Since you’re buying for someone who is likely not (yet?) an audiophile, I’d suggest paying attention to aesthetics and also look for something that’s less likely to be finicky about placement (since most people put their speakers up against back walls and directly on cabinets, etc) unless you know the location she’s placing them will leave room to breath. Front-ported has been less finicky for me. As for the look, that’s going to depend on her personal style but there’s a big difference in the look of Elac, KefQ150, wharfedale, etc…Knowing they’re all better than most non-audiophiles listen to, I’d try to match the style of her room.
Loving the look of your system helps a lot when you’re new to the hobby and best to not have something she doesn’t like looking at in her room.