“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”, so they say. But in reality, it’s a nightmare of parties, events, travel and of course, the obligatory presents.
But this year will be different. This year Esquire has your back. And we’re going to be updating this page with all the best holiday gift ideas we reckon you should pick up for the lady/man/dog/goldfish in your life.
So wallets at the ready; here’s are the best holiday gift ideas we can think of:
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For the sartorially-minded
Bottega Veneta Intrecciato leather duffel bag
Bottega Veneta is synonymous with the highest quality materials, especially when it comes to leather. Now, under the creative direction of Daniel Lee, the brand has doubled-down on that speciality, and there’s no greater example of that than this leather duffel. Woven in Italy using the brand’s signature intrecciato technique, it’s roomy enough for short-haul trips while staying light, compact and supremely stylish.
Zegna Black Calfskin Boots
Enough with the trainers already. Winter demands a sturdy pair of leather boots, with chunky soles and unbreakable laces. These calfskin ankle boots by Zegna are not so rugged that they couldn’t grace a hotel bar but not so elegant that you wouldn’t wear them on a yomp across Al Qudra.
Baume & Mercier Baumatic
Last January at the big SIHH watch fair in Gèneve, Baume & Mercier revealed its very first in-house mechanical self-winding movement, the Baumatic calibre. Now while that is a great indication from the company as to its commitment to good watchmaking, what is better news for us is that it has added this movement to its excellent Clifton collection, meaning that not only will the pieces have that contemporary-cool Clifton design but all watches equipped with the Baumatic movement will now come with a high-performance five-day power reserve, and will have a precision rate of -4/+6 seconds per day. There are five models in the Clifton Baumatic collection.
Acqua di Parma Barbershop Experience
Finding the right barber can be tricky, but finding the right barber hidden away in a secret luxury, private room in the world’s largest shopping mall, well that is significantly harder. Being the lovely people we are here at Esquire, we’ll let you in on a little secret: within the newly opened Acqua di Parma boutique in The Dubai Mall’s Fashion Avenue extension is a dedicated master barber offering an Italian-style traditional shave experience. The treatment includes all products from the famed men’s grooming brand. If it’s the season for giving, then it’s definitely time to give yourself a treat.
BOSS Private Accord
While we’re all a bit over the social pressures dictated by the ‘new year, new you’ mantra — how many times do we have to reinvent ourselves? — however, the changing of the year does make for a nice chance to update your scent. Having successfully fought its way to the front of our bathroom cabinet this season is Private Accord, the latest version of famous BOSS The Scent range. Endorsed by 50 Shades of Grey’s Jamie Dornan and supposedly given an ‘aphrodisiac twist’, this is certainly an evening fragrance that you’ll want close at hand.
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For the tech-savvy
Apple iPhone XR
Don’t be put off by the more expensive XS model, the XR has more than enough under the hood to keep your smartphone game strong (as well as more personality, to boot). The new blower packs a 6.1-inch screen, a 12-megapixel camera and a beefier processor, as well as waterproofing and wireless charging. Most importantly, that screen is of the edge-to-edge variety (which looks stellar up close) and – unlike its big brother – this one comes in a variety of cool new hues.
Full review here | Buy it here
AIAIAI TMA-2 modular wireless headphones
If you can pronounce the name of the brand that makes these headphones, you’re more qualified than we are to own a pair. Danish audio company AIAIAI has created a modular pair of headphones that lets you change the way the headphones sound and feel thanks to swappable parts (including headbands, cables, ear pads and even the speakers within).
Acer Nitro 5
Flashy LED lights are the go-faster racing stripes of the gaming world, and Acer’s Nitro 5 laptop stands evident of that. It’s big, it’s bulky which, as any gamer will tell you, is exactly what’s needed when it comes to fragging on the go. This one packs an impressive NVIDIA GTX graphics card under the hood, a core i7 processor and Dolby audio smarts. Oh, it also comes with a variety of said LED lights – in a fetching orange/red hue.
Logitech G903
This isn’t your average mouse. It’s the stealth bomber of PC peripherals. Hand this to a true gamer and he’ll raise it atop his head (similar how Rafiki the monkey did in the Lion King) and rejoice; for you will have just given him a one-way-ticket to gaming paradise… We jest, but this is a very posh mouse.
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For the ‘influencer’ in your life
Apple MacBook Air (2018)
After years of being the only MacBook in Apple’s stable without a Retina Display, the dinky Air has been given a proper overhaul just in time for the holidays. The go-anywhere laptop has enough grunt in the trunk to handle most basic video and photo editing tasks, and it weighs just over a kilogramme. Oh, and now it comes in bright new colours!
Dunhill Concourse Zip Pouch
As any influencer worth his Merino-wool socks (#ad) will know, what you cart around with you also must double up as an impromptu prop when the need arises. That makes Dunhill’s new leather pouch a triple threat. It draws influence from the golden era of motor racing (so it looks slick as hell), is made in soft-but-hard-wearing lambskin leather (so it won’t fall to bits overnight) and is roomy enough to hold laptops, notebooks and a spare phone charger.
Bose QuietComfort 35 II
Headphones are the vlogger-on-the-go’s best friend. And while Bose’s new QuietComfort cans certainly do sound sweet, it’s their noise cancelling smarts that make them perfect for the influencer in your life. They fit over-ear which help block out most ambient sound, but most importantly use Bose’s clever headphone tech to take in pesky noise, analyze it and – using some type of frequency-jamming technology – cancel it outright.
Louis Vuitton x Marc Newson duffel
As a preeminent modern product designer, Marc Newson knows plenty about streamlining and efficiency. In his latest collaboration with Louis Vuitton, he has tweaked the classic duffel bag, creating a carry-on of water repellent, heat-formed technical yarn, with 95 per cent less stitching than conventional luggage, and near-silent wheels — all weighing less than 3kg.
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For the man who lifts
Fitbit Charge 3
The holidays aren’t necessarily the best time to pick up the mantle of fitness, but come January – when you’re riddled with guilt over all those mince pies – you’ll be hard pressed to find a better gym-buddy than Fitbit’s new Charge 3. The new model blurs the line between smartwatch and fitness tracker by bringing along a proper touchscreen and several fitness modes – along with the usual sleep, heart rate and calorie tracking.
Chemix Otto
Because the best way to get up and out of bed in the morning (before heading to the gym, natch) is with a cup of joe. The Chemix does coffee-making old-school, using gravity and hot water to create a brew all its own.
The Technogym Skillbike
Yeah, we get it, cycling in the gym can be hella boring. You spend hours peddling away watching dudes around you flexing in the mirrors, and that is in that rare occurrence that a bike is free when you need one. So consider removing all that hassle and pulling off the wraps on your very own piece of kit, perfect for indoor cyclists. The Technogym Skillbike is pretty much the iPhone of exercise bikes, with a 7-inch touchscreen that gives you real-time performance data (on biking things, such as cadence, speed, distance, heart rate, etc.) And thanks to smart new ‘pedal printing’ technology, it can also give you feedback on the circularity and symmetry of your pedalling. It looks pretty cool, too.
Bose Noise Masking Sleep Buds
It’s widely known that sleep is one of the biggest components to wellness. But getting enough shut-eye in a busy city is not always easy. These noise-masking earbuds are made for balancing out distractions while you’re sleeping.
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For the lady in your life
Pandora Purely Pandora
Being the festive season, society demands of you to give your special lady friend something pretty. On one hand that seems rather forced, but on the other, since when was giving someone you care about a bad thing? In fact, give more and give often. Trust us, it will only help you in the long run. Pandora’s new Purely Pandora collection is a pretty good place to start…
Buy it here
