Who What Wear’s series Chic People Presents aims to make gifting personal again by tapping fashion and beauty’s coolest creatives on what to buy this holiday season. Read on for IYKYK present picks and insight into gift-giving strategy from the industry’s top stylists, designers, and tastemakers.
It’s official—the festive season is here. How can I tell? Besides the many holiday-theme party invites flooding my inbox and the countless cardamom-spiced recipes I’ve saved, my sister’s already dropping hints that she’s bought me the perfect gift. In hopes of topping her thoughtful gift, I’m seeking the insight of beauty insider Carolina Herrera.
Daughter of fashion icon Carolina Herrera, Carolina Herrera, Jr. has long served as the beauty creative director of the house. Herrera is, no doubt, well-versed in the best fragrances to gift, and she has been influential in the development of the brand’s most celebrated fragrance franchise, Good Girl. Beyond her beauty expertise, Herrera’s elegant taste—likely an inherited trait from her mother—is evident in her thoughtful, intentional approach to holiday gifting, which is precisely why I was interested in hearing her gift recommendations and tips.
Wow, she exceeded expectations. Herrera favors holiday-scented candles (like Byredo Tree House or Diptyque Sapin), select fragrances, and personalized gifts. Outside these chic, wrapable buys, she’s an advocate for the experiential gift: a restorative spa day at Sha wellness clinic in Spain, a trip to VivaMayr in Austria, and a one-year studio membership to Tracy Anderson. Herrera’s expert holiday gift ideas have inspired me this festive season to think outside the box. Scroll on to discover all of Herrera’s exceptionally elegant holiday picks.
1. Gift That Sparks Joy
“Anything unexpected makes me extremely happy or an Advent Calendar with some fragrance and makeup favorites from the brand.”
2. Especially Thoughtful Gift
“Something you know the person has wanted for a long time and you’ve taken the time to find it or something that belongs to you and they always tell you how much they love it.”
3. Gift They Won’t Return
“A jewel.”
4. Gift to Have on Hand
“Candles and perfumes and difficult-to-find chocolate (in Madrid, I cannot find Läderach chocolates nor Auer) [or] a [Carolina Herrera Good Girl perfume]. It’s really amazingly delicious and a little mischievous, which I love.”
5. Perfectly Useful Gift
“A weekend bag, a sweater [like the Perfect Cashmere Crewneck from J.Crew], a candle (you can never have too many), and 10 massage sessions.”
Läderach
Assorted Christmas Tree
J.Crew
Perfect Cashmere Crewneck
Carolina Herrera
Good Girl Blush Eau de Parfum
6. Personalized Gift
“I engrave the person’s initials and a little scarab that I had made (my mother calls me Coli from coleoptera) on a Scala Insignia Clutch that I love to gift.”
7. Snacks and Spirits
“Great olive oil, chocolates, tequila. You can never have enough.”
8. Standout Host Gift
“A [Build Your Own Hamper] with a few things inside that mean something special to the hostess or a basket full of different homemade desserts for the weekend, a beautiful blanket/throw for the winter, a big puzzle if they are into that sort of thing.”
9. Gift for Sharing
“Food, trips, games [like this Wooden Backgammon Board], a dance class.”
10. Last-Minute Gift
“Candles. I love candles like Byredo Tree House or Diptyque Feu de Bois.
Not Another Bill
Wooden Backgammon Board
Not Another Bill
Build Your Own Hamper
11. “Worth It” Luxury Gift
“A Rimowa Cabin bag, a jewel, one-year membership to Tracy Anderson in Madrid.”
12. Gift You Wouldn’t Buy Yourself But Would Love to Receive
“An incredible trip (I’ve had a few of those, and it’s my favorite), a car maybe.”
13. Gift for Furry Friends
“Blankets—I just bought a blanket for my three dogs.”
14. Gift That Gives Back
“Definitely books, art, theater, and special museum visits after the museum closes.”
15. Gift for Nourishing Mind, Body, and Spirit
“A trip to Vana in India, VivaMayr in Austria, Lanserhof in [Austria], and Sha wellness clinic and Buchinger in Spain. All of the above, please.”
tracy anderson
Studio Membership Gift Card
Zara Home
Christmas Check Pet Blanket
16. Gift of a Great Read
“The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, and the list can go on and on.”
17. Unexpected Gift
“A gift any other day of the year that does not mark a special occasion.”
18. Experiential Gift
“It could be anything from a spa day, a special treatment I’ve discovered, tickets to a concert or a Formula E race, an incredible massage (I just got that gift) to seats for the Carolina Herrera show in NY for friends who happen to be in the city. The possibilities are limitless, and it depends on what each friend loves.”
19. Future Heirloom Gift
“I’ve made new rings and earrings by resetting the stones from jewelry I’ve had and never used, and I’ve done it thinking of my three children.”
How do you set a holiday-season mood in your home?
Candles that smell like Christmas trees—I really like Byredo Tree House and Diptyque Sapin. We buy a fat tree that I decorate differently every year. I love to hang mistletoe above a few doors, and I order a simple pine wreath from a friend who makes them to put on the front door. I love Christmas.
Do you have any holiday traditions?
We open presents on the 25th in the morning and then have a Christmas lunch. When I was young, I wasn’t allowed out on Christmas Eve. My children are allowed, and they usually have a blast.
Do you have any go-to packaging items or ways you make wrapping stand out?
I love wrapping gifts and making each person’s unique and personal. I have a Christmas box with all sorts of colored pens, ribbons, wrapping paper, stamps and inks, jingle bells, stickers. You name it—I have it! I keep adding to that box throughout the year whenever I see something I love. I sometimes add an unexpected surprise, like a few different Good Girl miniature perfumes. People love to collect them!!
Where do you shop for gifts IRL?
I’m always on the lookout for personalized gifts. If I see something that someone will love, I buy it and hold on to it until Christmas or their birthday. I can’t do fast Christmas shopping. CH stores and Carolina Herrera NY never fail, and it’s easy! For online shopping, I like J.Crew, Zara Home, Call It by Your Name, Astier de Villatte for ornaments, Not Another Bill, or the fragrance section of the Carolina Herrera website to get many Good Girl perfumes to gift.
Any gifting etiquette tips?
Thank-yous are always nice, and with WhatsApp, it’s so easy because I really think about the person when giving a gift. Unless it’s something that I know the person will love, I don’t regift, and if I do, I say so and maybe add something else.
Gift-season planning tips?
I have a lot of Secret Santas, and those have a specific budget that is set and changes depending on the group. I don’t think big price equals big gift. Sometimes, something like a box of palo santo, a great incense stick with a lovely crystal, and a great note is enough.
Any strategy around when to buy?
Anything I put initials on I do around October/November. Everything else I get as I see it. Sometimes, I do have to do some last-minute shopping, but I hate that.
Astier de Villatte
Golden Champagne Ornament
carolina herrera
Good Girl Eau de Parfum
CEDAR AND MYRRH
Ecuadorian Palo Santo Sticks
