News Information and Media Site: The T List: Holiday Hotline

November 13, 2024

Welcome to the T List, a newsletter from the editors of T Magazine. For our holiday gift guide this year, we asked readers to send us questions about the hardest-to-please people on their list. Below, our editors answer some of the most intriguing queries we received. We'll send a second batch of ideas next week. Sign up here to find us in your inbox every Wednesday, along with monthly travel and beauty guides and the latest stories from our print issues. And you can always reach us at tmagazine@nytimes.com.

To Encourage a Teenager Discovering His Style

A dark gray shoe; a blue, maroon and green bandanna; a red polo shirt and a pair of khaki shorts are collaged on a dark green background.

From left: Sperry Bahama II sneakers, $70, sperry.com; Noah tricolor bandanna, $24, noahny.com; Found Goji red jersey, $100, found.store; Barney Cools Valance short, $79, barneycools.com. Courtesy of the brands

"My teenage nephew just turned 13 and lives in a remote town in Australia. He's newly interested in clothes and he's got a pretty clear idea of the style he's into: Ralph Lauren polos, athleisure wear. It feels like a good time to encourage his style. But I'm having a hard time finding anything for this age group that's not plain basics, or eBay (where sizing is a gamble but the vintage styles are great). Can you suggest cool brands for my favorite teen?" — Stella, Sydney, Australia; budget: $20 to $100

Teenagers are tricky to shop for; sizing is a moving goal post, and it can be tough to find affordable pieces with character that don't sacrifice quality. For a young fan of Ralph Lauren, consider a cotton jersey with nostalgic embroidery from the Americana-inspired label Found. Closer to home, the Australian streetwear brand Barney Cools offers relatively inexpensive men's staples like this pair of shorts featuring cargo pockets that extend past the hem of each leg; a drawstring waist should provide a bit of longevity for a growing boy. Accessories could also be a fun way to encourage your nephew's sense of style and eliminate sizing stress. The American men's wear brand Noah's tricolor paisley-printed bandanna would add a pop of color to any outfit (and could offer protection from the sun). For a classic maritime touch, Sperry's hybrid boat shoe-sneakers can be worn anywhere without forfeiting a traditional dockside look. — Jameson Montgomery

To Brighten the Home of an Already Colorful Relative

A set of items are collaged on a dark purple background. There is a multicolored pillow, a gray and white splattered circular gray, a blue backpack, an orange and yellow waist pack and a cake server with an orange and white striped handle.

Clockwise from top left: Bahe Kilim pillow, $21, etsy.com; Crow Canyon tray, $34, crowcanyonhome.com; Gregory Nano 16 backpack, $54, gregory.com; Arc'teryx Mantis 1 waist pack, $40, rei.com; Sabre tart server, $41, us.sabre-paris.com. Courtesy of the brands

"I need a gift for my niece who's over 60 but identifies as much younger. She's very definite in her tastes and interested in home décor. She likes quirky knickknacks that have sentimental value, especially images of insects, bees and spiders. Her houseplants are small and when they show signs of aging, she throws them out and starts over. She's also interested in colorful cushions, outdoor exercise and cooking Key lime pie. She's hard to shop for because she has a small house and the shelves and walls are almost filled up." — Karen, Bay Area, Calif.; budget: $30 to $50

First, your niece sounds like a woman after my own heart — I, too, love Key lime pie and colorful cushions. For the latter, I often turn to Etsy, which is where I found these kilim pillow covers in various colors from Bahe Kilim, an Istanbul-based company that sources vintage covers in many sizes. These enamel splatter trays by Crow Canyon are the perfect size for a classic Key lime pie and will help keep the pie chilly when it's out of the fridge. To accompany the tray, or as a stand-alone gift, you could also go for this Sabre Paris cake server in the classic bistro style or the more playful one with stripes. For the outdoors, I love the lightness and versatility of the Arc'teryx Mantis 1 waist pack but if your niece is into longer distance hikes, I would suggest the Gregory Nano 16, which she might like in the bright teal or yellow. — Carla Valdivia Nakatani

To Bring Comfort and Joy Amid Sickness

A set of items are collaged on a bright blue background. There's a book cover, an orange blanket with fringe, a potted citrus tree, a white and blue striped robe, and three patterned notecards.

