Sarasota's Official Shopping Guide for Him

Ladies, I'm going to teach you "guy talk."  I know we are complicated by being all, "Let's not get each other anything this year," and then making you look like a jackass when you are presented with an awesome gift from your man and you have nothing. This year I want to prevent that for you. Just follow my simple guide of manly gifts, and you will be a rock star in your man's eye.

1) Simply Spoiled - It's hard to look good and be manly at the same time. Allow me to fill you in on the man psyche: If we thought no one would catch us drawing a bubble bath and lighting candles, we'd do it every night. You know what else we'd do? We'd moisturize---but those pesky little pink tubes of rose-scented creams sit around our bathrooms so our other manly friends can make fun of us. The solution? Simply Spoiled Boutique. Simply Spoiled offers up some of the hottest brands designed for men's skin care. From masculine smells to masculine packaging in black and chrome, products by The Art of Shaving, Supersmile and Kate Sommerville make your man feel part-metro with a dash of sensitive and a majority of "let's crush beer cans on our  moisturized foreheads."  Teach your men, ladies, that it's okay to manicure in ways other than this: 

2) Jackie Z - What's more manly than metal, wood and leather? I'd suggest not a damn thing except chest hair. Jackie Z Style Co. is a store on Main St. and it's filled to the brim with fashionable and manly gifts.  Ladies, imagine how effing hot your guy will be in these fitted leather jackets, wood rimmed glasses and watches then finished off by a leather strap created by our own Jackie Z.  Yummy.

3) Charter a fishing guide - We love to fish. We really, really do. If you catch something then you feel like you rule the world; and if you don't it's okay, because you are with your friends and on the water with booze and no cell signal. We are simple creatures with simple needs, and this gift speaks to our primal selves. Here's my suggestion to you: Call Captain Greg Abbott (941-302-GREG) and set up a Saturday with the boys. If your man is smart he will have read my "Gift Guide for Her" and bought you a spa day at the Ritz for the same day. You all can enjoy the gifts to each other and meet back at the hotel for dinner in the newly renovated Ritz restaurant, Jack Dusty, while sleeping on the most comfortable beds in Sarasota that night.

4) Admiral Travel and I have been working to find the most manly trip you could ever buy for your guy. From climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and Machu Picchu to battling the cold in Antarctica, we found some killer trips for your dude. Diving in Costa Rica, Superbowl VIP packages, Formula One Racing and playing golf in Scotland were all manly ... but nothing was as glass-eating, nail-bitingly manly as Bear Grylls' Survival Academy. For six days your man (and you, if you want) can go with other brave souls to fend for yourselves in the woods of Scotland. You have a guide (who is quite the hottie and stars on Man vs. Wild, so that's an eye candy bonus for you) and he teaches you how to survive. Call Admiral Travel for info on this or any other mentioned trip: 941-951-1801.

5) I found a bonus gift for you. Have you seen the men's bodies who take Crossfit classes? If not, there's a handy photo on the left. Crossfit is the exercise class du jour. It's fast-paced and you do manly things like climb ropes and flip tractor tires. It's designed to build muscle, shred fat and tone a body that you, ladies, will not want to keep your hands off of. At least have him try a free intro class in a certified Crossfit gym, and later sign your guy up for a three-month unlimited intensive. Between you and me ...we know you're the real recipient of this gift.