Love Is

From label lovers to arty types, find the perfect Valentine's gift for that oh-so-hard-to-buy-for man in your life

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1

The Arty Type
David LaChapelle: Heaven To Hell
Price: £39.99
Stockist: Urban Outfitters
www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk

If you spend your weekends being dragged off to cooler-than-thou art exhibitions, set yourself free (if only for a few hours) by treating your boy to David LaChapelle’s latest offering. Following in the footsteps of 1996’s LaChapelle Land and 1999’s Hotel LaChapelle, the final installment in LaChapelle’s trilogy explores provocative new material from all aspects of popular culture including sexuality, gender, style and status. So, while he gets stuck into LaChapelle’s seminal world, get stuck into your shopping!

2

The Sporty Guy
TuneBelt Sports Armband for iPod
Price: £18.50
Stockist: John Lewis
www.johnlewis.com

Whether your man’s into jogging, cycling or the gym, indulge his sporty side with this nifty iPod pouch. Fitting snugly around the arm, it’s designed to hold his mp3 player upside down, so he can easily stay in charge of his music without interrupting his work out. There’s even a cute mini storage pocket to store his earphones while he takes a breather.

3

The Muso
WESC Premium Headphones
Price: £52.99
Stockist: Urban Industry
www.urbanindustry.co.uk

If your man’s music collection outstrips your shoe collection, treat him to the latest in headgear. These WESC Premium Headphones don’t just look enviably-cool; they deliver an impressive build and sound quality to boot. And, with a gold plated stereo cord thrown in for good measure, he’s bound to be impressed!

4

The Sci-Fi Geek
Heroes: Season 1 – Complete Box Set
Price: £41.99
Stockist: Play
www.play.com

Any Sci-Fi geek worth his trekkie-tracksuit will have discovered Heroes on the Sci-Fi channel long before the recent BBC2 re-runs. But if all that “Save the cheerleader, save the world,” talk seems a lifetime ago, treat him to this complete box set. He’ll love you forever (or at least until the new season starts!)

5

The History Buff
Routemaster Light Box
Price: £299
Stockist: Pedlars
www.pedlars.co.uk

Surprise your man with his very own slice of London history. These vintage Routemaster Bus light boxes are completely unique and you can even hand-pick your preferred destination. Each box is built in hard-wearing black metal and made-to-measure according to the precise dimensions of your selected stop. About as unique as they come, we love, love, love them!

6

The Lazy Boy
Lumie BodyClock Advance Alarm
Price: £100
Stockist: John Lewis
www.johnlewis.com

If your weekends are usually spent trying to haul your man’s ass out of bed and into action before noon, invest in this BodyClock Alarm from Lumie. The imitation sunrise of this gorgeous opal, frosted-glass digital alarm clock, wakes you gently by slowly filling the room with a natural sunrise. And for those who find drifting off to sleep just as difficult as waking up, there’s a sunset function to help you nod off peacefully at night.

7

The Label Lover
Vivienne Westwood Scarf
Price: £125
Stockist: Libertys
www.liberty.co.uk

There’s no point trawling the High Street for Valentine’s inspiration when it comes to your designer-junkie of a man. This statement scarf from Brit design icon Vivienne Westwood is guaranteed to impress even the biggest brand-snob. Oh, and if that weren’t enough, the signature print will draw enough green-eyed glances to pump up his ego too!

8

The Action Man
Radsail Kite
Price: £89.99
Stockist: The Gadget Shop
www.gadgetshop.com

Bring out the big kid in your action man with this strictly-for-grown-ups kite. Pack him off to the park and while he spends the day reliving his childhood passions (and attempting to keep his feet on the ground!), you can indulge in some serious retail therapy. Who said romance was dead?

9

The Gadget Lover
Guido Oooms Wooden USB Stick
Price: £59
Stockist: Thorsten Van Elten
www.thorstenvanelten.com

If your home’s starting to resemble the offices of MI5, instill a little natural beauty to your man’s geek-chic with this real wood, USB stick. Hand-picked and carved, these little beauties are completely unique and boast a 512 MB memory. Supplied in a white gift box, they’re the perfect gift for your cyber hunk!