Clockwise from top left: "Japanese Death Poems," $15, tuttlepublishing.com; Brooklinen Super-Plush robe, $119, brooklinen.com; Papier notecard set, $33, papier.com; Via Citrus calamansi, $56, viacitrus.com; Klippan brushed Gotland wool throw, $132, fjorn.com. Courtesy of the brands

"I'm challenged to find a gift for my 84-year-old mother. She's survived for the past four years with inoperable pancreatic cancer. Before her health failed her, she was an avid traveler and enjoyed supporting the educational pursuits of her grandchildren, including sponsoring family adventures to Europe. Now she's confined to her home, the chemo-chair and her bed. Her taste buds have been affected by her treatment, so simple things like edibles are tricky, and gifts that are "permanent" (objects) are just stacked in a house already bursting with her collections. What to buy for the dying that brings joy?" — Katherine, New York, N.Y.; budget: under $100

Your mother is lucky to have a daughter who wants to make her remaining time joyful. Hearing poetry read aloud is one of the few things that makes my grandmother feel connected to the world in her final months. She's Irish and loves Yeats, and he's hard to beat for poignancy and lyricism; I also like jisei, the pithy, sometimes funny parting verses written by Japanese poets and Buddhist monks. Plants can be another source of daily pleasure, and a way to feel in tune with the larger scheme of things. With enough light, potted citrus trees grow well inside, yielding fragrant white blossoms and delicate fruits without much human intervention. For something more practical, a plush robe or a bright wool throw might help your mother feel warm and elegant. Less elegant but more fun: There are companies that allow you to print a favorite drawing, for example one by a grandchild, on a very soft fleece blanket. You might also help her feel surrounded by loved ones by buying a beautiful set of notecards and distributing them among friends and family members — the company Papier allows you to order ones with pre-addressed envelopes — suggesting that they send your mother an update, a memory or just something to make her laugh. — Alice Newell-Hanson

To Perk Up Colleagues' Coffee Breaks

Items collaged on a light yellow background. There's a sea green and black kettle, a bright yellow kettle sitting on a counter, a bright blue kettle with a maroon base, a white and red kitchen timer and an image of brown powdered tea.

Clockwise from top left: Fellow Clyde electric kettle, $99, fellowproducts.com; Bodum electric kettle, $49, store.moma.org; Great Jones x Fellow kettle, $195, greatjonesgoods.com; Alessi kitchen timer, $50, us.alessi.com; Dado balhyo black matcha, $40, dadotea.co. Courtesy of the brands

"I'm looking for a gift for all the colleagues in my office. We're a group of six people — five men, one woman — in the finance industry, ranging from 20s to 60s. We all work from home. Everyone has worked for us for 10 to 20 years. We've been giving presents twice a year and are running out of ideas. We've given tech, clothing and sports equipment. We like the presents to be useful and something they wouldn't buy themselves." — Stephanie, Short Hills, N.J.; budget: $100 to $200

Given you all work from home, without the industrial-size coffee machine that typically comes with an office, I suggest getting your co-workers a neat, new kettle to liven up their morning caffeination routines. Fellow's smoky green or matte black electric kettles are especially sleek, and Great Jones carries a version of the pour-over pot in a striking electric blue. For a pop of color at a lower price point, the MoMA Design Store has an electric kettle from Bodum that comes in a sunny lemon yellow. Throw in a container of Dado Tea's balhyo black matcha, which is sourced from small growers in South Korea, so your colleagues have something fresh to prepare using their new pot, and a kitchen timer from Alessi — the designer Michael Graves's Pop Art-inspired windup model from 1992 is still sold today — to ensure the brew is just right. — Coco Romack

To Surprise the Friends Who Like Finer Things

A set of items collaged on a bright green background. There is a wine glass with a green stem and white flowers, a bowllike glass with a blue stem, a brass pea pod and a bottle with a colorful label.

