With the holiday shopping season underway, the braintrust at Gentlemanly Means Pursued has been working hard to make it easier to buy for the man in your life. Your boyfriend, husband, lover, father, brother, son, uncle — most everybody’s got one or more of ‘em. And, yeah, they can be difficult creatures. Never fear. We’ve got you covered.
For part one, we offer gifts in the $ 50 and under range:
Field Notes notebooks
$ 9.95 for a 3-pack — available from fieldnotesbrand.com
Field Notes are the perfect everyday notebook. Small enough to fit easily in a pocket, durable enough to stand up to daily wear, but not so precious that you feel bad if you accidentally throw it in the wash or rip the cover. Equal parts stylish and functional.
Every man needs a notebook now and then and at 10 bucks for a pack of three you can’t go wrong. Plus, they’re designed and manufactured right here in the USA.
J.Crew Factory Button-Down Shirt
prices vary, most under $ 50 — available from jcrew.com
There’s a J.Crew factory store down at Arundel Mills and they consistently have a fine selection of button-down shirts at very reasonable prices. I have four of them myself and they’re great. Not too dressy, not too casual, and all kinds of comfortable. I’m sure the quality on the standard J.Crew models is somewhat better, but the value on these can’t be beat. They’d serve a solid function in any man’s wardrobe.
Size-wise, I wear a medium and have found them true to that.
One buying note: the online version of the factory store is theoretically only open from Friday at midnight to Sunday at midnight. I haven’t tested that, but to be safe you might want to order over the weekend.
Opinel Knife
prices vary, most under $ 50 — available from opiknife.com
As I noted in my pocket knife post back in June, there are two things at work here:
One, every man should carry a knife.
Two, Opinels are beautiful and highly functional.
The No. 3 works great in a pocket, while the larger sizes serve larger purposes. No matter which way you go, an Opinel will make a beautiful gift. Dig in and pick one you think your chosen man will like. He will.
CXXVI Sea Rope Bottle Opener
$ 36, available from CXXVI.net
Made in the USA from steel forged by hand on a 130-year old anvil. How often do you get a chance to buy something with that pedigree? Not often enough.
Maybe it sounds crazy to spend $ 36 dollars on a bottle opener. It might even be crazy. But if you consider that what you’re really doing is buying a handmade tool that will literally last a lifetime and then some, it starts to look like a damn fine gift idea. At least to me, and quite possibly to the man in your life as well.
Dogfish Head Beer Soap
$ 5, available from dogfish.com
More of a stocking stuffer than an actual gift, sure, but worthy of inclusion regardless. A perfect way to wash off the detritus of a well-spent day or cleanse the night away in preparation for a new one.
Honorable Mentions:
Some beer to go with that soap, a bottle of Copper Fox rye, an Old Time Sling Shot, or a gift-that-keeps-on-giving subscription to Esquire, GQ, or Playboy.
Have ideas of your own? Let ‘em fly in the comments.
Coming Soon: parts two and three, covering gifts from $ 50-$ 150 and $ 150 and up.
On this week’s show we’ve got