Mother’s Day Gift Guide 2023

Celine Oversized Cat-Eye Sunglasses

My << formal >> Celine sunglasses

Celine sunglasses are a classic that you can wear for a very long time. Sort of like a Jackie O look, some things just don’t go out of style, and Celine’s do not go out of style. If you start looking around you’ll notice people who are wearing Celine sun glasses. I love that they are plastic, so I can push them up on the top of my head and they don’t pull my bangs out like Ray-Bans or anything with nose-pads do. And they are actually good for your eyes and all of that, I mean, that’s really why we wear sunglasses, right? 

Since I’ve started wearing them, I’ve ended up buying more than one pair. I have a pair in tortoise that I just keep in my car, and then I have a black pair that are basically my dress sunglasses. I get a compliment on them every time I wear them. They are not cheap, I know that. They are less likely, in my opinion, to get lost because they’re heavier, you can put them on your head. You aren’t going to sit on them like you can with wire sunglasses – talking from experience, I’ve sat on many pairs of sunglasses. I just feel like I look put together and classy even if I’m running to the pet store and I haven’t had time to brush my teeth.

Shop Now: Celine Oversized at-Eye Sunglasses

Apple Watch Ultra

My Apple Ultra watch with my Celine sunglasses

I recently got myself the new Apple Ultra watch before I went on safari – I had imagined I would be doing more walking around than I actually did. I get easily lost everywhere I go, and I had a deep fear of getting lost on safari and consumed by animals. Turns out that’s not how safaris work, so that’s good news. But, I am trying to hike more in California because that’s what Californians do, and I’ve never done it, not because I don’t like hiking, but because I’m so scared of getting lost. My Apple Ultra watch has a compass on it and it has a feature called TrackBack so when I’m lost I activate TrackBack and it shows me how to get back to where I was. Its like my best friend. The Apple Ultra watch also has an SOS button that you can push that starts making a horrible sound and has an option to call 911, and as a single woman going places by myself it just makes me feel more confident. I love the size of this watch. I love the giant band. I have had more compliments on this watch than I’ve ever gotten on my little watch, AND I can see my email on it.

Shop now: Apple Watch Ultra

Gigi Pip Straw Hat

Me and my Gigi Pip hat at Coachella

The Gigi Pip hat is apparently something that Millenials love. I found it on my own when I was shopping for a hat for safari, and I didn’t want the unattractive old-lady-going-on-safari hat options that I was finding when I Googled “safari hats”. I love this hat. I’ve had fashionable friends tell me my hat is ridiculous because it’s too big, or whatever, but you know what? It’s not meant to look good – although it does look good – it’s meant to keep the sun off you. That’s the point of a hat. What’s great about this hat It has a leather strings, a chin strap, so that you can just drop it down your back and you still have your hat, instead of walking around trying to hold your fashionable that doesn’t actually keep the sun off of you. And again, this is a fashionable hat, it’s just functional in a real way. I love my Gigi Pip hat. If I remember correctly, I felt like I might have been spending too much money on a hat compared to what I could buy for less money, until I wore it and used it for its intended purpose of keeping the sun off me. Then I remembered why it costs what it does because it’s worth what I paid for it.

Shop now: Gigi Pip Straw Hat

Longchamps Large La Pliage Tote

The Longchamps bag is something I’ve had for years and years. You can wash it in the washer and it come out looking like new. It’s a very classy bag. It’s branded, it’s not crazy-expensive. This is the bag I take everywhere, because inevitably I end up taking more back with me from a destination than I arrive with – that isn’t always shopping, but it’s usually shopping. I’ve checked my Longchamps bag as checked luggage and it comes out fine. If you’re at a beach destination and you need a beach bag to throw your stuff in, the Longchamps. If you need something that you can throw diapers and a  bottle in and you don’t want to look like you’re carrying a diaper bag, the Longchamps. It’s incredibly versatile. It’s the perfect gift for yourself or someone else – or for yourself AND someone else, which Is the best way to shop and probably why I always come back with more from a destination than I brought.

