Dear Santa,
My darling husband-to-be,
Sweet friends and followers of The Letterist,
It has just dawned on me that all those days I left my desk to wander and window shop through the endlessly delightful streets of Paris, I was not being naughty, but actually engaging in the very industrious and noble act of unconsciously putting together the gift guide of the century. Now, unlike the Gwyneths and Athena Calderones of this world, I don’t get any gifts or commissions from the brands I’ve rather painstakingly taken the time to curate here, so this is a pure and unadulterated list of things you should get me I love.
I have taken the liberty of loosely categorizing them to help you find the perfect gift for each one of my personalities everyone in your life. You’ll note that there are many things you think I have too many of and I think one can never have too many of vessels, candles, accessories and tchotchkes to beautify the kitchen, home, face and body, and not forgetting that we now share a home and kitchen and bathroom I’d also urge that you consider any or all of these as gifts for yourself.
Happy browsing and shopping, wrapping and gifting, giving and living…in beautiful, thoughtful, and inimitable Parisian style.
Raising the Bar
It’s difficult to say what’s more to love here - the perfection that is this logo, or the capricious elegance of these hand blown and downright poetic coupes - inspired and named after beloved botanical forms such as the tulip and the lemon. On a side note, my last name - Savic (pronounced Savich) earned me the nickname Savage through much of my childhood, so I now have a peculiar fondness for all things sauvage and often feel like they are destined to be mine. The icing on the cake? These beauties were designed and made by a woman - Margot Courgeon in Paris. Visit her shop here.
The Good Knife
I actually discovered SABRE cutlery in an Italian home goods store in New York, where the salesperson was mid-sentence explaining how all their pieces were from Italy - and then as I picked up a magnificent bread knife - he stopped and said, except for those, those are French. Strange as it sounds, I haven’t stopped thinking about that bread knife since. I bought one for my parents at the time, but I should have bought many more. I’d gift it to everyone. It comes in many different shapes and colors you can see and purchase here. Be sure to visit the About page too, and read about the sweet founders who met and fell in love at first sight.
Officine Universelle Buly, or as I like to call it, The University of Brushes
Speaking of beautiful handles in various colors, this is the upgrade you didn’t know your toothbrush needed. I was gifted one earlier this year and I’ve never packed a suitcase and forgotten it since. It comes in a beautiful suede sleeve that gives your oral hygiene routine a whole new business class vibe. The hair and beard brushes are great too, and I rarely use a comb but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t gladly display one or a little set of these in my guest bathroom. All things Buly make for great stocking fillers, and the personalization and gift wrapping options are sure to make everything else in that stocking look sorry-to-say-it, decidedly basic.
A.S.L Paris
I think I actually first came across A.S.L in an Instagram ad, which may have been the first and last ever relevant or interesting ad the algorithm fed me. I wish it would just figure me out already and show me fewer diets and face yoga exercises and more of the things I truly love - an octagonal lamp (or any object really) in this burnt sienna color, collectible editions of photography books about different cities (in countless great colors, but you know I’m captain of Team Taupe), vintage art exhibition posters, egg cups and napkin rings, and larger than life totes I probably won’t tote around but would gladly have as storage in the corner of a room. All this and more…from A.S.L Paris, the objects and furniture line designed by Saint-Lazare - the branding and architecture studio behind like, all my favorite hotel and fashion brands.
Astier de Villate
The Naples candle from A.d.V. is probably my favorite candle this year. Unlike many other candles that merely claim to last forever, this one really does - and it’s such a bright, summery, mood-lifting scent that I routinely light it the minute it gets gloomy outside and almost immediately forget how much it costs . The plates and ceramics collection is even more impressive and swoon-worthy that I’m not sure I can actually single an item or two out. I think a gift card from A.d.V is probably the best idea here - an excuse to wander around the store is a gift in itself.
Baubles by Bidermann
…All the bracelets by Aurélie Bidermann. If you want more French jewelry designers, I did share a few of my favorites in this Instagram post earlier this year.
GLOW up.
Before you take any skincare product recommendations from me, know that I am not a beautician or a dermatologist, nor even a casual enthusiast who does research and experiments with what works for their skin. I am The Letterist. I choose my beauty products solely based on how beautiful they are - which means that I have to like the typography and design of the labels, the weight and feel of the bottle in my hands, and I have to have an idea of precisely how and where each one might fit with all the other products I already have. Obviously, I keep the best of them on a vintage silver serving tray - my trust beauty Butler. I prefer things that are simply and minimally labelled and am far more likely to purchase something that contains the word glow than the word peptides, or the un-pronouncable and somewhat unthinkable hyaluronic acid. I’m also a sucker for anything jasmine or ylang ylang scented. Call me nuts, but I have found that having a bathroom filled with beautiful and nice-smelling products is far more likely to make me spend time in there gently dabbing and massaging them into all the corners of my face. So without further ado, I present to you…the pretty, Parisian, plant-based and female-founded beauty brand ROWSE.
And of course…some Love on Paper.
What kind of Letterist would I be if I didn’t use this opportunity to plug my very own product - The 2024 Letterpress Desk Calendar. It may not be from or made in Paris as such, but it is full of inspirational quotes by famous French thinkers, writers, and artists including Anatole France, Charles Baudelaire, Jean Cocteau, Jean-Luc Godard, and Paul Gauguin. This edition marks the celebration of our ten year anniversary and was crafted with a whole lot of love. If you took my recommendations on egg cups and baubles and skincare - then you should unreservedly trust me on this. What’s more, it’s on SALE all through Thanksgiving weekend.
As my man likes to say, WHO LOVES YOU.