The Last Gift Guide
A round up of our favourite recs from artists and writers, plus we share our gifting theory and a long list of our own ideas.
Here it is, the official and approved GSTS gift guide. Your inbox is probably full of these, but this is the last one you’ll need, we promise. It’s pretty long, so you’ll probably have to click "View entire message" for the full thing. If you end up buying anything on this list, please let us know! Or buy us a coffee to say thanks <3.
We have devised three golden rules for gift-giving: 1. ☞ If it’s quotidian, make it luxurious; 2. ☞ If it’s novelty, make it useful and 3. ☞ Ultimately, make it personal.
☞ If it’s quotidian, make it luxurious
Aluminium suitcases, linen bedding, beeswax candles, a red cashmere scarf (essential), pama tops, knock off noguchi lamp, stone pestle and mortar, or even better a solid stone LAMP, chanel nail polish, SILK velvet cushion cover (too much SHITE velvet for sale these days), a gigantic tin of olive oil, or bath oil, or hair oil, marvis jasmine toothpaste, leather gloves, alpaca and shearling hot water bottle cover, a burl jewellery box (I am obsessed with my maple one), Japanese knife, fountain pen, the delicious muji logfire candle (smells of pure wood-smoke) or the diptque pine candle, iko iko organza cord covers, membership to an extremely peng gym with a sauna, the Stendig calendar, smythson inspiration notebook, tortoiseshell spoons, lapsang souchong tea, gaggia coffee machine, cast iron pan, victorian silver butter dish, colourful standard socks, pewter plates (à la gwenyth paltrow’s set as referenced in that amazing nyt profile).
☞ If it’s novelty, make it useful
Baby percolator, an iPod shuffle loaded with songs (mixtape vibes), blue sunpaper, hotel ashtrays, fabled thread paint-your-own-frame kit, ‘00s movie promo baseball caps (or even better Lucy Ellerton’s GAY caps), ‘70s cassette holder, spherical ice cube tray, foreign ciggies, a quarterly box of magazines, first edition books, a roomba, egg cups, frankincense (with a little oil burner), one of those gold-plated headphone jack converters (for the dj in your life), square-tipped ice cream spoons, a projector, mother of pearl pickle fork, proper cowboy boots, vintage oyster plate, Nicky Haslam’s annual tea towel, ring carving kit, a banjo (or any cheap stringed instrument), EVERYTHING in this medieval gift guide, ANYTHING from Hollywood Gifts, Climax Books, Present and Correct or Choosing Keeping - particularly the Holy Water Mints from Lourdes or the novelty food candles; loveee the Minne di Sant'Agata one!
Another great way to do this genre is to buy something that’s unlucky to buy for yourself - think tarot cards or a mini Buddha.
I’ve also realised that the majority of my favourite gifts have an air of secrecy or surprise about them… I’ll never forget finding a hidden necklace INSIDE a tiny beaded purse on my sixth birthday. When I was 13, my favourite stocking filler was a pen disguised as lipstick 💋x. And in my twenties, some of my favourite novelty presents have included a hooded, wearable beach towel (doubles as a tiny changing room), and a metal detector.
☞ Ultimately, make it personal
A trip to their favourite city, monogrammed ANYTHING (but especially towels, underwear, bags, notebooks or lip balm) bfi or London library membership, personalised pottery stamp, molecule perfume, a locket with a piece of your own hair… Friend of GSTS Ruth excels at this category - she made her sister a handwritten and illustrated book of their Czech family recipes, spending the run up to Christmas collecting and collating instructions from her granny, great aunt, and mum. If you’re not that creative/only have English relatives then the easiest way to smash this category is by finding out what your intended recipient collects, and buying something to add to their collection. If anyone reading this is looking to buy me (Livvy) a gift, I collect red glassware… And while you’re at it, I would also like to be gifted Amadeus (1984) on dvd. It’s not available on any streaming services…
☞ PERFECTION: Elizabeth got me a lilac fountain pen and a set of dark green ink cartridges one year - an iconic gift that truly sits in the centre of the useful/luxurious/novelty/personal political compass.
☞ TRUE LUXURY: really ought to be entirely unnecessary. Paintings by the two of us (POA and POA ;) ), a flower subscription, Sobranie cigarettes, Roman coins, or a world famous chocolate TORT. TRULY luxurious objects are not just unnecessary, they are completely unique and border on fucking ridiculous - like Sylvia Plath’s tear stained letter to Ted Hughes (for sale at frieze masters last year). Another classic example is a faberge egg. Or a horse. If u can’t afford a full-size dinosaur skeleton (another frieze spot), at least get a small taxidermy keyring from Get Stuffed.
