Clothing is a risky gift and everybody knows it. The usual failure is size, which is exactly why a Proud Poppy gift guide is worth writing: the brand runs sizes 6 to 30 in the same styles, and it also sells a small group of non-clothing gifts where size is not a question at all.
Below are picks sorted by who you are buying for, with the details the brand publishes on each listing so you can match a gift to a person rather than guessing. Everything here is from the current Proud Poppy Clothing range.
Best no-size-risk gifts
Start here if you are not confident about sizing, or if the gift is for a colleague, a teacher or someone whose measurements you have no business knowing.
Proud Poppy Clothing Floral Tumbling Tower Game with printed wooden blocks">
- Floral Tumbling Tower Game — the familiar block-stacking game in a floral print, with 48 wooden tumbling blocks. The brand's pitch is that it is too pretty to put away in the cupboard, which is genuinely the point of a printed version.
- A Dopo Journal in Flower — a journal with a chic cover design and smooth pages, for thoughts, dreams, goals and to-do lists.
- Kasey Swim Velour Beach Towel — a velour printed towel with a leopard print by Australian artist Kasey Rainbow, 86cm by 160cm, in cotton with a polyester trim and a trim border.
One caveat on the towel: it is listed as no return, so treat it as a final decision rather than something the recipient can swap.
Best gift for someone who lives in comfortable clothes
The Dreaming Top and Pants Sleepwear Set in Wild Dreams is the strongest gift in the whole range, because sleepwear sizing is forgiving and nobody buys themselves nice pyjamas.
The print is a bold mix of leopard spots and a rainbow of pastel hues. The top has a rounded neckline, short T-shirt sleeves and Proud Poppy branding at the front. The pants have a relaxed straight-leg fit, an elasticated waistband, a functional drawcord and piping detail at the hem. It is cut in modal with spandex, which is the reason it feels the way it does.
The alternative in the same spirit is the Hadley Sweat Pants in Ocean Colours: straight leg, relaxed fit, elasticated waistband, pockets, in a marbled mix of blues, pinks, purples, orange and yellows, in sizes 6 to 30. There is a matching sweater, so this one can scale into a bigger gift.
Best gift for a new or expecting mum
Several styles here are explicitly tagged bump friendly and feeding friendly, which takes most of the guesswork out.
The Bonnie Maxi Dress in Rainbow Leopard Pink is the standout: a V-neckline with functional buttons and a modesty panel, flutter sleeves, a drawstring waist, a tiered hem and a front split, in sizes 6 to 30. The buttons and modesty panel are what make it feeding friendly, and the drawstring waist is what lets it work through a changing shape.
The Tammin Shirt in Pink is the lower-commitment version of the same idea, with functional front buttons, a collar, T-shirt sleeves with a small side split and a hi-low hemline in 100% viscose, also tagged bump and feeding friendly. For more on dressing through this stage, our pregnancy and nursing dressing guide goes deeper.
Best gift for a teacher
Teacher outfits is an actual tag on this catalogue, which tells you something about who shops here. The pieces carrying it are the Lula Oversized Shirt, the Bonnie maxi, the Louisa maxi, the Lana Shirt, the Tammin Shirt and the Hadley Sweat Pants.
The Lana Shirt in Backyard Treasures is the best of them as a gift, because a shirt with a smart collar, functional front buttons and cuffed long sleeves is safe on shape while the Kasey Rainbow print does all the personality. Kasey Rainbow describes Backyard Treasures as more than a print, calling it a memory, which gives the gift something to say when they open it.
If you want something plainer, the Lula Oversized Shirt in pink and white or blue and white stripe is 100% cotton and designed to layer open over a tank or button up. Note the fit warning on the listing: it is intentionally quite oversized, and the brand recommends sizing down for a closer fit.
Best gift for a holiday coming up
If the person you are buying for has a trip booked, the vacation-tagged pieces are the obvious route.
The Louisa Maxi Dress in Blush Fern is the headline option: hand-painted florals and leafy detail on a soft peachy-pink base with pops of brighter colour, a V-neckline with lace trim, flutter sleeves and a functional buttoned bodice, in viscose. The Angel Linen Blend Midi Dress in Fiesta is the more practical pick, with a square neckline, thick bra-friendly straps, ric rac detail on the straps and hem, shirring and pockets.
For a smaller gift, the Harlow Shorts work in either print: a thick elastic waistband, a functional drawstring waist, a relaxed fit and pockets, with the Chambray Hearts version in 100% cotton and the Navy version in soft textured cotton cheesecloth. Pair either with the beach towel and you have a complete, well-judged present. Our roundup of the best beachwear and vacation clothing brands has more in the same vein.
Best gift that looks more expensive than it is
Jumpsuits punch above their weight as gifts because they read as a full outfit. The Pippa Jumpsuit in Jasmine has a V-neckline, an adjustable tie at the bust, a cut-out detail, a shirred front waistband and back bodice, three-quarter balloon sleeves with elastic cuffs, pockets and a wide leg, in viscose, and it is designed to be worn both ways.
The Christina Jumpsuit in Margie is the sleeveless alternative, with a cut-out under the bust, a front tie, an elastic back, adjustable bra-friendly straps, pockets and a wide leg in a linen and viscose blend.
Both are sizes 6 to 30 and both have the shirring and adjustable ties that make sizing a little more forgiving, which is exactly what you want when buying for somebody else.
Gifting notes worth reading first
- Check the size system. Most styles are sizes 6 to 30, but the Striped V-Neck Tee is listed in XS to XXXL. Do not assume they match.
- Watch the final sale tags. Many of these pieces are marked final sale, and the beach towel is listed as no return, so an exchange may not be possible.
- Read the fabric. The viscose and rayon pieces call for a cold gentle machine wash. If you are buying for someone who will not do that, choose the cotton cheesecloth options instead.
- Prints are personal. Kasey Rainbow's Backyard Treasures and Rainbow Leopard Pink are bold. If you are unsure, the journal, the game or the sleepwear set carry less risk.
For gift ideas that sit outside clothing entirely, our personalized jewelry gift guide is a good companion to this list.
The quick answer
Buying for someone whose size you know: the Bonnie maxi or the Pippa jumpsuit. Buying for someone whose size you do not: the Dreaming sleepwear set, the tumbling tower game or the journal. Buying for a trip: the Louisa maxi and the beach towel together.
Browse the full gift range, including sizes 6 to 30 across the clothing, at Proud Poppy Clothing.