Hello there!
It has been far too long since I've posted here, over a month in fact, but between college assignments and work, I have been up to my eyes. However, I did have some time to write a little feature for the current issue of U Magazine! Myself and seven other women paid a short tribute to our mums, for the week that's in it. My little piece was about the way in which my mum has influenced my style over the years, despite my abhorrence for her choice of clothes when I was younger!
Here is the short piece I wrote:
I HAVE always been enthralled by fashion and styling. Even at eight or nine, I can remember sitting down in front of whatever RTE fashion program was on back then and drawing pictures of dresses that I liked, or that I thought would be better than the ones on the television. My mum has always had a flair for fashion too, however it is only in recent years that I have grown to love and even share her sense of style.
As a child I remember constant rows over what I wanted to wear versus what my mum wanted me to wear. Of course she would always pick practical clothes; leggings and winter boots as opposed to the glittery pumps and tutus that I would choose. Things only got worse as I came in to my early teens. Secondary school and attending monthly discos meant she had less of a say in what I bought and wore. Yet, looking back now, I probably should have listened to her advice.
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| The whole family! Mum in cool grey peg leg trousers and a breton tee, Sara wit her mini-fro and pink clogs(!) and me with my stripy jeans, at least Dad was never one for the socks and sandals! |
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| Myself and mum in matching printed trousers |
There were a few suspect years where I felt white, skin-tight, polyester flares teamed with glittery halter tops and Reebock Classic runners (I mean runners?!) were acceptable disco attire. Thankfully, attending a secondary school that didn’t have a uniform helped me to develop a personal sense of style at a relatively early stage. The more I grew the more I realised that my mum’s style was something to aspire to, not something to be ashamed of. Although initially sceptical, and even offended by her suggestion that Aran knits and non-flared jeans were cool, not to mention her penchant for faux fur, I can now see that she was just rocking the trends decades ahead of me.
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| Yes, I am afraid this is the kind of thing you would catch me wearing going to Millenium Madness, the teen disco in Galway. |
While her dress is slightly more conservative now, she was quite experimental up until her mid thirties. Despite a thick mop of curls she bravely shaved her head during her punk phase and wore swathes of purple velvet in those questionable hippy-goth years. She reckons she even pioneered the trend of drainpipe jeans in Galway at one point. Even though her style has settled somewhat since then, she still has a great eye for fashion and knows what she likes and what suits her. Never swayed by transient fads, my mother’s style is effortless and elegant and I hope that I have her poise and finesse when I’m her age.
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| Mum and Dad at a wedding, mum in a kimono style jacket with a printed jumpsuit, and Dad in a Mohair cardi, check-shirt and his infamous skinny red-leather tie- which he refuses to throw out! |
I don't think these pictures give a good enough idea of my mum's style but hopefully you get the picture!
Apart from her style influence, my mom is such a strong figure in my life. Although this little piece doesn't even nearly do her justice in terms of what she has done for me over the years, I hope it shows her a small amount of my appreciation.
Loving, caring, kind, brave, intelligent, funny and eccentric, she is without a doubt one of the coolest women I will ever know and I'm so lucky to have her as my mum.
Life is short and you never know what's around the corner, so this Mother's Day or any other random day in fact, let your mum know how much she means to you. Be it with a bunch of flowers, a card or even just a big hug.
And with that grand piece of cheese out of the way, I bid you all adieu until the next post. (Which will not take even half as long to post as this did)
x
