This year I have decided that I will try to do all of my Christmas shopping in our area, at privately owned shops, rather than at giant chain stores. This has been easy enough while shopping for the daughter, mother, sister, nieces, and anything with two x chromosomes and a complete disaster while shopping for the husband, brother, son, etc. Men are just impossible to shop for. They hate to shop and hate when women shop for them. How my husband and son manage to always be clothed is a mystery to me. So, I have turned to the internet in my quest for something, anything for the guys.
Some of you may remember a very unfortunate incident I had internet shopping over the summer. Well, today wasn’t much better. Don’t ever google men’s fashion. You could end up here:
That model is just not getting paid enough. Nor is this one:
I am thinking of getting my son that helmet. I’m sure that’s what all the college boys are wearing. Also am considering this very cute top for Denis:
Shhhhhh! Don’t tell!
Ann, make sure you get the cute headband to go with the cute top. I imagine Denis has his own black pants, so no need to buy those too, but in my mind, the headband completes the ensemble.
do you read Esquire? they have some good ideas for guys– clothes, books, electronics, alcohol. you might find something online if you dont get the magazine.
Esquire has wonderful writing. I believe your husband has been in that mag if not on the cover. one of their writers wrote the greatest article ever, on the massacre of school children in basalon, (sp?) russia. as a writer and a parent you should read it. i believe he won a pulitzer for it. it will haunt you. i am not a parent and i think of this story years after i read it.
OMG. Who designs that crap? What possesses them? Those poor models look like they’re doing community service by wearing those outfits. Poor buggers. I just don’t think haute couture is for men. I don’t see anything sexy about a guy wearing a hat that’s been attacked by a pair of gigantic pinking shears. Oh well. I’ve been known to make many a fashion faux=pas myself -I once wore a tie-die mermaid dress with a clown collar. Who am I to judge.
Dogs are SO much easier to shop for!
I like the last outfit for Denis. It’s very David Bowie… and Denis has that whole David Bowie thing going for him.
LOL
If you look at the helmet pic, you can see another helmet-man puking in the background.
How very fitting!
Oh my God, Dee, I didn’t even notice that. Hysterical
He probably saw himself in the mirror!
That first picture looks like a Dennis Rodman outfit, not Denis Leary…..and the poor second young man, I just love his fishnets and galoshes; I have a nephew at Penn State, I’m sure he would just love that ensemble for getting to class through the mountain snow. After my brother (that nephew’s dad) finishes wondering where I’ve left my remaining marbles, I’ll pull out the third top–on his 250 lb frame should look just like a human hot air balloon. And Ann– to think that I have you to thank for helping me to keep some of the men in my life in the height of fashion…thank you, thank you !! And the rest of the men in my family are ever so grateful that there aren’t more pictures for me to match them up !!! What a fun way to shop !!
PS–and to think my husband is a manager in an upscale men’s store….can’t wait to show him the new treasures..lol
Ann, I completely understand the shopping for guys thing. I have all my Christmas shopping done except for my dad- he is impossible to shop for…
Maybe for Denis or your son, you could buy them Sam Adam’s Utopia beer. I know I thought about getting that for my dad when I was at the SA Brewery this summer. I believe it’s the strongest beer & limited quantities..Just a thought!
What planet are these designers from?
I agree with Sandra, the ensemble would be just perfect with a hockey stick and skates…That would be an “ice breaker” for trash talkin’ during the game…G’Nite
I just moved the pile of rubble off my desk…my son’s X-mas list: Wii stuff,socks,draws….that’s how he spelled it!! I gess we ain’t goin to Harvid.LOL
The fishnets really make the helmet outfit!
HILARIOUS post.
Yes Ann, these are wonderful gift ideas! LOL! My daughters and I call this difficulty “boy shopping” because all the “boys” in our lives are just impossible to buy for. My son (who is 25) is getting a garment bag and a Nerf six shooter for Solstice. How festive. His father gets nothing, the same thing he’s giving me. (My dad gets books, again.)
Tracy, I just saw the NYC photos. Thanks so much for providing the link. I am too techno-challenged to do FaceBook or Twitter. Blogs are my absolute limit. I don’t understand who wouldn’t rave about those bathrooms! The sharing here is so wonderful, makes me feel all warm and cared for.
Damn. After all that “previewing” and still, a typo. Ann fix it quick so no one knows! (Wonderful should have a “d” in it, every time.)
And an “r” too.
Julie, got it! And fixed up a little mistake of my own.
Very nice Writer’s Almanac today, guys: http://www.elabs7.com/functions/message_view.html?mid=913336&mlid=499&siteid=20130&uid=ea432da14e
According to today’s Writer’s Almanac, Jane Austen published her first books anonymously. They were by “a Lady”. Love that. Also the part about her having a “small, devoted readership.” Well, that’s exactly what I have. Jane Austen and I don’t need to have our books flying off the shelves, and appearing on Oprah. We are ladies, after all, who require only a small devoted readership.
