A guide to Christmas shopping

Advice to Christmas shoppers on what to get and where to get it

No matter whether it snows holly and mistletoe, or whether Santa Claus arrives in a Duesenberg, Christmas as far as finding presents is concerned, will be just as exasperating.

But for those of you who are lucky and intelligent enough to have got your hands onto a copy of this month's Vanity Fair, the problem will be greatly diminished. The way in which we have attacked the gift situation can easily be seen by quickly glancing over the following invaluable notes.

Jensen's have some very attractive suggestions, for instance, bowls that can be used for anything, made of Royal Copenhagen china and hand painted, for $2.85; amusing silver buttons to ornament velvet gloves for just over $2.25; sets of sterling silver coffee spoons costing about $12; sugar and tongs for the same price; real bronze fruit and nut bowls, oxidized into a patina comparable only with ancient bronze, complete with nut crackers and all for just over $20.

Last but certainly not least of Jensen's suggestions are hand made bowls of cherry wood, which have been seasoned for 10 years. The bowls cost about $15, and with salad knife and fork, twice as much.

For inexpensive jewelry, Alice Marks has a special clip, a copy of a real jewel, that costs $4.75. Bonwit Teller has a copy of a Chanel earring, gold, that hooks around the ear and lies flush to the cheek. It costs only $5, and, for the same price, a pair of matching clips for the hair.

In the same price range, Altman's have some new "Quintet" compacts from just under $2 to just under $4. They come in all colors, and particularly attractive are the black ones with white rhinestones for the evening. The "Quintet" carries everything a woman can want in the course of the evening, with the possible exception of her escort.

Best's, rightly nauseated by the grubbiness of the average comb that crawls out of women's bags, have put out a new pocket comb in a metal case —it costs just under $3 and has jade and rhinestone ornaments. Best's also have a new flat, mirrored, square compact with a large mirror in a black moire case, for evening. It costs more than $18 and less than $19—now guess?

Slightly underrating mankind, Best's have brought out knitted knee warmers for women—a distinct reflection on one's escort—but they cost less than $1. Another useful gift'for "the girls" is Alice Marks' new flap powders, in bright leather colors—they only cost a little over $4 and are very gay.

Best's have every conceivable kind of gifts for men to give women—new evening gloves that come up very high on the arm—hair ornaments in little rhinestone clips, with feathers attached —short taffeta jackets to go over evening dresses—twin sweater sets—and even such things as bright colored Fair Isle gloves—the range of price for these things is from $3.95, for the gloves, to about $28 for the sweater suits.

While on the subject of furs—the most expensive, and one of the very few of its kind in town, is Bergdorf Goodman's real chinchilla for $35,000. Not to be outdone, their natural Russian sable coat places $35,000 on its head.

The most attractive and original of Dunhill's gifts for men is a gold cigarette lighter and watch, with the revolving watch in the end. It costs about $250, but is well worth it. They also have new malachite lacquer cigarette cases, with Tall Boy lighters to match, from $35 up—and Thuja-wood cigarette boxes, for 100 cigarettes, with removable sports watches that can also be used as bedside watches.

An amusing gift for a newly married husband is the latchkey with the gold top—it costs $12.50—and, as long as the husband has need of only one key, it is a charming and romantic idea. Dunhill's also have a cherry briar pipe which is a copy of an old pipe smoked in England in 1850. It is essentially a sportsman's pipe; $10.

Hammacher, Schlemmer have the latest Schick Electric Dry Shaver, the one which needs no shaving cream or blade and can be used on an A.C. or D.C. It costs around $15—but for anything that simplifies life to the degree that this does it is well worth it.

At Arthur Gilmore's, where the leather not only adds comfort to a man's life but also respectability, we found such gifts as small pigskin stud boxes, square and oval shaped, and costing just under $6—pigskin toilet box cases made to your order for just over $84—shirt boxes in cowhide for less than $70 and weekend and overnight cases from $50 to $85—the weekend suit-cases come in East Indian buffalo skin, and from a water buffalo at that!

Bonwit Teller has some men's handkerchiefs with Chinese initialing from 50 cents to $2.50 each—also some Swiss Appenzell initialed ones for the same price.

Despite the general idea, Bergdorf Goodman does not think only in terms of lovely ladies, for they have some really very good looking heavy crepe de Chine evening scarves with a monogram in black and white, and hand knotted fringes, that cost just over $10, some flannel ties in blazer stripes —blue, white, and gray, for about $3.25, and some silk ones for just over $2.

In the same way, Alice Marks does not appeal only to the home, for they have men's valet stands for about $18 —in all colors, depending on whom they are for, tobacco pouches and pipe combination, both in pigskins and soft leathers, and men's jewel cases in colored suedes and pigskins—none of which costs more than $6.50.

And, of course, speaking of gifts for men, you should by all means look at, and buy, some of the excellent things that those ever dependable shops for men have gotten in especially for this season. We refer to Brooks Brothers cocktail sets, smoking accessories and the like. To Tripler's black suede notebooks and cigarette cases. To Saks-Fifth Avenue's bar department. To De Pinna's accessories. To Finchley's. To Roger Peet's English sticks and umbrellas.

