I want to include a section on soap which I briefly covered in the recent Affection Archives gift guide. I want this ceramic Santa Maria Novella soap dispenser, I am just now discovering that Amazon sells Hermes soap which is psychotic, but it’s $40 and what’s better than designer soap delivered to your door next day (to be fair this looks like someone reselling?). If you want direct from Hermes, here’s that link. 

I asked a few interesting people what they want or would give as gifts this holiday season so I feel like Michael in Elf (2003) when he runs into the crowd towards the end of the film with the naughty and nice list. He exclaims, “Santa needs us to believe, look! I can prove he's real, this is his list” he goes on, “Mark Weber wants an electric guitar, Carolyn Reynods wants a Susie Talks A Lot, Charlotte Dennon wants a Tiffany engagement ring and for her boyfriend to stop dragging his feet and commit already!” 

I digress,

Ari Eshel of Affection Archives thinks the French do a lot of things right, more specifically Charvet and their slippers. Some of her favorite colorways are the leather cognac, suede brown, and suede pink. “They’re the perfect house shoe – comfortable and chic – and they come in a luxurious shoe bag with a gold clasp.” Also- Pien Studios’ coasters (order now as they’re coming from Amsterdam). Ari keeps one by her bedside for tea. 

Rebounder drummer, Cobey Arner suggests a party pack of the mini Marvis toothpastes, “all the flavors”, there’s tons here which include Sweet Sour Rhubarb and Black Forest which is described as “Amaretto's strong yet delicate scent with bittersweet Marzipan complemented by dark chocolate and juicy cherry”, which is more of a display object if you ask me. You can just buy the marzipan mentioned above. In my opinion the best Marvis flavor is Strong Mint.

Back on the subject of pill boxes, Ana Corrigan, ceramicist and sweetheart suggests these vintage Tiffany ones here, here, and here. 

Katie Zimmerman endorses this Banana Republic sweater “I get my dad a sweater every year for Christmas and just bought him this one. It’s one of the softest sweaters I’ve ever felt and the perfect turtleneck. I ended up buying one for myself as well.” 

If you have a reaction to wool like me, here’s another sweater option that I just received as a gift from my loving boyfriend.

I asked LA’s hottest Zuri Marley to send me some ideas to which she sent me a link to her entire wishlist which included these fur lined Crocs (extremely Zuri), and these magnetic oven mitts from Our Place.

Alisha Bansal of Christie’s wants an Iko Iko Space cord cover, and I don’t blame her. Kristin just came out with new colors just in time for Christmas. Bansal says, “Every single color is so good. I want them all.” In the realm of other LA makers she recs a Peter Shire mug, “I am too precious with mine to use it for coffee, so I use it to store lipsticks and hair clips. I got mine at the Karma Bookstore where I think they are the cheapest, but you can find them around.” 

Over breakfast the other morning I was speaking with Kathleen Sorbara, owner of Chickee’s Vintage, about how lip balm is one of the most luxurious gifts. Brooke Callahan, owner of Brooke Callahan and formerly communications coordinator at A.P.C. recommends this one from Chanel, here’s another from Byredo whose main draw is its packaging. I’ve had my eye on it all year, but can’t seem to pull the trigger. Alisha confirms Sorbara’s sentiment, “I have never liked a fancy lip balm until I was gifted this one.”

Speaking of Callahan, most of my girlfriends have recently purchased her signature tie pants or have it high on their wishlist. If you live in LA she has a popup this weekend at newly reopened Bucatini in Echo Park 2146 W Sunset Blvd Los Angeles CA. Still a lover of A.P.C. she raves about these, “perfect flats… ships now or buy them from the Italian maker and make the wait 20 weeks … worth the wait / I have two on order right now.” I encourage you to take a gander, these are great flats and more unique than most flats on the market right now at a good price, too as ballet and “coquette” (??kill me) are taking over. 

Kathleen told me she has been loving Gohar World’s personalization shop to dress up a smaller gift. Insert a gift card and note into one of the personalized envelopes to make it feel more special. For her birthday she was gifted vintage erotica by a dear friend, “I think it’s such a great gift. Jesse Languille released a zine of vintage erotica which I purchased for myself.”

Actress Talulah Brown sent me a few things that seem to be staples in her own life, a Mason Pearson brush, Mary Janes, and a subscription to Apartamento magazine.

Kate Caruso, founder of pois é, has a lot of rules in general, but especially when it comes to gifts. She believes gifts are something you wouldn’t purchase for yourself. This can either be because you don’t know it exists or, better yet, because it is just luxurious enough that it seems overly indulgent to purchase it for yourself. She says, “it’s okay if it’s practical, but it has to be excessive in some way (usually cost or design).” She once received these wax tablets from Santa Maria de Novella and uses them in her undergarment drawers. “I never knew I needed these until I received them which is exactly how one should feel when they open a gift.” 

I seriously do not know what’s going on at Santa Maria de Novella website, but assuming they’re going through a massive (and tragic) rebrand as they’ve also recently changed their packaging. You can still find the old packaging at a few special spots in New York City, but that's for another time. 

