GLam World
- Nov 19
- 4 min read
By Marcia Sherrill
As a fashion designer, longtime member of the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America and lavish gift-giver this year promises to be giving the ultimate gift of glamorous items. Without regard for male or female giftees, 2025 will be a time of giving with but one thought-what constitutes a gift of glamour.
The days of gift-cards has gladly stopped as they are impractical because you either wind up with left-over money that cant buy anything of interest or you are sucked in to buying yet more to balance out the card. Toy can still see people wandering the aisles zombie-like, looking for a little something -which is all their gift card entitles them to. Embarassing and top that with the fact that the sales associate who tells you how much is on the card rolls her eyes, tosses out a number and hastily departs-does this mean they are not getting any commission? My money bets not!
Only children want gift-card because it is their only currency and they don't have a shame gene yet. The little darlings. So, lets just leave that Gift-Card idea in the dung heap of history.
Covid gave rise to the gift of comfort from plush throws to comfy jammies and pillows galore but lets face it your friends idea of a gorgeous pillow had you headed for that closet we all have where we consign yesterday's stylish overcoat or that sweater that MeeMah crocheted for you. A safety closet where you could spring into action if the gift-giver was headed over and you could leap 20 ft in the air for the closet doorknob and grab the offensive pillow and pretend that you had sustained head and neck trauma from an overly zealous family pillow fight. We have had enough of scented candles, gourmet food baskets with more of that obnoxious twirly confetti-ish filler than actual food. Just remember how the mixed nuts was 99% peanuts and you will never send a gift of food ever again.
Then once we were all drug kicking and screaming from our remote (bed) jobs and back into the workplace and it made sense to give work related gifts but where is the fun in that. Nope, this year it is about giving the gift of glamour. Now this doesn't have to break-the-bank. Last year I was definitely headed in the right direction with fox ear muffs but even I have friends who do not love the gift of dead animals so I scratched my head starting in September for things both fancy and rare. It wasn't long before I realized that their were European Brands who had set-up totally independent sites or had made their sites more USA-friendly.
Hailing as I do from Alabama, I know that those folks just go bananas for UK and European brands. It's part "were in wit the in crowd" and part just childish joy at the unexpected plus knowing you went the extra yard.
Now, marks and Spencer admittedly know for their basic groceries has some of the world's most creative clothing teams. The lingerie I could opine on and I could open a GoFundMe campaign for bras and knickers for myself. What I did instead since the clothing is here in the US and you don't have those long shipping times was go on and buy all the baby gifts I needed for my family with 42 first cousins. OMG OMG these are baby, toddler and children's clothing with attitude, hand-knitting and smocking that will set a Southerners heart to pitter pattering. And they have great packaging also. I am giving anyone with a child or grandchild in my family the real gift that is Marks and Spencer.
Moulton Brown is always the elite choice for home fragrance, hand and body soap. I have one bottle left and I only use it sparingly...and I can and will get more after buying everyone divinely rare and precious things and that is why they are so darn glamorous-they are rare and precious.
And let's not forget the High Tea queen of all stores, Fortnum and Mason and their food baskets can be trusted to be perfection since all of Royal Ascot would starve without their F & M. And the teas...I don't care if you hate tea-throw out all the tea and just enjoy their gorgeous canisters. For more glamour think Paris and pick yourself up off the ground because now Amazon is selling Roger et Gallet, Napoleons perfumer (he had parrots and song birds sprayed with R & G and then flew them through Versailles to combat the rampant body odor). Fragonard the darling of Paris' Style-makers has many darling things to give your loved ones and even Hermes is ringing in with gift sets around fifty greenbacks.
If you want to go the Hong Kong route then head to G.O.D., Goods Of Desire and but a pair of their legendary pillows or boxers that the men of HK and China cherish. From Italy grab the Prosecco of the well-heeled, Mionetto or Italian Pottery Outlet for those Florentine patterned dishes and serving plates. If its Murano glass you are after and aren't all of us sharing this obsession then Arte Di Murano is all set-up to be America-friendly and what better than to start the younger generation on Murano Glass Christmas ornaments-a tradition you can start and carry on giving for years to come.
So 2025 is indeed the year of Glam and it is all fueled by a love of countries Heritage Brands and our fascination with the idiosyncratic gifts of Europe and the UK...that's the glam!
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