The Ultimate Gift Guide
For the woman who has (practically) everything
You might be on a budget, you might be shopping for a woman who has everything or says she doesn’t need anything – here are some items that are either practical or that you can never have too many of to help you out.
Adding some sparkle and fun
You can never go wrong with a sparkly gift in a small box. Most women love to receive a necklace, ring or earrings as long as it’s sparkly and good quality – and good quality jewelry is exactly what you find on The Vintage Bar..
Simple gold jewelry from Lanvin or one of the classics from Tiffany & Co. will be perfect for the conservative and/or sophisticated woman who appreciates simplicity and luxury, whereas colorful jewelry from Hermès and Fendi as well as jewelry in fun shapes from Dior is a great gift for the adventurous woman who’s not afraid of a little (or a lot of) attention.
Photo: The Vintage Bar
Another fun gift is a hair accessory – it’s not too big, too expensive or something you can really go wrong with. Everything from an elegant headband and quirky hair ties to stylish barrettes are great for adding that something extra to an outfit.
A headband will quickly make you think of everyone's favorite Queen B – Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf – and she was a queen for a reason, style being a really good one! Elevate any outfit with a chic and simple headband from Celine or jump on the trend with Prada’s tall nylon headband. Barrette clips are also a great accessory as it’s the perfect combination of fashionable and functional. You can contain stray hairs, pin up your hair or simply add them for the look.
An old trend coming back – hair ties with dice – as seen at Louis Vuitton. Almost (dare we say every) woman carries at least one hair tie with her, so this is a super easy way to make sure she always has a funky accessory with her as well.
For the woman on the go
Perhaps your mother, sister, best friend or wife needs a new bag for her toiletries – Christmas is the perfect occasion to give her something practical yet stylish. Louis Vuitton has many options that fit into that category, for example the Trousse Toilette, the Taiga Toiletry Pouch and the Poche Toilette. Both the Trousse Toilette, the Taiga Toiletry Pouch have a boxy shape and are great for larger items whereas the Poche Toilette is slim but quite tall which makes it ideal for smaller items like makeup. Another great bag for toiletries is a Prada nylon pouch. They come in different colors so you can pick the one that represents the recipient the best and they’ll get a sturdy pouch that can withstand almost anything toiletries can do to it.
Photo: The Vintage Bar
That little something extra
Belts. It might seem like a somewhat boring present, but the woman who has everything might have missed this practical yet fashionable accessory. It’s an easy way to add an extra touch to an outfit and there are so many different belts out there! You can go for a traditional leather belt (which in and of itself can have such different vibes depending on color and buckle), you can choose a colorful fabric belt or you can choose a chain belt! They all bring different vibes to different occasions and most of them (not all, we’ll admit hehe) double as being practical.
Another thing with multiple functions is a silk scarf – this can actually also work as a belt depending on its size. Wrap it around your ponytail or incorporate them in a braid, tie it to the handle of your favorite handbag or wear them in one of the many ways you can tie them around your neck. The possibilities are endless and they’re such an easy way for anyone to incorporate their personality into an outfit.
Photos: The Vintage Bar
For the woman who deserves the world
If you’re feeling like splurging a bit and buying a friend, girlfriend or mother something big and memorable (and it’s within your budget) you’ve come to the best place, because now we’re pulling out the big guns – travel bags and investment pieces.
Going out of town?
It’s cold and dark and as soon as Christmas is done and all the Christmas lights disappear from the streets as well, there’s still plenty of winter left – maybe you or someone you love is planning to get out of town for a short (or a long) time! Perhaps you want to go skiing, maybe you want to disappear to a warm island in the southern hemisphere. No matter what, we’ve got you covered!
One of our most popular duffle bags is the Keepall from Louis Vuitton. It’s made in durable canvas and comes in four sizes meaning it’s easy to find one that’s perfect for exactly your travel needs. All four sizes are also within the standard size for cabin bags, bonus!. The Keepall is recommended for light travel and is perfect for a long weekend away. If the recipient of your gift however isn’t into Louis Vuitton – we don’t understand how anyone wouldn’t be, but that might just be us – the Celine Boston bag is a great alternative as it has largely the same shape and purpose.
No matter what duffel bag you decide on, it’s no problem shopping for them secondhand. Part of their appeal is that they look a tiny bit battered and worn, so you don’t have any qualms lugging them around the airport or throwing them in the back of the car. They’re made to be used.
Besides duffle bags, a lot of big designers also design actual suitcases, so if you’re shopping for someone who needs a bit more stability and sturdiness this might be more the thing. You can get a Zucca print suitcase from Fendi and a black or monogrammed one from Louis Vuitton for example – depending on the person and their preferences.
A gift to last a lifetime
You’ve decided you’re going to go all out this Christmas and money isn’t going to hold you back from buying the best Christmas present for a loved one – this is the place.
Investment bags! If you decide to spend a large amount of money on a gift you want to make sure it’s something the recipient will cherish for a long time or that they’d at least be able to sell in the future. Great examples of investment bags, which will be just that, are the Dior Saddle bags, Chanel Flap bags, Fendi Baguettes and Hermès Birkin or Kelly bags. Chanel Flap bags and both Kelly and Birkin from Hermès have never really been out of style and probably never will go out of style. Both the Dior Saddle bag and the Fendi Baguette have had a huge resurgence in popularity with Y2K being hot commodity at the minute and shopping for these styles secondhand makes it possible for you to get your hands on limited and special editions that no one or only a few other people will have.
If you want to do some more research into investment bags, we’ve done an article about the most known styles HERE which also links to more articles about the fashion houses and their styles. We understand that a bit of research is sometimes needed when doing large purchases so we try our best to guide you and make sure you get the style of your dream (or give someone else their dream style for Christmas!).
Photo: The Vintage Bar
All of the above are of course only examples of secondhand designer items you can gift the women in your life – it all depends on them, their style and of course your budget. The best thing about shopping for secondhand Christmas presents – besides not buying into the overconsumption that Christmas has a tendency to promote – is that you’re typically able to get your hands on items for a discounted price meaning your budget might last that tiny bit longer.
If these items however still are a bit to pricey for you, we’ve also done a guide to Christmas gifts under €300 which you can find right HERE.
