GIVE JOY | Our Lovely Last-Minute Guide

via theofficialpandora on Instagram

Originally posted in The CLOSET

Whether you've finished all of your shopping or haven't even started yet, I'm not here to judge. After all, life is busy and December? Well, judging by my headache and ever-growing list of things to do/places to go/people to see, it's even busier. Since my job involves shopping and research, I love putting together gift guides each year. It's a win-win: I get to figure out what I'm buying everyone, I think of ideas to give people who ask what I want, and I get to share all of it with you in case you're super busy, too. 

These gifts are luxurious but come in all shapes and sizes for a wide range of holiday budgets.  My favourite thing to do when I can't afford to go it alone? Round up my family members or friends and go in on a bigger gift - strength in numbers, as they say. I found tech gifts and sweet gifts, fun gifts and fashionable, expected gifts and some not so much. Take a look and hopefully it will inspire you as you head out into the snow to pick up things for the ones you love. Good luck out there and remember, the best gift of all is you. And my daughter would argue a hoverboard...

SEE THE GUIDE HERE...

HOLIDAY '14 | Stylish Gifts for Her

Carey Mulligan in the Dec '14 issue of Harper's Bazaar UK. 

Originally posted in The CLOSET

She's wonderful. You adore her. And she's a nightmare to shop for. I mean, total nightmare. And since you want to give her something she's going to love, it's a perennial struggle to figure out what to buy for the woman who's already got it all. 

This season, my shopping M.O. is all about giving her exactly what she wants. And while you're never going to get it perfect every time, I've got three tricks that I rely on to please any picky giftee, without having to resort to gift cards: keep it luxe, keep it festive, and always include a gift receipt.

Luxe gifts work because the stylish woman is naturally snobby; she can't help herself. Whether it's an HBC stripe, Prada sunglasses, or a bottle of Tom Ford on her bathroom counter, luxe labels serve as daily inspiration to her fashion-fuelled aesthetic. And luxe doesn't always have to mean expensive - a tiny gift from a respected label means more to the stylish woman than loads of little random gifts. If you want to splurge on a larger purchase but can't make it work for your budget, call on friends and family and go in as a group for a bigger buy.

Another fail-proof way to shop for the style maven is to keep it festive. The holidays are all about a little impracticality which means yes to shine, yes to sparkles and definitely yes to that perfect Christmas red. Whether she wears it all year or not, she'll love being able to bust out that gold lame snood every year when the snow starts to fall. What's a snood? Exactly.

And, of course, be sure to ALWAYS include a gift receipt. This small gesture means you've taken the time to go out and pick something for her (which is always appreciated), while still giving her an exit strategy in case the gift doesn't fit/she already owns it/she had her eye on something else.

Still not sure what to get her? Scroll through the thumbnails below for 50 stylish gift ideas...

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