Grumble Grumble: A Kate-Inspired Valentine’s Day Gift List

I have a confession to make: I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day.

Way back in elementary school, I was not exactly a popular kid. Fact: I had bad buck teeth, a bad mushroom cut and for a portion of that time wore a headgear. There weren’t exactly lots of suitors popping by to drop off a Valentine’s Day card at my desk. Strike one for Valentine’s day. Strike two was as a much less awkward teenager (Yay boobs!) and receiving gifts from boyfriends of the time. Awkward gifts of stuffed panda bears ([A] Manda the Panda, get it? Reason # 439849 why I hate my name), boxes of cheap chocolates and drugstore perfumes became the norm for a few years. Not my idea of a great day. Strike three for Valentine’s Day, or the death blow, came when I got married on January 25th. Celebrating a wedding anniversary only a couple of weeks before Valentine’s Day really doesn’t put you in the mood or possessing the wallet to go out and buy new presents all over again.

Kate is seemingly not the uber-romantic type either, spending her first Valentine’s Day as a married woman working- visiting a Children’s Hospital in Liverpool - while William was away on duty in the Falkland Islands. William still managed to send a bouquet of flowers though, which I definitely approve of.

Maybe if I had been able to visit with a Duchess on Valentine’s Day I wouldn’t hate Valentine’s Day?

Needless to say, Valentine gifts aren’t exactly a big thing for me, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate how different things would be for me if, say, I had gotten oodles of cards as a kid and then not corny presents as a teenager . Since I don’t want everyone out there to be as cynical as me and I hope that many of you will be receiving amazing gifts yourselves this Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d channel my inner Cupid and share with you some sophisticated – and yet overtly romantic- gifts that I’d like to receive on ~~any day~~ Valentine’s Day. Feel free to leave this page open on your laptop while you run out of the room for a certain someone to stumble upon.

The first thing on my Valentine’s Day Gift Wishlist is a pair of earrings. Every list needs to have some jewellery on it, and for some reason I find these Rebekah Price ruby, rose and clear crystal earrings to fit the bill perfectly. They’ve got the colors of Valentine’s Day worked into a pretty great pair of earrings that you can easily match up with other things. Personally, I think they’d be amazing with a an oversized white collared shirt, black riding pants, boots and your hair pulled back to show them off. Added bonus? As a part of eBay’s new Valentine’s Day collective, it’s a pretty great find for $100- and if your lucky love is feeling particularly generous, they can also get the matching necklace.

Ladurée Macarons – surely the fastest way to my heart

Like Kate, who loves to cook, the fastest way to my heart is through delicious tasting treats. There is nothing more sophisticated for your sweet tooth palette than a Ladurée macaron. (Yes, I say macaron and not macaroon. Macaron is the French way of saying it) Kate’s helping Prince Charles this year with the menu for his Prince’s Trust gala on Valentine’s Day, so I’m sure she’s also thinking sweet treats as a Valentine’s Day necessity. Don’t get me started on the number of times I have had a relative from France try to bring a box of these to me or how I squealed in Harrod’s when I realized there was a store there. These are delicious little bites of heaven and if your paramour has found a way to deliver a box of these to you? Squeal for me.

In a money-is-no-object kind of gift, this would be the ultimate in romance for a beach-lover like me: my own private heart shaped island! The island, called Petre Island , can be yours for the realistic price of $20 Million Dollars! My favorite part is not the Frank Lloyd Wright designed house, it’s 50 mile distance from Manhattan or even it’s heart shape… It’s that you can simply click “Add to Cart” on the AHALife website. Seriously, people just checkout $20 Million real estate that way?

Because I’m still reeling from the amazingness that was the book about Wallis Simpson (and her jewels!) it would be nice to have a little bit of her bling sparkler collection added to mine. There is perhaps nothing as famous as the panther bracelet which Cartier made specifically for Wallis which has now been re-released in 2012. It reminds me of those snap-bracelets which were really popular back in the 80′s/90′s- but with panther shaped diamonds instead of neon printed fabric.

You can do no wrong with receiving (or if you’re a man reading this, sending) flowers. Valentine’s Day is murder on a wallet when sending roses… Which makes Valentine’s Day an ideal time to test out some lesser known flowers that are likely not going to entail the exorbitant price gauging that roses will. Some of my favorites include lily of the valley (incredibly difficult if not impossible to find at a florist, but), lilies and orchids.

And lastly, you can also never really go wrong with lingerie. Well, OK, that’s a lie. You can buy the wrong size and be forever repentant. What we recommend is buying loose fitting glamorous silk robes or options that are size friendly, such as “Small-Medium size” or “Medium-Large” size. We love Wacoal’s line of pretty much everything and they are currently offering free shipping on orders over $70 if you click on the pretty lady in the blue bra above.

So no matter what you’re doing this Valentine’s Day, I hope that you are spending it with someone you love- be it a partner, family member, friend or even a pet. While this is historically a very commercialized holiday, you can make it special again by taking the step back from the plush pandas and cheap chocolates (Please, I implore you) and either celebrating by just being thankful for what you have in your life or with a truly sophisticated gift which would stand up to any holiday- romantic or not.

Grumble Grumble: A Kate-Inspired Valentine’s Day Gift List

One Response to Grumble Grumble: A Kate-Inspired Valentine’s Day Gift List