Stumped on what to gift this holiday season? You’re not alone. This year, lots of us are far from home and away from loved ones. So finding a gift that feels extra personal is super important.
For this edition of Ask A Stylist, we phoned a friend: New York-based fashion editor and stylist Michelle Li. Michelle chimed in with a few ideas on how she makes her gifts feel more personal through customization and a dash of holiday sparkle.
So what are you gifting this year?
I got two pairs of jeans and gifted one to me and one to my best friend. We had a cute night together where we bedazzled jeans for each other. I also got my boyfriend a pair of jeans and embroidered his name on the waistband.
We love a good DIY! What made you want to customize your gifts?
I like to personalize things, sometimes really subtly. Embroider an “M” on the waistband, bedazzle something really small — so if they don’t like it, they can change it, and if they do like it, it’s something that reminds them of me. I like dying things and giving them a new life—but right now, I feel like I’m on a bedazzling spree!
Any tips on personalizing gifts this holiday?
Do some inside jokes, do a nickname. That makes it feel a lot more special. For me, I love doing crafts with my friends. So here, we did the crafts together and then gave the jeans to each other. We’re not about surprising each other. It doesn’t need to be a secret what the gift is because the time and experience we have together is more important.
How do you prepare before you craft?
Don’t take it too seriously, but I would say to do your research. I pulled a lot of inspiration, which seems like overdoing it, but if I’m going to do a craft, I’m going to do it right. I want it to be something I’ll use for a long time. So pull some images and do your research on how the craft works.
So you bedazzled these jeans. How would you wear them?
I chose a darker jean so the bedazzle can really sparkle. Because these jeans are such a dark wash, I would wear a white poplin blouse on top. Here, I’m wearing a sparkly sweater vest so it can catch the light of the gems. You should definitely have fun with it. Try something light colored — or even something sparkly.
OK back to gifting (because ‘tis the season). Thoughts on gift wrapping?
I’m a pretty frugal gift wrapper. I use old magazines or old newspapers, but I never really buy gift wrap. I even have a ribbon box where I save all my ribbons so I can use them again.
