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The Accessorized Gentleman

For a bit of portable design, the dapper Dan need look no further than this handy holiday guide to all the sundries that keeps a classy chap on course.

Investing in a timepiece is no small matter, so for those of you--ahem, us--not yet ready to pony up thousands for a Patek Philippe, Swatch, the perpetually design-forward Swiss purveyor of affordable horologie, comes to the rescue. This year they debuted the New Gent, a flashy update on the classic Gent. They weigh in at under 100 clams, and come in a range of cool colors. The Petrol Rebel and Warm Rebel look good to me.

Nouvel Studio Decanter

Price: $115
More Info: shop.mercado-store.com

Nouvel Studio makes all manner of fine glasswares--from Patron bottles to humble cups--but this sculptural decanter and tumbler is the perfect intersection of their dual emphases on craft and design. Lovely stuff, and though it would function well on a bedside table, I'd certainly keep it out as a useful, decorative piece.

Leather Head Lemon Ball Baseball

Price: $35
More Info: leatherheadsports.bigcartel.com

For baseball purists, and what other sort of fan is there considering how drenched the Great American Pastime is in nostalgia, the perfect retro gift is a Lemon Ball from Leather Head Sports. Modeled on the 19th century lemon peel balls, these leather orbs will look damn fine on any mantle. Take them out for a catch, or better yet a game of pickle, and they'll age better than the '56 Giants.

Alacrán Tequila

More Info: autenticoalacran.com

On a recent trip to Mexico City I was treated to a couple glasses of Alacrán tequila when I visited furniture designer Hector Esrawe's showroom. It was clean, potent stuff (made all the more so by coming just before lunch) and I was as impressed with the distillate's packaging as the heady stuff itself.

gentleman sticks stones collar stays square

Taylor Stitch Collar Bones

Price: $10 set of six
More Info: blog.taylorstitch.com

Ask any gent who routinely buys dress shirts and he'll tell you tales of flimsy plastic collar stays--the small supports that slot into the points of your collar--forgotten and subsequently mangled by the washing machine. Enter shirtmakers Taylor Stitch with these fine brass collar bones which not only fill the bill more ably than the plastic stuff, but are cool enough to ensure you'll remember to take them out of the shirt once it hits the hamper. And at only $10 for a set of six, you'll thrill the sartorialist on your shopping list with your attention to detail.

365 Typography 2011 Calendar

Price: $52
More Info: kenknightdesign.com

Call me old fashioned, but like a cave-dwelling Luddite I write all my appointments and trips on my calendar. With a pen. None of this is a euphemism for an iPhone. And for the last couple years I look forward to no calendar more than Studio Hinrich's Typography Calendar. He'd been doing it for powerhouse graphic design firm Pentagram for some time, but now that's he's struck out on his own, look for it on his own site. Get the big one to best take in the dozen featured fonts. It will seem too big at first, but live with it for a week or two. You'll soon start writing things on it. It will feel good.

Davek SOLO Umbrella

Price: $99
More Info: davekny.com

Though it gets little credit for the whipping gales that come coursing down Nob Hill with all the chill and noise of a runaway cable car, San Francisco is a decidedly windy city. Add in our rainy winters and you'll need a sturdy umbrella not just to keep off the wet, but one hardy enough not to buckle at the first good gust. I'm quite happy with my Davek SOLO umbrella mostly for its tolerance of the wind. Keeping dry, at least here in the City by the Bay, is merely a bonus.

Penguin Postcards

Price: $25
More Info: us.penguingroup.com

Email is all well and good, but from time to time a chappy ought to sit down and pen a note. Earlier this year Penguin Books put out a box of 100 postcards with images taken from classic covers of their books. The cards run the gamut of 20th century design from fussy English jackets for the works of Wilde, Woolf, and Waugh, to groovier designs from the 60s and 70s. Pick up the boxed set and, if you're feeling ambitious, commit to sending 100 postcards in 2011. A project PG Wodehouse himself might well approve.