What To Buy The Man Who Has Everything

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What To Buy The Man Who Has Everything

Photography by Mr Carl Kleiner

23 November 2017

From sleek speakers to natty knitwear and the best bags and wallets on the planet – it’s time to get giving.

Christmas might be the most wonderful time of the year if you are, say, 12, or you have the organisational abilities of a quartermaster general. But for the rest of us, it’s tough and it can be more tiring than a marathon (hold on, it is a marathon). That’s not to say we don’t like all the merriment and revelry, the extra glass of champagne and late-night jollity, we just wish the rest of it wasn’t such a chore. Who has time to spend the next few weekends pounding the pavements while freezing to death, before queuing for hours and roasting like a turkey in the pursuit of other people’s happiness. It seems like such a waste of time – time much better spent with feet up in front of the fire with that extra glass of champagne.

So, to make things that much easier for everyone, this year our team have put their heads together to come up with the finest selection of gifts for each of the special people in your life. From a polished-leather briefcase from Berluti, to a Leica X Typ 113 compact camera, via a very stylish Dunhill poker set. And remember, even the men who think they have everything, can’t resist an upgrade.

HATS, GLOVES AND SCARVES

Hats, scarves and gloves make such good gifts because you can never have enough of them. From lightweight to leather, chunky to patterned, the options are limitless. They can make or break a look, adding texture, colour and contrast. What’s more, you can find the very best purveyors in luxury turning their hands to these accessories which sit as well inside a stocking as they do under the tree. Loro Piana, among the finest wool brands in the world, has this cashmere and silk-blend scarf in blue, which will add a flourish to formal attire. This striped cable-knit beanie by New York menswear maestro Thom Browne will complement workday and off-duty looks. And these supple calfskin leather gloves by Scandinavian brand Hestra will delight any man as he dashes through the snow. Sorry, about town.

BAGS AND WALLETS

It is a truth well-documented by fashion columns the world over that you can tell as much from a man’s shoes, as you can his suit. But they seldom speak of the importance of one’s wallet. The deleterious impression created by a tattered wallet, bursting with dog-eared loyalty cards, is just as bad as a pair of faux-scuffed winkle-pickers. By this logic, a new wallet is never a bad idea. What’s more, an increasing number of people now have wallets for different occasions, switching between them as our NET‑A‑PORTER shopper friends do handbags. A card holder for work (good for blazers) such as this pebble-grain slim-line leather cardholder from Bottega Veneta, and a cash-friendly fold out for weekends (slips into a coat pocket) such as this from Maison Margiela. Speaking of weekends, we’ve bags aplenty, from totes to holdalls. This clean-lines of this Saint Laurent tote is as good at carrying newspapers as it is Yuletide goodies.

Sweaters and rollnecks

Now here is a real novelty: a seasonal sweater that you can wear not just to the office party or the pub on Christmas Eve. This chunky rollneck from Brunello Cucinelli, a brand as high on quality as it is design, looks just as good while riding a bicycle as it does on the back of a sledge. But if you’re inclined to go sportier zip-up sweater from Loro Piana. Both have plenty of applications and won’t languish in their cupboard for the other 364 days of the year, either.

Headphones and speakers

When it comes to speakers the dial has shifted from giant amps and unsightly woofers to discrete boxes worthy of a spot on the mantelpiece. These days, the very best tech is as loud on volume as it is low on statement. Take Revo’s retro looking SuperSignal walnut and aluminum digital radio for example. With Bluetooth wireless streaming, you can delight someone with their global station of choice. More likely, though, they’ll use it for their favourite podcast. For someone who is always on the go these Bower & Wilkins Saffiano leather headphones are a better option.

CUFFLINKS AND JEWELLERY

If you hadn’t noticed, men’s jewellery is as present in the boardroom as it is at the beach bar. Take a look at your colleague’s wrist in your next weekly catch up and you’ll see what we mean. Next to the watches you’ll find some equally fine jewellery making the wrist the new centre for self-expression, even in an otherwise formal setting like a suit. Brazilian-born, Miami-based jeweller Luis Morais specialises in simple, sophisticated bracelets from that add a certain character to office uniform via coloured stones. A pair of cufflinks (as long as they match the metal on your watch) provide another place to be playful. These by Trianon have been handcrafted from 18-karat gold and feature shagreen (stingray skin in this case) and are punctuated with sapphires. Not just stocking fillers – gifts like these are the main event.

HOMEWARE

Any wine-lover worth his salt would never dream of drinking out of a stubby stemmed glass. No, the oenophile in your life will only want the finest glassware from whence to sip their Puligny-Montrachet. And what could be finer than this Linley glass and cooler set? And, if they won’t be polishing off an entire bottle in one sitting, they can keep that precious vintage in tip-top condition with this witty oxidized sterling silver bottle stopper from Asprey featuring a duck shaking its tail feathers.

GAMES AND LEISURE

For homebodies, the holidays are their most treasured time of the year. We all know the type: those lounge lizards who turn staying in into a competitive sport. The ones who can watch season two of The Crown in one sitting, who can see off a wheel of Reblochon single-handedly, not to mention inhale a bottle of Saint-Émilion by the the first “Yes ma’am”. For them there is no gift more suitable than a pair of Derek Rose jim-jams. Think of them as performance wear for the seasonally slovenly. But in a bid to get them away from the telly and back to engaging with the real world, we suggest a board game. This backgammon set by Linley, handmade in Italy from maple wood, will fill the short days and long nights at the end of December when six days of doing nothing at all. And it’s all over much quicker than Monopoly. So you can jump back into your pyjamas and finish the boxset once the guests have gone.

All present and correct