{"id":1015,"date":"2026-07-16T14:07:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T14:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=1015"},"modified":"2026-07-16T14:07:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T14:07:57","slug":"start-of-summer-gift-guide-for-the-traveler-partier-and-chiller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=1015","title":{"rendered":"Start-Of-Summer Gift Guide For The Traveler, Partier, And Chiller"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Start-Of-Summer<\/div>

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We\u2019re in the sweet spot of the year, right now. Long days, longer nights \u2014 peak festival season and the start of summer. Everyone you know is off to Europe or a rave or both at once<\/a>, depending on the circles you travel in.<\/p>\n

And if far-flung travel isn\u2019t in the cards these next few months, our hope for you is that relaxation still is<\/em>. Summer used to be lazy. But inflation and fears about AI-related job loss have killed that little fantasy. Still, the idea of curating a beautiful life and feeling chilllll during the long warm nights isn\u2019t completely shot.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s something we all should aspire to, angst be damned.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what this installation of our famous gift guides is about. We built the guide around pieces with vintage European energy \u2014 Italian Riviera, terry-cloth-and-Negroni, Newman-and-Redford-squinting-into-the-Mediterranean type vibes. Then we added some rave-ready lingerie and self-care tech because one or both of those directions might be your heading over the next few months, and we didn\u2019t want to leave anyone in the cold.<\/p>\n

Check the items below, then check your bank balance. Because while many of the items here draw from midcentury design cues, that\u2019s the only thing mid<\/em> you should tolerate about summer \u201926.<\/p>\n

Randolph \u2014 Sportsman 23k Gold & American Tan<\/h3>\n

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Randolph <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Price:<\/strong> $335<\/p>\n

Picture Paul Newman leaning on a fence at a racetrack, or Redford squinting off a boat deck \u2014 that\u2019s the frame these conjure before you\u2019ve even put them on. The Sportsman evolved from Randolph\u2019s Concorde shape, with a Mazzucchelli (I included the name because it\u2019s the only name I\u2019ve ever heard code moire clearly Italian than my own!) acetate brow bar across the top and amber skull temple tips that hook behind your ears.<\/p>\n

The lenses are real glass, polarized, with an 11% light transmission that cuts festival-stage glare without washing out the colors.<\/p>\n

Randolph hand-assembles these in Massachusetts across roughly 200 steps, and the 23k gold is jewelry-grade plating that holds up. Speaking personally, I\u2019ve had three pairs over ten years (not a bad loss rate, if you knew me) and I keep going back to them!<\/p>\n

Get a pair for the person who treats their sunglasses like an heirloom, not a gas-station impulse buy.<\/p>\n

Get the Randolph Sportsman here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Houseplant \u2014 The Rooster Rolling Tray<\/h3>\n
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HousePlant<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Price:<\/strong> $185<\/p>\n

Seth Rogen\u2019s brand keeps evolving in cooler and cooler ways. The Rooster tray is freehand-painted by artisans in Deruta \u2014 the Umbrian hill town that\u2019s been turning out majolica ceramics since the Renaissance \u2014 using the Orvieto crowing-rooster motif, which is older than basically every country where you\u2019re likely reading this.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Each one is hand-thrown earthenware, kiln-fired, food-safe, dishwasher-safe, and slightly different from the next, because a real human painted it. (Not Seth himself, but still\u2026)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 16 inches long, so it\u2019ll hold a full antipasto spread, a stack of cannoli, or \u2014 this being a Houseplant joint \u2014 whatever else you\u2019d want to roll on a tray. Versatile little thing.<\/p>\n

Get it for the friend whose dinner parties already have a soundtrack and a vibe.<\/p>\n

Get the Rooster tray here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bydee \u2014 Mykonos Bikini in Mira\u00e9<\/h3>\n
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Bydee<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Price:<\/strong> $89 (top) \/ $79 (bottoms)<\/p>\n

If you are headed to Europe this summer, this is the suit you wear off a boat in the Cyclades and into a beach bar without changing. The Mykonos is textured stretch lace with a white lace trim. Like other Bydee suits, it\u2019s got a floral chain-drop charm and pearl teardrop at the center front, plus alternating gold-zinc-alloy dragonfly and floral charms on the end ties.<\/p>\n

The Mira\u00e9 colorway reads as a soft, near-white textured pattern that photographs like sea-bleached linen. The whole thing is cut from regenerated and recycled materials \u2014 97% recycled polyester \u2014 so it\u2019s kinder to the water you\u2019re swimming in. This one definitely screams, \u201cI summered somewhere with a ferry schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Get the Mykonos top here<\/a> and the bottoms here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Birdwell \u2014 808 SurfStretch Side Pocket Boardshorts in Gold<\/h3>\n
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Birdwell<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Price:<\/strong> $125<\/p>\n

