a very specific gift guide

for very specific people

In this economy, there’s only a handful of very specific people with very distinct personalities I’ll be splurging on this holiday season. No $250 spending on an acquaintance I’ve spoken to a total of three times, I’m sorry, these bills aren’t gonna pay themselves. And while I’m not one to placate seasonal dread with consumerism bandaids, I’ve been quietly collecting things and links I think are underrated, and I’m itching to share them with you. True givers know there’s no one size fits all in the art of gifting - so nothing in this guide is ‘for anyone’. Here’s to mindful shopping with specificity as the selling point, because specificity translates to excellence.

I’ve enlisted literary goddess Sudana Krasniqi and resident beauty oracle Romy De Vries to help me out because I trust their taste like no other’s. Shall we proceed?

First, a selection from yours truly.

For your corporate overdue for a life crisis running on cortisol do-it-all babe,

Obviously, I’m projecting here. There is no certified cure for burnout, but certain objects definitely help alleviate the pain. The hardworking, always-on babe in your life is probably so exhausted, they just want something that feels straight to the point, performs its function effectively, and looks cool. Check, check.

These BY FAR boots I’ve been eyeing for myself. A good pair of boots can save a life or at the very least generate enough serotonin in the body to last until February.

Shushu Tong Black Ruffled Miniskirt that goes with everything and adds a little je ne sais quoi. If anyone in my life is reading this, I’m a 26…

Cloud Ring Set from By Way Of, a small jewelry brand from Istanbul, Turkey. Founder Oya refers to her pieces as intentional and modern, inspired by design, architecture, and nostalgia.

Customizable Ormaie Paris perfume. As a long time fan of the brand and gourmand L’Ivrée Bleue being one of my signature scents, I can vouch for this - you really can’t go wrong with Ormaie. Parisian and lovely.

Anna Weyant monograph by Gagosian. I’m a huge Weyant stan and I’d love to casually plant this book in every household. Anna is known for her layered depictions of womanhood, capturing the perfect and ironic tension between the feminine and the tragic. Being a woman is a sexy tragedy, after all.

Solution 257 - Complete Love by Ingo Niermann. Great commute read for an exhausted mind: Niermann’s new novel imagines a Berlin alternative to the activist occupation of public spaces in 2011. I picked this up at a small bookstore in Antwerp last year for the cover, stayed for the story.

For your extrovert backpacking friend with an affinity for colors and a mysterious source of income,

Ona Soft Bag by Ölend - Yes to multifunction bags. Water-resistant, comes in every color you can name, fits a laptop and a thousand trinkets; can serve as an overnight bag.

Isabelle Graw - On the Benefits of Friendship. In this fictional diary, Graw ponders on the struggles and purposes of friendship while praising true companionship in all forms.

Velvet Blur Matte Lipstick Balm by Simi Haze Beauty. Futuristic, loud, just great. I ride for these Palestinian girls so hard. All the makeup I’ve tried from them has been solid quality.

For your freelancer friend posting concerning things to their close friends audience you feel you have no business being on,

What Design Can’t Do - Essays on Design and Disillusion. Semi-ironic and sharp, the essays dissect the disillusionment that permeates design.

Pilot Magazine Issue 05: Underbelly. A journey into ‘living softly’ through art, mindset, and connection. Pilot are my amazing friends doing revolutionary things in the media landscape. Rumor has it I’m being published in the upcoming issue - wink wink & stay tuned.

Delulu by Oddity. If you’re willing to spend a bit more. Personally loving just how Gen Z one can take both the design and essence of a perfume, and while I’m yet to try it myself, the description “the escapee hideout filled with memories and joys of fading youth, sunlight of idle day and never ending romance” makes me very aligned with the scent. Talk about the power of good writing.

For a real comfort lover who’s also your emergency contact, legal representative, and trusted advisor,

A knit-your-own-sweater kit by Para Moda, a brand from Denmark redefining what buying an item actually means. You make it yourself, yes. Italian merino wool and the effervescent comfort of staying home. “Can’t come tonight - sorry - I’m knitting.”

Extreme Cashmere n°382 Belle Sweater. Yeah, pricey, I know - but this person in your life has probably saved you thousands. This contemporary 2016 Dutch brand is known for genderless, unisize cashmere. Getting one of these screams I LOVE YOU in all caps. Proceed with caution.

An annual club reticent subscription for essays on growth, love, womanhood, pain, everything in between. Well, yes! Who’s gonna promo me like I promo me…

For the media fluent genius trying to grow their Substack and/or expand their worldview,

The Paris Review Yearly Subscription. Enough said.

Versatile and gorgeous Neverworns Tee in Blue Splash from Cleo Camp in collaboration with Liana Satenstein. For office, for Substack live readings, for concerts. World-beloved pop girlie Audrey Hobert has been wearing this top on stage quite a lot. Even though the color is a bit out of my comfort zone, I need one.

