What's On Cleo Davis-Urman's Holiday Wish List?

by Guest of A Guest · December 1, 2022

Cleo Davis-Urman is a master of puns.

Seriously, just take a scroll through her Instagram, where the captions are as good as her outfits.

As it happens, the stylish and witty creative cool girl is just as quick on her feet when it comes to her entrepreneurial spirit. When the COVID pandemic hit, she answered the call for chic wellness essentials, from masks to hand sanitizer, by launching her brand Barrière. It's since expanded to include luxe lotions, funky sun hats, and travel-ready kits that now have a permanent spot in our carry-ons.

And, given the fact that she's spent years as a fashion director and maestro of party-planning, it's no surprise that Cleo's great taste extends to shopping for gifts and celebrating the holidays.

How do you celebrate the holidays?
Our Christmas Eve tradition is to prepare and enjoy The Feast of The Seven Fishes, and despite doing this every year, we inevitably forget a couple of the fishes and end up with Pepperidge Farm Goldfish on the table. On Christmas we spend the day watching movies and exchanging gifts.

Where will you be this season?
This year I will be spending Christmas for the first time with my baby niece and nephew in Austin followed by a trip to St. Barths to ring in the New Year!

Are you a last-minute or way-in-advance shopper?
My approach to gifting is very personal so I like to pick up gifts for people when I see something I think they would enjoy, regardless of the time of year, and save it for a gift. Some years I am more prepared than others.

What's the best gift you've ever given or received?
The best gift I've ever given is French lessons and roundtrip tickets to Paris. The best gift I've ever received is a Julian Wasser portrait of Joan Didion.

Who's the toughest to shop for on your list?
My husband is by far the most difficult. His list normally includes socks and not much else. This year I am (selfishly) gifting him an OONI pizza oven so we can have a taste of la dolce vita in Brooklyn.