Things Our Mother Told US About Style

It’s time to admit it: maybe mom does know better than you. Whether it’s about life, love or style, moms are a wealth of knowledge and experience. So in honor of Mother’s Day and our latest lookbook Things My Mother Told Me, we’re tapping our team for their memories and greatest tips from the special ladies in their lives.

“My mom has always claimed her nickname growing up was “Blue Jean Baby,” partly from the Elton John song, I’m sure, but mostly in a literal sense, being a big tomboy with six brothers growing up in Texas. She’s the coolest and the image of her long wavy hair, baby tees and blue jeans will always make me happy and inspire me to keep my style classic.”
– Aimee Sanchez, Assistant Production & Copy Editor

“My mom is a very glamorous woman so I have a lot of memories of being in department stores for hours, even after they closed. Being the social butterfly I am, I ended up in the stockrooms and break areas with employees who shared their lunches and stories with me. Also, at one point my mom even made my room smaller to make room for a shoe closet. So the moral of the story is that you can always make room for more shoes.”
– Pilar Gonzalez, Photo Editor

“My mom always said to my brother and me ‘Don’t do drugs, don’t smoke, always be safe, but most importantly don’t ruin your credit.’ My mom loved to emphasize the importance of being financially independent; it always cracked me up though that she thought the worst of those would be having a low credit score. I am ,of course, obsessed with my credit score as a result and it explains why I am so into personal finance and shop wisely.”
– Riley Bennett, Merchandising Project Manager

“My mom definitely had killer style in the ’70s (according to all of her photos!) – bell bottoms, platforms, big sunglasses and all!  She’s been rocking it ever since. I’ve never seen my mom in sweats.  If she’s taught me one thing about fashion it’s that I should never leave the house not fully dressed to impress!  She also passed down a pretty bad shopping habit, and according to her the reason for my shoe addiction comes straight from my distant relative, Imelda Marcos. I guess it’s in the blood.”
– Toni Mills Lessler, Fashion Writer & Editor

“My mom has never really taken her style too seriously. She never criticized her own appearance or anyone else’s, and I think that gave me the confidence to have my own style without worrying what anyone thought. My most cherished clothing item from her is an oversized sweatshirt from when she worked on a cruise ship in her ’20s that has a giant ship on it and says ‘Life’s A Cruise.’ I feel like it basically sums up her attitude towards life, to never sweat the small stuff.”
– Kaila Abruzzo, Editorial Intern

“My mom passed down some great jewelry pieces that I wear all the time, like an amazing pair of geometric statement earrings and a signet ring with her initials that was gifted to her by her aunt. I wear it on my pinky almost every day! It still feels cool and current.”
– Lauren Bradshaw, Editorial Director

“One of the best lessons my mom ingrained in me was to live within my means. She’s always said ‘If you can’t afford it, you don’t need it. If you really want it, you can always attain it by working hard.’ She taught me that nothing worth having comes easy, both in life and with financial decisions.”
– Amanda Gallegos, Site Operations Assistant