CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

Well here it is folks the last of our Christmas Gift Guides for 2014, hopefully so far we assisted you in taking some of the stress out of the holidays. But no matter how hard we try we ALWAYS find that somebody unexpected either gets us a present we didn’t see coming or a well intended guest calls in on us with an equally well intended and unexpected gift, making us panic like a four minute warning !!! Now, you know us far too well, would we leave you in the lurch for the Festive season without giving you some Ho, ho, ho inspiration when it come to some extra gift, just in case and if by the, very slim, of chance they go unwanted, well you can take advantage of them yourselves.

Food fits this category perfectly so here are some great ideas which, if you get your skates on can be with you before the big day.

A tasty gift or Christmas treat to yourself. Booja Booja’s award-winning hazelnut crunch truffles, a vintage cheddar truckle, cranberry chutney with port and olives for nibbling. Plus a half size bottle of prosecco to get the party started. Christmas chutney is handmade by our own team in the Riverford Farm Shop kitchen, where we also prepare the olives. The truffles come from Booja Booja, the cheddar truckle is made by Godminster and prosecco is from La Jara.

A mouthwatering Hamper, but would work well as a gift for a party, Marks & Spencer offer a Christmas Mulled Wine & Fruit Hamper – basically all you need to make a mighty fine warming hot punch to warm guests on a cold and frosty morning or evening.

If a tipple is more your measure then this Christmas Hamper with 10 year old single malt whisky from the famous Laphroaig distillery in Islay may hit the spot. Best enjoyed on its own or with friends, although if in company perhaps you can persuade them to savour the sensational Christmas pudding, traditional boiled sweets and famous Scottish cakes and shortbread instead, from scottishfoodandhampers.co.uk

The Grosvenor hamper is the perfect gift for a family, from the classic Harrods teddy bear, sweet treats such as cocoa dusted almonds, miniature christmas cakes and boozy preserves, puddings and coffee it will see the whole family through the festive season.

Who in their right mind couldn’t or wouldn’t resist this Chocolate Lovers Hamper from Waitrose. Fans of all things chocolate will love this gorgeous basket of indulgent chocolate based treats. From chocolate coated honeycomb and sumptuous real Belgian milk drinking chocolate, this is a truly indulgent gift to give, share – or keep! I hear you cry.

Last but by no means least, what would Christmas be without a tipple or two and boy is this the answer to your prayers. Every Fortnum and Mason’s wine hamper aims to offer an outstanding selection of very special wines, and this hamper is no exception. Chosen from a select group of winemakers, these dozen bottles run the gamut from a light and lively Prosecco, Zucchetto to Bardolino Chiaretto, Tantini to our fruity Minervois, L’Ostal Cazes.

In the McGrath household we have a great tradition of giving Christmas Stockings at the Yuletide, thanks to Mrs Mc, and this can be a great way to not only spoil someone special but a great way to buy lots of little thoughtful gifts for that hard to buy for person. Golden rule you need to remember is the gifts don’t have to cost a fortune, OK we’re not talking a ram raid on a pound shop but, put a bit of thought into it.

Depending on how deep your pockets are, or maybe that should be stocking, WishWant have something to cater from every gift budget, no matter how hard they are to buy for. All you do is simply select 12 gifts, assemble them into a personalised gift-book and send to your recipient via post or e-mail! They can then select and redeem 1 item that they liked the most. They have teamed up with some of the UK’s best producers of foods, accessories, beauty, stationery, clothing and other cool things. Even more so, they have revolutionised the whole gifting experience! Check it out.

A great way to add a little luxury to your stocking is by added a fragrance and in keeping with the spirit of all good things come in small packages, these miniature fragrances by Hugo Boss tick all the right boxes.

Keeping that Christmas Spirit agoing with these Roger & Gallet Kaleidoscpic Crackers containing either Bois D’Orange Creme Sublime, Rose or Fleur D’Osmanthus Hand and Nail Cream. Surprise her with your sophisticated knowledge of beauty products.

