For the dudes, the bros, and the lifelong lifehackers of all stripes—neat-looking upgrades of the guy-gift cliches they love, plus a few additions they don't know they love (yet).
A Hyper-Specific, Super-Sporadic, Delightfully Chaotic Gift Guide
Has been known to fiddle with gadgets, thingies, gizmos, and dohickeys. Fancies himself a Renaissance man who cooks, cleans, gardens, and takes. his. time. An evolved sneakerhead with one foot in the future and the other in a pair of the prized Jordans he’s had since high school. Willingly commits to any sci-fi franchise but don’t call him a Trekkie. Can take a joke. Backpack > messenger bag. Libra sun. Virgo moon.
Vans x Nicole McLaughlin Gardening Vans, $143
A tote? A shoe? A tote shoe. Artist Nicole McLaughlin is into a lot of things, but the ones that matter here are gardening, upcycling, and collaborating. She took a classic Vans slip-on and spliced it with a vintage canvas gardening tote, creating a delightfully weird wearable that’s also supremely utilitarian. I want a pair badly.
Lego Land Rover Classic Defender 90, $239.99
Did I seriously concider spending north of $200 on a Lego set for my six-year-old? No. I’m not a crazy person. But am I purchasing it to stash for his 18th birthday? Yes…yes I am. My point is: This isn’t for the casual tinkerer, but rather a commited collector who will treasure the finished product like the objet d'art that it is.
Colle All Terrain 110 Candle, $125
Also filed under approachable objet d'art.
Lightphone II, $299
It’s not a smartphone, but it’s not exactly a dumbphone either. The biggest selling point is that it doesn’t emit any blue light, which is the stuff that gives us headaches as it fries our brains, and keeps the functionality to the essentials (calls, email, texting). It’s ultimately a sleeker, sexier, okay fine…smarter…answer to the Nokia of your youth. And no, there’s no Snake on it. I checked.
Fly by Jing Salsero Spoon, $45
A brilliant little jar topper with scoopy spoon attached and sized just right to fit Fly by Jing sauces and spice mixes. Each one is one of a kind, too.
Slate Electric Flosser Starter Kit, $79.99
You know how folks who are obsessed with oral hygene are like obsessed with oral hygene? This is for those folks.
Wolves Whiskey, $145
For the elevated booze hound, a Calfornia-made Whiskey with clout.
Tidbyt, $179
Digitizes and displays whatever you care about most—movie times, sports scores, stocks, inspirational quotes, weather, and so much more—for at-a-glance convenience.
Course Maps Custom Golf Course Art, from $145
Course correct.
Balmuda The Brew Coffee Maker, $699
A pour-over coffee maker with just enough bells and whistles not to be annoying. And like every otherwise meh home appliance Balmuda touches, it’s beautiful, functional, timeless, and counter-space-conscious.
Hoto Hand Tool Set, $79.99
A sexy, sleek riff on the everything drawer tool box with only the essentials packed neatly into their perfect little beds in a perfect little case. To be clear: these are only the essentials, meaning that you’ll need to upgrade to get your hands on, say, a hand drill.
Question for the class: Everyone has an everything drawer, right? And it’s always a mess…RIGHT???
The Ronnie Fieg x Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation x New Balance Sneakers, from $266
Sneaker heads and architecture nerds, unite.
3am Latte Coffee Crew Bundle, $37.99
Classic Nike crew socks dyed with coffee-inspired colors is, in my humble opinion, about as clever as it gets.
Rains MSN Backpack, $95
My husband has this backpack. I got it for him a few years ago. He uses it every single day as a laptop bag, diaper bag, and lunch bag—sometimes all at the same time. It has been spilled on and spilled in countless times and still looks presentable.
I want ALL OF IT