Rachel's Gift Guide

Welcome to Wear Mail by Rachel Hodin. Home to spectacular, shoppable finds—fed to you in tasty, bite-sized edits that'll inspire you creatively, generate lols, and are specifically designed to tickle all. Read Rachel's vintage shopping thoughts here or subscribe on Substack.

It brings me no joy, and certainly no pride, to admit that my love language is receiving gifts. Mathematically, this can only mean that I am a debased individual. Morally destitute. That I am living, breathing swine.

HOWEVER. I do believe that, due to this righteous passion of mine, I am more attuned than most to terrific gifts. Just as I am biologically wired to harbor resentment over a bad gift—an ex-boyfriend once gave me a shitty-ass toaster oven as a birthday present (I said I'm swine)—so too am I biologically wired to clock a good present when I see one. It may be for selfish reasons, but still, I know what it takes to impress, to dazzle, to wow, and to excite with something tangible.

And so with that I present to you my (multi-part) ingenious gift guide, home to astoundingly unique gift ideas that’ll leave ‘em gooped and gagged.

For The HOME

DELFTWARE, or the Dutch’s answer to Asian porcelain. It was born around the 17th and 18th centuries and, because it’s made of (more affordable) earthenware—with a glaze that mimics the smooth finish of Asian porcelain—it’s ripe for collecting.

John Galliano’s home in Northern France, Delftware-d to the gods

What begins as a classic piece on its own becomes beautifully eccentric when displayed as a collection of multifarious styles. All the below are by Royal Delft—one of the last remaining manufacturers of Delftware—unless stated otherwise.

1. Lidded jar circa 1969, $325; 2. Vase, $200; 3. Jar, $275; 4. Coffee pot, $85; 5. Table clock, $1,195; 6. Vase, $74.99; 7. Pitcher circa 1938, $167.60; 8. Jar, $240; 9. Jar, $599; 10. Jar, $89.99; 11. Flat vase, $165; 12. Trophy-style vase, $74.95; 13. Jar, $202.50; 14. Vase, $74.99; 15. Jar, $179; 16. Pair of chalice vases, $220

1. Plate, $52.71; 2. Plate (c. 1983), $77.253. 3. Plate, $81.94; 4. Plate (c. 1953), $112.91; 5. Pedestal footed bowl, $69.99; 6. Blue Italian oval plate by Spode, $95; 7. Platter, $1,198; 8. Plate (listed as Royal Delft, but might not be), $66.21; 9. Plate, $241.69; 10. Plate, $225; 11. Leaf-shaped dish, $32 (might not be actual Royal Delft); 12. Fluted scalloped bowl, $494.80; 13. Plate (c. 1968), $139.10; 14. Plate (c. 1975), $164.62

1. 6-spout vase, $120.72; 2. Heart-shaped vase (not by Royal Delft), $104.26; 3. Tower vase (not by Royal Delft), $1,100; 4. 5-spout vase, $388.88; 5. 5-spout vase, $841; 6. Bowl-shaped vase, $4,647.72; 7. 3-tier vase, $1,042.58; 8. Pyramid vase (not by Royal Delft), $177.73; 9. Pyramid vase, $3,863.53; 10. Pyramid vase (not by Royal Delft), $139.38

For something similar but cheekier, hit up Seletti’s Hybrid Collection and Gunia Project’s ceramics. The former is a series of porcelain dinnerware designed by Milan-based studio CTRLZAK for Seletti that (literally) melds Eastern- and Western-inspired designs…

1. Dorotea tray, $129.72; 2. Sravasti fruit plate, $29.19; 3. Fruit plate, $77; 4. Dessert plate, $59; 5. Soup plate, $114; 6. Soup plate, $100; 7. Vase, $264; 8. Raissa cake stand, $113.51; 9. Diomira tray, $83.67; 10. Moriana cake stand, $174.47; 11. Melania vase, $246; 12. Bauci bowl, $90; 13. Zaira bowl, $196; 14. Anastasia mug, $73; 15. Djenne coffee cup & saucer, $49; 16. Eufemia coffee cup & saucer, $53; 17. Zora cup & saucer, $42.16

…while latter is by a Ukrainian label, and hand-painted with little emblems and folkloric motifs recognizable to those native to Ukraine.

Available at GuniaProject.com

Speaking of independent homeware designers, allow me to introduce you to Fruity Hollow. Founders Eric Zindorf and Will Castelli—two of my most creative friends and veritable good time girls—hand-make cement and enamel candleholders and lamps (with shades in hand-picked fabrics) that resemble a bushel of slightly sinister apples. Their first two collections, Harvest 001 and Harvest 002, are both available online—and categorically EAT.

Available at fruityhollow.com

While we’re here: Eric is an artist himself, and his witty, dream-like, vaguely homoerotic drawings and paintings would make a sensational gift to anyone you deem worthy.

Next up: décor for anyone whose pussy’s on fire. Of course I’m talking about the candles—but also bookends, vases, statues, and the like—that take shape in sensual feminine forms. Give them one of Anissa Kermiche’s cult-fave buxom ceramics; a hand-poured candle by Senegal’s Éluwa Studios; or one of the hand-sculpted works of stone and resin by Colombian designer Marcela Cure. Body-ody-ody at its finest.

