Enough with the baggy shorts already! This season is all about trim, slim swimming trucks. You don’t want them too tight (no need to see a bulge or lack thereof), but they shouldn’t be down to your knees either. On the runway this season, we’ve seen some really cool looks from DSquared2 & Michael Bastian (of course), as featured on GQ in their spring trend section.

DSquared2 Swimming Trunks for Spring 2012

The spring season always comes with its up and downs–in weather that is. One day it’s 75 and the next it’s 59. Be prepared with an all-weather, light-weight Parka, which happens to be one of the hottest trends right now. Check out this JCrew version:

JCrew Parka for Spring 2012

Get these looks while you can. Pair this green parka with Aymara’s Green Tea Leaf Butterfly Cufflinks and you’ll be donating 10% of the purchase to a Peruvian Butterfly Sanctuary! Do some good this season, through fashion.

Aymara Green Tea Leaf Butterfly Cufflinks

Sweat shorts in the summer? Who woulda thunk it? Well GQ did, as well as several high-brow designers. It’s a good way to stay comfy and cool during beach season. Like the new swimming trunks, it defeats the “style” purpose if they’re unnecessarily baggy and what not, so keep it trim.

DSquared2 Sweat Shorts for Spring 2012

Pink and White Bandana, Silk, Spring 2012

And what about some hot new kicks for the season? Mark Anthony Green from GQ Magazine says, “We’ve been aggressively lobbying for Nike to properly revitalize one of our favorite OG sneakers, the Cortez, for years, and now—to pay homage to the shoe’s fortieth anniversary—they’ve finally done it. (You’re welcome, world.) The Cortez was once the most advanced running shoe on the market; now it’s a perfectly nostalgic sneaker for the street. We think the freshest way to wear a pair is with a suit that can use a kick of color.” Check em’:

The New Nike Cortez

Olympic Running, Track and Field Cufflinks

Fruit, Pie, or Baked Good

The classic fruits like oranges and apples, accompanied with a fresh baked apple or pumpkin pie. Nothing like a warm, toasty pie for your neighbor or family friends. Homemade biscottis, cookies, and muffins are relatively easy to whip up as well, plus you can make batches to put in other baskets.If you’re not a baking kind, local bakery is fine or just a nice jar of country jam or preserves will do!

Think Outside the Basket

Apple Pie Recipe

Orange Slice Cufflinks

Chocolate

Who doesn’t love chocolate? At least someone in every family will positively love you for adding this gift basket essential. For extra quality, try to get/order chocolate that is from a single location/country. For instance chocolate from Guatemala, using local cocoa bean and sources make it extra special.

Cufflinks and Tie Bars

Commemorative tie bars and cufflinks from your family’s favorite NFL team will make their season. Don’t forget, there will be a football game on Christmas Day. We have all your NFL goodies and gifts at Cufflinksman:

Baltimore Ravens Tie Bar $34

Country Club Silk Knot Cufflinks

Coffee and Tea

Self explanatory. Any kind of freshly ground coffee from Starbucks, Marshalls, or Dean& Deluca. Tea from Teahaven or local store. Get tea in bags, unless you know they have a tea strainer in the cupboard.

Ribbons

Holiday Ribbons!!

Festive ribbons make everyone happy.

Gardening Lotion

After all that holiday cooking, gift wrapping, and monkeying around the house, people need a little lotion. Plus skin gets cracked and dry during the winter season, so these miniature lotions make great gifts.

Hand Therapy Gardener's Lotion from Crabtree and Evelyn

An Ornament

It could be a homemade ornament from one of your children (or yourself…), a collector’s item, a picture frame, or a little memento from the city you live in! These add a personal touch to the generic gift basket, especially when it’s thoughtful and particular to who your giving it to.

Enamel Reindeer Cufflinks