10 Gifts for People Who’ve Made the News This Year

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/t-magazine/gifts-for-people-in-the-news.html

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If finding the perfect gift for a finicky friend or exacting relative feels like an insurmountable challenge this year, imagine, if you will, the task of selecting a passable present for Lady Gaga or Robert Mueller. In this fantasy gift guide, we suggest seasonal offerings for the people who dominated the headlines in 2018.

While the results of his investigation will be explosive no matter his findings, the special counsel, Robert Mueller, has managed to remain, against all odds, remarkably under the radar since he began the Russia probe last year — and the same is true of his wardrobe, which has been lauded for both in its unfaltering formality (his jacket’s single button is always done up) and its subtlety (no crazily patterned ties in sight). His dependably well-tailored navy suits and white shirts even persuaded The New Yorker to call him a style icon last spring. A stealthy but stylish briefcase, to carry his many, many papers feels fitting. This Valextra version features details that only a connoisseur will recognize — rich chestnut-colored cross-grain leather, a secret pocket or two and an absence of any telltale logos.

Valextra Cross-Grain Leather Briefcase, $3,900, mrporter.com.

In the penultimate scene of the film “Crazy Rich Asians” — the first blockbuster with a primarily Asian-American cast since “The Joy Luck Club” in 1993 — the movie’s American heroine Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) beats her steely potential mother-in-law, Eleanor Sung-Young (Michelle Yeoh), at her own game: mah-jongg. The duo end the film on better terms — so much so that Rachel receives Eleanor’s prized emerald as her engagement ring. This Hermès mah-jongg set seems an appropriate thank-you gift for this handing over of the family jewels.

Hermès Helios Mahjong Set, $41,400, hermes.com.

The former first lady’s book “Becoming” — with its personal admissions, unfiltered opinions and honest accounts about making toast — is one thing. The “Becoming” book tour, with its four-figure tickets, sold-out arenas, celebrity friends (Oprah Winfrey, Tracee Ellis Ross, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) and stadiums full of fans seeking hints of a 2020 presidential bid, is entirely another. When the standing ovations end each night, what will Obama wheel to her hotel suite? How about something sleek, modern and monogrammed?

Ookonn Printed Leather-Trimmed Hardshell Suitcase, $360, net-a-porter.com.

They share a love of leopard print, blackout sunglasses and building mega-brands. But when Michael Kors purchased Versace from its founding family for over $2.1 billion in September, how much of an Italian lesson did he really get? Sure, he may be familiar with Versace’s archives, but what about the local cuisine? Kors can quickly get up to speed by tasting the sweetly spiced and lard-covered Prosciutto di Carpegna, made from pigs raised in the northern and eastern parts of the country, not far from Milan. Each ham takes some 20 months to produce, and the soft, silky slices are newly available in the United States.

Prosciutto di Carpegna DOP, $10, fairwaymarket.com.

Few authors have written more eloquently and wrenchingly about female friendship than Elena Ferrante. Now that the first four of her Neapolitan Novels have been turned into the HBO mini-series “My Brilliant Friend” — with the promise of more installments to come — we will once again be plunged into the world of Elena and Lila. While much about Ferrante remains a mystery, any writer would surely appreciate this tongue-in-cheek fragrance diffuser by Anya Hindmarch, which contains ceramic reed “pencils” that soak up a lightly woody scent to perfume the air around it.

Anya Hindmarch Diffuser Pencil Shavings, $150, anyahindmarch.com.

The effects of the quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem in 2016 have rippled through the country and beyond, sparking a much-needed debate about both the N.F.L. and our nation at large. This year, Kaepernick was awarded Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award and Harvard’s W.E.B. Du Bois Medal as he continues work on his Know Your Rights campaign. He likely already has access to free Nikes from here to eternity — he starred in the brand’s 30th-anniversary campaign for Just Do It — but for a man who has the weight of the world on his shoulders, a minimalist globe gives an appreciative nod in his direction.

Corona Globes, from $69, moma.org.

In “Nanette,” the breakout special by the Tasmanian comedian Hannah Gadsby, she admits just how vehemently she dislikes — in fact, truly hates — Pablo Picasso. This bit serves as the crescendo of her wider takedown of the masochism and misogyny she sees embodied in many revered Modern artists. While her set is a serious commentary on the biases of art history, it is also deeply, darkly funny. A work by the artist Zoë Buckman, who often explores the pain and ecstasy of the feminine experience — through pieces including boxing gloves adorned with old wedding dresses and intricate punching bags accented with French tea towels — feels like an appropriate, and potentially useful, gift.

Zoë Buckman, “Heavy Rag,” $15,000, zoebuckman.com.

The 2018 awards season, in light of the #MeToo movement, was appropriately subdued. But knowing that Lady Gaga will make the rounds next year, and probably receive multiple nominations for “A Star is Born,” it seems likely that the 2019 season will bring with it a renewed sense of theatricality. But what will Gaga wear to the Oscars? Her ensembles as of late have telegraphed power and purpose — see the oversize Marc Jacobs suit she wore at the Elle Women in Hollywood ceremony in October — and this one-shouldered bronze gown feels fittingly regal.

Peter Pilotto Striped Silk-Blend Chiffon One-Shoulder Gown, $4,130, modaoperandi.com.

Last month, Elon Musk’s private rocket company, SpaceX, received approval from the F.C.C. to send over 7,500 satellites into space, with the intent to create a global wireless internet network. This follows a year of controversy for Musk: There was the storm he stirred up with his comments about the rescue of the Thai soccer team in July, and then in August, the tweet that later forced him to publicly step down as the chairman of Tesla (he is still C.E.O.). This Molekule air purifier, which uses both filters and light to break apart pollutants instead of simply capturing them, would be a worthy accessory to help him clear the air, so to speak — for as long as he’s still based on Earth, that is.

Molekule Air Purifier, $799, molekule.com.

In November, Kerby Jean-Raymond, the designer behind the New York-based label Pyer Moss, won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund prize — an award that recognized his unique ability to presciently capture the zeitgeist and comment on the state of black culture with his radically joyful collections. His shows touch on not only the present day (the Black Lives Matter movement) but also the past — his recent spring 2019 show, for example, referenced the “Green Book” of Jim Crow America while also envisioning a world free from a constant veil of racism. For the man who has smartly mined the past and present, and has hopefully given us a glimpse of the future, a pair of glasses to help see it all clearly.

Mykita Lite Eero Glasses, $529, specscollective.com.