Sauce Talk: The Streetwear Gift Guide For Your Pickiest Friends

Jason “Cheech” Hall , VICE’s director of merchandise and the driving force behind the Shorty-nominated show, Sauce Talk , is always bluntly honest. That’s why we go to him first for the best recommendations.

It can be difficult to shop for those discerning friends who always seem to know what’s hot—and where to find it—before you do.

Luckily, Cheech Hall is here to help steer you in the right direction this holiday season. Hall has created his own holiday wishlist, with streetwear picks at every price point and his favorite drops for December. Whether you’re looking to get a gift for the streetwear aficionado in your life (that they’ll actually use), or you need to stock up on some quality basics to start the new year fresh, we got you.

Tom Ford

Sauce ranking: Elite

While this particular Tom Ford fragrance was specifically created in a limited batch for those attending the designer’s Spring/Summer 2018 runway show, the warm and spicy fragrance was so appealing that the designer has since decided to release it widely.

For Cheech, the backstory to the scent’s name is also part of its appeal: During a meeting with Estée Lauder Companies, which owns Tom Ford Beauty, Ford took one sniff of the fragrance and said, “This is fucking fabulous.” The epithet stuck.

“It smells exactly how they titled it,” Cheech says.

Nike

Sauce ranking: Hot

“It’s a good transitional weather sneaker, meaning when it goes from winter to spring, the colorways sit well with that moment,” Cheech says. He also appreciates how the suede shoes have a less bulky Nike Pro–style tongue, rather than the classic skate shoe tongue used on Nike SBs.

Cheech gives the Viotechs a “hot” sauce ranking primarily because the shoe was first released exclusively back in 2002 and is now in its third generation.

“It’s like wine,” he says. “You want it as vintage as possible. The older the better.”

Ralph Lauren

Sauce ranking: Spicy

Ralph Lauren’s silk pajamas are a classic for Cheech. Though they’re marketed to women, Cheech says the sizing can be unisex and gets the XL for himself.

Takashi Murakami x PORTER

Sauce ranking: Spicy

Cheech has his eyes on Murakami’s latest collab with Japanese accessories label PORTER, which includes three different bags featuring Murakami’s iconic KaiKai KiKi sunflower print. Cheech’s favorite of the three is the rucksack in black.

“The inside has the flower print, but because it’s made of bomber [jacket] material, they use the inside with that highlighter orange shit that they always do inside of those bombers,” he says. “Fucking fire. Amazing.”

Calvin Klein

Sauce ranking: Mild

“They just feel better than the full-on cotton ones. They’re breathable and they don’t move. I never get any bunching,” Cheech says of the microfiber briefs. “It’s almost like I have on a compression short.”

Polo Ralph Lauren

Sauce ranking: Mild

Cheech gets these classic-fit basics as gifts from his mother every year. But as for the tank, Cheech wants to make sure people stop calling them “wife beaters.”

“The white tee is a white tee, but why is the wife beater not [called a] white tank?” he says. “Isn’t that so fucked up?”

Supreme x Hanes

Sauce ranking: Mild

As with the other basics, classic white crew socks are another can’t-have-too-many staple that Cheech looks forward to replenishing each year.

“It’s not really something I need, but it’s just something I want,” he says. “It’s Christmas!”

VICE Media may make a small commission on products linked in this article.