What Gives | Gifting the Creative Type

(Right: William P. O’Donnell/The New York Times)

The editors of T Magazine present What Gives, a guide to holiday gifting.

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When inspiration strikes, Gap’s mittens convert to fingerless gloves allowing for utmost dexterity while operating a Leica, Moleskine or iPhone. In the new LittleBigPlanet video game, there’s no trigger finger required — just the imagination to build cute custom worlds (plus a Sony PlayStation3).

LittleBigPlanet, $59.99. Available at Amazon.com.
Gap mittens, $19.50. Available in dwindling numbers at select Gap stores. Call ahead.

Need more gift ideas? Read previous posts of What Gives.

The Post-Materialist | Fashion Grows Up

93 year-old Mimi Weddell in the documentary Hats Off, and a snap by Mister Mort on the Advanced Style blog, launched in August.

A report from our Berlin correspondent on design and society.

One of the more interesting trends in fashion this year has been a vogue for older models. The theme seems to have started in March, with the New York premiere of Hats Off, a documentary about the 93 year-old actress and model Mimi Weddell. As the New York Times reported when it interviewed the effervescent Ms Weddell, her motto is “Rise above it!”, which implies not just the ability to transcend small anxieties, but also the idea that higher things — even ages — are better things.

What Gives | Gifting the Jet-Setter

The editors of T Magazine present What Gives, a guide to holiday gifting.

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This slick duffel by Marc Newson for Samsonite was designed with a guy in mind, with separate compartments for shoes and dirty laundry. For hauling cargo more precious, there’s Cole Haan’s pet carrier tote. Terrier not included.

Marc Newson for Samsonite Scope duffel bag, $140. Available at Moss.
Cole Haan pet carrier tote, $159.95. Available at Cole Haan.

Need more gift ideas? Read previous posts of What Gives.

Live From the TimesCenter: Tom Cruise

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Welcome to the live broadcast of the conversation between Lynn Hirschberg, T Magazine‘s editor at large, and Tom Cruise. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. and will end at 8 p.m. If 90 minutes of Cruise isn’t enough, check out the resources below.

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• Interview: Lifetime Achiever: Comedy, Action, Drama, Fatherhood — Tom Cruise Embraces the Wild Ride by Lynn Hirschberg
• Photo shoot: Lifetime Achiever (Portraits of Tom Cruise) Photographs by Solve Sundsbo
• Times Topics: Tom Cruise

Footloose | A Gumshoe’s Inquiry

Men’s footwear history in the making. (AP)

Steven Taffel is the owner of Leffot, a high-end men’s shoe boutique in Manhattan.

Watching the video of the Iraqi journalist Muntader al-Zaidi hurling his shoes at President Bush, I couldn’t help but ask myself, “What kind of shoes are those?” It all happened so fast that it was impossible to tell, but I’m fairly confident they’re not worth the $10 million a Saudi man reportedly offered. The shoes couldn’t have been

Sandra’s Sources | Atelier New York

T Magazine’s Senior Editor Sandra Ballentine opens up her little black book of tips on where to go, what to buy and whom to know.

Name: Atelier New York
File Under: Men’s fashion, Manhattan
Address: 304 Hudson Street, New York, N.Y.
Telephone Number: (212) 941-8435
Web site: ateliernewyork.com

What To Get: For years, Karlo Steel and Constantin von Haeften outfitted cool creative types at Atelier New York, their tiny men’s-wear shop on Crosby Street. When they finally outgrew the space, the partners searched far and wide for new digs before finally leasing this lofty space in the up-and-coming Hudson Square area, just north of Canal Street. Its environs may have shifted, but the Atelier aesthetic remains the same: strong pieces in “noncolors” like black and gray by cutting-edge designers like Carol Christian Poell, Yohji Yamamoto, Ann Demeulemeester, Damir Domo, Julius, M.A+ and Augusta.

The High Low | J. Crew Timex Watch, $150

Good style mixes high-ticket items with brilliant affordable gets. In this column, T’s fashion team finds the cheap and the chic.

What: J.Crew Timex Watch
How Much: $150 (free shipping and 25% off =112.50)
Who: Bifen Xu, T Magazine’s men’s fashion associate

The holiday season is upon us, and we are being bombarded with practical gift ideas for all our friends and family. But what about a little Christmas cheer for yourself? The J. Crew special edition Timex watch is a great staple, and J. Crew is offering free shipping and special discounts if you order from its site.

What Gives | Gifting the Style Guy

The editors of T Magazine present What Gives, a guide to holiday gifting.

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The Oris TT3 Grand Prix Limited Edition watch was inspired by Formula One racing (the track city names are printed on the dial), and at $1,895 it’s a bargain compared to the Porsche your brother has his eye on. City slickers from L.A. to NYC will appreciate Ork’s cool graphic City Neighborhood Posters ($22), which are screen-printed by hand in Chicago.

Oris TT3 Grand Prix Limited Edition watch, $1,895. Available at oris-watch.
Ork city neighborhood poster, $22. Available at orkposters.

Need more gift ideas? Read previous posts of What Gives.

Feeling For … Ragg Wool

Hermès cashmere socks and boots on the fall 2008 runway.

Bruce Pask, T Magazine’s men’s fashion director, writes on style every two weeks.

I love the cold! The switch from transitional outerwear to full-fledged cold-bearing clothes allows me to wear my long underwear (I have the perfect pair of John Bartlett charcoal gray lightweight wool long johns made by Zimmerli) and my heavy ragg wool socks. Ragg wool is a marled yarn of two different colors speckled together in a salt-and-pepperish kind of way. It usually comes in cream and beige or cream and navy, but there are plenty of other color combinations. Wigwam is probably the best-known company producing ragg wool socks, but

Now Online | T’s Holiday Issue

In a season that’s usually long on tradition, the new Holiday edition of T is instead all about fresh starts. Beginning with our cover stars, the Hollywood power couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes — the magazine’s print edition has two different covers, half featuring Cruise and half Holmes, both shot by Solve Sundsbo — it’s a riot of redux, from a head-tripping essay on great moments in reinvention (from Jesus to J.F.K.) to articles on the new and improved Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, the ever-changing homes of Karl Lagerfeld, a resort town in Kenya that’s gone all dolce vita and dinner with the design remasterer Martino Gamper. Our Originals portfolio spotlights the cultural creatives of Japan, the most innovation-obsessed country on the planet, while the photographer Camilla Akrans chimes in with a new spin on Carmen Miranda, and Erwan Frotin thoroughly retools T’s annual gift guide. Now that’s change we can believe in.