Earnestly by Monilola Olayemi. Essays on body image and acceptance. Haven’t stopped thinking about this book since I discovered it over a year ago. To say that authors like Monilola have never been more important is an understatement.

Funny Weather - Art in An Emergency by Olivia Laing. Writer and critic that needs no introduction Olivia Laing makes a vivid case for the importance of art in trying times. I loved this.

For the man with steady presence and good taste in your life,

Doric Lamp 01 by Kismas.

Fresh Gift Set by Abel Fragrance. Radical and 100% natural. Particularly interested in the Laundry scent.

ST-01 functional all purpose trimmer. 2026 will be the year of the beard - you heard it here first. This trimmer would be my way of paying homage to the holy beardness if my boyfriend didn’t already have one of his own.

Unique gems under $100:

Ann Demeulemeester X Serax hand-painted cup set. Those who get it, get it.

One of these succinctly colorful statement scarves from Figurati Antwerp, a small Belgian brand I’ve been gatekeeping for no reason.

Aestiquo Portable DVD player. Or any other secondhand DVD player - a timely gift. Under the buzz of Netflix trying to acquire Warner Bros. and the entire catalogue of media since the beginning of times on its way to be owned by like 5 guys total, it seems to me that now is the time to start greedily collecting physical media in every form. Tangible ownership first, everything else second.

The Sopranos Complete Series Season 1-6 on DVD. For reasoning, see above.

Pioneers - Photography by Women. A rare glimpse into the collection of the Dutch National Archives in The Hague featuring images by female photographers.

A 2000s digital camera. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: nothing makes a woman look better than a good ol’ 2MP camera. I take most of my photos with it, including my profile picture. No ultra-processed iPhone 17 Pro selfies allowed in this house, sorry - I don’t want to hate myself anymore!!

Next up, Sudana Krasniqi. Dear friend, woman of taste, Brooklyn darling, self-described Bukowski and Plath if they had a less talented lovechild. I love it when a woman gets freaky with her gift guide recs.

For your radical feminist bestie,

Scum Manifesto, Valerie Solanas’ (Andy Warhol’s shooter) self-published book is either a work of vitriol-filled genius or the ravings of a psychotic madwoman. Sometimes the world shapes us into both.

For your Brontë loving sister,

The Gothic Cosmos, a 5 week class presented by the Museum of Morbid Anatomy’s resident artist and historian Jason Lahman, is an excellent introduction to 18th century gothic literature and art. Classes begin February 1. Tickets to Wuthering Heights sold separately.

If your boyfriend is a performative reader and voted for Mamdani,

Guillotine bookmark. Ngl, I kinda want this one for myself. Adds to cart.

For your sexually repressed, religious coworker,

2026 Roman Calendar. This Vatican issued calendar includes 12 disgustingly handsome priests. Making a mental note to go to mass this Sunday asap.

If your boyfriend is a 6’5 man in finance,

The 2008 Global Financial Crisis hoodie goes hard. This year, keep your blue-eyed trust fund baby on his toes with a $180 daily reminder that the hustle must not stop. Bonus points if you just end up stealing it for yourself.

And now onto Romy De Vries, beauty product developer and culture writer, former model who’s seen the industry from inside out. Romy is my north star for all things beauty and tech and the intersection of both. If she told me to start putting beef tallow on my face (she would never) I’d probably go ahead without questioning it.

For that colleague who wasn’t breastfed as a child,

Blanche Bête is a unisex gourmand perfume with lactonic accords. Some say it smells like breastmilk, others say it smells ethereal, musky and like clean animals. I have it and I am infatuated with it, if you even care.

For your environmentalist sister,

A zine that invites you to think like fungi in order to solve the worlds biggest problems.

Gifts for yourself:

For showing up to your ex’s book launch looking healed.

To get through the work week without losing your glow.

For your cost-of-living crisis bestie,

A nervous system–healing body movement course they can do at home instead, to optimize their rent. When they’d rather cancel their gym membership than skip their daily €6 beverage-based identity ritual.

For your burnt out bestie,

This device biohacker and wannabe vampire Bryan Johnson swears by.

A stack of colourful silver rings for your dopamine-dressing bestie.

For that wellness-to-alt-right pipeline family member you don’t speak to that often anymore,

They started with crystals and spiralled into conspiracy Toks + 5G radiation shielding blankets? Give them this book or go full Kierkegaard and hand them The Concept of Anxiety (1844). None of us are original people.

For a lover with cortisol issues, red light therapy cap.

For your annoying, chronically online edgelord cousin, an actual masterpiece of a perfume (conceptually), but it makes most people gag.

I hope you enjoyed this highly specific gift guide assembled with the help of my dangerously tasteful friends. Remember: it’s the thought that counts, but the present counts too. Especially when it feels like it could only have come from you. In a world full of takers, be a real giver.

Happy Holidays. I love you.