I should have my own almanac called “Daily Delusions” by Ann Leary
Point of clarification: guys hate to shop FOR CLOTHES. But turn us loose in a home improvement center, a sports equipment emporium, or an electronics store…well, that’s a completely different story. We’re in hog heaven! And for lots of us, bookstores are right up there too.
Ann, don’t be so hard on Denis’ clothing choices…he may not exactly be a fashionista (thank goodness for that!), but in all the pictures I’ve ever seen of him, he seems pretty stylishly attired in his own understated way.
Ann, how about vintage t-shirts for DL, he seems to be into t-shirts. As far as you and Jane, just think how famous you are going to be 100 years from now. Signed: chilly in Chitown. xoxox
Oh. My. God. You’re right, they can’t possibly be paying those models enough. Ever. There isn’t one piece of any of the outfits that is salvageable! The poor boy with the helmet looks so sad and mortified. And what is he holding in his hand?
Oh Ann, just buy Denis another leather jacket. It seems to be his favorite thing to wear, and while I’m guessing he probably has at least a dozen, what’s another one? From the trip to Paris, Jack seems to like them too.
You’re welcome Julie. Aislinn, the Charmin Restrooms are in Times Square, so you would have had a tough time finding them. lolol
I have to agree with Alan – this is my husband’s 2009 list:
gift card – home depot
gift card – Lowes
gift card – Dick’s Sporting Goods for “camping stuff”
gift card – Harley Davidson
Grateful Dead – some sort of 10 cd Anthology from the 1970′s – mind you – he must have over 100 GD CD’s.
underwear, socks and tee shirts
very simple and to the point – a bit boring – so I throw in a few items that he will be surprised with but it gets tougher every year. He’s got every tool there is. He considers his Sirius Radio his best gift of all from 4 or 5 years ago. He wanted a guitar last year. He picked it out, went for lessons for 8 months and now its on the island of lost luggage next to the trendmill I hang throw carpets on. Can you get a list out of Denis and Jack or thats out of the question?
Although I am one of those guys who loves to shop, and did come home from Paris with a complete restock of blue dress shirts in stripes and patterns (6), gorgeous cotton boxers (6), french blue socks (6) and a pair of this seasons most sought after high boots (super sexy in leather and calf skin!), I will admit, I still like getting basic white t shirts and athletic sox for Christmas!
Knowing the area, I would check out the Carhart and workmans clothing shop in Litchfield (on 202 just after Bantam). They have great sturdy and warm and super masculine stuff. Redwing boots are super practical, very rugged, will go great with D’s and J’s choice of jeans and t shirts, and they have migrated from the landscaper/construction worker staple to runway fashion choice this year. So you get both, practical, and of the moment!
Otherwise, maybe just an itunes gift card???
And if you ladies think those fashions are crazy, check out John Galliano and Thom Brown. Ridiculous, and unwearable!
Aargh. I can’t even get a list out of my husband. Mr. “I don’t need anything” That is because his “clothes shopping” consists of meticulous and carefully pre-planned trips to Brooks Brothers where he replaces each item that becomes unwearable with it’s exact (I mean EXACT) replica. Unwearable means at least ten years old and so full of holes it is impossible to repair. When we went to Italy once and I begged him to buy beautiful handmade shoes he refused to even try them on. He has every possible Patriots and U. of Miami football related item and every book on military history ever published. It’s hopeless. His father is one of those guys who wears rope for a belt.
Oh-note to bloggers pronpted by Ann’s Jane Austen comment..have you seen the Morgan Library Jane Austen exhibit?? So cool, esp. the letters she wrote to her sister. What a wickedly funny woman.
Oh John, I was hoping you’d weigh in on the fashion photos! lololol Upon further inspection, I’m dying to know what is taped onto the helmet???? I must know, but it’s impossible to know without a closeup. Probably impossible even with a closeup, with designers, anything goes! Also, I love how his tie-died shirt actually has a circle opening so that the tie up fly of his furry shorts shows through. rotflmao!
But honestly, is that a basting brush in his hand????
Oh Lynne, I read for 6 hours straight last night, I’ve got most of the connections now, can’t wait to see how it ends! OMG, it’s so exciting, spooky, twisty turny, fantastic! Thanks Ann for selecting a book that I probably wouldn’t have found. I love it!
I think there’s a snow globe attached to the helmet. Don’t you all want to run out and get one now? Maybe the guy hurling in the corner is really trying to get the snow swirling up there before his strut.
Alan, my husband is still a bit wide-eyed and baffled at Home Depot…there are so many things to get for a new house, what do we do first?! The folks at Home Depot in New Milford have a ball with us…and empty our wallet in the process!