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Some of the most attractive antiques can be seen in Bergdorf Goodman's antique department. James Amster, the director, has designed a supervue map of New York City, showing clearly the most direct routes to and from the city. It is a great asset to motorists who have about $5 to spare. He has also designed a new glass picture frame that does away with lots of different bits of glass, and has a velvet back. It is very decorative and costs about $15.

Another new idea is his "Clifton Webb" cartwheel plate. This has only one piece of glass and two bits of metal. It comes in both chrome and gilt—and the price range is from $10 to $12. In order to make bed pleasanter than it already is, Amster suggests his new breakfast tray. It comes in gilt and gold mirror and has glass coffee pot, plate, muffin dish and marmalade jar, and the whole set only costs a little under $50.

He has small zebra rugs with Tails that are beautifully marked—not the Tails—costing between $140 and $150; cigarette boxes of zebra that cost the same as the rugs minus a nought; and collections of small 18th Century wooden tables, with some especially attractive ones which are made from knife boxes. These tables cost from $20 up.

A particularly good present would be Bergdorf Goodman's Irish hunting tray. It is very light and made of Bass wood—the ideal thing for carrying port and sherry, etc., with plenty of room for glasses. It is very inexpensive, costing just under $20. Particularly apropos are the little Christmas trees made of glass and white roses and bells, costing from $3 up. And the last thing that struck Vanity Fair as amusing was the hors-d'oeuvre tray to be used individually. These trays cost a little over $3 each and should soon become very popular.

Hammacher, Schlemmer also have amusing monogrammed matches in all colors, costing $2 for 25 packages— they also have orange reamers that not only strain the orange and can be used as a pitcher, but hold a pint and come in heavy picked silver. For about $3 you can sing, "You're my reamer—can't we all". Lastly a set consisting of 4 packs of fine quality monogrammed bridge cards, with 4 contract scorepads, also monogrammed, that costs between $3 and $5—once again, we'll make you guess?

More good suggestions for the house come from W.&J. Sloane's—among them are tables that multiply by just a flick of the wrist, and become lots of tables, well, perhaps not a lot, but 4 at least. They cost half a century in dollars. Bath mats that are a little more exciting than the average, costing between $1.75 and $22.50, and for those of you who have birds worth about $74, Sloane's have a very old bird cage worth $74. It's come all the way from London Town and seems to have stood the journey very well.

Alice Marks proves herself to be so rare a specimen as a woman of excellent taste, for in her shop on 52nd Street, she hides away such charming gifts as new portfolios with hinges— all in different colored leathers. They are really small portable desks, and Miss Marks only charges a little over $16 for them.

She also has some hors-d'oeuvre dishes, in wooden trays, from England, ranging from $12.50 up to $30; Sheffield trays, on mahogany tables, for a dollar less than $66; and, finally, small antique clocks, around $90.

The Grand Duchess Marie of Russia, never at a loss as to how to go into partnership with the American buying public, is now taking them in at Bonwit Teller's and photographing them 12 times for $250, having done which she signs your photographs with her name and sends you on your way —the happier for your contact.

Bonwit Teller also have a carved wood torso, by Fletcher Clark, that is as beautiful as it is expensive. Vanity Fair is inclined to think $350 for a bust is rather high in these days when you can get a whole hamburger for a nickel.

Elsie de Wolfe, with a past spent among palaces and peers, is fully equipped to be a leader of fashion where houses and homes are concerned. In her shop in 5th Avenue, Miss de Wolfe, Lady Mendl in private life, has several gifts that would make excellent Christmas presents. Among them are: plain clocks, with mirror faces and mirror dots for the numerals, costing a little under $10; crystal plates, with heavy borders in 3 sizes, ranging from $1 up to $5; large brandy glasses about 8 inches high, costing around $3. And straw trays, in block design, for just under $20.00.

A. G. Spalding's new game called "On me" is a simplified variation of Roulette, in that everything depends on the turn of a number. "On me" is almost as cheap as its name suggests, but not quite. It very pleasantly whiles away many an idle hour for any number of people lucky enough to possess one. Apropos of games, it seems a fit time to mention Wilson-Western's ingenious suggestion for golfers. It is a cocktail shaker with golf balls packed in it, thus killing more than one birdie with a dozen balls! Talking of golf always makes us thirsty—but this time we don't mind, for now we shall discuss the mint julep tumblers and coasters made by International; they are silver plated, and cost about $9 the two. Abercrombie and Fitch, as might be expected, carry this "pleasure".

Note—from Hickok! Garters, belts and braces! Your socks will fall down if they ever see the lovely boxes the garters come in but the garters will pull them right up again! Belts almost Baroque, with braces Rococo! At John David's.

Note—through Weber and Heilbroner—from Cannon! Men! Men! All over the country. Stick up for your rights! Don't be wet! Use Cannon Towels—rough and ever ready.