NEW ARRIVALS
Buying Christmas presents for men can be surprisingly difficult. Not because men are particularly mysterious, but because many of them have perfected the art of saying they don’t want anything while quietly continuing to use the same wallet until it resembles a piece of archaeological evidence.
There is, of course, another problem. You don't want to buy something that gets a polite nod on Christmas morning and then spends the next 11 months in a drawer. The best gifts for men tend to be the things they use all the time, only slightly better than the things they would have bought themselves. A better shirt. A proper dressing gown. A wallet that isn't held together by optimism. Slippers that make getting out of bed considerably less appealing.
This is where we come in. Since 1938, we’ve been making and selling the sort of menswear and accessories that earn their place in a man's wardrobe rather than merely taking up space in it. So, if you're looking for Christmas gifts for your husband, boyfriend, dad, brother, son or any other man who insists he is “very easy to buy for”, here are five presents worth putting under the tree.
The White Shirt
Every man needs a good white shirt. And, conveniently, every man can always do with another. It's one of those pieces of clothing that manages to be both completely obvious and perpetually useful. Worn with a suit, dressed down with jeans, tucked into chinos or called upon at the last minute when something vaguely smart is required, a classic white shirt rarely has an off day.
Ours are made with the sort of details that turn a wardrobe staple into something worth giving as a Christmas gift. Crafted from cotton, they feature a curl-resistant collar and an easy-iron finish, meaning less time spent trying to persuade the ironing board that this was a good idea. Better still, it can be personalised with a monogram, giving a familiar classic a little more thought behind it. It's practical, timeless and very difficult to get wrong. Which, when buying presents for men, is quite a lot to ask.
Why he'll like it: Because he will wear it. Probably more often than he expects.
Gift-giving upgrade: Add a monogram for a personal touch.
The Dressing Gown
There is a particular point between Christmas and New Year when getting dressed properly begins to feel like an unnecessarily ambitious undertaking. This is when a good dressing gown comes into its own.
Our fluffy robe is a bestseller for good reason. Soft, warm and gloriously comfortable, it's the sort of gift that gets put on immediately and then becomes suspiciously difficult to remove. It's ideal for slow mornings, cold evenings, working from home, post-shower lounging and those mysterious hours between breakfast and lunch when nobody is quite sure what day it is.
Unlike some Christmas gifts, this dressing gown doesn't require learning a new hobby, finding somewhere to display it or pretending to understand what it does. It simply makes being at home considerably more comfortable. And because it can be monogrammed, you can make it feel like more than a nice dressing gown. It becomes his dressing gown. Although there is a reasonable chance other members of the household will attempt to claim it.
Why he'll like it: It is essentially permission to be comfortable.
Gift-giving upgrade: Personalise it with his initials.
The Tie
Few things can sharpen up an outfit quite like a good tie. It can bring a suit together, give a formal shirt a little more character and add just the right amount of occasion to Christmas Day itself. It's also one of those gifts that feels considered without requiring you to know his exact waist size or preferred trouser break.
A good tie earns its place in the wardrobe. Whether he wears one every week or keeps his favourites for weddings, there's always room for another. Ours come in a range of classic styles and colours, making them easy to work into an existing wardrobe rather than something that will spend the next decade hiding at the back of a drawer.
And, if you want to make the gift feel a little more personal, all ties can be monogrammed. A small detail, but one that turns a very good silk tie into one that is unmistakably his.
Why he'll like it: An easy way to add personality to his wardrobe.
Gift-giving upgrade: Add a monogram for a personal finishing touch.
The Slippers
A great pair of slippers is one of life's small luxuries, particularly when the alternative is walking around the house in socks and pretending the floor isn't freezing. Our moccasins are made to be a little more special than the standard Christmas slipper. They feature a super-soft lining that makes them a treat for the feet, with the classic moccasin shape giving them a more considered look.
So yes, they are practical. Yes, they are comfortable. And yes, they will almost certainly be worn every day. But that is rather the point. A good gift doesn't have to be spectacular. Sometimes it just has to make an ordinary part of the day better.
And if he puts them on on Christmas morning and refuses to take them off until January, consider that a successful present.
Why he'll like it: Warm feet. Soft lining. No complicated instructions.
Gift-giving upgrade: Pair them with a dressing gown for the full Christmas-morning experience.
The Quarter-Zip Jumper
The quarter-zip has been having a moment for a while now, and it’s easy to see why. There’s something wonderfully straightforward about it: smarter than a sweatshirt, easier than a shirt and more than capable of making jeans look as though you made an effort. It’s one of those pieces that quietly earns its place in a wardrobe.
It is also the sort of thing men tend to discover and then buy in several colours, which makes it a particularly safe bet if you’re shopping for someone who already owns one. Don’t assume the existence of a navy quarter-zip means the conversation is over. There’s always room for another.
It works over a shirt, underneath a jacket or simply on its own when the weather has decided that a coat is excessive but a T-shirt is clearly optimistic. In other words, it does exactly what good knitwear should: looks good, works hard and rarely makes things more complicated than they need to be.
Why he'll like it: Easy to wear, easy to layer and considerably smarter than the average sweater.
Gift-giving upgrade: Choose a versatile colour he'll reach for throughout winter.
Make It Personal
The easiest way to make a useful Christmas gift feel more personal is to personalise it.
Many of our gifts can be monogrammed, engraved or embossed. It's a small detail, but one that turns something he might have bought himself into something that was clearly chosen for him.
And that is really the trick with buying Christmas gifts for men. You don't necessarily need to find something nobody has ever thought of before. You just need to find something he will use, something he probably wouldn't have got around to buying himself, and, ideally, something that makes his life a little bit better.