One of the best book published this year is Sali Hughes’s no nonsense persecutive of the beauty industry, no only has this book received universal golden reviews from the critics but is proving equally as popular with the readers. Like the gift idea prior, you won’t half impress your better half with this if its in her stocking and as always, please take the praise on the chin and no credit is necessary for Clothes-Make-the-Man

You can’t go wrong with candles and these lil beauties from Orla Kiely are just the key, offering a selection of six different fragrances from Festive Fig to refreshing Basil and mint, virtually one for every day of the week, well nearly.

We love quirky brands at Clothes-Make-the-Man.com and British Boxers definitely stuck in our minds a Great British brand with a wonderfully interesting story. With a recently launched e-commerce site this brand offers something great for guys and gals.

Burberry have produced some amazing Yuletide stocking Fillers this Christmas like the above great key rings, right the way tthroughoutto soft toys and charms. Once again another way to add a little luxury to your stocking for the one you love.

NotontheHighStreet.com are a brand that answers ever need you could possibly have  when it comes to selecting gifts are are slightly different and you know you’re not going to see very Tom, Dick or Harry with the very same gift. Whether is be personalised Love notes or even a personalised wellies peg, they’ve got it covered.

Offering suggestions for Gifting Ideas for a man who has everything has become a bit of a festive tradition here at Clothes-Make-the-Man HQ. I mean lets face it, we all know at least one fella that fits into this category, NO I DON’T MEAN ME, well Mrs Mc would hasten to differ, but what does she know.

We’ve scoured the internet from top to bottom looking for all sorts of great gift ideas, OK some might mean a second mortgage is on the cards, but just imagine his spoilt lil face lighting up come Christmas Morn when he rips off the paper to see any number of the following delights with his name on the gift tag.

Hands up who wouldn’t like this amazing Bike from the French bastion of style and chic Hermes ? Thought so, sometimes Halford just don’t cut it but this, it definitely has that je ne said quoi.

To ensure that perfect lifestyle is 100% complete here is the guide to make sure, the MR.PORTER Manual for a Stylish Life, ahhhh complete.

For the gentleman who has everything, of course, beards are now an acceptable part of his facial attire, why with the likes of James Middleton, Jack Guiness and even Princes’s William and Harry sporting this look it’s possitively encouraged and so we see Tom Ford launch not only a Beard oil but a comb to ensure its kept in tip top condition.

What better way to unwind after a feast on 25th then with a relaxing game of backgammon, or to while away the hours sat in first class while traveling the world as an international playboy with this great set from HACKETT.

If this particularly hard to buy for male is fussy when it comes to clothing, but could do with a little help, look no further then the expert advice of Sartorialab whether its Personal Shopping, Personal Styling or Wardrobe Edits their calm and learned advice will assist them in all their apparel needs.

If you have a spare £38,000, or there abouts, burning a hole in your pocket this is the perfect watch to invest in. The Panerai Radiomir 1940 Chronograph Oro Rosso, is not only a shockingly beautiful but is a real conversation starter.

From a functional thing of beauty to something beautiful, just for the sheer hell of it. The EN&IS Platinum Megaphone brings a whole new element to Modtro, forget about discrete bluetooth speakers, Love or Loathe it you can’t help but be drawn to this instrument.

Lacroix is the ultimate luxury ski wear brand, founded in 1967 by Professional skier and Olympic medalist Leo Lacroix their pieces are flawlessly engineered to act as a second skin, providing comfort and freedom needed for a top performance on the slopes.

BOCA Luxury handmade Botanical Toothpastes combine the elements of safe, natural and organic botanical ingredients with innovative active cycling technology. Ingredients from regular toothpastes can break into our bloodstream, but BOCA pioneer Day and overnight formulations contain different natural actives creating an oral environment that’s harder for bacteria to build tolerances to.