1. Anissa Kermiche love handles vase, $258; 2. Anissa Kermiche jugs jug, $256.20; 3. Anissa Kermiche breast friend vase, $371; 4. Anissa Kermiche pot, $300; 5. Anissa Kermiche love handles vase, $468; 6. Anissa Kermiche salt & pepper shaker, $58.30; 7. Anissa Kermiche legs resin candle holder, $577.50; 8. Anissa Kermiche tit for tat short candlestick holder, $75; 9. Anissa Kermiche jugs jug, love handles, and breast friend set, $633.64; 10. Anissa Kermiche bookend, $58.08; 11. Anissa Kermiche mini love handles set of three, $189; 12. Anissa Kermiche jugs jug vase, $256.20; 13. Eluwa Studio namise candle, $78; 14. Eluwa Studio namise candle, $78; 15. Eluwa Studio namise candle, $78; 16. Marcela Cure lips vase, $550; 17. Marcela Cure le game small sculpture, $1,480; 18. Marcela Cure mini bowl, $376; 19. Marcela Cure tobacco sculpture/candle, $670; 20. Marcela Cure sculpture, $1,600

Or you could always bless ‘em with something a bit more…talismanic. Enter: the head-shaped receptacles by Spanish brand Exvotos; the papery, two-dimensional-like vases by Alison Owen; and the witchy, intricate candle sculptures by Janie Korn.

1. - 4. Alison Owens vases can all be found here, 5. - 8. Alison Owen vases can all be found here, 9. - 11. The Exvotos receptacles/vases can all be found here, 12. Janie Korn elegant ball gown dog candle, $250; 13. - 24. Janie Korn candles can all be found here, here, and here

Which reminds me! Janie Korn just had a joint show at Salon 21 with Morgane Richer La Flèche, a brilliant NYC-based artist and painter whose visceral, fantasy-filled worlds are sugary and unsettling, poetic and chilling—and truly all-encompassing (especially when rendered on the walls of her and her friends’ most intimate spaces).

And finally, a few more gift ideas for the home worth shelling out for:

An onyx something-or-other. Too much onyx in the home, and you can easily veer into the sort of Teresa-Giudice-Jersey-mansion territory. But some small scale onyx (or marble, travertine, alabaster, etc) accents sprinkled here and there? Just what the doctor ordered.

1. Onyx round tray, $128.24; 2. Scalloped marble tray, $140; 3. Onyx tray (the orange one is in the dropdown), $$155.25; 4. Onyx marble catchall, $27; 5. Egyptian alabaster ashtray, $65; 6. Marigold onyx bowl, $161.91; 7. Jia Jia calcite bowl, £590; 8. Alabaster coasters (set of 4), $25.99; 9. Large onyx tray, $470; 10. Onyx ashtray, $42.85; 11. Onyx trinket bowl, $16; 12. Onyx coaster (set of 6 with storage thingy), $52.74; 13. Vintage marble onyx ashtray, £14; 14. Onyx coasters (set of 4), $71; 15. Onyx bowl, $19.17; 16. Large travertine tray, $169.15; 17. Vintage marble ashtray, $125; 18. Marble dish, $37.73; 19. Marble dish, $37.73; 20. Blue calcite bowl, $132; 21. Jia Jia calcite candy bowl, £250

1. Jia Jia carnelian bowl, £475; 2. Vintage onyx marble ashtray (c. 1960s), $30.21; 3. Onyx stone serving tray (for orange, click it in the dropdown), $124.97; 4. Pink onyx bookends, $128.58; 5. Marble bookends, $70.99; 6. Onyx bookends, $53.69; 7. Vintage onyx ashtray, $24.12; 8. Banded onyx bowl, $129.35; 9. Banded yellow onyx bowl, $375; 10. Pink marble catchall, $40; 11. Vintage onyx ashtray, $46.39; 12. Onyx marble coaster (set of 6 with storage thingy), $52.74; 13. Vintage Italian onyx bookends, $135; 14. Onyx ashtray, $150; 15. Onyx catchall, $43.89; 16. Vintage scalloped onda catchall, $119; 17. Onyx bookends, $84; 18. Onyx ashtray, $24

Something else I recommend gifting to someone who perhaps just moved into a new space (and whose aesthetic skews retro/space age-y): one of these wall organizers by Dorothee Becker.

It’s a fantastic way to ease the mess—and mind—of your favorite cluttered, ADHD-riddled friend. You can find it in white for $659.20 here, for $615 here, and for $396 here; and in red for $549.33 here, for $525 here, for $1,290 here, for $950 here, $523.99 here, and for $695.81 here. And dupes also abound: in green, black, or yellow for $218.71 here; and in beige, green, red, black, or white for $79.21 here.

Oh, and any lamp by Christine Kilger that you can get your hands on. They look straight out of Versailles; are each handcrafted; topped with hand-dyed silk lampshades; and feature such enchanting details as rose antique French Chenille flower embroidery, ornate finials, and opulent fringe work.

Visit nightshades.com to subscribe

She releases drops of about five-to-six lamps at a time, every three-to-four months. Subscribe to her newsletter to be notified first, and then hightail it to her website. Her pieces sell out within minutes.

Sit tight! Pt. 2 coming soon.