Inheriting a sense of style from your nearest and dearest
It’s a frosty yet pleasant Sunday evening in the family home and I’m surrounded by my loved ones, rooting through a box of old family photos over a cosy cup of peppermint tea. Sifting through a bundle of particularly mismatched snaps, I find myself taken aback momentarily; it’s not the dramatic, wind-swept hair styles or the questionable wallpapers of my mother’s 25st birthday party that faze me, but it’s that gorgeous aubergine jumpsuit. “Where have you been all my life?!”, I think to myself. I’m sure that is a moment that has crossed many women’s minds, however rarely, when they look through such retro photographs of their mother, aunt, or indeed any female relative. It is times like these when we vouch to save some key wardrobe pieces for our future daughters to acquire one day. I have forgiven my mother of course – after all, how could she have known that the jumpsuit trend would resurface here and now? Perhaps even more cause to forgive, is the fact that she still remains as fashionable as ever today, and is not averse to lending me the odd clutch bag or pencil skirt every now and again (unfortunately we do not share the same shoe size). Is such inter-generational style swapping the norm these days?
Arguably so. Planet celebrity is bursting with prime examples of this phenomenon; from Rumer Willis and Demi Moore to Georgia May Jagger and Jerry Hall, these stylish duos have not gone unnoticed by the fashion elite. With the likes of Teen Vogue admiring Rumer and Demi’s “sleek, refined sense of style and proclivity for wearing black” it seems that having a trendy mother is a trend in itself these days. It is also apparent that we’re not the only ones raiding our mothers’ wardrobes, with Khloe Kardashian recently spotted in a Valentino number seemingly swiped straight from Kris Jenner’s own collection.
Of course, while it is lovely to marvel at these famous women, perhaps it is unfair to expect such an empire of hand-me-downs and priceless heirlooms from our own mothers. Furthermore, why bother to seek unrealistic inspiration solely from celebrities when real the inspiration is right there in your family home? While there are many far more prominent reasons to be proud of our mothers, a chic assortment of both new and retro ensembles to accompany the unconditional love does not go unappreciated. Furthermore, it really is something special to be able to respond to a query as to where you got that gorgeous (yet hand-me-down) dress from with the simple words “it’s vintage”. Not only have you acquired a piece that no one else can get their claws on, you are also wearing a snippet of family history and, for those of us with a sentimental streak, this is an added bonus.