Dear Santa: Bryan Boy's Holiday Give and Get List

By Lauren Sherman
December 17, 2010

Our Series on What Today's Top Style Makers Plan to Give—and Hope to Get!—for the Holidays

Before there were Tavi, Fashion Toast, and Sea of Shoes, there was Bryan Boy. The Philippines-based fashionblogger, whose given name is Bryan Grey-Yambao, launched his website in 2004. After all these years, he continues to remain a real fashion industry presence, with friends like street-style star Anna Dello Russo, fashiondesigner Marc Jacobs and even Vogue’s Anna Wintour throwing him kudos. When Bryan Boy isn’t sitting front row at fashion weeks in New York, Milan, and Paris, he’s at home writing Bryanboy.com. The site is more of a personal journal than simply a style blog; it features video interviews with fashionable celebrities Bryan Boy meets on trips abroad, images from different cities he visits, and intimate details of his shopping excursions.

Bryan Boy

Unsurprisingly, when Bryan Boy is at home in the Philippines, the fashion blogger loves to browse eBay. “I’ve bought everything from a Blackberry Storm mobile phone and real fox fur tail keychains to things such as international pre-paid SIM cards (a very cost-efficient alternative to paying roaming fees from my cell provider) to band t-shirts,” Bryan Boy said. “eBay literally has almost everything you can think of!”

But of course there’s one eBay find he considers the most special. “My most memorable find from eBay was a copy of American Vogue's November 1988 issue,” he reveals. It was Anna Wintour's first issue as Editor-in-Chief after replacing Grace Mirabella. Micaela Bercu was the cover girl. I liked the idea of mixing a very expensive Christian Lacroix couture jacket with a pair of jeans—it was the ultimate "high/low" fashion moment. However, to me it was a sign that Anna's mission and goal for the magazine is to make fashion appealing to as many people as possible... and after more than twenty years at the helm, I think she successfully reached that goal.”

Bryan Boy continues to troll eBay for something which comes close to that 1988 Vogue. (In terms of sentiment, at least.) But even if he never finds it, there are a ton of items he’s hoping to score in time for the holidays. Here’s what he’s giving, and what he’d like to receive.

What Bryan Boy Plans to Give (and Hopes to Get) This Holiday Season

Roll over items for details

Balmain

DSLR Camera

Fashion Coffee Table Book

Notebook Computer

Dear Santa: Bryan Boy's Holiday Give and Get List

GIVING

1. Fashion Coffee Table Book: “I'm a big fan of books, but I must admit I don't have a lot of spare time these days to read. A good fashion-related coffee table book is perfect for those who are inspired by images...plus, they also make excellent home decor, too!”

2. Cashmere Scarf: “Cashmere scarves make great holiday gifts. I'm a big fan of sending gifts people can actually use. Solid-colored cashmere scarves are timeless.”

3. Holiday Cards: “I plan on sending handwritten holiday cards this season to close friends and colleagues. In this age we live in where everyone is using some sort of an electronic gadget (if they're naughty, two or three at the same time) to communicate, sending (or receiving) a card through the mail is very heartwarming.”

4. Inspiration: “I intend to give the gift of dreams through my blog. Most of my dreams have already come true and it's been nothing but sheer pleasure to share them all with my readers. I hope to inspire them to dream bigger! But then again, that’s one gift that we're supposed to give all-year round....” Perhaps this Balmain jacket, from one of Bryan Boy's favorite fashion designers, would be someone's dream come true this holiday.

5. Moleskin Notebook: “I love Moleskine notebooks. In lieu of sending one expensive item, I like to give a mini grab bag comprised of assorted affordable knickknacks. Moleksine notebooks come in handy year-round.”

GETTING

6. Alaska Cruise: “It's always nice to be detached from my day-to-day chaos and go somewhere unfamiliar. Alaska is one of those destinations; can you imagine the photo opportunities with glaciers around you?”

7. Church's Brogues: “After a year of wearing stratospheric heels and, as WWD said, ‘outrageous women 's footwear,’ I'm toying with the idea of going back to basics and wearing classic brogues. Church's makes excellent shoes that last for years and years.”

8. Notebook Computer: “After months and months of use and abuse, I have a feeling my laptop is about to give up on me sometime soon.”

9. DSLR Camera: “A nice camera is, without question, a blogger's best friend. Just like the old saying goes, photos speak louder than words. I recently broke my camera during a trip to Los Angeles and I desperately need one.”

10. Charitable Donation: "Trickle Up is a charitable institution I've been supporting for years. Trickle Up provides grants to support entrepreneurship and create micro-enterprises in less-developed nations.”

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