The Burberry Check is back and back with an added vigour, those in the know suggest when wearing all black add a splash of colour with the traditional cashmere Burberry House check scarf. But to make this item ever more desirable add your initials to the camel, parade red, stone and charcoal colour scheme. Amongst other items the scarves can be monogrammed with the embroidery of up to three initials, right the way up to 22nd December both online and in store.

What is it that every man can’t live without ? That’s is a Solar Jacket, Phew Tommy Hilfiger have introduced one for Winter. This jacket has removable solar panels at the back that provide energy to power electronic devices such as mobile phones and tablets. The Jacket features an exclusive wool tartan developed by iconic British wool mill, Abraham Moon – one of the most prominent textile mills in England. No dead battery excuses now.

At the recent launch of the new James Bond Movie ‘Spectre’, Daniel Craig was wearing this amazing cashmere jumper from Cashmere Specialist N Peal. I reliably informed he wore it in Skyfall and will be wearing it throughout the next Bond movie in the colour Imperial Blue.

To put this mildly, it’s a minefield out there, when it come to purchasing the perfect gift for the lady in your life. So as always we have alleviated this stress out of your life and come up with 12 (1 for every day of Christmas if your feeling particularly generous) corkers of gift ideas, just for you, well not for you this time, but you know what we mean.

The magi bought gifts of, Frankincense, myrrh and gold. Now the first two are a little hard to come by on your average high street, but no one could refer to these beauties as average. These Gold 2750 Cotmetu from Superga can’t fail to impress.

Although we’re more then half way through Advent now, Advent Calendar Gift Sets have been super popular ideas this Yuletide. This great example from Elemis has
its own twist on the calendar theme. For each of the 12 days of Christmas you get a Elemis product for each and every day.

There’s no diputing, recently crowned Model of the Year, Cara Delevingne has the Midas touch and the prove of the pudding is in this bagtastic satchel she has put her name to with Luxury Fashion house Mulberry.

You our can’t go wrong with Jewelry and these killer earrings from Jeweler of the Moment Katie Rowland proves the point, get it point, forget it !

Ahhhh here you have it, a good sensible gift suggestion, well almost, you know us we can’t resist sexying things up and what better way then with Gucci. Yep check out these beautiful examples from the Italian Fashion brand.

Give the Gift of Warmth and Light This Christmas. So let Aveda create a mesmeric and calming setting for your loved one. Curl up and feel at ease with over 50 hours of light, impelling a warm and spicy new aroma with certified Organic Ginger and Ginger Lily in this year’s signature Aveda Christmas Candle.

Each candle comes accommodated in hand-crafted Lokta Bark Paper from the Himalayan Bio-Trade paper making cooperative in Nepal, a heartfelt way to give as well as give back to communities in need.  The pre wrapped gift is the ultimate time saving yet heartwarming surprise.

What better way to way to show the one you love, then the gift of time and this super desirable Marc by Marc Jacobs watch does exactly that.

What lady wouldn’t want these great Pyjamas to snuggle up in on a cold winter’s night ? Yawn are a British brand with a unique perspective when it comes to nightwear, with every piece having a heartwarming, hand drawn print story.

Watch the lady in your life’s mouth hit the floor when she opens this beautiful retrospective book on the French Fashion House Chloe, How could you be so thoughtful ? Well I won’t tell if you don’t, go on.

Another old faithful but nonetheless a goodie, what lady could resist the charms of a Missoni scarf or in fact anything covered in the unmistakable pattern ?

There isn’t really a coat of the season for Winter 2014 but this one from High Street favourite Hobbs has to come pretty damn close

We’ve left what is probably the hardest gift category for last, underwear. So easy to get wrong and so difficult to get right. That cunning old Dragon himself Theo Paphitis and his Boux Avenue brand have come to the rescue of men everywhere and produced a guide to assist us in making the right choices.3 simple steps is all it takes, 1 – Find the correct size for the lady you’re buying for. 2 – selecting the right colour and  3 – getting the style right for your girl, what would she like.

Hope this has helped you fellas, now off you go