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RHOSLC’s Bronwyn Newport Revealed Her Go-To Gift Ideas
From collectible fashion to inflatable costumes (and that’s on range).
There are So. Many. Reasons why the fifth season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City has already earned its spot in the canon of Bravo greats: Mary Cosby’s return to form, Angie K’s mob-wives-themed anniversary party, and chief among them is newcomer Bronwyn Newport, who’s served up a master class in first-season Housewifery.
I, for one, appreciate her ability to “rich right”—that is, to unapologetically spend some of her money on frivolous little things that make her and those around her happy, like couture hot dog outfits (for her) and bedazzled passport holders (for her friends)—which is exaaactly why I jumped at the chance ask about her gift-giving philosophy.
“I’ve definitely heard the best gift to give somebody is something they would really use or not buy for themselves. I’m really heavy on the not buy for themselves,” said Bronwyn. “If you don’t know what somebody wants...a luxurious item—not a luxury item but a luxurious item.” She gets it.
We caught up at the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative’s—ya know, the iconic NYC bar where the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement began—Brick Awards Gala (yes, that brick), where Billy Porter was being honored with the Icon of the Year Award (succeeding Dominique Jackson). We chatted about the importance of supporting LGBTQ+-owned brands, personal style (self-described as “pageantry and ridiculousness”), who among her castmates is on the naughty questionable list, and what she’s gifting this holiday season.
At the gala where we met, Bronwyn was wearing a sea-green ruffled Christian Siriano number, who has called her “my No. 1 customer.” “I love his gender-neutral runways. He has women; he has men. He has people who identify in all kinds of different ways,” said Bronwyn. “Body sizes are all represented. I just love that embrace of anything you want to be.”
Christian’s new book, The New Red Carpet, dives in to exactly that: It’s a collection of his most memorable red carpet looks, including the evening honoree Billy Porter’s instantly-iconic 2019 Oscars tuxedo gown.
Another one of Bronwyn’s favorite LGBTQ+ designers—who you can catch her wearing in her RHOSLC confessional—is Christopher John Rogers. We’re obsessed with his recent J.Crew capsule collection, and while many of the pieces sold out instantly, this stunning sequined hoodie is still in stock.
“I love Lingua Franca,” said Bronwyn. “My husband’s mom, my mom, my husband, all of my friends—they’ve all gotten custom Lingua Franca sweaters.”
ICYMI, Lingua Franca is an NYC-based cashmere brand known for their sweaters with custom and/or politically-minded embroidery, worn by the likes of Martha Stewart, Leonardo DiCaprio, J.Lo, and Oprah.
If you are in a pinch and don’t have time for custom embroidery, one of our favorite cashmere sweaters rings in under $100 and can still arrive in time for the holidays. It’s a failsafe gift for just about anyone and comes in so many colors.
On the note of things someone wouldn’t buy for themselves? Cashmere socks. “I’m obsessed with Gigi Hadid’s cashmere brand Guest in Residence. They make little socks! If you want to get something for somebody really cozy and cute, I love those.”
Fun fact: Bronwyn loves pandas. “I’m obsessed with pandas. I watch with all the zoo panda cams; I know all the pandas in all the different enclosures.” She went on to describe one of the best gifts she’s ever received from her husband, Todd: a Louis Vuitton hat box with her favorite panda painted on it (!!!).
If custom Louis Vuitton luggage is out of the question (</3), these adorbs panda slippers are a close second (and they come in tons of other animals too, so you can pick their fave!).
“I love something as simple as a cozy pajama that’s kind of cute also.” Bronwyn designed her own prints with BedHead pajamas earlier this year, and while those are mostly sold out (slay), they do have a bunch of fun holiday prints to choose from.
“I think a really luxurious lip gloss, hand cream—anything that feels like self care when you put it on is always well-received,” she said. Anddd we couldn’t agree more. This L’Occitane hand cream has a rich shea butter formula that melts into skin and nails and it comes in a vintage-feeling aluminum tube that you can roll up as you use. It’ll especially come in handy during the cold winter months.
If your giftee is more of a gloss girlie, beauty editor Beth Gillette recommends this luxe option from Gucci. “The tube is so stunning to pull out of a bag and reapply,” she says. “And it’s sheer, so you could get them one shade and it would work with a lot of their lip liners and lipsticks.” (She also recommended this Dior option.)
One of Bronwyn’s most unforgettable moments thus far on RHOSLC was a montage of her picking up her husband at the airport wearing *ahem* inflatable costumes. “I have definitely given Amazon the gift of making airport inflatables cool,” she said. “So many people have messaged me about it.” Make an entrance at your family’s holiday party wearing this.
When asked about her unapologetic personal style, she said that she thinks people want to go there but are often afraid. She said impractical accessories (specifically, the Loewe elephant bag) make her smile and bring joy to the mundane. So while “not everybody’s open to it, a gift is a good way to do it, because again, it’s maybe not something they want to spend money on.”
If Loewe is out of your budge (same), another one of our fave impractical purses du jour is Kate Spade’s recent collab with M&Ms. Or this cutie little sheepdog bag by JW Pei.
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