5 Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for Francophiles

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching I wanted to share five gift ideas, that aren’t chocolates or flowers, perfect for my fellow Francophiles. These are items I’ve been given or have purchased myself which always make me feel closer in some way to my beloved France.

The items I list by L’Occitane and Cire Trvdon were gifts of the brands. All other items I’ve purchased myself. All opinions and images are my own.

CLOTHING for Valentine’s Day

My new favorite item of clothing tops this list, a Vive la Resistance sweatshirt by Clare Vivier. I wear this so often now I am afraid I’ll wear it out. Perfect for my fellow Francophiles for Valentine’s Day but also relevant year round because of the crazy world we’re now living in. Obviously it is French-inspired, as is everything Clare Vivier makes, but it is designed and produced in the USA, in Los Angeles. There’s even a hand-stitched French flag on one cuff! In the same line as the sweatshirt, are also scarves and t-shirts with similarly emblazoned French phrases. J’adore!

CANDLES for Valentine’s Day

A Diptyque candle has always seemed to me to be one of those things every French woman has and that every Francophile woman should own! I like to burn them because it takes me back to my earliest trip to France. I’ll never forget the first time I walked into one of their Paris boutiques and smelled their candles for the first time. Their limited edition Rose-scented collection was sold out in the NYC boutique I stopped into but I would recommend trying to still find it if you can. Such a delight!

Last week I discovered the NYC boutique of Cire Trvdon candles with my friend Susan of The Francophiles and now they are on my own wish list for the next time anyone has occasion to gift me something! *wink* I also love their scented-wax melts that dissolve into a ceramic plate on top of the most beautiful glass lantern colored a sort of moss green. So chic!

SKIN CARE for Valentine’s Day

PERFUME for Valentine’s Day

Perfume from Chanel, Chloe and Dior always top most Francophile or beauty lists and those are great! Right now though, I am rotating three scents by Le Labo, L’Occitane and Cire Trvdon. The latter, first mentioned above, lets you sample their beautiful perfumes in a jewel-box of a boutique on Elizabeth Street. Their candles and perfume have a French heritage dating back to the 1600s! They are also offering a gift with any purchase, of $150 or more, in their NYC boutique this weekend.

BOOKS for Valentine’s Day

Last, but certainly not least, a gift for Francophile bibliophiles: books about Paris by my uber talented friends. For a book that’s a guide but also delightful reading with the most stunning photos of real life in France’s capital city, The New Paris by Lindsey Tramuta of Lost in Cheeseland. Photos are by my other friend, fellow NYC-based photographer, Charissa Fay. Paris In Bloom by Georgianna Lane is like a Spring vacation to the capital. It’s like an April walk on the Coulée verte René-Dumont (aka the Promenade Plantée).

Then there’s Paris In Color and The Paris Journal by Nichole Robertson of Obvious State. In fact I can’t just recommend those books alone, I have to recommend anything she and her husband Evan create under the umbrella of the Obvious State brand. It is the most genius literary-based product line that I’ve ever discovered and includes pieces featuring French phrases and quotes by French authors, amongst many others.

What would you add to this list? Do you own any of these items?

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