This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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A bouquet of tulips, a box of chocolates, and a good ol’ Hallmark card. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with the traditional Mother’s Day gifts — but if your mom is anything but traditional, chances are she’ll appreciate a gift that’s as unique as she is.
To help break you out of a gifting rut, we asked the coolest moms we know what they’re dying to receive this Mother’s Day. And, not surprisingly, we got a treasure trove of totally unexpected gift picks that renew, empower, and inspire.
So, forget about that last-minute Whitman sampler at Walgreens. Ahead, loads of unique gift ideas, straight from the wish lists of the world’s coolest moms. Trust us, your mama will beam with pride when she sees what a thoughtful gifter she’s raised.
As creative director and owner of RoAndCo Studio, mom to a 6-month-old baby, and star of our annual Pink Party, Roanne Adams knows her share of sleepless nights. But, according to Adams, seeing her baby girl “squeal with excitement every morning when I pick her up out of her crib” makes all that midnight oil worthwhile. Here’s what Adams — or any sleep-starved new mom — would love to unwrap this Mother’s Day:
1. “Eight hours of sleep for one night! I haven’t slept much in the past six months.” We can’tguarantee infant cooperation, but this Liberty London sleep mask should help snag some shut-eye.
2. “Tickets to Depeche Mode playing at Barclays Center in September. I miss going to concerts on a regular basis now that I have a baby!”
3. “A massage gift certificate.”
4. “A Citi Bike membership! It’s so hard for new moms to find time to exercise, so making exercise a part of their everyday commute is a great gift.”
Liberty London Otis Batterbee Turquoise Caesar Eye Mask, $70, available at Liberty London; Depeche Mode Tickets, starting at $50, available at Barclays Center; Bliss Massage Gift Certificate, starting at $75, available at Bliss; Citi Bike Membership, $95 per year, available at Citi Bike.
Photo: Courtesy of Roanne Adams.
As a mother of two (soon to be three), aerialist, activist, editor at large for Lulamagazine, and writer for Hello Giggles andRookie mag — Sarah Sophie Flicker is a powerhouse, indeed. But the love Flicker has for her family is the glue that holds it all together:
“I thought I knew what love was, but I really didn’t until my children were born. They teach me to love unconditionally, in spite of the many challenges that parenting poses. There is nothing I am more proud of than my family — my heart bursts just thinking about them.”
From sweetly sentimental jewelry to gifts that make the world a safer place, here’s what Flicker would love to give and get this Mother’s Day:
1. “I love symbolic jewelry. Catbird has a wonderful moon & stars necklace that can be personalized. I’d love one of these with each family member’s initials engraved in the moon and stars.”
2. “I love to do my friend Mary Helen’s Ballet Beautiful classes — I’d be thrilled with a package of classes and the time to do them!”
3. “A homemade piece of art or card. Honestly, my kids art makes me the happiest — anything they make is a masterpiece as far as I’m concerned!”
4. “I just read Lean In by Sheryl Sanberg, and thought it was wonderful. Sure, it may not speak for every woman, but I love what she has to say about men participating equally in parenting and homemaking. I think this is a sexy present for a partner to give to the mama of the family. There’s nothing hotter than a feminist man or co-parent!”
5. I’m big on celebrating peacemaking and anti-violence movements, so I’d love a donation in my name to Peace First. We have such a problem with violence in this country — Peace First has created an incredible curriculum for kids in schools that deal with the root causes of violence.
Catbird “You Are My Moon And Stars” Moon Charm, starting at $64, available at R29 Shops; Ballet Beautiful Classes, $35, available at Ballet Beautiful; Paper Source Robots Craft Kit, $15, available atPaper Source; Lean In: Women, Work, And The Will To Lead, $22.45, available at Strand Books; Peace First Donation, price varies, available at Peace First.
Photo: Picture Perfect/Rex USA
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As founder and CEO of Guest of a Guest, one of Fast Company’s Most Influential Women In Tech, and mom to son, Maxwell, Rachelle Hruska knows a thing or two about balancing work and family life. Hruska’s parenting motto?
