119 Carefully Selected, Unusually Special Gifts Over $200
Including a hand-carved purse, a hand-forged frying pan, and two standout fountain pens.
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To find the hundreds of items on this list, we first polled our extremely knowledgeable staff about the best new items to pop up in their respective beats. Then, a group of dedicated editors spent months going down all manner of rabbit holes, scanning the background of home tours to track down the most special bathtub we’ve ever encountered, challenging ourselves to find teeny-tiny shops we’d never heard of in cities around the world (from L.A. to Seoul to Tbilisi), and figuring out where some of our favorite stores source from and looking there too. Beyond stores, we went up to strangers to inquire about their shoes, interviewed our hairdresser’s preteen son about what he’s into, followed a daisy chain of British zoomers on Instagram to see what brands they were following, and just kept scrolling and hunting till we could scroll and hunt no more! A careful edit of the resulting menagerie is below, including a new cold-therapy massage gun, a coat by Kid Cudi, and a year’s worth of award-winning bacon.
Don’t miss all of the Strategist’s holiday gift coverage right here. You can also see our picks for gifts under $50 and gifts under $200.
Chintzy Duvet
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Handmade by Italian nonnas.
Contrast-Stitch Soft Shell
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Roa Hiking Softshell Jacket
The seams are taped to do an especially good job of keeping water out.
Stiff Clutch
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Carving this purse (from a single block of walnut wood) can take up to a week to complete.
Kicky Trench
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This Shrimps option has puffed, but not too puffed, sleeves.
Processional Serving Board
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Artist Lucas Castex makes this five-circle platter out of oiled walnut.
Red-Cedar Chicken Coop
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This would have looked at home on Meghan Markle’s The Tig.
Basket Backpack
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Everything by Kamaro’an is inspired by Taiwanese Indigenous objects—this one can fit a 13-inch laptop.
Floor Seats
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Classic Zabu - Green & Natural, 4 Pack
They’re filled with soba for heft.
Planetary Pin
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Schiaparelli Planet Brooch
It’s attached with a beaded astral ring.
Sheathed Knife
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Skye Knives Kwaiken
In wenge, an endangered, and very expensive, type of wood from Africa.
Rosy Bowls
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Bard Gem Bowl
By the husband-and-wife duo behind Scandinavian glassblowing studio Lindean Mill.
Blossom-Cut Sapphires
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Dozens of them cast in a wide 18-karat-gold ring.
Suede Chore Coat
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It’s made with supersoft goat leather and cinches at the waist.
Ionic Topper
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Made from a 19th-century mold by “master caster” Alexander Griffin in his Cambridgeshire studio.
Silky Rugby
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Pass-Down-Able Purse
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This leather shopper from the Amsterdam-based designer is fairly timeless.
Signed Sarah Lucas
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A copy of the artist’s exhibition book from her survey at the Tate.
Enormous Clamshell
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Almost startlingly realistic, were it not over one and a half feet long.
Arm-Length Lily
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South African studio Gabi Design also makes acrylic- paint-and-wire pincushions and queen proteas.
Unfusty Fountain Pen
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Designed in-house at Taiwanese stationery shop Yoseka’s Greenpoint outpost.
Chilly Theragun
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The newest version can be paired with an attachment that sinks to 41 degrees.
Off-Kilter Lolitas
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By avant-garde Japanese designer Takahiromiyashita TheSoloist.
Award-Winning Bacon
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A year’s supply from North Country Smokehouse, which won the “Oscars for nice groceries” this year.
Long Leather Gloves
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The Row Simon Leather Gloves
The Row’s opera gloves are made entirely of nappa.
Liberace’s Cookbook
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A rare hardcover first edition from Doubleday.
Almost Alarmingly Fast Go-Kart
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Flyer’s original model only maxed out at 8 mph; this one can go 11 (and has slick rear wheels so it can drift).
VR Suit
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It lets you feel rain, stomach punches, and dozens of other highly specific sensations while you play games.
Convertible Pong Table
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Malika Favre Duo
Designed by illustrator Malika Favre to be hung on the wall between games.
Mohair Coat
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A simple double-breasted style with a peaked lapel.
E-Door
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Masonite M-PWR Smart Door
Masonite’s smart door lights up when you get home, has a built-in camera, and can be locked with an app.
Outdoor Dinner Tablecloth
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No-Damage Flat Iron
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Dyson Airstrait Straightener
Dyson has figured out how to make a straightener that uses hot air instead of hot plates.
Japanese Sleeping Bag
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A collab between Nanga and Engineered Garments. Packed up, it’s practically as small as a water bottle.
