THE JOURNAL

From watches to wallets, hats to headphones – there’s a present for every price and personality this Christmas.
If you’re anything like us, you’ll likely be reacting to the arrival of December with a combination of surprise and panic. Surprise at just how rapidly the festive season has come back around, and panic at the sudden realisation that you’ve only got three weeks to finish – OK, start – your Christmas shopping. This is not a prospect that many will savour. Of the many and varied pleasures associated with the holiday season, shopping for gifts does not rank highly. There’s more festive fun to be had peeling sprouts and hoovering up pine needles.
But there is a solution to this drudgery. If the thought of spending your weekends forcing your way through a sea of sharp elbows on the floor of your local department store sends shivers down your spine, then why not give MR PORTER a try? Our Christmas elves (the Buyers) have been hard at work for months preparing a smart selection of gifts – and, this year, they’ve outdone themselves. The offering has expanded to include silverware, barware, wooden games sets, DIY kits, gardening tools and fine watches from the likes of IWC Schaffhausen – not forgetting, of course, our usual pick of the very best in designer menswear.
It’s a selection that caters for every man, and it can be found in its entirety at the MR PORTER Gift Store, sorted into categories for ease. And, here’s the best bit: it can all be purchased with a couple of clicks and delivered straight to your home in double-quick time – the same day if you live in New York or London – saving you the bothersome task of having to change out of your pyjamas and leave the house. In other words, it’s win-win. To give you a small taster of what’s on offer, we’ve picked out a few of our favourite items to showcase.
Fine watches

IWC made its long-awaited debut on MR PORTER last month, just in time for the festive season. The selection from the legendary Swiss watchmaker includes the Portugieser, Portofino, Aquatimer and Ingenieur families, and, as pictured (above left), the famed Pilot’s Watch. Taking its design cues from the timepieces created by the company for fighter pilots during WWII, this IWC Big Pilot’s Watchlooks as if it could have been ripped straight out of the instrument panel of a vintage Spitfire. As is typical of the brand, though, its utilitarian appearance belies a highly complex and cleverly engineered movement. IWC joins brands such as Bremont, Oris, Ressence and Zenith – whose El Primero 36,000 VPH Stainless Steel and Alligator Watch is pictured above right – to complete a roundup that’ll delight any connoisseur.
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The hamper

At the more rarefied end of English society, Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without a Fortnum & Mason hamper nestled under the tree. The historic London department store, which quite rightly describes itself as the most luxurious in the world, has been creating hampers for centuries. This season, MR PORTER has collaborated with the store to create an exclusive series of “Gentlemen’s Hampers”, filled to the wicker brim with gourmet cheeses, rare coffees and teas, gin truffles and much more. They’ll make a charming, can’t-go-wrong gift for the epicurean in your life.
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Cosy sweaters and accessories

For those who consider “novelty” Christmas sweaters something of a tradition, here’s a novelty for you: a Christmas sweater that you might consider wearing outside of the confines of the office party. This year, eschew the garish Santa sweater in favour of something with a little more longevity, such as a cream cable-knit from Gant Rugger or a Fair Isle knit from Moncler Gamme Bleu. If you’re looking to push the boat out, throw in an Oliver Spencer bobble hat, a gingham scarf from Saint Laurent and a pair of woven leather gloves from Bottega Veneta for a stylish winter-warmer gift set.
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Grooming essentials

Few places strike fear into the hearts of men like the cosmetics floor of a department store. With its harsh lighting, labyrinthine layout and horde of pushy salespeople, it’s the kind of place that most guys would happily take a lengthy detour to avoid. MR PORTER’s grooming edit takes the horror out of that particular shopping experience by collecting together the very best of brands – such as Byredo, Penhaligon’s and the recently-arrived, cult French name Buly 1803 – and presenting it to you in the calming retail environment of your own home. Of particular note is Czech & Speake’s eight-piece manicure set, which packs everything you need for perfect nails – and, let’s be honest, quite a lot more – into its smart, leather-bound case.
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Bags and wallets

In the interests of market research, we asked 10 members of the MR PORTER office how they’d react to receiving this black suede-trimmed Tom Ford holdall as a gift. An incredible 90 per cent – or nine of them – said words to the effect of “I’d weep tears of eternal gratitude”. (The other said that he’d probably find it a bit awkward, but that’s only because he’s already got one.) For those looking for a more discreet gift – or perhaps something small to stuff in a stocking – a wallet or cardholder is a failsafe option. Here are three of our favourites, from Saint Laurent, Berluti and Prada.
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Jewellery

Real men wear jewellery. Don’t believe us? Then take a look at your colleagues’ wrists at your next board meeting. Brazilian designer Luis Morais uses glass beads and rare stones such as lapis, spinel and tiger’s eye to offset the gold and diamonds in his jewellery, resulting in pieces that feel precious, but not ostentatious; British accessories brand Alice Made This employs industrial metal-turning techniques to create cufflinks that resemble finely tuned machine parts; and French designer Le Gramme takes the idea of minimalist jewellery to its logical conclusion, crafting simple, unadorned bracelets and rings that are numbered by weight. Seen to the left of this picture is “Le 21”, an 18-karat rose-gold cuff that weighs – you guessed it – 21 grams.
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Audio equipment

Master & Dynamic MW60 Leather Wireless Over-Ear Headphones; Bowers & Wilkins P9 Signature Headphones, both coming soon
At MR PORTER, we like our audio equipment to look as good as it sounds. Which explains our affinity for brands such as Bowers & Wilkins, Master & Dynamic and Revo, all of which take aesthetics just as seriously as acoustics. The retro stylings of Revo’s walnut-clad SuperSystem belie the raft of technological features that are hidden within – the button on the front marked “Spotify” looks curiously anachronistic, for instance – while the sheer size of the thing is more than justified by the spacious, authoritative sound that it is capable of pumping out. In the headphone category, the Bowers & Wilkins P9 and Master & Dynamic MW60 models provide immersive sound within a comfortable and stylish package. They’re ideal gifts for the audiophile with an eye for style.
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Illustrations by Mr Simone Massoni
Set design by Ms Sarianne Plaisant