Holiday Chic: 7 stylish gift ideas 

Last year for the holidays, I bought gifts for my friends at the All Arts Market at Neighborhood Theatre. I wanted each person to have something handcrafted and individual. Why? Because each person I bother to spend money on — and let's face it, would I really spend hard-earned money on someone who didn't matter to me? — is special. I would not buy my mom a blouse from Walmart that a thousand other women have. She's my mom, my only mom, and I want her to have something personal.

And I want you, dear reader, to want that, too. To help you find those one-of-a-kind presents for the people who matter to you, I've put together a short — but chic! — selection of locally grown or locally inspired products, perfect to offer up as tokens of your holiday spirit. Happy shopping!

House of Abbeydale — menswear

Nothing attracts my eye more than a well-dressed man. If a decent-looking guy in a collared shirt, crisp jeans and a pair of Oxfords asked me out, I'd consider handing him my heart.

That said, ladies, it's up to us to dress our men — husbands, brothers, best friends, dads, whomever — appropriately. House of Abbeydale, a custom men's shirt and accessory line, is ready to help.

David Watkins, the creator of the line, grew up on Abbeydale Drive in East Charlotte. (That's where he got the name.) He began his career selling tailored clothing for another company before venturing out on his own.

"One thing I noticed when I was out selling custom clothing is [that] guys had a lot of options for custom dress shirts, but they were making really horrible decisions when it came to casual wear," says Watkins, who admits his own style is classic and understated.

From there, Abbeydale was born, offering a number of classically styled shirts that never go out of season, tailored to a man's personal measurements and detailing refinements. "It might be a little more of an investment on the front end, but these pieces are going to last forever."

Watkins' shirts even come with their own stories. Take The Thomas ($155), a dress shirt available in a variety of fabrics and patterns, including black stripe castello or white cotton herringbone: "Who the heck is Thomas?" the description asks. "Our founder considers Thomas to be the foundation for classic elegance. But he doesn't call him Thomas, he calls him Dad."

Another shirt is The Seaboard ($155), inspired by Watkins' grandfather. "He was one of the coolest guys I've ever known, who was always pressed and dressed to the nines," the designer says. "Even in his old age when he wasn't doing so well, he'd still get up and press his slacks and put a nice shirt on and just sit around the house."

Abbeydale also features cufflinks and ties, for the man who's concerned about the details.

"I think anybody who pays attention to the way they dress is a really good customer for me," Watkins says. 0x000A"The people who generally purchase my stuff like a story, and they like to buy quality."

www.houseofabbeydale.com

The Queen Cleopatra Collection — accessories

Over the summer, feather earrings were blazing in style. If you owned a quality pair purchased in one of Charlotte's local boutiques, then you probably were wearing a set crafted by Tamara Lytch, better known by her stage name Cleo Jones. A rapper, clothing designer and accessory maker, she is the creator of the Queen Cleopatra Collection.

Her hot sellers right now — available on her website and at places like Vivian B in NoDa — are her leather fringe earrings, starting at $25. They come in a variety of colors, like metallic, turquoise and black, and in two lengths, shoulder-length and mid-chest-length.

"I purchase raw leather hides, and I'll sit there and actually cut the shapes out," Jones says. "Then I have a machine that fringes the leather for me."

Jones says she is inspired by culture, and you can see it in her widely popular African-inspired print clutch. Some pieces from her fall clothing line also showcase a hint of the African aesthetic, with contemporary prints edging on an exotic motif.

The jewelry and bags typically draw a 20- to 25-year-old crowd, but the clothing attracts women in their late 20s to 30s, who want to look classy and sexy but not like their mom or grandma.

"Every time somebody purchases one of my pieces," Jones says, "I always get a call or an e-mail about how many people complimented them."

www.queencleopatraonline.com

Hola Baby — Children's clothing

Even though my best friend's baby girl can't truly appreciate the incredibly cute outfits I've been buying her lately, I can't stop myself.

I think Julie Aguirre Whitted would probably agree with that love of dressing up little ones. A few years ago, she started the baby and children's clothing line Hola Baby. Each T-shirt, designed by Whitted and a family member, sports an endearing Spanish term. For example, one girl's shirt ($18), available in sizes 2T, 3T, 4T, features a pink strawberry sundae with the word "Fresona" below it in green letters. "Fresona" means "girly girl."

"My favorite is still 'El Mero Mero,'" Whitted says, "which is like 'the cool guy' and it's got this silhouette of this dancing guy on it."

One of her main goals in launching Hola Baby was to establish a brand for the Latino community. "Baby Phat is a brand that people identify with the urban culture, but there isn't a brand that people identify with Latino culture," Whitted says. "That would be awesome if Hola Baby came to be that brand that represents Latinos, at least with children."

Whitted says her products appeal to parents interested in exposing their children to the world and its languages. "There are plenty of T-shirts out there with a Spanish word on them, but mine has the awesome design to go with it. While your child is learning all their new English words, it's a great gift for the new parents who want to expose them to Spanish as well."

Right now, she has 11 designs available: four for girls, four for boys and three for toddlers. The T-shirts can be purchased via her website.

www.holababyshop.com

Abibi — Handmade Aprons

As the weather gets colder and the skies become gray, the best way to fight off any winter blues is to incorporate some bright colors into your wardrobe. Abby Baet, creator of Abibi, gives you the chance to perk up your kitchen look with her handmade, colorful aprons. She has five different styles — Flirty, Butcher, Ruffle Half, Frilly and Café Half — that can be found on Etsy and in The Boulevard at South End.

