Christian Lacroix Notebooks, $13 and up
Kim writes, "I have always thought blank notebooks were among the biggest cop-out gifts going—you give them to people for whom you do not know what else to buy, and receive them with middling enthusiasm at best. But then I discovered Christian Lacroix blank notebooks, and now I’m all in. They’re like tiny little pieces of art, with surprise inserts and bold patterns on the inside covers, and they’ve all got a ribbon to mark your page, just like the Bible, only this one is chevron-striped. Magic."
On the left: £15.95 from Quill London.
On the right, $13, $15, and $24 from Nordstrom.
Soap & Paper Factory Hand Cream, Green Tea; $18
"I can’t think of a single beauty line with prettier packaging than Soap & Paper Factory (and I’ve seen a lot of beauty lines) so I give their stuff as gifts all the time and it always goes over big. This hand cream is scented just the right amount -- which is to say, not too much -- and it’s creamy, but also nicely light."
Animal Kingdom Letterpress Cards, $18
"Letterpress cards can get so very twee, and this set of animal figures probably teeters just on the verge, but I love it unreasonably anyway."
Ryan McGinness Calendar, $24.95
"Every year, graphic artist Ryan McGinness makes a new version of this brilliant calendar/to-do list pad, complete with an illustration a page and room enough for lists, scribbles, reminders, and whatnot. Hang on to all the pages, and at the end of the year, you’ve got a satisfying look back at the past 12 months that can’t be had from something hand-held and digital."
$24.95; order from books@gingkopress.com or info@ryanmcginness.com.
Marimekko iPhone Cover, $48
"So snappy, I wish it were an outfit."
$48 at Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
Thomas Paul Hand Towels, $52
"Just as charming as the day is long, and such a grown-up touch in the event of company."
Solid Brass Crest Bottle Opener, $60
"A bottle opener and an interesting objet all in one. Because we all have that friend."
Maison Martin Margiela Feather Pen, $68
"I am all for gifting people highly impractical items they would love to own, but never buy for themselves. And this fantabulous ostrich plume pen -- so glamorous for performing the most pedestrian of office and domestic tasks! -- is about as perfect a case in point as could ever exist."
Nights of Hanukkah Taster, $75
"A decorative canvas bag filled with chocolate menorahs, old-style gilded gelt from Veruka Chocolates, and a bunch of other candy-type items that aren’t, frankly, all that traditionally Jewish, but conform nicely to Hanukkah's blue-and-white color palette."
Star Dominoes, $80
"Design firm Fredericks & Mae loves to put fun and stylish spins on old school games, and this domino set with stars instead of dots couldn't be more happy -- and really, legitimately cool -- if it tried."
Jonathan Adler Needlepoint Flask, $98
"Flasks are so starchy and genteel and men’s magazine-ish -- just the type of item that’s primed to be subverted. And what better way than with needlepoint?"
North Star stud earrings, $145
"The starburst is a lively departure from more classic stud shapes, and these have wee little sparkly diamonds (!) in the center."
John Derian/Astier de Villatte Bug Plate, $163
"If money was no object, I believe one of each piece from John Derian’s collaboration with French ceramic house Astier de Villatte would make an especially memorable gift. But because Astier is pricey, and the collection is not small, this creepy-delightful bug plate is a nice way to go."
Elihu The Elephant Wall Clock, $170
"A classic Nelson design, perfect for the bedroom of the youth of your choice."
Foot Paperweight, $179
"Paperweights get kind of a bad rap, gift-wise. They can be total afterthoughts, but some are pretty fantastic. And this foot clears the bar for me, because the idea of a foot-shaped paperweight is kind of clever, but it’s also really pretty."
Milk Painted Cutting Board, $205
"This leather-handled, paint-accented cutting board might very well be the first cutting board in the history of ever that could be described as chic. So perfect for displaying one’s cheeses and quince pastes and whatnot."
Prada Marfa Art, $299.99
"People, this is the exact piece that was used as a prop on Gossip Girl. It needs to go to a Fug National."
[Ed: It was in Lily's apartment. This prop has seen SO MUCH angst and probably a lot of body parts.]
$299.99 on Art.com, via Art Production Fund
Alexander McQueen Umbrella, roughly $636
"Yes, it’s crazy stupid expensive, but I couldn't not share this Alexander McQueen umbrella with a gold skull at the end of the handle, because it is so excellently richer-than-God British '70s rock star that I can’t even bear it."