💃What your mother wore
Do you wear items specifically to remember your mom/grandmother?
What do you wear that was your mom’s/grand mom’s/step mom’s/aunts?
When and why?
What do you wear that belonged to an important she in your life? She doesn’t have to be deceased. I wear things of my shes every day. I also wear things of theirs at specific times to honor them, and bring them along with me, like my grandmother’s pearls, a purse of my mom’s, a jacket of my step mom’s. I’m wearing my mom’s wedding band from my Dad right now. It’s simple, thin and sweet, kind of like they were at 23.
And, given my recent dirndl experience (see last post), it occurred to me I might not the only one who does this. Am I a hoarder of old things? A sad nostalgic? Someone who likes to dress uniquely? Maybe a little of all of those descriptions.
what is something you wear that was your mom’s (grandmother’s, etc)?
A few weeks ago, I was sitting on a plane to Phoenix in a 1980s quilted jacket that looks like a bed cover that was my mom’s. My daughter has taken to wearing it. I needed a coat to go from cold to warm and as I ferreted around in the girls’ closet, there it was.
It’s back in style, actually. I never really liked it but when mom was cleaning out her closets last year, before the Big Move from house to condo, she gifted a few bags of her old clothing to me and the girls. The bags were full of 1980s and 90s with a smattering of 70s and 00s. Bright cobalt blue, yellow, and pink items including a never worn ball gown with matching purse and wrap in a gorgeous stiff silk. Filene’s Basement tags were still on a few of the fancy dresses (anyone remember their area called The Vault?). We have a large closet between the girls’ rooms that has become a costume wardrobe to beat all, spanning generations and styles.
The downside of accepting the bags of clothing is storing them and keeping the volume of stuff from driving you crazy. But, the upside is all the fun you can have mixing and matching generations and styles all while honoring your shes.
Let’s take it to the comments!!
What do you like to wear that was your mom’s?
Is there something of her’s you covet?
What is that item? Let’s have some fun here!
Go, Alisa Kennedy Jones !!! I CANNOT wait to read your book…
My mother died when I was four, so things that were hers are very important to me. I don't have much that's wearable - a few pieces of jewelry, one pair of shoes (too small for me), a few articles of clothing. I wore a huge red silk coat of hers to the premiere of Adrienne Kennedy's play on Broadway (it took Adrienne 60 years to get there), because Adrienne and Mum were close friends and I wanted Mum to be present at Adrienne's triumph.
That quilted jacket is fabulous.
I've never really coveted my mother's fashion. She's a slave to comfort, so think men's jeans (which fit her better), turtlenecks and flannel shirts. Oddly, this describes my exact fashion sensibilities in 8th grade. 😂 But we do have a lot of furniture in our house that came from my childhood home, which my mom and dad still occupy. One piece, which we lovingly call "the ugly thing" sits in my dining room now. It's like a hutch type deal with a mirror and my mother reminds me every time she visits that she used to change my diapers on it. I do remember inheriting a lot of clothes, jewelry and beauty accessories from my maternal grandmother when I was a middle schooler. Everything smelled like her. Jean Nate and foundation, plus a hint of cigarette smoke. She had a handful of fur coats, too. Sable, I think.
I did dress up in my mother's wedding dress a lot when I was little. High neck, long sleeves, slim, floor length, lace-covered number. It lived in her closet so we could easily pull it out anytime we wanted. 💕