Break The Bank

City Paper's 2008 Holiday Gift Guide

by Felicia D'Ambrosio

Steep

Rejected by fashionistas as it was embraced by tweens and strippers, glitter has earned a bad rap. But Repetto reintroduces sparkles to the smart set with its shed-free weekend bag, complete with contrasting exposed zippers and interior pockets.

Leashed to an elegantly long silver chain, this caged sparrow can be worn solo as a conversation piece or layered with other necklaces, such as this delicately vicious faceted citrine and sterling silver dagger. Perfect for your favorite bird with a soft spot for animals and a surly attitude toward everyone else.

A sleek column of caramel leather, these riding boots are the stuff of fantasy for women braving Philadelphia's endless winters. Pulled over slim jeans or paired with tights and a high-waisted skirt, these look — and are — blue-blood and expensive.

These artistic mezuzah cases contain blessing scrolls. Aimee Enright fuses diacrylic glass in a kiln and crowns it with soldered metal flourishes to create one-of-a-kind pieces for your doorway.

Upgrade the boyfriend from those tatty Vans to a pair of slick chukkas that will be in style forever. Opening Ceremony pares away the unnecessary from their men's shoes, leaving only elemental lines and sleek shapes that lend gravitas to jeans and a youthful splash to suits.

Fast, loud and right sharp, Brit bikes dominated the '60s motorcycle scene. In 1967, Triumph sent six factory 500 cc bikes to the legendary Daytona 200 Motorcycle Race, and when this model won it all, they christened it the Daytona. This 1969 model is a bone-stock, factory original that can speed you from café to café, or on a road trip of Easy Rider proportions.