If you read my Valentine’s Day gift guide you’ll already know how I feel about these forced gifting holidays that fall outside of December. And if not, I’ll recap briefly here: as the proposed recipient of the gift, it’s nice when you get something, but also…you know…don’t get your hopes up too high. Call me jaded, but having been on both sides of Mother’s Day (generally ignoring it until the day before then ordering flowers in a hurry (sorry Mom!) and now hoping, at best to sleep in), it all seems a little…ehhh….manufactured? Maybe?
Or perhaps it’s just me! I’m the worst gift giver of all time, I’m absent minded and self absorbed, and prefer to give little tokens randomly than something Meaningful and Significant on pre-determined days. Thus, I don’t really expect a gift unless I’ve sent a very clear hint well in advance. I also think there are big deal gift giving moments (birthdays, Christmas), and ones that are more or less strictly about the sentiment.
That all said, it is awfully nice to get a nice gift. And it does feel awfully good to get your mom, stepmom, Drag Mom, maternal figure, something they’ll really enjoy and use. So here! I have a few ideas - hints you can send, things you can get your maternal figure, or things you can just buy for yourself because at the end of the day, you’re your own responsibility and you should celebrate that, damnit.
Oh, and here’s a really shameless and obvious plug - I launched my mom/motherhood-centric newsletter, Your Mom, a few weeks ago. If you are someone, know someone, or love someone in the throes of motherhood…you can gift them a subscription! It’s like this newsletter but with more venting, cussing, nipples, post-partum undies, THC, and bleeding, and less shopping. Though there is some shopping (baby registry necessities, maternity style, nursing bras, playground outfits, etc etc etc all to come). Anyway, here’s the link. Most of it is behind a paywall because a) all of this is a lot more work than it seems, and b) I’m commissioning writers for newsletters so it’s not all me me me every week, thus, a paid subscription is a very nice gift.
Jewelry That Won’t Bankrupt Your Family
This is suspiciously similar to the category from Valentine’s Day, but the premise still holds. If you’re going to suggest your partner or child (lol) buy you jewelry for Mother’s Day, it had better be A) sentimental, and B) not fifteen thousand dollars. I really like Catbird as a resource for pieces that are meaningful, that you can wear every day and even sleep in, and that won’t ruin you financially.
1. Almost every adult female friend I have wears or wants a great pair of diamond pave huggie hoops (huggie just means they fall close to your earlobe). I love these because you can buy them in singles if you (or she/they) have multiple piercings. It’s an indulgent gift, but not so over the top that it becomes embarrassing. Ila huggies, $363 each
2. A signet ring is an absolute jewelry staple. This is the kind of thing you gift (or buy yourself) and then wear every day forever, and one day your kid inherits it and is like Mom wore this every day :’ ) and they remember you fondly and so on and so on. I love this one because it’s not too chunky, not too masculine or feminine - it’s the Goldilocks of signets. Just right. Leo Black signet ring, roughly $725
3. Ok, and ANOTHER thing almost every woman I know wants - a great, classic chain to wear pendants on. This is it, yall. I’d get mine with a matching tiny gold strawberry - because Pinky loves strawberries, and wears strawberry clothes, and reminds me of a little berry in a berry patch. Catbird Jewelry, chain and charm $343
4. The sweetest ever, teeniest, tiniest, little itty bitty baby diamond on a simple gold chain. A very, very nice thing to gift someone. This is the kind of thing that nobody would really think to buy themselves, but would wear every day, forever. And! It’s under $500. Catbird Jewelry necklace, $398
5. And finally - a very classic no-brainer gift for a mom, initial pendants for their kids or grandkids. I like these because they’re little snakes, and therefore more interesting and unusual than the letters I typically see. Digby & Iona charms, $98
Clothing For Your Mother
The other day, I got a note from a reader with a request that was something like: Your mom always looks so chic. What does she buy and wear to still look cool and pulled together? My mom is fit, and active, and smart - she works a ton, cooks a ton, and takes great care of herself. She looks terrific, and in 90% of our lives she’s the one telling me what to do or buy or how to behave. BUT! When it comes to her wardrobe, I do have some pull. When I told her I’d gotten that note, she said, “That’s sweet, but I really only buy things from your newsletter.” Aha! It’s almost like she’s biologically obligated to say that. (You could also gift your mom a subscription to this very newsletter! Wink, wink.)
But it’s also true - she was in LA last week and she showed up wearing her pink High Sport kick pants with the 3-strap Birkenstock 1774’s I suggested she buy. She looked great. But then we were talking about the sticky points of getting dressed at her age (mind you, she has the body of a 40 year-old), and I’m paraphrasing but she said: “You don’t want to show your arms anymore, or the skin on your chest. And you don’t want anything that sticks to your stomach. And most women don’t want to show the skin on their legs, or their thighs, so there needs to be something roomy and voluminous up top, but worn with something sleek and not frumpy on the bottom.”
So here are some top and pant combos (all the pants are pull-on!) you could gift your mom to keep her feeling updated, or, honestly, wear yourself. This is also an outfit formula I rely on frequently.
