Handbags
Luxury Gifts for Him
The Christmas Edit
The men who are hardest to buy for are rarely short of things. A guide to the leather, silver and personalised gifts that earn a place in his everyday, and the order in which to think about them.
Every December has its difficult name on the list.
He is the one who says he needs nothing, and means it. His wallet is ten years old and, in his view, perfectly fine. His cufflinks were a wedding present. Whatever he wants, he has generally bought already.
The answer is rarely something new. It is something he already uses, made properly: a wallet in full-grain leather, cufflinks in hallmarked silver, a pen that is a pleasure to sign with. The best luxury gifts for men are the objects he reaches for every day but would never think to upgrade himself, and almost all of them are improved by his initials.
This edit is arranged the way the thinking goes: what he carries, what he wears, what he keeps for himself. Somewhere in it is the gift he would not have chosen and will not put down.
Start With What He Carries
The most useful gift is a better version of something already in his pocket.
A wallet is the most-handled object most men own and the least considered in the buying. Replacing a tired one with a beautifully crafted men's leather wallet is the classic Christmas gift for good reason: it is used a dozen times a day, and a good one improves with every year.
The choice comes down to how he carries. The 8 Card Billfold Wallet suits the man who still keeps notes alongside his cards; the Double Fold Credit Card Holder is for the one who has pared his pocket down to essentials; a Trifold Wallet gives the most organised carry of all. Pebble leather forgives the knocks of daily life, saffiano keeps its crisp finish, and smooth leather ages most handsomely. Our complete guide to men's leather wallets walks through the differences.
Beyond the wallet, the small things count. A Small Leather Loop Keyring in deep shine croc is the kind of piece he would never buy and will use every day, and a leather phone case gives the object he handles most a finish worthy of it.
For the Man Who Dresses Well
Cufflinks remain the rare gift that is at once personal, practical and permanent.
Few gifts carry as much tradition as a pair of cufflinks. Aspinal's sterling silver cufflinks are hallmarked in London, and engraving turns them into something no one else owns: initials, a date, or a private reference only he will understand. For the man who prefers a little colour at the cuff, Enamel Button Cufflinks in navy, or the Fleur de Lis Cufflinks in navy enamel and 18ct gold plate, bring a quieter kind of flourish.
Winter makes its own arguments. Men's cashmere-lined leather gloves, handcrafted from soft nappa with a pure cashmere lining, are the gift he will wear from the first frost to the last, and a Pure Cashmere Scarf does the same for the walk to the station. Cashmere and silk scarves can be embroidered with his initials, which is the difference between a scarf and his scarf.
For the milestone Christmas, a watch. The Mount Street Watch and the Mayfair® Classic Watch pair Swiss movements with deep shine croc leather straps, and each arrives in an enamel-painted wooden box with an additional strap. A Watch & Cufflinks Box is the natural companion to the pieces he already has.
For the Traveller
A travel gift proposes a journey, which is half the pleasure of giving it.
The man who travels for work or weekends is easy to buy for once you look at his kit. A leather wash bag is the piece most men have never replaced: the Double Zip Mount Street Wash Bag and the Reporter Wash Bag, both in pebble leather, bring order to a hotel bathroom and last for decades of departures.
A passport cover or travel wallet embossed with his initials makes the airport a little more civilised, and a Travel Watch Roll keeps his watches safe in a suitcase. For the gift that proposes the trip itself, aleather weekend bag, or the Connaught Flight Work Bag in saffiano, will be packed for years of Fridays. Our buying guide to travel bags covers how to choose one well.
For His Desk and His Downtime
Some of the best gifts are for the hours he keeps for himself.
There is a particular pleasure in a beautiful object on a desk. An A5 Refillable Luxury Journal in pebble leather, the London Ballpoint Pen with its sterling silver plated cap, or the Regent Pencil in sterling silver and 23ct gold are gifts for the man who still writes things down, and each can carry an engraved or embossed name. A leather tidy tray gives his keys, watch and cufflinks a home at the end of the day.
Then there are the gifts for what he does when he is not working. The Classic 5oz Leather Hip Flask, stainless steel bound in full-grain leather with a secure screw top, has been one of the brand's most-loved gifts for years and can carry up to two lines of engraving. Playing cards in a leather holder suit the long evenings between Christmas and New Year, and for the golfer there is a leather golf ball holder, tee holder and scorecard holder in navy pebble.
Make It His
Initials are the difference between a present and a purchase.
Personalisation is where a good gift becomes a kept one. Aspinal's personalisation team hand-emboss leather using traditional hot presses and brass blocking dies, in gold, silver or a blind finish without foil, while silver and metal pieces are engraved with a diamond-tipped cutter for a crisp, permanent impression. Most leather accessories and sterling silver gifts can be personalised, from wallets and card holders to hip flasks, cufflinks and pens.
Personalised pieces are made to order and December is the busiest month for the service, so order early and check the season's Christmas cut-off dates. Because a personalised piece cannot be returned, be sure of the initials, and their order, before confirming. Luxury gift wrapping in the brand's signature packaging finishes the gesture.
The gift he did not know he wanted is usually the one that becomes part of his day: the wallet he reaches for, the cufflinks he wears to every wedding after this one, the flask that comes on every walk. Choose something he will use, make it his, and it will still be in his pocket long after the tree has come down.
