I love giving gifts, I am obsessive about giving the perfect gift. You don’t have to throw money at a good gift (cash is always an acceptable gift for the right person, imo). “A good gift is a nice trinket. A great gift, no matter the price, is something so special, so uniquely that person, that when you open it, the look on the recipients face is a mix of How could you have known or I love it so much I didn’t even realize I needed it, and only you know me in this private, special way,” I wrote a few years ago. “A great gift is like a Nora Ephron essay: Oh! I didn’t even know I felt that way.” Case in point: The best gift I got for Christmas last year was a gift card to Remy’s boarder. I love a gift like that! Here’s something you need so much you didn’t even realize it. How lovely! (Remy’s favorite gift this year was a Halloween surprise: a Halloween-themed Lambchop that I have re-christened as her “Wicked Lambchop.” Lol.) This gift guide includes some things I’d like, some things I’m planning to give, and other things I think would make good gifts. There are no puzzles! Life is enough of a game…1
Previous Hung Up gift guides: 2021 gift guide … 2022 gift guide … a dog-focused gift guide written by Remy (and ghostwritten by me) … 2023 gift guide …
Don’t underestimate gift cards! They are a little less fanfare on the day, sure, but it’s so fun to get a gift card to a favorite movie theater or local book store, a subscription to flower delivery, a gift card to a beloved restaurant, or workout class.
Annual reminder: None of these links are affiliate links, meaning I don’t make any commission or receive any benefit if you click these links. That’s not a moral stance — no shade to anyone who uses affiliates! — but a practical one (I’m too lazy to figure it out). A few of these items I was gifted (noted in the copy), but most I purchased, or in some cases re-purchased, myself. At the end of this gift guide is a long list of dress options for weddings (many of them on sale) … but for the paid list only. ♡
Under $50
Vintage GQs, $10/each
I’m recommending an old GQ with Denzel on the cover, but I love vintage magazines. I’m going to try gifting a similarly entertainment-obsessed friend a few. What a lovely thing to curate for someone you know well.
Old Navy Fleece Half-Zip, $19
I live in these Old Navy half-zips. Perfect for layering, dog-walking, running to a workout, throwing in a carry-on, bringing into a movie theater. I have one in womens (fit is cropped, so size up if you like) and big one that’s a mens small.
Zara Tank, $20
A form-fitting basic tank that just fits really well. I want a dozen!
Rhode Pocket Blushes, $24
Devoted Hung Up readers will recall that I love Madame Bieber. She is so divinely, radically bland: a blank canvas with model proportions. Where the Rare blush is famously pigmented (and, at times, hard to apply), this stick is better to build and lower-effort. I rub onto the back of my hand and apply with my fingers, though I’ve also slid it directly onto my cheek to blend out with my fingers. Most days I layer Piggy and Sleepy Girl. I also have Freckle (a little to red for me) and Spicy Marg (a coral I got in one of those ‘try anything’ moods, but I want to try layering it too).
Custom Wall Calendar, $25
Without a doubt the best gift I gave last year was a custom wall calendar of photos of Remy. I gave one to Auntie and Uncle, one to my mom, and one to Andrew’s parents. Huge hit across the nation. (This year Andrew is helping me figure out how to make a custom puzzle book for Auntie, too.)
Old Navy ruby, $25
The red ON rugby I’ve been wearing nonstop is sold out, but I love this one almost as much. I’ve never been into rugbys before, but they are an easy way to look done. Like Oh, I read. I have books, I wear glasses.
Jambys, $28
80% of the Hung Up letters you read (and probably 75% of the movies I watch) involve me curled up in some Jambys, a unisex pair of boxers with pockets. (Disclaimer that my boyfriend is the co-founder, so we wear them a lot. I’ve also never been into “sexy” sleepwear.) The best sleep-short, running around the house-short, sometimes even coffee run-short. I love delineating my day like “it’s time to put Jambys on, I’m in for the night.” I got a dozen with custom labels for my friend’s bachelorette and at the wedding people were still raving about them.
Bar Sperl ashtray, $35
You should absolutely buy and read the really sexy romance novella “Hardly Strangers,” the kind of dreamy talk-all-night Before Sunset date set on the east side of LA. I’m obsessed with the 831 Stories merch for these little books, like this funky little ashtray from the book’s fictional bar. Designed by Naomi Otsu, too!
