Best Gifts for Men - Nada Manley - Fun with Fashion Over 40

I love, love, love my husband. And I loathe shopping for him. For our first Christmas together, I bought him a portable DVD player that I saw on Oprah’s Favorite things. We traveled a lot and I thought it would be cool to take our own entertainment on planes with us. And it would have been. But the DVD player I purchased did not have a screen. So while you could stick a DVD in it, you couldn’t watch it. Fortunately the company gladly took it back. And they only charged me a 40% restocking fee. Sigh. Lesson learned.

Since then, I’ve shied away from technology and stuck to more sensible gifts. Ties. Slippers. Sweaters. Humdrum, maybe, but safe. But that is about to change… This list of coolest, most memorable – the best gifts – is more for me than it is for you. But I’ll let you take a peek. 😉 (Hint: Click on the picture, and it will take you to the item).

1. Twenty Jeans gift card, twentyjeans.com: The Wranglers with the paint splatters have got to go. Break it to him gently with a gift card from men’s denim e-tailer Twenty Jeans. A $25 gift card will get him a new pair of jeans, $50, a new outfit, and $100 is good for two complete looks. Genius.

2. Tetris Alarm Clock, $40.99, Overstock: The perfect (and practical) gift for the old-school gamer. And while you’re at it, get him this Pac Man remote control racer.

3. American Casual Messenger Bag, $56.99, Overstock: A great looking way to carry all of his gear, at a great price.

4. Marshall ‘Hanwell’ Home Speaker System in Black, $600, The Rail at Nordstrom and Nordstrom.com: Sleek and retro-chic, this looks like something out of a design magazine.

5. *LSTN Troubadours Zebrawood Headphones, $150, Nordstrom: Zebrawood and polished metal make these a work of art, and the quality means he will have them for years. And for each pair bought, LSTN works with the Starkey Foundation to help restore hearing to a person in need.

6. Cathy’s Concepts Mustache Pilsner Glasses, $44, Nordstrom: Not only are the mustaches clever, they also help him and his buddies identify their drinks.

7. Ravi Ratan 4GB flash drive cuff links, $200, Nordstrom.com: He can wear his work on his sleeve with these sleekly designed cuff links.

8. *Brooks Brothers Regimental Tie, $55, BrooksBrothers.com: Sure, it’s a tie, but it’s unfailingly classic, and $5 from each purchase benefits St. Jude. Plus, you can buy him the matching belt, and yourself one of the adorable bracelets shown above. And you can match! 😉

9. *Warby Parker glasses, $95, warbyparker.com: This company, which makes fabulous eyewear for men and women, set out to create flawlessly made, beautifully designed eyewear that happens to be affordable. This pair (the “Chamberlain”) may make him rethink his contacts. Plus, the company works with VisionSpring, and for every pair sold, another will be donated to someone in need.