Cheap Chic Gifts

Ultra-cool affordable picks for holiday giving.

By Carol Tisch

With this economy even the Retail Therapist is depressed. But instead of dwelling on past shopping excesses (so Freudian), I decided to take the Jungian approach: I faced my worst shopping nightmare (having to cut back) and pounded the pavement looking for cool gifts that wouldn’t break the (already broken) bank.

First up: The Met – so ultra-luxurious it feels good just to walk inside and reminisce about pre-September stock indices. Who wouldn’t want a gift from The Met? Well you can get something really hip for 20 bucks: the Shemergency Survival Kit! Inside the pink overwrap carton is a portable, silver mesh case that comes with 24 mini-sized solutions for life's little emergencies (from earring backs to hand lotion, lint remover to dental floss). Fashion magazines call it first-aid for gals on-the-go. The Met also has a version created just for men: the Hemergency Survival Kit (same price). This one is a black dopp kit to keep guys groomed wherever they may roam.

The Met's Emergency Survival Kits for men and women are cheap and chic.

Speaking of dopp kits – I fell in love with the candy-colored selection for women (brown and black for men) at Kelietza on South Pineapple. Owner Kelly Augustyniak’s leather goods are made in the USA by a 75-year-old American company and they’re fantastic. The dopp kits are $130, and for a bit more you can get a portfolio or even a leather garment bag. Kelly has a lot of pricier designer fashions, but these are great – and the virgin wool scarves, hand crafted with scalloped edges, are irresistible at $165.

A couple of doors down is L. Kids, with drop-dead fashion for infants and boys and girls up to about age 12. I flipped for this little pom-pom studded sweater and matching tulle skirt (each $68). The outfit was one of Oprah’s picks and selling out fast. But fear not – the store is brimming with the cutest clothes – everything pint-sized versions of the hippest fashions grown-up celebrities wear.

This outfit from L. Kids was one of Oprah's picks.

How about an eco-friendly stocking stuffer created by a local artist? The Note Patch, a green business based in Sarasota, makes 5 1/2 x 5 1/2, 100- page colorful notepads ($9.95 – artsy holiday wrap is $2 extra), along with whimsical greeting cards ($3.99) and coloring books ($3.50 to $5.00), printed locally on recycled eucalyptus-based paper using soy-based inks.

Find cute gifts from Sarasota-based Note Patch.

Mother-daughter team Barbara Sela and Vanessa Stafford design everything themselves and sell their artsy wares to retailers or to the public at parties. You can call to receive jpegs of the items for phone orders. A website for online orders is in production.

A red croc clutch from Kalah Designs, available at The Met.

P.S. For a gift that already looks like a Christmas package tied with a big floppy bow (imagine the savings on wrapping paper and ribbon) you might splurge on The Met’s real croc clutch from Kalah Designs ($530). Hey, it’s cheaper than Hermes.

The Met Fashion House Day Spa & Salon, 35 South Blvd of Presidents, (941) 388-3991

Kelietza, 602 S. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota (941) 312-5403

L. Kids, 556 Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, (941) 951-5560

Note Patch, 809-9909

Posted: 12/2/2008 10:58:35 AM | 0 comments