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Over the years, me and my mom have disagreed a great deal about fashion. We don’t share the same style. I like to be over the top and girly, while she has a more sophisticated, refined style. We have had countless arguments over my outfits as I’m walking out the door and she sassily asks “Is that what you’re wearing”, making me second guess my outfit. However, regardless of our different tastes in fashion, she has taught me a few very important things that I will probably remember for the rest of my life.

1. Sweatpants are not to be worn to school– I used to hate that my mom wouldn’t allow me to wear sweatpants to school. I wanted to be one of those sporty and casual girls who wore sweats to school every second day. I remember one time sneaking a pair of sweats with me to school and then changing into them in the bathroom. Looking back, I’m so glad that I my school outfits didn’t include sweatpants. My mom always made sure that I looked presentable for school. That doesn’t necessarily mean getting dressed up for school, it just means looking like you put in effort and you didn’t just roll out of bed. Now that I’m older, my sweatpants are reserved for two things: sleeping and post workout.
2. Pay attention to fabrics– It doesn’t matter if the item is expensive, if it’s made out of a poor material, it’s not going to wear well. That includes sweaters that pill. Also polyester and acrylic fabrics usually don’t last. Another important thing to look at is washing instructions. Do you really want to spend that $10 on a shirt in the clearance section but you’re going to have to dry clean? Is it worth it? Probably not.
3. Quality over quantity– Growing up, I have always been tight on money. My parents didn’t fund my shopping obsession, so I would always hate splurging on clothing. I would try to make my money stretch as far as possible. This can sometimes be a good thing. However, my mom always told me that it’s nicer to have one really nice thing that you’re going to wear a ton, rather than a cheap shirt that you might only wear once, but you bought it because it was on a really good sale. I have this one shirt that I bought at Urban Outfitters in grade 10. It was $60, which at the time was quite a bit for me to spend on a shirt, but my mom encouraged me to spend the extra money. To this day, it remains one of my favorite tops.
4. Clothes should be wrinkle-free– I have always been the worst for hanging up my clothes, but my mom has always ensured that I step out the door with perfectly ironed clothing. There’s something about a wrinkly shirt that will make your whole outfit look bad, no matter how put together it is. Wrinkles just make you look like a slob.
5. Fit is extremely important– My mom always used to lecture me when I would buy a pair of pants too tight or a top too small. While I thought buying clothes a size smaller would make me look skinnier, she taught me that that’s really not the case. Its more important that the item fits properly rather than the number on the tag.

Looking back on my childhood, I am eternally grateful that I had a mom who dressed me extremely well and taught me everything I know today. Sure, we might have opposing tastes in clothes now, but we still agree on the basics and that is the most important thing. I love you Mom!