“How Directors Dress,” $40
Featuring essays from Hung Up faves Lauren Sherman and Rachel Tashjian, this book from A24 “uses clothing to tell exciting new stories about directors, their lives, their movies, and the times in which they were made.” I want it!!! (Not a disclaimer, per se, but I wrote for another A24 publication a few years ago.)
Dieux Instant Angel Moisturizer, $45
A rich, creamy, spreadable moisterizer. A bit heavy for summer, imo, if you have combination or oily skin, but great for the cold. This was a gift from Dieux and it replaced my previous moisterizer almost immediately. It’s what I thought the Agustinus Bader cream would be, quiet as its kept…
JBL Clip, $50-ish
This isn’t the greatest speaker you’ll ever have, and it’s not what I’d recommend for parties or even for the beach. But here’s an idea that I’m stupidly proud of: a suitcase speaker. Release yourself from the prison of putting your phone in a cup so you can play Glorilla while getting ready. Whenever I’m traveling, I want to play music. Hotel room alarm clock speakers sound like shit from a butt; connecting to a TV speaker takes too long. I got one of these little speakers and I leave it in my luggage. Now I can play getting-ready music wherever I am.
Under $125
A Subscription to a Really Cool, Occasionally Sincere, Frequently Thoughtful-About-Celebrities and Hollywood Newsletter Like Maybe the Newsletter You’re Reading Right Now, $50
A gift for your favorite work friend, your very online crush, your best friend’s cool mom, your Gen Z-cusp-cusp younger sibling, Julia Roberts … anyone, really. Anyone! :)
Row Sock Flat Dupes, $55
The Row mesh ballet flats are so freaky-chic. Eleganza but also weird … delicate but also kind of, excuse the phrase, slutty to have your feet all out! The Row versions are but these are a great Amaz*n dupe.
Row Suede Flat Dupes, $55
Another gooooood dupe I found. Shipping takes long but they are pretty comfortable for flats.
“Big Night: Dinners, Parties, and Dinner Parties,” $35
A breezy cookbook for gatherings big and small. Perfect for snackers, seasoned cooks, and people whose new year resolution is to entertain more (or better). Would make a good double gift with The Art of Gathering. (I interviewed Katherine Lewin on her book tour and love her as well.)
Loewe Tomato Soap, $80
Many months ago I heard Bowen Yang raving about this on Las Culturistas, and I have been thinking about it ever since. It is really the only thing on every wishlist for me. (I bought the Flamingo Estate Tomato soap for myself last year as a dupe — good, but not as good.)
Monastery Hyaluronic Acid Gel, $84
I got a sample of this from Rachel at Carrie Lindsey Beauty in Fort Greene. A hyaluronic acid dropped out of my skin care routine, but I’ve been
Nike Pants, $90
Every year I get obsessed with a pair of swishy Nike pants that I want to wear everyday. These are this year’s. I have them in green (sold out) and navy.
Dos Swim Paloma Top and Luz Bottom, both $99
If I could have unlimited anything it’d be swimsuits. I want a Love Island amount of swimsuits, a crying-into-a-pool-while-finding-love-on-reality TV number of swimsuits. But I’m particular about swimsuits the way I’m particular about everything: I don’t like swimsuits that tie behind the neck, I don’t like plain black swimsuits, I don’t like swimsuits with sleeves, belts, or too many cutouts. These underwire swimsuits from the black-owned brand Dos sold me on underwire swimsuits. They are my new favorites. If I could get them in every color I would.
Line By K Oisin Top, $110
God forbid you need a going-out top. It’s a Is this drinks or something more? top, an ok we’re going to dinner but we’re ending up dancing top, an I don’t want to go out but here I am top. The last time I wore it, my friend caressed my naked clavicle and cooed, “Oh, I love this.”
