I love Valentine’s Day.
Yes, I know it is a commercially made-up holiday (if we’re being real, so is the Superbowl lol). You are allowed to get excited about it, and anyone who comes at you with a haughty remark about “Hallmark holidays” can shove a thorned rose stem up their—
Anyways. To me, it is an exemplar of what a fun holiday should be. Which is to say, it should have an beautiful aesthetic, a distinct theme, and a set of activities you can interpret and riff on to make your own.
Valentine’s Day has all of those. It has the most fanciful, saccharine aesthetic—hearts! cursive! blushing flowers! chocolate boxes with doily wrappers!
I want you to have a great Valentine’s Day.
Over the next week, we’ll be covering reader-submitted questions: from what to gift to what to wear on a first date.
What to gift someone who doesn’t like or wear jewelry?
Le Bon Shoppe Mercerized Cotton Socks ($14)—my favorite all-purpose sock, they get guaranteed wear. Pairing sock and shoe colors are a bit of an art. I like doing a pink sock with brown, red or white colored shoes.
Ancient Greek Jelly Sandals in Pink ($102)—an SSENSE sale deep cut. I like that these are a more classic 90s jelly vs. The Row jellies.
D’annam “Memories of Japan” Discovery Set ($59)—as a longtime fan of this Asian fragrance house, I had to try their new fragrance collection. To no one’s surprise, Strawberry Mochi and Matcha Soft Serve are the gourmand darlings everyone is gushing over. I didn’t like the Matcha Soft Serve, I thought the Strawberry Mochi was very photorealistic but didn’t light a fire in my heart…but I LOVEDDDD Arashiyama, a bamboo scent. Somehow it smells like a Hollister store in the 2000s, but grown-up and sophisticated.
Bunny Mirror ($20)—I picked this mirror up in the Catbird Fillmore Street store, it’s just as whimsical as it looks! It’s a perfect silly Galentine’s gift.
Soft & Wet Silk Red Bralette ($77)—it’s hard to find 100% silk lingerie that’s comfortable, under $100, and well-designed. I have had the green version of this for a few years, and it’s my favorite bralette to wear under a silk slip dress. It is elasticated, so mine has gotten a bit stretched from wearing so much, but I still reach for it all the time. I recognize the design is more conducive for small bust fits.
Ceramic Apple Candleholder ($35-$50)—hear me out: gift this with a card that says “you are the apple of my eye.” Handmade, small-batch ceramics by junes.jams on IG. There will be ~10 pieces listed by V-day, but DM to order is best!
Calomel Cotton Ribbed Shorts ($34 with V-Day Sale)—I’ve recently started taking dance classes and discovered the joy of a cheeky short that you can layer under warmup sweats. Calomel is a blue-chip basics brand for me; I bulk-ordered a bunch of their cotton brief undies two years ago and they’re still the perfect balance of compressive and comfortable.
Clyde Iona Hat ($80)—drizzly days ahead this spring…wear this when you don’t need a full umbrella or raincoat. Wear it with big sunglasses and a polka dot dress. Wear it with tiny sunglasses and baggy striped overalls.
“Chipmunk” colorway Keen Jaspers ($130)—you guys know by now the Keen Jaspers are my default sneaker. I personally find them very comfortable for walking and traveling. This new chipmunk colorway feels more high-fashion aware (I am sure the inspo was the perpetually sold out miu miu x new balances). Prepare to see a lot of “russet” and “cinnamon” sneakers from high street/mid market brands. They will also look devastatingly cute with these fawn print socks.
What are some cool, niche jewelry brands to know?
Options under $100
Options for engraved initials and personalization
Note: the jewelry/gift guide for mascs specifically is coming early next week. That was a very popular question so I am dedicating a separate letter to it.
FYI I wear both solid gold and gold-plated pieces. I’m not a solid gold purist who thinks gold-plated is “bad” or a “waste of money”—jewelry is personal so wear what works for you. What I do have a gripe with is up-charging. I don’t like when gold-plated pieces are priced as though it’s solid gold. So that’s my philosophy.
Yeah It’s Jewelry 14K Gold Heart Charm ($95)—I’ve written about my jewelry building blocks from Chloe Weitman’s LA-based jewelry brand for the “sentimental maximalist.” This is solid gold with just the right amount of “puff” in the heart. Highly gift-able because it’s easy to add onto any charm jumble for a sweet touch.
Casa Allyón Glass Ring ($127)—if Elsa Peretti were still alive, I think she would wear this ring. Allyón a new-to-me small jewelry brand based in AUS. I have this ring and it’s very eggy and round, looks great with long drapey layers.
Wolf Circus Bunny Charm ($68)—if you didn’t find your perfect bunny in the Beatrix Potter jewelry edit, consider this one.
“You and I Are Earth” Silver Plate Necklace ($195)—based on that famous plate found in a London sewer in the 1600s…save this one for a soulmate.
CLED Hangul letter pendant ($50, code VIV for discount)—English alphabet initial pendants are an easy google search away, but if you are Korean you might appreciate these icy glass Hangul letters!
Catbird 14K Gold Engraveable Locket ($198)—this is the most streamlined, straightforward way to get a solid gold locket engraved and shipped in time.
This next brand is my favorite for getting gold-plated pendants and chains under $100:
It used to be called Alix Yang Studio, and I purchased a simple gold-plated sunburst pendant from them during the pandemic that still has a slot in my jewelry box. They recently rebranded to Reh Studios. These are my favorites:
Gold-Plated Carnelian Heart Necklace ($71)—a sort of medieval aesthetic on a classic concept.
Ruby Ring ($76)—looks like something Mondo Mondo would make for 3x the price.
Gold-Plated Mariner Chain ($44)—if you want to play with thicker, bolder chains, start with this one. The Mariner links layer well with whatever basic starter gold chain you might have. Their chains in general are worth a browse if you are experimenting with rolo/thicker open-link designs.
July Rose Little Lamb Pendant (starts at $115)—small biz jewelry designer based out of LA making sweet mementos.
Sterling Silver Strawberry Sonny Angel Pendant ($185)—enough said…
Ora-C Cardamine Ring ($184)—I like the shape and delicateness of the petals.
Loren Stewart Hair Pin ($275)—I’ve had this bookmarked for months and can’t stop looking for a vintage version…harder to find than one might think.
Pamela Love Pomegranate Pendant ($290)—love is peeling a pomegranate.
Hernán Herdez Lazuli Signet ($255)—I’ve been keeping tabs on this NYC-based designer and am especially fond of the lapis lazuli creations.
If you’ve already nailed down your Valentine’s Day gift this year (to give or receive), I would love to start a bank of ideas in the comments :)
xoxo viv
the pomegranate pendant and Sonny Angel pendant!! 🤩 amazing, such great finds!
As a diehard Dean Martin fan my Valentines gift for my guy is a home made heart shaped pizza with AMORE spelled out in letters made of slices of green pepper.