A follower recently responded to one of my question boxes on Instagram Stories with the suggestion of doing a “raiding my mother’s closet” type blog post. I don’t know how the thought had never crossed my mind to do a blog post like this, but of course I had to give it a try! I actually helped my mom clean out her closet a few weeks ago (just before my own closet cleanout of 2020), which of course my organization-loving self enjoyed immensely. I even picked up a few hand-me-downs during the process… Isn’t that just the best? Anyway, today’s post is dedicated to my amazing mom and her incredible style!
I have tried a handful of times to convince my mother to do “mommy and me” blog posts with me, but to no avail. Sometimes when we go shopping together, we like to pick out the same items on purpose so that we can twin. (I know we each have the same blue sweater currently and we used to have a handful of matching pairs of shoes.) And other times while shopping, we’ll just happen to pick up the same item in our respective sizes, completely on accident! What can I say, great minds (and styles) think alike.
I don’t have any sisters, so my mom and I have always been really close. In high school, when I finally had some freedom in deciding what to wear (I lived in school uniforms before that), I would come upstairs every morning and give her a little twirl to show her my outfit. Now that I spend the school year away at college, I sometimes send her pics of my outfits instead! If I’m really lucky, she’ll send me a sassy pic of her look in return.
My mom is much taller than me because, unfortunately, I got my dad’s genes. For shame. While I’m not short by most women’s standards (I’m about 5’5”), I’m sadly short enough that my mom and I can’t share the majority of our clothes. This is SUCH a bummer because she has an amazing closet full of goods. Not to mention, her shoe collection is to die for! I have itty-bitty little feet, so I’ve never been able to, nor will I ever, fit into her shoes. Even as I was putting this outfit together, I was imagining a pair of shoes she owns that would’ve gone perfectly with this look! Regardless, instead of sharing clothing and shoes with my mom while growing up, I was stuck with my older brothers’ unflattering hand-me-downs. But that’s a story for another time…
Today, I’m featuring this summery white top that my mom handed down to me while cleaning her closet. I think she’s recently had a string of bad luck regarding doing laundry (things unexpectedly shrinking and whatnot), which really sucks. But I would be lying if I said those mishaps didn’t benefit me because it usually means a new clothing item for my collection! But of course, I would not wish laundry malfunctions on any fashionista…
While this white top probably isn’t something I would think to pick for myself (I used to have this strange aversion to buttons—anyone else?), I do think it’s super cute now that I have it on. It’s a faux wrap style with a little tie at the corner, but I decided to knot the shirt up even more to give it a slightly tighter fit. The fabric of this top is super light and breezy, perfect for the summer heat! Since my mom’s pants would be way too long on my short little legs, I opted for my own pair of mustard jeans. These pants used to be a favorite in high school, but I’ve only just rediscovered them during my time home for quarantine. I love that the looser, straight-cut style of jeans is trendy right now because I feel like I can break out all my too-big pants and pass them off as a trend!
I usually consider these mustard pants a fall piece, but I love the color paired with a bright white for summer. I think this outfit turned out so so cute! I opted for my red snakeskin sandals from DSW (which my mom also bought but had to return), and I stole some accessories from my mom’s closet. She has an incredible jewelry collection, so I chose this really unique metal and stone cuff. I topped the outfit off with her blush clutch from StitchFix and voila! One of my favorite summer outfits this year. I would wear this look to class come early fall or even just any day; it’s the perfect amount of cute and casual.
My mom used to graciously take all my blog photos for me back in the day. She always told me to stand straighter, which at the time annoyed me, but was such a necessary reminder! Now that I take all my own photos with a tripod, I’ve only just begun to realize how bad my posture has gotten in most pics. I definitely need to work on that and to reinstate my mom’s little voice in my head!
Do you ever share clothes with your mom? Would you say you and your mom’s styles are compatible? I definitely get my taste from my mother, and my grandma was extremely stylish too. I love being the third generation of fashionista!
I hope you all have a great day and weekend. I’m busy busy busy, but the virtual camp for which I’m volunteering is supposed to end Friday, so hopefully I’ll be able to relax some this weekend. Have a great Thursday, and stay safe!
Miles of smiles,
Grace
White Blouse: Hand-me-down // Mustard Pants: JCPenney, $20 // Red Snakeskin Sandals: DSW, $30, buy HERE // Blush Clutch: StitchFix, borrowed from my mom // Gold Globe Necklace: Francesca’s, buy HERE