Mothers: Our First Fashion Muses
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In the coming-of-age process, there comes a certain point at which you begin to realize just how much you’re becoming like your parents. Oftentimes, the resemblance between parent and child goes beyond just genetic, even translating into behavioral aspects that shape who we are. I found myself wondering, does this also include style? A common pre-teen rite of passage is to be mortified while shopping at a local department store alongside mom. My style usually shied away from choices I feared would draw attention, while my mother freely embraced bolder colors and patterns, often to my dismay. As I mature, though, I increasingly find the outfits I choose to reflect elements of her style.
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During our formative years, our mothers acted as our very first stylists, making the executive fashion decisions from our socks to our hairdos. Even as kids develop individual senses of how they want to dress, the voice of a mother’s opinion often follows well into adolescence. While this timeline varies from person to person, adulthood introduces a new era of fashion freedom. Though I now control how I present myself, I find that I often feel most beautiful when I see pieces of my mother within myself.
Growing up in the late 2000s, a distinct style of bright hues and plentiful accessories was a staple. Since then, it’s been no secret that Y2K fashion has made its great return in full swing in the 2020s. In an era ruled by the microtrend, however, fashion’s current landscape seems to have a much shorter attention span. A mother’s influence provides a sense of stability and timelessness in what it means to be well-dressed. And when it comes to inspiration, I like to take pieces directly from the source.
Ten years ago, I might not have worn hand-me-downs from my mother with the pride I do now. With the rise of vintage fashion and thrifting, I beg to share her closet. Thrift shops and resale websites like Depop have not only broken stigmas around pre-owned clothing but also brought to light the value in pieces that tell a story. It feels all the more valuable to know the stories behind our borrowed clothing and live intertwined with these stories through our fashion.
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This value additionally goes beyond the sentimental and into the practical as well. It’s not just in your head. Her clothes really might be better. Comparatively, the textile quality of modern retail has significantly altered in the past 15-20 years. Even items as hallmark as blue jeans pale in quality comparison to decades prior. Lasting and durable denim was mostly, if not all, cotton-based. However, the modern jean often contains a blend of synthetic fibers, like spandex, that changes the feel and fit of the denim. This means those Calvin Klein jeans I stole from my mom hold a value I just couldn’t buy somewhere else. Sorry Mom.
Within the realm of secondhand closets, before there was Plato’s, we had mothers. From my mother’s closet, I’ll fondly take a yellow cardigan, with its brightness reminding me of her love for color that I’ve grown to admire so much— its vibrance reminding me of her own. With fashion’s function being so inextricably linked with the expression of individual identity, I find no better source of inspiration than the women who first showed us how to be the individuals we are.
Image Courtesy: Priscilla Rodriguez
Strike Out,
Writer: Priscilla Rodriguez
Editor: Isabelle Kim
Graphic Designer:
Tallahassee