From left: Ichendorf Milano Botanica wine glass, $45, bloomingdales.com; Akua Noam Champagne glass, $70, akuaobjects.com; Block Shop pea pod pull, $76, petrahardware.com; Villbrygg Eng 02, $30, lessthan05.com. Courtesy of the brands

"I want one gift that I can get my three friends in Brooklyn for the holidays. They're women, ages 30 to 33. They're challenging to shop for because we're at the point in our lives where we can afford any midpriced item that we want. If it's easy to buy online (i.e., at a major retailer) and practical, it wouldn't be the right gift because odds are they've seen it and if they didn't get it themselves, they don't want it. So, it needs to be a totally crazy, impractical, luxury gift or difficult to obtain. They love clothes, art, home goods, their dogs, friendship, experiences." — Mo, Los Angeles; budget: $75 to $100

As a lover of impractical gifts, I'd be delighted to receive a pea pod-shaped drawer pull from the Los Angeles home company Block Shop. It's sold at Petra, the shop created by the Sight Unseen co-founder (and T contributing editor) Monica Khemsurov, which specializes in eye-catching home hardware, so even if your friends aren't the farm-to-table types, they might appreciate a wiggly sky blue D handle or a chrome spiral knob. I also love the idea of giving each of your friends a bottle of wine you've enjoyed together sometime in the past year, but since an increasing number of women are sober curious or participating in Dry January, you could go for an inventive (and no less luxurious) nonalcoholic alternative. The Norwegian brand Villbrygg makes one that sparkles like a pét-nat and has notes of marzipan without being too sweet. Pair it with a Champagne glass that telegraphs celebration no matter what's in it. Ichendorf Milano makes one with a curving stem of snowbells, while the Copenhagen-based Akua Objects' blue-accented Noam glass is handmade in the Czech Republic and doubles as a dessert dish. — Ella Riley-Adams

FROM T'S INSTAGRAM

The New York Steakhouse That's Served Everyone From Theodore Roosevelt to Liza Minnelli

The exterior of Keens Steakhouse with a black awning and a mat in front.

Sean Donnola

On West 36th Street, a few blocks from the clamor of Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, a brown awning with white lettering beckons diners into Keens Steakhouse, a fixture in midtown since 1885.

New York was well ensconced in the Gilded Age when Albert Keen, a producer who ran the Lambs Club, a hangout for theater folk, set up his namesake restaurant (originally called Keen's English Chop House) in the middle of Manhattan. It too was frequented by thespians, writers and composers, many of whom worked nearby.

Theodore Roosevelt was another patron — the white clay churchwarden pipe he smoked at Keens is on display in the restaurant's front hall near the maître d's stand, along with pipes smoked by other regulars, including "Buffalo Bill" Cody and Babe Ruth. (The collection runs to about 90,000, many of them hanging from the ceiling of the main dining room.) Too delicate to travel, the pipes reserved for members of Keens's Pipe Club were stored at the restaurant so that when a customer returned, his or her — Dr. Ruth Westheimer and Liza Minnelli were honorary members — pipe was delivered to the table.

"I remember when I first came to Keens," says Bonnie Jenkins, the restaurant's general manager. "It was like opening a secret door to New York's past."

Click here to read Reggie Nadelson's full story about the longstanding steakhouse and follow us on Instagram.

And if you read one thing on tmagazine.com this week, make it:

A room with a V-shaped ceiling, a piano, a curved sofa, floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to a tree, and wooden bookshelves.

Mariko Reed

on architecture

A Secret Masterpiece by the Father of Hawaiian Modernism

This hexagonal home, hidden on an Oahu mountaintop, is the best example of Vladimir Ossipoff's blend of Japanese and American midcentury design.

By Matthew Dekneef and Mariko Reed

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