Exactly what a gift should be: tongue-in-cheek fun with a dash of luxury (and under $25!). Have the man in your life ditch the Axe (ick) in favor of this indulgent upgrade. The delicious masculine scent is a no-nonsense way to introduce fragrance into his daily routine without getting overly fussy.
J.Crew continues its winning streak with another fab designer collaboration, this time from Canadian leathergoods brand Want Les Essentiels de Vie. They've swapped their traditional leather for organic cotton, making the bag lighter on your shoulder as well as your wallet. This one looks like a winner for the trip over the (Hudson) river and through the (Dutchess County) woods, as it's designed to hold all the plaid and selvege denim you'd need for a long weekend (hence the name - 72 hours).
The chilly fall weather may be upon us, but that doesn't mean designers aren't already looking ahead. Getting a slick upgrade for spring are Riley frames from Oliver Peoples, a classic horn-rimmed style I've sported since I was old enough to say "designer eyewear" (by my estimation, age 8). The clip-on addition is retro-chic and surprisingly useful. Check out Elijah Wood modeling them for the Resort/Spring 2010 on oliverpeoples.com. (Via Selectism)
There's very little joy in waking up on a Friday morning at 6:45 am to the not-so-pleasant racket of your iPhone going off. Even worse if you're staring at some blinking red numbers oppressively beeping out of some cheap plastic radio. Enter the BeoTime, made by Danish a/v outfit Bang & Olufsen. B&O is like the Hermès of home audio - they both create stunningly beautiful, unapologetically expensive objets of the utmost quality. This piece is no exception. Made to resemble a flute, this combo alarm/remote can act as a sleep timer for all your other B&O products, that is, assuming you have an arsenal of $11,000 CD changers. It also has a clock! Though perhaps at its current price, I'll be sticking to the iPhone for now. (Marimba, anyone?) Oh, and by the way... TGIF.
Preppy fave Vampire Weekend has made waves since their self-titled debut in 2008, laying Cape Cod-inspired lyrics over African drum beats to create an upbeat sound all their own. Though their new album, Contra, isn't due to be released until this January, they've uploaded their first single "Horchata" for free download on their website. (N.B. - horchata is a milky drink made from the tiger nut, actually the root of a Middle Eastern plant.) If this is a taste of things to come, I'll be drinking horchata all winter.
I'm a sucker for a good slipper. Not the fuzzy kind, mind you, but the velvet variety with a leather sole and grosgrain trim. (You can even wear them out of the house!) It's a great way to express one's personality in a subtle, or not so subtle, way. Stubbs and Wootton, a brand once favored by crusty Locust Valley types, has become something of a crossover hit with a younger generation. They've supplemented the traditional family crests and floral motifs that adorned their shoes for designs a bit more subversive - NYC manhole covers, for instance, and ones that read "Screw You" in clip art (aptly named "College"). Of course, the old styles are still there; we wouldn't want to offend the Upper East Side too much, would we? My favorite new feature, though, is their new virtual bespoke service, where you can pick out your own colors and designs and preview them online. Here are a few of my own designs:
These are probably what Tom Wolfe would refer to as "go to hell shoes" - perfect for Palm Beach:
Plenty of people I know, who aren't ordinarily selective about their hooch, take strong objection to gin. (I won't name names.) (Judy.) And I understand why - the vast majority of it is basically Christmas tree-flavored vodka. But then there's Aviation, which has little in common with your run of the mill gin. Batch distilled in the Pacific Northwest, this is the kind of gin you'd actually want to drink with a splash of club soda - it's clean, light, and aromatic. It's also perfect in martinis, with a dry tonic like Q tonic, or simply on the rocks with a lime wedge. Save the Christmas trees for Christmas.
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