My Style Icon

Every day is her day but Mother’s day just gives us a reminder to stop a minute and appreciate the beauty and strength of our mothers. My first introduction to fashion and makeup came from my mother and her drawers full of makeup, beautiful trinkets and makeup in the loveliest shades. She always smelled great when she woke me up in the mornings – feminine, soft and powdery like expensive lipstick and rosy cream even though she did not have an elaborate beauty routine. She was ahead of her times in her dress and attitude, I never saw her indulge in mean gossip or be caught in an unflattering outfit when she left the house. She wore a wool trench coat when none of the other grown up women I saw around me did, she could run miles and daily errands in her heels and carry my sister in her lap and hold my hand all in 5 inch heels and take us to zoos, beaches and shopping. She had the longest most elegant fingers with the shapeliest nails and I watched in wonder as she used them to effortlessly sketch the most elaborate free hand drawings and make handmade cards for our relatives and art for home, she cut paper effortlessly into elaborate butterflies to place under the cakes and cookies she baked every other day, she iced cakes and cookies with our names and favorite poems on our birthdays staying up all night the day before, she made aromatic cocoa toffee with almonds in the kitchen to wake us up on Sundays.

She was always full of energy and ideas, she hosted the most elaborate parties and gave me my love for entertaining – when she hosted, everything had to be perfect, everyone had to have a good time and everything had to be made in our kitchen. Even today when I have my family over they say – you love to host like your mom. Even though she slogged it out in the kitchen the night before and the whole day, no one looked fresher, smelled prettier or had a more stylish outfit on than my mom and she made sure we kids all looked dapper ourselves as well. I proudly paraded her in school during teacher meetings and in the evening with my friends all the time acting like it’s no big deal that she is so gorgeous.  She always surprised people who were intimidated by her charm by showing her gentle vulnerability and acceptance of everyone. When I grew up I wanted to be able to run in heels like my mom, put kohl and eyeliner exactly how she did in my eyes, smell just like her, host just like her, talk and laugh just like her and most of all own the room she is in just like her. When I was 4 I would steal into her room when she was away, I wore her pearls, her strappy silver heels, squashed up her lipstick bullets in my hurry to close them, forced the pearlescent eye-shadow cakes out their cases while applying and strutted around the house praying that magically my feet would grow into them and I would have long lustrous locks like her. She would take pictures of me when she caught me in her grown up things and let me give her a makeover too.

Today my mom and I live separated by thousands of miles in separate continents and time zones and I only get to see her in person for a few days every year. While I didn’t stop idolizing her, my style evolved I wear kohl and eyeliner everyday, don’t step out w/o my heels and love baking but now I have my own personality as well; I am like my mom in many ways and unlike her in others, she was liberal and bold for her times and I am for mine. Me and my mom disagree on may things - fashion choices, lifestyle choices et all, we fight sometimes, but I cannot bear to not talk to her for too long no matter how angry or stubborn I am. She has a hook into me and always will, and I find myself thinking of her more than I call her and speak to her. I do it all because I know she is back there thinking of me too. Today as a tribute to her style, I dedicate this style blog to her – My Mom - My Fashion Icon.

Did your mom inspire you in ways no fashion magazine can – tell me your story and send me her pictures @devyanig01@gmail.com with a title “My mom – My Style Icon”. I will post them in this blog next week.

Have a happy mother’s day and love and celebrate your Mom!