I Steal Style Tips from My Daughter
“Excuse-moi, Madame.”
“Oui, Mélanie,” I respond to my oldest daugther, using her pseudonym.
She enjoys calling me Madame, and changing her name to pretend she is one of my students.
I may teach about Paris, one of the world’s fashion capitals, but it seems I should turn my attention home. I could snag a few style tips from her, and le look du jour.
How to pair shorts, tights and boots, for example.
I mostly give the girls free rein selecting their outfits. My three-year-old loves Disney princess dresses donned with galoshes and strings of pearls, and rainbow colored socks with plaid leggings. My rules are loose – pants are not optional outside of the house – and their choices in clothing are generally age and weather appropriate.
I sometimes cringe at their faux pas, but truth be told, I love their fearless sense of style. Judging by the proud looks on their faces, it’s clear those outfits are building their personal tastes.
My oldest child dove into her closet on Thursday evening to prepare her weekend outfit to fete my father-in-law’s birthday. A fan of boots, skinny jeans, dresses (Tea is our favorite), golden sandals and bold accessories, looking hip is front and center for this girly girl.
She debuted her outfit on Saturday. She looked oh so euro, sauntering down the hallway from her bedroom to the kitchen.
She modeled for me, and I grinned. We’ve officially moved past mommy-inspired fashion. Little miss mismatched has turned urban and trendy.
Cutoffs & tights are a trend I’ve spotted on Gwen Stefani, Nicole Richie, and the hipsters in my neighborhood. Now the style has trickled down to my six-year old.
I admired her cross-seasonal approach. I’d imagine her choice stemmed from weather – refusing to ditch her summer attire after spring break. I bought her pair of cuffed Daisy Duke’s at the Gap to wear on vacation. Who wants to give up their summer staples just because there’s a chill in the air?
She paired the denim shorts with grey leggings and tan cowboy boots to fight the spring cold. She finished her look with embroidered flowy purple blouse, a jean jacket (a lighter wash than the jeans) and a thin lime-green belt.
She wore a hand-crocheted cream beret (with a bright yellow rim) on her head.
And she rocked it with this amazing, confident attitude.
She had runway poses spot on:
She sported a mix between this femme-fatale attitude:
and this boho style:
She added a personal touch – a poodle she got from Santa – to finish her ensemble. Très chic.
Don’t tell, but I may have to steal her look. Wearing tights with shorts could be a refreshing (and inexpensive) change to my wardrobe. But I’m not confident this is a look I can pull off without looking silly.
Maybe I’ll go with tweed. I’m picturing ankle booties and colorful tights. Something a touch bobo, like socialite Olivia Palermo.
Off to Forever 21 I go. If I’m doing trendy, I do it on a budget.
Ciao for now.
2 Responses to “I Steal Style Tips from My Daughter”
Youre on a roll grrrrl! Xxxooo
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I love that age when random pairings look intentionally chic on the youngest of fashionistas. I remember Zoe wearing a pink tutu and a skull cap with everything.