A holiday gift guide from A to Z
If you’re buying for someone who loves scents, they’ll appreciate the experience of concocting a rsonal perfume at the Memoire Liquide custom blending bar.
The outpost inside Fred Segal Santa Monica has more than 150 bottles of fragrance bases ranging from Nudite Absolue, a clean floral musk, to Soixante Six (as in the summer of ‘66) -- yes, there’s patchouli in it.
$90 for a quarter-ounce roller at Studio Beauty Mix in Fred Segal, Santa Monica. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
From the Amsterdam Girard bicycle to the zebra sequin Converse sneaker, here are some hints for shopping for the fashion-minded.
A decidedly adult twist on the old-school animation process that used to keep children entertained for hours. Dita Von Teese, the woman who bare-handedly brought upscale burlesque back into the pop culture mix, now appears in a trio of flip books stylishly shot by photographer Sheryl Nields.
Each book (roughly the size of a deck of cards) portrays the alabaster-skinned vixen shedding vintage clothes or glittery costumes through three of her favorite routines: the Bird of Paradise, the Classic and her signature Martini Glass -- in which she frolics in a giant drink glass accompanied by a beach ball-size olive.
For extra fun, flip ‘em in reverse -- and watch the burlesque queen put all her clothes back on.
$30 at Hennessey + Ingalls; Space 15 Twenty, Hollywood; and at www.amazon.com and www.barnesand. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
These days the thing that holds your iPhone may be just as precious as the device itself. Help someone hold the phone in style with a shiny gold or silver iPhone case from Incase or a high-end, pink patent leather holder from the British brand Mulberry.
Mulberry “Daria” iPhone case, $250 at www.mulberry.com; Incase iPhone holders in silver and gold, $34.95 at www.goincase.com. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Not everyone wakes up Christmas morning to find supermodel and “Project Runway” host Heidi Klum under the tree, much less cavorting among a farmers market worth of foodstuffs. But that can be reality -- sort of -- for the jigsaw puzzle lovers who unwrap this elegant, limited-edition puzzle based on a Ruven Afanador photo.
The 1,000 velvet-backed pieces are bagged in silk and nestled inside a hand-made, red-velvet-lined lacquered wooden box along with a number (each is one of only 1,000 puzzles) and the signature of the photographer.
And if you’re balking at the price tag, consider it a gift given twice -- a portion of proceeds from each puzzle will go to AMREF (African Medical and Research Foundation) educational projects in Kenya.
$490 at www.editionsricordi.com. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Stitched together from squares of vintage ticking fabric remnants, each of these extra-long handmade patchwork scarves -- a stylish collaboration between J. Crew and local purveyor of retro-cool vintage Mister Freedom (a.k.a. Christophe Loiron) -- is a one-of-a-kind gift worth sticking your neck out for.
$180 at select J. Crew stores only (including the Grove and Century City locations locally); not available online. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Give your frequent flier first-class treatment with Claridge and King’s travel set. Ankle socks, an eye mask and a wool and cashmere blanket keep things calm on a long flight.
The case doubles as a pillow cover to put over those gauzy airline puffs.
$350 at www.claridgeandking.com. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
A behind-the-scenes look at the recently retired couturier’s life as a designer, dog owner and fashion legend.
Every frame is full of meticulous dress construction, power struggles and the over-the-top production of his 45th anniversary as a designer, held at the Coliseum in Rome.
$29.99 at www.barnesandnoble.com. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Walker Blue Label whiskey, custom-engraved Johnnie Walker, that is! Your dad might appreciate a bottle of Scotch more than a pair of blue jeans, so get him a personalized bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label -- the Dom Perignon of whiskeys.
Customers who purchase a bottle (750 ml., suggested retail price $220) can enjoy complimentary engraving at participating retailers, including BevMo. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)