If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we consider ourselves 37.5% flattered. Of the 8 holiday gifts for your favorite golfer suggested by Golf Digest's "Mr. Style", On The Fly carries 3 of them.

All three are long-time best-sellers of ours. The Mulholland Brothers Flat Shave Kit is the #1 dopp kit we sell, available in 4 different leathers and 3 different scratch-proof/water-proof polyvinyls.

Davek umbrellas have been flying off the shelf since wet weather has kicked in across the country, but the true golfer might prefer the Davek Golf Umbrella that has the hidden spike to keep your umbrella grounded while you take your shot. All Davek umbrellas come with a lifetime warranty, and a Loss Prevention card that gets you a 2nd umbrella at 50% off.

And while Mr. Style picks out the 30-gauge Cashmere Zip Sweater, any of Peter Millar's sweaters would make a fantastic gift. Our favorite for this season is the classic cable with a zip for a twist, available here in Oatmeal or Black.

See the spread in this month's Golf Digest here.

It's been a while since I've shared one of my many neuroses, but a recent purchase by one of San Francisco's most discerning customers has forced me to weigh in on a purchase of his.

Will Boehlke's blog, A Suitable Wardrobe, is a daily must-read for me and thousands of other men obsessed with clothing. For those that know how particular I can be about my clothing, Will has me beat by an order of magnitude. I have custom suits, shirts, shoes, and cufflinks, but Will would add custom ties, socks, suspenders, pyjamas, and other accoutrement to that list. He literally travels the globe to acquire exactly the item he needs to plug a singular, specific hole in his wardrobe.

So it was an honor to have him reach out to On The Fly when he was in the market for a new laptop bag. I shared many of my thoughts on the various business case options we offer, and he ended up with a stellar choice: Mulholland Brothers' Deerskin Slim Laptop (pictured). I could make a very strong case that this is the finest bag we have to offer based on style and durability, but I'll do that another day; Will's review is here.

Enough about Will; let's talk about my neuroticism. The death knell for Will's last bag was a broken shoulder strap, which we can probably all relate to. Except I never use a shoulder strap if I'm in a suit or sport coat. I think of a leather strap crushing the shoulders of a nice suit jacket or sport coat the same way hardcore animal activists think about eating meat: it's cruel and inhumane. For gentlemen like Will, who have personally met the tailors that will hand-sew their bespoke suits, the only thing that has prevented me from losing all faith in humanity is the hope that Will only uses a shoulder strap when sans coat. This isn't like putting ketchup on a Charlie Trotter steak; this is like walking into the freezer and grinding up the filet into hamburger meat. Decorum is the only thing keeping me from making references to clubbing baby seals.

I understand the enormous benefits of the shoulder strap, and I use one regularly with my weekend bag when not wearing a suit or sportcoat, so I'm hoping that Will just wants the option to attach the shoulder strap when he's dressed more casually (note: that is a relative statement since casual dress for Will is a two-piece suit).

In all seriousness, though, if Will says a suit will survive a shoulder strap, I may need to consider getting over this particular neurosis.

At Quality Logo Products, you can buy a leather business card wallet for $4.83. On our site, you can buy the Hlaska version for $75. Are we insane? What can you possibly be paying for?

The all-too-common answer to a question like this is, "You're paying for the name." And sure, a brand name can add a premium to any product, but it usually represents a small fraction of the price. Even strong brands recognize that most customers, especially affluent consumers, also look for value. That is to say, they'll buy nice, expensive things, but only if they are confident that they are also high-quality things.

The real answer to the question "What are you paying for?" is "Everything". Design, materials, construction, techniques, labor costs; and lastly, if the brand believes a slight premium can be added without scaring off consumers, a brand "tax" might be added [think of the premium Apple charges for the iPod even though there are arguably more functional MP3 players on the market].

We hope to make the "Makings Of..." articles a recurring series that will focus on the details - the excruciating details - of what makes the products we sell special. The first category to get covered is something near and dear to every gentleman's pants: his wallet. The Makings of a Quality Wallet explores many of the little details that explain why one "leather wallet" might sell in the single digits, and another in the triple digits. I suspect a few of the findings will surprise you, and will hopefully stick with you when you're in the market for a new way to carry your cash.

We assume "the guy who has everything" doesn't "need" anything. He may not even "want" anything because he thinks he already has everything (although that is never the case -- the gentleman that appreciates the finer things in life knows all of the things he wants). So one strategy in choosing a gift for him is to: 

Gift him something he doesn't even know he needs, but once he gets it, he will wonder how he ever lived without it.

One of my favorite gift ideas goes by many names: change Base, valet, catch-all. Customers in our store that see one before it's been molded into shape often assume it's a leather frisbee (although it would be one heavy frisbee) or a mouse pad. In reality, it's the one place you can safely and consistently toss your keys and change. My own change base on my desk is currently holding my keys, pocket watch, business cards, ball mark, a set of collar stays, and a spare set of cufflinks.

