Shopping
19 Delightfully Impractical Gifts For The Friend Who Has Everything
Including tooth jewels and a cashmere bandana.
For even the most experienced and nuanced gift givers, there’s always one person on the list that stops them short. It could be a casual acquaintance or a life-long bestie, but they look like they want for nothing: You just saw them decamp to an anonymous island for a ten-day trip despite their full-time job, and they usually follows — and sometimes surpass — trends with an ever-rotating closet. Their home is lavishly furnished, their beauty always on point... so what do you give someone who feasibly doesn’t need anything new?
This is the perfect opportunity to turn to the frivolous, unexpected, and slightly gaggy gifts. Have a friend who loves sushi? Get them an oddly-shaped chopstick holder. Buying something for the homebody? Surely they don’t have leg-massaging boots. A lot of these options are under $100, proof that you don’t need to ball out to impress even the snootiest and bougiest of friends. Instead, wow them with an esoteric water pitcher or on-trend tooth jewels. Below, see the 18 gifts we wouldn’t think to ask for, yet would be delighted to open.
This California-based purveyor of fine home goods collaborated with American artist Ed Ruscha in the form of honey, which was made by bees working diligently outside of Ruscha’s Los Angeles studio.
A trompe l’oeil hair accessory that isn’t checkerboard or tortoise? Sign us up.
Dress up your cheapest bottle of champs so your friends don’t know you didn’t splurge on Veuve for them.
If your friend is really into charcuterie boards, show them your support with bougie cheese knives.
For every long-haired city girl who needs to keep her mane tamed.
I always see really rich people playing this on their private jets, so it’s a safe bet for someone who has lots of free time (read: funemployed).
Yes, you read the price tag right. Kendall Roy’s favorite brand doesn’t come cheaply, but neither does world-class comfort for your toes.
For your 10,000 steps-a-day friend who won’t shut up about their shin splints.
Hold your “I can’t believe it’s not butter” puns, please. It’s just a really cute lighter in the shape of classic table butter.
Pick an on-trend color for your frequent-flier girlies.
A rather expensive piece for the hype-beast who will brave the hours-long line at Supreme in the dead of winter.
Keep your good friends hydrated and their childish side alive.
Have you ever seen a more frivolous or adorable piece of entryway décor? I live around the corner from Mociun, and my friend and I have developed a parasocial relationship with this enchanting, magnetized dog in the window.
A collector’s item for your die-hard Dimes Square connoisseur.
An itty-bitty Kewpie mayo ceramic for both your casual sushi eater and diehard omakase-head.
If your friend is an at-home barista, this Marni-designed scribbly cup and saucer will make them feel like they’re sitting at a Milanese café.
As if the rats of the sky aren’t nosy enough... give your friend’s desktop an eerie edge this winter.
The maximalist with a covetable shades collection will go gaga for this ridiculously chunky cord.
When your bestie has enough jewelry to stack up to their elbows, give them sparkle for an unexpected location: their teeth.