9 premium Christmas gifts for your loved ones

With the Simbang Gabi underway and marking less than 10 days until Christmas, the lack of a gift for your special someone is now a very real concern. Worse, your loved one is of the “has everything” variety, and no amount of furtive last-minute shopping will give you something to match up. Luckily, this list is here to help you score high on the gift-giving rating. So sit back, break out the credit card, and perhaps by the end you will enjoy the smug satisfaction of having outdone yourself with class.

Photo from madeiraoptical.com

Madeira custom frames

If you or your intended are: 1) optically challenged or sun-shy; 2) the types to do gift exchange leisurely, like post-New Year leisurely; and 3) fully appreciative of the way the right pair can alter the face, then you’ll want to look into Madeira’s option to customize optical frames. They work with non-endangered wood to produce lightweight frames tailored to the face’s measurements, so this is a godsend for anyone who does not posses the Caucasian nose bridge most frames are made for. About the only downside is that the service won’t be available until January, but like all things good and beautiful it is worth waiting (and splurging) for.

Photo from ascotchang.com

Ascot Chang tailored shirts

Whether your man is a clothing man or not, a tailored outfit will make him. You wouldn’t just be giving him the gift of a wardrobe centerpiece; you’d be giving him the magic of the custom fit. This ultimate bespoke service harkens back to the age when all clothes were made in this way and should not be underestimated as a thoughtful, classy gift. Ascot Chang at Rustan’s Makati or Shangri-La Plaza at Shangri-La Makati Hotel offers unbelievable quality and tradition — shirts individually cut from finest fabrics this side of anywhere and hand-stitched by finely trained hands. They also do suits.

Photo from glenmoreshoes.com

Custom-made Glenmore Shoes

And while we’re on the topic of what makes a man, you may want to give yours the gift of well-fitting shoes this year. Glenmore Shoes offers the chance to gift someone with that dream leather pair, taking the master craftsman approach and seeking to create a lifelong partner for the feet. Shoes custom-made for the feet are absolutely no joke, and Glenmore understands this; their shoes come with a lifetime repair service. (By appointment; check out glenmoreshoes.com for details).

Photo from tripadvisor.com

Fairmont Macarons

Nothing expresses love quite like the attention to your partner’s sweet tooth, and if your S.O. has any decent taste in fine pastries, you’ll want to head over to the Café Macaron in Makati Fairmont to handpick them a box. There may be other spots to pick up imitations of the French confection, which is difficult to master in Philippine climate, but you will be hard-pressed to find some as luxuriously good as these babies. They also have a unique selection of flavours that range from ube to black sesame to the extremely decadent queso de bola, making up a selection of colour that makes the full box a treat for the eyes as well as the stomach.

Photo from mrporter.com/Rimowa-Cases

Rimowa Alloy Wine Case

When in doubt, booze it up, but tack on some dignity and grace. So, naturally, go for wine. The wine case by Rimowa is extremely gift-worthy, above all because it is built for transit, suggesting to the recipient a bit of travel in the near future — together. Sleekly designed to allow several bottles to travel in cooling temperatures, the case also has enough compartments for the glasses and a good set of wine accessories. Head over to Rimowa at Greenbelt 5 and be done with it, or check out the hard-edged alternative of rival Tumi’s Ketel One Vodka Mixology Set.

Designer jewelry at Firma

Christmas is all about the glittering things, and so you would not be wrong to pick up something shiny for your lady-love. Designer jewelry can be tricky, the way men perceive women to be tricky, but all you need is special attention to specific details. Pamela Ebensberger’s special holiday designs for Firma hold such attention, being pieces made with thoughtfulness and love. Each piece is made to tell a story, and as much is evident in the finer details of her designs. They’re also honest-to-God beautiful and enduring, so you may want to run over to Firma at Greenbelt 3 at the Ayala Center soon.

GoPro or Lumix camera

Adventurous types should be encouraged to go on adventuring, particularly if they bring back pictures for you to enjoy, so if you and/or your loved one is the aquatic type, you’ll want to gift them with something that will capture the fun. As handy as the phone camera is, sometimes the risk of losing or breaking it is not worth the shot. With the GoPro HERO 3+, you get beautiful video resolution in a small strap-able package that makes jumping off cliffs a feasible video venture. It can also go down to a whopping 131 feet underwater, but if your adventurer is more about the mountain ranges than the ocean floor you need to consider the Panasonic Lumix TS5. Shockproof, freezeproof, and crushproof, it has a panoramic mode that will do justice to the epic climb. (gopro.com & Panasonic.net).

Photo from blacktiemagazine.com

Caviar Cake

How rich a gift are you planning to give this year? If you’re not considering this Camille Genuino caviar cake, the answer is “not very”.  Make no mistake, introducing caviar to your relationship with anyone is an event in and of itself. Add a layer of cheese and a layer of salmon to the baseline and you have a lot to answer for in the morning. As a fair warning, however, realize that going for substitutes, pale imitations, and cheapened versions is a Very Bad Idea — for both your relationship and your stomach.

Samsung S9 TV

Sometimes buying that premium gift is all about breaking out the big bucks. And if you are really and truly looking to ease the weight of your money on your bank account, look no further than this epic TV screen by Samsung to relieve you of your big bills. Anyone who has ever had dreams of having a futuristic theater at home will be brought close to tears with this Ultra HD fixture of beauty — an easel-like frame suspends the gorgeous and awe-inspiring screen, at 85 inches and a 3840x2160 resolution. We’ll give you a moment to enjoy considering it before you head over to Samsung.com.ph to check it out.