1. The most beautiful embroidered tunic! Something super super special, but also super super wearable. This would be an excellent gift, or something excellent to keep for yourself. By Walid, $687
2. The pants! High Sport Kick Flare - often imitated, never matched. The dream pants, and yes insanely expensive, but she (you) will wear them every single day to every single thing. High Sport, $860
3. For a very chic and sleek mom, a gorgeous combination from The Row! God, this shirt - the most luxurious thing in the world, and what a treat. The Row, $1,490
4. I wear these all the time, my mom wears these all the time, they’re my #1 most worn thing in my closet. The Row, $550
5. I also have this top, and it’s so comfortable, and great for the summer. It pillows and floats all around you, and you stay so cool underneath. It’s nice and gauzy and also very forgiving. Plus, it looks great over jeans. Deiji Studios, $180
6. Another perfect little legging - this time with a slit on the side hem. Very minimal and super pretty, and also not like a billion dollars. Lyssé, $88
7. What a gorgeous top! The shine is lovely, the color is lovely, and the shape is very dressy and fancy. What’s not to love! Cos, $120
8. And now a nice wide-leg version. Should leggings not be her cup of tea, consider something more swishy and voluminous! Vince, $345
Things For Her House
These options are excellent for your own parent, for yourself, or for, say, your in-laws, or partner’s mom. Someone you’re not close enough to to buy jewelry for or clothes. Or someone with really tricky taste whom you want to impress.
1. Placemats! If she likes to entertain. I love this color - it’s so unusual, but also not try-hard. I’d probably get two sets of these - when have you ever used placemats for just 4 people? (I’ve never ever used them, but I’d like to start) Hawkins New York, $48
2. I just got this candle and wow it smells unbelievably good. Kind of smokey, and turpentiney, very yummy. If she’s into cabins and the outdoors and things like that, she’d probably like this. DS&Durga Be Still, $70
3. There’s that color again! I love the vibrant red piping on these. So pretty. Again, I’d probably get two sets. Madre napkins, $80
4. A gorgeous, large serving platter. Imagine this piled with oranges and clementines - so pretty! Serax x Ottolenghi Feast, $111
5. Again with the vibrant blue! I love these swirl plates - they’re so distinctive. Perfect for serving dessert on. Conran Shop, $167
6. This isn’t even the last hit of cobalt blue you’re going to get from me. I love this carafe and glass set. My own mother has her shit together enough to use something like this by her bedside, and it’s so chic. I aspire to be that elegant one day. R+D.Lab, $180
7. Man, what a gorgeous candle! The outside was designed by Luke Edward Hall, so of course, it’s charming as hell. I have no idea what it smells like, but honestly, do you even care? Ginori 1735, $200
8. I love Bernadette, and even more because it’s a Mother-Daughter founded brand. Their dresses are impeccable, but I really love their home goods, like this extremely sweet floral pitcher. Bernadette, $205
9. Pool safe tumblers! So gorgeous, and all in acrylic. This is a nice way of maybe apologizing for all the glasses your children have broken at your mother’s house, and to gently suggest a non-breakable replacement. Mario Luca Giusti, $220
10. And finally, a simply gorgeous serving set. This would make an excellent gift if you paired it with some interesting cheeses, crackers, spreads, and a nice bottle of wine. Sabre, $420
Other Random DooDads She Might Like
AKA - things I like, and think my mom would like, so maybe you/she would like them too.
1. Two of my favorite beauty products in one collab - the excellent Crown Affair hair mask, and Oak Essential’s super hydrating face mask. Two things to keep your..er…her…skin and hair silky and plump and hot and sexy. Oh! And some nice satin scrunchies to not rip your hair up. Oak Essentials x Crown Affair, $120
2. My mom has this sun hat and it is CHIC. Ugh! It’s like, totally matte black, super wide brim, very minimalist, totally blocks the sun off her face and chest, and just looks so gorgeous. She sewed some big wide grossgrain ribbons into the inside to tie it under her chin and it is just…divine. Jenni Kayne, $125
3. A very great, super practical jacket with huge pockets. Good for whatever kinds of hobbies you/she has like gardening or painting or whatever - nice pockets for keeping tools in and then it just gets better with age. Sezane, $145
4. For all the totes I try, aside from the LL Bean ones, and kind of knockaround ones, this is the most excellent vaguely fancy one I’ve ever owned. It holds a laptop and a shitload of books without getting a saggy bottom. And it’s not crazy expensive. What more could you want? Mansur Gavriel, $385
5. A near perfect sandal - highly walkable, very comfortable, interesting looking, dressy AND casual, and has a nice stiff foodbed if you/she suffer from foot pain. Birkenstock 1774, $420
6. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again I fucking love Tory Burch. This color! The fit of this! God, it’s just so bright and juicy and gorgeous, and I WANT IT SO MUCH! Tory Burch, $448
7. And! Another excellent color. The cotton Maria McManus uses is…ugh…sublime. And in this color, irresistible! There are also matching shorts. The whole set (as everything MM does) is made as sustainably and thoughtfully as possible. Maria McManus, $450
8. The epitome of the kind of thing someone would love to have but would never buy themselves - this truly life-changing, unbelievably expensive hair dryer, which absolutely works miracles. I swear by mine, it has 100% changed my hair for the better - and who doesn’t want to spend less time fucking with their hair? Dyson Airwrap, $600
So there we are! A few ideas. This and that.
This weekend on the paid letter - SHOPPING THE MENS SECTION! Wahoo!!!
Love,
Your friend,
Laurel
Love how you repeat your favorite clothes items. This is my favorite kind of fashion writing - very personal, you express yourself through everyday style, you repeat items, you repeat contexts but keep it fresh. Thanks ! Super enjoying your bulletins.
Urgh in love with High Sport. Want it all!