Birdwell Beach Britches has been sewing boardshorts in Southern California for six-plus decades \u2014 these are the trunks your coolest uncle wore in faded Kodachrome, back when a day at the beach came with a woodie wagon and zinc on the nose. The 808 is the modern version of that legacy: an 8-inch inseam that hits at mid-thigh, cut from the brand\u2019s SurfStretch fabric, which is water-repellent, quick-drying, and tough enough to come with a lifetime guarantee.<\/p>\n

A buddy of mine had the 90s version of these in college, and I will never forget that they lasted him all four beach-filled years in San Diego with nary a loose thread.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a full-sized side pocket built to swallow your phone, the seams are double- and triple-needle-reinforced so they don\u2019t blow out, and the gold colorway is a properly saturated sunshine yellow rather than some timid mustard. They\u2019re still sewn in the USA, true to size, and they look as right at a festival campsite as they do off the back of a boat.<\/p>\n

Get them for the guy who appreciates boardies built to outlast the trend cycle.<\/p>\n

Get the Birdwell 808 here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Houseplant \u2014 Roach Clip Side Table<\/h3>\n
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HousePlant<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Price:<\/strong> $295<\/p>\n

The Roach Clip Side Table is the most committed-to-the-bit piece in HousePlant\u2019s entire \u201cstoner gear doesn\u2019t have to look junky\u201d catalog. It\u2019s a genuinely handsome end table \u2014 steel frame, warm Sungkai wood top, 24.7 inches tall, the kind of clean-lined thing you\u2019d put next to an eames chair. Then you notice the built-in roach clip machined right into the design, and the Seth of it all lands.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The surface is sized for the actual choreography of a hang: room for a drink, a lighter, an ashtray. That ashtray is removable, too, so you can pass it around the circle without anyone ashing on the wood. Get it for the friend whose apartment already looks like a design magazine but who is ready for a coffee table that is\u2026 functionally honest<\/em> about how they spend their evenings.<\/p>\n

Get the Roach Clip Side Table here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Triangl \u2014 Mala Mulberry Balconette Bikini Set<\/h3>\n
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Triangl<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Price:<\/strong> $135<\/p>\n

Where the Bydee is for Greece, the Mala is for the come-down \u2014 post-festival pool days, late-July beach afternoons, the back half of summer when you\u2019ve earned a slower pace.<\/p>\n

The fabric is 91% recycled polyethylene. It also ships with a neoprene zip bag, so the wetsuit has somewhere to go that isn\u2019t the inside of your tote. Get it for the friend whose summer doesn\u2019t end when the festivals do.<\/p>\n

Get the Mala Mulberry set here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hello Molly \u2014 Berry Patch Bikini in Meadow Muse Print<\/h3>\n
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Hello Molly<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Price:<\/strong> $45.95 (top), $45.95 (bottom)<\/p>\n

The Berry Patch leans sweet and a little romantic. It\u2019s got a waffle texture, adjustable halter neck, and back ties to dial the fit, finished with little love-heart charms and a knot detail at the center. The bottoms are a Brazilian cut with adjustable hip ties, same waffle texture.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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It\u2019s the kind of print that looks like it belongs on a vintage Italian beach towel. Get it for someone who wants the European summer look without the European summer flight.<\/p>\n

Get the Berry Patch top here<\/a> and the bottoms here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Honey Birdette \u2014 Clara 3 Piece Lingerie Set<\/h3>\n
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Honey Birdette<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Price:<\/strong> $450<\/p>\n

This is a serious piece of lingerie \u2014 ultra-soft pink satin with glossy gold rings, very sexy (if slightly complicated) garter belt, and a cheeky brief, with Honey Birdette claiming 20-plus ways to wear it via the adjustable ties.<\/p>\n

Def a great one for a lazy summer Sunday. But also, anyone who goes to music festivals knows that \u2014 particularly at EDM fests \u2014 lingerie doesn\u2019t have to stay in the bedroom.\u00a0Lingerie-as-outerwear has been a main-stage move for years, and a satin bra that layers well under an open shirt at an EDM set far better than anything you\u2019ll find at some fast fashion outlet.<\/p>\n

If your giftee is heading to Lost in Dreams, or any of the season\u2019s electronic tentpoles where the dress code is \u201cwear less, but make it look expensive\u201d \u2014 or just wants something for a night that has nothing to do with a festival \u2014 the Clara works both jobs. Also\u2026 it\u2019s the rare gift that, let\u2019s be honest, serves two people.<\/p>\n

