Mother's Day is just around the corner, so I thought I'd pay a little homage to the woman who gave me life and my sense of style. You see, aside from some oversized sailor collars and a frizzy perm or two, my mom survived the 80's with her fashion dignity pretty well intact. I have fond memories of playing dress-up in her closet, where there was no shortage of flowy silk midi skirts, cuban-heeled spectator loafers, and polka dot shirt dresses—all of which would look equally chic today.
My mom's 80's wardrobe was largely influenced by her grad school days at UC Davis: laid-back, breezy, a little earthy but always put-together. When I got my hands on these chambray pants by The ODells, a new fashion label that embodies everything I love about relaxed yet refined California style, I immediately thought back to my early years tooling around campus on the back of mom's bike.
So when it came time to decide how to style these pants, I simply asked myself 'What Would Mom Wear?' The answer involved a slouchy sweater (mine is a Vince sweater) with great texture, and mom's essential California shoe, the striped espadrille. Last but not least, I grabbed a big Clare Vivier tote with plenty of room for used tissues, restaurant mints, and year-old receipts; because in addition to my mom's fashion sensibility, I also inherited her endearingly scatterbrained organizational skills!
P.S. A shop tour of Bucks & Does, which is owned by the same husband-and-wife team that founded The ODells! The line is available at Anthropologie as well as several independent boutiques listed at The Odells website. Thank you to Sidney Morgan Photography for shooting these images!