This year Hannah-Rose Yee from
Capture the Castle and I have collaborated again to bring you a two-part Christmas gift guide. I'm in New York for the next two months, and Hannah is soon heading to Paris, so it seemed perfect to theme our guides around two of our favourite cities, Paris and New York. Hope you enjoy! This is part two.
Give the gift of New York this Christmas.
one. 3.1 Phillip Lim 'All Eyes on You' sweater, $550 from
Saks Fifth Ave
Cool,
calm and collected, this sweater is just like New York itself. The kind
of thing that tall girls who paint their lips red, baby, red, would
throw on as they hopped out of bed (over pilling The Row tee
shirts and super-skinny Current Elliot jeans), an outfit that they
wouldn't give a second thought to but would be guaranteed to have all
eyes on them. Gift this to those girls in your life who might not live
in the spotlight, but definitely ought to.
two. Linda Farrow x The Row leather aviators, $350 from
Shopbop
Nothing
screams bright lights, big city, like a pair of aviator sunglasses, and
it doesn't get much bigger than this. Resplendent in 1970s bronze hue
and leather accents, these Linda Farrow x The Row opticals are the kind
of thing you always want but can never ask for; bold and brassy sunnies
for girls with perfect teeth and Balmain jackets. But we think they look
best when paired with sweatshirts and cropped cigarette pants, a
slightly off-kilter, atypically New York addition to an outfit. Wherever
the receiver finds themselves - stretched out on a beach in Parsley Bay
or huddled around a heater in Cobble Hill - these sunglasses are sure
to become their daily routine.
Isn't
it grand when worlds collide? Pony hair and leather, slim silhouettes
and in-your-face-leopard print, New York and Paris. Alexander Wang, the
quintessentially New York designer, he of the white tee shirt and the
black jean, has been picked to helm Balenciaga in Paris, and thus our
two favourite cities are joined in the middle. Just like this wallet. It
has a touch of chic to it; that efficient, pared back design (just five
card slots and a single space for bills, money is so passe), that
matte-black hardware, that perfectly composed shape. But then it's all
New York, all the time, chilli and avocado at Cafe Gitane with that
leopard print pony hair leather. The perfect match.
four. Le Labo 'Tubereuse 40' fragrance, POA from
Le Labo
Everyone
has their own idea of what New York smells like. Joan Didion thought it
was garbage and peaches, Tom Hanks - or at least Tom Hanks in Nora
Ephron's You've Got Mail - preferred sharpened pencils and school
supplies. Us, on the otherhand, being rather partial to peonies and
white florals and tubereuse, tubereuse, tubereuse, elect for this.
Created specifically to capture the scent of New York - and available
exclusively in New York alone - this is one for the die-hard New Yawk
lovers, the ones who never get lost in the subway and don't even get
phased when they stand at the top of the Rock and look down over
Manhattan. One spritz is all it takes.
This
is for the girl who has everything. She's
got a wardrobe full of Acne and Opening Ceremony, eats out for every
meal and knows exactly what she wants. They're hard to buy for, those
girls. But no-one, not even a hard-at-heart New Yorker, can resist
something shiny on Christmas day. Your best bet is to go for Satomi
Kawakita; Japanese-born, New York-based jewellery famed for her organic
designs and delicate settings.
Choose something simple but with a kick - like this beautiful circlet of
gold, twisted in the shape of a twig - that she'll slip onto her finger
and never take off.
If
we were to receive this we'd feel very lucky indeed. The ultimate New
York bag - famously tested by the Olsen twins and Kate Bosworth - equal
parts swagger and equal parts nonchalance. The original satchel is
great, but this is the next level, modern and graphic (that art deco
clasp!) in that beautiful pebbled leather with a strap long enough to
cross your body.
seven. Araks 'Kate' pyjama top, $139 from
Araks
New
York is decadence. It's degustation meals and horse and carriage rides
around Central Park and pyjamas in the day time. Start someone's
collection by gifting them this spotty silk shirt by cult-favourite New
York label Araks. Try walking it in on Christmas morning wrapped up with
a big grosgrain ribbon on a breakfast tray - alongside some toasted
muesli and fresh orange juice. It's all about the decadence.
