Houston-Made: Our Local Holiday Gift Guide 2017
By Sarah Rufca Nielsen October 30, 2017 Published in the November 2017 issue of Houstonia Magazine
This chiffon blouse by Houston designer Natalie Harris finds inspiration in a local mural. $28 at Redbubble.
Jewelry from Houstonian Heather Ashley Wobbe’s Modern Artifacts combines form and function into sleek, wearable works of art, like this patinated-copper-and-gold Tetra cuff perfect for the Wonder Woman in your life. $99 at Space Montrose or modernartifacts.design.
Go beyond Astros gear with the STAG X Ebbets Field Collection, featuring wool caps, sweatshirts and coaches’ jackets for dearly departed Texas minor league baseball teams including the Houston Buffaloes. $54 at Stag Provisions.
Looking for a beautiful baby gift that won’t be outgrown in a week? Surprisingly pretty teethers from local purveyors Feltman & Co. are made of wooden rings and colorful, BPA-free hexagonal beads perfect for newborns to gnaw on. $15.99 at feltmanco.com.
Spice up someone’s life with a full set of Houston-based Bravado Spice’s exciting and unexpected hot sauces [see The Drawl, p. 96], including ghost-pepper-blueberry and the five-alarm crimson special reserve. $37.99 at Whole Foods Market or bravadospice.com.
Embrace bold and beautiful accessories by giving your best gala girl one of Houston designer Sameera Faridi’s clutches, whose golden floral embroidery will add glam to the most basic LBD. $75–150 at Poshak Fashion and Style.
Is it us, or does everything taste (and look) better in a Topo Chico bottle? If you don’t know a Texan who’d adore these hand-cut tumblers from RioSanto on Etsy, you just might be a Yankee. $30 for four at riosanto.etsy.com.
In a world full of small-batch bath products, Texas-made Jabonería Marianella gift sets stand out with subtle, sophisticated scents, all-natural ingredients and ultra-luxurious packaging that’s guaranteed to impress. Almond-and-white-tea trio gift box, $48 at the Jabonería Marianella cart in the Galleria or marianellasoap.com.
Houston’s most irreverent ceramicist, Wyatt Little, has bridged the gap between technology and the natural world with this adorably odd terra cotta brick phone. $90 at wyattlittle.com.
Cliché, sure, but a tie doesn’t have to be a yawn of a present—especially if it’s one of the modern, understated designs in Kathrine Zeren’s Houston-based line. $88 at Manready Mercantile or kathrinezeren.com.
The perfect present for the aspiring entertainer? A locally made Mostess box filled with Pinterest-perfect, seasonally inspired tableware, home accessories, craft-cocktail mixers and easy-as-pie recipes and styling tips. $135 at mostessbox.com.
Will giving your pup its own stylish bed mean that you can reclaim your own sleeping space? We doubt it, but with over 30 textile designs from Houston-based Annie Digs, at least it will fit in with the rest of your décor. From $225 at anniedigs.com.
Nothing delights quite like chilled rosé by your favorite pool, beach or campsite on a hot Texas day, so enterprising Houstonians invented Vinglacé to keep wine at the perfect temp for hours—no ice needed. From $89.95 at Bering’s or vinglace.com.
From Topshop to Gucci, everyone’s in love with the relaxed-chic look of kimonos, but few are as cool as the vintage versions that Houstonian Tina Zulu of Kimono Zulu snags from Japan. Each is one-of-a-kind and straight-up stunning. From $175 through @kimonozulu on Instagram.
We always love to support local stores, designers and makers, but during this holiday season, with everything the city has been through, it’s more important than ever to keep our dollars local. Luckily, there’s more than enough amazing, Houston-centric stuff to give everyone a little piece of trill under the tree.
