The Good (and Bad) Gift Guide

What do India’s most stylish people like to give and receive? We asked them (and got you tonnes of ideas in the process)!

09 July, 2018
The Good (and Bad) Gift Guide

kalyani chawla

Kalyani Chawla, Former VP Marketing & Comm, Christian Dior Couture, India

The Best Thing I Got: “My daughter’s birthday cards, which had the most adorable messages in them.”

The Worst Thing I Got: “Flowers that come straight from the florist, written by the florist!”

A Good Gift Idea: “I would love to gift my mother the Be Dior bag. It’s an absolute must have this season!”

 

pia

Pia Pauro, Fashion Designer

The Best Thing I Got: “A beautiful art deco diamond bracelet from my father, and a vintage kanchivaram sari from my mother in law.”

The Worst Thing I Got: “A tray and a vase that I didn’t know what to do with.”

A Good Gift Idea: “Chocolates and wine always make good—and safe—presents.”

 

mandira wirk

Mandira Wirk, Fashion Designer

The Best Thing I Got: “My English Bulldog Arnold, gifted by my parents, is the most amazing gift!”

The Worst Thing I Got: “Anything without a thought behind it.”

A Good Gift Idea: “Gift cards and registries are always a good idea.”

 

preeti

Preeti Chandra, Fashion Designer

The Best Thing I Got: “Handmade sweets and a CD with Lakshmi and Ganesh songs. It was a very beautiful thought.”

The Worst Thing I Got: “Corporate gifts are the worst.”

A Good Gift Idea: “Gift baskets are perfect. Forest Essentials, for example, has some beautifully wrapped boxes.”

 

gaurav

Gaurav Bhatia, Marketing Director, Moët Hennessy, India

The Best Thing I Got: “My two beautiful boys, Abeer and Adhiraj.”

The Worst Thing I Got: “I guess any ‘recycled’ gift is thoughtless. I believe what you give says a lot about you.”

A Good Gift Idea: “Step away from the sweet boxes and gift a bottle of Chandon Brut in its limited edition Diwali gift box. Perfect!”

anusha

Anusha Dandekar, VJ, Actor and Singer

The Best Thing I Got: “A gold necklace with my name carved in Arabic. I loved it!”

The Worst Thing I Got: “I could really do without soft toys now. It’s just that I have hundreds!”

A Good Gift Idea: “Something stylish. Like a cute clutch for my girlfriend.”

 

Gunjan Gupta

Gunjan Gupta, Industrial Designer

The Best Thing I Got: “A beautiful black and white pashmina sari, especially woven for me. It was a quite a treat.”

The Worst Thing I Got: “A box of handmade chocolates because they had expired when I opened them three days later.”

A Good Gift Idea: “The Jawbone UP is a great health accessory.”

 

eina

Eina Ahluwalia, Jewellery Designer

The Best Thing I Got: “My parents gifted me a ticket to Europe on one of my birthdays. Best gift ever!”

The Worst Thing I Got: “Someone once gifted me a fake bag.”

A Good Gift Idea: “Books! The Forty Rules Of Love by Elif Shafak is great.”

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