Moms – do yourself and your man a favor. Forward this link to him.
Dads/Partners —
All year long, the mother of your children wipes noses, kisses knees, comforts crying, changes diapers, feeds, hugs and loves your children. She also has sex with you. This Christmas, thank her for all that she does by getting her a real gift. A definition of a real gift is one that, at a minimum, meets the following criteria: it doesn’t plug in, it doesn’t require batteries, isn’t something that YOU actually want, and wasn’t bought at the mall in desperation on Dec 24th surrounded by other terrified looking men. To make this easy, we at Ain’t No Mom Jeans have pulled together a list of amazing “real gifts” that will make you look like the hero. And may even get you laid…whether you’ve been naughty or nice.
Amazing Everyday Jewelry
As any mom will tell you, that delicate little chain from Tiffany’s (the one she used to wear all of the time), rarely makes an appearance when the little ones are around. Unless you want to be taking it in for repairs on a weekly basis. And those amazing chandelier earrings? All it takes is one tug and those earrings end up in the date-night only pile. But we moms do like to look cute on a daily basis. To the rescue: casual, cool but still gift worthy jewelry that can stand up to curious little fingers, teething gums and the occasional tug.
At left, we have an updated take on a locket. This is the Angie locket from Dannijo, $148, which has a slightly rockerish vibe, and a strong box chain. I like the little bit of bling, and the fact that it mixes gold and silver. Bonus — the locket actually works, so you can throw a picture in it for an extra “aaaaaw” factor.
The next two pendents above are both strung onto fabric cords and are 16” in length. Both traits make them especially mom friendly. For the sophisticated mom, the silver “O” is the Elsa Peretti Sevillana Pendant from Tiffany’s, $295, and is strung onto a black silk cord. For the Boho mom, consider the Silver Four Immeasurables Medallion by Me+Ro, $145, strung onto a natural cotton cord. The pendent is engraved with a Tibetan vow of love, compassion, joy and equanimity. If that’s not mom-worthy, I don’t know what is.
The silver heart and leather bracelet above left is the Greta Bracelet by Janine Payer, $145. The leather comes in either scarlet (pictured), brown or black, and the heart is inscribed with the Geothe quote, “Nothing is worth more than this day.” I simply love it. Sigh.
The bracelet on the top right is Chan Luu’s Sterling Silver and Hematite Wrap Bracelet, $205, at fragments.com. I received a Chan Luu wrap bracelet a couple of years ago, and it’s still my go-to piece for adding in a little cool. It is very kid friendly, and I love that she updated her classic with the addition of the Hematite beads. This is an easy winner.
The last bracelet is the classic Return to Tiffany Oval Tag Bracelet, $210. This very classic bracelet never goes out of style. And it adds a little dose of “spoiled rotten” to every outfit. But in a good way. Be sure to get the one with the lobster clasp, not the toggle clasp to make it kid-friendly (or just follow my link).
Bottom line – if the earrings dangle, they are not kid-friendly. However, plain old stud earrings are usually boring (no matter how much they cost), so the trick is to find kid-friendly earrings that are still gift worthy. Above are four excellent choices.
On the far left, we have the the Little Gems earrings by Andrea Corson, $80. They are sterling silver and inspired by natural gemstones.
The next earrings are the Cherry Blossom studs in 14K gold with Diamonds by Helen Ficalora, $235. To order, call 877-754-2676 between 11AM – 8PM EST, M-F.
Tiffany’s Elsa Peretti’s Open Wave Earrings, $195, are pictured next. There’s an easy grace to these earrings and they are a nice twist on a classic shape.
Lastly, the earrings on the right are Onyx Pyramid Stud Earrings by Wendy Nichol, $121. I love the rocker vibe. These earrings can be found at ravinstyle.com.
A Hot, Mom-Friendly, Wear Everywhere Dress
There’s something so smooth about a man who isn’t afraid to buy a dress for a woman. Think Robert Redford in Indecent Proposal, Daniel Craig in Casino Royale. I know that many men steer clear of clothes as gifts — they see the situation fraught with peril (what if I get one too small? too big? Too slutty? Too old lady?). However, these men have not heard of the Huminska dress.
Huminska dresses are designed in NYC by Janice Huminska, and are drop dead hot. They are hot in the best possible way: a stealthy, old Hollywood glamour kind of hot. They are dresses that celebrate women who look like women — they make boobs, hips, butts, waists – whatever you’ve got – all look amazing. I own a couple of these dresses. Men cross the street to say, “Great dress!”
These dresses fill a gap in our current market – the wear everywhere dress. We have long formal gowns or cocktail dresses for night, and little sweater dresses or sun-dresses for day. Huminska dresses easily go from work to cocktails to dinner to dinner parties to PTA meetings to the ballet. And the fact that the lyric knits are machine washable make them even more mom friendly. (Ok – they are supposed to be hand washed, but many women – including myself – have been machine washing them for years. Just no dryer.) The classic knit dresses range from $345 – $395 and the silk dresses start at $495. Ask about samples – if any are available, they go for about $99. If you order between Dec 17 – 24th, mention the Happy Holiday card for 10% off.
