What to get a menswear enthusiast for their birthday?

[Juxtaposition]

Hello, this is a bit of a weird post on my part.
A close friend of mine has their birthday coming up relatively soon. I'm willing to spend around $300 on them, but I've not a clue what to get them.
They frequent this forum rather often, so I sure hope they don't make the connection, but I'd like to know what might be a good gift for "one of you guys."

Is there any sort of gift or category of gift that one can never really have enough of? Think nails for a builder and such. Perhaps there's some sort of custom-made item that a menswear enthusiast would never get for themselves as the price seems ridiculous for a self-purchase. I'm honestly not quite sure as this is out of my field.

Any responses whatsoever are appreciated.

 

[manowar]

Coming from a 28 year old guy, here are a few thoughts, and I'm sure more will chime in...

Size-generic options are a safe bet, such as ties, scarves, socks, etc. Belts are easy if you know their pant size. All of these are well less than $300 though, typically.

Lots of guys would enjoy a $300 watch. A watch expert could recommend something in the price range I'm sure.

Sunglasses can be hard, but I recently got nice pairs of Randolph Engineering aviators for both my wife and my brother. If you have a general idea of their head size you can intelligently choose a size. Classic styles are safer such as wayfarers/aviators because they go well with about every face shape.

A nice shoe-care kit would also be an option. Shoe trees also (you can approximate shoe size). Some guys have everything they want already, but worth consideration.

When you get into apparel and shoes you need to have some intel on sizing, and even then it can be risky. Keep receipts.

Gift cards are easy, you can pick somewhere that he can visit in person to find a perfect fit.

 

[Steve Smith]

Gift card.

When someone has knowledge, expertise, and developed tastes in an area it is a crapshoot for you to choose a gift for them. Give him a gift card and what he chooses will be 100% on the money.

 

[dieworkwear]

If you know some of the brands they wear, we can give you suggestions for where to get a gift card.

 

[John Doe]

In another thread there was talk about the codpiece making a comeback. If your friend is female disregard.

 

[dieworkwear]

along with the kind gesture from a friend, what i love most about this thread is that someone thinks people here agree on something

 

[circumspice]

Coming from a 28 year old guy, here are a few thoughts, and I'm sure more will chime in...

Size-generic options are a safe bet, such as ties, scarves, socks, etc.

Over the calf socks, or mid calf? OTC is the convention iGent wisdom - I loathe them

Belts are easy if you know their pant size.

Unless the O.P's friend is Will Boehlke, who allegedly only owned bespoke pants, exclusively made with side tabs.

I am not trying to thread-crap - rather, just show at how the seemingly simple is just not so.

 

[SpooPoker]

Alden divot tools, clearly.

 

[dieworkwear]

the only thing we all want is triple-digit likes

go forth, OP. make the dream come true.

 

[Friend]

Throwing some thoughts into the mix:

Perhaps there's some sort of custom-made item that a menswear enthusiast would never get for themselves as the price seems ridiculous for a self-purchase.

As a quick crash course in menswear enthusiasts - try to imagine people who embody the exact opposite of this sentiment, over the dying screams of their bespoke saddle-stitched wallet.

Without an exact knowledge of your friend's tastes and sizing and so on in clothing, and especially if you don't feel as confident in making an informed choice to their tastes there, I'd suggest looking for something that's adjacent to clothing, but can play to a similar set of sensibilities. I find that if someone really loves and splurges on clothing, they tend to appreciate other lifestyle luxuries, but may not as often spring for equally nice things for themselves in those areas.

In the price range you mentioned, you could consider some combination of: luxury bedding (cashmere or good linen sheet sets, silk pillowcases, a really nice blanket or throw, etc), scents (cologne, candles, incenses, soaps, and various kits thereof), apothecary stuff (top shelf skincare set, shaving kit if applicable, boar-bristle brush, pro-grade hair dryer), or an experience you think they'd enjoy (high-end tasting menu or omakase if they love food, a class or private lesson with someone notable for one of their hobbies, and the like). And if you're really not sure about one big ticket item, combining a few things together into a themed kit can be a nice way to make it feel more curated and personal, but also puts less emphasis on each individual component of the gift.

 

[Friend]

the only thing we all want is triple-digit likes

go forth, OP. make the dream come true.

a quick trip to russia may be in order

 

[moltoelegante]

Size-generic options are a safe bet, such as ties, scarves, socks, etc. Belts are easy if you know their pant size. All of these are well less than $300 though, typically.

One-size-fits-all options are safe from a sizing point of view but for this very reason people tend to receive too many sock and ties. A menswear enthusiast probably has enough belts already as one really only needs a few at most.

Best I can come up with is a high-quality item such as a cashmere/merino scarf, jumper or cardigan if he doesn't have one already (and lives in a cold climate). Jumpers/cardigans are easier to select in terms of size than a shirt, for example. I'm very fond of my lightweight but warm cardigan which I wear over shirts in colder weather. Something like this:

Is your friend into shoes? Does he have a shoe care kit? There are some nice ones on the market, e.g. this one from Saphir:

 

[Waldo Jeffers]

I was given an ascot as a joke, but then I wore it and was like, damn, I am rocking this.

the point is maybe your friend just needs a little push to take his flair to the next level

consider a monocle (maybe a sun glass version), casual tap dance shoes, driving goggles or a cape

There is probably something weird that is on his wavelength that he is always talking himself out of but if you hand it to him he will have no excuse not to make the leap into utter fabulousness

 

[manowar]

Hmm, a cape? Who wouldn’t want to look like our favorite sartorial space smuggler...

This item is unavailable - Etsy

Find the perfect handmade gift, vintage & on-trend clothes, unique jewelry, and more… lots more.

www.etsy.com

I’ll concede the point on socks and belts being “easy”, but in most cases they are relatively simple. It is true that menswear connoisseurs tend to get plenty of ties they don’t like. Something like a navy or black grenadine is a “solid” choice. Sam Hober, no?

I suppose too many options might cause decision paralysis. @Juxtaposition

 

[Joffrey]

Hello, this is a bit of a weird post on my part.
A close friend of mine has their birthday coming up relatively soon. I'm willing to spend around $300 on them, but I've not a clue what to get them.
They frequent this forum rather often, so I sure hope they don't make the connection, but I'd like to know what might be a good gift for "one of you guys."

Is there any sort of gift or category of gift that one can never really have enough of? Think nails for a builder and such. Perhaps there's some sort of custom-made item that a menswear enthusiast would never get for themselves as the price seems ridiculous for a self-purchase. I'm honestly not quite sure as this is out of my field.

Any responses whatsoever are appreciated.

Hi... to answer the bolded: I would feel ridiculous purchasing but appreciate receiving custom-made or luxury underwear/undershirts. Hopefully, I'm more than friends with the gifter.

To the rest... if your friend is on here often it means he is quite likely particular about his tastes - so try to pay close attention to the kinds and brands of clothes he wears (casual vs formal, mainstream vs obscure?). If you can track some of those down a three-figure gift card to a store that sells them would be put to good use. Bonus points if you figure out his size and preferred colors and get him something specific (e.g. scarf, tie, glove) (FYI ties and gloves come in different sizes). If he is not prone to losing things maybe a luxury umbrella?

PS - Some of the Forum Sponsors listed on this page have a wide range of stylish items and range from casual to formal. It will take some digging, though, to work through what each offers on their websites.