When it comes to gift giving, I consider it my Olympic sport. I spend months searching for the best Etsy gifts for people based on their interests, personalities, and things that remind me of them. My friends and family are welcome to confirm or deny it, but I’ll be the first to admit: I’m a good gift-giver!
Etsy is one of my favorite places to find unique gifts (for both myself and others) because there's a gigantic selection that feels a lot like a neverending treasure hunt — one item leading you to fall down the rabbit hole to the next. Not to mention that most Etsy gifts tend to be creative, one-of-a-kind pieces you won’t be able to find elsewhere. Whether you're shopping for Christmas gifts for your teen sister, brother, or boyfriend, or need a cute birthday gift idea for your best friend, you'll be able to find an affordable present that they'll actually appreciate.
In essence, Etsy is a gateway to discovering different personalities — what interests you, what inspires you, and what aesthetic you may want to tap into next. The cherry on top, is that Etsy is a digital marketplace where you can shop secondhand and support small businesses, which is a more sustainable way to approach gift-giving.
Below, you'll find a curated range of items per various aesthetics and/or categories that have been inspiring me lately. I hope this encourages you to peruse Etsy for your next gift!
Teen Vogue's Top Picks
- Best unique Etsy gift: 1960s vintage handmade star quilt, $58
- Best Etsy gift card: Scripted fragrance candles, $25
- Best Etsy Christmas gift: Vintage handknit Fair Isle ski sweater, $49
- Best Etsy birthday gift: Vintage rainbow glass set, $55
- Best Etsy gift for girlfriend: Vintage silver heart locket necklace, $36
- Best Etsy gift for boyfriend: Hike Kaaterskill Falls baseball cap, $15
Upstate Retreat
Anyone who knows me is well aware that Upstate NY is my happy place. The views. The *aesthetic*, the food, the vintage finds — I got married at an Airbnb in Hudson, NY, and had my wedding dinner at a restaurant in Woodstock. Someday, I hope to have a home of my own up there to decorate, but in the meantime, manifesting my real estate dreams via my Etsy cart will have to suffice.
As an aside, I feel the inherent need to call out the 1960s cloth ‘calories’ napkin linked below — do you remember when Harry Styles single-handedly sold out the Bode Louie Calorie print shirt? Emma Chamberlain recently recollected the event on her podcast Anything Goes during an interview with designer Emily Bode. I took a gamble and searched for this particular vintage napkin that had inspired the shirt design adorned by Mr. Styles, and to my surprise, multiple options popped up on Etsy. I immediately added one to my cart and have since framed the napkin to hang in my kitchen — a fun nod to Bode, Harry, and history all at the same time.
Festive Dinner Party
When the holiday season rolls around, I rewatch videos of Alexa Chung and Laura Jackson (Part 1 and Part 2) putting together the ideal dinner party with a creative twist on tablescape planning. I love the idea of a not-so-literal or secular holiday approach when it comes to table decor. I have been eyeing the infamous Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage dishes for what feels like forever and what better time than now to adorn a tablescape with a whimsical vintage set. And if you’re anything like me and don’t like to cook or bake, don’t let that deter you from decking out your table for takeout, too.
Sofia Coppola Fever Dream
Have you seen A24’s Priscilla directed by Sofia Coppola? It’s okay, neither have I. But when I do, I already know I will love it, as a self-proclaimed fan of the ~Coppola aesthetic~ since the early 2000s. I recently purchased the Sofia Coppola Archive book (another great holiday gift idea!) that I can’t wait to display on my bookshelves, but I also love the idea of a homage to the aesthetic through accessories, apparel, and decor. The below curation is meant to be a culmination of all Coppola vibes — a dash of The Virgin Suicides, a pinch of Marie Antoinette, and a splash of Priscilla teen angst x coquette = Coppola aesthetic.
Art Lover
As a former art school student, I find myself often searching for the obscure — items that perhaps only other fellow art school kids would be interested in. I also envision a jam-packed Brooklyn apartment housing a vast collection of art books and items that you have dumpster dived/collected, which you may or may not potentially use for a personal project (in reality, the items just collect in doom piles sprinkled around your space, but that’s okay) Add in weekend trips to Storm King, DIA Beacon, and Upstate antique shops, and this is what I’m envisioning your Etsy cart to look like.
Cozy Winter Chalet
Channeling Lady Gaga’s character, Patrizia Reggiani, in House of Gucci, as well as any sort of Princess Diana 90s ski-core, this is what I envision a cozy, snow-filled weekend to consist of whilst being tucked away someplace magical up on a mountainside. You will definitely be baking and consuming bread (eating butter and fondue not together but also maybe together). Go wild, and last but certainly not least, drink copious amounts of rich hot chocolate topped with mini marshmallows.
