The Shopping Gene…

Or, what my mom taught me about quality, bargains & a discerning eye

I had an early Mother’s Day surprise when my husband unearthed a few envelopes of photos while he was hunting through some storage. This set of pre-digital pics were most likely what I had given my mom when my son was an infant. And, now ended up being tucked away in a box.

What a pleasant surprise to see photos of my mom with my 11 week old baby, and of my little white girl poodle who was always on high alert watching over my son. There’s even a snap with Po, the favorite Teletubby, all pictured above.

In honor of Mother’s Day, I started thinking about some of the things I inherited from my mom besides the toothy smile.

The shopping gene, of course!

My mom was a “shopper” no doubt. Not of the shop ’til you drop kind. But a hunter of bargains. And, quality.

>> MORE On A Theme: Discount Designer Shopping Tips

She could spend hours looking over every seam, every detail, every nuance, and every deal until she found what was just right. And, she had no qualms about returning what didn’t make the cut on second look (a skill I begrudgingly made good use of as a stylist after a photo shoot).

The story goes that when she was pregnant with me, my father used to joke that ‘this isn’t Klein’s, you can’t take the baby back.’

Well, years later, when I was finally able to go shopping on my own and came home with a few trendy pieces here and there, my mother made no bones about having me return anything that she thought was a fad, chintzy, or wasn’t absolutely flattering that she couldn’t alter.

I even resorted to stashing away a few trendy pieces so she wouldn’t see them. Like a glittery Robin’s egg blue wrap top with a zigzag flutter hem and an emerald-green and black stripe sweater with a black cinched waist. Yes, you see, I clearly remember my secret stash!

At the time, I winced and whined but now I see that my mom was right.

Which brings me to my point: What endures in photographs through time are classic chic pieces in the best quality that you can afford.

Yes, we all need to experiment and find our sartorial voice, but the core of our wardrobe should be of time-honored, well-cut pieces that would make any mom proud.

From there you can add your accents, experiment, find your way to make your personal mark, but will always look right on the money, even when you scored yourself a bargain.

You see I have been styling from way before I even turned my shopping gene into a career as a stylist turned style mentor. If you’d like to apply for a V.I.P. One on One Style Mentoring Stylist Session with moi, learn more here. For my mom and all the moms out there, wear it well…

Happy Mother’s Day!

Tell me what you learned from your mom in the comments below.

>>RELATED: Are you a mom of a little one? Have a look at the style tips in my Mommy Chic posts

SHOP IT: I pulled some old school photo albums to hold your family memories:

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