Do you always leave your X-mas gift shopping right to the last possible minute? Me too. Been there, done that, paid the price. Because, if you do leave it up untill the last few days, not only you're gonna have a bad time with all the holiday crowd buzzing around, you're also going to pay way more than you should, just because you have no choices left and you just freak out. You know you will.
So, I decided to dedicate somes afternoons after work this month, to hop into my car and head over to McArthurGlen Designer Outlet.
By the way, don't you prefer weekdays to shop there? I've tried Saturdays, but they were way too crowded for my taste. Good thing is that I always find great things from the brands I love, that make great presents too. Since I only had a couple of hours left till closure, I only managed to visit three shops (I also had a frozen yogurt, but I refuse to consider that as time wasted). Without further ado, below are some of my choices for easy, early X-mas gift shopping in bargain prices at 3 of my favourite shops at McArthurGlen:
First stop at Notos Galleries.
I find men the most hard group of people to buy gifts for. Good thing is they usually hate shopping for clothes, so that means they usually welcome clothes as gifts.
McNeal merino-cashmere men's sweater
The most classic and safe gift for women is perfume. It is a good idea to have a clue of what the gift receiver prefers - like flowery scents - and even more important to know what she absolutely hates. After you have those down, it's just a matter of connecting the person to the scent.
Flora by Gucci Eau Fraîche 75ml
Bellissima by Blumarine 30ml
Of course, the fail-safest pressie of all is this:
Happy Socks in both women's and men's sizes
Second stop, at House&Travel.
People forget that a suitcase is part of their outfit whenever they are travelling. If you have a friend who loves to travel (or is always nagging you that they would love to travel more) a pretty suicase is the way to go. Keep in mind that you don't have to go big, a cabin-sized suitcase will get used way more.
Delsey hard-shell suitcase with 70's inspired print
You may also have a friend that is always bringing home-made pastries at work? Enable them to feed you more delicious things! That's what they love to do after all, right?
Tescoma Delicia cookie cutters
Last stop at Papasotiriou Moreforless.
I always leave it for the end, beacause I want to have my time there. It's amazing how many new books I want to add to my collection each time I pay a visit, and how much self-restraint it takes not to bring them all home - my bookcase will leave me if I keep pushing its limits. The ingenious solution I found in order to keep my sanity and books below hoarding levels, was to find great books for people I love and gift them! Take a look:
This is a book everyone is going to relate to. Definite winner.
The Monday Morning Feeling by Joep P. M. Schrijvers
If you have one of those friends who is into avant-garde fashion and is always talking about going to Saint Martins and making her way into the fashion world, this is a great gift to help her build a more serious fashion bookself.
Unlimited: Comme Des Garçons, edited by Sanae Shimizu
Ok, most architecture students already own that, but it's a great gift for anyone who just strated studying architecture or was always interested about it.
101 Things I Learned in Architecture School (greek)
I love historic photos and I love photo books. I also believe many of my friends do to.
The World in 1900: A Colour Portrait
Shoes. A whole book full of shoes and the life of a man who loved them. Need I say more?
Jan Jansen "I live, sleep and breathe shoes"
Also, if you can't live without your Moleskine planner and have friends with the same quirk, you should know that Papasotiriou Moreforless stocks 2014 planners in discounted prices.
Moleskine 2014 Daily Diary
So, to wrap this post up, I'm gonna be blunt:
Don't fool yourselves. Christmas is coming up quicker than you'd like to think. For example, McArthurGlen will be lighting their Xmas tree this Friday, November 15th all with a big event and a live music concert. Will you be going? And more importantly, are you gonna do your giftshopping early this year?
1 comment:
loved the tips and ideas.I don't live in Athens, but I think you can find good and cheaper things before the holidays, anywhere!
nice post
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