Rabanne Rerelease
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His famous 1969 chain-mail bag is back (in several iterations) after more than 50 years.
Chain Bracelet
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Simple Sheepskin
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Knickerbocker Inferno Coat
An extremely handsome take on the classic.
Easy-to-Use Turntable
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It’s ready to use out of the box, and the playback is exceedingly detailed.
Iced-Coffee Maker
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Balmuda The Brew
It makes Dunkin’ beans taste like expensive cold brew.
Walking Robot
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Based on the Transformers character Grimlock, it can toddle around on its own and respond to voice commands.
Bow Glasses
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Designed by the city’s ultimate dinner-party thrower, Lauren Santo Domingo.
Electronic Annotator
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Kobo Elipsa 2E
Lets you mark up PDFs and e-books, then converts your notes cleanly.
Stretchy Flats
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As appealing as Capezios, but wear-on-city-streets-able.
Kids’ First E-Bike
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Droyd Weeler
It comes with a speed- limit key for parental control—as well as an “easy-to-use accelerator throttle.”
Beach Bag
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South Africa–based artist Billie Zangewa reupholstered a Louis Vuitton Capucine bag in golden silk.
Pasolini 101
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Nine of the Italian filmmaker’s 1960s features in one.
Helpful Incense Holder
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Burning the stone is meant to help people “better harness their potential.”
Last Wet Suit You’ll Ever Need
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It has knee pads and a double neck-flap enclosure.
Four-Seat Sofa
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Svenskt Tenn Sofa 3031
Made by designer Josef Frank, known for colorful patterns that tend toward “woodland meadow on acid.”
Oceanic Belt
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The gold-plated seashells and starfish are made in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar.
Dinner Chessboard
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Tbilisian designers constructed this entirely from reclaimed oak.
12,000 Temporary Tattoos
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The stamp connects to Prinker’s app, where you can find basically any design a person might want.
Shimmery Skirt
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By the same designer who made Iris Apatow’s sequined dress for Vanity Fair’s Oscars party.
Right Now’s Sunglasses
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Downtown stylist Thistle Brown already has his just-launched shades on Annabelle Dexter-Jones and Dev Hynes.
Ebonite Fountain Pen
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This site rounds up objects hard to find outside Japan, like this pen made of vulcanized rubber.
Daisy Chain
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Each flower contains one round-cut sapphire.
Open-Flame Frying Pan
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Hand-forged using a hammer and tongs by Japanese blacksmiths at Kajikobo Hiromitsu.
Ideal Belt
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It has just the right number of studs for these stud-friendly times.
Tiger Bonnet
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Pinch Pot
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Painted with delicate flowers in Cape Town.
Rather Extreme Snowsuit
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The North Face’s 900-fill down onesie is newly available in women’s sizes; there’s still a zippered butt flap.
Shaker Side Stool
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The designer behind unisex clothing line Ijji is now making cherrywood furniture.
Dr. Dre’s Furniture
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Made with Modernica to celebrate 30 years since The Chronic.
Better Beach Chair
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Ita Leisure Chair
Nice enough to use as full-time patio furniture, light enough to lug around the beach.
Two-Boucle Daybed
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And Objects Candover Daybed
London-based studio And Objects wrapped this solid beech frame “to the floor.”
Cheeky Cheeky Briefs
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Wear these Miu Mius with tights as an homage to Laurie Simmons.
Diamond Cockatoo on 13 Carats
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The 2023 version of Jean Schlumberger’s nearly six-decade-old Bird on a Rock brooch has longer feathers, 71 round brilliant diamonds, and a pink sapphire eye.
Silk Pillbox Hat
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Sewn by a Barcelona-based milliner.
Simple Little Hoops
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Their slight squareness makes them a bit more interesting than your average pair.
Even More Intense Xtratuf’s
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A collaboration with Filson on 15-inch boots fit for minus- 20-degree weather.
Specific Spoon
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Entirely sterling silver and meant for dispensing compote.
Shrunken La Marzocco
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La Marzocco Linea Micra
It’s more likely to fit an apartment kitchen than the original and is a fraction of the price.
Perfect Pink Slippers
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Marni’s curly sheepskin fur mules also come in lime green and are wear-outside- able thanks to a rubber sole
Rough-Terrain Skis
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Big Mountain Corvus
Super-grippy, a plus for those who prefer to go off-piste.
Zippy Bike
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Standert Kreissäge RS
The stiffest, speediest, and sleekest racing bike from Berlin’s Standert.
Barbie-Pink Work Dress
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It has a pleasing ratio of ruffles to bows.
