Shopping Editor’s pick

Gifts Worth Giving: A Considered Edit

Twelve things people actually want to receive, none of them a scented candle.

By Imogen Vale 26 Oct 2026 1 min read

The best gifts are the ones that show you were listening. These twelve are dependable, beautiful and unlikely to end up in a drawer.

A really good umbrella. Wooden handle, wind-proof ribs, the kind that survives a decade. Around £90.
A leather notebook. Refillable, so it lasts. Around £45.
Wool socks. Thick, soft, unreasonably expensive and worth every penny. Around £28.
A pair of sharp kitchen scissors. The sort that gets passed on. Around £35.
A bar of properly good soap. One that smells like something, not like soap. Around £14.
A beautiful pen. For the person who still writes letters. Around £60.

And six more at the end of the edit. Our rule is simple: if you would be pleased to receive it, give it.

🎁

A tip. Wrap it in plain paper and add a hand-written note. The presentation is half the pleasure and costs almost nothing.

Written by

Imogen Vale

Fashion director. Writes about tailoring, the economics of getting dressed, and why most people already own enough.