Gender, schmender. Bucking the trend of super-girlie and uber-dude gift lists that pop up everywhere this time of year, here are seven Valentine’s Day gifts that are as good for the guys as they are for the girls.
1. Balance the sticky sweet side of the custom playlist you’re making for your main squeeze with a pair of retro-cool, yet technologically-savvy Plattan headphones, $60, available at Moxsie. Put them on to listen to tunes, chatter on your mobile or let your bestie jack in to share your audio during your next flight. Speaking of going places, these Swedish-made listening devices folds into the size of a fist for travel. We like them in vibrant red, but you can choose from 10 colors.
2. For the girl or guy who has everything, including a slew of exes, there’s the Ex-Girlfriend t-shirt, $70, from Oakland’s fiftyseven-thirtythree. Also available as a t-shirt dress (pictured), the 100 percent cotton number features hand-appliqued Polaroid snaps of former flames and the reasons they ended up in that category, e.g. “Made out with her cousin and she put sugar in my gas tank.”
3. A handmade case for the latest gadget to capture your love’s heart will please with style and practicality. Local company Dodocase custom makes faux leather cases for iPad and Kindle ($49.95-$65) using traditional bookbinding techniques. An added perk for you procrastinators: you can order a gift certificate and have it sent via email in an instant. Use the promo code “vday 11” to score 10 percent off orders placed through Feb. 14.
4. Whether you keep your pants on or off this Valentine’s Day, you can send the right message with your waist, thanks to the If You’re Close Enough belt buckle, $75, from San Francisco’s Booty Boutique. Buy it by tonight, and you’ll save $20 on the price, thanks to a Valentine’s Day promotion from designer Kyra Brown.
5. Help your sig spruce up his or her SIGG with a custom skin made from a photo, drawing or image of your choice. You can upload an image and have it turned into a custom wrap for $12.95 or buy a bottle emblazoned with an image of your choice starting at $29.95. We’re seeing endless possibilities here, ranging from a snapshot from your first date to silly pet photos to pics of the kids for grandma and grandpa.
6. Support a worthy cause and foster the arts while staying stylish all at the same time when you donate to Recovering Irma film project, an effort by local filmmaker Sandra Salas to fund a documentary film about her mother’s tragic death due to domestic violence. Donors of $100 or more receive the Irma Bracelet, a limited edition leather band featuring a silver “I” in honor of Salas’s mother, Irma, handmade by San Francisco jewelry designer Stacey Lorinczi.
7. Gift the body you wanna get next to with skincare treats such as body lotion or foaming shower gel, $16 for 8 oz., in the scent of your choice from Heliotrope, whose fragrance-free products can be customized with essential oils in single notes or guy-and-girl-friendly signature blends that range from blood orange cardamom to cypress lavender.
