THE NEWS CHICK BLOG

Last-minute gift ideas from Nordstrom

Dec 20, 2010, 2:52 AM | Updated: Mar 28, 2011, 3:46 pm

Only a few days to go before the Christmas holiday. Has the panic buying set in for you yet? It’s the, “Maybe I’ll get him a shirt,” or “She’d like a sweater, that’s a good gift, isn’t it?” anxiety.

There has to be a way to buy clothing that won’t seem last minute, or lame. Who better to ask about than Nordstrom?

KristyNordstrom’s tradition of customer service and being on the leading edge of fashion started in 1901 in Seattle. Kristy Anderson is the Northwest Personal Styling Director for Nordstrom, and her fashion sense goes back to when she was in second grade.

“Around Christmas time, when I was about seven years old, my mom gave up on me and said, ‘Okay this is what we’re going to do. You’ll choose a variety of things that you want and then I will surprise you with those,'” Anderson says. “I had an opinion from that early age on what I liked.”

Anderson took me shopping at the Nordstrom flagship store in downtown Seattle. She has gift ideas for everyone you might be shopping for.

Women: “We have this favorite that we do, and we throw in Zella leggings – which by the way happen to be a life-changing moment in a woman’s life,” she says. “So a Zella legging, in a box with an open sweater, a simple scarf and maybe a pair of Toms.

Guys, are you already lost? Toms’s shoes, Zella “life-changing” leggings? I explain those and look ahead to the biggest fashion trend for winter on my new podcast at MyNorthwest.com .

Men: You’re tricky to buy for. “We do these sort of necessary items for them,” says Anderson. “We get them new undershirts, or a scarf, a wallet, or a watch. Need I go on?

Her suggestion for a man is a half-zip North Face fleece. It’s a thin pull over that’s great for layering. “It’s that one piece he can pull on, zip up a little and he’s completely put together in 30 seconds or less,” she says.

Boys: We won’t spend much time on Nordstrom gifts for boys. Although some tweens or teens might like clothing, my son would toss the box aside and keep looking for his “real” present.

“Oddly enough they’re dressing up their wrists. They’re wearing more jewelry – personalized jewelry,” Anderson says. “It’s kind of this cool factor. A lot of the teen stars are definitely trounced in a lot of personal pieces around the wrist, the rings and the neck.”

Girls: Teen girls definitely want clothing. What should we do for daughters and nieces?

Toms“Pop a bunch of leggings, and in fact get her about three pair because she wears them. So load her up on the legging,” she says. “There’s a series of these soft, great sweaters. What I love is that she’s really replacing that hoodie sweatshirt with a really nice sweater.”

Add a scarf, with a boyfriend t-shirt, and a pair of Toms or a “great little flat” or simple boot.

Anderson also advises if you want to make a gift look less last minute, combine related items. Instead of buying gloves and throwing them in a box – add hand lotion. It adds to the feeling that you thought about the person you’re giving a gift to.

And, there’s always a gift card. One size fits all.

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Last-minute gift ideas from Nordstrom