16 Gifts We Love for Lovers

In this edition of The Gift, we dish on some of our favorite gifts to surprise your sweetie with—from an iconic pleated bag to a sexy deck of cards. Plus: what to give a curmudgeonly partner.

A video has been floating around my feeds lately of a very distressed looking woman asking her followers something like: “Does anyone know what we’re doing about Valentine’s Day in the talking stage?” I actually can’t help you with that. Not exactly my beat.

But if you’ve already made up your mind to acknowledge the holiday and give a gift—whether to your situationship (best of luck), your partner of 30 years, or your secret crush (brave! I support!)—and you just need a little help figuring out the “what should I give” of it all, here’s my advice: Pick a gifting lane first. Then go from there.

As I see it, there are five(ish) simple-enough paths you can take when approaching romantic gifting: sentimental, classic, sexy, nontraditional, and then jewelry, which is certainly classic but worthy of its own separate lane.

If you already know what type of gift you’d like to give, great! You can skip ahead.

But if you’re struggling to land on what kind of gifter you’d like to be this year, we don’t blame you. All of the different ways to approach “romance” (a nebulous concept to begin with!) are jumbled up and spit back out to us in a firehose of red-confettied-drugstore-aisle campaigns this time of year. I’d suggest—in the spirit of surprise and delight—going the opposite direction of the expected.

If you tend toward practical gift giving, your Valentine would likely be extra touched by something sentimental. Consider yourself a pretty romantic, effusive partner? Why not go with something less traditionally sweet, like a really cool or great-looking gift that just happens to be red. (The exception here might be jewelry: If you give it often and it’s well-received, probably … don’t stop.)

For the record, these categories are loose and entirely up to your interpretation. One person’s dream “sexy” gift might be lingerie; another’s might be doing the dishes. But here’s where I’d start, with a few lovely little things that have caught my eye recently, each grouped into a different category. All rigorously vetted by our gifting experts, as always.

• Sentimental: This gorgeous personalized print captures what the stars looked like on a night of your choice—perhaps the night of your first date? When newsletters editor Brittney Ho gifted one to her partner last year, he declared it the “most thoughtful gift” he’s ever received. Or what about a modern twist on an old classic: Make them a mix tape with this keychain—engraved with a scannable barcode that pulls up a playlist of your creation.
• Classic: For something sweet, these cherry cordials have an elevated but not bitter dark chocolate shell. Says gifts editor Hannah Morrill: “I’m embarrassed by how quickly we went through the pack of 12 in our house.” Of course, it’s hard to go wrong with a really great bouquet. Try for a reliable local florist first if you can (for any fellow Brooklynites, I love Stems). But if you’re sending from afar, our testers found that these flowers look beautiful right out of the box. Maybe pair them with this slim enamelware pitcher that can moonlight as a vase, for something lasting.
• Sexy: This lovely lacy bra with a soft, velveteen lining is pretty exquisite. More hot ideas: a sexy card deck for the bedroom, this version of the TikTok-trendy vibrator rose toy that our experts call “way better than decent,” or a pair of one of our favorite boxers, in an adorable heart print.
• Nontraditional: A few ideas of a more random nature: This chic Issey Miyake accordion bag in bright red would bring a very-in-right-now pop of color to any outfit, but is iconic enough to be timeless. Perhaps your love needs this glass carafe set with a perfectly minimalist winking face? I appreciate that it features a nestled drinking cup, too, for nightstand convenience. Or what about this small but mighty (and affordable!) espresso machine?
• Jewelry: Any of our experts’ favorite timeless jewelry would likely be a hit come February 14. But I’m especially charmed by this engravable heart locket you can tuck a little photo into. If you’re going big: there’s this very, very twinkly choker made with lab-grown sapphires we’ve raved about before. For a more affordable but still swingy and sparkly chain, this sophisticated brass necklace looks more expensive than it is. And, lastly, a watch lover might appreciate a little extra wrist candy, like this box-chain bracelet.

Any of these, by the way, would make a great gift to self—there’s no rule that says you can’t be your own Valentine. You can think of it like setting a high bar for your next Valentine, or at least that’s what I’ll be doing.