The better Christmas gift is the velvet slipper made for him, with his initials in gold thread, not the velvet slipper bought from a gift guide page. Country and Town House lists Crockett and Jones skull velvet slippers at £410 in its Christmas gift guide. A black velvet Albert with a monogram costs $325, and it arrives carrying his name.
What does the gift guide actually recommend
Country and Town House published its Christmas Gifts For Men guide on November 2, and its Luxury Gifts section lists the Crockett and Jones Skull and Crossbones Velvet Slippers at £410. The same section runs to an Edward Green suede loafer at £1,240, so the velvet slipper sits among serious company. The skull and crossbones sits on the vamp, worked large. It is a bold slipper, and it is unmistakably the maker's own idea. The man who receives it wears another house's emblem.
What makes a slipper a gift instead of a purchase
A monogram. The initials change the object from something bought to something given. The skull is theirs, the initials are his. Churchill's gold-embroidered black slippers were a gift from Lady Diana Cooper, and he wore them on Christmas Day 1943 in Carthage. He kept ordering like pairs for the rest of his life, black, blue or maroon velvet, the monogram usually in gold. A pair that carries his name is the pair he keeps. The atelier stitches the monogram in any thread color, gold on black the classic pairing, and it is included at $325.
Which slipper wins for Christmas
For Christmas, the made-to-order pair wins. The skull slipper makes the louder statement. The monogrammed slipper is the one he keeps, because it was made for him and no one else. It is the same pair grooms order for their wedding, monogram and all, which you can see on the wedding page.
The made-to-order pair costs $325 with the monogram included in any thread color, and it takes four to six weeks to make, so a Christmas gift needs its order in by November 12. The gift guide's velvet slipper lists at £410.
What if he already owns black velvet
Then give him the second pair, not a repeat of the first. A navy velvet Belgian with a bow is the quieter alternative, the same evening shoe in a color he probably does not own. A red velvet Wellington with black tassels is the festive one, for the man who wears color at Christmas. Both are made to order in the Design Studio, and both carry the same four to six week making time, so the November 12 order date holds for them too.
Build either pair through Design Your Pair, and add the monogram before the shoe is made.
Questions, answered
Can you put initials on velvet slippers
Yes. A monogram in any thread color is included at $325, and gold on black is the classic pairing.
How long does a made to order Christmas gift take
Four to six weeks from order to delivery. A Christmas gift needs its order in by November 12.
Are velvet slippers a good Christmas gift for a man who has everything
Yes, when they carry his name. A monogram turns a luxury object into a personal one, and the pair is made to order, so the pair is his alone.
Where do you buy monogrammed velvet slippers made to order
In the Design Studio, where you build the pair and add the monogram before it is made. Design Your Pair.
