The Mother's Day Gift Guide
Sunday, May 11 is coming. Here, 49 gift ideas, organized by moms and their obsessions.
The Mom Who Reads All Your Favorite Fashion Substacks
She’s memorized the global fashion calendar and mentally maps out her week by what’s pinging on her Substack app. (Jalil on Wednesdays, Laurel on Saturdays, Becky on Sundays). We may be biased but we think this savvy chic mom would love a box-fresh new arrival from our Spring ’25 runway like the jacquard shift in our Flames motif or the just-launched Pierced handbag. Otherwise, give her a break from screen time with a niche magazine or the exquisite book on the Costume Institute’s upcoming show. She might also appreciate a bit of trendy quirk to liven up her serious investment handbag for spring.
The Mom Who Dominates in Doubles at the Club
This is an easy ace. Spring and summer are prime tennis mom seasons, with the opening of outdoor courts (for pickleball, too), and three exciting grand slam viewing parties to attend. There are myriad things she’ll appreciate — a sleek little Tory Sport tennis dress, cool and ultra-lightweight sunglasses and a powerful mini massager that she can throw into her bag to keep her in the game.
The Mom Who Prefers Gallery-Hopping to Shopping
If the mobile above your crib was Calder-inspired, you can stop scrolling. What might suit this design-led mom’s discerning and informed tastes? Perhaps the softly deconstructed vibe and saturated color of our wrap dress or the meta statement of our clear Eleanor satchel that exposes its inner workings. Also consider: some colorful abstraction by way of the excellent Anni and Josef Albers monograph, Marie Brandolini’s chaotic yet beautiful Murano-made glassware or a transgressively bejeweled lighter case. Looking to truly cement your favorite child status? Introduce her to the work of a new artist, like young Cuban painter Michel Pérez Pollo.
The Mom Who Taught You the ABCs (AHAs, BHAs, ceramides...)
Her medicine cabinet is a temple, and her natural habitat is to be tucked into a pristine white robe under the serene lighting of a luxury spa. Give her some fun new products to test-drive like Snowfox Skincare’s hand-carved gua sha hairbrush or a new scent in a bottle that rises to the occasion of her stacked vanity. If giving beauty products to an expert feels intimidating, perhaps a few things to wear on potential summer trips to well-known spa retreats here, here or there.
The Mom Who Conducts Full Conversations With Her Plants
She could outdo Glinda and Elphaba with her dream of an Emerald City. Green spaces are her happy place whether she’s weeding and planting or simply arranging flowers. She’ll love anything to make her daily tasks more aesthetic — a beautiful bamboo rake, a studded leather mule — and to bring the beauty of the natural world indoors.
The Million-Miler Mom Who is Fluent in Airport Codes
Oh, the places she’s gone! With colorful stories and a much stamped passport to show for it. But for this mom, the journey is as important as the destination. She prides herself on being a chic yet nimble traveler, with a few well-chosen pieces to multitask en route and post-arrival like the Romy hobo bag and a pair of go-with-everything sunglasses that mask any effects of jet-lag. She might also appreciate some stylish ways to optimize sleep, digestion and overall wellness, in order to fully enjoy her time away.
The Mom Who Had You Eating Truffles at Age 3
Among her idols: Alice Waters, Nancy Silverton, Gabrielle Hamilton and, of course, the queen, Julia Child. She can never have enough beautiful platters, even better when paired with matching salt cellars. Add to her cookbook library with a new volume from fashion designer Peter Som, a dedicated and renowned foodie who marries Cantonese flavors and French cuisine. She’ll appreciate something as extravagant as the perfect breezy dress to host a spring lunch, or as simple as a lovely Provençal chestnut honey from our favorite New York City food shop, SOS Chefs.
Thank you for reading! We’ll be back on Mother’s Day with our annual tradition of asking Tory and other moms we admire to share their mother’s best advice. In the meantime, you can catch up with last year’s post.
Mother knows best
One constant in our office is that Tory’s mother, Reva Robinson, is a source of inspiration — for her style but even more so for how she’s lived her life and the advice she has imparted to her children. Perennial Reva-isms (like “The glass is always half full”) are the origin of our longtime Mother’s Da…
Oh my, that peep toe ballerina!!!
That flame print!!!!!