Get the Clara set here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dandy Del Mar \u2014 The Cyprus Dress in Pico<\/h3>\n
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Dandy Del Mar<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Price:<\/strong> $89 (regularly $149)<\/p>\n

The Cyprus is a scoop-neck mini cut from an 80% cotton, 20% polyester terry blend \u2014 the same plush fabric your grandmother\u2019s cabana chairs were upholstered in, now tailored into something you\u2019d actually wear to dinner.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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This is the in-between piece \u2014 the thing you throw on over a swimsuit for the walk from the water to the cocktail bar, designed with love in California but dreaming hard about the Ligurian coast (I feel insufferable for that sentence but alas\u2026I won\u2019t delete it).<\/p>\n

Get the Cyprus dress here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dandy Del Mar \u2014 The Cannes Waffle Knit Robe in Albero<\/h3>\n
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Dandy Del Mar<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Price:<\/strong> $139 (regularly $199)<\/p>\n

The Cannes is a waffle-knit robe in a 60% cotton, 40% polyester blend, with a charming lapel, a matching waist tie, a reinforced collar, and side pockets for your espresso, your phone, your\u2026 whatever. The Albero colorway is a warm earthy brown that looks expensive against tile.<\/p>\n

Basically, this is the lounge robe for cocktail hour when you know you\u2019re going to dip back in the pool. For the guy who answers the door holding a Negroni. Get it for him. He deserves it.<\/p>\n

Buy the Cannes robe here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gina DeSantis Ceramics \u2014 Borealis Oil Cruet<\/h3>\n
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Gina De Santis Ceramics<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Price:<\/strong> $69<\/p>\n

This cruet is thrown on the wheel from speckled brown stoneware, hand-trimmed, then glazed in DeSantis\u2019s custom lead-free glazes. Three thumbprint indentations are pressed into the side, so it actually grips even when your hands are oily, and the narrow-neck spout pours olive oil without dripping.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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It stands eight inches tall, holds about 22 ounces, and it\u2019s the shop\u2019s number-one seller. Get it for the home cook who already buys the good oil and deserves something better than the bottle it came in. This makes the table feel like it\u2019s pulled from one of those old beach cabins along the Oregon coast.<\/p>\n

Get the Borealis cruet here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

BluBlocker \u2014 1986 Aviator in Black Metal<\/h3>\n
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Blue Blocker<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Price:<\/strong> $48<\/p>\n

The everyman counterpoint to the Randolphs \u2014 same retro-aviator silhouette, a fraction of the price, and a cult following we\u2019ve now covered something like five separate times. The 1986 Aviator is a rerelease of BluBlocker\u2019s original frame, the one that started life in a late-night in-flight shopping catalog and somehow became a low-key cultural artifact. You get a black metal aviator shape and the signature amber gradient lens that warms the whole world and makes every late-afternoon set feel like golden hour.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not pure nostalgia, either \u2014 the glass lenses block 100% of UV and blue light, so it\u2019s genuine squint relief on a bright festival field, and they ship in a drawstring pouch so they survive the bottom of your bag.<\/p>\n

Stupidly good value. Get a pair for the friend who loses sunglasses but cries over the expensive ones.<\/p>\n

Get the BluBlocker 1986 Aviator here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

RENPHO x Headspace \u2014 Eyeris Zen Eye Massager<\/h3>\n
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Renpho<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Price:<\/strong> $124.99<\/p>\n

The recovery piece \u2014 because the dolce vita includes the part where you do nothing, and three days of festival sun does a number on your eyes. The Eyeris Zen wraps your eyes and temples in adjustable heat (low, medium, high, or off) and gentle air compression across three massage modes, all driven by a ZenTech motor that runs near-silent at around 40 decibels.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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It weighs under 10 ounces, fits via an adjustable headband, and \u2014 the genuinely clever bit \u2014 has nine Headspace meditations built right in, no phone required.<\/p>\n

This product is part of my morning and nighttime routines \u2014 adding a sense of calm. Get it for the person in your life who needs permission to slow down \u2014 the festival friend, the screen-fried creative, the one who hasn\u2019t taken a real breath since May.<\/p>\n

Get the Eyeris Zen here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re in the sweet spot of the year, right now. Long days, longer nights \u2014 peak festival season and the start of summer. Everyone you know is off to Europe or a rave or both at once, depending on the circles you travel in. And if far-flung travel isn\u2019t in the cards these next few…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/uproxx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Gift-Guide_-Article_Image-Set_710x400.jpg?w=710","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1015\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}