Best of all? Super man-friendly ordering. Just call the store (212 677 3458), talk about your wife, and the sales clerks will pick out a dress for you. FedEx will deliver. Rumor has it that they are so good at choosing the perfect dress that no phone orders have ever been returned. Now all you need to do is smoothly give her the gift and wait for the swoon.
A Cozy-Cool Sweater
Giving your wife a sweater for Christmas is rather cliche. However, if you steer clear of anything Christmas themed or boxy, you’re headed in the right direction. Or, just choose one of the amazing sweaters we’ve chosen below. All are cashmere and have cool details that turn the cliche into covetable.
At the far left we have the Isabelle sweater in Heather Gray from B. Chyll, $388. I love the interesting neckline. This sweater can be found at singer22.com.
Next, is the Bop Basics Cashmere Hoodie in Sable, $272, Bop Basics is shopbop.com’s in house line. There are other cashmere hoodies to choose from, but I like the drape and color choices of this one best.
The third sweater pictured is my personal favorite, Inhabit’s Ribbed Cowl Neck Pullover, $478. It’s an amazing cross between a sweatshirt and a cashmere sweater. It also comes in a range of good color choices. This sweater makes my heart beat fast.
The last sweater pictured (on the right) is the J. Crew Cashmere Heirloom Henley, $178. The oversize buttons add interest, and this style would also work for breastfeeding moms.
Comfy, Sexy Loungewear
Buh-BYE sweatpants. The perfect mom loungewear is soft, drapey, and can double as normal clothing in a pinch (running late for preschool?). London’s Pyjama Room doesn’t disappoint. Try the Long Wrap Top and the Smocked Flared Trouser. Because of the wrapping and smocking, these pieces are also ideal for pregnancy, nursing and post pregnancy. Each piece is roughly $120 (after converting from pounds).
Ugg’s Fluff Scuff slippers in black are an ideal choice of slipper for the glamour of the Pyjama Room. The can be found at zappos.com for $74.
Another great loungewear choice is by Keep Me, out of Malibu. All Keep Me loungewear is designed and manufactured in the US. Pictured at left is the Levy T, $73, and the Kate Lounge Pant, $64. Both are made from super soft 100% modal, and the top is slightly sheer. If your wife is pregnant, breastfeeding (or recently stopped breastfeeding) she probably won’t appreciate the sheer fabric, so add in the super cute Drea Bralet, $35, in a coordinating color.
Oh how I love my Ugg slippers. And the Dakota Slippers in brown with a light blue tie are so cozy and cute, they are currently my favorites. They have a real shoe-ish bottom so they can be worn outside in a pinch. They are at zappos.com for $104.
Fun Stocking Stuffers (or gifts under $50)
Clockwise from top left:
- Banana Republic’s super cute Wool Bobble Knit Beenie in black, $39.
- Three fabulous, soft Tshirts from Bob Basics, 3 for $50. You have a choice of crew neck, v-neck, long sleeve or short sleeve.
- The lightweight polyester Envirosax bag, $8.50, weighing only 1.4 oz. It comes in a wide range of patterns and rolls up tiny to fit into a purse.
- JaK Random Art Love Cuff, $20. A cuff is super kid friendly, and JaK cuffs come in really cool prints (birds, guitars, bikes) but the LOVE cuff is my favorite. Made out of recycled vinyl.
- Stila’s Shine On Gift of Glaze, $28, has four of Stila’s top selling Lip glazes, plus two new colors. All colors are sheer, so they won’t leave a really dark kiss mark on baby’s head.
- The cutest hand-knit mittens direct from Nana’s Knits in Wisconsin, $14.95. They are patterned after the old Hudson Bay Blankets. Ahh…the memories. Or ask Nana to custom knit a pair in fun stripes ($20).
- Lite Brite Ring from Jennywear Jewelry, $45. Green represents harmony, red is love, yellow is wisdom. All look good enough to eat. There’s something so nonchalantly cool about these simple, bright rings. And very mom friendly. Jenny is offering Ain’t No Mom Jeans readers 15% off, so mention us when ordering!
- FootSpa Sock by Smart Wool, $18.95. In addition to the cute polka-dot pattern, Smart Wool says, “…dense nubs stimulate your feet and create air channels for enhanced breathability which helps improve circulation and reduce fatigue all day.” Ummmm…YES I WANT THESE.
- Antioxidants of tea combined with antioxidants of chocolate…basically means that Serendipitea’s Box of Chocolate Tea, $40, is health food. It’ll kick start New Year’s resolutions and make up for all of that eggnog over the holidays.
Happy Holidays!!!!!
xo, S & J
