Awww! T is the most adorable, romantic and wonderful member of the site. His birthday was on February 12th so he always has a day set aside for gifts. This year he received an artsy gift from his friends and then went shopping to find something unique for himself.
“Valentine’s Day Gifts for Him” is a guide that includes some of the best Valentine’s Day gifts for men. It also includes gift ideas for women, children, and couples.
The T List is a newsletter published by the editors of T Magazine. We’ve converted it into a Valentine’s Day gift guide this week, with suggestions for things we’re craving for ourselves and considering for our loved ones. Sign up here to get a weekly email from us. We may also be reached at [email protected].
eat This
Chocolates with Japanese flavors that are inspired by the French
Michiko Marron-Kibbey took a risk when she left her work as an early childhood educator to follow her ambition of learning how to bake pastries and chocolates. Marron-Kibbey, who went on to study at the Ferrandi culinary school in Paris and apprentice with Mori Yoshida, a Japanese pastry chef, enjoyed the trials of mastering chocolate, a temperamental and capricious ingredient. In 2018, she established Deux Cranes in Los Gatos, California, with the help of her childhood friend Ayaka B. Ito on the creative direction and design. “In Japan, cranes are known to pair for life and are emblems of longevity,” explains Marron-Kibbey. But the name also symbolizes how the chocolatier combines the tastes of Japan (think buckwheat, matcha, miso, and yuzu) with the aesthetics of French chocolate manufacturing, where she and Ito grew up. Along with its more traditional offerings, Deux Cranes is presenting various limited-edition bonbons and bars in delicious and romantic flavors including raspberry, passion fruit, pistachio, and rose this holiday season.
Florine Stettheimer’s work was portrayed as a “cloistered spinster” whose work was too frivolously decorative to be taken seriously or routinely presented, according to a 1963 biography. The freshly released “Florine Stettheimer: A Biography” by Barbara Bloemink serves as a vital corrective: For starters, the artist was a devout feminist who relished her single status. Stettheimer’s impact as a progressive thinker whose paintings challenged societal norms of racism and antisemitism is also explored, as is the monumentality of her work, both in terms of scale (the artist preferred large canvases, which was unusual for female artists at the time) and grand themes like American patriotism and women’s independence. Then there’s Stettheimer’s wonderful color pallet. Bloemink’s text is complemented by lavish images of Stettheimer’s works, as well as photographs of her equally exuberant costume designs and lodgings, as she occasionally designed furniture and fixtures to match her paintings, and Bloemink’s text is complemented by lavish images of Stettheimer’s works, along with photographs of her equally exuberant costume designs and lodgings, as she occasionally designed furniture and fixtures to match her paintings.
wear This
Yak Wool Scarves in a Variety of Colors
Dechen Yeshi was raised by a Tibetan father and a textile-obsessed French mother, Kim Yeshi. Traditional Tibetan tailors had long told Kim about cloth woven from the wool shed by yaks each spring, and Dechen flew to Tibet in 2004 to see the fiber for herself. The Tibetan Plateau’s nomadic herders often send the hardy animals to high elevations and in terrible weather, so it was soft and wonderfully warm. A few years later, the mother-daughter team paid Nepalese craftsmen to travel to Ritoma, Tibet, and teach a group of locals how to weave wool by hand. Norlha, the resultant label, has been a staple of the community ever since. The company began with scarves and has now expanded to include opulent blankets and a variety of apparel items. A white scarf denotes an auspicious beginning in Tibet, according to Dechen, and is a traditional gift at a birth, homecoming, or graduation. Why not do that for Valentine’s Day as well? You could choose one of the brand’s earth- or jewel-toned alternatives, which may be passed around to ten different producers before being sent out. “We enjoy that the scarves keep the Plateau’s character while working across multiple identities and cultures,” Dechen explains. “And when you wear one, you can feel the protection.” It’s almost like having a pal.”
This is something to drink.
