Our gift guide pt. 1

As per tradition, we asked Dirt contributors and friends to share what’s on their wishlist this year. Have fun, give thanks, go shopping. Not necessarily in that order.

Katy Kelleher 

I recently went to a wedding and the reception and after-party were both at El Rey Court in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Several of the rooms had Woody Crumbo prints on the walls. The deer ones are so incredibly dear and I desperately want one, preferably in a silver frame, to hang in my bedroom. I collect vintage deer figurines, and it would fit with them perfectly. It's the exact right amount of kitsch for me. 

I'm also deeply curious about DVN perfumes. The bottles are so gorgeous that I don't even care what the fragrance smells like. 

Lastly, I have this sweater in navy and it is one of my most-worn items of clothing. I'd love one in dark, piney green for winter. I don't think there is a more versatile top than a cotton roll-neck sweater. That's the New England in me, but truly, they look great (so Knives Out) on everyone. 

Josh Zoerner

I consider myself a pretty great gift-giver but I think that comes from knowing who I'm giving the gift to pretty well. I do a lot of personalizations where I can, I think it's important for people to feel special with little details and grand gestures equally. One thing I'd really like to do for others (and myself), is use Hofstra Book Arts to create nice book covers and clamshells for my friends and I's favorite books. I have always really liked the idea of having a "nice" looking bookshelf or library-esque situation in my home and this is a nice way to make that fantasy a little closer to reality. I personally would go with the quarter leather binding. If you're not sure if your friends have books (and you should not be friends with people who do not have books, but...) I recommend stopping into Karma Books in the East Village. They have five gallery spaces but I think the bookstore is where they really shine—it can be a little bit of a watering hole for artists and creatives of all kinds. Matt, the store manager, can find a book for almost anyone's taste or interests. Just don't be loud in the store. Some recommendations directly from me would be: 

• Kim Gordon's Keller, in either special edition or normal. For a real music head, go with the special edition because each one is uniquely hand painted by Kim. I've got one and I think it's so cool but I'm afraid to touch it most days. The normal edition has a really cool, old school notebook look that I think looks great on a shelf, coffee table, or elsewhere. 

• Jonathan Monk's Restaurant Drawings is a pretty great grab for someone who likes art and cheeky humor. Monk recreates famous pieces by other artists on restaurant receipts and then sells them to whoever's comment he likes the most on his Instagram page for the cost of the meal. Fun concept. Great way to eat and drink for free. You can still grab the actual receipts from his Instagram page but it's a tough get. I've tried a few times and missed. I could probably send him an email and ask for one. Maybe you could too. 

• Dike Blair's monograph of the same name is a really beautiful book of everyday life, landscapes, rooms, and objects that I've given to a couple of friends as a housewarming gift. You can get a special edition if you buy one of his prints in the store (each are limited to 100). Another case where I swooped the special edition and never looked back. 

• This Roe Ethridge book, American Polychronic, is a cornerstone on a bookshelf for anyone interested in modern photography and the way the American photographer's eye has developed and evolved and what it perceives. I think Roe's work is incredible. It shares a lot of similarities with the way someone like Sofia Coppola dresses a set, where there's this beautiful, but sort of unsettled feeling of perfection and lightness. This book is more bold and in your face with all types and styles of Roe's work displayed chronologically playfully juxtaposing fine art, fashion, and advertising with the everyday.

My last quick recommendations: Drake's Brushed Cable Knit Shetland Sweater is a stellar buy for anyone searching for a warm, but breathable and stylish piece of knitwear. I have this in charcoal and ivy and have never been more cozy or complimented in the colder months. I like their Suede Canal Loafer a lot too but would recommend ordering a whole size down. A great one for dad or bookish boyfriend. Highly recommend a water flosser if you're a clean mouth freak and don't have one. Dental health is important. A Ninja Fit Compact Blender is really all you need to grind some coffee beans or make a quick smoothie. I hate big blenders. They're loud and annoying. This little guy does the job and is mostly quiet. And finally the Polaroid SX-70 camera has really changed my photo game quite a bit. Go with the 600 film conversion, buy the flash too. This is easily the best and most efficient Polaroid camera you can buy and it's so easy to use and transport. The autofocus is next level and it will be leagues better than any of those Instagram-icon box cameras you can get. Plus Polaroids are classy, memorable, sexy, and just plain cool. 

Alexandra Hildreth

This year I’m asking for a MATTRESS! Seriously, there’s an aggressive dent in mine from hours sitting up writing in bed that needs to go and I will never turn down a functional, investment present. But I will take some luxe sheets in the meantime too. 

**Tekla sheets to be specific!

Grace Byron

When your giftee has read everything, you have to think bigger, not just books but the world of words more broadly. Something generative. A talisman. Don't buy them The Artist's Way, that's been done. I think supporting smaller independent presses (and their merch) is the way of the future. There's nothing like turning the pages of a magazine or newspaper. 

I recommend everyone subscribe to Parapraxis and buy one of their hats—a blue Klein, a baby pink Lacan, a forest green Fanon. Psychoanalysis is sexy again. Consistently one of the best magazines writing about anything today. With writing from Hussein Omar, Anahid Nersessian, Rosie Stockton, Joy James, and so many others. 

If you would prefer to give an actual book, Silver Press is re-issuing Ursula K Le Guin's craft book, Steering the Craft with an abundance of new introductions including one by Kelly Link. Silver Press has put out many lovely little books collecting words that matter and Steering the Craft is a must-read for anyone who wants to write fiction. Le Guin is clear, vibrant, and thoughtful. 

