Journal: Our 12 Days of Christmas Gift Guide. Days 9 - 12
Our 12 Days of Christmas Gift Guide. Days 9 - 12
We hope you have enjoyed our Christmas Gift Guide so far and that it’s given you lots of inspiration. Here we have days 9-12, where we’ve highlighted a final 4 products that we think will make wonderful gifts. We really believe in supporting British artisans when choosing presents, and this is the perfect way to do that.
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave me to a...
Let’s Go Country Scarf
The Let’s Go Country Scarves (there are two, in different colourways) have been a long time coming for me. Years ago, I bought this scarf in Japan that I fell in love with; it was slightly tasselled at the edges, the colours were a bit overprinted, and it had a wonderful punk-ish aesthetic.
When we started to come up with product ideas for Gladstone/Hellen, I knew that there had to be a scarf like this in the collection. I briefed Laurie Avon, who had previously come up with the illustrations for another project at Glen Dye, and Gail Bryson, who I knew would do something magical with the colours. This is the result, and I hope you love it as much as I do.
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me the...
Men’s Jumper 01
This jumper is special for many reasons, but perhaps the thing I love most about it is its texture. It’s brushed with teasels, which raises the pile slightly, ultimately leading to a comfortable, worn-in feel – even when it’s brand new. It’s super-soft and very comfortable, but still has the element of structure which I think is important for a strong silhouette.
The strong blue colour is purposefully perfect on every skin tone, and I love how this looks with either a shirt or a simple crew neck T-shirt underneath. It’s great for women who like oversized clothes, too. And, of course, it’s made in Scotland and crafted from 100% wool.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Sarah’s Hand Blocked Scarf
Caroline and I worked together on creating these scarves but she picked her favourite colours and shapes for her version, and I picked mine for mine. Like hers, this one is hand blocked in the UK and I picked the shapes from an incredible collection of vintage blocks and it’s made here in the UK, from 100% silk, hemmed by hand, and the attention to detail is second to none. This is such a special piece; what I like is that it can be made really smart or casual, depending on what you’ve got on. I believe that this type of product gets better over time as well, the more it’s worn. The slightly worn blue and pink work perfectly together and go with neutrals or other bright pieces you might be wearing that day. It really is the perfect accessory!
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me the...
The Women's Jumper 02.
Those who know me, know that I have an obsession with both colour and fairisle jumpers, so designing this was an absolute dream for me. There are a couple of things that set this jumper apart from the many on the market; we’ve intentionally cut it to be slightly shorter and boxier than a normal jumper, which I think makes it more feminine and contemporary, giving a good shape that’s wearable for anyone.
I based the pattern on the oldest fairisle pattern, called the North Star, and the colours are perhaps what gives me the most joy. It’s like a starburst, with green, red, yellow, and orange tones which pull the whole thing together nicely and mean that it’s perfect for autumn and spring, not just winter and the festive season. As with all of our jumpers, it’s made from 100% wool and made in Scotland, in a family-run factory.