☞ BOOKS: Lots of book recs if you search through our old issues (round-up coming soon), but remember a book (fiction especially) is only a good gift if you reeeally know the person. If you don’t, obviously go for a cookbook. Unless they hate cooking - take them to dinner instead.
My (Elizabeth’s) Mum swears by The River Cafe cookbook. The recipes have little to no instruction, but she’s a boomer and gets around this by calling the restaurant and asking to speak to the chef for clarification. 100% success rate.
☠ HATES:
Livvy: Anything that requires maintenance, unless specifically requested. Bonsai trees are not a thoughtful gift, they are a burden. Also don’t give someone your signature scent, even if they love it.
Elizabeth: Gift vouchers/experience gifts – especially in romantic contexts. Whatever happened to jewellery?
And without further ado, here are some tried and tested product recs from our previous guests.
☞ MASK ON, BLINDS UP: The best way to sleep is by putting your mulberry silk eye mask on before bed but leaving the blinds UP. Then it’s 50% easier to wake up because once you’ve removed your personal light shield, the room is already bright and you don’t have to lie there staring at the blinds willing them to move.
☞ CRAZIE MARIO: This is an eBay vendor who sells a crazieeee amount of sterling silver. Most of the bidding starts at $0.99. Some of the pieces are fugly, some are cute! I like the little charms. I recently bought a toe ring. The seller bio: “We no nothing about stones or things like that, so you mite get a pretty good deal. A GREAT DEAL on a UniquePiece of Jewellery !”
☞ DANCEWEAR AS DAILY WEAR: I nearly failed my college ballet class, but it was worth it for my trip to the massive Capezio in Times Square. I left with a pair of tights that have lasted the rest of my life. Truly. I bragged to someone the other day that I've had the same pair of tights for seven years. Semi-sheer, super stretchy, inexplicably untarnished. I promise I wash them. I also have a wrap top from the same haul that nearly every friend has borrowed or stolen at some point. Cost per wear rapidly approaching zero.
☞ KESSIE ALL BLACKS: My favourite summer companion. Honestly, all Meller eyewear is chic (and affordable).
☞ LUXURY SPA: Akasha at Hotel Café Royal. I have had my best ideas this year crystalise in the steam room in the underbelly of London. I love going to this spa especially during big events. Like when England was playing some kind of a big football match earlier this year and it was all total chaos in Central London. This spa is right under Picadilly Circus. I love the energy there. It is the eye of the storm.
☞ PIETRA DURA: One of my favourite techniques in decorative art. It has a long history and many forms, but at its height in the west during the Renaissance, and at huge expense, the inlaid stone forms allegories: of animals, figures, plants, and scenes from mythology. See Jonathan Coulborn’s masterpiece of Orpheus as shown at The Treasure House Fair 2024 (it’s for sale btw).
☞ PIERRE BERGÉ, D’UNE DEMEURE L’AUTRE: This Sotheby’s catalogue details items from the sale of Pierre Bergé’s estate. Lot number 707 (a pair of breasted dragon chenets) is both extraordinary and garish and points to his and his partner, fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent’s extended style. Specific past auction catalogues can be hard to come by, but Marcus Campbell Art Books and Worlds End Books have a good selection.
☞ GET A FAN: I am never without a fan. It’s the best accessory for climate change. Get a cheap one from Chinatown or Amazon for £2.99.
☞ SPIKY MAT (term author's own): Officially an "Acupressure Mat". Genuinely cured my insomnia and back/shoulder pain from hunching at my laptop. I think the idea is that in order to cope with the sustained discomfort of you lying on a million pins, your body turns down the pain receptors (??) and lets you chill the fuck out. Magic.
☞ JEWELLERY: Rosie Grace Ward’s Jewellery! I always get loads of compliments when I wear my worm. @ironknifechild + APOC store.
☞ COMME DES GARCONS SHIRT: Not cheap, but a CDG shirt is just the perfect everyday shirt! It’s a fab day if I find one for 80% off on Vinted…
☞ ANC HEADPHONES: My prized possession is a present from me to me from a few years ago. A pair of active noise cancelling headphones which spend more time on my head than not. It’s my mithril chainmail to the noise of London. I often don’t even listen to anything, just muffle the screech of the city.
☞ TONY’S CHOCOLONELY: Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bars. Big and chunky, Tony’s is a sentimental chocolate for me; intrigued by the size and packaging, I bought some in a hipster grocery store in Oregon and shared it with two close friends on the floor of our seaside hotel room. What is more, as a sugar addict, I find it helpful to carry around a big unopened bar of chocolate; having an abundance of it makes me never want to eat it.
☞ OVERALLS: Do you want to feel productive before you even start? Of course you do (The catalogue is a work of art too).