VintageGent’s Menswear Daily

Father’s Day Gift Idea #2: Cobwebby Mysteries

S.S. Van Dine was quite a colorful character. Lore tells us that he fell gravely ill for two years, and wrote the Philo Vance mysteries while bedridden. His biography tells us that he was actually bedridden because of a cocaine addiction that he was under the grips of or needed to kick. At any rate, he was confined and read many crime stories, hence the novels were born smack dab in the art deco era!

This set of mystery novels was lovingly collected by a fan back in the day. It appears that they bought each Philo Vance novel as it was released. In the novels, author Van Dine appears as a Watson like character to the bon vivant Vance. Philo Vance was a fencer, archer, connoisseur of Chinese ceramics, polo, fine cuisine, and student of crime history.

This set is available on Etsy. They would be a great gift alone, or pair them with slippers or a robe, a magnifying glass, or Dad’s favorite kind of coffee. They would look very fashionable in a bookshelf or on a side table, just as well as they would do being actually read.  Imagine that…actually reading them!  The collection includes: The “Canary” Murder Case, The Greene Murder Case, The Bishop Murder Case, Gracie Allen Murder Mystery, The Garden Murder Case, The Kidnap Murder Case.

To get a closer gander at them, click HERE.

A Fashionable Auction Donation

There have been some gift certificates given for a few charity auctions I have helped organize that entitled the winner to receive a massage. How fashionable! Sometimes, the gift certificate is given by the spa, but many other times, it is given by a very happy client of a massage therapist. They are easy to obtain from a therapist or spa, but if you are looking for something more instantaneous, good for a single, dual, or couples massages in chicago, The Tiffani Kim Institute has gift certificates available on their website.

You choose the amount for as little as$25.00 or as much as $1000.00. Then, you choose a design for the occasion, such as the examples at left. There are popular selections and recommendations for special occasions. After you choose a pretty picture, you can write your message. The gift certificate, complete with bar code can be printed, or emailed to the recipient.

I know people occasionally misplace things in the excitement of an auction. I have definitely seen it happen. You could make a nice card to place on the auction table, and then when a winner is determined, go home and purchase the gift certificate online. Then, it will be conveniently emailed. If they have a printing snafu or lose that one, they can always print it out again. How convenient. It also helps the charity, as volunteers won’t have to watch the coveted gift certificate with eagle eyes during the hustle and bustle of the event. In addition, sometimes the massage certificate generates so much interest that people get bid happy and bid up other items too, or draws more people to the auction. That works for you, doesn’t it?