10

The Eternal Romantic
CDG Play EDT spray 100ml
Price: £45
Stockist: Pedlars
http://shop.doverstreetmarket.com

It might be a bit of a Valentine’s cliché but we couldn’t resist this cute-as-can-be, Play Parfum from Comme des Garcons. This simple fragrance boasts yummy notes of bitter orange, black pepper, lime and sage mixed with brooding patchouli and musk and comes packaged in this playful, heart-stamped bottle. What a way to declare your true feelings!

11

He Who Has Everything
Whole Man Power Boosting Programme
Price: £195
Stockist: The Whole Man Salon
www.wholeman.co.uk

How to impress the unimpressable? If your man’s bursting at the seams with material goods, treat him to a little TLC without lifting a finger. The Whole Man Salon in London is a market-leader in men’s grooming and its Power Boosting Programme will leave you man feeling revitalized and reinvigorated. The signature treatment includes nutritional analysis, a power boosting body scrub, super active massage, combat facial and traditional wet shave. He’ll be a changed man.

12

The Football Fan
Leather Football
Price: £39.50
Stockist: Colloco
www.colloco.co.uk

While an executive box at Wembley might be a little beyond your budget this Valentine’s Day, you can still offer your man a little slice of footballing history with this vintage-style, leather football. Supplied with its own cotton storage bag and inflation valve, he’ll be the envy of all his mates come Tuesday-night training!

13

The Technophobe
Philips Touch Screen Remote Control System
Price: £160
Stockist: Amazon
www.amazon.co.uk

If the thought of installing a new DVD player brings your man out in a cold sweat, bring a little harmony to his life with the Philips Touch Screen Remote Control System. Designed to eliminate the need for all other remotes (heaven!), this little baby will put your man in charge of all your entertainment needs with the push of just one little button. And the easy set up wizard means it's simple enough for even the most technically-challenged.

14

The Traveller
Enormous Magnetic World Map
Price: £117.50
Stockist: Pedlars
www.pedlars.co.uk

Searching for something to quench the wanderlust of your intrepid explorer? Save yourself a few pennies on that round-the-world ticket and invest in this Enormous Magnetic World Map instead. Easy to hang and supplied with enough magnets to identify even his list of must-do destinations, he can plan his next adventure from the comfort of his living room. Hmm, keep your fingers crossed for Tahiti!

15

The Film Fanatic
Home Cinema Projector
Price: £587
Stockist:
www.projectors.co.uk

Indulge your Spielberg wannabe to a real film treat, just in time for Oscar season. The Home Cinema Projector from Hitachi is a portable projector that transforms your home into a private screening room for all your favourite films. This light-weight, low-noise machine is the perfect introduction to the world of home cinema. Now all he needs is a golden statue of his own!

16

The Handy Man
Leatherman New Wave Multi-Tool
Price: £89.99
Stockist: The Gadget Shop
www.gadgetshop.com

If your man’s tool collection is beginning to outgrow itself, invest in this fix-just-about-anything multi-tool. Guaranteed to induce all-out awe in even the handiest of hunks, it brags knives, pliers, wire cutters, all locking-blades (no, we don’t know what they do either!), saws, scissors and a whole suite of screw drivers. And if that doesn’t convince you, the addition of a ever-handy bottle opener might just do the trick.

17

The Intellectual
McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern Subscription
Price: $55
Stockist:
http://store.mcsweeneys.net/

What’s a girl to get for the impossible to impress intellectual? If you’re looking for a real thumbs up, you can’t go far wrong with a subscription to McSweeney’s Magazine. This oh-so-highbrow mag publishes on a quarterly schedule and promises "ground-breaking fiction and much more." Every issue is different, so far including one in a box, one in Icelandic and one that resembles a pile of post. He’s bound to be impressed.

18

The Video Game Junkie
Nintendo Wii
Price: From £179
Stockist:
www.wii-consoles.co.uk

If like the rest of the population, your man’s still on the waiting list for a Nintendo Wii, make his Valentine’s by conjuring one up out of nowhere. Advance supplies over Christmas means there’s a few left on the shelves at John Lewis, but if you can’t bare the thought of trudging down the high street, go to www.wii-consoles.co.uk and find your nearest online stockist. You’ll be in the good books for a VERY long time