Reader Question: What to Buy for My Wife’s Birthday?

Reader CJ asks:

So I’m going to put the shoe on the other foot and see if you’ll bite, with a question lots of us must have - gifts for our wives or girlfriends.

My wife is turning 38 in early November, and I want to get her some jewelry, which she never wears.  Neither her style nor her personality are particularly amenable to flash, so I was thinking I’d seen several women wearing those chunky, red necklaces (are they sort of 1960s?  I don’t know) and thought I might get her one of those.  They also seem like they might withstand the two little kids who want her to pick them up as soon as she gets home from work.

Any ideas on where to get them?  Or am I barking up the wrong tree style-wise?  For reference, when she has time to shop, she seems to like Anthropologie dresses, and J. Crew work clothes, and weekends find her mostly in a dress or jeans. 

(And yes, I’m also taking her away for the weekend.)

All right, real talk. I am very excited to answer this question today. For a couple of reasons:

1) It gives me a chance to do some window shopping for myself for a change.

Not that I don’t love digging through the interwebs for flat front pants for you guys, because I do. I totally do. But I mean, shopping for chick stuff is fun too, and I almost never do it.

2) The way guys describe women’s clothing, accessories, grooming – basically everything a woman wears or does that a guy doesn’t – is so adorable I feel like I’m playing with a puppy wearing a big red bow.

Your attempts at description are both hilarious and enlightening.

Because honestly CJ, I have close to zero idea what you are talking about. A 1960s red necklace? Don’t get me wrong, I applaud your jewelry Charades efforts, but that is absolutely definitely 100% not a thing. At least not a thing that I – a pretty typical lady-type – knows anything about.

I *think* you’re talking about just straight-up chunky statement necklaces? So that’s what I’m going with. Furthermore, while they don’t have to come in any one color, we’ll stick with red since that’s what you’re looking for.

I found a few that I think your wife will like, from a couple of the brands we already know she wears:

1: Anthropologie, $78
2: J.Crew, $150
3: The Remedi, $192

Enjoy the weekend away (good one, by the way!), and let us know what she thinks of your gift!

Any other presents you’re currently shopping for? Please keep sending me these kinds of requests!

I’ve received too many “What was he thinking?” presents from guys with the best of intentions, so if I can prevent one more woman from having to screw her face from a look of confusion into elation when opening a present from her man, I’ll know I’ve done some good.