New York Magazine

(Photo: Brad Paris)

Hermine Evelyn
Takashimaya
693 Fifth Ave., nr. 54th St.; 212-350-0100

What will you be buying as a gift this year?
Definitely the body cream [Takashimaya private label Vetiver, $28; fifth floor]. It’s very soft, like soufflé.

Who is that for?
I buy it for myself all the time. My sister loves it, too.

Anything for your mom?
Anthousa, from our home-fragrance line [Anthousa diffuser with sticks, 500-ml., various scents, $90; fifth floor]. It comes in a nice keepsake bottle. Bamboo sticks go in the bottle, and they are very porous, so the scent works through the sticks. I’ll probably buy a floral scent. Either a bottle of Cliff Rose or Bougainvillea—I’m torn.

For your boyfriend?
I haven’t decided yet. He loves luggage, and we have some really classy leather bags. I’d probably go with the Ro overnight bag. It’s in brown leather [$425].

Are people holiday shopping already?
Oh, yes. One woman who comes in very early, she gets a lot of attention, and she likes that. I recommended a cashmere robe by Daniel Hanson for her sister, but she bought one for herself while she was at it. At $2,000 a pop! Well, $1,995, actually.

What’s a good ex-boyfriend gift?
I’d march down to the second floor and buy one of our pocket watches [Ettinger, $165; second floor]. On one side there is a flap for a picture, so I’d stick one of myself in there, looking really good.