Each year, in order to create the Strategist’s annual print “Gift Issue” (subscribe here!), we set out to find the newest, grooviest, most surprising and delightful things that you (very likely) won’t find on the zillions of other gift guides out there in the universe.
In This Issue
Holiday Gift Issue 2024
Here’s how the process works: Each Strategist writer on staff submits and makes a case for the items that came out this year that they think would make for an excellent gift. Meanwhile, a smaller group of editors devote hours to just poking around and perusing our favorite shops (online and IRL), polling our coolest friends, going down numerous shopping rabbit holes that take us to Polish boutiques and Eastern Maine farmstands. And then we begin to argue. Is that button-down really that special? There’s something a little too 2023 about that cutting board. How do we really feel about tomatoes these days? We create “boards” so we can examine each item up close, then continue to whittle down till we have the perfect assemblage.
And there you have it! We’ve divided the 297 gifts that made the cut into three categories — under $50, $50 to $199, and $200 and up. Below, you’ll find our favorite inexpensive/slightly splurgy gifts/more expensive gifts. And if you haven’t found what you’re looking for, peruse the many other gift guides the staff of the Strategist has made for you here.
Filson for Her
This drawstring backpack is from the brand’s first-ever women’s line.
Perfect Ice
Klaris’s ice-maker produces pristinely clear two-by-two-inch cubes.
“Unhappy Meal”
Off-Mountain Shoe
Despite its hiking silhouette and Vibram sole, this sneaker is meant for everyday use.
Tech-Bro Vest Upgrade
A handsome denim design with a high ribbed collar.
Dressed-Up Oxford
The Dries Van Noten button-down is gathered in the front and clasped together with a dramatic brooch.
Murano Chandelier
Botanic maximalism from the capital of glass art.
Quinquagenarian Chair
Designer Cini Boeri’s Botolo high armchair turned 50. It’s available in three color combinations.
Biarritz Bedding
A heart-stitched, down-filled comforter as seen on the beds at French hotel Villa Magnan.
Bus Bag
In honor of the Hampton Jitney’s 50th anniversary, a collaboration with Greenport-based sailmaker Wm. J. Mills & Co.
Last Collab
From Iris Apfel’s posthumous collection with Dr. Scholl’s, the mules are inspired by her husband’s signature slippers.
Tiny Drone
Very Serious Knife Sharpener
It can get the entire bevel of the knife, not just the outer edge, for pro-level sharpening.
Puffer Pants
From C.P. Company for street- and slopewear.
Blinged-out Tennis Bracelet
A rainbow of gems (tanzanite, purple sapphire, tsavorite, morganite, garnet, aquamarine) from CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winner L’Enchanteur.
Plumage Pumps
Black Roses
Cableless Compression Boots
Just as powerful as the previous model but without annoying tubes.
Special-Occasion Chopsticks
Hand-forged from sterling silver.
Silver Spoon
Shown at Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery, it’s made by Conie Vallese and Elhanati.
24-Karat-Gold Vibe
Hermès Fly Cap
AI Binoculars
Built-in software can ID birds and other wildlife as one spots them.
Silver Sneaker
Kiko Kostadinov’s latest for ASICS, inspired by archival netball-competition shoes.
Superior Pillow Fort
Superspace’s magnetic felt squares are like giant Magna-Tiles.
Status Strawberry
From Herend, the Hungarian porcelain company founded in 1826.
Beribboned Prada
Straight off the ready-to-wear runway and apparently made with more than 150 feet of ribbon.
Useful Seahorse
A bottle opener plated in 24-karat gold.
Reversible British Coat
It has a curly interior and a smooth caramel-colored suede exterior.
Sheer Silk Pants
With an elastic waist and ankle; from Paloma Wool.
Frilly Day Pack
The loops have a practical purpose: attaching skiing or climbing equipment.
Teeny E-Reader
New York Taxidermy
A fully articulated, medical-education-quality, ethically sourced pigeon skeleton.
Silver Slip-ons
The Shoe of the Year in a festive silver colorway.
Sapphire Ring
Ever so slightly surrealist; handmade by designer and artist Alice Waese.
Zip Necklace
First designed in the 1950s, this adjustable 18K white-gold Van Cleef & Arpels necklace is dotted with diamonds.
Stately Snuffer
Dinner-party drama from jewelry designer Ted Muehling.
Lisa Corti Stool
The designer’s classic block prints have been ottomanized.
Scandi Doll Pram
Exclamation Earring
From photographer turned lab-grown-diamond jeweler Alexei Hay’s first collection.
Mushroom House
An all-felt embroidered creation that comes with four woodland creatures that seem very down for a tea party.
Summery Fashion Bag
A collaboration by Lemaire and Filt, the original French manufacturer of fishing-net totes.
Wintry Fashion Bag
A slight upgrade to this past summer’s “It” bag: The bucket design has a thicker weave and a lining.
Not UGGs
Loewe shearling boots with a suede lining.
John Mayer’s Watch
He designed the brand’s last limited-edition model with a self-winding perpetual calendar.
Haute Couture Bedding
A Swiss tailored pillowcase from a hot new “bedclothes” brand.
Dessert Dior
These plates come in the same toile that covered the walls of the first-ever Dior store.
Supersonic Sequel
Dyson’s beloved hair dryer, now with sensor technology to reduce heat damage.
Stunning Knobs
These anemone-shaped drawer pulls are a collaboration by jewelry designers Pamela Love and Guillaume Pajolec.
Opera Scarf
Air Mail commissioned a line of silk scarves from Andrea Ferolla featuring notable artists as children. This one depicts a young Maria Callas.
Opera Cloak
In orange velvet with a silk lining; designed by Colleen Allen, who used to work at The Row.
Enormous Jewelry Box
The trunk by jewelry designer Marla Aaron is lined with a patented fabric to help prevent baubles from tarnishing.
Silver Shaker
A sterling-silver replica of Viennese silversmith Karl Sedelmayer’s 19th-century saltshaker.
1948 Frank Lloyd Wright
