100 Carefully Selected, Unusually Special Gifts Under $200
Including delicate glass spoons, clogs for any occasion, and a tiny teapot broom.
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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 on 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 tiny sheep-shaped soaps, a pill case by Lana Del Rey, and whole Long Island spearing.
Don’t miss all of The Strategist’s holiday gift coverage right here. You can also see our picks for gifts under $50.
Organza Cord Covers
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The L.A.-based Iko Iko makes objects to enhance the utilitarian.
Wear-Inside Scarf
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It’s wool but still feels closer to a carre in spirit.
Better Than a Finger
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Steel Comb
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The designer, Madison Seidman, made these just after finishing her thesis at Parsons.
Henry Taylor Monograph
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Jerry Saltz called his Whitney show the best of the year.
Barkley L. Hendricks Monograph
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From the late painter’s solo Frick show — the only by a Black artist in the museum’s history.
Holiday Party Coat
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This fancy little girls’ jacket by Miranda has rose-shaped buttons and a velvet bow on the back.
Imperfect Ring
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Appealing, beaten-up-looking rings with no two crystals exactly the same.
Red Fanny
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Le Sportsac is having a bit of a resurgence.
Eerie Press-ons
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Designed by alexand3r.me, who also makes nails that look like they’re covered in grime.
Murano Spoons
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Good for doling out table sugar or salt.
Murano Candle
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It smells like fresh pine and fir and is big enough to be used as a vase once the wax runs out.
Anytime Clogs
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These two-tone Chillbies are the nicest in a crowded field of handsome, waterproof slip-ons.
Historic Pouch
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Made with fabric designed in 1914 by shuttered Austrian textile firm Backhausen.
Three-Bow Band
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Triple the holiday cheer from Portuguese children’s brand Patachou.
Baroque Earrings
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There’s a matching necklace and ring available if one wishes to complete the look.
[Editor’s note: These earrings are currently sold out, but you can sign up for restock notifications on the product page.]
Four-Pocket Tote
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Japanese brand Amiacalva specializes in slightly updated classic bags; this one happens to have a lot of storage space.
[Editor’s note: This tote is currently unavailable, but you can shop Amiaclava’s other bags here.]
Film Strip
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Snipped from an old reel of In the Mood for Love and framed for easy gifting.
Shrunken Bobcat
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Miniaturized with startling precision down to the accurately placed joystick.
Rosette Bra
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A nice under-a-sheer-top option. The bottoms are sold separately for $58.
Headache-Free Perfume
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No synthetics in this Danish scent, which has notes of black tea, apricot, and olive.
Waterproof Penny Loafer
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An all-rubber slip-on, available in classic black but also bright yellow, red, and a pleasant olive.
Shrimp Fan
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Pubumésu Shrimp Fan
Each leather blade is hand-painted by a seasoned Javanese shadow-puppet-maker.
More-Social Tamagotchi
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The new Uni connects to Wi-Fi so the Tamagotchi can play with its friends; doubles as a watch.
Unconventional Cast Iron
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From an 84-year-old family-owned company in Medellín; the spouts on the side make pouring easier.
Real Ring Pop
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Bella Hadid, Sofia Richie, Sydney Sweeney, Behati Prinsloo, and Doja Cat have worn ’em.
Non-Boring Beret
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Fairy Smut
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A pair of wildly popular (and sexy) Sarah J. Maas books set in the fantasy world of Prythian.
JoJo Siwa–esque Boots
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Billieblush may make the pinkest, sparkliest, zigzaggiest shoes out there.
Magnetic Racetrack
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There are two cars in case one desires a head-to-head situation.
Magnum Decanter
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Still somehow slim enough to fit in the fridge door.
Skateboard for a 3-Year-Old
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The wheels are soft and high, making it much harder to fall off.
Rockies-Ready Walkie-Talkie
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Polka-dot Pants
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A lot of cool-kid designs — like these cords — are coming out of this Catalonia-based brand.
Giant Stacking Toys
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Together, they have a weight capacity of 396 pounds, meaning a toddler can stand on them safely.
Shirt for a Man
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It has some — but not an intimidating amount of — personality.
Deep-V Tunic
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Unusable Pitcher
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This rosewood carafe “won’t hold water” but will stun on a shelf.
Dolly on Dolly
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450 photographs of Parton’s wigs, rhinestone-studded dresses, high heels, and makeup looks.
Going-Out Clogs
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Made by Swedish brand Troentorp and Japanese company Needles with a little horsebit on top.
Monastic Towels
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Puglian-made flat weaves, the preferred bath-towel style of Europeans.
Particularly Vivid Watercolors
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Packed in a lovely gift box from Nakagawa Kyoto.
Iridescent Tote
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Pien Tote Multi Navy
A real day-to-night, made of satin with a cream bias tape.
Objet Soupspoons
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Two inches deep for extremely hearty sips.
Nostalgic Swatch
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“Infused with pure ’80s and ’90s joy,” which in practice means a lot of different shades of neon.
Pollock-ish Workwear
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Littler kids can wear these big and roll up the cuffs.
Sofia Coppola Tome
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These 488 pages of collages and annotated scripts will satisfy the Coppola obsessive and the casual Virgin Suicides fan.
