Luxury Gifts

Should you be looking to treat someone (or yourself, for that matter) this giving season, our selection of luxury gifts is full of inspiration. Menswear writer Aleks Cvetkovic picks out some favourites.

At the risk of chiming in with the endless stream of clichés penned elsewhere, things are going to be a little different this festive season. At the time of writing, there’s a question mark over what freedoms we’ll be permitted by the time Crimble rolls around, and certainly it seems that many of us will be enjoying an altogether quieter, simpler holiday time than we are used to this year.

At a moment like this, tactile clothes come into their own – particularly as gifts. Unwrapping a cosy winter sweater, buttoning-up a velvety brushed cotton shirt, or even pulling on a pair of colourful wooly socks is a soothing experience best enjoyed with close friends and family, before curling up on the sofa in your new spoils. In other words, this is the perfect time to invest in some truly comfortable clothing, whether you’re treating yourself or someone else.

With fashion’s continual slide into ‘Zoom-chic’ this year, plush fabrics like corduroy and flannel have dominated this autumn/winter season with good reason. And if Santa is listening, I hope I’ve been a good enough boy to warrant a pressie like the Drake’s Brown Corduroy Games Coat, which is more-or-less the perfect lockdown jacket – soft, warming and rugged enough to wear out for long Boxing Day walks while still feeling ‘dressed’. That, or else the Brown Patchwork Heavyweight Suede Five-Pocket Chore Jacket, please Santa. Those earthy colours are easy to wear, whether you’re dressing it up with a roll neck and flannels or down with a brushed Shetland and washed jeans. The suede itself is pleasingly robust and its tonal ‘fun’ design is a treat to behold.

And while I’m milking this festive line of thought, the other piece that meets this same brief is the dark green suede and shearling zip-front vest, which is positively naughty with its thick shearling interior. Pieces like these are luxuries in the truest sense of the term; ageless garments for the wearer to work on over time, which will only soften and improve with each wear.

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Winter walks aside, in the comfort of one’s own home clothes have a tremendous power to calm the spirit, and few garments do this more effectively than substantial knits. Truth be told, I’d never really given knitwear much thought in my wardrobe before now (I’m much more a shirt and sports coat kind of guy), but this year has encouraged me to take my knitwear seriously. There’s only so many weeks you can spend in pyjamas before the desire to dress in something more put-together becomes compulsive. I bought one of the Drakes’s lambswool shawl collar cardigans a few weeks ago for precisely this reason, and I’ve lived in it ever since.

It is soft, weighty and more-or-less takes on the role of ‘socially acceptable day-time dressing gown’ while working from home. I also love the soft yellow colour that’s available this season, which really does freshen up a traditional design. Of course, the other category of gift-worthy sweater to think about is a hearty cashmere sweater, and this season’s submariner roll necks are equal-parts butter soft and reassuringly thick. Plus, they’ll layer nicely under everything, from the aforementioned suede chore coat to a tweed jacket.

And (because no Christmas is complete without at least one new scarf) if I could only own one scarf in the world right now, it’d be the stunning medallion print silk number that’s available this season. Quite apart from its tangible quality in the hand, those colours are to-die-for; rich, uplifting and perfectly balanced. You could leave the house wearing this scarf and nothing else and you’d still be the best dressed man in town. Not that I’d encourage you to do that, mind.

What I’m saying, really, is to ‘think soft’ this winter. Few gifts could be more more useful or more comforting right now than clothes to truly relax in.

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