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Unique Gifts For Friends:

Our Favourite Picks For Her, Him and Them

June 2023

From birthdays to housewarmings, someone always seem to be having a major life event demanding a perfectly chosen gift. This means finding unique gifts for friends is a year-round escapade. And, unfortunately, it’s not always as easy as family or close friends. Throw distant relatives and acquaintances into the equation and finding unique gifts for friends is not as simple as it seems. To help you find the perfect gift for every kind of friend, we’ve put together a fail-safe guide to gifting the most elusive recipients in your life. Your best friend has been with you through it all and is no doubt deserving of luxury gifts for him. Preferential to the finer things in life, searching for gifts for his carefully tuned tastes comes with endless options from elevated decanters to ultra-sleek watch winders and so much more. And don’t get us started on unique gifts for women. From undefined friendships to socialites who have it all, unfamiliar preferences and the highest of standards make deciding on the perfect luxury gifts for women, no matter who they are, a daunting task to say the least. And then there are couples. From the duo you grew up with to the couple who you see once a year (if you’re lucky), finding a gift for housewarmings, anniversaries or weddings is a challenge doubled. Unique gifts for friends taking the next step or tying the knot are as broad a category as they come, including personalised gifts for couples like a Linen Travel Bag or ultra-sleek Apple watch straps for the couple on the move. Read on for our carefully curated guide of unique gifts for friends.

For Her

LUXURY GIFTS FOR WOMEN

For The Acquaintance

You’re not sure why you were invited to her birthday soiree but you’re flattered. She’s the kind of friend that you say hi to on a night out, make small talk with about the uncharacteristically cool summer and discuss the trials and tribulations of your mutual friends’ love lives. To call her an acquaintance feels too distant but she’s definitely not the one you call when your Raya date dissolves onto the wrong side of notable or you’re stranded in Mykonos on a girls trip gone wrong. Gifting this undefinable friend is a little tricky but you can’t go wrong with the Green Malachite Beaded Bracelet from Seally Mimi. An ‘it girl’ go-to, Bella Hadid is rarely seen without armfuls of the colourful bangles, making it a universally coveted accessory. The perfect choice of luxury gifts for women who don’t quite fit in any form of friendship box.

The Socialite

The self-proclaimed hostess of the friend group, the girl on the town, the one never without something on her social calendar. You’ve frequented her carefully decorated South West London flat for countless dinner parties and numerous perfectly hosted cocktail evenings. You know her weekend agenda backwards and you can always count on her to give you the in with Katya at a notoriously crowded Chiltern Firehouse. By now, you would think you would know her in and out but her elusive girl on the town persona means she holds her cards close to her chest. So with a birthday coming up and literally no reference for a gift, the Crying At The Discotheque Ashtray is the perfect choice of unique gifts for women like her.

The Best Friend

The ride-or-die of your friendship circle, this girl may know you better than you know yourself. You can always count on her to have pre-booked River Café sunday lunch for a weekly catch up, have your favourite cocktail ready and waiting (in a Pearl Cocktail Glass) for an evening of Palomas and Hugo Spritzes and have kept her summer schedule free for endless Amalfi Coast escapades. With your upcoming Italian adventures to soak up the last bit of sun, the Green Leather Passport Holder from Paradise Row makes the perfect gift for your warm weather rendezvous. And because she truly deserves a spoil, the Classic Striped Basket Bag from Rae Feather is the ultimate seasonal gift that she can use all year-round - an ultra-chic choice of personalised gifts for friends like her.

Image courtesy of Beatrice Borromeo.

For Him

LUXURY GIFTS FOR HIM

The Man About Town

He has been on the cusp of your friendship circle since secondary school. Quickly graduating from Mayfair club queues to a permanently reserved table at Maison Estelle. His social reputation is his pride and joy and he is the one that you can always count on to know the where, when and who of the buzziest members clubs from New York to Dubai and everywhere in between. For someone who’s always there (be it an invite-only event, an exclusive cocktail evening or the opening of the newest Mr Nice restaurant), he is just about never on time. It’s part of the persona. For the man whose carefully curated reputation precedes him, the I Don’t C’Air Ashtray by Musae Studio is the ultimate choice of unique gifts for friends.

