Skip to Content

Shop

La Maison de Commerce


When it comes to the art of everyday living, some of us fare better than others. Those who aspire to rid their home of plastic and upgrade their Ikea storage systems will find plenty of inspiration at La Maison de Commerce. Both a shop in Paris (on the Boulevard Saint-Germain) and an e-commerce emporium, it specializes in useful, beautiful objects from makers all over Europe. Stackable glasses, wicker baskets, merino-wool mittens, ceramic containers, wooden boxes, and all sorts of hygge-esque textiles are ripe for the giving (and getting), especially for those who seem to have it all. (If you don’t have a set of ceramic strawberries, are you really even living? (lamaisondecommerce.com) —Ashley Baker

SIP

Ghia


I’ve been an avid drinker of the non-alcoholic aperitif Ghia ever since writing about its launch for this very publication in 2020—back when many of us were self-soothing with four P.M. Negronis during the height of the pandemic. And while there’s been a rash of new competitors to the NA and low-A.B.V. categories, nothing really stands up to Ghia’s herbaceous complexity. It’s a libation that demonstrates all the nuances of a spirit, without actually imitating one. No surprise, the brand’s latest iteration, Ghia Berry, is just as deliciously satisfying. It’s less bitter and more juicy and tannic than the original, making it the perfect option for cozy winter nights. To anyone who hates showing up at a holiday party empty-handed, I’d suggest making this your go-to host’s gift. ($38, drinkghia.com) —Laura Neilson

Read

The Catch of a Lifetime


From the writings of Norman Maclean and Annie Proulx to Ernest Hemingway, there’s no shortage of literature on the act, and art, of fishing. But for those hoping to learn more about fly-fishing, specifically, look no further than Peter Kaminsky’s The Catch of a Lifetime. (Let us not forget that Kaminsky was also behind Fly Fishing for Dummies.) The food writer and practiced fisherman assembles tales by Joan Wulff, John McPhee, Brittany Howard, Carl Hiaasen, and an array of other athletes, artists, and writers. Each story concerns a particular “transcendent” experience, and they’re all underscored by a love for fly-fishing and the natural world at large. ($35, thehatchettebookgroup.com) —Jack Sullivan

Pamper

Santa Maria Novella


I know I’m a decent gift giver because people always tell me I’m a good gift giver. One of my guiding principles when deciding on an item for a friend or loved one is to select the highest-quality, most expensive version of a very basic thing that’s used every day. I hope whomever you’re shopping for this year is washing their hands multiple times a day, but even if they’re not, they’ll start to after they unbox liquid hand soap from Santa Maria Novella. It’s available in a wide variety of scents, but I opt for the Tabacco Toscano, which is sort of woody and, you guessed it, smoky. It’s a bit expensive, yes, but they’ll use it multiple times a day, and the packaging is sublime. ($65, smnovella.com) —Michael Pescuma

READ

Shakespeare’s First Folio


Sure, you may have paperback editions of William Shakespeare’s plays, highlighted and dog-eared from your high-school English classes, but you and the Bard deserve better. To that end, Rizzoli has just published a sumptuous reproduction of Shakespeare’s First Folio, first printed in 1623, seven years after the playwright’s death. The First Folio contains 36 plays, 18 of which were not published during Shakespeare’s lifetime and, without the efforts of two of the Bard’s fellow actors, we would have been denied—these include faithful renderings of plays such as Macbeth and The Tempest. Beautifully bound and covered in red goatskin, the First Folio will delight anyone who has ever fallen under the spell of the world’s finest playwright. ($135, rizzoliusa.com) —Jim Kelly

Wear

With Nothing Underneath


Your AIR MAIL style correspondents have been sourcing the best button-ups for years, decades, and maybe even centuries, collectively. So we rarely get excited about any so-called developments in this category. But then, most unexpectedly, I received this blue-striped poplin from WNU (whatever that is) as a birthday gift. I’m both pleased and embarrassed to say that I’ve worn it thrice a week ever since. Made of thick, wrinkle-averse organic cotton, it communicates “dressed” without the stuffiness. If it looks good with jeans, it looks even better with a tweed, plaid, or printed skirt. (It’s my personal homage to Prada’s spring ’11 collection.) I’ve already procured several for gifts and suspect that at least a few more are in my future as well. And at this price, why not? ($135, withnothingunderneath.com) —Ashley Baker

Issue No. 233
December 30, 2023
Loading issue contents …
Issue No. 233
December 30, 2023