The wonders of my mother's wardrobe

pic from sonia-daigle.blogspot.com

Most girls are influenced by their mother's style while growing up, and I find that their subsequent style often goes one of two ways: they either develop a completely different look to their mama, or quite a similar one. I've realised that for me it's definitely the latter. We're both major trouser fans, and can often be found in a pair teamed with a stripey top and blazer. Probably with a pashmina too, as the mother and I both feel the cold like you wouldn't believe! Though we have similar styles, mine tends to be a bit more "out there" while mum's is more sophisticated. Occasionally I wear something that's just too weird for mum, and she just won't get it. But that's the way it's supposed to be.

I think my mum dresses really well, not just for her age but for any age. I imagine it must be difficult once you get to middle age to get the balance right: you want to look stylish and chic, but most definitely not "mutton dressed as lamb." We've all seen those women now, haven't we? They're easily identifiable by their overly revealing outfits, Jack Wills trousers and long blonde hair extensions. I'm not saying that older women shouldn't be able to wear whatever they like, and I have a lot of respect for those who do, but this is just my opinion of what looks good. My lovely mum dresses fabulously, in my opinion, and I guess I'm lucky that I'm not one of those daughters who feels embarrassed to go out with her mum. Heck - I'm usually showing her off! In the past, friends have commented on how well they think meine Mutter dresses, and it does make me a smidge proud. I love it when people tell me I look like my mum, and found it weird when I said that the other day and a girl said she hated it when people said that to her!

Having two older teenage daughters probably helps in the stylish mum stakes, to be fair, because obviously my sister and I are oh so stylish examples of fashion... ish. I suppose we bounce of mum and she bounces off us. I always like it when I wear an outfit that I know my mum would like, but that probably just comes down to my strange ultimate aim in life of making my parents proud (not really sure what that's all about... Psychologist anyone?) My sister, mother and I are also lucky in that there's not that much size variation between us, so we have been known to share the odd item of clothing here and there. Actually, most of the time it's the lil sis borrowing my things while I'm away at uni, and then she always looks better in them too. Grr. And I have clown feet so can't borrow either of their shoes. When I was little, I remember clip-clopping about the house in my mum's wedding shoes (white, slightly pointed, not overly high heels with a white bow), waiting for the day when my feet would be big enough to wear them properly. That day came and then went before I knew it. My life is very hard, as you can see.

Although shoes are a no-go, one of my fave ways of getting new clothes/bags is delving into my mother's wardrobe from years gone by. I can tell you, readers, I have found (and subsequently stolen) some incredible gems in there which probably would have cost a fair amount in vintage shops. It's also a rather fantastic feeling when people go "Wow! I love your jumper/trousers/handbag [delete as appropriate]! Where did you get it?" and I respond "Oh, it was my mum's from, like, the 80s" in a nonchalant manner.

Here are some of my fave pieces:

This old Mulberry is my current handbag du jour. Mum has a Bayswater of her own, so I couldn't just stand by and watch this old beauty get swept aside now, could I? Some day I will buy my own new Mulberry, but for the moment I absolutely love this one. It's almost better having a less ubiquitous bag, isn't it? You can't go anywhere without seeing a tan Alexa these days for sure.

I also commandeered this lovely Louis Vuitton drawstring bucket bag which mama never used. There are currently similar ones going for up to £500 on ebay at the moment, which is a bit mad.

pic from louisvuitton.org

Mum also has an old but ever classic Burberry trench which she NEVER wears, the crazy lady.

Other items I've casually taken off my mum's hands include a delightful pair of white high-waisted jeans from ZAPA which I believe were rather expensive at the time, a fab oversized cream chunky cable-knit jumper, and this incredibly fun one which I wear quite a lot:

To be honest it is so not my mother, but luckily it is so me. I remember my cousin seeing me in it once and proclaiming "It's not fair! My mum doesn't have anything cool like that!" But she probably does. All mums do. You just have to have a rummage through. Almost like finding something good in a Primark sale.

Has anyone else found anything amazing in their mum's wardrobes? I've even been known to steal the odd piece from my dad's, so I think the next mission will be to have a good old delve in there. Watch out, daddio...