Anna Harvey Timeless Style
Making a list? Here’s what we women really want for Christmas
Otowels and bed linen, since all mine are either inherited or wedding presents from decades back that have now turned an odd shade and lost any fluff they might once have had. A four-wheel suitcase was a godsend; they are marvellously easy to manoeuvre around airports and so a clever gift for a regular traveller (Rimowa make the very finest but most luggage makers now produce less expensive options).
Almost anything in cashmere will be a delightful surprise at Christmas but I would recommend a wrap or throw rather than a fashion item – Winserlondon.com and Cositextiles.com are both good sites to explore.
You either tolerate fake flowers or you don’t, but the quality of many of them now can fool even the most green-fingered and I would be delighted with a large bunch to decorate a corner of a room at a time of year when there is little else around to do the job. OKA has a good selection, and Matildagoad.com has a beautiful gilded jug you could arrange them in. Tokens for yoga, pilates or meditation
lessons are a clever thought for anyone who works too hard or has been unwell. A facial or massage would also be gratefully accepted. Similarly soothing would be a lovely picture (try Norfolk-by-design. com who represent many good artists including Catherine Cazalet) or perhaps even a gallery membership – Tate and the Royal Academy both offer a variety of membership options. As acknowledged above, fashion items are tricky to buy for anyone but oneself. However, there are a few accessories most of us would welcome. A handbag, for instance; Tod’s, Marni, Paul Smith or Bruce Oldfield (he has just launched a new collection of bags) are good places to start your search and could not fail to please. Choose wisely and it could also prove a wise long-term investment – one Hermes Birkin bag just sold at auction in Hong Kong for a record-breaking $382,000 (£285,000).
Similarly, a watch (Cartier, Chanel, Gucci) or a piece of jewellery will usually be well- received. As with most costly items, these can be changed if you haven’t got it quite right, although this is precisely what I would like to avoid. Perhaps if you are hoping to receive an extravagant gift it would be sensible to ask the giver to select from a few things of your choosing so there’s still an element of surprise on Christmas Day.
But if anyone asks what I really, really want, a bright red Fiat Cinquecento is the dream. Now I just need to find a stocking big enough for Father Christmas to fit it in …