Under $200
Onia Air Linen Tie-Front Crop Top, $140
This was a last-minute impulse purchase before my Greece trip. I needed something that felt loose but a little refined, a top I could pair with any bottom. I wanted to be the version of myself on vacation that would just “throw something on.” I wore it the first night with a pair of vintage capris and the next day over a swim stop to the beach.
iS Clinical Active Serum, $142
A big freak-nasty zit introduced itself to my forehead in May, and I panic-booked a session with Soo-Young at SYK Skin to coax out the pimple’s seed and pull myself back from the ledge. For similarly inflamed gnarly pustules, Soo-Young reminded me that iS Clinical’s Active Serum can work wonders over a few nights. It’s a cocktail of salicylic, lactic, and glycolic acids that both calm and treat. There’s a rather intense tingle upon application that I find satisfying (I like to feel the labor happening), but sometimes I brush my teeth after application to distract from the sting. I rotate between this serum, and the iS Clincal Pro-Heal or Super Serum Advance Plus. Active Serum is better for acne and congestion; I prefer the other two for hyperpigmentation. This is the most expensive part of my skin regimen, the big gun, the difference maker.
Fisch Regatta One Piece, $160
A conservative estimate of the DMs I got asking about this one-piece? 30. I have the bone/off-white. On sale now too!
Bonnie Clyde sunglasses, $178
Thee sunglasses, the ones Peyton and I damn near went to court over.
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Le Set Red Pocket Pants, $180
In the TSA line at LGA I ran into my friend Sydney. There was something so striking and together about the loose, linen-ish red pants she was wearing. It wasn’t athleisure mimicking technical wear, and it wasn’t a full outfit — in these red pants and a white tee, she was practical and with a relaxed efficiency. I ordered them by the time I got to the gate. They haven’t disappointed me. (I bought two pairs of Aritzia “linen” pants on sale two summers ago that have been destroyed by the wash, maybe because they are so gauze-y? I don’t know.) It’s a shame that the website photos make them look so humdrum. These pants have a waistband that hold them up but not in. They can go to dinner but they can also go dog-walking.
Splurges (mostly under $500)
Paloma Wool Navy Midi Dress, $260
I have an aversion to halter necks but this one … I don’t know! It’s kinda doing something for me. I keep adding it to my cart and then bouncing it back to my wishlist.
Celine Reptile, $310
Choosing a perfume for someone, even someone you know very well, is grounds for a 5150. But I had such a wonderful time going fragrance shopping with Emilia for Shop Rat, and I’m convinced it would make a fun gift: Let’s go to a department store and find a new scent.
Sandy Liang Black Mary Janes, $413
Only realized this week that these are my most-worn shoes of the year.
Dries Van Noten Suede Sneakers, $475
I have way too many sneakers … a number of sneakers would make you think I run or something … but, God, these! I want them so bad. (They are better than the Miu Miu ones — basic!) I have a rug and a bench in my apartment the same color of this cool moss-y green. The narrow shape, perfect to wear with jeans that are baggy or slender, I’d pair them with a black pant, a skirt, anything. Everything! Sold out in my size. :(
Toteme Black Fluid Maxi Dress, $590
“Black fluid maxi dress” sounds so blah, so boring, so uninspired. But what if I told you this dress clutched onto every curve? What if I told you it would hang onto your body like Mystique in X-Men? What if I told you it would sashay around your ankles as you crossed a room? I have it in yellow, and I want to wear it every day.
The yellow is on sale here, btw.
G. Label Goop Boyfriend Sweater, $595
Gwyneth Paltrow’s in-house Goop label is a small collection of classics. Their knits are better than The Row’s but better priced than the really luxe brands with nice cashmere knit like Brunello Cucinelli or Gabriela Hearst. I was gifted a crewneck last spring by a friend at Goop and I literally wear it twice a week, minimum. (I also check for it to be back in stock in every color at least weekly.) Some commotion for a thin, layerable knit! Great to layer over a t-shirt, tie around your shoulders, tie around the waist of a dress, or throw over a trench.
Fane Bra Bag, $670
I saw this bag on Laura Reilly, then I saw it on Lesse founder Neada Deters, then I saw it linked in Passerby. The elegant, simple shape, the sexiness of that curve, something about the way the handle tucks into the bag, not a buckle hanging out … j’adore. It reminds me of the best of The Row and Prada. Need it badly.
Special section: Dresses I’d wear to weddings…
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