Kate also recs these bath salts, “incredibly chic, inexpensive, and almost medicinal.” She had a baby this year and says “if you are getting a gift for a baby under 1 you must get this box set of Bonpoint socks. Entirely more expensive than any sane person would spend on socks for their own baby and yet now that I have them I simply could not do without. Be a good capitalist and make a repeat buyer out of your recipients.”

Nathan Pemberton, who just profiled Wim Wenders for the New Yorker recently brought back this pot pourri apothicaire from Paris. He tells me, “when you bring a small iron box (hand-made in Morocco and filled with black volcanic rocks) through the security check at CDG, they will shake it and sniff it with a delicate kind of suspicion. The dust from the rocks will then settle on top of your belongings. The people behind you in the security line will curse both you and the security person. Volcanic rocks at an airport arouse strange feelings, I suppose. Once I got home, I soaked the rocks in two full tincture doses of Mad et Len’s Graphite.”

Tessa Forrest of Atmos texted me yesterday that she was lying on the acupuncture table thinking about keyboards from the early 2000’s. She has a lifelong fixation of keyboard ASMR. Forrest posted yesterday to close friends about the newly released and already sold out $650 jjjjound mechanical keyboard. She despaired over the fact that none of the other keyboards on the market are “as cool”, all the others for sale are “gamer shit”, which is true. Mostly, this made me realize how Y2K has never been more in, with the re-release and recreation (?) of a new and improved, sleek, keyboard. Taking us back to computer class, you’ve got mail, startup internet, and AIM. For every creative director in your life <33333

If you’ve been out in LA recently, you’ve probably seen a girl or two adorning a Cleo Bag, handmade by Cleo Camp in Los Angeles. The brand Cleo features handbags in silver, chocolate suede, gold, raw denim. Available to purchase via instagram @cleo___camp. The recent campaign for Cleo was shot by Maddy Rotman who just made this Face Plates calendar with Kelly Cole, another great gift.

Callan Malone of THISTLE’S suggests these French linen napkins and of course I agree with her as anything French (as Ari mentioned as well) is well loved by Americans. I recently got an antique lace tablecloth at the Santa Monica Flea and have been obsessed with it. I also love this linen top sheet from the same Etsy shop as Callan’s napkins.

My dearest friend, Nour Kabbani is a marvelous gift giver and I’m pleased with her suggestions. Most importantly, a Frederic Malle candle in the scent Bois de Santal, which just so happens to be the signature scent of Chickee’s Vintage. It’s true that towels are not something we’d think to give as gifts, but Nour thinks this set from Bania would be a great addition to your linen closet. Last year for Christmas I got Nour this Yves Durif hairbrush. I have this one.

Jodie Hill of MARFA Journal suggests a Japanese Knife Set, but these don’t ship to the US. Here’s a similar one from Good Liver. I like this one, too. My mother says it’s bad luck to give knives as gifts so I Googled it. Opinel says if you decide to give knives as a gift, you must give a coin with it. The coin is said to enable you to ward off any bad luck associated with the knife giving. They say giving someone a knife is the same as wanting to separate yourself from that person. My suggestion is if you’re trying to sever ties with someone in your life, give them these cheese knives and see if they buzz off in a few months time. A gift card from Climax Books in London is also on Jodie’s list. I have my eye on Susan Cianciolo’s Workshop (2004) filled with photographs, sketches, and personal notes from the 90’s. If you don’t know Susan’s work I highly recommend doing a deep dive. You can start with this profile of her on ArtForum or this one in Vogue here. Last but not least (my personal favorite of the bunch), something I would never buy myself, this toothpaste squeezer which can be used for any tube, not just toothpaste. I’d use it on my Embryolisse moisturizer, another brand going through a terrible packaging rebrand. You can find the old packaging here.

Misty White Sidell, fashion journalist and brand consultant is a practical gift giver, “I like to offer gifts that people will frequently use and love. A nice hairbrush feels like one of those items.” Misty prefers YS Park over the cult-followed Mason Pearson. “It’s an expertly engineered professional line from Japan with ergonomic handles, sturdy bristles and they’re very light – all making it easier to blow out your hair.” Congratulations to Misty for having the upper body strength to blow out her hair the old fashioned way. I use this Amika blow dry brush. Lucky for me Misty also suggested slippers, a classic gift guide item that is usually on things to get your mother but what about things to get literally anyone. Who wouldn’t want a slipper? Especially ones made overseas. These are from Draper of Glastonbury “They’re stocked at my favorite store in NY, Peress Lingerie (another place for great gifts, like cashmere socks in sophisticated pastels). The slippers come in very elegant shapes but they are sturdy enough to be worn around the house for years to come.” Find them here 1070 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10028. 

I included this sentiment in the previously mentioned gift guide, but it belongs here too:

The other night I watched Meet Me in St. Louis for the first time (I highly recommend, it’s not a traditional Christmas movie, but there’s a 30 minute portion towards the end that is some of the best Christmas-y Christmas I’ve ever seen) and there’s a moment that Judy Garland’s (Esther Smith) father (played by Leon Ames) gives her mother (played by Mary Astor) a box of chocolates “sweets to the sweet!”, he says. Behold!!! A tin box of gold, otherwise known as Louis Sherry chocolate truffles. The brand has been around since 1881. I am over the moon. The most timeless gift. Listen to Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, a song that was original to this movie. I’ll leave you with that.