The first one she made was the Flirty, inspired by a gift she bought for a friend. "I actually got my friend an apron from Anthropologie for Christmas one year because she really wanted it," Baet says. "I was amazed. I had just paid $40 and I looked at it and thought, 'I could definitely make that.'"

Baet makes each of her aprons, and she rarely uses a fabric pattern twice. "I try to do no more than a few of each one so that they're really special for the customer." Patterns vary from holiday ornaments to playful pink flowers to blue paisleys, but all encompass a lively energy and girly style.

"It's a great gift if you have someone who loves to cook or just loves to host a party," Baet says. "When you have something cute and fun on, it makes you feel less stressed out; you don't feel frumpy with some plain canvas apron on over your really cute clothes."

www.etsy.com/shop/abibi

The Boulevard at Southend, 1440 S. Tryon St. Suite 100

Beast Streetwear — T-Shirts

I don't care if Charlotte is known as Banktown — the street culture here is alive and thriving. And if you've got people on your holiday shopping list who're into underground hip-hop, skateboarding, or sneakers, you're going to want to go Beast on their asses.

Beast Streetwear, courtesy of London-born creative director Jeremy Thompson, offers limited-edition T-shirts, both online and at Black Sheep Skate Shop. "The Beast aesthetic draws on post-war pop culture and mixes influences from graffiti/street art, comic books, punk rock, and surf and skateboard graphics from the late '80s and early '90s," he says.

One of the more attention-grabbing shirts — especially if you're into Star Wars — is the Street Trooper shirt ($28). It comes in four colors: red, black, light gray and dark gray. "The idea behind that was just taking a classic character from pop culture and appropriating it, making it a beast kind of trooper," Thompson says. "The distressed effects, that's where the street art comes in. Star Wars is so sci-fi, and especially the Storm Troopers, they're all really squeaky clean, really white. I just scratched it up a bit."

Thompson says his line is geared to people who are looking for something a little different, something exclusive — and that's part of why it fits so well into street culture.

"It's limited edition and it's hard to get hold of," he says. "You're not going to be able to find it in the mall, and that's something we do on purpose. It'd be a great gift for somebody because it's special and unique. The recipient may never have heard of Beast, but if they like skateboarding or Star Wars or robots, that kind of thing, they're going to be pumped about it. You could say streetwear has almost become mainstream, but there are definitely still core elements. That's what Beast tries to do; it's tried to stay core."

www.beaststreetwear.com

Black Sheep, 1504 Camden Road, Suite 200.

Halo Handmade — Jewelry

Feeling like royalty may be something you're familiar with, but whether you look the part is debatable. Amp up your trend factor this holiday season by checking out Trudy Green's jewelry line, Halo, available at her recently opened shop SoBo Loft Boutique & Gifts, in South End. When creating her line, Green wanted to honor local roots, so she decided to go with Halo in light of the Queen City's crown. The pieces, like their namesake, are "inspired by royalty, recreated with an urban twist," says Green.

The line began as bonding time between Green and her daughters. "We would sit in front of the TV and make jewelry," she says. Gradually, the project evolved and her 19-year-old daughter Bailey became her partner.

Oftentimes, their creations are a combination of semi-precious stones found in antique stores and online, beads, buttons and mixed metals. Necklaces are hand-wrapped, hairpins are colorfully called "pony-buttons," and headbands are also a big hit.

While Green and her daughter come together to produce a line that's been popular among local patrons, Green believes their styles are quite different. "I tend to have one look and she has another," she says. "I'm more eclectic, but both styles do well."

In addition to selling her line in SoBo Loft, Green also has a shop on Etsy called Halo Handmade. Necklaces range anywhere from $36 to $100, earrings are between $18 and $32 and hairpins and headbands are $12 to $21.

"You're not going to see anyone else wearing it," says Green, who has a passion for one-of-a-kind. "That's why they make great gifts."

SoBo Loft Boutiques & Gifts,1820 South Blvd., Suite 200.

www.etsy.com/shop/HaloHandmade

(Kadee Blakely)

Pendragon Corsets — Corsets

Nothing says sexy like a corset. And Deanna Pendragon, also known as Charlotte's queen of burlesque Big Mamma D, would know. In the past year, she left a professional career to become a full-time costumer and seamstress, and started her customized corset line Pendragon Corsets.

Pendragon says she makes "discrete creations" for people, whether it be a fitted bodice on a corset for a woman who's undergone a mastectomy, or something fancy for someone who is into BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism).

"These aren't throwaway club clothes," she says. "They're made for people who know that they want something sturdy. They're making an investment in something that's going to last a long time."

All of Pendragon's corsets (starting at $120) come with a lifetime guarantee and are available in a variety of materials: silk, brocade, satin, leather, cotton, denim, and more. Right now, the most popular colors are red and black, and iridescent. You can also personalize your piece by adding accents like crystals, beading, sequins or lace appliqués.

"My corsets are created with a figure, a beauty and a glamour in mind," says Pendragon. "When you give something like a Pendragon Corset, you're saying, 'I find you this beautiful. And I want you to have something that makes you feel beautiful.'"

Gift certificates are available on the website; if you purchase one for a loved one, Pendragon offers fitting services.

www.pendragoncorsets.com