The Brother-In-Law

The brother-in-law. Your sister brought him home the summer of her first year of uni and he pretty much never left. A modern love story, it made its way from the dimly lit halls of a dusty British library to the picturesque surrounds of their refurbished Hampstead home. When he’s not roped into countryside weekends with your sister at Soho Farmhouse, he’s a familiar face on the court at The Hurlingham or staying late with the boys for post-work drinks in the city. This man may have seen you from your Sixth Form prom to your first 9 to 5, but his tongue-in-cheek personality doesn’t make gifting smooth-sailing. For the finance grad turned crypto connoisseur, the Desk Set by Paradise Row is a fail-safe gift and the ultimate addition to his home office set up. And it can be monogrammed, making it the perfect choice of personalised gifts for him. He’s family after all.

The Best Mate

The inarguable man of the hour. One half of your notorious duo, you have been together through questionable gap year escapades to your very first corner offices. Humble as they come but with a cigar room kitted out since his last year of college, he has an undeniable taste for the finer things in life and a regular gift just isn’t going to cut it. As it shouldn’t when you have been the presumed plus one to his summer holidays since grade school. For this sophisticated friend, the Vice Box by Linley is, without question, the ultimate choice of luxury gifts for him. Handcrafted from walnut with a marquetry card suit finish, it is complete with whiskey decanter and tumblers, playing cards, cigar cutter and so much more. Finished with a monogrammed sterling silver plaque, as far as personalised gifts for him are concerned, it is the perfect gift. If you really want to tip it over the edge, add the Navy Athletic Cap by Varsity for a real country weekend kit out.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros.

For Them

UNIQUE GIFTS FOR FRIENDS

The Childhood Sweethearts

Your best friends are tying the knot. You’ve been along since day one, from first interaction to first fall-out and everything in between. Pretty much the third component of this perfectly paired duo, you may know them better than they know themselves. Having seen them through it all, the couple finally taking the leap means two becomes one. Them and their gifts, meaning gift-giving just got a whole lot easier. To really signify the occasion of their big day, anniversary soiree or wedding celebration, this Harvard Linen Travel Bag by My Style Bags makes the perfect choice of personalised gifts for couples saying “I do” and is a gift guaranteed to solidify your status as their favourite guest.

The Homebodies

The homebody couple that effortlessly flies under the radar, are always the last to arrive and the first to leave and never step out on their own. Dating back to that fairytale New Years Eve last year where they found love and everyone else found the champagne, this newly loved-up pair are taking the next step and moving into their Ladbroke Gardens flat. The down-low duo, who are rarely seen without their other half, prefer to spend their weekends brunching solo in Chelsea and taking early morning strolls through Hyde Park. For this sweet pair, matching watching straps from Agnus Magnus are the perfect housewarming gift and a spot-on choice of unique gifts for friends. For her, the Rose Apple Watch Strap and for him, the Havana Apple Watch Strap.

The Socialites

They are everywhere. Quite the opposite of the pared back duo, this lavish globe-trotting couple are forever on the go and impossible to pin down. Friends of friends but with a notorious reputation for their global social life, this couple is constantly on the move. Somehow, they have found a mutually suitable time in their overflowing calendars to say their vows, meaning the wedding of the season is officially on the horizon (check out our Wedding Gift Guide to get prepared). For the duo whose honeymoon is bound to be a months-long worldwide event the Barcelona Travel Guide by Seasons Boutique is the perfect choice of unique gift for friends. For the rare times when they are home in their perfectly decorated Chiltern Street flat, a vintage pair of Wine Glasses by La Louème makes a great choice of personalised gifts for friends tying the knot.

Image courtesy of Getty Images.