Sophie Kemp

Do you want to be exactly like me in every possible way? Ok nice! Here's a few things I would love someone to buy me. The perfect Eric Rohmer girl angora cardigan. You can either get that from Vanves if you're in Paris or on Etsy by keyword searching Angora cardigan '70s. Or "Angora Sweater French." Or "Jane Birkin Sweater." I really love underwear from Hello Beautiful, so if you're me you would want the signature panty in black. I also really love the Floridian slow fashion brand Piatori and have had my eye on the Joy Dress. If you REALLY were me you'd ask for a first edition copy of the Childlike Life of the Black Tarantula by Kathy Acker AND Kathy Goes to Haiti by Kathy Acker. If you were REALLY REALLY REALLY ME you'd want to be taken on a romantic vacation to a beach town in South Eastern Europe and watch guys chain smoke in Ed Hardy at 6:45am.

Nicholas Russell

I rarely buy, or tell others to buy, much of anything for myself beyond the necessities during the holidays. This belies a list of things I want more expensive than my desire for them. Incidentally, they make great, durable gifts for someone who shares similar interests to me, or is, in fact, me. There's the Rivendell Bike, assembled by hand in California, highly customizable, especially important for someone too tall for a standard bike size. Not being a fragrance person but being Catholic, incense-inspired perfumes and colognes, like Commes des Garcons' Incense Avignon (or its dupes), appeal for their subtle but familiar pious sillage. I've long been a fan of Earth/Studies, whose chunky silhouettes and utilitarian streetwear styling toe the line between functional ruggedness and strict ornamentalism. For the handmade jewelry lover in your life, there's Love Letter, featuring wire earrings and block printed patches and cards made by my partner. And finally, for the reader, there's Eleanor Catton's phenomenal, sometimes depressing, sometimes uplifting, always gripping novel Birnam Wood, perfect for thriller fans looking for something a little more pissed off and political than usual or literary folks wanting an intelligent page-turner.

Jocelyn Silver

I really love the ceramics by my friend Bianca Mead, all sold for extremely reasonable prices. Her pieces are glossy, otherworldly, and just a bit spooky; I love the way her wall sconces are designed to reflect the warm glow of a candle, orange light from the flame skipping against the glaze. I hung mine, the "Armor," on the wall above my dining table, making each dinner a far more romantic experience. I also have a few of her candle holders, which look like shiny little alien feet. The ceramics—mainly sconces, candelabras, and vases—are objectively beautiful, and maybe I'm insane, but they seem just a tiny bit H.R. Giger to me (the texture!). I want one on every wall. Mead sells pre-made works on her website but also takes commissions, if you're looking for something specific.

There are tons of trinkets I really want for sale from Earl Grey Studio, a business by Los Angeles-based interior designer Georgia Somary that specializes in vintage and antique objects. I wanted to browse the website and offer a curated list for this guide, but it got too dangerous; I've already bought silver serving spoons with handles in the shape of braided tassels and 90s modernist aluminum candlesticks trimmed with what look like earrings from Limited Too (but, you know, classier). Earl Grey offers things like iron candlesticks and embroidered Swiss linen and kaleidoscopic glassware and mythological horns—the sorts of objects that enhance the art of living!

Maddie Connors

I recently returned from Poland and fell in love with this Polish vodka from Gdansk called Goldwasser. I've been bringing it to parties, and it's always a big hit. I can’t get enough of it. I'm a sommelier's daughter, so naturally, I asked my dad for wine recommendations. He says Sparkling wine is excellent this time of year. On the cheaper side, you can't go wrong with a Coppola Prosecco. For big spenders, splurge on a 2000 Moet Chandon Dom Perignon. 

I used to have a friend who showed up to parties with lottery scratchers and passed them out. I found it so charming— a perfect party trick. I hope someone buys me a scratcher soon. 

My best friend Jared Goldstein— an actor and comedian—turned me on to the functional and stylish Telfar bag. For film lovers like myself, another friend swears by the A24 and Criterion gift shop. I’m afraid I’m a perpetual moody teenage girl, so I’ll never age out of wearing band merch. I would wear anything from Lana Del Rey’s merch store. 

Last year, I gave a friend The Ballad of Sexual Dependency by Nan Goldin; it's a perfect sentimental gift. I wish I had one for myself. I'm always happy to receive an antique, rare art book, like this book of occult witch art. I’ve been getting into chess, so I wish someone would buy me a strange, vintage chess set.

Paula Mejía

I’ve been coveting this Moccamaster coffee maker (in the pistachio hue!) Edie Parker’s gelatin mold tabletop lighters, with the likes of fake shrimp and hard-boiled eggs in them, hit that rare nexus of disconcerting meets charming. I’m waiting for this Yam chunky gold choker to come back in stock at MoMA Design Store. My friend Zach Schonfeld turned me on to this lost-to-time '90s neo-noir gem, Red Rock West, starring Nicolas Cage, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Dennis Hopper — I'd love to own it on VHS. Scratch-off gas station lottery tickets are worth it for the five minutes of daydreaming. Charlotte Tilbury makes some of my favorite statement lipsticks, and I have yet to try the So ‘90s shade. I’ve been slowly collecting these wonderfully kitschy zodiac glasses that Arbys — the same place that has the meats — hawked back in the 1970s; I’ve got Virgo and Pisces so far. 🎁 

Stay tuned for Part 2 later this week.