It’s officially gift-giving season and time to start getting presents for the people you love; but what do you get those that already seem to have everything? This impossible question strikes fear in the hearts of even the most gracious and generous amongst us. One misstep and you could be ostracised from that skiing invitation in Gstaad next year or barred off the yacht (link) next summer.
This year, however, you need not fret! To help navigate this veritable gifting minefield we have researched the world far and wide to put together a list of the very best thoughtful gifts for you to lavish onto your friends and family. Rest assured with any of these presents, you will be a firm favourite among them in 2021. Let the invitations start to roll in…
Commission a portrait from Lorna May Wadsworth
Nothing makes more of a statement than a masterfully painted portrait of your loved one hanging above the mantlepiece. London artist Lorna May Wadsworth is one of the world’s best, having painted iconic figures such as the late Baroness Margaret Thatcher (her last portrait sitting before her death), Neil Gaiman, Corbin & King, and an innumerable list of influential figures from the arts and society.
Her portraits recall classic portraiture with contemporaneity influences in style and composition, sure to make a statement in any grand home.
POA
Take a trip to the Titanic
OceanGate’s 2021 expedition to the remains of the extravagantly luxurious 1912 cruise liner once considered “unsinkable” is the gift of a lifetime. The recipient will be part of a 50 person crew that will be trained and coached before embarking on a ten day journey across the North Atlantic. Once near the wreck, your guest will submerse within a dedicated Dive Support Ship that will dive to provide a meaningful, personal, interaction with the majestic ship.
To make your gesture even more spectacular you can remind your giftee that this expedition will be one of the very last times viewing the ship will be possible before the RMS Titanic finally succumbs to the harsh conditions of over a century below water.
Although your guest will still have to go through an application process, you can of course cover their fees of $/£ 125,000 for the journey which include all room and board.
Lounge in decadence with custom-made dressing gowns
New & Lingwood has been the official outfitter to Eton College for 147 years and the go-to choice for many icons of society for over a century. Serving generations of the most storied families in British history out of their Jermyn Street shop, this brand is the physical embodiment of English refinement and sartorial excellence. Their range of classic lines and delightfully quirky accessories are a staple for any discerning clothes horse.
This holiday season take a page out of the sartorialist’s playbook and lavish your loved one with a bespoke dressing gown crafted by these official purveyors of classic elegance. Each is individually handcrafted by trusted tailors from luxurious imported silks into a comfortable and ever-so-slightly louche garment – perfect for lounging around the house or commanding the gardeners from a distance.
Choose a style, select a fabric from their extensive range of iconic current and archive designs (confirming the lining, piping, and collar details) and customise the fit – the N&L expert stylists and designers will be available to advise and assist you at any point in the process. Best of all – each dressing gown will be issued with its own certification number and card of authenticity to help tell its story for generations to come.
Prices from £/$ 2500 … Oscar Wilde would be proud.
Throw their old headphones away
Get them a pair of IRIS, the revolutionary new headphones that deliver an audio experience unlike any other on the market. Dramatically improving sound quality perception by simultaneously activating the brain, these futuristic headphones make active listening a fully immersive process, allowing the wearer to enjoy music through fuller, heightened audio. The headset works in conjunction with an app that employs a unique algorithm that separates and presents sound wave timing (phase) relationships to our opposite ears – in other words, the way we listen to live music.
If you’re not yet convinced take it from IRIS founder Jacobi Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe who says that “wearing the headphones will make one feel as if one were at a live concert hall with the artist, sensing the music and emotionally reacting.”
Forget the new Apple headphones, these are the perfect gift for any music lover in your life. They will thank you.
Prices start at £/$ 379
Leave the chairlifts behind
This year, get the ski obsessed person in your life the gift that will perfectly complement their chalet; a Tucker Sno-Cat. Armed with four articulating tracks that provide the ultimate traction advantage in steep terrain & blizzard conditions this machine was used to Arctic and the Antarctic during the second half of the 20th century but it will make one hell of an impression when they roll up to the GreenGo.
A guaranteed winning addition to any stable of vehicles, prices start at $/£ 125000
Gift a symphony
Nothing could be more thoughtful than commissioning an actually symphony for the person you love from one of the best pianists in the world. Dubai-born, Iranian concert pianist Arsha Kaviani is the man for the job; he can apply his prodigious talents to create a nocturne for solo piano or even a piece for a full symphony orchestra, opera or ballet. What a way to close out the year and be remembered as the world’s best gift giver.
Prices start at circa £5,500
Book a shaman
Tulili in Tulum is a private retreat for yoga, wellness & healing – they offer some of the most celebrated rituals for those looking to start the year with a spiritual cleanse. Why not book your loved one in for a shamanic healing session, guaranteed to “invoke the spirits of nature and ancestors via an old spiritual practice of Mexican traditional medicine. The Shaman cleanses one’s energy using the four elements of air, fire, earth and water, along with other tools from nature.”
This experience is unique and will bring peace, health and harmony to their lives. How do you say ‘namaste’ in Spanish? Prices on application here
Toast with their own personal vintage
Hatt et Soner is the only champagne house in the world to offer the personal vintage (PV) service. Designed with ultimate personalisation in mind, this Swedish-owned house knows a thing or two about luxury, with a never advertised list of clientele that are rumoured to include captains of industry, government leaders and celebrities.
The service is by invitation only to their existing clients so you may have to buy a few cases of their champagne first to buy your loved one a PV, but once you do they will not be disappointed. They can be involved in the whole wine making process from choosing a vineyard (there are four) to visiting the bottles throughout their maturity to finally celebrating when the bottle are ready to be consumed.
The minimum order is 60 bottles at $/€ 90 a bottle. Skol!
Hermès – but made to measure
The Hermès’s Sur-Mésure atelier is one of the world’s most luxurious artisan studios. Here, everything is made to order and ideas are only limited by imagination (and a willing wallet). This year why not gift that special someone an Hermès-made present that speaks to their passions, be it a skateboard with their favourite classic scarf print, sumptuous leather boxing gloves, a custom foosball table, an interior refit of their motor yacht or even an all-carbon bicycle engineered just for them.
The “ultra bespoke” team is led by Axel de Beaufort, is a former custom yacht designer who is dedicated to bring absolute personalised luxury to each project. Prices vary per request.
A mega yacht is always a good idea
If you’re not quite convinced that the above will be enough for the special person in your life, why not go for the whole hog with the Indah Megayacht, an incredible 120-meter vessel that features an expanding beach club in its rear, complete with expansive floating terrace, complete with sun pads, lounge area, gym, sauna, and tender access.
And the rest of the yacht is equally as impressive with multiple pools, jacuzzis and a helipad on show. Inside, there are 12 guest cabins, an owner’s suite with a private balcony and quarters for up to 32 crew members.
The exterior features a sleek steel hull and aluminium superstructure and solar generating surface coatings, vertical wind turbines, a diesel-electric propulsion package, and four MTU16V engines that will keep them cruising at comfort at a top speed of 24 knots.
2021 is already looking a lot brighter. POA.
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