Step aside Vivienne Westwood; make way Coco Chanel—because mama’s back in town!
We can remember watching her at the vanity mirror, applying rouge, powder, and lipstick, light bulbs wrapped around her reflection like the backstage room of a high-end fashion show. She’d select earrings and bracelets, and some dazzling necklace that reminded us of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Miss Holly Golightly’s refined taste in chic accessories. It didn’t matter that she was only getting dressed for the day—to go to work, or run errands—mom primped and preened and double-checked her outfit before ever stepping out. She was a trendsetter, an understated fashion queen. And for the longest time, she was our fashion guru.
Whether we knew it or not, mom was our first (and only) guide to fashion. Before we ever heard about Vogue, or Elle, or New York City fashion shows, we were watching her match and accessorize thousands of stylish outfits. We wanted to be like her, dress like her. We went through her closet and tried on shoes that were too big—and kept them on—because they looked good (Isn’t that still the case, ladies?), and slipped on oversized dresses that pooled around our feet as we stumbled to the nearest mirror, so we could pose, or apply makeup for the first time—going a little “heavy” on the eye shadow and mascara, so we ended up looking like professional Cirque du Soleil performers! Talk about “live and learn.”
But mom was always there to clean us up and guide us through a second attempt—heavier on this, lighter on that; blend, pat, dab…
We might not have known it then, but small moments like this would eventually become some of the most treasured memories in our lives. To all the special moms out there: Thank you for always standing by us and for being inspiring fashionistas who’ve raised (or are still raising) a generation of women who can hold their heads high as they step out into the world with poise and tough-as-nails determination.
Happy Mother’s Day!
-Pink Pewter
Styles come and go, as we well know, and our closets are packed with past seasonal trends like a high fashion retrospective, taking us back from skinny jeans and leggings to Ugg boots and denim skirts. And while some of these trends will likely never come back, it can still be pretty hard to toss out some of those couture items, leaving us with boxes, closets, and drawers packed with dozens of dated outfits (sometimes only several tops away from starring on A&E’s Hoarders)—but that’s not such a bad thing! Sure, we may never wear those blue jean overall shorts again, or that stonewash denim jacket with our name spray-painted on the back, but vintage styles have resurfaced, time and again, gracing the columns and covers of countless high-end fashion magazines, following their runway debut. So hang onto some of those “retro” outfits (especially those beaded tunics, bandanas, and floppy hats). Because more often than not, if it’s coming back, it’s “Boho-chic.”
