Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for IT

gifts for all by fleur-d-elise on polyvore.com

This gift guide has no gender. Maybe you need a gift for a couple or for a whole family, or maybe you just need ideas for someone you don't know very well on a personal basis, like your boss. Well, this is the guide for you!

1. Crate and Barrel Goodies $5-$22
Crate and Barrel has great general purpose gifts. Their gourmet Christmas goodies are always a hit, because everyone likes food! Everything is relatively affordable and comes festively packaged which is perfect if you're hurrying off to a holiday party and need a last-minute gift.

2. Heifer International $10+
Heifer International is a non-profit organization that provides livestock to poor families in the US and around the World. This gift is great for someone who already has everything or a family that is interested philanthropy. You can "buy" anything from a share in a sheep to an entire "Ark" of animals, which will then be sent to a struggling family in your friend's honor. The organization also accepts monthly donations.

3. Kate Spade Leather Cleaner $10
Most people own something made of leather and every once in a while it needs to be cleaned. This gift is for that practical person on your list. Maybe it's your aunt or your older brother, or maybe you are just trying to encourage your younger sister to take care of her stuff for once! This leather cleaner is perfect for cleaning smooth and patent leathers and can also be used on vinyls!

4. Kate Spade Domino Set $30
I swear, this is the last Kate Spade item. There are just so many great gifts on that site! This set of dominoes is perfect for a family with kids or anyone who likes to play games. Fun, affordable, and can be played by all ages.

stolen/borrowed

I bought this leather pouch for my husband. It was a gift on our wedding day. Secretly, I want one very badly. Ok, not so secretly, but sometimes it's easier to buy things when they are gifts for others. He wanted it one, of course, I wasn't just buying things I liked, haha.

I borrowed it today, with the idea that I would return it to its original spot before my husband got home from work. I wasn't quick enough, though. He got home and even though he hasn't touched it in over 2 weeks, he went looking for it. Whoops! He wasn't angry, but said he was starting to freak out, because he thought it had been stolen. By who, I don't know. It's just me and the Frida all day.

My outfit:
American Apparel shorts & bag
Vintage sweater
GAP cardigan
H&M flower brooch
New Look wedges
Vintage belt

Tomorrow:
Product review of Benefit's So Radiant Face Care line

Secret Party!

Success!

I threw a surprise party for my boyfriend this weekend. He would never agree to a party or birthday celebration, so his sister and I were forced to go behind his back. It was a lot of fun. A couple friends asked me the usual "What did you do today?" to which I replied "I worked at the cafe and lied to Trevor. A lot."

The theme was Trevor-themed, which meant everyone dressed up like him (denim, plaid, and denim) and we put cowboy decorations up and wore fake mustaches. Our friend Tara made him a cake based on his favorite cookies: molasses and ginger snaps. It was amazing and I'm sad I left the rest at the party.

I stole his Cheap Monday jeans (fit perfectly!) and a vintage Wrangler I bought for him a while back. I topped it off with my vintage cowboy boots and a belt he brought back from Texas for me.

As always, Trevor looked a little like a bum. A bum who is wearing $650 worth of Bum Brand clothing. He had on his Wings & Horn sweatshirt (which he gets a lot of comments on), A.P.C. jeans, and Lucchese horse-leather boots. Really, I don't think I would know about these brands if it weren't for my boyfriend. They seem to be brands that are real popular among guys, and not so much among the ladies. I have an appreciation for A.P.C., though. I'm always drawn to their stuff when I'm at Blackbird in Ballard.

New Feature: COVET.

Introducing my new, weekly feature: COVET. Every week (hopefully) I will feature a new lust-worthy item. Mostly I will focus on beautiful, high-quality items that I cannot afford, or won't ever own for some other reason (unless I steal them, hence the title!).

Now for my first Covet. item: Zip Leather Gloves by J. Crew. I've been thinking about these gloves since I saw them the store Downtown. They are not completely unaffordable, but I can't bring myself to spend $98 on them, and I would feel guilty if someone spent that much on them for say Christmas or something. I think it comes down to visuals, but I can't justify something that small costing $98.

Now that I've whined about the price enough, let me tell you how amazing they are! They are nice leather. Nice. The softest leather you have felt since you pawed at that Miu Miu bag in Barney's. Buttery soft, the way leather should be. The inside is lined with cashmere and the zipper is, get this, gold-plated. I am going to assume that means actual gold, but since gold-plated items usually aren't stamped there's no way I can guarantee they don't simply mean "fancy gold-colored metal plated." But it is J. Crew and they are $98, so it's probably real gold. Now I really want them. Maybe if I just keep telling myself "At least they are not $680 Hermes gloves!" then I will feel OK about $98.



