Vintage Christmas Gift Guide

As the winter draws in and the goose is getting fat, I know that I’m taking a deep breath and thinking about the Christmas onslaught. As much as I love this time of year, there’s always a few things that stress me out - one of them being finding decent presents for discerning friends! I always try to be different and buy something unique without spending huge amounts of money. A few lucky people I have to buy for seem to have everything so originality is key!

So this year I’ve decided to buy all vintage gifts! You can guarantee no one will have bought anything remotely similar and for those of you with a green conscience, buying second hand (and most likely hand made) is environmentally sound!

I’ve come up with a little Vintage gift guide to hopefully give you a  few ideas to inspire over the next month!

If you’re worried that you may be too original and your recipient won’t like what you’ve bought them, most dealers are happy to offer exchanges if they know the purchase is for a gift. Also to make your gift really effective - make sure you attach a little handwritten label on the object letting them know exactly what they now own. Some may not quite appreciate the vintage value otherwise!

I find some men very difficult to buy for.  I’m sure my poor brother will be depressed this year if I buy him another jumper! I think there are a few good ideas in here to make a fella happy:                                         

Let’s start with Grooming – maybe the new metro-sexual modern approach to Men’s grooming isn’t so modern - Victorian men were incredibly self obsessed about their looks and there are many fun and quirky accessories from this period on sale if you look for them. An easy to find and affordable option is a typical grooming kit like this one from the 1950’s

These can be found on ebay or in vintage and antique shops

Vintage cufflinks are not only better made  than the normal high street versions but I think they look more interesting. Personally, I love the 70’s kitsch gilt disco style like these:

 Paul Smith is selling them at a  high premium – you can buy them on some vintage websites for half the price. Steptoe’s Antiques is a great site and has a really good and affordable selection of these (as well as some good grooming options).

How about a pair of  shoe lasts? There’s something so endearing about these - back in the old days, we used to really look after our shoes and probably (and inconceivably!) only bought a pair a year! Why not treat him to a pair for his best shoes - they may last a bit longer!? We think they look so good, that we use ours as an incense holder! 

And the perfect present for the Radio 4 listener…..A Vintage Wireless! Ok, You can’t get Radio 6, but they look so fantastic. This one here we have for sale is a French 1950’s model – designed to look Art Deco. Make sure they have been fully and recently restored  - most good dealers offer a 3 month guarantee.

This one lights ups  - listening to the Archers out of this simply makes you glow with warmth!! Retropolitan only has the one for Sale - but for more information and a good selection try Nostalgic Vintage Radio’s website

And if you look hard enough – You’ll always find something a little different: how about these 1950’s gaming counters – a bit more of a talking point than the usual plastic chips in a shiny box?

As Smoking becomes more scarce and moves increasingly out of the public eye – Tobacciana (the collecting of all thing related to Smoking) is growing in desirability! From a gorgeous heavy ashtray to a stylish table lighter, even an odd cigarette holder makes a great visual talking point.

So something for the lady! …
I’m probably a bit biased – but I think a gorgeous piece of glass is timeless, unique and makes a wonderful feature for those who have beautiful homes.

For the more daring interior statement go for 1950’s Murano with its bold forms and vivid intense colours. The good vintage pieces are becoming harder to find but some dealers including retropolitan have a great selection – you’ll be surprised at how reasonable the costs are considering the quality craftsmanship of the pieces.

For a more understated look  - go for the Sommerso cased styles of merging two colours into each other. The colours combined together with beautiful shapes are popular with almost everyone.

Pre 1960/1970s Bark design, Whitefriars Glass is seriously underrated and very affordable. Brilliant and vivid colours such as Kingfisher Blue and pillar box red were widely used and these little cased teardrop budvases and jugs from the 50s make lovely presents for people who love their home to look good. You can find original versions of these from £20 - £40 depending on the condition and size. There is a Whitefriars website that is a fantastic resource for anyone interested.

If you know someone who likes mid-century modern and has a stylish contemporary home, Scandinavian glass is the perfect choice….often in muted colours and clean organic shapes, these pieces are appreciated by both men and women alike. Depending on your budget you can pick signed pieces from well known factories such as Holmegaard, Orrefors and Italia…or you can hunt around and find some of the more available and unsigned 60/70’s pieces from factories such as the Finnish Riihimaki  - which have the same clean Scandinavian lines but without the big ticket price.

For other inspiration on mid-century modern glass, ceramics and other gorgeous giftware try visiting Our Show Home. They hold great mid-century modern shows. Look out for Retropolitan  exhibiting at their show in the amazing modernist De la Warr pavilion in Bexhill on sea next year!

Another great present for her is vintage costume jewellery. Very on trend and stunning to look at. You can  find unique and classic pieces from as litle as £10-15. I recommend Deco Girl  They have a great selection of Art Deco and later costume jewelery as well as some really gorgeous and affordable vintage vanity accesories such as compacts and scent bottles.
And for everyone: How about a  Vintage book? From Golf to Photography, Arts  to buying something just for it’s classic cover these can make a wonderful gift. There are used and second hand bookshops in most towns and some good online resourses if you know what you are looking for.  try Vintage homeware for a good selection of Books and Tobaciana.

Vintage Penguin books are so iconic now and look fabulous, there’s even a great new book out celebrating their covers

 And finally for the Children – It’s very hard to get a high success rate if it’s not the latest thing and desired in the playground, but if you have a little niece or nephew, you might just get away with something eccentric and vintage and thei parents will appreciate the gift even if they don’t (yet)
Pedlars is a fantastic website that has a few gorgeous Vintage items – which I think make great kids presents: Antique globes 

and for those of you who read them – a huge selection of original Enid Blyton books. What ever year you were born in – If you are under 10, The Magic Faraway tree is enchanting!

That’s it for now – please leave feedback or e mail me at lesley@retropolitan.co.uk if you need any more information. Hope your Xmas and New Year is a Vintage one!!