What Mom Really Wants
FASHION MOM
If you don't know which designers Mom prefers, you can still provide a fashionable Mother's Day gift. The solution: accessories. They're popular, and you don't have to worry about fit, notes retail industry analyst Annette McEvoy. She likes the $32 turquoise-colored earrings (right) and assorted blue necklaces ($42-$128) at bananarepublic.com. Bags and scarves may prove a challenge for color-impaired offspring. Luckily, the hue du jour is white, says LaVelle Olexa, senior vice president for fashion merchandising at Lord & Taylor, whose grown son once bought her a pair of cashmere sneakers for Mother's Day. She loved them, but only very savvy children should dare give such a quirky gift.
FITNESS MOM
Place your hands or feet on a disk, then tone up by sliding along the floor. Gliding Discs (above, $20, glidingdiscs.com ) are the latest exercise craze, says Today show fitness expert and mother of three Kathy Kaehler. What to wear while gliding (or otherwise working up a sweat)? Fitness author and Lifetime TV host Denise Austin believes "every mom wants a good fitting pair of yoga pants that holds her in." She favors styles by Nike ( nike.com ) and Danskin ( danskin.com ), priced from $35 to $60. Doing double duty for running errands, the best yoga pants have a fold-over waist for extra support and to disguise lower-tummy flab--which is more than any son wants to know.
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