Three Things I Love - Christmas Gifts for the Ladies Y'all

I have a very pared down London wardrobe. You people would be shocked. There are just a few items in my closet, a few shelves of sweaters, and a drawer of socks and undies. That is pretty much it. Now - I work from home, so I realize this reality would not be true otherwise.....

For any dude looking for something cool and different for their wife/girlfriend/sister, there are a few things that I have found to be invaluable while traveling and living over here.

La Canadienne Boots - Dave got me these last year for Christmas from Zappos. They have aged so well, they look brand new and I wear them ALL the time. They have a perfect kitten heel (a must in London for all the walking and cobbled streets) and enough stretch for my very unsexy, meaty calves. There is no break-in period, they are instantly comfy. Note that they do run about a half size too big. I know, it is a bit of a shocking price-tag, but when you calculate that you will have these babies for 5 years, it really isn't so bad. Besides, it is nice to know they aren't some made in China plastic piece of shit that will be in the landfill in a few months because they are falling apart.
 

Downieville Snap Jacket - Athleta has the greatest stuff ever! If it weren't so GD expensive (and if I didn't live in London where athletic-wear-as-normal-clothing is VERY frowned upon), my entire wardrobe would be from that company. I got this jacket for $65 at the end of winter last year. I wasn't sure about it at first. I got it in the spring after all, and almost returned it. However, this jacket is the shit here in London. It is much much cuter than the picture shows and has a great fit and super-cool shape. I feel very sexy wearing it - as sexy as one can feel in a down puffy jacket. The material is water resistant, really repels dirt (especially around the arms where my jackets tend to get dirty), and the coat is SO warm. I wouldn't ski in the thing, unless it was perfect spring skiing, but it is great overall jacket!

Countourwear Hoodie Wrap Dress - I have the dress in XS black and it isn't quite as short as it looks on the model in the photo (I put in the picture of the white dress because you can see what it looks like a little better). It fits like a dream. I take it everywhere I travel. I can crumple it up in a ball in the bottom of my bag, and yet it looks amazing when I put it on. The top part around your shoulders can be worn all sorts of different ways, I tend to wear it as a simple cowl-neck with some bright tights and black boots - and viola I am set for a night in Paris. So you all know, these dresses are sewn locally in South SF. A friend of mine is one of the owners of the company, but this is not just a shameless plug. I will be ordering another dress in "wine" for summer.

We had a great weekend and stayed local. We finally went to 40 Maltby - pigs brain and chickpeas, not kidding at all and it was really good. We also saw New Order with the very handsome J.S. OMG I have never been in such cramped quarters with so many gay men, and that is saying a lot given that we are from the Bay Area. Today we went to the Columbia Flower Market (cool but crowded) and the Porchester Spa. And by "spa" we are talking about a rather Vigo-Mortneson-in-Eastern-Promises spa. Lots of sweat and steam rooms and half naked people that you don't want to see half naked. But hey, it was WARM and entry cost only $13 with our Westminster Resident Card, so who am I to complain. We will be regulars for sure.