one for my fellow procrastinators
my personal wishlist for the last min shoppers
We’re 7 days away from Christmas, and I’ve already received 4 different text threads this week about holiday shopping. I’m (famously) a chronic procrastinator so I thought I’d follow up my holiday gift guide with a second installment, procrastinators edition. As always everything is linked in my shopmy if you want to browse the full collection!
I find that the biggest hurdle in holiday shopping is overcoming the decision paralysis of what to choose in an endless sea of holiday emails, gift guides and a retail platforms. There’s a performative-ness to giving a memorable gift — something that both wows upon being unwrapped but also has longevity to be treasured.
Last year my brilliant friend christine sent me a voice note about her gift giving philosophy. If you’re unsure of what to get for someone, she recommended 1/ giving them an elevated version of something they already have or 2/ creating a curated basket of things based on their interests or goals.
This year I took both of these approaches — for my mom I purchased a bottle of La Mer moisturizer that she had mentioned and for my dad, I purchased a pair of Minted x Saucony running shoes and a philosophy book.
For the fashion girl: The irony of shopping for a fashion girl is that finding clothes that both match her current taste and fits perfectly may be an impossible task. Unless you have a budget to be making purchases from The Row (where you can’t really go wrong), I recommend going for accessories since there’s less variability (jewelry, purses, mittens) or fashion adjacent items (makeup, perfume, fashion books).
On the accessories front, I’m a fan of going second hand — one of my best purchases last year was a chainmail purse and I’m begging someone to buy this Whiting and Davis version so I can stop looking at it. Similarly, I’ve been wanting a shell dish for my jewelry/keys/cards and love how elegant this one is.
The downside of secondhand gifting is the logistics of a return so if you’d rather play it safe I’ve been eyeing these earrings from Isabel Marant (unfortunately final sale) and these alpaca and wool gloves from La Garconne look so soft and whismy.
I’ve been pondering lately ways to engage in fashion outside of just consuming and wearing clothes and have found reading and moodboarding a nourishing way to fill my cup. This year my sweet friends from my parsons class surprised me with this Simone Rocha book which is a treasured addition to my coffee table. I also gifted the Thom Browne 20th anniversary book last year (which I remember being much more expensive lol) which I got signed by Thom Browne himself — it remains one of my best gifts I’ve ever given.
Recently, I’ve also heard quite a few of my friends talking about wanting a new signature fragrance — I stopped haven’t yet stopped by Diptyque to smell in person but have been eying this based on some very intriguing reddit comments.
On makeup, I’m a bit of a one-trick pony (i.e. I know what I like and usually stick to it), but the Westman Atelier brushes get unanimously RAVE reviews online. At $350, they might not be brushes you’re willing to get for yourself, but make a luxurious gift for a friend or partner. Lastly, I upgraded my body wash last year for the first time to the Necessaire body wash, and I don’t think I can go back — it’s also a group chat favorite.
For the one looking to be more creative This list was inspired my sweet friend who asked for gifts for his girlfriend, **redacted** — who he described as artistic, active and “perfect”. I found that sentiment equal parts heart-warming and sickening. For those of you out there looking to shop for your version of **redacted**, here are some ideas:
I’ve been journaling since I was in the 7th grade and have tried everything from Moleskin to Target notebooks. Lately I’ve been eyeing the Hobonochi techno notebook and planner hybrid — I love the idea of a page per day to keep me accountable. For the 90s girls, Norbert Schoerner’s Prada Archive had a bit of a moment on TikTok earlier this year, but I genuinely love the novel approach to coffee table book and am dying to flip through the pages in person. Speaking of creative inspiration, I’ve been toying with the idea of starting on youtube and you can’t get any better than the Canon Shot digital camera (also a group chat favorite)— if you’re lucky enough to snag one as it’s almost perennially out of stock.
To round out this year’s gift guide, I love an experiential gift — a ticket to the ballet or your local orchestra would definitely come in time and be almost universally well received — if you’re in NYC, the Philharmonic is playing Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 4 in January which I’ll personally vouch as a must listen piece. Lastly, an annual membership to the Met or MoMa would be a fabulous way to spend the holidays!
Happy holidays everyone! I’m planning on spending time over the break writing a lot, so would love to hear what you want to see on substack next year! Feel free to comment below or shoot me a DM :)
A fashion coffee table book or a beautiful notebook is always a good idea! 🙌🏼
gifting someone an elevated version of something they already have is such a great idea! happy holidays!