Cocktails to Make You Feel Like You’re a Million Miles Away
If a winter vacation isn’t in the cards, consider a calming at-home drink instead. “Basbas” is a nickname of affection in the Balearic Islands for the alcohol hierbas, which was first produced there by monks in the 15th century. The new Basbas (the brand) version of the cocktail has an anise, lemon, and sage flavor and may be drank on its own or used to replace the rum in a mojito. It’s created in Ibiza’s Santa Eulalia area, following to a family recipe that’s been passed down for centuries. Choose a bottle from Madre Mezcal for a taste of Oaxaca, which recently collaborated with Brooklyn chef and artist DeVonn Francis on a trio of salt blends — black citrus, chile, and healing herbs (turmeric, ginseng) — that pay homage to the tradition of sprinkling sal de gusano, or “worm salt,” on an orange slice served alongside mezcal, and that draw on Francis’s own Jamaican heritage. Aplós, a hemp-infused mix created with Lynnette Marrero, a James Beard Honoree and the bar director at the famed Brooklyn Peruvian restaurant Llama Inn, is also available for those seeking refinement in the nonalcoholic realm. You’ll detect yuzu, rosemary, and dandelion aromas in addition to the relaxing effect.
There’s something energizing about orange anything, even stones, in the midst of a February scene of pink paper hearts and red-boxed candy. Irene Neuwirth, a California-based designer, was inspired to create her one-of-a-kind Mandarin garnet and fire opal bracelet by tropical blossoms. Fire opals are generated at volcanic depths, and one of them is featured in Suzanne Felsen’s eye-catching cocktail ring, which is flanked by pavé pink sapphires. For a set of earrings patterned like clovers and embellished with small diamonds, Cathy Waterman, another California designer with a thing for plants, used opaque carnelian, a semiprecious gemstone used for ornamentation since the Bronze Age. Consider the lip-shaped carnelian Rouge Baiser ring by French designer Marie-Hélène de Taillac for a provocative statement. Lizzie Fortunato’s persimmon Lucite Ridge Cuff (which comes in a rainbow of hues — try stacking a few) and Mondo Mondo’s Jelly Earrings, both of which recall the ferocious statement jewelry of the 1980s and would help make any date night shine, are two equally cheerful and more affordable alternatives.
Buy This
Bouquets for Love and Other Occasions
I’ll use any opportunity to gift flowers, which don’t have to be romantic in nature. “They are truly simply a giving of respect in so many ways,” says Schentell Nunn, the founder of the Los Angeles-based flower firm Offerings. Nunn began working with blossoms at the age of 17 after spending her upbringing in Vermont’s lush settings, and she founded her firm in 2018 following a time studying interior design. She’s been providing the flowers that come with the invites to Chanel’s internet fashion presentations in recent years. Squat garden roses are arranged against larkspur and foraged grasses in one of her Valentine’s Day bouquets. On the East Coast, best friends Effie Cudjoe and Rugie Jalloh run the Brooklyn-based flower business Reflorish (by day, Cudjoe works in marketing, while Jalloh works in social impact operations), which they founded in 2020 to be “a source of pleasure for people.” Their designer’s pick bouquets start at $75, and caramel roses and ranunculus coupled with inky purple scabiosa or checkered fritillaria are among the Valentine’s Day-specific selections.
use This
An Incense Holder That Serves Two Purposes
Fran Miller, the inventor of the unisex skin-and-body-care company F. Miller, does not start her day with cleaning and moisturizing. “I burn the incense on my coffee table first thing in the morning, even before I fetch a drink of water or make a cup of coffee,” she explains. With her company extending into household goods (an olive green Nalgene bottle with the phrase “Hydrate” written in a wavy typeface went viral early on), creating her own incense holder felt like a reasonable next step. Miller first collaborated with artist Sam Jayne, and when that version sold out, she collaborated with her friend, Tel Aviv-based jewelry designer Sapir Bachar. “Through organic forms, we thought about how we might create a tranquil atmosphere and a comfortable setting,” Bachar explains. The result is a simple, curving sterling silver band that serves as a pinkie ring if you’re a size three — and comes with 40 green tea-scented incense sticks, the ultimate mood setters.
The “unusual valentine’s gifts” is a list of gift ideas that T has put together. They range from the very traditional to the very unique.
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