In honor of Mother’s Day, we reflected on the lessons we’ve learned from the most stylish ladies we know: our own moms! Here’s what they’ve taught us over the years about putting our best fashion feet forward…
Contents
1.Dress To Bring Out Your Favorite Parts Of Who You Are
“My mother is a German immigrant to the US who grew up on a farm. She married an American business man and was very interested in shedding her more rural upbringing. Since we were younger she has always been very concerned with looking as elegant as possible but not in an outlandish or ‘try-hard’ way. Appearing clean and polished is the key, but also a sense of casualness. She will not leave the house without earrings in her ears – usually diamond or pearl studs. She always looks prim and proper and she definitely rings of ‘classic European beauty’ with her style of dress.” – Katrin
[Dress, $150, Bloomingdales]
[Earrings, $130, Bloomingdales]
2.Don’t Let The Status Quo Dictate Your Style
“My mom has a large bosom, so she likes to wear long necklaces with a large pendant – shorter, less noticeable necklaces just look out of proportion. She also gets to wear rad statement necklaces, as a bonus.
She also worked in higher education for 10 years and found that a lot of the women in her workplace – faculty especially – dressed super-frumpily. She thinks they figured they had to in order to be taken seriously. She refused, because she wanted to be comfortable and fashionable regardless of her work environment. So, like, no bad-fitting blazers for Jean, just nice, colorful blouses and slacks. And her rad jewelry.
As I get older, I want her old purses more and more, because she’s always had a really nice, simple leather purse whereas I have opted for cheap faux-leather purses with lots of ornamentation that start flaking away after a few months. It’s not cute. I would really rather have the real deal and have it last for years, the way hers always have.” -Rebecca
[Gem Pendant, $85, Neiman Marcus] [Bubble Necklace, $22, Max & Chloe] [Blouse, $59, Neiman Marcus][Leather Purse, $100, TJ Maxx]
3.Pay Attention To Detail
“She didn’t let us wear makeup until we were 13, but for our 13th birthdays she took us to a makeup artist, had us color-matched, and had the artist show us how to apply makeup correctly, which is 100% in line with her insistence on thoroughness in general.
The woman gets a manicure every 2 weeks, which is such a foreign thing to me because my hands are always up in everything (making art, cooking, doing bike maintenance, etc.) and I’m not spectacularly gentle with them. But I don’t know, man, I’m 28 and I’m getting to the point where I think I should follow her lead, because it does feel really nice to look down at manicured fingernails, doesn’t it?” -Rebecca
[$8.50, Target]4.Embrace A Minimalist Uniform
5.It’s All About The Red Lipstick
“My mom has never been into makeup, but the one thing she always wore, and still wears every day with a bare face is red lipstick. For years I didn’t wear lipstick at all because I thought it would just draw attention to my thin lips, and red lipstick especially so — but one day not all that long ago, I decided to take a cue from my mom and swiped on a little red lipstick. And I haven’t worn anything else since!” -Amelia
[$16, Clinique]
6.Comfort Is Priority #1
“Comfort rules all. My mom is passionate about athleisure, yet does not know that it’s called athleisure.” -Megan
Black Sweatpants [$81, Saks Fifth Avenue]
Leopard Sweatpants [$60, Saks Fifth Avenue]
7.”Do You Have Earrings To Go With That?”
“My mom is a huge fan of big earrings, and for about ten years I was severely allergic to nickel and couldn’t wear them ever. It drove her crazy. For some reason, I magically stopped being allergic last summer, and have since resumed my habit of wearing earrings always. These Citrine By The Stones Adonis earrings are a family favorite, as they literally go with everything.” -Robyn
[$150, Citrine By The Stones]
8.Silk & Pearls Make Everything Better
“Whether she’s wearing jeans or dressed for a night out, my mom’s favorite way to finish an outfit are with a silk scarf and pearls. You never know what your day will bring, even if you’re just heading to the store to pick up some milk, and these staples roll with the punches to match every event and every season.” -Claire
[Necklace, $285, Neiman Marcus][Scarf, $168, Matches Fashion]
9.Stick To Your Favorites
“Both my mother’s style and my own were heavily influenced by the fashion choices of my grandmothers on both sides of my family. Grandma Esther, my mom’s mom, still sports her trademark bright lip nearly every day, even at age 96! She’s rarely seen without the big, cheerful jewelry pieces she picked up during her expat days in South America, especially the gold globe necklace she’s had for decades. On-point color coordination is her jam.
Grandma Ange, my dad’s mom, was all about retro statement glasses and rocked Breton stripes long before they were in J.Crew catalogues. As she got older, her look remained steadily true to her taste: smart, joyful, and always comfy enough for dancing and tending to her flowers.” -Claire
[Glasses, $215, Nordstrom][Lipstick, $18, Sephora]
[Striped Top, $45, J.Crew]
Original by The Frisky