19th-Century Teapot
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Forged by one of the very few remaining American makers of pewter tableware.
Steampunk Bike
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From Jason Momoa’s custom-bike builder, who heats, bends, shapes, and welds every single piece by hand, from the cogs to the handlebars.
Nicer Safety Pin
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The little shell on its clasp, molded from one found on the beach, is no bigger than a pinkie nail.
19th-Century Tub
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The Water Monopoly Jennings Bath
Cast in England from recycled brake discs.
Donald Judd Plate
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Judd Foundation Dinner Plate
French brand Puiforcat followed his rediscovered 1989 sketches exactly.
Beaked Earring
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Goth Decanter
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Chrome Hearts Decanter
Chrome Hearts’ collaboration with Baccarat also bore a crystal ashtray and martini glasses.
Isabella Rossellini’s Sheep
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In vest form via a collaboration between her farm and Aisling Camps.
Party Dress
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From Simone Rocha and covered in pretty silver sequin embroidery.
Charm Anklet
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Attached to a three-and-a-half-inch stiletto heel.
Chair Carpet
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L.A. studio Waka Waka collaborated with New Zealand rug company Nodi on these seat covers.
Velvet Polo
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Custom-made from cool Italian brand TL 180 (Léa Seydoux is a fan) with little mother-of- pearl buttons.
Forget-Me-Not Ring
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The shape of the flower is inspired by a Klimt painting and set with a brilliant-cut peridot.
Unslippable Snow Shoes
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They have a carbon-fiber plate and rubber treads.
Nordic Snow Shoes
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They’re built to withstand Helsinki winters.
Impractical Track Pants
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New downtown-y model-slash- designer Raimundo Langlois also makes extremely low-cut jeans.
Darren Bader’s Name
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After a 20-year career, the artist, who has shown at the Venice Biennale, is selling the rights to make artwork under his name.
Unusable Hairbrush
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This brush from Berlin- based art collective Bless is described as “a great gift for someone who has everything.”
Compact Rose Umbrella
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It’s just under eight inches when folded and comes in a vibrant purple-and- marigold colorway.
2023 Razor
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Yak Cushion Cover
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It’s made from khullu, a naturally shed, ultrafine downy fur collected from their underbellies.
Inedible Chocolate
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It’s in fact a bronze ashtray made from Cadbury molds.
Kindercore Sweater
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Paris brand La Fetiche focuses on bright, cheerful basics.
Touch Tank
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Like the one at the New York Aquarium but living-room size and the fish are acrylic.
220 Minutes of Madonna
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Specifically, an assortment of rare remixes of her most popular songs on 12 rainbow vinyl discs.
Two-Piece Puzzle
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These two jugglers, hand-carved and painted by Judi Rosen’s dad, fit perfectly into each other, creating an everlasting sculpture.
Reversible Puffer
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This Sofie D’Hoore design lets you choose between black and gold.
Neck Care
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A neck-and-décolletage LED treatment that promises to regenerate skin cells and reduce fine lines.
Giant Gaming Monitor
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Samsung 57” Odyssey Neo G9 Dual 4K UHD Quantum Mini-LED 240Hz 1ms HDR 1000 Curved Gaming Monitor
Samsung’s Odyssey Neo G9 will let them play in survival mode on a nearly five-foot curved screen.
Kid Cudi Coat
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From his new line, Members of the Rage.
Shiny Cowboy Boots
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Candy-Stripe Pillow
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By the designers who’ve decorated houses for Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Aldridge.
Millennial Renaissance Painting
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R. Crumb Yoga Mat
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The illustration was initially used to advertise his late wife’s fitness class.
Silent Guitar
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It’s meant for players who are on the road or who’d like to practice without bugging their neighbors.
Just a Lovely Sweater
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Boxy but not too boxy, blue but not too bright, and knit in a cashmere-and-merino-wool blend.
Tote in a Tote
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Inside is a little removable zippered pocket.
Cashmere Hood
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Utensils Tablecloth
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Cartoonist Zebedee Helm doodled spatulas, scissors, and strainers on a sheath of Belgian linen.
One-Size- Fits-Most Polo
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Hippie Ashtray
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New Dimes Square smoke shop Biggie’s Bodega has amassed a collection of these vintage Peter Max ashtrays.
Party Zip
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South House has been throwing parties across New York for the past two years; now it’s making unusually good merch.
Extremely Soft Robe
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It’s 100 percent plaited Italian cashmere.
LEGO Kingdom
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The castle — made up of 4,500-plus pieces — has several secret passageways and a trapdoor.
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