Shell average in size for the group of Vexillum it belongs to. Porcellaneous in structure and solid but very thick shelled. The protoconch is broken off in all but two shells studied. It is eroded in one of these, but the shell with the intact protoconch (paratype 8) shows a glossy tilted pink protoconch with 3 and a half very globose whorls separated by a deep suture. The transition in the teleoconch whorls is clearly cut and visible as a succession of two bent axial ribs. All remnants of protoconches and very first start of the teleoconches are pink colored, a constant characteristic of the shell. The teleoconch has 8 whorls, the body whorl is slightly larger than half the shell length and the aperture much smaller than half the shell length. The whorls are straight with a small shoulder. The suture is deep and distinct. The sculpture is complicate: large axial ribs cover the shell. These ribs are clearly triangular in shape, not wavy, and they number between 13 and 15 on the body whorl. They are crossed all over by a large number of small spiral ribs. These spiral ribs number 9 between the top of the aperture and the suture of the last whorl. The combination of the spiral and axial ribs gives the shell a reticulate appearance. The aperture is rather small with a straight lip which is crenulate on the periphery. The aperture becomes narrower towards the siphonal canal. There are 14 lirae inside the outer lip. The parietal knob is small, sometimes hard to see. There are 3 large and 2 small columellar folds, very oblique. In fully adult specimens there is a fasciole present. Siphonal canal rather small. The overall base color of the shell is white with a tinge of pink. The upper part of the whorls has a band of dark brown which is more pronounced between the tops of the axial ribs. Mid-whorl a large pale spiral band followed by a pink band. Towards the siphonal canal, again an irregular band of pale brown. The color pattern varies in strength from specimen to specimen but is rather constant. The protoconches are. As said above, always pink.

This species has been confused in literature with Vexillum hilare (Kuroda & Habe. 1971). It was often handled under the manuscript name "V. vertebratum". V. giselae n. sp. can be distinguished at once from V. hilare by the much more pronounced sculpture, the larger aperture and the more stepped whorls that all have a bigger shoulder than in V. hilare. The color is more pinkish.

The Philippines. Olango Island. Known from Mactan Island, Olango Island. Balicasag Island and Aliguay Island. The Olango shells were found by divers who most often work between 15 and 35 m deep at night. The Balicasag shell was tangle netted. Most often tangle nets in Balicasag are set at a depth of 80 to 100 m, but occasionally much deeper. The Aliguay shells are trawled by local lishermen that work usually between 50 and 150 m deep. In Mactan. shells were taken with lumun lumun nets, usually set between 12 and 60 m deep. So. we conclude that this species probably has a large bathymetric range that goes from about 20 to 100 m or deeper.