Tuesday Ten: The Best Style Advice from Our Mothers

You’ve most likely heard the phrase “mama knows best” more times than you can count. Whether it’s a family recipe, words of encouragement, or life advice that she’s passed down, we know that our mothers have instilled in us some of our most cherished ideals. Last Mother’s Day, we wrote this post after asking our mothers for their best beauty advice. Since we received timeless answers that will stick with us for years to come, this year we reminisced on our mothers’ best style tips. Some of our mothers taught us to invest, others how to dress well on a budget, and all of them gave us something to remember. Keep scrolling to hear Team LC’s mamas sound off on dressing your best, and we’d love to hear what your own moms have to say about style in the comments below!

1. Invest in classic pieces.

My mom always invested in nice, classic looking basics. They are so important in any wardrobe! I can happily say that I’ve taken on the same mantra and you can find versatile pieces throughout my own closet. – Lauren, Editor-in-Chief

2. Leopard is a neutral.

My mother had a couple of leopard print pieces that I always loved when I was growing up. As a teenager I would raid her closet for one silk leopard print blouse in particular, and eventually she just gave it to me. It was on heavy rotation in my wardrobe for several years until I eventually tore an irreparable hole in it. I definitely inherited my mother’s love of leopard print and believe it’s one of those patterns that is always on trend, no matter the decade. – Ilana, Managing Editor

3. Dress well on any budget.

My mom has always loved thrift and consignment store shopping, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from her it’s that you never know what you’re going to find when you start browsing. I’ve found lots of high end and designer pieces just by combing through gently used pieces, and it’s helped me stretch my budget, especially when testing out trendy pieces that I might only wear a few times. She’s always said that there’s no reason you can’t find a cute outfit if you look hard enough—and the hunt is part of the fun anyway! – Kiera, Intern

4. When you love something, stock up!

My mom’s style is classic, chic, and very colorful. Growing up, she always taught me that when I found something I really loved, that fit me well, and made me feel good, that I should buy it in more than one color. Whether it was a T-shirt, a pair of ballet flats, or a cardigan, my mom believes in building a wardrobe around pieces you love and will wear all the time… even if it’s just the same sweater in three different colors! – Rachel, Managing Editor

5. Don’t walk out the door without lipstick on.

One thing that I love about my mom is that she isn’t afraid to be a little bit extra. I swear that woman has every shade of lipstick known to man but guess what, she uses every single one until the tube is completely empty. My favorite photo of my mom is the one where she’s sitting in a hospital bed about to give birth with a bright red smile on her face. She’s taught me to always keep something on my lips because it’ll make even the most casual outfit that much more elevated. I realize that this can double as a beauty tip, but the perfect lip shade will always complete an ensemble. – Jessi, Senior Editor

6. Shoes can make or break an outfit.

As long as I can remember, my mom would walk into my room on Sunday mornings and ask which pair of heels looked better with her dress. (My mom has great style all around, but her shoe collection is one to be reckoned with!) She has never stepped out of the house on a Sunday without a killer pair of heels on, and as my feet grew to be close enough to her size, I was constantly asking my mom to let me try on her heels in church and begging her to switch me shoes. She has always had great attention to detail when it comes to her shoe collection, and because of her I’ve learned that a great outfit stops at your toes—never before. – Tessa, Editorial Assistant

7. Alterations make all the difference.

My mom has always taught me and my sister that taking an item to your tailor to really make it fit properly will ensure that you look your best. Very seldom will I come across something that fits my body in all the right places right off the bat—I usually take my mother’s advice and set aside a little pile of jeans that need hemming (I’m 5’3″ so this is almost every pair!), a dress that needs slight adjustments, or a blouse that needs tailoring here and there. My mom has proven to be right time and time again: I find I get the most compliments on the pieces in my wardrobe that I spend the time and money to get altered to fit me perfectly. – Allison, Managing Editor

8. Some pieces are worth the investment.

My mom has never spent an exorbitant amount of money on her wardrobe, but I definitely learned the value of quality over quantity from her. Don’t get me wrong, my mom is no stranger to buying a $15 top from Target, but she also taught me that some higher priced items are worth the investment—IF they’ll stand the test of time. In fact, she just repurposed the gold and diamonds from some jewelry she bought decades ago and transformed them into completely new, modern pieces. Genius, right? I definitely don’t shell out for every purchase I make, but now that I’m a bit older, I find myself reaching for more classic investment pieces that I know I’ll keep for years and years. They haven’t failed me yet! – Tessa, Editorial Assistant

9. It’s always better to be overdressed.

I can’t say I always follow this rule, but my mom is a big proponent of the idea that it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed. As much as it might have bothered me as I grew up (and she made me change my outfits because they were ‘too casual’), I do think this is a helpful tip when getting dressed. As long as you look chic and pulled together, no one will ever fault you for being too dressed up. – Rachel, Managing Editor

10. Don’t forget to glance in the mirror.

This is my mom’s biggest tip, and not for vanity reasons. You’ll never know if something is going awry if you don’t double check your outfit in the mirror before you head out the door. You could save yourself some embarrassment or heartbreak, you never know! — Jessi, Senior Editor

How cute are these style tips? We might have to ask our mamas for their advice more often…

What are some of your mother’s style tips?

We’d love to hear what they are in the comments!

XO Team LC

Photos: @laurenconrad on Instagram

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