Curly Dryer
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Shark’s newest diffuser is meant specifically for wavy, curly, and coily hair.
Displayable LEGO
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Lego Modern Art
Make all manner of modernist creations from 805 arty pieces.
East Williamsburg Pocket Square
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Made by a Savile Row–trained rabbi in Brooklyn.
The Flossiest Halvah
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Everything the tahini-based sweet should be: unusually fluffy with a nutty roasted flavor.
Simple Champagne Coupes
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Gio Line’s handsome glasses do not look — but are — dishwasher safe.
Cheerful Basketball
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Market is bringing back the “first-ever tennis basketball to exist” after its initial run sold out.
Useful Fish
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A spoon rest from Vietri’s Pesci Colorati collection.
Toasty Vest
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Sensory Balls
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This set of seven mirrored stainless-steel balls (which also rattle) will transfix a baby.
Better Than Google Maps
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Garmin eTrex SE
It gets 168 hours on one charge and connects with global-navigation systems so hikers never get lost.
World-Builder
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Players are given island, climate, and ecosystem cards and take it from there.
Omelet Pan
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The shape makes rolling it up easier; the copper is conducive to even egg cookery.
Variegated Beanie
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Madrid-based designer Edward Cuming made an extremely fuzzy striped cap.
Living-Room-Floor Stables
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Schleich Horse Club
Set includes a horse trailer, a grooming station, a paddock, bridles and saddles, obstacle poles, and “transport gaiters.”
Scandi Etch A Sketch
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From Danish kids’ brand Liewood. Bonus: wooden blocks for hands not ready for a pen.
Dog-E
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This robot dog has over 200 possible reactions to any given stimulus — for instance, its tail lets you know when it likes a treat.
Portable Steamer
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Nesugar has designed an under-two-pound steamer with a little rotating head for hard-to-get-to wrinkles.
‘Rebuilding Seattle’
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Downtown Seattle is destroyed by the Great Fire of 1889, and you’re the city planner who has to build it back.
Towel-Shawl-Tapestry
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From Eleven Eleven and Cassi Namoda; dyed with indigo and pinkwood, it has at least three potential uses.
Brutalist Birdhouse
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It attracts all birds (the entrance hole is adored by wrens), deters cats, and should last at least 25 years.
Isabel and Nicki
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American Girl Dolls’ first twins are ’90s kids from Seattle.
Chef’s Jacket
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From cook-specific British clothing line Service Works.
Five-Medal Salami
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From Paul Bertolli, the former Chez Panisse chef who wrote the book on the semisecret ways of cured meats.
Bright-Blue Bowl
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Paper-mached out of old magazines and papers by a team of female artisans in South Africa.
Black Beauty Tankini
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Lingerie brand Room Service decided to make the bottom, slightly incongruously, a beachscape.
Puffer Gloves
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Design label Chopova Lowena “collates references from Bulgarian folklore to 1980s rock climbing.”
Pet Suitcase
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Vitally, it has 13 ventilation holes.
Floppy Seagull
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His tummy can be stuffed with warm-up-able cherry stones.
1969 Mets Merch
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Ebbets makes perfect replicas of vintage baseball merch for teams that currently exist and others that have disbanded.
Narcissus Scarf
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Ariadne, the Venus de Milo, the Dying Gaul, and Hebe are also represented.
Show-off Tote
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It has a transparent pocket for a book so everyone can see what you’re reading.
Smushable Hat
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Sake Pitcher
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Made with a casting technique in use for 400 years in Takaoka, Japan, a city on the coast of Honshu.
Oxygen Infuser
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Used by Rihanna’s makeup artist (even on Rihanna!) for immediate glowiness.
Bread Bin
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With a Weber grill–style lid from Wesco.
Preppy Throw
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Ralph Lauren rereleased its ’90s bedding featuring the Polo Bear in several different spiffy outfits.
Cafona Artichokes
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Packed in olive oil with Roman mint and various other herbs.
Watercolor Jersey
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Inspired by mid-century Abstract Expressionists, from a cool-guy bike brand.
Adult Bloomers
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Spanish Baby Blanket
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An elegant lovey from Mayoral.
Downtown Hat
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Modeling agency No Agency has every cool girl, including Rachel Sennott, wearing it.
Optical-Illusion Backpack
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Jump From Paper has cornered the market on bags that look 2-D but are, in fact, not.
Bath Bench
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This tray by Tosaryu is sturdy enough to sit on and wide enough to fit a book and a glass of water.
Tulle Undies
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Both a bandeau top and pretty high-waisted panties.
Toddler’s Victorian Nightgown
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Multiuse Bandanna
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Can be worn as both a hair accessory and a top (or even used to wrap a gift).
Teapot Broom
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Its little palm-fiber bristles sweep out hard-to-reach strainers.
Not Quite a Sweater
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Skirted Napkins
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Designer Chiarastella Cattana is known for her impeccable embroidered pieces.
Magnetic Net
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The MagNet hoop attaches to any netless rim, so one can always play (and pack it up just as easily).
Venetian Linens
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Designer Chiarastella Cattana is known for her impeccable embroidered pieces.
Nut-Milk Machine
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Nutr Machine
It’ll let them make almond, oat, cashew, walnut, soy, coconut, rice, flax, and peanut milk at their very own kitchen counter.
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