Shop Now: Longchamps Large Le Pliage Tote

Frye Booties

I’ve owned these Frye boots for 10 years, I bought them at the store at the Resort at Paws up in Montana when I was there. I’ve linked to a pair that are as close as I can get to my tired 10 year old pair. These boots can be the only pair of shoes you ever need – I’m not kidding you. When I went on safari, they were literally the only shoes I wore. I brought other shoes, I never wore them. I wear these with jean shorts, I wear these with jeans, I wear these with dresses. I wear them with my sweats when I fly on an airplane so that they’re not weighing down my bag. They go with everything, they’re ridiculously comfortable and they last forever. Also, they actually are functional. So, if you’re going horseback riding, especially if you’re going horseback riding on vacation, and you don’t have boots, people will tell you sneakers are fine. But you know what? A horse weighs a lot, and if you accidentally get stepped on and you’re not wearing boots, you’re going to break your foot. So, if you need boots for something, you need these boots. If you don’t think you need boots, you still need these boots. Hear me now, believe me later. You need these boots.

Paravel Monogrammable Packing Cubes

I learned about the magic of packing cubes from my girlfriend Katrina who is a professional stylist and she showed me how your stuff should always be organized in your bag. I never knew that. I just went around with underwear and shoes and sweaters just all hanging out together and I would show up some place and everything’s a mess. I started using packing cubes a while ago – changed my life.

You can fit more in your suitcase with packing cubes. I’m a roller, some people are folders, I’m a roller, but that’s not just why I use them. It makes it really easy to stay organized when you’re in a hotel room. All my workout clothes go in one cube, my underwear and bras go in another cube, t-shirts, shorts and jeans get rolled up in another cube. So when I get to a hotel room, I take my packing cubes out and toss them in the drawers. I always like to put my suitcase away so I can pretend like I actually live in the hotel, I’m not just visiting there, and with the packing cubes I can find all of my stuff easily. Then, when its time to leave the hotel, just zip up the packing cubes, throw them in the suitcase and boom, you’re golden. You will never feel more organized. Plus, if they open up your suitcase because you get randomly selected at TSA, it’s just I guess less awful having someone digging through your stuff moving your panties aside to make sure you don’t have a gun.

Shop Now: Visit Paravel packing cubes

Medium Saffiano Leather Double Prada Bag

I bought my Medium Saffiano Leather Double Prada Bag at Prada in Beverly Hills for my 56th birthday. It was a big splurge and I wanted to mark the birthday where I was single again with something that I would feel elegant carrying. The bag is made from saffiano leather – I learned all of this while I was shopping, I did not know all of this beforehand – It’s durable, it’s not indestructible, but it’s a lot more durable than the leather they use on other designer bags. So if I’m going to have a white bag I want something that isn’t easily destroyed because I live a real life, my bags get thrown on the bottom of my car, they get set on the floor when I’m watching my kid’s dance competition. I was looking at the Christian Dior Saddle Bag and the friend I was shopping with told me with that bag I would get color transfer, like if I wear a pair of dark jeans and carry that bag, the blue is going to rub off onto the bag, which is a problem with a lot of white bags and but not this one. 

The other thing I like is it opens at the top. I don’t have time for a flap, I don’t want to deal with unbuckling things to get to my stuff. I also don’t like a bag that just sits open. I used to have a Chanel shopper with a snap at the top. It tipped over, things fell out, someone can stick their hand in it. The Prada bag has a few different compartments and they all zip with beautiful, very well-made zippers. It’s a lady-like handbag. It’s a classic, they’ve made this style for a very long time. It’s always going to be a classic. it doesn’t look old or new. I had a Marc Jacobs bag maybe 15 years ago that was all the rage. I paid $1,200 for it and it was quickly dated. This bag won’t be dated.

Shop Now: Medium Saffiano Leather Double Prada Bag

Nuuly jacket and my Celine sunglasses

NUULY