A Fashionably Late Gift Guide

I wasn’t planning to do another gift guide this year — let’s face it, 2021 has been rough, and I already Tweeted links to some of my favorite small businesses for #SmallBusinessSaturday. But, amid staff shortages and supply chain delays, the retail industry has stepped up with some irresistible merch that’s probably the perfect pandemic pick-me-up for someone you know. Or yourself — I won’t tell! Here are some non-sponsored recommendations for last-minute gifts for the fashionistas, fashion historians, and history buffs in your life.

Live look at me right now

Every single one of these clever JD + Kate Industries candles inspired by history or literature is a winner, but the cake-scented Marie-Antoinette version might be my favorite.

Let them smell cake

For ugly Christmas sweaters they’ll actually want to wear all year, check out this Princess Diana-style reindeer jumper …

The People’s Prancer

Or Todd Snyder’s photorealistic lighthouse turtleneck for LL Bean.

Welcome to Uncanny Valley, Maine

I stocked up on Kei & Molly’s cute dish towels and other hand-crafted textiles during a recent trip to Santa Fe. With dozens of designs, it’s easy to find one that’s just right for your Secret Santa exchange.

Fight global warming in style

I’ve been collecting shoe ornaments for years. Endow your own collection with this 25th anniversary set from the Met Museum — now marked down, because sometimes procrastination pays!

You can buy these individually, but why would you want to?

This might be intended for kids, but I squeeed so hard when I saw this midcentury Barbie cookie dream house kit! Gingerbread, schmingerbread.

Please Santa this is all I want

The Camille de Pedrini boutique was one of my local small business recommendations; it’s an oasis of hard-to-find retro and boho labels and unique accessories of all kinds. These cute fingerless gloves would be an excellent stocking stuffer, and they ship for free!

Because those touchscreen gloves don’t actually work, like, at all

Edinburgh-based ceramic artist Jay Frazer makes unique jewelry inspired by the colors of the Scottish landscape as well as larger vases and vessels, available from her Etsy shop.

I used to babysit Jay before she was a cool ceramic artist

Looks like we’ll still be wearing masks in 2022! These from Johnny Was are the most comfortable — and beautiful — I’ve found. They’re lightweight, triple-layer 100% cotton with a pocket where you can insert a filter if you like. They come in assorted packs of five, all indivually wrapped in plastic if you want to use them as stocking stuffers.

Meet the best bargain on the Johnny Was website

Support the French Porcelain Society with this Rory Hutton-designed silk scarf celebrating the 300th anniversary of the birth of Madame de Pompadour, the royal mistress and major collector of Sèvres porcelain. Spot the elephant-head vase, the makeup brush, the fan, the teapot, and the shoe! The matching note cards are cute, too.

Unlike real porcelain, it won’t chip when you dry-clean it

Fred’s sassy Subversive Sponges resemble old-fashioned cross-stitch samplers, complete with a gold frame holder. They also come in a NSFW version, for a conversation-starting hostess gift or stocking stuffer.

This is the PG version

Obviously, I want you to buy my books! My most recent, The Way We Wed: A Global History of Wedding Fashion, is full of historical inspo and info for anyone you know who’s planning a wedding in 2022. And this brand-new exhibition catalogue from The Huntington includes my essay on fashion in Thomas Gainsborough’s and Kehinde Wiley’s portraits.

Honestly not thrilled about this trapped-in-a-book cover concept

Also, if you like my writing, may I suggest a subscription to the venerable wearable art magazine Ornament? It’s a gift that will keep giving beautiful content every couple of months for a whole year.

I reviewed the new Academy Museum for this issue

Other people write books, too! Dress Codes by Richard Thompson Ford was one of the best things I read this year, and I’d recommend it to anyone, male or female, with an interest in fashion or history.

Louis XIV shows some leg

And, after seeing House of Gucci, I’m excited to read the true-crime book that inspired it.

Adam Driver not included

I love to give (and get) shoes! They’re my go-to baby shower present, and fun sneakers are a great gift for the guy who already has all the gadgets, or the kid who already has all the toys. Try these Vans inspired by The Shining….

Come and play with us — forever!

Or these from the Adidas x Lego collection, which come in a Lego-shaped box.

Perfect for stepping on Lego bricks

I rarely wear flats, but after badly spraining my ankle in a freak laundry accident last month I convalesced in these gorgeous Puma x Liberty sneakers.

I heard a loud pop, which I hope to never hear again

Put your best foot forward in 2022! Wishing you happy holidays and happy shopping.