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The only good thing about the holiday break ending is showing up to school/work/wherever it is that you return to normalcy with a refreshed arsenal of clothing. Most years, I’ve waited until Christmas to get a piece I’ve been salivating over for months, maybe years.
This year, I got a Carhartt Pack of Crew Socks ($20) and if you don’t think that’s a very exciting gift you a) don’t understand me and b) have never tried on these socks. I asked a bunch of other guys to share what they received for the holidays and can’t wait to show off in the new year.
I have a lot of clothes; it's an occupational hazard. But my wardrobe, to paraphrase my favorite meme of the year, doesn't have the range. It's mostly black pants or jeans and neutral tops. So, in an effort to be the colorful trouser-wearer I'd like to see in the world, I'm looking forward to adding these Acne Max Satin Burgundy Trousers ($240) into the rotation in 2017. —Steve Dool, freelance writer and former Complex Style deputy editor
My holiday gift is Bryceland’s Sawtooth Denim Westerner shirt ($271) from Tokyo. You can never go wrong with a denim shirt. This is a reproduction of a 1950s westerner and even has the extra long tails. I’m gonna wear it with gray flannels, high-waisted denim, and old corduroys. I basically just want to look like an extra in Annie Hall. —Jeremy Kirkland, host and creator of the Blamo! Podcast
My girlfriend got me a new pair of Adidas Gazelles ($80) after I casually dropped several in-your-face hints. It's not the most exciting of gifts, but I've been wearing them every day and they go with pretty much everything I own, so who cares? She also got me a Sleepy Jones Sleeping Mask ($28) (masks are essential for urban dwellers, I tell you) so I'm looking forward to some uninterrupted sleep in 2017. —John Jannuzzi, US deputy lead, Twitter Moments
First things first: No one should be buying you clothes as a holiday gift, or, like, ever, so all the things I'm excited to wear next year I purchased for myself. In particular, there's this fun hybrid trouser category that's becoming increasingly important in my wardrobe: wool sweatpants.
I had one pair from Bonobos and another from Billy Reid, but I recently got these Chalk Stripe Pull-On Pants (currently on sale for $159) from Club Monaco that I'm going to wear the hell out of while it's still cold. The drawstring waist is really comfortable, but the material (and the cut) is all business, which makes them really adaptable. —Justin Fenner, editor of Ralph Lauren's RL Mag (Editor's note: Club Monaco is owned by the Ralph Lauren Corporation.)
These streamlined Common Projects Achilles Sneakers ($410) aren’t hyped up, nor do they dovetail into any big menswear trend right now. They’re not even new — and that’s exactly why I’m stoked about them. I spent 2016 Marie Kondo-ing the hell out of my closet, so 2017 is going to be all about stocking it with unimpeachably stylish staples that I can wear with just about anything. —Matt Sebra, GQ digital style director
My family and friends know that I am tragically specific and that it's a fool's errand to buy me something tangible for Christmas. The only gift I could consider "bulletproof" would be a pair of Missoni Long Socks (currently on sale for $45), as odd as that may sound. So big up to my brother, who grabbed me a couple of pairs. —Brian Trunzo, fashion consultant
I'm blessed to have a girlfriend who works in luxury fashion so she understands, albeit begrudgingly, when I ask for weird and expensive shoes. Two years ago, she got me infrared Jordan VIs that I tried unsuccessfully to buy on Black Friday, and this year she agreed to get me the Visvim FBTs in Veggie Suede (current season here for $830). All I can say is: Find you a woman who will cop both. —CB Rucker, wholesale account manager at Williamson Showroom
Growing up in the DC area, there are a few pairs of sneakers that truly tug at my heartstrings: Foam- and Flightposites, newly-exiled New Balance 574s, and Jordan XIs. When the Nike Air Jordan XI Space Jams came out in 2001, EVERYBODY had to have them. And if you didn't, you weren't shit. So I got these last ones out of pure nostalgia.
Just like back in the day, they sold out almost instantaneously, but I didn't have to risk getting bum-rushed or sacrifice my dignity by camping out for 'em. Was lucky enough to scoop a pair from Nike.com fairly easily like the god damn Cool Dad™ that I am. I don't really wear basketball sneakers off the court these days, but these definitely take me back to the days when you wanted to go somewhere, anywhere, just to show off your XIs. —Nick Grant, style writer
I got one of these Reigning Champ Heavyweight Terry Crewnecks ($118) and been wearing it a lot already. It's nice to have something that I can just throw on as a layer during the winter. The fit is spot on and the color goes easily with a lot of stuff in my existing wardrobe. Definitely like what this Canadian brand has been doing since its inception. —Rocky Li, Third Looks founder and chief content editor
My friend Jesse over at Put This On gifted me this wonderful Checked Indigo Japanese Boro & Silk Scarf ($220). It's made with hand-dyed indigo cotton from 19th century Japan on one side, then early 20th century Japanese silk on the other. Just a really nice piece with a lot of history, and made even more special because it came from a friend. I've been wearing it with an old Schott motorcycle jacket that I had relined last year in Japanese boro, as well as a pair of 3sixteen jeans and some RRL boots. —Derek Guy, founder of the blog Die, Workwear! and an editor at Put This On