Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus was, surely a myth. All right, it sold a billion books and spawned a hundred million newspaper articles, but really? Are we that different? Don’t we all want not to die, fall in love, have some children? Don’t we all live way beyond our stereotypes? Naomi Klein and Pamela Anderson are both female, for example, but don’t they have about as much in common as a bulldozer and a goldfish?
But buying for Christmas? Deary me. Maybe on this annual worryfest, John Gray PhD might have a point. Mars and Venus are positively local compared to the distance between the sexes when it comes to Christmas shopping. Barely had the last roman candle shot out its final ball of flame on November the fifth when the refrain started… “Men are so difficult to buy for.”
Difficult? Difficult?! We like, basically, what women like. Stuff that we probably wouldn’t buy for ourselves. Now I agree, that my Christmas present of choice, a Jaguar F-Type (in Firesand orange, please) might not have occurred to those closest to me. And I concede that £51,775 might be a little on the steep side, (although if you really loved me, come on). So in that case, how about a pair of socks?
Difficult? Difficult?! We like, basically, what women like. Stuff that we probably wouldn’t buy for ourselves.
There is a myth of Christmas, not unlike the Women Are From Mars… myth, that socks are somehow a sad cliché that embody lack of thought, lack of interest and a lack of feeling worthy of Scrooge. Not so! Now agreed, a bargain-basement five-pack with some diamonds up the side will elicit a little more than a shrug, and as for any sock with a cartoon on them… no, NO AND DOUBLE NO!
But a pair of Pantherellas. Now you’re talking. A Naish tailored men’s sock in merino wool, for £15 (left), say, or, if you’ve got a bit more to spend, a Waddington rib cashmere sock, £40; these are articles of quality and beauty that we rarely treat ourselves to (right).
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Mr Porter |
Mr Porter |
In Britain, as this website testifies, we have an extraordinary range of excellent businesses from shirt-makers to tailors to hi-fi makers to stationers to… yes, sock-makers, that are the envy of the world. So as Pantherella has been making excellent socks since 1937, it is a positive Johnny-come-lately compared to Sunspel, making men’s vests and underwear since 1860.
A plain cotton T-shirt in white is £40, so not cheap, but the quality of cotton, oh, ask the receivee to open that up with his eyes closed and he will know instantly that this wasn’t knocked up in Mumbai by some poor kid on 50p plus a few slaps around the head an hour. Sunspel like so many heritage brands has branched out, so while you’re on the website a pair of Men’s superfine trunks, £30, would come in handy, and before you sign out there’s a pleasing 100% cashmere sweater in ‘Grey Melange’ (which I think means Grey), £385.
So the basics work. There is always room for a new pair of socks, or T-shirt or vest. Or pyjamas. How can we have forgotten pyjamas? Click onto the Derek Rose site, if you can drag yourself away from the delights of Sunspel and Pantherella, and few men would be disappointed with a pair of Arctic Striped Cotton-Flannel Pyjama’s for £155 (below).
Mr Porter
Arctic Striped Cotton-Flannel Pyjama Set
£155 >
When it comes to men’s clothing, the choice is so vast as to make picking one company over another almost impossible, but again, look for the classic labels. Wolsey’s heritage is in woollens, so you can pick up a nice pair of socks there, but it’s probably more contemporary than many of the heritage companies you might come across. There’s a lovely houndstooth sweat, for example with a distinctive breast pocket with a vertical zip, £100. Check out its poplin cotton jim-jams, too, a snip at £35.
And before we get away from clothes to salivate over accessories let’s pop over to Hackett, which does the both rather well. Check out the Garment-dyed Micro Texture Button-Down Shirt, £90, and the padded Kinlock Blazer Fit Jacket before considering a cufflink or two. The semi-precious Dome Cufflinks (below) are in silver and a lovely rich blue or, if you think he’s worth it, go for the Oval Texture Cufflinks, £200,
Hackett
Semi-precious Dome Cufflinks
£85 >
which are both subtle and striking. Paul Smith does clothing and accessories sublimely well, too. His Slim-Fit White ‘Music Note’ print cotton shirt is everything you’d expect from the man: quirky, with its motifs of crotchets, minims and quavers, but utterly wearable at the same time. Incidentally, he does a sock subscription service, where for £160 a new pair of socks will be delivered to a chosen address for twelve months. Remember, though, that the great man doesn’t really do demure when it comes to the interface between foot and shoe.
Paul Smith
Men’s Sock Subscription
£160 >
If you want to make it look as if you’ve searched that little bit harder for what to buy, Alice Made This is a terrific little company hidden away in Nunhead, South East London. There are cufflinks galore, but it’s a cool place to branch out and get something a little different like its rather ornate Francis lapel pin, £240, or Bancroft tie bar, £190, two little extras that most men probably wouldn’t buy for themselves.
Being practical (and yes, okay, occasionally parsimonious) souls, we are often rather more short of watches than we need to be. Every generation of men before this one only had one “reliable” watch. And only a couple of generations ago it would probably been in his pocket – if he could afford it. Now the choice is confusing and endless. But that shouldn’t put you off.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of watches bunged out by labels as a commercial afterthought, massively expensive mechanical models that are “investments” or dedicated sports watches purporting to be style items. There are huge exceptions to this, of course, but thankfully, British independent watchmakers seem in the main part to avoid all those pitfalls. They are also great value, and for both these reasons I salute them.
I’m a huge fan of Christopher Ward, whose C5 Malvern Automatic Mk II starts at £399. That is really a very good price for an automatic watch and this one has a real simple elegance to it. For around the same price (£325) Elliot Brown’s Canford is a real looker, too (below). This has a quartz movement, but it’s a Swiss Made 5-jewel movement and the watch has a solid marine-grade 316L stainless steel case. (Men like these sort of facts, and yes, I admit, they sort of do belong on Mars.)
Elliot Brown
Canford Watch
£325 >
I have to concede, too, that when it comes to tech men also tend to be situated further away from the sun than nearer to it. Tread very carefully. Hi-fi equipment and the like should probably only be based on a series of hints. British companies are again excellent here, but, with some exceptions – Wharfedale’s excellent speakers come to mind, for example – they’re often at the higher end of the market. What I will say, is that if you are tired of being blasted out by Led Zeppelin sessions of a weekend, and you have a hearty Christmas gift budget, then Bowers & Wilkins P9 Signature headphones will do you a massive favour and make you look selfless at the same time (below). They cost £699.99, but they are absolutely sublime, and engineered so the sound appears to come from in front of the listener. Once they’ve put these on, most men will be happy to listen to speakers again only when company demands it.
Bowers & Wilkins
P9 Signature Over-Ear Headphones, Brown
£699.95 >
Gosh, here we are already, and we still haven’t even touched on fragrances. For the latter, anything by Creed, for your more traditional chap, or a bottle of Czech & Speake No.88 cologne spray will never, ever be snorted at.
So, be honest, how difficult was that? As for me, a decent Oyster-card holder would honestly make me very happy. I wouldn’t necessarily be recommending it as a present for most men, but you never know, should Mrs Hills be reading this, Smythson does a neat little Panama Travel Pass holder in navy cross-grain calf leather for £95 (below).
Smythson
Panama Travel Pass Holder
£95 >
I know it’s a bit pricey, but, you know, just in case. And if not, socks will do just fine.
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