My husband and I don't do Valentine's Day. This is not because we are unromantic or JUST because it is overhyped and commercial.
The main reason is that our anniversary is the 12th Feb and my husband's birthday is a week later. It is really excessive to have 3 celebrations in one week about how much we love each other!! We do that every day anyway.
So if I was planning a Valentine's Day this year, what would be fantastic gifts? I am a believer in not doing the obvious but finding something unusual, rare and with more meaning than the usual commercial gifts.
Ladies
Fragrance - I know it seems like an obvious choice but there are most definitely some alternative perfume choices out there that are not the usual celeb sponsored crap that is on TV around 14th Feb. I love specific perfumes that were chosen for me as they really capture some of my favourite scents in the world.
Diorissimo by Dior
A beautiful scent created in 1956 with top notes of Lily of the Valley which Dior believed was the symbol of hope, happiness and joy. Edmond Roudnitska, a French Master Perfumer and author, created it for Dior and it helped establish his reputation as one of the finest perfumers of the 20th century. Why, I hear you ask? Well, the epheremal smell of Lily of the Valley, unlike the other ingredients of Jasmine or Rose, cannot be extracted from the flower without destroying them so Roudnitska created a near perfect recreation of the scent!Its my favourite scent - it has tradition, class and smells unbelievable.
The only other perfume I wear is from Caron and is called Coup de Fouet, the eau de cologne version of their Poivre scent, launched in 1957. Based on black peppercorns, with Rose and cloves, it is a rich, unisex, peppery scent. The Poivre perfume can come in a Baccarat cystal fountains and 50ml of pure perfume can cost upwards of £200 and the only place I have found to buy it in the UK or London is Harrods, Fortnum and Mason or Les Senteurs in Belgravia. But I think it is worth it... they have a huge range of other frangrances as well and I think the extra effort and rarity factor are ideal elements of the perfect gift...
Jewellery - every girl loves a new piece of jewellery but I hate it when people have just done something obvious like just gone to Tiffany's - not that I don't love Tiffany's but I think there are more unique places and pieces to buy than a Tiffany tag necklace or a Links of London Sweetie Bracelet.I personally love looking on Net-a-porter for jewellery as they have some big name designers as well as some really unusual pieces like a Love 18 karat gold and leather bracelet by Aurora Lopez Mejia for £2,935 if you are feeling extravagant!
And if money were no object? Well it would have to be a piece from Garrard! I have already blogged about how delicious their Fire of London collection is, but for a more romantic note, their Wings collection or Entanglement collection are beautiful.
Lingerie - I am a total sucker for stunning lingerie and bed wear. For my wedding night, I spent a tiny fortune on a stunning set of cashmere and silk pyjamas from Myla that are still my favourite clothes in the world (I love them more than my wedding dress). Myla is my kind of shop, classic, sexy and just a little bit kinky so I think they make a delicious alternative to Agent Provocateur for gorgeous lingerie - they even have a Valentine's section - Be Myla Valentine.
Leather - now before you think this is some sort of kinky section, it is actually about handbags, purses and shoes! Women love accessories and a designer handbag or pair of killer shoes is just a pure indulgence gift! This is one area where you don't need to find unusual places, just the right one for the recipient.For this season I am in love with the Gucci Diana tote with bamboo handles. I think it is just such a Spring classic and the perfect size for most occassions!
If you are planning on whisking anyone away for a romantic weekend as well then why not put their surprise tickets in this beautiful Mulberry Clipper bag, when you present it to them? It is a perfect little overnight bag and just screams "whisk me off to Paris or Rome"!
If these seem a little bit on the pricey side, have a look at the stunning clutch bags they have on ASOS at the moment. This lemon yellow quilted clutch by Ted Baker is bang on trend for Spring and will enhance any outfit...
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Décolleté 100 leather pumps |
Don't mess about with these things... no cheap alternatives will do. You will probably get the best sex of your life, probably while she wears the shoes...
There is something very irresistable about gorgeous shoes. I would team them with a pair of Wolford Velvet hold ups
Of course, all these gorgeous things need a suitably glamourous place to wear them to, so here are some ideas
Dinner:
Some vastly different ideas here
One - Clos Maggiore a super pretty room near covent garden that is kind of old school.
Supper Club - super modern with caberet and a spot of burlesque...
Barts - a gorgeous venue in Sloane Avenue with cocktails in tea cups - a seriously impressive place
Weekend Away in the UKManoir aux Quat'Saisons - nothing more to be said other than pure deliciousness and luxury
Babington House - Just a stunning luxury filled wonderland
Weekend Away elsewhere...
For a really personal service try RomeLofts.com - unique properties all over Rome - some with spectacular views!
For further afield or real luxury try Mr & Mrs Smith - a collection of luxury hotels and houses around the world. Some really unique hotels, personally reviewed by the staff - my sister actually used to review for them.
Men
The men in our lives are sometimes really short-changed on Valentine's Day. Women go nuts if their other half hasn't put in the required amount of effort, thought and romance into their Valentine's Day plans. But do they put the same amount of thought into the gifts for their menfolk?
Here are just a few ideas of things that I think men might appreciate...
A day at The Refinery
To combine with this, why not get him so fantastic aftershave and shave accesories from Geo F. Trumper such as their Eau de Portugal aftershave and a Whisky Leather Gillette Fusion Travel set
For more grooming gifts, go to the Men's Grooming department at Harrods and stock them up on moisturiser, scrub and even a bit of Manscara to make them feel fabulous.
Accessories
Men love accessories as much as us ladies so why not get them something fantastic to flash with their mates:
How about a superb iPad cover by Samira Boon called the furoshiki shiki - a transparent cover in some great bold shades that the ipad works through. Looks cool and its Japanese - what could be better. Just make sure he also has an ipad to go in it!!
A super cool wallet can be the perfect upgrade from that horrid old plasticy one he has had since university. Try Mulberry for some amazing Ostrich or Tan leather wallets in various styles
If these are a little out of your price league, have a look on ASOS for some cool Ted Baker wallets
I could go on and on. I guess the message is to avoid the obvious, keep it simple and remember it is all about the other person!
Happy Valentine's Day...
p.s. I tweeted to Nando's today about Valentine's Day and it got a lot of retweets as I was being juvenile. I should do that more often...
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