Zip Leather Gloves by J. Crew, $98

Cowgirl

My boyfriend might go as far as to say he wishes everybody would dress as awesome as him, but then the other day he was whining about how all the stuff he likes (Filson, Barbour, Red Wing, etc.) is popular right now! It's that common human dilemma; you wish everyone was just like you, but then get freaked out when you meet a "copy-cat".

Anyway, I rag on my boyfriend a lot, but he loves ragging on other people (mostly in joking), so I feel it balances him out. He really is my best friend and yesterday he told me that he would give me money even if I spent it on "dumb stuff," because he knew I would blog about that dumb stuff and blogging makes me happy. I cried. I love him a lot and hope I make him as happy as he makes me.

His biggest wish is for me to dress just like him, so I've done my own take on "Cowgirl." Maybe he will buy me the Proenza AND the Pendleton cuz he loves me soo much.

Cowgirlish by catiebeatty featuring a leather tote bag

Merino Cashmere Crew Neck Sweater
25 GBP - uniqlo.co.uk
Merino wool sweater »

Flannel Check Shirt
15 GBP - uniqlo.co.uk
Flannel tops »

Cotton chambray bomber jacket
$236 - theoutnet.com
Cotton jacket »

High-waisted bootcut jeans
$105 - theoutnet.com
High rise jeans »

High Waist Straight Leg Jean by 7 For All Mankind
94 GBP - my-wardrobe.com
Dark wash jeans »

Acne Pistol Leather boots
$650 - net-a-porter.com
High heel boots »

Kai Cowboy Boots
140 GBP - julesb.co.uk
Cowboy shoes »

Proenza Schouler PS1 Medium leather satchel
$1,595 - net-a-porter.com
Leather tote bag »

Pendleton Overnighter
$198 - urbanoutfitters.com
Wallets »

Roberto Cavalli Swarovski crystal brass feather earrings
$565 - net-a-porter.com
Butterfly jewelry »

Ray-Ban Aviator Sunglasses
184 GBP - sunglasses-shop.co.uk
Aviator shades »

Chocolate circle keeper belt
6 GBP - dorothyperkins.com
Dorothy Perkins belts »

I usually let the clothes speak for themselves, but I have a new goal: work on my writing! I'm going to work on explaining the goals of my outfits and describe the importance of the key pieces. That's what bloggers do, right? Well, that's what I'm going to do.

I was inspired by the "Western Prep" feature in the October 2010 issue of Elle magazine (page 190) and the Saddleback Leather Co. bags that my boyfriend is so crazy about. Polyvore didn't have any good pictures of Saddleback bags, but this Proenza Schouler bag has a very similar style, plus it's Proenza Schouler!! The Pendleton Overnighter is wool and leather. It's a shame they don't make them in the U.S. anymore, but the quality is still amazing for the price.

There are certain key elements when dressing Western. Most are obvious: boots, hat, pearl-snaps on plaid, etc. Leather is important as well, but when looking closer, a lot of cowboy boots are made of a myriad of skins: horse, snake, pig, to name a few. Neither of the boots I've included in this collection are from traditional Western wear clothiers, but they are both leather. Let's face it, it's very obvious when boots have man-made uppers, so to pull off this look real leather is critical.

Other common fabrics are also classic fabrics: wool, chambray, and plaid. These are all warm and durable, which is why they were favored, and still favored, by ranchers and other manual laborers.

For more hints of cowgirl, opt for high-waisted jeans. Whether bootcut or skinny, a high-waist means you can tuck in your shirt, which is an important feature. Have you ever tried to work in low-waisted jeans? They're obnoxious! You have to stop and pull them up every 5 minutes! Plus, it's going to be constant plumber-butt when you're riding across the plains. Cowboys and cowgirls always look tidy, even when shoveling out stalls, so tuck in that shirt and put on a belt!

Anyway, those are my tips. If I think of anymore I will add them!

Velvet

Here's another one of my recent finds. It's all sorts of awesome and I fall more in love with it every day. On top of having usable pockets, it also has leather shanks on the sleeves and as front closures. It' also fits me absolutely perfectly in the shoulders and the sleeve length is dead on. I'm not sure if it's my frame (I'm on the small and short side of sizes) or just the way American blazers are made now, but I have the hardest time find blazers, coats, jackets, etc. that will fit me properly. It's a little roomy in the waist, but shoulder and sleeve are crucial bits of tailoring when it comes to dress shirts and blazers. I would almost say that nothing else matters when it comes to jackets and blazers. Dress shirts also need to be fitted properly in the chest and waist because these have to be buttoned up, but blazers can be left open if they're not perfect in those areas.

I plan to live in this blazer come Fall.

In this picture:
Vintage velvet blazer
Danskin body suit
Forever21 skirt
Thrifted leather belt
MAC lipstick
Madden Girl Pumps