That said, the boys were easy to shop for this year. The Hub needs farm stuff (muck boots, work gloves etc) and I threw in some manly slippers that he lives in and has worn out his last pair. My brother is getting a joint gift with his fiancee, from their registry. And my dad, dad-in-law and brothers-in-law are all getting Thunder Moon Farm merchandise. Hey, they can wear it and advertise for us, too! My dad is also getting a Borders gift card for all the work he’s done on the farm for us. He’ll get it on Friday when we’re hauling around huge rubber stall mats.
And update to all on Facebook: the Barn is nearly complete! It’ll be done tomorrow, and then stall mats and hardware etc goes in and the horses move in on Saturday! We’re doing pictures of all stages, so I’m sure that’ll be up. And I’m doing a video of my in-laws reaction when they see it, since they didn’t know we were building it. I’m putting a bow on it with a card….hee hee.
John, I’m glad you mentioned the Carhart store, I will definitely do gifts there next year. I didn’t even know it was there!
Ann, why not have an almanac? I love Jane Austen, did you see “Becoming Jane?” I had no idea she never found love for herself and didn’t really have the “happily ever after” all her heroines did. A little sad, but it made me love her writing even more.
Tracy and all, it is a disco ball plastic wrapped to a pith helmet, so original! and the lace up bit is an apron, I think? I have seen worse. I am tempted to say this is bad marc jacobs, but looks more like Richie Rich or Heatherette (and you wouldn’t believe how popular this stuff is in Japan!). Will have to ask Ann where the shots are from. The last one actually looks like a Lanvin (or even Dior Homme), and would make a lovely dress (and I am sure is super expensive as it takes a lot of time to weave and stitch together the silk or grosgrain, or whatever it is).
got my husband all 11 Star Trek movies on DVD. That’s what he wanted so that’s what he’s getting. Boys are so much harder to shop for.
started Await Your Reply last night. It has sucked me right in!
A disco ball and a snow globe! lololol
I just finished the book during my lunch break! Holy crap!!!!!! Yes, that’s a lot of exclamation points! I have to read it again. It’s one of those books where I couldn’t wait to see how it ended, but didn’t want it to end. I don’t think I can wait 4 weeks to discuss it though….
Ann:
Oh gees… oh my goodness (about the outfits). Then again.. looking at some of the stuff the old Europeans used to wear.. and now we think it is pretty cool…. although I have not seen a movie with DL in it dressed like Louis XVI… curls and all!!! {{then again, it IS an idea, isn’t it, after RM concludes…}}.
You see fashionistas like these in San Francisco a lot, even in the MUNI (public transport). I saw this one male, with braids to the sides of his head, but loose towards the back, kind of cascading… a very sophisticated jean jacket with pockets and tailoring details, front and back… and he wore a pair of soft knit gathered at the knee pants (??) and then nylons and then short booties, the kid where the heel is NOT straight down but rather CURVES in. He had his ears occupied with itunes AND he wore dark huge sunglasses. HOW he managed to find his boarding pass in the handbag is beyond me….
These fashions are not only absurd but just plain ugly! Ann, aren’t you glad your 2 guys are not male fashionistas? I shudder to think what these outfits cost and what’s worse, that people may even buy them.
The summer shopping indicent blog is hysterical. Reminds me of the time I was in a bidding war for something on e-bay. It was so stressful, I never did it again!
I agree with Tracy – why not get Denis a fabulous leather jacket and fabulous tee shirt? You can’t go wrong.
I finished Await Your Reply in 2 days – what a great read! Could not put it down. I haven’t done that with a new book in a long time. I probably would not have read it if you hadn’t recomended it. Can’t wait to discuss with the group.
Regarding Miss Holly – Ann, I have not skipped class since I started in October. I got it that the name Delilah wasn’t working but didn’t realize that Holly had been chosen as the new name. I thought it was just being considered. I will try to pay better attention to details in the future. Thanks for clarifying. Holly is a great name for that little girl.
Is the Christmas tree up and trimmed yet???
Linda S.
Damn – I can’t wait to open up my Kindle so I can download the book. It sounds like its just going to take a day or so to read.
I just started the book last night, Ch. 1. Not sure how many pages it actually is, but on my Kindle it was 2. And if that isn’t a way to catch the attention of the reader, I don’t know what is! I cannot wait to finish dinner and stuff, so I can read.
I think the helmet would look great on Donald Trump. It would keep his hair in place!
ROTFL! Just went shopping for my hubby today. One of my sons sent me to Cabelas to purchase an item I had never heard of and still am not sure the exact function of. But I’ve come to the conclusion that a woman could walk into Cabelas and pick out just about anything in the place, wrap it up (or not, because in case you didn’t know, they really could care less if it’s in a paper bag) and a man would love it. The place just reeks of testosterone.
Um Ms. Ann,
Saw a picture of your husband wearing a gold dress (you would have out shined him if you wore the same dress). He looked like Mrs. Howell in Gingers’ dress (sorry). If he picked that out, that dress with those heels! I think he needs you to pick out his stuff.
I’m just saying!
Mare