Prior to owning a change base, I would put the contents of my pockets in a different spot every time I came home. On the console table, the kitchen counter, the top of the dresser, or the coffee table. A hurried morning would be exacerbated by a mad scramble to find the keys. But that was back in 2003, also known as 1 BCB (Before Change Base).

Today, in the year 4 ACB, you can enjoy the modern luxury of perusing our selection of valets, catch-alls, and change bases in over 15 colors plus the over-the-top alligator versions here.

Today's gift for "the guy who has everything" doesn't recommend any single, specific gift but rather a "platform" for future gifts. If a journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step, then the path to matching luggage starts with a small duffel.

While most men do bare-minimum accessorization (watch, belt, cell phone), 30% of men take the time to make sure their belt is in the same color family as their shoes, and only 3.5% of all men insist that their belt match their shoes match their briefcase*. I'll be the first to say I'm not typical of most men, but I have, on more than one occasion left the house in frigid temperatures with no gloves because I was wearing brown shoes, but only have black gloves (ed. note: I had some, but left them in a NYC cab last winter).

There are a number of categories and brands that promise platform potential:

• Leather goods are a no-brainer place to start. Martin Dingman's new Lexington Collection is a good example. Gifts include wallets, a portfolio, shaving kit, eyeglass case, pen case, and matching belts in a luxurious equestrian saddle leather in three colors. Mulholland Brothers has a number of lines (Boardroom, Deerskin, Alligator, M-Series) that promise similar results.
  
• Desk Accessories from a brand like El Casco. Just the price-point of their desk accessories make outfitting a desk in a single purchase as difficult as it used to be to buy a home. All the more reason to take it one piece at a time. Consider starting with one of their signature pieces like the Pencil Sharpener or Staplers, and then add your Tape Dispenser, Paper Clip Pot, Business Card Holder, and more.
  
• Cigar Accessories from a brand like Atoll. They make 18 different products in over a dozen different leathers. Maybe you start with a much-needed cigar cutter, then the lighter, a case, the flask, and then end it with the ultra-impractical-but-awesome-gift-idea known as the Desktop Lighter.
• And of course, there's always matching luggage. A core, safe piece to start with might be a duffel bag, a carry-on trolley, or a professional case. From there, you can gift matching pieces like other complementary bags (if you do a rolling piece first, go wheel-less on #2 and vice-versa), a passport wallet.
  

The key to pulling off a platform gift is to make sure you will be able to get the matching pieces in the future. For many "fashion" brands, a new style or color may only be around for a season or a year and then it's gone. Because most of the brands we carry feature timeless classics, the core pieces have already been around for a decade or more, and will likely be continued for decades to come. Start a platform for him today, and you'll have gift ideas all set for Valentine's Day, his birthday, anniversary, Father's Day, Summer Solstice, and any other days of giving...

* There is no factual basis for these statistics, but they do sound about right, no? [see Truthiness]

Buying a gentleman a wallet is one of the riskiest undertakings a gift-giver can attempt. They (we) tend to be extremely particular about how they carry around their money, and that is one of the reasons we offer so many different types of billfolds, breast pocket wallets, ID wallets, money clips, and credit card cases on our site. And it's still not enough. For every wallet we sell in the store, there is at least one customer we disappoint because we don't have some specific wallet configuration that hasn't been made since the Eisenhower administration.

There is a superstition associated with giving a wallet to someone that should make this an even more interesting gift. Tradition says you should never give someone an empty wallet. Superstitious people that we are, we offer to include a crisp $20 bill in any wallet that is being gifted. That extra level of service costs you only the value of the bill.  

A basic rule for gifting a wallet is: Replace what he already has. If he carries a billfold, get him a billfold. Don't listen to a sales person selling you a cool tri-fold with an ID window and a built-in USB drive if that's not what he's using today. Change is scary. For most men, this is especially true of wallets. 

There are a number of reasons why wallets make a great gift:

1.  100% of gentlemen use a wallet, money clip, or both. Those that roll their bills with a rubber band are not gentlemen.
   
2. Chances are he is in need of a new wallet. If you think about it, wallets get more use than just about anything else in or on his dresser. It's with him everyday (hopefully, the same pair of underwear or socks are not). It takes abuse: sat on, dropped, opened, closed, opened & closed some more, thrown in a drawer, tossed on a counter, overstuffed with receipts. The life is hard for a wallet.
   
3. A well-made leather wallet like those available on our site should last years. More than 2 or 3 assuming reasonable use (we're looking at you, George Costanza). An alligator wallet can be expected to last 8-10 (my own just turned 5 and looks as sexy as the day I met her).
   
4. You can personalize it. We offer free engraving on every M-Clip money clip, and free debossing on any leather wallet.
   

To reiterate: gifting a wallet involves high risks and high rewards.  Nail it, and you'll be a superstar. Fail, and the wallet will likely end up in the top drawer of his dresser until he has a buddy he can re-gift it to. Choose wisely.