Swimsuit

SI Swimsuit Models Reveal the Most Romantic Gift They Ever Received

These women have some creative partners.

Jordi Lippe-McGraw and Mara Milam

The Perfect Valentine's Day Gift

While it’s always important to show your partner how much you love them, Valentine’s Day is a great time to up the ante when it comes to romance. But it can be tricky to think of a truly unique way to pull this off. Well, lucky for some SI Swimsuit models, they have some clever significant others in their lives who think outside the box when it comes to loving gestures. Below, check out the most romantic gifts they’ve received. (Bonus: some of the women also shared their ideas for the perfect date.)

Nicole Williams English loves Cartier

“The most romantic gift I’ve ever been given was when [husband] Larry gave me a Cartier love bangle on my 28th birthday,” says Williams English. “He took it out of the box and locked it on my wrist in the middle of the restaurant. I cried… it was such a special and romantic moment.”

Camille Kostek prefers a love letter 

“The most romantic gift I ever received was a love letter,” says Kostek. “A card, a letter or a meaningful note goes a long way for me. Reading someone’s feelings written out on paper is a tangible memory that’s always fun to cherish. I love writing cards for the people I care about and it’s even better to receive one from someone you love.”

Georgina Burke is fond of symbolic jewelry

“I think I have two of the most thoughtful romantic gifts,” explains Burke. “One would be the gold ring I wear all the time. My boyfriend was taking a long distance job in Japan for nine months and he showed up the night before [his departure] with the little red box that makes every girl's heart flutter. It was a promise ring—I remind him it’s a placeholder for the real thing.”

“My second gift was a gift to myself,” she continues. “All my friends were dating athletes or wealthy men at the time and getting nice expensive watches and gifts. I was too busy flying around the world working my butt off for my career as a model and did not date for five years during that time. I decided to purchase myself a nice watch. Still to this day, seven years on, it’s the only jewelry apart from the ring mentioned above that I wear. Every time I look at it I feel so lucky that I can buy myself flowers or, in this case, a watch.”

Lorena Duran is all in for a surprise

“The best surprise I’ve ever gotten was when someone appeared somewhere when I didn’t expect it and gave me an incredibly beautiful ring!” Duran says. “It meant so much to me.”

Christen Harper is a fan of diamonds

“The most romantic gift I ever received was a necklace my [fiancé] gave me right after he said I love you for the first time,” says Harper. “It’s a dainty gold necklace with a single diamond. It was also the first diamond necklace I ever had! I wear that necklace every day and it always reminds me of him and that moment and how special it was.”

Tanaye White adores a custom painting

“The most romantic gift I ever received was a painting a guy I was dating had made of me,” says White. “He sent a painter his favorite photo of me and the painter used the photo and his feedback to paint it on canvas. In the canvas, my afro was transformed into a galaxy of stars! It was so sweet.”

Katie Austin gets sentimental about a necklace

“I’ve got to be honest, I don't love big romantic gifts,” says Austin. “But I love small sentiments and little ways to show appreciation. My most romantic gift, though, was when my boyfriend gave me a necklace with the date we met engraved on the back! It was such a thoughtful reminder of where our relationship began.”

As far as the date goes? Austin loves cooking a meal together at home. “I love playing good music, opening a bottle of wine and being in the kitchen with my man,” she says. “It’s a great way to spend time together.”

Marquita Pring appreciates artistry

“One of the windows in my bedroom faces a brick wall about six feet away,” says Pring. “One day, my boyfriend took me to Home Depot and tricked me into picking out a bunch of paint colors for a ‘project’ he was working on. When we got home, he opened one of the paints and flicked them out the window at the brick wall. It blew my mind that in one crazy act, he turned it into a canvas. He opened all the paint and said, ‘Have at it.’ It still makes me smile every time I wake up and see that wall.”

Pring adds that her favorite date would include “cold drinks on a hot beach talking about fun ways of seeing the world. Then maybe barefoot dancing on the back deck as the sun sets and washing it all away in an outdoor shower.”

Brooks Nader looks for the personal touch

“I definitely love sentimental gifts,” says Nader. “And my husband knows jewelry is the way to my heart. So he tends to do that and then adds videos or notes from all my loved ones.”

On the perfect date front: “I love going to any of my favorite spots in the West Village,” she says. “Having a nice bottle of wine and having flowers waiting are always a plus."

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