My Mom, The Fashion Outlier

When my mama dressed me as a kid it always felt like an extension of herself: Rhinestone tees, sparkly sneakers, flouncy skirts and dresses. Among them, an unreal sense of confidence too, stemming naturally from a childhood soundtrack of Prince and Cyndi Lauper.

She taught me how to dress, how to do my makeup, and most importantly, how to haggle. The latter artform always comes in handy during our annual pilgrimage(s) to Brimfield.

My mom is pretty badass, and her fashion reflects that. As we sit down to chat about her style, she’s wearing double denim with a rhinestone Bruce Springsteen shirt underneath.

(This makes me laugh because it reminds me of her other rhinestone Bruce Springsteen shirt she once wore to one of his concerts. After the show, she waited outside the stadium in the pouring rain to meet The Boss, but her shirt turned sheer—I’m sure Bruce remembers the moment as well as she does.)

Bruce Springsteen fandom aside, Mama is a gold-winning Dragon Boater, an incredible adult education facilitator—recently winning the state’s Leader of the Year award—and as of this weekend, mom to three college grads. (Congrats to my sister!)

I will always brag about my mom; if you know me you know this. I will also always look up to her, sartorially and beyond. This Mother’s Day, we sat down and talked about her style and what it means to her.

Around 1970, I had a pair of blue polyester pants, bell-bottom pants, with an eagle on the bottom [of one of the legs]. They were cobalt blue, like a Vicks bottle. I thought they were the cat’s meow.

I wore them every day to school. They would go through the wash and I would put them back on. They had a matching white top with an eagle on it.

[My family] grew up shopping at garage sales. I treasured those bell-bottoms because we bought them new from Sears—I think back then it was about $15 for a matching set—and we never bought anything new. It was either a garage sale or hand-me-downs.

One day tragedy struck. I was gonna wear them one day and they were a little wrinkled. I went to iron them, but I left the iron on them a little too long and because they were polyester, it left an iron print on the pants. Then I got in trouble for ruining the iron and I was like, Can you give me some grace? I just lost my favorite pair of pants.

I was creative because I didn’t have a lot of money. I didn’t have to buy a full suit or set, I could buy a part of it and do something with that. To me, that’s style. I don’t like to copy; I don’t follow fashion [trends]; I make my own style.

In the ‘80s, I would wear a lot of pins. I would go to the store almost every Friday and get a new one. I had an elephant one that I really liked. I think because I didn’t have a lot of money, the pins were a way I could change up my style.

I would love to have those blue bell-bottoms still. And my pins from the ‘80s. There were a lot of vintage animal and fruit ones. None of them said anything really, but I do still have a pin with a crossed-out clothes hanger on it.

What I miss is my lip gloss. My lips were poppin’. I had all the different flavors…strawberry, watermelon, vanilla—vanilla was the popular one. I still remember how sticky [the glosses] felt on your lips, but I always wanted my lips to just as shiny as Shaun Cassidy’s. I think he was doing this…

Biting her lip.

…in the poster I had of him.

I like the unusual trends. I’m not into what everyone’s wearing—black leggings, Birkenstocks—I’ll wear similar things but want something a bit different. I want to be a fashion outlier.

I like to dress for the day, so if I have a yoga class after work, I’m wearing athleisure. If I have a meeting, more preppy. I dress more casual on Fridays.

Basically, I go from dressing like a hippie with braids to blowing out my hair for a meeting. And if I’m going to buy something nice, I’ll always buy the thing without the logo. If you want me to advertise for you, you’ll have to pay me!

When someone can put different things together and make their own statement, that’s style. When you use your own unique pieces, that’s something other people can’t copy.

In high school, everyone wore Levi’s, but I would buy ones that were too small because back then they had the inseam and the waist measurements on the back—and there were some mean girls. I also had a pair of blue lace-up clogs. Everyone had them. Now I do my own thing.

I think if you wanna get unique pieces, yes. And it’s fun! You go to the mall and see the same things in every friggin’ store.

Now, if I see something that I really wanted as a kid, and we couldn’t afford it [back then], I’ll buy it now in the vintage store. I love the old Coach bags. It brings me joy that I was able to find [that thing], salvage it and enjoy it when I couldn’t before. Talk about not having instant gratification!

I’m still resourceful now. I like nice things but I like to get them at a discount. I’m shopping, standing there, and thinking about what I already own and how I can style it. Pairing the new with the old.

I can’t think of anyone right off the top of my head. It’s more like when I’m out and about and see someone with great personal style.

I still remember this one lady. We were at the airport coming back from LA, before we had kids. I think it was the early ‘90s. She had braids and was carrying a Mexican market bag, paired with a peasant top, a similar midi skirt, and nice sandals.

She had really natural, good skin, and no makeup—just beautiful. I remember staring at her and she gave me this look, but yeah, she looked effortless and put together. I like that look. I’m drawn to people that dress simply but beautifully.

My mom was a little over the top, but she didn’t care. I think that’s what I got from her. She always had lipstick on—the brighter the better. She always wanted new clothes and more shoes, because she said she only had one pair growing up.

She was one of 18 children. My grandmother would make [their family’s] clothes, but out of potato sacks, so they were itchy. My mom would use cactus juice as her lipstick.

She always liked the bright colors and leopard print, which definitely influenced me. It felt personal but also cultural [in that Mexicans wear a lot of vibrant pieces].

My mom always made sure we were clean; our hair was brushed. Looks matter a lot more when you don’t look like everybody else.

Oh I loved that! I always had you in some crazy dresses. Pretty but crazy. You guys were always in cool outfits. Different, like how I like to dress. You always had the matching shoes, and purse, and headbands.

I think, being a mother, it was really hard to focus on style. I just needed to be ready. Now that you kids are older and self-sufficient, I find myself being able to care and take time to get dressed. Fashion can be more of a priority now.

Being a mom is hard, but there is no love like a mother feels for her children. Los amo à la luna y más allá!

Still looking for a gift for mom? Check out these 100+ designer finds under $100. Or, read about my quest for Madonna arms. If you’re planning on seeing the Devil Wears Prada sequel, I recommend reading my story about the exclusive Vogue cover.

Talk soon divas xx