“To strive to be the best version of myself I can be — your children will follow your lead.”
What’s Hruska dreaming of this Mother’s Day? Michael Kors’ luxe, leather bomber jacket, stud-trim Saffiano clutch, and sandals chic enough to go from the office to after-hours — or, a very important playdate.
MICHAEL Michael Kors Alexi Studded Flat Sandal in Luggage Leather, $135, available at Michael Kors; MICHAEL Michael Kors Large Selma Studded Saffiano Clutch in Black, $108, available at Michael Kors; MICHAEL Michael Kors Boerum Glittered Slip-On Sneaker, $110, available at Michael Kors; MICHAEL Michael Kors Leather Motorcycle Jacket, $429, available at Michael Kors.
As Refinery29’s VP of editorial operations, Susan Kaplow spends her days helping our business — and her two daughters, Evan and Claude, grow. Balancing the two is no easy task, but the supremely centered Kaplow makes it work. Her advice for moms-to-be?
“Always put your kids first, and everything else will fall into place. You’ll also be able to carve out more time time for yourself as a result.”
Kaplow’s gift picks reflect her signature mix of practicality, wit, and style — we think the ultimate multitasker in your life will love ’em, too:
1. “A $100 Club card to Juice Press. The only thing greener than its cold-pressed juice is the amount of cold, hard cash I’ve spent there over the past two years! This card will save me some green, for sure.”
2. “Some more kid art for our new office space. We’re moving offices this month, and I’m commissioning some new pieces. Claude has a penchant for fashion martians — we could use some of those at the new R29 HQ.”
3. “A big new bottle of my all-time favorite fragrance, Aqua di Parma Essenza Di Colonia. It’s a unisex fragrance in a classic black bottle that I’ve worn for years. I know it’s cliché to get fragrance for Mother’s Day, but my kids love ‘my smell’ so it’s cute to get it from them (via my husband).”
4. “Every year around Mother’s Day, we buy some more trees and plants for our backyard. It’s a small one in Brooklyn but adding to it each Mother’s Day is a sweet tradition. We’re in the market for a king-sized conifer (to hide a giant Verizon utility pole)!”
Juice Press Club Card, $100, available at Juice Press; Aqua di Parma Essenza Di Colonia Eau de Cologne, $98, available at Nordstrom; Mini Cedar Pine Potted Topiary Tree, $140, available at Christmas Central.
Photographed by Sarah Balch.
Between her sultry-sweet vocals and badass, bohemian style, Thievery Corporation chanteuse LouLou Ghelichkhani is one of our all-time favorite style muses — and one of our favorite moms, too. Living by the parenting motto “trust your instincts,” Ghelichkhani effortlessly balances playing before sold-out crowds and raising her 12-year-old daughter — who’s inherited her mom’s impeccable style and taste in music:
“The incredible source of inspiration that comes from watching and guiding the next generation is, by far, the most rewarding part of being a mom…and the fact that my daughter is an AWESOME tune selecta is pretty great, too!”
So, what’s a musical muse want for Mother’s Day? Turns out, she’d trade the roar of the crowd for a little mother-daughter downtime — and maybe a few sick statement pieces to add to her wardrobe, too:
1. “My daughter recently became taller than me, and raided my closet for all my cool bathing suits (with my permission). So, I’d love any piece from the summer ’13 Mara Hoffmancollection — just in time for a Costa Rican vacation!”
2. “A vintage Hammond Organ. I would love to write some tunes that are heavy on the keys — doesn’t every mom want a Hammond?”
3. “Homemade pizza night! I love it when my family cooks for me, it is such a treat — and my daughter loves to cook, so it’s so much fun to watch her, too. We all have such different schedules and diets, that it always feels extra special when we get together for that special occasion: pizza!”
4. “The new Flaming Lips record. Preferably on vinyl.”
Mara Hoffman Pow Wow Cutout One Piece Swimsuit, $275, available at Shopbop; Hammon Organ, vintage, available at eBay; The Flaming Lips The Terror Double LP, $35, available at Insound.
Photographed by Sebastian Marin.
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