Another Turkey (or Tofurky) Day has come and gone. This means that the (often times) lethal scramble to snag quality gifts for the friends who won’t go the way of Herman Cain‘s presidential bid is now officially upon us. But while you were asking for more pepper spray on your mashed potatoes and trying to discern whether or not those incontestably intense individuals living in tents for the past few weeks are Black Friday sale-hunters or Occupy protesters, we were compiling some of the year’s best gifts for hipsters and “not hipsters” alike!
Check out our 10+ hand-picked selections for the 2011 Hipster Holiday Gift Guide below and you’ll find something for everyone–from the friend who unabashedly defends Lana Del Rey to the friend who uses incognito browsing more to peruse Pitchfork than watch porn.
For your Facebook-frenzied friend… Our social media presences are extensions of ourselves, but for some people, it’s almost impossible to determine where their digital life ends and where their real life begins…so why not make it even harder?! These self-inking Like/Dislike stamps are sure to make that Facebook-obsessed person in your life LOL (because laughing is SO two-thousand-and-late). IRL communication with other humans?? DISLIKE! These stamps are the perfect way to express yourself without really saying anything, which is really what life is all about these days anyway.
Like & Dislike Self-Inking Stamp Set
For the audiophile looking for something fresh… This holiday season, we have two new ways for the music lover in your life to stuff their earholes with their favorite tunes.
The first comes to us by way of the visionaries of portable audio, Mr. Simio. Simio’s beautiful Boomcases outfit vintage suitcases with powerful speaker systems, resulting in something that’s at the same time practical and drool-worthy.
Boomcases by Mr. Simio
The other comes via our new favorite headphone company, Soundtrack of Life. In the ongoing battle between audio brands, the disparity between price and quality has never really been reconciled…until now. SOL’s new Republic headphones and Amps earbuds deliver phenomenal sound quality and near indestructibility (important when you’re always on the go and/or have a new teething puppy), all while barely scratching the triple-digit price range. Trick your friend into thinking you spent two months’ paychecks on this amazing, affordable audio.
SOL Republic Headphones and Earbuds
For that one girl who “just wants to hug all the cats”… In life, only three things are certain: death, taxes, and the fact that cats are adorable and hilarious (especially when they are begrudgingly stuffed into humiliating outfits from “Japan’s #1 cat tailor”). VICE’s Fashion Cats is a photo book about the latter. Really, there’s nothing more to say about this gift choice that hasn’t already been said by the cover. A picture is truly worth a thousand words…
Fashion Cats
For the friend who can’t commit… Remember when tattoos were a symbol of non-conformity? Nowadays, it’s about as tough to find a twenty-something with untouched skin as it is to find a virgin in any New York City high school (that is, a lot tougher than it used to be…). But if you’ve got a friend who wants some some ink without going under the needle, Tattly has a slew of awesome adult temp tattoos from artists like Marc Johns, Julia Rothman, and Oliver Jeffers. These are not your Care Bears and technicolored butterflies from yesteryear (not that those aren’t badass as well); these designs are so cool, we wouldn’t be surprised if they drove your friend to make the leap to something significantly less washable.
Tattly Temporary Tattoos
For the friend with lots o’ baggage… Speaking of high school: looking for a way to carry all of your essential gear (or “crap”, for all intents and purposes) around without looking like a 14-year-old lugging his or her bodyweight in textbooks and desperately dodging varsity sports players? The Swedish sack-smith Fjällräven’s Kanken has been the world’s most-sold backpacks for years now, and anyone who owns one of these durable, stylish bags will agree wholeheartedly with the company’s domain name: ilovemykanken.com. Coming in an impressive array of styles, sizes, and colors, there’s a Kanken to suit every purpose, price-point, and person.
(Note: Cut out the middleman and buy straight from Kanken’s parent company, Fjällräven. Lowest prices around, four star customer service, and everyone knows those Swedes are the most polite folks West of the Atlantic. Your move, English blue bloods…)
Fjällräven Kanken Backpacks
For the iPhone photographer… Does your friend clog up your Instagram feed, thinking he or she is the next Bill Cunnigham or Annie Leibovitz? Get them one (baby) step closer to a gallery show with this portable iPhone photo printer! Just dock your iPhone/iPod touch (or…ugh…Droid) into this stand-alone printer cube and go from Nicky Digital to Nicky Analog at the push of a button.
Photo Cube Portable Photo Printer
Bonus! If you’re looking to spice up your iPhone photos with something a little more professional (and less stigmatized) than Hipstamatic, check out the new iPhone Lens Dial from PhotoJojo. This aluminium iPhone jacket allows you to switch between wide angle, fisheye, and telephoto with the swipe of a finger, not to mention that it’s also equipped with both portrait and landscape tripod mounts. Sure, it might rival the iPhone itself in cost, but that’s the price you pay for the luxury of snapping bitchin’ photos on the fly.
iPhone Lens Dial by PhotoJojo
For the lady-friend in need of intimates… Ladies: how about a brand new kind of monthly visitor? (Oh, we went there…) Panty By Post delivers a spankin’ new pair of underthings RIGHT to your mailbox every month! Available in single, 3 month, 6 month, and 12 month subscriptions, this is the perfect for that special girl in your life (or boy; we don’t judge) who appreciates a sexy surprise that doesn’t involve a pizza delivery man in search of a very special tip.
Panty By Post
Bonus! Want to clad your lady (or yourself) in something a little more scandalous? Blush Lingerie’s Fall/Winter collection is so scorching hot, you’ll spend January with the windows open and the fan on high.
Blush Lingerie
For the friend with a dirty habit… Got a light? Now you always will! This brass case from Guns, Germ and $teal fits any standard Bic lighter and affixes to your clothes via super-nifty monocle chain, so you never have to worry about some Scumbag Steve “borrowing” your light again. This unique little accessory is so stylin’, it almost makes us want to take up smoking…or setting things on fire.
Brass Lighter Case Monocle Chain
For the girl with a sharp tongue and a cocksure character… Some girls wear their hearts on their sleeves. Others wear their attitudes around their necks. Ultra-anonymous über-blogger Coke Talk teamed up with NEIVZ jewelry for a line of deliciously obscene necklaces. Ranging from “Stay Wild” to “Honey Cunt” (yes, really), this NSFW neck bling is perfect for the fearless female in your life. Extra credit: be sure to check the matching line of rings!
Coke Talk Neck Bling
Bonus! For the dude in your life with a dirty mouth and a bit of an attitude problem, don’t miss Guns, Germs and $teal’s line of embossed brass wallets. With phrases like “Fuck money, get bitches,” “Green for da money, gold for da honey,” and the option to customize to your heart’s content, there’s no limit to how obscene you can make your green.
Guns, Germs, and $teal Brass Wallets
For the friend in need of some new threads… Artist Gordon Holden‘s collection of super-soft, tongue-in-cheek tees somehow speak to everything we’ve ever wanted to say but couldn’t find the words to express (namely, “I enjoy Will Smith music”). These irresistible hand-stretched unisex shirts are buttery soft, pre-loved, and magically fit in all the right places. Dry humor never looked so good.
Gordon Holden T-Shirts
A very special thank you to NickyDigital.com contributors Sasha Hecht who wrote this years Hipster Holiday Gift Guide and Shantz who drew the awesome illustration for this year’s gift guide!