Living well isn’t complicated. Living well stylishly, on the other hand, takes a little more intention — and a lot more taste. That’s the ethos MartinPatrick 3 has spent decades perfecting, one impeccably tailored jacket and beautifully set table at a time. And what better time to put it into practice than during the holidays? Here, the Twin Cities style authority shares five guiding principles that resonate during the festive season and long after it ends.
Photography provided by Philippe Garcia
Beautify the Home
The best houses aren’t just the most polished ones; they’re the ones people don’t want to leave. No one knows that quite like MartinPatrick 3’s home buyer, Anne Koebele, the eye behind the retailer’s posh assortment. “I love beautiful things that are actually meant to be enjoyed,” she says. “Baccarat is the perfect example.” Founded in 1764, the brand is best known for its Harcourt glass, a hexagonal-cut crystal silhouette so iconic it’s practically shorthand for a well-set table.
“There’s something wonderful about pouring a cocktail into an extraordinary glass,” she continues. “It instantly makes the moment feel a little more special. Whether it’s drinks with friends or a cocktail at the end of the day, why not use the good glassware?”
Photography provided by Completedworks
Dress with Impact
“I love that getting dressed can completely shift how you feel, and Aviù really embraces that idea,” says Samantha Tousey, director of women’s buying. “There’s confidence and personality in the collection. It’s not about blending in; it’s about choosing something that makes a statement the minute you put it on.” Cue one of the Italian label’s latest takes on knitwear: an oversize cardigan in open, cable-braided wool, left raw and undyed — as if it grew that way, rather than required hours at the loom.
London label Completedworks also has a firm hold on Tousey’s attention. “Jewelry truly completes a look,” she says, pointing to the brand’s Time Will Say Nothing But “I Told You So” necklace. Made from cherry blossom agate and calcite knotted onto recycled silver-plated brass, the piece acts as a holiday party MVP, season after season. “I love how these items elevate any outfit while adding something unexpected and personal,” she adds.
Photography provided by Assouline
Live Curiously
Koebele has a theory about coffee table books: If it’s not good enough to start a conversation, it doesn’t belong on the table. Her favorite this season? Assouline’s Secret Stays. “Travel keeps you curious,” she says. “It introduces you to places, people and ways of living you might never encounter otherwise. This book captures that beautifully, uncovering extraordinary places around the world and inspiring the desire to visit somewhere you haven’t been before.”
The premise of Secret Stays? Skip the hotel. Inside, former Condé Nast Traveler editor Melinda Stevens profiles 22 homes-turned-hotels run by people with better taste than your average concierge — from an estate in Yorkshire, England, to a villa in Tangier, Morocco, to a monastery in Croatia. The tome is bound in cocoa-colored cloth and finished with turquoise brushstrokes and gold script. It’s the kind of book that immediately gets flipped open to peruse the captivating imagery and closed with three new destinations added to your bucket list.
Photography provided by Maurizio Baldassari
Buy Better
MartinPatrick 3 has followed one maxim since 1994: craftsmanship over consumption. From that day on, it has grown from a design studio into a full lifestyle store carrying menswear, womenswear, leather goods and contemporary home furnishings. And the standard hasn’t moved an inch. Everything on the floor has to earn its keep.
Take the suit offerings. Maurizio Baldassari — an Italian label built on fine cashmeres, wools and silks — is a favorite. “There’s an ease to the way this Italian company approaches clothing, but underneath that is incredible attention to fabric, construction, details and fit,” says Ben Magnuson, director of men’s buying. “These are pieces you’ll reach for constantly, and you’ll still feel the quality years from now — that’s always something I look for when I’m buying for the store.”
Photography provided by Ormaie
Give With Intention
Koebele doesn’t believe in generic gifting, and Ormaie is her proof of concept. “Fragrance is such a personal gift, which is what makes this brand feel so special,” she says. “It’s an incredibly chic French fragrance house created by a mother-and-son duo, and everything from the scents to the sculptural bottles feels thoughtful, artful and unexpected. It’s the kind of gift that feels like you really chose it for someone.”
Take Ormaie’s Tableau Parisien: A faceted bronze cap sits atop a bottle the color of strong tea, poured with the same precision as the fragrance inside. It opens crisp — petit grain, ginger, mandarin — before becoming warmer with tuberose and rose, then settling into tobacco, tonka bean and vanilla by the end of the night. It’s a present for the person on your list who reaches for a smoky old-fashioned over a glass of rosé; someone who wants warmth with a little edge to it, not just something sweet. This holiday season and beyond, a stylish life is one rooted in thoughtfulness, personal flair and a healthy dose of glam for good measure.
