Drew shared part one of the Modern Destiny Holiday Gift Guide last week. Now it’s my turn. Here’s my take on some great gift for the guys in your life (or, of course, us!). Here’s the list:
1. Japanese knives: Torijo knives, Togiharu Hammered Damascus Santoku, or Glestain Indented-Blade Gyutou. $50 – $171 from Korin. For cooks out there, Japanese knives are the real deal. Yeah, the German knives are nice, but these are where the action is. They generally have thinner blades, better balance, harder steel and hold a sharper edge. The best ones go for thousands of dollars. I’ve picked a few here: the Torijo knives are great and don’t break the bank (I love the one I have); the santoku I’ve selected has an amazing nostalgic look; the Glestain looks like it’s from Star Trek, with and indented blade that makes it glide through food (note that, unlike the others, it has a asymmetric blade like many Japanese knives, so you’ll need to specify whether your guy is left or right handed).
2. Ship shadowboxes: Morning Sky or Night Sky. $219 each from Wisteria. For the sailors out there (or just the guy who like nautical art). Each shadowbox has a hand painted ship “sailing” over a sea of real shells. It’s gentleman’s library meets tramp art. And they’d look great on his library wall.
3. Cashmere zip hoodie. $248 and up from J.Crew. Survey says: 90% of men like chilling in a hoodie. He can do it in style with this cashmere zip hoodie, available in heather grey, navy, espresso and dark fatigue (aka army green).
4. 27″ iMac. $1,999 and up from Apple. Okay, I’m a geek — and I bet more than one guy in your life is one, too. If he’s a geek who loves beautiful things (like me), and you want to splurge big time, get him this amazing new Mac. 27″ LED-backlight screen; quad-core processor (I say if you’re going to splurge, upgrade to the i7 version of the processor); 4gb or more of RAM (go for at least 8gb, which is way cheaper if you get it from a 3rd party), and much more.
5. Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York. $40.95 from Amazon.com. Here at Modern Destiny, we’re nostalgic for classic retail experiences. There was a time when you could find amazing (and unique) retail behind most New York City store fronts. And what store fronts they were. Revisit them in this amazing photo book.
6. Rugby sweater. $475 from Barneys. A cashmere rugby sweater by Band of Outsiders for Barney’s No Bunk! No Junk! line.
7. ‘3 Arrows’ graphic long-sleeve tee. $34.50 from Banana Republic. A cool graphic tee from Banana Republic? You bet! I totally dig the retro-classic simplicity of this shirt, and what guy doesn’t like a great graphic tee?
8. Gold dove ornament. $28 from Jonathan Adler. Jonathan Adler’s wares make me happy. Get your guy a “Cheeky Chic holiday treat.” It comes in a festive high gloss gold glaze in a nifty blue box, and after the holidays display it on a shelf for some cheeky chic everyday.
9. Korres for Men. I am in love with Korres skin care products. Completely natural formulations, un-pretentious and great for his skin. Start off with the Men’s Travel Kit, $25 from Korres, and containing absinthe shaving cream, marigold and ginseng aftershave, magnesium and wheat protein shampoo, juniper and rum showergel and ruscus and chestnut eye cream.
10. Wool dog coat. $88 from Cole Haan. Does your guy love his dog? We certainly love our little guy, and he’s getting this for Christmas. If it’s cold, wet or foggy where he lives, consider this wool dog coat. Beautiful silver and black wool plaid fabric and featuring velco straps for so it’s easy to get on and off.
11. Ebony corkscrew. By Roost, $10 at Velocity Art and Design. Also available in brown. What guy (at least who’s visiting Modern Destiny) doesn’t love a good bottle of wine. And it’s best to open them in style. These corkscrews are super-functional, small and have great design. And if you love the design but think he’d prefer a pocket knife, check these out, in horn or bone (and some with smaller corkscrews), from $18.
12. Recycled Rover. By Roost, $128 at Velocity Art and Design or VivaTerra. Drew and I have a great dog named Sam. We love him, but he’s a handful. If he’s not quite ready for that commitment, consider Rover, who’s “fashioned from twisted and woven newspaper and sports a wooden nose and eyes.”
